Wait, Has Mrs. Flood Been Following Doctor Who’s Companions Since The First Doctor’s Era?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution.”Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood has been one of Doctor Who‘s biggest mysteries in the Ncuti Gatwa era, and the season 15 premiere features her in a surprising scenario that suggests a connection to the Doctor goes back far further than originally assumed. Since her debut in 2023’s “The Church on Ruby Road,” Mrs. Flood became a semi-regular member of Doctor Who‘s 14 cast, popping up and reminding us all of the mystery that surrounded the character and her unusual ability to break the fourth wall.

With Russell T. Davies’ confirmation that Mrs. Flood will appear in every episode of Doctor Who season 15, it looks like we’re finally going to get some answers. With Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution,” now released, it’s a relief to discover that Davies wasn’t misleading anyone. Dobson’s character has a fascinating cameo near the beginning of the installment, and it makes me think that she may have been following the show’s main character for centuries. If so, she may have been just out of shot for some key moments of Doctor Who‘s classic era and beyond.

Mrs. Flood Now Lives Next To Belinda – Has She Been Doing This For EVERY Doctor Who Companion?

Belinda has a familiar neighbor in “The Robot Revolution”

“The Robot Revolution” reveals that Mrs. Flood is now Belinda’s neighbor, and the last time we saw Dobson’s character, she lived next door to Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday. Belinda may simply live on the same street as Ruby, but I think this would be too coincidental. Instead, what I think is more likely is that Mrs. Flood has moved so that she’s in the vicinity of the Doctor’s next companion before Belinda begins her adventures in the TARDIS. If so, there’s reason to believe she’s been doing this for every companion right back to those of William Hartnell’s First Doctor.

There’s nothing to suggest that Mrs. Flood has any kind of active role in selecting the Doctor’s companions, but there is a hint of something that teases she has some kind of foresight that allows her to stay ahead of the curve in this regard. When she waved both Ruby and Belinda off as they left home, Mrs. Flood didn’t seem concerned or worried about where either companion would be going. Specifically with Belinda, Mrs. Flood is more like a proud and excited grandmother watching her loved one set off on a big adventure, despite Sethu’s character being visibly afraid.

Doctor Who Doesn’t Rule Out The Possibility Of Multiple Mrs. Floods

Mrs. Flood is arguably too omnipresent to be a single being

Although Doctor Who has supplied very little solid information on Mrs. Flood, it’s pretty clear at this point that she isn’t just a regular human – if she is even human at all. Traversing all of time and space to beat the Doctor to the next companion is a big task, and one that could imply the existence of more than one version of the character. It’s one thing popping up twice in modern-day London, but the Doctor Who season 15 trailer reveals Mrs. Flood is also present in other locations and eras – and she looks exactly the same age.

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So, this brings forth the possibility that Mrs. Flood isn’t beyond tailing the Doctor and his companion to witness at least some of their exploits. Because there are so many different iterations of the Doctor littered throughout the timeline, Mrs. Flood can’t be in all those places at once. So, there would have to be numerous Mrs. Floods to pull this off. Plus, not every Doctor Who companion is from present-day Earth, so she would need to be especially ubiquitous to keep up with her implied hobby/duty of being there when the Doctor’s next companion first departs.

Why Mrs. Flood Might Be Stalking The Doctor’s Companions

Dobson’s character could be a future companion the Doctor hasn’t met yet

The very nature of the Doctor’s lengthy timeline means there are likely to be countless companions out there he hasn’t yet been formally introduced to. So, one possibility that explains why Mrs. Flood could be stalking the Doctor’s companions because it’s a role she once held herself. If Mrs. Flood is a former companion to the Doctor, it would account for her knowledge of the TARDIS in “The Church on Ruby Road,” and she may miss the days she was young enough to keep up with the high-octane capers through space and time.

So, Mrs. Flood could be living vicariously through the companions by being present at the moment they leave Earth. Another theory is that she could have been a companion to a version of the Doctor from before Divison wiped the Time Lord’s memory ahead of regenerating into the First Doctor. Division had the Doctor carry out abominable acts that he now doesn’t remember, but Mrs. Flood may be a former assistant who wants to see how the Time Lord is endlessly redeeming himself without even really knowing that he is. Frustratingly, only Doctor Who season 15 holds the real answer.

Doctor Who

5/10

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Directors

Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie

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