Room 11 is one of my favourite early 2010s era Doctor Who mystery boxes and I, personally, was not satisfied with the ‘resolution’ it got in the 11th Doctor’s swan song. So I decided that in this video I would give my best guess, substantiated with evidence from the show, to what the original contents of the room were. I hope you enjoy the video. I wonder how many people are still going to think they’re geniuses for mentioning Time of the Doctor.
i feel you were so close. i don't think it's just the doctor. i think it's a version of him that has gone full dark. one who is fully evil. The Valeyard. throughout moffat's run he, multiple times, when talking about the doctor's other names, always mentions the valeyard. in trial of a timelord you see the fear across Colin Baker's face (as the doctor) when he is told the valeyard is the amalgamation of the darkest side of his nature. Or it's a version of him, maayyybe covered hin blood or holding something to represent all the people who died in his name
That episode introduced another question: What is The Doctor's faith? I think it's the same thing as his fear. Just listen to the Pandorica speech. Also, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHAT IS THE DOCTOR'S NAME?
Never really thought about it like that. Matt Smith himself theorised that it was every incarnation of the doctor hanging in a noose with an empty one waiting for 11. I really like that headcanon.
The episode is called "The God Complex". Moffat was known for turning the Doctor into a stort of god. Makes sense that the Doctor seeing himself there, worried that he was taking too much control, literally becoming a god of time. Especially after Waters of Mars.
I remember when first seeing this episode that I thought the answer was obvious..the room number, the comment 'Who else?', the fatalistic smile, the cloister bell. There are so many references to his fear of his own dark side, the Timelord Victorious, his comments to Wilf regarding how easy it is to fall into the path his friend the Master took. 'Good men don't need rules..today is not the day to find out why I have so many.'
On a somewhat related note, Rory not having a room is always brought up as out of character/a plot hole in Complex, but I'm not sure it is. Since the Hotel doesnt actually feed off fear but faith (particularly an extreme or dedicated faith), Rory is the only one out of them not to have THAT specifically. He doesn't believe in the Doctor, Amy or even himself absolutely. He's too insecure, but it works in his favor here. So I never took it to mean Rory didn't have any serious fears. I mean, Rita was pretty fearless and her faith was totally harmless - but it was genuine, and that's what counts. It's interesting that having no faith doesn't make Rory a better person, he just got lucky.
@@galactic_socialist I don't think so. Amy brings the human version into the new universe at the end of The Big Bang. "If something can be remembered, it can come back." He does wear a Roman costume for kicks though, in A Good Man Goes To War and A Christmas Carol.
I genuinely think that Rory not really being scared of anything has huge implications on his character that make a lot of sense when you think about what he’s been through. Losing amy? Dying? Watching the universe turn to nothing? Losing his identity? Been there, done that.
I always liked to think the doctor’s room contained the full on Valeyard. Especially at the time if we think about how he’s technically meant to be the last incarnation. He was probably VERY paranoid that given the prophecy, he was destined to have all of his darkness manifest
No it’s just his future incarnations His greatest fear is that he’ll never be ginger and by showing him his future incarnations he’ll see that he’ll never be ginger
@benjaminmead9036 I actually like that idea more than the Valeyard himself being there behind the door. It gives off far more menacing vibes if it's implied that at some point, the Doctor might actually be properly tempted or even willingly embrace the ways of the Valeyard, not simply that he'll Regenerate/Bigenerate into the Valeyard one day
Fun Fact: In the thirds doctors story "The Mind of Evil" you can also see his fear. He saw fire which was a reference of the events of the previous seasons episode "Inferno" where he traveled into a parallel universe which ended up in flames (he also saw cybermen and daleks). Anyway you can also see the masters greatest fear which is laughed at from the doctor which I find very hilarious. I wish new who would be so random
That is the intention (Or at least, I think it is lol). Rory has no fear apparently and that's why he can see the exit. Wouldn't necessarily line up with his characterisation before or after but I do think that's what they meant by making only him be able to see it
@@stevedavidson5038 it does! I forgot that, it's in the scene where the Doctor figures out that its faith that powers it and Amy first says praise him
Actually in god complex they realized it’s belief not fear. Rory could see the exit because he didn’t have a belief. Amy had a room because she believed in the Doctor. So if you take it this The Doctor has believe that even though they restarted the universe he was not done with the crack. The tardis exploded everywhere in time and space which included the time of the Doctor episode.
I think if we were to look at it in hindsight, his big fear would’ve surely been the Moment. Pressing that button is something he had repressed for hundreds of years. It is his ‘most shameful’ moment, his darkest time. He goes so far as to even denying calling that incarnation of himself ‘the Doctor’. I can’t imagine there would be anything else in the universe that truly scared the Doctor as much as their own ‘mistake’. Of course, I could see arguments that the Doctor had repressed the memory so much by the Eleventh Doctor’s time (which is mentioned in the 50th anniversary), but I think it’s a flimsy idea because the rooms don’t pull from what you *think* you fear most, they pull from what is genuinely your deepest dread. Deep down, the Doctor always carried that guilt with them.
@@Here_is_Waldoit doesn’t have to be the moment for it to reference destroying gallifrey it could have been the regeneration responsible for actually doing it that’s the regeneration he wanted to forget the most cause of the guilt of what he did
The biggest problem with Matt Smith's era was that we didn't get an explanation for anything that was going on until years after everyone had stopped caring. Even then it was only in throwaway lines of dialogue.
@@stevedavidson5038 to be fair, that's how Moffat does stories, he'll keep a plot unresolved for years. The whole Silence and Gallifrey returning was a super long plot thread, and if Matt Smith didn't want to quit, the events of Trenzalore would have spanned an entire season rather than one special.
What if when he says, “who else”, it’s referring to not what’s inside the room, but rather who the room is intended for? In other words he sees the room, is drawn towards it, and once he sees what’s inside thinks to himself, “who else”, as in who else could this room belong to (other than himself), who else besides him could understand the significance of what whatever was inside meant, or receive the intended judgement or consequences implied by what lied within? If it was the crack, that explanation might make more sense. Especially him putting the “do not disturb” sign on the door knowing his time has not yet come.
My headcanon is that room 11 contains a mock interior of the tenth TARDIS and ten himself, during his timelord victorious phase. The Doctor fears going too far, so to see himself in that state would be harrowing.
My theory when first rewatching the god complex is it was the war doctor (or, well, at the time probably the 9th since the war doctor wasn't invented yet). I didn't even remember it was "explained" in the time of the doctor
Same. Looking at it now, it would be great to get a reflection of John Hurt edited into his eyes. Even if new viewers caught it, they wouldn't know who it is yet.
