Jodie Whittaker's tenure as the Thirteenth Doctor on Doctor Who is quickly coming to a close. Not only will the lead actress be bowing out later this year, but showrunner Chris Chibnall will also be handing back the TARDIS key to Russell T Davies.
Two more specials of Doctor Who are due to air this year; the first will feature a return for the iconic Classic Who villains, The Sea Devils, while the second will be the Thirteenth Doctor's last. With just these two episodes left, there are several dangling plot points from Thirteen's era that fans are hoping will still be resolved.
The Timeless Child
Season 12 features one of the most controversial episodes in Doctor Who history with The Timeless Children revealing The Doctor had past lives before that of William Hartnell's long-believed first. The reveal finally confirms the 'Morbius Doctors' as canon but calls into question The Doctor's origins.
While The Doctor herself has since theorized her former self was in fact waiting to go through The Wormhole, it is heavily implied she came through from another planet or even universe. With a second universe being mentioned in the latest season, The Timeless Child's origins might be explored even further but either way, there are still many questions left to answer about The Doctor's hidden history. While some fans would probably rather ignore this story completely going forward, so much of the Thirteenth Doctor's era has revolved around it so surely it will be picked up again in her final episode.
The Fob Watch
When Thirteen finds herself reunited with Tecteun in the latest season, she discovers her lost memories are being concealed in a familiar object - a fob watch. The Doctor previously used a fob watch to conceal their hidden memories after being forced to become human several seasons prior to this.
The Doctor manages to obtain the object and many viewers were left on the edge of their seats waiting to see what would happen next. Frustratingly though, she chooses not to open the watch and to store it within the depths of the TARDIS. While The Doctor learning more about her past lives might take away even more mystery from the character, the fob watch and The Timeless Child plot need to be resolved in order for this era to feel complete.
The Fugitive Doctor
Season 12 introduces The Fugitive Doctor, also known as Ruth who appears to be the key pre-Hartnell incarnation of The Doctor. As of yet, little is known about this incarnation other than she is a fugitive who once worked for the organization known as the Division.
Whether she is the incarnation directly preceding The First Doctor or an even earlier one has yet to be fully explored. Also, there is a question as to why this Doctor has a police box TARDIS when it has been clearly established the First Doctor stole the time machine and it became stuck in its current form when he landed in the 1960s. While theories have been rife as to whether the Fugitive Doctor is even pre-Hartnell at all or she is a hidden incarnation akin to the War Doctor, fans will hopefully receive more answers in Thirteen's final episodes.
The Division
After first being introduced in the season 12 finale, The Division is explored further in the latest season. Viewers learn that this was a rogue organization who ignored The Time Lord's "non interference policy" and it was this group The Fugitive Doctor was running from.
Season 13 also introduces the concept that The Doctor once worked for The Division, along with members of several other species, surprisingly including Weeping Angels. Although Tecteun provides some vague answers as to what the organization did/does, very little is really known about it. Also, fans are yet to learn why The Doctor worked for the Division or why they went on the run which will surely come up again before Whittaker bows out.
Yaz's Feelings For Thirteen
The latest episode of the show confirms a popular fan theory that companion, Yaz has romantic feelings for Thirteen. While there have been some small hints in the past relating to Yaz's feelings, it isn't until this episode that things really become clear and to many casual viewers it's probably quite surprising due to the lack of build up.
Unlike some of the other companions from the show, Yaz hasn't spent much time alone with The Doctor on-screen due to the overloaded TARDIS teams of this era. Unfortunately, the character hasn't had much time to develop at all and it's a shame the discussion of her sexuality wasn't introduced earlier. Although there's very little time left, hopefully Yaz will be able to discuss her feelings for The Doctor further before she inevitably leaves the show.
Bel And Vinder
Bel and Vinder were introduced in season 13 and were given a lot of focus, almost as much as some of the best supporting characters in Doctor Who. With Vinder being based on the suspiciously named "Outpost Rose" and Bel being pregnant, it really felt as if these characters would play a huge role in the conclusion of the Flux storyline.
While it does seem unlikely that Bel and Vinder will be back, it does make their role in season 13 feel superlous. Naming Vinder's Outpost "Rose" seems too coincidental to not mean something and the amount of focus put on Bel's unborn child is odd if the baby isn't to become important later. Although Bel and Vinder could simply be guest characters, there seems to be a lot of set up for them with very little pay of - as of yet.
Kate Stewart And UNIT
After Thirteen came face to face with a character from the Russell T. Davies era with Captain Jack, fans were left wondering whether anyone from the Moffat era would return; this soon came to pass with Kate Stewart in the latest season. Kate has interacted with some of the best TARDIS teams from the show and provides a great connection to Classic Who through her relation to the Brigadier.
Despite being a key character in the Moffat era and being absent for a long time, Kate doesn't get much to do upon her return in season 13. With this being said, the character certainly deserves another stint which is set up when she hopes "to meet this regeneration again." Kate would be a great character to have return in Thirteen's final episode to give the two a proper chance to interact.
The State Of The Universe
During season 13, most of the universe is wiped out by the Flux. While The Doctor and her friends manage to save Earth from a second Flux, little has been discussed about what this means for the rest of the universe.
With Dan remarking that The Doctor saved the universe in the latest episode, this suggests that it may have been restored. If this is the case though, it really needs to be explained how the universe is back and what Thirteen actually did to save it. With the mentions of a second universe too, there is still lots left the show could explore on this front.
The Entity Of Time
Despite never being touched on before, the latest season 13 reveals that time is an actual entity apparently intent on wrecking havoc throughout the universe. The entity is only introduced in the final episode of the season so it's full origins and motives aren't really explored.
In the few short scenes it has, Time takes on the appearance of whoever its speaking with. While this is likely a stylistic choice rather than serving any great plot importance, it does make the entity even more unique. After its foreboding warning to The Doctor, it wouldn't be surprising if Time returns in the final episodes of this era.
The Master
While Missy is often considered as the best incarnation of The Master, Sacha Dhawan has certainly become a fan favorite since his debut as the character in season 12. His Master is of course key as he reveals the big Timeless Child twist to The Doctor.
The time entity in season 13 reveals that Thirteen must beware "her Master" which suggests the big villain will be back for her final episode. Also, in his last appearance the "Cyber-Masters" were introduced as a powerful threat so it would make sense for them to return. It would also be great to learn more about him and where in his timeline this incarnation slots in. It's highly likely that Thirteen's regeneration episode will feature one last showdown with The Master.