Doctor Who Trailer Teases Karen’s Death

Television

The atrocity known as the Jodie Whittaker-Chris Chibnall era of Doctor Who is nearing its end; Doctor Karen’s final battle and death are imminent. In a recent release from the BBC, a new trailer, poster, and air date for the upcoming “Power of The Doctor” regeneration special were shared. The death of the first female Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, is coming on October 23rd, mere weeks away.

As has become the norm during this age of Doctor Who, nothing of note is revealed in this trailer. Much of it is repurposed footage released in the initial trailer back in April. In contrast, the new footage is generic at best. The plot revelations in this trailer include someone kidnapping and stealing seismologists and paintings, the Lone Cyberman somehow returning, and the Daleks going back in time to erase The Doctor from history.

Many of these harken back to past Doctor Who episodes in the most generic ways, similar to the repurposing techniques perfected by the destroyer of franchises, Jar Jar Abrams. The Lone Cyberman, universally panned upon his introduction in series 12, is somehow back and alive despite having no connection to the plot threads this special is concluding. He has nothing to do with the Daleks’ plan, the Timeless Children’s revelations to come, or The Doctor’s parentage that would likely be revealed. 

The painting thefts and the shots in a museum strongly call back to the 50th Anniversary Special, telegraphing this generation’s lack of creativity. Additionally, the revelation that the Daleks will be erasing The Doctor from history is a stolen idea from “The Name of The Doctor,” which saw The Great Intelligence doing the same thing. Both “The Name of The Doctor” and the 50th Anniversary Special were released in 2013, the year that the show was at its greatest worldwide popularity. This cheap attempt at nostalgia for the biggest era of Doctor Who is laughable, marking a last-ditch effort to garner any sort of favor at the end of this most hated era.

Any love for this series waned a long time ago, yet this episode will likely have some of the highest viewership the show has received in years. Many fans will check in to see the death of Doctor Karen in hopes of the catharsis of her painful and violent demise. The content, characters, and plot don’t matter, for few care about any plot threads or characters that “The Power of The Doctor” will resolve. The final countdown has begun; the end of the most divisive and catastrophic era in any television show in history ends in just over two weeks.