At the time i soubt it wouldve beem 9 since there's no reason or evidence that the doctor disliked his 9th incarnation. It was probably just meant to be up to interpretation
i think it's either this or it's a version of him that has gone full dark. one who is fully evil. The Valeyard. throughout moffat's run he, multiple times, when talking about the doctor's other names, always mentions the valeyard. in trial of a timelord you see the fear across Colin Baker's face (as the doctor) when he is told the valeyard is the amalgamation of the darkest side of his nature. Or it's a version of him, maayyybe covered hin blood or holding something to represent all the people who died in his name
I kind of interpreted the crack as almost being symboic of the fact his fear is himself (because you're right, it is). It symbolises in series 6 the fact he did something that nearly ended the universe. That he has That much power and doesn't trust himself to wield it. The crack is a manifestation of the concequences of him messing up.
I sort of think it is John Hurt as the war doctor. As 11 seems determined to not think about the war or even the past at all. As his fear may be acknowledging it/his role in the time war. Not sure if that makes any sense but I think it might work well with the rest of 11th's run.
Thats what I think it was, day of the doctor makes it clear that the doctor is afraid/ has resentment toward himself and the action he took in the time war as the war doctor
Agree on this. Even on first viewing, it seemed to me that the Doctor himself must be in the room. These shorter shots are great! Topics I'd like seen explored: The Matrix, TARDIS/time travel/the Eye of Harmony, the Time War (a complete history), all references to the Doctor's family (in-show, but also I'd love to hear your thoughts on Lungbarrow), The Cartmel Plan
I'd always assumed it was Doctor Who in his final incarnation in the room, his reaction to it (saying "who else" with a smile before gently closing the door and placing the do not disturb sign) suggests whatever was in there was not an immediate threat, the Doctor wasn't afraid of what was in there but what it represented, the end of his life, the end of Doctor Who.
Would it show matt smith's incarnation or whoever his final incarnation would be? Because if it wasn't himself that wouldn't really work, because he wouldn't recognise himself in the future.
@@DavidTennantEnthusiast I'd assume being a timelord, he'd have an innate understanding of his future incarnations still being him, iirc, whenever he met a past self, that past self already knew who he was, despite him being an 'unknown' future incarnation to them, if i'm wrong about that then yeah, you're right, my assumption wouldn't make much sense!
@@Micron8888After re-watching The Day Of The Doctor, I see where you're coming from and I actually somewhat agree with your headcanon! Though i'm not too sure what else it could be
I feel that each Doctor would have their own room. Room 11 was the 11th Doctor's specific nightmare. Some examples for other incarnations * Room 2: Rassilon and Omega, the founders of Time Lord society, wearing executioner's robes. Sort of foreshadowing the 2nd Doctor's fate * Room 3: We already know his greatest fear in "The Mind Of Evil" * Room 6: The Valeyard, possibly with the 6th Doctor's appearance * Room 9: The Doctor as Davros, as I imagine the War Doctor/9th Doctor's greatest fear would be becoming as bad as the Daleks
id argue for Rasilon and Omega for the 8th doc, as he happily exiles himself from reality at the knowledge of the foundation of the timelord race / society
@@chaoslordtriumphant3595 a chessboard with no more pawns on his side. all his pawns at the side of the board, with the face of a companion or ally carved on them. 7 is the master manipulator of doctors, but being a chessmaster means sacraficing to win
I always assumed it was just the war doctor. The person who he'd repressed for so long. The darkest period in his life which even the doctor tried to hide from.
I appreciate the amount of work that was put into this, but a couple of things I'd like to disagree with and/or point out. First, the numbering still makes sense. He's the Eleventh official body of the man who calls himself "The Doctor". The War incarnation didn't call himself the Doctor, and so he doesn't count in the official numbering. Likewise, the Meta-Crisis Doctor isn't THE Doctor. So while it used up a regeneration, he wasn't the Eleventh Doctor. Regardless of what we say or feel, or what the Doctor himself feels, those were still uses of regenerations, and the limit had already long been said to be 12 (for thirteen incarnations). Second, the crack shown in Time of the Doctor DOES share relation with the ones from Series 5. You are correct that he called it scar tissue, but the scar is from the original TARDIS explosion in Series 5. DOCTOR: A tiny sliver of the 26th of June, 2010. The day the universe blew up. CLARA: Missed that. DOCTOR: I rebooted it, put it all back together. CLARA: That's good. DOCTOR: Well, it was my Tardis that blew it up in the first place. I felt a degree of responsibility. But the scar tissue remains. A structural weakness in the whole universe. He implies that the crack they were trying to come through was a fragment of the previous universe leftover from when he rebooted it.
The conversational, open vibe of these vids is cool! Future topics could be comparing monster designs like the cybermen, ranking the masters, ranking the horror episodes (or anything to do with horror in the show), and parsing the different visual styles (RTD's muddy, tense and claustrophobic visuals vs. Moffat's rich colors and poetic cinematography vs. Chibnalls pricey cameras and MCU-like cgi, etc). Or just talk about Scherzo.
Actually in the 11th doctors last episode that the contents of room eleven was on of the cracks through time (like the one in Amelia Ponds bedroom in his second episode) The cracks are Matt Smiths recouring villain/event
I wonder if the flashback in Time Of The Doctor was about how the cracks had always been following them, not that it was truly the Doctor's greatest fear. Like, there could have been cracks in multiple rooms, or any room. But however you read it, it's a clumsy sequence in an episode full of clumsy sequences that make it difficult to understand the intent imo. I agree that in the God Complex it's clearly supposed to be him staring himself in the eye, one of the little nudges that helps him save the day in the end (ironically).
Now that I'm thinking, this is also why the Doctor had a room. Because of his complete faith in Amy. When she asks him what Time Lords pray to at the end, he can't meet her eye. "My friends have always been the best of me." She's his doorway into wonder, she almost creates him in the eleventh hour (ten and twelve fight enemies to decide their nature, eleven talks to a little girl instead). Deep down, he doesn't think he's superior to them. More and more in Eleven's arc, the Doctor needs Amy and Rory more than they need him. It's part of why he can't stand to see them break up - he needs everything to be perfect so he can believe it's possible to get it right, for one of his companions to have a happy ending. "I've lead you by the hand to your death." He's sooooo haunted lol, not by grief like Ten was, but by guilt. Big theme in series 6 that I enjoy is the Doctor's self esteem going off a cliff.
In the Curse of Fenric, the Haemovores were vulnerable to faith. The Doctor says out loud all of the prople who travelled with them. The Doctor's friends are who they have faith in.
The God Complex is easily one of my most favorite 11th doctor stories. I don't know why, but it has this air of uneasiness which always gets me hooked into it upon rewatches. As for the argument you pose, I definitely agree, it's very much a Moffatesque trope to have that kind of conclusion. Great video as always.
One little correction, the scilence made the cracks by blowing up the tardis Tasha mentioned it in the episode, fhe timelords used one of those cracks to communicate cause it was a weak spot in reality.
This was always my theory as well. I kinda feel like 11's run was setting up for the Valeyard to return with having this scene and the dream lord but they never followed through for whatever reason.
