After sending fans speculating for over a year, Mrs. Flood’s companion-inspired wardrobe is a specific nod to her true self’sDoctor Whohistory that connects to the latter half of the classic era. Debuting in 2023’s “The Church on Ruby Road,” Anita Dobson was seemingly introduced as the good-hearted neighbor to new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). However, by the time the episode concluded, fans were stunned as she personally saw Ruby off on her adventures withthe Fifteenth Doctor(Ncuti Gatwa), showing she had an understanding of Time Lord secrets with a fourth-wall break.
While her appearances inDoctor Whoseason 14 are limited to an ominous conversation with Cherry Sunday (Angela Wynter), season 15 sees Mrs. Flood trail the Doctor and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) on their extended journey back to present-day Earth. However, after receiving a mortal wound during their adventures,Mrs. Flood unveiled her true natureas she began to bigenerate, with her splitting between herself and Archie Panjabi’s new incarnation of The Rani. With the new context added behind her character,Mrs. Flood’s costume choices can now be associated with a specific battle between the Doctor and the Rani.
Mrs. Flood Being The Rani Explains Why She Dressed As Old Doctor Who Companions
The Rani Once Tried To Play The Role Of A Companion For A Scheme
In the Rani’s second TV adventure in “Time and the Rani”, the Time Lady is able to exact vengeance upon the Doctor in a way few of his many foes have. After having been beaten by the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker), the Rani ambushes the Doctor and his then-current companion Mel Bush as the TARDIS is in flight. Boarding the vessel, not only is Mel rendered unconscious, but the Time Lord is fatally wounded,forcing the Doctor to regenerate into his seventh incarnation, played by Sylvester McCoy.
Leaving Mel to fend for herself in the wilderness of Lakertya, the Rani takes the unconscious Doctor and aims to bring him into her latest scheme of constructing a Time Manipulator that will allow her to manipulate time across the cosmos. In order to do so,she poses as Mel, dressing in the last outfit the Doctor saw her in to take advantage of his post-regeneration confusionto aid her in abducting the necessary minds to fuel the machine. Inevitably, the Rani’s scheme comes to an end, and she is defeated once more, left to the Tetraps to face justice for her crimes.
However, it is clear now that the outfits were a meta-nod thanks to the additional context.
This connection explains several choices around modern Mrs. Flood outfits.In “The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death,” she is first seen dressed in an ensemble similar to Clara Oswald’s (Jenna Coleman) outfitfrom her final main companion appearance in season 9’s “Hell-Bent.” Mrs. Flood is also seen in the episode’s final moments dressed in a white coat similar to Romana I’s (Mary Tamm). This led many fans to believe she was a potential future version of each character, given their open-ended fates. However, it is clear now that the outfits were a meta-nod thanks to the additional context.
Doctor Who Still Hasn’t Fully Explained Mrs. Flood’s Companion Obsession
It Is Unclear Whether Ruby Or Belinda Played A Part In Her Plot To Resurrect Gallifrey
However, while her choice of wardrobe is understandable,it is uncertain why the Rani was drawn to Ruby and Belinda in the first place.Given her familiarity with both of them, it is clear they were acquaintances for some time before the Doctor entered their lives.Doctor Whoseason 14’s finaleshowed that despite the mystery surrounding her parents, Ruby was otherwise ordinary, while the Doctor was presumably largely drawn to Belinda due to Conrad’s (Jonah Hauer-King) suggestion. As such, especially given how taxing pretending to be Mel was, it is unknown why the Time Lady would take an interest.
Doctor Whoseason 15’s endingtouches upon the idea that following Ruby and Belinda was somehow necessary in the overarching scheme to bring back Omega, since the Rani needed to pin down the correct date to execute her plan. Even so, the explanation is a loose one, and it’s not immediately clear how becoming the neighbor of both companions would achieve such a thing.
Despite this, the reason that the Rani is drawn to the pair may not have any greater meaning beyond their connection to the Doctor.As she, too, is a Time Traveler, it is just as likely she has a greater awareness of whom he travels with, giving her insight on how to toy with him should they cross paths. No matter what the answer could be, it cannot be denied that Mrs. Flood’s costumes played a great part in keeping fans invested throughout Gatwa’s currentDoctor Whotenure.
