Doctor Who: Flux sets up all manner of new mysteries, but it’s also taking the steps to prepare for Russell T Davies’ return to the show. “The Halloween Apocalypse” is the first part of a single story, told across the entirety of Season 13’s six-episode run. It’s a new format for Doctor Who, one which harkens back to the show’s serialized roots. This also echoes the hallmarks of RTD's previous tenure in charge of the show.

This season will mark the end of Chris Chibnall’s tenure as showrunner with both he and Jodie Whittaker leaving the series after a string of specials in 2022. Chibnall is set to be replaced by former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, who will make his return starting with the show’s 60th-anniversary special in 2023. RTD helmed the show during its 2005 revival and brought it to worldwide acclaim. Viewers have responded to the news of his return with marked enthusiasm, eager for change after Chibnall’s controversial tenure.

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With Flux, Chibnall is setting up RTD with everything he needs to make a triumphant return to Doctor Who. Chibnall is leaving the series with a handful of new toys for RTD to play with, but he’s also clearly making an effort to tidy up after his stay. Rather than leaving RTD with unanswered questions, it looks like the end of the Chibnall era of Doctor Who is clearing a path for Russell T Davies' return and giving him the space to forge his own renewed vision for the show.

Doctor Who Flux Bishop Gill Whittaker Chibnall

While much of it may end up being left by the wayside, Chbinall is leaving RTD with a swath of new lore from which to pick and choose. The name “The Division” may never be spoken again in an episode of Doctor Who, but that’s a decision RTD will get to make. He’s leaving RTD with a modernized design for the Sontarans, one which should go along perfectly with the revamped Judoon from Season 12. Karvanista’s species, the Lupari, which seems to have been designed with RTD’s tastes in mind, might make for a good addition to the show’s menagerie of aliens, perhaps featured alongside RTD’s own Catkind.

More important than what Chibnall’s leaving behind, however, is what he’s taking away. The arguably problematic, exposition-heavy quality of Chibnall’s era means that Flux will make all of its answers known, even if those answers take the form of a lengthy monologue in the finale. RTD won’t be forced to come in and address any of Chibnall’s unfinished homework. For better or worse, Flux is ready to wrap up The Timeless Child saga. Flux also seems to hint at a dying TARDIS, a perfect opportunity for a new TARDIS design to accompany the 14th Doctor’s entrance. The Flux itself, a wave of destruction tearing across the cosmos, is a similarly helpful device for essentially restarting the universe. Any undesired leftovers from Chibnall’s era can easily be thrown to the Flux, never to be heard from again.

Every new showrunner inherits a certain amount of baggage from the previous era, as well as an opportunity to start again. At the end of his time on Doctor Who, Steven Moffat paved the way for Chibnall by sorting out a few nagging bits of lore, like The Doctor’s regeneration limit, and making it perfectly clear that a Time Lord can change their gender when they regenerate. Chibnall is faced with just this kind of opportunity, a chance to leave Doctor Who in the best possible condition for his successor. While Flux will undoubtedly leave its mark on the show, Chibnall’s greatest gift looks to be making things easier for Russell T Davies' return.

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