I remember my original theory for it before Time of the Doctor was the Tardis hence the Cloister Bell and specifcally a crack inside it. I guess I was half right. The Doctor's fear being the idea of losing the TARDIS. It's interesting that you see the Do not Disturb sign fall on the ground when the simulation is revealed, a reminder that it was still there I think the idea for the cracks outside of series 5 is that while the ones in that series were direct splinters coming off the explosion and thus were sealed either in the reboot or in Flesh and Stone where that crack grew far too large, all the angels. It also created other much less numerous cracks that splintered off around and away from the Doctor's timeline and couldn't be fixed with rebooting the universe. Especially if the cracks actually landed outside or on the border of the universe. Like if you destroy a window pane and crack the frame in the process even if you replace the pane, there's still a crack in the frame. I think The God Complex was used as an easy way to retroactively show the Cracks still existing and playing on the Doctor's mind.
I mean it was pretty much implied through most of the show the doctor’s worst enemy is himself. Which is why he doesn’t like meeting himself. Which is why Matt Smith and David Tennant were so fearful of meeting the War Doctor. That’s what turn left was all about. The doctor went unchecked and he died because of it. His greatest fear is himself is the only answer to what was in that room. I agree
At the fall of the Eleventh, we see a flashback that reveals there was a crack in the wall of room 11. That makes a certain kind of sense, but the Doctor said "who else?" when he saw what was in his room, and at that time, it is unknown if he was aware the other Time Lords were on the other side of the crack. I suppose it's possible that he figured that out, so "who else" could mean the Time Lords, which makes sense, because the Doctor truly hated what they had become. His biggest fear might have been Rassilon's return. Although, I think another possibility is that the crack was a mistake on Moffat's part and perhaps the War Doctor was in room 11.
i love this theory and i feel like it could also “make sense” (in a moffat sense of the word) that the crack was there along with whatever his real greatest fear is if you just think about how the crack basically follows him throughout his whole run. like maybe it was just chillin there like it was on starship uk or behind craig’s trash can. anyways that’s how i retcon that dumb reveal in my head lmao
In the Classic who third Doctor serial ‘The Mind of Evil’ The Doctor’s greatest fear is shown to be first Fire (a call back to the Inferno serial) and then later the Daleks (which I think is fitting). That being said I agree the Doctor’s greatest fear being himself post-time war is probably the correct answer.
Honesty, The Time of the Doctor is just an hour of Steven Moffat repeatedly saying "Oh did I never give a conclusion to this important plot line from years ago…uh…here's the explanation.".
3:14 The significance behind the numbering as eleven is not thrown out the window. At the time, the doctor considers his incarnation to be the eleventh, as he turns a blind eye to the War Doctor and does not consider the 2nd 10th doctor a new incarnation, as it is the same man.
I would really like to see a video on the different incarnations of Cybermen. They've developed on so many planets (or spaceships ig) at this point that it would be interesting to have something comprehensive about them, or even just a simple list. I think it's weird that even Mondas seems to have different stories on how those were built, and then shit just gets wilder when the Masters start deciding to make Cybermen (I dislike that tie but I think we're stuck with it). It's also super interesting that the Cybermen in Nightmare In Silver seem to be much much stronger than any that we've seen in CyberWars so far, potentially placing that episode as chronologically the latest (after Ascension of the Cybermen)... I could go on and on about this, and it would be super neat to see your opinions on how the Cybermen have developed and why their designs change and stuff like that.
Also I absolutely love your videos, they bring me a lot of joy and I appreciate how you avoid making fun of things even if you dislike them, you always stay positive and respectful and I really like that.
@@scrunkore ngl that sounds like such a hilarious attempt at explaining how he could have gone on adventures before the "look at the ears" line despite clearly having not seen himself before
another video from the goat himself i saw someone bring up the idea of making a video about the redesigns of each monster and how each showrunner handles writing them, i think thats a great idea! i'd be interested in seeing a video about the twelve and clara dynamic, but i know you said you already have that in the makings. so just know i'm excited to see it! and uuuhhhhhh one about how dan lewis is an absolute legend
Good theory, and that would be my first guess as well. However, there is an alternative: He opens the door and look sdirectly into the camera - he's looking at us, the audience. :D This is part of my pet theory that the "Big Secret" that the doctor knows and can never tell is that he knows that he (and by extension everyone else on the show) is a fictional character in a TV programme, but he can never tell anyone because it would break his fictional universe to do so.
I just remember a line that azure says in flux episode 6, “Your greatest fear isn’t yourself. It’s the distraction of other things.” That just greatly contradicts this episode’s intentions
this is a good counter argument considering dwfan is willing to appeal to what episodes from other writers would suggest the doctor's greatest fear is, including appealing to the contents of future episodes that hadn't even been written yet. as if part of the intentions of those episodes was to help explain the contents of room 11... Not. the funny thing is, using his logic, he can't say that flux is any less valid than any of his "evidence". he makes a pretty weak argument.
@@TheKanistan an interesting point. sadly, Amy's Choice actually aired in the series BEFORE the God Complex but I can see how in your head you could mix them up
Am I the only one who remembers that the answer to that mystery was given in the episode "Time of the doctor"? It was the crack in all of space and time. When he found the crack in the basement of the bell tower, he said, "I knew it wasn't over." Then the scene flashed back to that room, and we saw both reflected in his eyes and in the actual wall of the room before he closed the door and put a do not disturb sign on it.
Please make more long doctor who videos I love them, I’m an animator and listen to them while I animate :) a video thoroughly explaining some of the spookiest dw villains and foes would be cool and perhaps an in depth video like who the doctor actually is and a recap of his life and timelords in general
First, just want to say i love the channel and cant put into words how much I appreciate your content and unwavering love for the show (glad to see others have started to take notice, the channel is doing great) Ive been going through ur channel, absorbing content and would love to hear your thoughts on the Kandy Man episode of classic who
I think you're VERY close. My theory even back then was that it WAS an evil version of The Doctor...but not himself. If we assume that 11 knew that he was supposed to be the last incarnation, then there's something evil waiting for him that he's known about for literal lifetimes: The Valeyard. My guess was that not even The Doctor 100% sure if the metacrisis Doctor counted as a regeneration or not. So, either he IS the last and will simply die the next time he's killed, or his last regeneration will be into The Valeyard.
