Doctor Who Season 2 is proving to be Russell T Davies’ boldest season yet. Continuing where Season 1 left off with the Pantheon of the Gods, Davies is once more teasing the return of classic era characters. Between the 60th Anniversary specials and Season 1, one-time villains such as the Toymaker and Sutekh made surprise returns.
Though no classic era villains have appeared in Doctor Who Season 2, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating on which ones could show up for the finale. As of Season 2, Episode 6, “The Intersteller Song Contest,” Mrs. Flood proves to be the classic era villain, The Rani.
Theories surrounding Mrs. Flood’s identity have included the Rani, The Master, and even the Master of the Land of Fiction. We thought the latter was highly likely given Season 2’s emphasis on stories, with Episode 5 offering the biggest clue. But here we are with The Rani bi-generating. One classic era hero no one saw coming though, however, was the return of Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman.
MORE: Doctor Who may have already revealed Mrs. Flood’s identity with a not so subtle clue.
Susan Foreman’s Doctor Who Return Is Long Overdue
Originally appearing in the first Doctor Who serial, 1963’s “The Unearthly Child,” Susan is more than just The Doctor’s original companion. She is also The Doctor’s granddaughter, who escaped Gallifrey alongside him to travel through time and space. At some point, both Time Lords settled on Earth in 1963, with Susan opting to go to school in London.
Unfortunately, Susan unwittingly gave away that she was an alien by always knowing more than the average student at her school. At the same time, she was clueless about other things students her age would be thoroughly familiar with. This didn’t go unnoticed by her school teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, who eventually looked into her home life. This led them to discover that Susan was actually living inside the TARDIS with her grandfather in a junkyard. This then began Susan’s adventures with her teachers and the First Doctor (William Hartnell).
Susan lasted as The Doctor’s companion for only one series, with 1964’s “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” being her final story in early Series 2. In the brief time that Susan was on the show, however, she appeared in several iconic stories. These included “The Daleks”, “The Edge of Destruction”, “Marco Polo”, “The Aztecs” and “The Reign of Terror.”
After Susan departed the show in the finale of “The Dalek Invasion of Earth,” she made two more guest appearances. The first was in the 1983 20th Anniversary special, “The Five Doctors.” The second was in the 1993 Children in Need special “Dimensions in Time.” This short episode also marked Doctor Who’s 30th anniversary.
Since the show’s cancellation in 1989 and subsequent 2005 revival, Susan had not made any more appearances. This changed, however, when Russell T Davies returned to the show for the 60th Anniversary special in 2023, and to launch Doctor Who’s new era. Although his predecessor, Chris Chibnall, had already started going back to basics during his era, Davies has continued that trend.
Aside from bringing back classic era villains, Davies began teasing Susan’s return as early as Season 1, Episode 2, “The Devil’s Chord.” In Season 2’s “The Interstellar Song Contest,” Davies finally delivers on this tease, with Carole Ann Ford reprising her role.
MORE: Doctor Who’s biggest Season 2 continuity hole has an easy explanation.
Susan Foreman May Return to Keep The Doctor From Going Too Far
Though Susan’s role in “The Interstellar Song Contest” is very small, it is still highly significant. In the episode, Mrs. Flood continues to work behind the scenes to execute her mysterious, yet sinister plans. The main villains of the episode, however, are two Hellions planning to commit genocide in retaliation for their homeworld’s destruction.
This naturally upsets the Fifteenth Doctor, who already survived the genocide of the Time Lords twice. He’s understandably very sensitive to experiencing a significant loss of life, which also causes him to go to dark places. Continuing the trend of The Doctor not being beyond torturing his enemies, the Fifteenth Doctor makes an example out of Kid, one of the Hellions.
Using hologram technology, The Doctor begins zapping Kid in extremely painful ways, and ignoring his pleas to stop. It’s not until Belinda enters the room that he finally realizes he’s gone too far. But prior to Belinda’s arrival, another voice entered The Doctor’s head to also get him to stop: his granddaughter Susan.
As delightful as it is to see Susan again after three decades, her appearance suggests a more ominous finale. If it took the combination of Susan’s voice and Belinda’s appearance to stop The Doctor from doing his worst, there’s a good chance the destruction of Earth on May 24, 2025 will push The Doctor over the edge.
Exactly how this will happen remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt Mrs. Flood/The Rani will somehow be involved. If The Doctor does in fact contemplate taking a life in response to Mrs. Flood/The Rani’s evil machinations, this may be the inciting incident that finally reunites Susan with her grandfather.
Doctor Who airs new episodes every Saturday.
