I think we all have our ideas on who Missy could be and how she factors into the new series of Doctor Who, but Christopher Morley has a theory for you that you might not have considered.
The question of just who Missy (the Gatekeeper of
the Nethersphere) could really be has got people talking about Series
Eight of Doctor Who just as
much as the fact that Peter Capaldi is now the Doctor. So it's only
fitting that we should turn our attention to her! Various theories
suggest that she's either a new incarnation of the Rani ( could work)
or the Master ( would be seen as radicalism by some, but could also
work). Lets consider something that might come from a little further
left-field, though.
Remember Silver
Nemesis? Like much of the
Seventh Doctor's era, it splits opinion. But not inconsequentially
there's a lady who seems to know much of the Doctor's implied murkier
past present as he & Ace join the battle for the Nemesis statue.
Step forward Lady Peinforte! A sorceress not averse to the black
arts, she took herself forward in time from 1638 to the present day
in order to reclaim the statue ( which she'd originally sculpted
herself, from validium- a living metal). She'd turned it into an
image of herself holding a bow & arrow, & somehow it had told
her of the history of the Time Lords & Gallifrey as well as the
Doctor's own shady part in proceedings.
Having found out
about the existence of the statue, the Doctor had it fired into space
after removing its bow & arrow. Perhaps unsurprisingly he's more
than a little concerned by what its said to have told her! Of more
pressing concern to his Twelfth incarnation, though, could be how she
got to Heaven, & why everyone who's died since coming into
contact with him goes there as well. Maybe she created the place, a
pocket universe of sorts, as part of an elaborate trap to gain some
form of revenge on him? ' Missy' could after all be an attempt to
hide her more formal title of ' Lady', as much as some have suggested
it could be a shortened form of ' Mistress', which might in turn lead
to ' Master'.
But why would she
need all those poor souls? Perhaps its part of a ritual similar to
that which allowed her to cross time & do battle with the master
of the rrolled rr, Cybermen & Neo-Nazis all that time ago...
All of which is but a sliver of the remaining power of the Pythia-
which ruled a Gallifrey in thrall to magic & mysticism well
before the time of Rassilon & the rise of the Time Lords. We
might also give at least some degree of credence that Missy is the
Pythia, reborn, or a facet of its power independent from Peinforte.
The dead could
also make a suitably terrifying new band of followers should she
attempt to return to power! Which leaves us to ponder how she gains
her ' boyfriend'- most likely by force or some form of bewitchment.
Maybe he's the reason she's able to descend from Heaven to Earth for
the big finale?
It's not unreasonable to suggest she might have some form of power over time...which would make appearances in the TARDIS a piece of cake should she choose to really toy with the Doctor. Why she hasn't yet done so is anybody's guess! Most likely waiting for just the right moment to strike........
It's not unreasonable to suggest she might have some form of power over time...which would make appearances in the TARDIS a piece of cake should she choose to really toy with the Doctor. Why she hasn't yet done so is anybody's guess! Most likely waiting for just the right moment to strike........
Perhaps she's
been trapped in the Nethersphere as its Gatekeeper as punishment by
Rassilon for her curse of sterility upon the Time Lord race, banished
as a long-forgotten chapter of the Dark Times before science &
reason took over from superstition. And now that we know Gallifrey
isn't dead what better time for the Doctor to finally return home &
find himself drawn into a war with an enemy arguably more dangerous,
not to mention powerful, than the Daleks- an enemy that knows all &
could quite possibly see all thanks to her powers of precognition (
some of which were siphoned into Peinforte & the Sisterhood of
Karn).
She might even
have been able to influence her own appearance & personality
using one of the Sisterhood's own potions in a similar manner to that
which caused the 'birth' of the War Doctor, a sort of ready-made
answer to the question of how she might make herself appeal to his
latest post- Time War self. It would at least offer a neat way in
which to reintroduce that particular corner of the constellation of
Kasterborous, as well as offering the chance to delve deeper into the
true past of the Doctor. We've seen him at the moment he left with
Susan in that faulty, obsolete Type 40, so wouldn't it be great to
see prior moments from that corner of his time-line? Its easy to
imagine them occurring as flashbacks once he's summoned to Heaven by
some means, a life flashing before his eyes ( which would also allow
a look at his preceding ten incarnations).
If she really
wanted to blow his mind, perhaps Missy might be able to conjure
visions of them as mental challenges/tricks of the mind, as a real
demonstration of power. Perhaps even mental projections of the many
companions & acquaintances who've died in his name- which could
open up a few juicy surprise cameos from among the surviving cast
members of both classic & new Who
who might be game for such an undertaking.
But would the Doctor know his day of reckoning was coming? You'd think it might have been in the back of his mind for a while, a nagging thought that just wouldn't go away until the appointed hour was at hand.
"Brave heart, Tegan"
But would the Doctor know his day of reckoning was coming? You'd think it might have been in the back of his mind for a while, a nagging thought that just wouldn't go away until the appointed hour was at hand.
It could even be
the reason why he's seemed so on edge post-regeneration! The
Nethersphere is indeed a suitably foreboding title for Gallifrey's
answer to Hades, & the thought of having to carry the burden of
all those he's lost even into what might be presented as his
potential final battle- an extremely dark night of the soul played
out in real time with nowhere to hide, all his greatest secrets
either out in the open or used as weapons by Missy- sticks with which
to beat him. A great big epic of a first finale for the newest of the
Doctors, why not? Let us know your own theories, too, of
course................
So, what do you think the mystery behind Missy is? Let us know in the comments below.
So, what do you think the mystery behind Missy is? Let us know in the comments below.