I always thought it was the doctor. I thought room 12 would have been a more fitting number after the way the 10th doctor didn't want to go. His greatest fear - the next one
I had always assumed the same thing, that he feared himself most of all. The crack being in the room could support that if we consider the Doctor speaks through the crack at various points in his history. The crack was in the room, and a future version of himself was in the room through it.
i adore your videos and more specifically your rants! it soothes my adhd brain and ill watch it and talk along with you or disagree with you on certain points and just pretend fight/discuss with you. It is a highlight. Just wanted to let you know your content gets enjoyed by this random stranger over here. You make me and lots of other people smile. Keep doing what you love man
I honestly don’t know what was behind the room 11 because when I watch the episode I was like come on, we’ve literally got to know what is we’ve heard the cloister bells and we needed to know what it is, and he said who else? I presume what’s behind room, 11 was the abandoned TARDIS where the doctor has to say his name to save his friends and Clara from the Great intelligence so that’s what’s probably behind the door, the abandoned tardis I think ❤
I'd just assumed from the sneak peak we got that it was the crack in time. I don't know why that would be his greatest fear, but because he's a time traveller, maybe it was just taking his biggest fear from his time on Trenzalore. Then again, he did say "Who else?" like it was obvious to him that it was his greatest fear at the time. edit: Just found out that it was 100% confirmed that he saw the crack.
i love this theory, but i think with things that happen later on i think it would make sense that it's specifically the war doctor inside the room, considering it's also his biggest secret
Ever since the crack reveal, I saw it as Gallifrey. The Doctor is afraid of Gallifrey because of who he'll become if he stays (hence why he ran away). It lines up with it being the Doctor himself - but we all know the Doctor loves himself a bit too, just not a certain version of himself. A version that the time lords and the master bring out of him. Also, cloister bells. Gallifrey has cloister bells
A couple things off with this. For one, the cracks ALL relate to the TARDIS. You say that the crack in Time of the Doctor doesn't but The Doctor literally tells Clara that the cracks are scar tissue from June 26th 2010 when the TARDIS blew up. That's what all of the cracks are. He even explained that that's what would happen in The Big Bang. For two, the crack is a representation for him. Now that he actually knows why the cracks existed in the first place (unlike in Hungry Earth for instance when he didn't hesitate to investigate - just because he did that doesn't mean he can't grow to be scared of it, y'know), he knows he played a part in bringing them about. Seeing the crack is him seeing the damage done to the universe by his reputation. Kovarian blew up the TARDIS just to kill him because she viewed him as a threat and it very nearly destroyed the universe. He is forever afraid that his travels will be viewed like this. He is afraid that others will see him as a terrifying god that needs to be eliminated and go to these universe-destroying lengths to do so, because that is the last thing he intends to do and be by travelling and helping.
I honestly expected this to be the answer, in fact this was my answer too. Between The Dream Lord, The Valiyard, everything The War Doctor did, it makes too much sense that The Doctor's greatest fear is himself.
you could do episode reviews, in chronological order, of every DW episode from 1963 onwards as if you're there the day after it just aired. :-) definitely wouldn't be short of material! actually (more realistically) doing that for one selected story from each year, once a month, would make an interesting long-run series using reviews from newspapers/ magazines of the day as a reference. what was it like to meet the cybermen for the first time? what do you make of this new 5th doctor? "K9"??!! wtf!!! and so on. lots of fun to be had and would bring classic era to life again in a unique way to start with - it is all pre-YT. a bit of time travel. very on-theme. :-)
I love how everyone forgets Time of the Doctor here. Room 11 wasn’t housing the Valeyard, but a crack in time. “Oh but he said who else not what else” That’s a moot point; since the Time Lords were using the crack to break back into the universe, or at least “someone” was trying to use it to break back into the universe, from the Doctor’s perspective. Plus, the cracks were made by an exploding TARDIS, of course he’d say “who”, who else but the TARDIS exploding again be his greatest fear? It’s not really a mystery when the answer was given to us nearly 10 years ago.
It's Gallifrey. It's the Time Lords, through the crack. That's who. Hearing the cloister bell - from Gallifrey - played on the Doctor's fear that the Time Lords could be coming back, bringing the Time War back with them. Which is his greatest known fear - it made him set his identity aside to put an end to it - the one thing that drove him to lengths he refused to ever speak about - and he picked up a gun in The End of Time... He'll do anything to avert the return of the Time War. Break every rule he has. It's not obvious. That blink-and-you-miss-it flashback in Time of the Doctor is all we get to connect it. Moffat left way too much room for doubt on questions like these. Btw the Silence created the cracks when they blew up the Doctor's TARDIS in that aborted timeline - the Time Lords just used it, somehow.
I mean with the pretence given to the darker side of the doctor and the 'dream lord' showing up before this episode and explaining that he only himself hates himself more than anyone else. I think it could be the Valeyard that he sees in there, as the Valeyard if the epitome of everything evil about the doctor, the literal dark version of him.
I presumed that the doctor's greatest fear was the war doctor, as the doctor had always regretted wiping out the time lords, combined with the fact that the doctor has said many times in the past how he can't bear to look at the past because he wouldn't be able to bear it.
I think that the doctors greatest fear isn’t himself, the thing he hates most is himself, but the thing he fears most is being alone, so my guess is that behind the door was an old decaying version of him that was completely alone, maybe even standing over the graves of all his past companions
I think the crack could be much less big of a deal than people think. I think it could be that dead person with the buzzing flies that is talked about in Heaven Sent, which terrified the Doctor as a child. Sometimes the biggest fears people have are something that scared them as kids.
i remember reading the doctor who adventures magazines during 11's run and in the issue after this episode they had a joke where the doctor said it was Justin Bieber in room 11 and I still believe that to be the truth
I always thought it was his companions that he hurt in the room, he’s gotten a lot of them killed or put them through hell which he feels guilty about - he puts people in danger so he doesn’t have to feel alone, he likes to pretend he’s a selfless hero but he’s not and being reminded of your truth is scary
I think it makes since the doctors greatest fear is to give up. The entire series is just him running from his past, trying to stay good and do good, despite the trouble he has caused and despite all the hardship he faced. The worst thing that could happen to him is that the eons of strife finally drive him to loose himself, or even find a way to kill himself.
Always thought it was The Valeyard he sees, which I guess is the same thing. Seems to be a running worry of all The Doctors since The TRIAL. Great video! Thanks!
Just wanna point out that he says, "Who else" (like doctor 'who else' haha😐 ) if it is meant to be the Doctor that's probably the best way the 'Doctor Who' title has been used in the show. Take that as you will
I always assumed it was just himself. His greatest fear will always be himself and what he is capable of/is becoming. Thought the room being 11 was just the reference to it being him.
haven't finished the video yet but i think it's pretty clear it's himself. him looking through the crack in time is just him being that version staring back. i'm gonna finish the video and come back to see if i change my mind after i've watched the full thing.
Room 11 is one of my favourite early 2010s era Doctor Who mystery boxes and I, personally, was not satisfied with the ‘resolution’ it got in the 11th Doctor’s swan song. So I decided that in this video I would give my best guess, substantiated with evidence from the show, to what the original contents of the room were. I hope you enjoy the video.
I wonder how many people are still going to think they’re geniuses for mentioning Time of the Doctor.
i feel you were so close. i don't think it's just the doctor. i think it's a version of him that has gone full dark. one who is fully evil. The Valeyard. throughout moffat's run he, multiple times, when talking about the doctor's other names, always mentions the valeyard. in trial of a timelord you see the fear across Colin Baker's face (as the doctor) when he is told the valeyard is the amalgamation of the darkest side of his nature. Or it's a version of him, maayyybe covered hin blood or holding something to represent all the people who died in his name
That episode introduced another question: What is The Doctor's faith? I think it's the same thing as his fear. Just listen to the Pandorica speech. Also, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHAT IS THE DOCTOR'S NAME?
I always thought he saw himself. The doctor is his greatest fear.
@@philosotree5876Squiblypoo B. Lawrence. That’s the Doctor’s name.
