Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 8, “The Reality War.”Doctor Who season 15, episode 8, “The Reality War,” ended up being a shock end to Ncuti Gatwa’s era as the Fifteenth Doctor, but the death of Archie Panjabi’s Rani was equally unexpected and came paired with an underrated joke that many viewers will surely have missed. Although Anita Dobson was a notable part of Doctor Who‘s season 15 cast, it was only revealed that Mrs. Flood was actually the Rani at the end of Doctor Who season 15, episode 6, “The Interstellar Song Contest,” when the show’s second-ever bi-generation scene spawned Panjabi’s version of the villainous Time Lady.
The Rani’s plan to bring back Omega is briefly successful, but that’s where her triumph ends. Her ultimate goal is to use Omega as a “gene bank” to bring back Gallifrey and the Time Lords, and to restore her people’s ability to procreate. However, while Doctor Who season 15’s two-part finale begins with two Ranis, it ends with just one. This surprise backtracking by showrunner Russell T. Davies will have implications for Doctor Who‘s future, but he managed to squeeze in a reference to a legendary comedy duo in the process.
The Rani’s “It’s Goodnight From Me” Line In Doctor Who Has A Deeper Meaning
Mrs. Flood is quoting The Two Ronnies
Panjabi’s Rani is consumed by Omega shortly after he’s been freed from the Underverse, apparently ending the actress’ brief stint on Doctor Who. Rather than sticking around to see what happens next, Mrs. Flood (now the only Rani again) retrieves her late counterpart’s Time Ring from the ground. Before fleeing into the Time Vortex, Mrs. Flood utters: “So much for the two Ranis. It’s goodnight from me.” It kind of works as a standalone piece of dialogue, but Davies is actually referencing a UK comedy partnership known as the Two Ronnies.
It goes without saying that “The Two Ranis” sounds very similar to “The Two Ronnies,” which explains why Mrs. Flood makes the joke.
Among other endeavors, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett co-wrote and starred in The Two Ronnies, a sketch show that ran on the BBC for 12 seasons, starting in 1971. The show also enjoyed several spinoffs and specials. Each episode of The Two Ronnies ended with Corbett saying, “It’s goodnight from me,” and Barker would follow up with “And it’s goodnight from him.” Then, the pair would say “Goodnight” together. It goes without saying that “The Two Ranis” sounds very similar to “The Two Ronnies,” which explains why Mrs. Flood makes the joke.
With Doctor Who and The Two Ronnies both made by the BBC, it feels like Mrs. Flood is at least gently tapping on the fourth wall before she escapes.
Although Davies largely abandoned Mrs. Flood’s fourth-wall breaks after the bi-generation scene, it could be argued that her Two Ronnies reference is an attempt to keep the meta quirk alive without it impacting the story. There ultimately turned out to be no explanation for why the Rani was able to break the fourth wall, so it currently seems those moments were intentionally misleading to keep Mrs. Flood’s true identity a secret. With Doctor Who and The Two Ronnies both made by the BBC, it feels like Mrs. Flood is at least gently tapping on the fourth wall before she escapes.
Anita Dobson’s Rani Will Seemingly Return In Doctor Who’s Future
Mrs. Flood survived her encounter-gone-wrong with Omega
Things don’t look good for Archie Panjabi’s new version of the Rani, as she seems to meet her end in “The Reality War.” Luckily for the Rani, she still exists in the form of Mrs. Flood, who didn’t die at the hands of Omega, and fled the scene after she saw her other self being eaten. So, it stands to reason that Davies has further plans for the Rani in the show’s future, even though Doctor Who season 16 has yet to be confirmed. If so, Dobson could reprise her role.
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That said, the fact that Mrs. Flood bi-generated arguably adds an extra dimension to the Rani’s life now. The process is still poorly understood, although Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor speculates in “The Reality War” that bi-generation is a subconscious attempt by a Time Lord’s physiology to keep the species alive, with traditional procreation no longer being an option. However, the Doctor’s own bi-generation scene suggests something else.
Mrs. Flood, seeing the Rani die, may now be aware of her own unfortunate future, and Doctor Who could go on to address how this affects Dobson’s character if and when she returns.
The implication when David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor bi-generated was that Fifteen was still a future version of the Doctor, despite them both existing autonomously. If so, then the death of Fourteen could still wipe Fifteen from existence. Building off of this, Mrs. Flood, seeing the Rani die, may now be aware of her own unfortunate future, and Doctor Who could go on to address how this affects Dobson’s character if and when she returns.
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- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Directors
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Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
- Writers
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Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat
- Franchise(s)
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Doctor Who / Whoniverse