Doctor Who Just Threw Everyone a Heck of a Curveball

The model new season of Doctor Who is in full swing, and it’s already making some giant strikes early into its run. This week’s episode, “Improve,” locations the Doctor and Ruby on the planet of Kastarion 3, which is presently inside the midst of a battle the pair are unable to flee from after the Doctor is trapped by an brisk landmine. That doesn’t stop them from making associates amidst the battle, though—the reality is, one in every of many allies they obtain made for pretty a pleasant shock.

Anglican Marine Mundy Flynn, who helps the Doctor and Ruby all by means of the episode, is carried out by Andor’s Varada Sethu, who’s set to be the model new (and presently unnamed) companion inside the subsequent season. It appears Sethu obtained’t reprise the place when she comes over full-time, one factor made clear on Twitter when she talked about taking her first steps into the franchise by means of Mundy. “I’m so grateful I get to return once more for further,” she wrote, “nevertheless you’ll all need to attend and see how that manifests inside the new companion place.”

Chatting with the Hollywood Reporter, episode creator Steven Moffat wasequally tight-lipped on how her double casting occurred, and deferred to Sethu’s appaearance proper right here as all part of showrunner Russell T. Davies’ plans. Nonetheless, he did phrase there was some pleasant in doing a primary Who casting switch of hiring customer actors who end up participating in companions down the street. Inside the modern Who interval, it occurred to every Freema Agyeman and Jenna Coleman—the earlier’s customer place was later made into the cousin to eventual her companion place of Martha Jones—and even Peter Capaldi landed a customer half sooner than he ended up becoming the Twelfth Doctor.

Davies reaffirmed Sethu’s assertion that Mundy’s story has come to an end, and that her companion character will seemingly be revealed in full subsequent 12 months. Whether or not or not you contemplate him or not, her displaying up helped make the episode way more thrilling, and it makes the look ahead to her to carry with the Doctor and Ruby actually really feel even longer.

Inform us what you thought of “Improve” inside the suggestions beneath, and seek for our recap of the episode on Monday.

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