I'd love to see a video about Hell bent and heaven sent
Never really thought about it like that. Matt Smith himself theorised that it was every incarnation of the doctor hanging in a noose with an empty one waiting for 11. I really like that headcanon.
Duuuude this is my favorite version of this that would have been hardcore
That still seems like something that would be more natural to respond with "What else?" than "Who else?" 🤔
@@TokyoFromTheFuture maybe, feels like a bit of a stretch though 🤷
Never forget Rory was such a chad that his door was the fucking exit.
I like to imagine rose and river both looking very angry at him in room 11
The episode is called "The God Complex". Moffat was known for turning the Doctor into a stort of god. Makes sense that the Doctor seeing himself there, worried that he was taking too much control, literally becoming a god of time.
Especially after Waters of Mars.
genuinely very good piece of evidence, should've mentioned it in the video
I remember when first seeing this episode that I thought the answer was obvious..the room number, the comment 'Who else?', the fatalistic smile, the cloister bell. There are so many references to his fear of his own dark side, the Timelord Victorious, his comments to Wilf regarding how easy it is to fall into the path his friend the Master took. 'Good men don't need rules..today is not the day to find out why I have so many.'
On a somewhat related note, Rory not having a room is always brought up as out of character/a plot hole in Complex, but I'm not sure it is. Since the Hotel doesnt actually feed off fear but faith (particularly an extreme or dedicated faith), Rory is the only one out of them not to have THAT specifically. He doesn't believe in the Doctor, Amy or even himself absolutely. He's too insecure, but it works in his favor here. So I never took it to mean Rory didn't have any serious fears. I mean, Rita was pretty fearless and her faith was totally harmless - but it was genuine, and that's what counts. It's interesting that having no faith doesn't make Rory a better person, he just got lucky.
Oh somebody already said all this further down in the comments whoops
@@galactic_socialist I don't think so. Amy brings the human version into the new universe at the end of The Big Bang. "If something can be remembered, it can come back." He does wear a Roman costume for kicks though, in A Good Man Goes To War and A Christmas Carol.
I genuinely think that Rory not really being scared of anything has huge implications on his character that make a lot of sense when you think about what he’s been through.
Losing amy? Dying? Watching the universe turn to nothing? Losing his identity? Been there, done that.
11 points this out in the episode
@@camcramer22 I know, I don't know how so many people missed it.
I always liked to think the doctor’s room contained the full on Valeyard. Especially at the time if we think about how he’s technically meant to be the last incarnation. He was probably VERY paranoid that given the prophecy, he was destined to have all of his darkness manifest
Glad I’m not the only one who thought of The Valeyard
Same here, who else?
No it’s just his future incarnations
His greatest fear is that he’ll never be ginger and by showing him his future incarnations he’ll see that he’ll never be ginger
i like the idea that its not the valeyard, but the empty outfit of the valeyard, inviting him to wear it
@benjaminmead9036 I actually like that idea more than the Valeyard himself being there behind the door. It gives off far more menacing vibes if it's implied that at some point, the Doctor might actually be properly tempted or even willingly embrace the ways of the Valeyard, not simply that he'll Regenerate/Bigenerate into the Valeyard one day
Fun Fact: In the thirds doctors story "The Mind of Evil" you can also see his fear. He saw fire which was a reference of the events of the previous seasons episode "Inferno" where he traveled into a parallel universe which ended up in flames (he also saw cybermen and daleks). Anyway you can also see the masters greatest fear which is laughed at from the doctor which I find very hilarious. I wish new who would be so random
Its Mr Blobby
I figured the exit door was Rory’s room. It only appeared to him and attracted him to it before turning back to the group. Just a thought.
That is the intention (Or at least, I think it is lol). Rory has no fear apparently and that's why he can see the exit. Wouldn't necessarily line up with his characterisation before or after but I do think that's what they meant by making only him be able to see it
@@stevedavidson5038 it does! I forgot that, it's in the scene where the Doctor figures out that its faith that powers it and Amy first says praise him
Actually in god complex they realized it’s belief not fear. Rory could see the exit because he didn’t have a belief. Amy had a room because she believed in the Doctor. So if you take it this The Doctor has believe that even though they restarted the universe he was not done with the crack. The tardis exploded everywhere in time and space which included the time of the Doctor episode.
My theory beofrw watching is that his fear is being evil or becoming worse than his villains which would end reality as we know it
@@chrizmartin9890Valeyard
I think if we were to look at it in hindsight, his big fear would’ve surely been the Moment. Pressing that button is something he had repressed for hundreds of years. It is his ‘most shameful’ moment, his darkest time. He goes so far as to even denying calling that incarnation of himself ‘the Doctor’. I can’t imagine there would be anything else in the universe that truly scared the Doctor as much as their own ‘mistake’.
Of course, I could see arguments that the Doctor had repressed the memory so much by the Eleventh Doctor’s time (which is mentioned in the 50th anniversary), but I think it’s a flimsy idea because the rooms don’t pull from what you *think* you fear most, they pull from what is genuinely your deepest dread. Deep down, the Doctor always carried that guilt with them.
I'm not sure that would work. He says, "Who else?" When he looks inside. That doesn't really work if it's a button.
@@Here_is_Waldo Since The 9Moment has a consciousness it could work in theory
@@Here_is_Waldo That button has a consciousness.
@@Here_is_Waldoit doesn’t have to be the moment for it to reference destroying gallifrey it could have been the regeneration responsible for actually doing it that’s the regeneration he wanted to forget the most cause of the guilt of what he did
It could simply be the WD but a lot more twisted.
i always assumed it was himself. i didn’t even remember the “explanation” later on. gotta love doctor who continuity
The biggest problem with Matt Smith's era was that we didn't get an explanation for anything that was going on until years after everyone had stopped caring. Even then it was only in throwaway lines of dialogue.
@@stevedavidson5038 to be fair, that's how Moffat does stories, he'll keep a plot unresolved for years. The whole Silence and Gallifrey returning was a super long plot thread, and if Matt Smith didn't want to quit, the events of Trenzalore would have spanned an entire season rather than one special.
What if when he says, “who else”, it’s referring to not what’s inside the room, but rather who the room is intended for? In other words he sees the room, is drawn towards it, and once he sees what’s inside thinks to himself, “who else”, as in who else could this room belong to (other than himself), who else besides him could understand the significance of what whatever was inside meant, or receive the intended judgement or consequences implied by what lied within? If it was the crack, that explanation might make more sense. Especially him putting the “do not disturb” sign on the door knowing his time has not yet come.
My headcanon is that room 11 contains a mock interior of the tenth TARDIS and ten himself, during his timelord victorious phase. The Doctor fears going too far, so to see himself in that state would be harrowing.
My theory when first rewatching the god complex is it was the war doctor (or, well, at the time probably the 9th since the war doctor wasn't invented yet). I didn't even remember it was "explained" in the time of the doctor
When I watch it with my dad I went omg it must be the master or the Daleks
But I was like 10 and then my dad turned to me and told him that it might be the doctor himself
Same. Looking at it now, it would be great to get a reflection of John Hurt edited into his eyes. Even if new viewers caught it, they wouldn't know who it is yet.
