In multiple interviews, Archie Panjabi, Anita Dobson and Millie Gibson teased what’s going to happen in the Doctor Who Season Two finale episode The Reality War.
Tight as a noose, strands laid across centuries now pull together for a devastating climax. The Rani [Archie Punjabi] created a new reality only to use the Doctor’s doubts to rip apart its structure, allowing her to see into the Underverse to find the One Who is Lost – Omega, one of the original Time Lords, who is trapped in a state of non-existence. Earth is disintegrating and millions of lives are at stake. The Doctor [Ncuti Gatwa] is doomed. Belinda [Varada Sethu] is lost. Ruby [Millie Gibson] is trapped. A battle rages across the skies as legends converge. Our brave, battered, beaten Doctor stands alone and helpless as the the Unholy Trinity unleash their deadly ambition. The Rani plans to sacrifice Earth to construct a new Gallifrey with Omega’s body.
The Doctor, Belinda and Ruby must reunite and risk everything in the quest to save one innocent life. Do the secrets on Floor Minus 10 of the UNIT Tower hold the answer?
Archie Panjabi explained the Rani’s motives to to TV Times:
“She doesn’t see herself as a villain. She sees herself as a brilliant scientist with a mission. She’s totally out of sync with any morality whatsoever so she’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish her mission. Whereas the Doctor is out to save the universe, the Rani is out to dissect it.”
Archie Panjabi spoke of the Rani and the relationship with her sidekick Rani Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) in a BBC Interview:
“[The Two Ranis are] united in purpose on their mission, but their dynamic isn’t exactly subtle. The Rani is the leader, and Mrs Flood’s Rani hovers behind. But the real fun kicks in when we see these two characters alone and they turn into bickering sisters.”
“She’s brilliant, she’s unapologetic, and she’s totally out of sync with any moral compass.”
“She’s a wild force. She’ll burn anyone or anything to get what she wants, dancing with chaos like it’s her birthright.”
“We see the Time Lord and the Time Lady go head-to-head in a high-stakes showdown. Who is going to win? Who will claim the victory? And you don’t know what happens next.”
“The finale is like two chess players – who will make the final move and play checkmate.”
Anita Dobson told TV Times that, while Archie Panjabi’s calls herself ‘the definite article,’ this may be only from her perspective.
“Whether that’s true or her being an egomaniac, we’ve only got her word for it. After all, she’s only around because [Mrs Flood] engineered it.”
“They share an ambition, but their approaches differ. She’s very much ‘I do the press. You do the legwork in the lab.’ Ultimately, I see the [Mrs Flood] as an enabler. She loves power but she doesn’t want to be right at the front line. She’ll facilitate and enable the person in power, to further her own agenda, but she steps back at the last minute so that they can take the flak.”
In a Radio Times interview, Millie Gibson teased Omega’s arrival in the finale.
“He’s terrifying… I think people are going to be really shocked.”
Gibson described the Rani’s motives.
“[The Rani] kind of worships Omega. I think it’s a really cool two-villain dynamic. The more the better! This is why it’s the biggest battle for the Doctor – there are two of his biggest villains that he has to defeat.”
Millie Gibson described Ruby’s journey to TV Times:
“[Ruby’s] always building up to becoming her own hero, which is really beautiful, and I think she does that in this finale. But you never know what happens with her; she gets herself in all kinds of trouble – her bad taste in men for one thing! We’ll see…”
“I can’t wait for the viewers to see more of Belinda and Ruby together in the finale. They’re so different, but they’re both very brave women – it’s not damsels in distress, and I really like that.”
Gibson further explained that it’s Ruby’s mission is to take down Conrad Clark [Jonah Hauer-King], now that the Rani’s new reality is ruled by him.
“I think after giving him that mercy in episode 4, taking down the Shreek instead of him, it’s almost like an extra stab at the heart that he’s just created this fake world where he is the king. It’s like seeing your ex be Prime Minister or something!”
“It’s definitely her time to take her revenge once and for all. But whether she gets to do that or not – wait and see!”
Gibson described to TV & Satellite Week how Ruby Sunday is determined to take Conrad down. Ruby is kind but Conrad has taken things too far and what she’s feeling right now is anger and betrayal.
“The fight is personal for Ruby.”
“This one is pretty epic. There’s heartbreak and loss, but also a lot of surprises!”
• The Bone place is described as the endoskeleton of a beast.
• The runtime of The Reality War is 1 hour, 6 minutes.
• A teaser trailer for The War Between the Land and the Sea will drop after transmission.
Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, the The Reality War transmits on Saturday 31 May at 6:50pm on BBC iPlayer and on BBC One in the UK. Those outside of the UK can stream The Reality War on Disney+ where available starting at 2pm ET/11am PT, according to the current Disney+ schedule for May.
Directly after the BBC One broadcast, Steffan Powell goes behind the scenes of The Reality War in Doctor Who: Unleashed on BBC Three and on the official YouTube channel where available at 8:00pm.