It wasn't "explained" in TotD, it was just explained in TotD.
At the time i soubt it wouldve beem 9 since there's no reason or evidence that the doctor disliked his 9th incarnation. It was probably just meant to be up to interpretation
My theory was that the Doctor’s greatest fear was the death of the TARDIS, hence the cloister bell.
It was the crack, which obviously holds the Timelords on the other side, which would ofc make the cloister bell go off cuz time war.
i think it's either this or it's a version of him that has gone full dark. one who is fully evil. The Valeyard. throughout moffat's run he, multiple times, when talking about the doctor's other names, always mentions the valeyard. in trial of a timelord you see the fear across Colin Baker's face (as the doctor) when he is told the valeyard is the amalgamation of the darkest side of his nature. Or it's a version of him, maayyybe covered hin blood or holding something to represent all the people who died in his name
I kind of interpreted the crack as almost being symboic of the fact his fear is himself (because you're right, it is). It symbolises in series 6 the fact he did something that nearly ended the universe. That he has That much power and doesn't trust himself to wield it. The crack is a manifestation of the concequences of him messing up.
I sort of think it is John Hurt as the war doctor. As 11 seems determined to not think about the war or even the past at all. As his fear may be acknowledging it/his role in the time war. Not sure if that makes any sense but I think it might work well with the rest of 11th's run.
That’s a bit rude I think John Hurt did a great job as the war doctor lol
@@ethanriptideit’s not saying he didn’t, but the war doctor is a menace before he even originally / believed that he presssed the moment
@@ethanriptideis this a joke
@@jacobwaa9258 wdym
Thats what I think it was, day of the doctor makes it clear that the doctor is afraid/ has resentment toward himself and the action he took in the time war as the war doctor
Agree on this. Even on first viewing, it seemed to me that the Doctor himself must be in the room. These shorter shots are great! Topics I'd like seen explored: The Matrix, TARDIS/time travel/the Eye of Harmony, the Time War (a complete history), all references to the Doctor's family (in-show, but also I'd love to hear your thoughts on Lungbarrow), The Cartmel Plan
I'd always assumed it was Doctor Who in his final incarnation in the room, his reaction to it (saying "who else" with a smile before gently closing the door and placing the do not disturb sign) suggests whatever was in there was not an immediate threat, the Doctor wasn't afraid of what was in there but what it represented, the end of his life, the end of Doctor Who.
Would it show matt smith's incarnation or whoever his final incarnation would be? Because if it wasn't himself that wouldn't really work, because he wouldn't recognise himself in the future.
@@DavidTennantEnthusiast I'd assume being a timelord, he'd have an innate understanding of his future incarnations still being him, iirc, whenever he met a past self, that past self already knew who he was, despite him being an 'unknown' future incarnation to them, if i'm wrong about that then yeah, you're right, my assumption wouldn't make much sense!
@@Micron8888After re-watching The Day Of The Doctor, I see where you're coming from and I actually somewhat agree with your headcanon! Though i'm not too sure what else it could be
At that moment, he was already on his final incarnation.
I feel that each Doctor would have their own room. Room 11 was the 11th Doctor's specific nightmare. Some examples for other incarnations
* Room 2: Rassilon and Omega, the founders of Time Lord society, wearing executioner's robes. Sort of foreshadowing the 2nd Doctor's fate
* Room 3: We already know his greatest fear in "The Mind Of Evil"
* Room 6: The Valeyard, possibly with the 6th Doctor's appearance
* Room 9: The Doctor as Davros, as I imagine the War Doctor/9th Doctor's greatest fear would be becoming as bad as the Daleks
Damn now this gets me wondering as to what the 7th Doctor’s room would be like!
id argue for Rasilon and Omega for the 8th doc, as he happily exiles himself from reality at the knowledge of the foundation of the timelord race / society
@@chaoslordtriumphant3595
a chessboard with no more pawns on his side. all his pawns at the side of the board, with the face of a companion or ally carved on them.
7 is the master manipulator of doctors, but being a chessmaster means sacraficing to win
4's Room would probably be Sutekh then?
I always assumed it was just the war doctor. The person who he'd repressed for so long. The darkest period in his life which even the doctor tried to hide from.
I appreciate the amount of work that was put into this, but a couple of things I'd like to disagree with and/or point out.
First, the numbering still makes sense. He's the Eleventh official body of the man who calls himself "The Doctor". The War incarnation didn't call himself the Doctor, and so he doesn't count in the official numbering. Likewise, the Meta-Crisis Doctor isn't THE Doctor. So while it used up a regeneration, he wasn't the Eleventh Doctor. Regardless of what we say or feel, or what the Doctor himself feels, those were still uses of regenerations, and the limit had already long been said to be 12 (for thirteen incarnations).
Second, the crack shown in Time of the Doctor DOES share relation with the ones from Series 5. You are correct that he called it scar tissue, but the scar is from the original TARDIS explosion in Series 5.
DOCTOR: A tiny sliver of the 26th of June, 2010. The day the universe blew up.
CLARA: Missed that.
DOCTOR: I rebooted it, put it all back together.
CLARA: That's good.
DOCTOR: Well, it was my Tardis that blew it up in the first place. I felt a degree of responsibility. But the scar tissue remains. A structural weakness in the whole universe.
He implies that the crack they were trying to come through was a fragment of the previous universe leftover from when he rebooted it.
i like how you have to specifically say War Incarnation because every piece of official media calls him the war doctor lmao
The conversational, open vibe of these vids is cool! Future topics could be comparing monster designs like the cybermen, ranking the masters, ranking the horror episodes (or anything to do with horror in the show), and parsing the different visual styles (RTD's muddy, tense and claustrophobic visuals vs. Moffat's rich colors and poetic cinematography vs. Chibnalls pricey cameras and MCU-like cgi, etc).
Or just talk about Scherzo.
And his fear was that he was a coward who'd take the easy way out abandoning Amy, The Doctor, and a bunch of other people to die. I love that.
Actually in the 11th doctors last episode that the contents of room eleven was on of the cracks through time (like the one in Amelia Ponds bedroom in his second episode)
The cracks are Matt Smiths recouring villain/event
I wonder if the flashback in Time Of The Doctor was about how the cracks had always been following them, not that it was truly the Doctor's greatest fear. Like, there could have been cracks in multiple rooms, or any room. But however you read it, it's a clumsy sequence in an episode full of clumsy sequences that make it difficult to understand the intent imo. I agree that in the God Complex it's clearly supposed to be him staring himself in the eye, one of the little nudges that helps him save the day in the end (ironically).
Btw mate you're the most entertaining dr who fan on the entire planet, keep it up.
thank you!
Now that I'm thinking, this is also why the Doctor had a room. Because of his complete faith in Amy. When she asks him what Time Lords pray to at the end, he can't meet her eye. "My friends have always been the best of me." She's his doorway into wonder, she almost creates him in the eleventh hour (ten and twelve fight enemies to decide their nature, eleven talks to a little girl instead). Deep down, he doesn't think he's superior to them. More and more in Eleven's arc, the Doctor needs Amy and Rory more than they need him. It's part of why he can't stand to see them break up - he needs everything to be perfect so he can believe it's possible to get it right, for one of his companions to have a happy ending. "I've lead you by the hand to your death." He's sooooo haunted lol, not by grief like Ten was, but by guilt. Big theme in series 6 that I enjoy is the Doctor's self esteem going off a cliff.
I loved his relationship with the Ponds. My favorite chemistry from all companions
In the Curse of Fenric, the Haemovores were vulnerable to faith. The Doctor says out loud all of the prople who travelled with them. The Doctor's friends are who they have faith in.
@@MrsMoores omg I love that! Continuity win
The God Complex is easily one of my most favorite 11th doctor stories. I don't know why, but it has this air of uneasiness which always gets me hooked into it upon rewatches. As for the argument you pose, I definitely agree, it's very much a Moffatesque trope to have that kind of conclusion. Great video as always.
One little correction, the scilence made the cracks by blowing up the tardis Tasha mentioned it in the episode, fhe timelords used one of those cracks to communicate cause it was a weak spot in reality.
I always assumed it was just the tardis dying. I can't think of anything more terrifying for him than the death of his oldest and closest friend.
This was always my theory as well. I kinda feel like 11's run was setting up for the Valeyard to return with having this scene and the dream lord but they never followed through for whatever reason.
I remember my original theory for it before Time of the Doctor was the Tardis hence the Cloister Bell and specifcally a crack inside it. I guess I was half right. The Doctor's fear being the idea of losing the TARDIS. It's interesting that you see the Do not Disturb sign fall on the ground when the simulation is revealed, a reminder that it was still there
I think the idea for the cracks outside of series 5 is that while the ones in that series were direct splinters coming off the explosion and thus were sealed either in the reboot or in Flesh and Stone where that crack grew far too large, all the angels. It also created other much less numerous cracks that splintered off around and away from the Doctor's timeline and couldn't be fixed with rebooting the universe. Especially if the cracks actually landed outside or on the border of the universe. Like if you destroy a window pane and crack the frame in the process even if you replace the pane, there's still a crack in the frame. I think The God Complex was used as an easy way to retroactively show the Cracks still existing and playing on the Doctor's mind.
I mean it was pretty much implied through most of the show the doctor’s worst enemy is himself. Which is why he doesn’t like meeting himself. Which is why Matt Smith and David Tennant were so fearful of meeting the War Doctor. That’s what turn left was all about. The doctor went unchecked and he died because of it. His greatest fear is himself is the only answer to what was in that room. I agree
At the fall of the Eleventh, we see a flashback that reveals there was a crack in the wall of room 11. That makes a certain kind of sense, but the Doctor said "who else?" when he saw what was in his room, and at that time, it is unknown if he was aware the other Time Lords were on the other side of the crack. I suppose it's possible that he figured that out, so "who else" could mean the Time Lords, which makes sense, because the Doctor truly hated what they had become. His biggest fear might have been Rassilon's return. Although, I think another possibility is that the crack was a mistake on Moffat's part and perhaps the War Doctor was in room 11.
Yes your theory makes more sense. Like, I think to anybody watching the series it would be pretty obvious if they had been paying attention.
i love this theory and i feel like it could also “make sense” (in a moffat sense of the word) that the crack was there along with whatever his real greatest fear is if you just think about how the crack basically follows him throughout his whole run. like maybe it was just chillin there like it was on starship uk or behind craig’s trash can. anyways that’s how i retcon that dumb reveal in my head lmao
4:01 you could make a pretty valid argument that the “who” was the Time Lords returning
Video concept: Doctor elimination bracket - shuffle up all the doctors and pit them against each other until you have one winner. Big fan xo
I always thought It was just his reflection.
It was revealed in Time of the Doctor to be one of the cracks in time.
In the Classic who third Doctor serial ‘The Mind of Evil’ The Doctor’s greatest fear is shown to be first Fire (a call back to the Inferno serial) and then later the Daleks (which I think is fitting). That being said I agree the Doctor’s greatest fear being himself post-time war is probably the correct answer.
Honesty, The Time of the Doctor is just an hour of Steven Moffat repeatedly saying "Oh did I never give a conclusion to this important plot line from years ago…uh…here's the explanation.".
3:14 The significance behind the numbering as eleven is not thrown out the window. At the time, the doctor considers his incarnation to be the eleventh, as he turns a blind eye to the War Doctor and does not consider the 2nd 10th doctor a new incarnation, as it is the same man.
Guys, its so clearly an the K9 show. How could you possibly think its something else.
TRUE
I would really like to see a video on the different incarnations of Cybermen. They've developed on so many planets (or spaceships ig) at this point that it would be interesting to have something comprehensive about them, or even just a simple list. I think it's weird that even Mondas seems to have different stories on how those were built, and then shit just gets wilder when the Masters start deciding to make Cybermen (I dislike that tie but I think we're stuck with it). It's also super interesting that the Cybermen in Nightmare In Silver seem to be much much stronger than any that we've seen in CyberWars so far, potentially placing that episode as chronologically the latest (after Ascension of the Cybermen)...
I could go on and on about this, and it would be super neat to see your opinions on how the Cybermen have developed and why their designs change and stuff like that.
Also I absolutely love your videos, they bring me a lot of joy and I appreciate how you avoid making fun of things even if you dislike them, you always stay positive and respectful and I really like that.
Ngl I would've prefered it if it was literally nothing else but a mirror.
expanded universe material says that 9 refused to look in mirrors because he hated himself that much so it could be fitting
@@scrunkorebut 9 looked in a mirror in Rose and commented on his ears
@@scrunkore Is that why when he looks at himself in the mirror in Rose, he acts like he's never seen himself before that point?
@@scrunkore ngl that sounds like such a hilarious attempt at explaining how he could have gone on adventures before the "look at the ears" line despite clearly having not seen himself before
a video on some obscure big finish doctor who/spinoff/whatever basically no one would probably have heard of tbh
another video from the goat himself
i saw someone bring up the idea of making a video about the redesigns of each monster and how each showrunner handles writing them, i think thats a great idea! i'd be interested in seeing a video about the twelve and clara dynamic, but i know you said you already have that in the makings. so just know i'm excited to see it! and uuuhhhhhh
one about how dan lewis is an absolute legend
a video about the 12 and clara dynamic is in the works🫡
I like to believe it's the Absorbalov from Love and Monster
I like that as well
Good theory, and that would be my first guess as well. However, there is an alternative: He opens the door and look sdirectly into the camera - he's looking at us, the audience. :D This is part of my pet theory that the "Big Secret" that the doctor knows and can never tell is that he knows that he (and by extension everyone else on the show) is a fictional character in a TV programme, but he can never tell anyone because it would break his fictional universe to do so.
I always thought it was him in the room but dead, his biggest fear was either being dead and unable to help anymore or just plain dying
I just remember a line that azure says in flux episode 6, “Your greatest fear isn’t yourself. It’s the distraction of other things.” That just greatly contradicts this episode’s intentions
this is a good counter argument considering dwfan is willing to appeal to what episodes from other writers would suggest the doctor's greatest fear is, including appealing to the contents of future episodes that hadn't even been written yet. as if part of the intentions of those episodes was to help explain the contents of room 11... Not. the funny thing is, using his logic, he can't say that flux is any less valid than any of his "evidence". he makes a pretty weak argument.
@@TheKanistan an interesting point. sadly, Amy's Choice actually aired in the series BEFORE the God Complex but I can see how in your head you could mix them up
im binging this playlist, so far it's been the doctor 3 times in a row
whoops
@dwfan91- it's all good
Am I the only one who remembers that the answer to that mystery was given in the episode "Time of the doctor"? It was the crack in all of space and time. When he found the crack in the basement of the bell tower, he said, "I knew it wasn't over." Then the scene flashed back to that room, and we saw both reflected in his eyes and in the actual wall of the room before he closed the door and put a do not disturb sign on it.
Yeah lol
I like to think its the Valeyard because he is a version of the doctor and his darkest version too
Please make more long doctor who videos I love them, I’m an animator and listen to them while I animate :) a video thoroughly explaining some of the spookiest dw villains and foes would be cool and perhaps an in depth video like who the doctor actually is and a recap of his life and timelords in general
First, just want to say i love the channel and cant put into words how much I appreciate your content and unwavering love for the show (glad to see others have started to take notice, the channel is doing great)
Ive been going through ur channel, absorbing content and would love to hear your thoughts on the Kandy Man episode of classic who
Thank you so much! and i'll put it on the list🫡
I always thought the valyard. I’m still hoping they introduce him at some point.
A cool thing to make a video on may be the cloister wraiths.
Okay!👍
I like to think that Rory’s door was the exit door, because his fear was that he’d leave his family behind and take the easy way out.
As a kid, I always thought it was young Amy sitting on her suitcase. His greatest fear is going back to the people he left.
It was solved in Time of the Doctor. Room 11 contained Amy's crack.
Think. In the Doctor's Wife. Amy says "you want to forgiven" on the other side of the crack are the survivors of the Time War.
I think you're VERY close. My theory even back then was that it WAS an evil version of The Doctor...but not himself. If we assume that 11 knew that he was supposed to be the last incarnation, then there's something evil waiting for him that he's known about for literal lifetimes: The Valeyard. My guess was that not even The Doctor 100% sure if the metacrisis Doctor counted as a regeneration or not. So, either he IS the last and will simply die the next time he's killed, or his last regeneration will be into The Valeyard.
I always thought it was the doctor. I thought room 12 would have been a more fitting number after the way the 10th doctor didn't want to go. His greatest fear - the next one
From everything I have learned you got it half right. It is the Doctor, but it is also not the Doctor. It is the Valyard.
I always figured the Doctor saw himself, or maybe the War Doctor specifically. I just chose to believe it's that and ignore anything else lol
My headcannon was always that it was specifically the War Doctor. The incarnation of himself that represents all of his guilt and regret
I had always assumed the same thing, that he feared himself most of all. The crack being in the room could support that if we consider the Doctor speaks through the crack at various points in his history. The crack was in the room, and a future version of himself was in the room through it.
i adore your videos and more specifically your rants! it soothes my adhd brain and ill watch it and talk along with you or disagree with you on certain points and just pretend fight/discuss with you. It is a highlight. Just wanted to let you know your content gets enjoyed by this random stranger over here. You make me and lots of other people smile. Keep doing what you love man
thank you so much :)
I honestly don’t know what was behind the room 11 because when I watch the episode I was like come on, we’ve literally got to know what is we’ve heard the cloister bells and we needed to know what it is, and he said who else? I presume what’s behind room, 11 was the abandoned TARDIS where the doctor has to say his name to save his friends and Clara from the Great intelligence so that’s what’s probably behind the door, the abandoned tardis I think ❤
I always assumed it was regeneration because the TARDIS’ cloister bell sometimes rings whenever the Doctor regenerates
I'd just assumed from the sneak peak we got that it was the crack in time. I don't know why that would be his greatest fear, but because he's a time traveller, maybe it was just taking his biggest fear from his time on Trenzalore. Then again, he did say "Who else?" like it was obvious to him that it was his greatest fear at the time.
edit: Just found out that it was 100% confirmed that he saw the crack.
I like to think it’s The Valeyard given the description of who he is when he was introduced
I always thought the war doctor was in that room, just made sense, i never even considered it could be anything else. So this was quite enlightening
i love this theory, but i think with things that happen later on i think it would make sense that it's specifically the war doctor inside the room, considering it's also his biggest secret
Ever since the crack reveal, I saw it as Gallifrey. The Doctor is afraid of Gallifrey because of who he'll become if he stays (hence why he ran away). It lines up with it being the Doctor himself - but we all know the Doctor loves himself a bit too, just not a certain version of himself. A version that the time lords and the master bring out of him. Also, cloister bells. Gallifrey has cloister bells
Never forget Rory was such a chad that his door was the fucking exit.
I always thought it was the war doctor. Also Eleven being the last of the cycle makes perfect sense imo.
A couple things off with this. For one, the cracks ALL relate to the TARDIS. You say that the crack in Time of the Doctor doesn't but The Doctor literally tells Clara that the cracks are scar tissue from June 26th 2010 when the TARDIS blew up. That's what all of the cracks are. He even explained that that's what would happen in The Big Bang.
For two, the crack is a representation for him. Now that he actually knows why the cracks existed in the first place (unlike in Hungry Earth for instance when he didn't hesitate to investigate - just because he did that doesn't mean he can't grow to be scared of it, y'know), he knows he played a part in bringing them about. Seeing the crack is him seeing the damage done to the universe by his reputation. Kovarian blew up the TARDIS just to kill him because she viewed him as a threat and it very nearly destroyed the universe. He is forever afraid that his travels will be viewed like this. He is afraid that others will see him as a terrifying god that needs to be eliminated and go to these universe-destroying lengths to do so, because that is the last thing he intends to do and be by travelling and helping.
He wouldn't smile at himself. I think he fears what he loves the most: The TARDIS.
I honestly expected this to be the answer, in fact this was my answer too. Between The Dream Lord, The Valiyard, everything The War Doctor did, it makes too much sense that The Doctor's greatest fear is himself.
you could do episode reviews, in chronological order, of every DW episode from 1963 onwards as if you're there the day after it just aired. :-) definitely wouldn't be short of material!
actually (more realistically) doing that for one selected story from each year, once a month, would make an interesting long-run series using reviews from newspapers/ magazines of the day as a reference. what was it like to meet the cybermen for the first time? what do you make of this new 5th doctor? "K9"??!! wtf!!! and so on. lots of fun to be had and would bring classic era to life again in a unique way to start with - it is all pre-YT. a bit of time travel. very on-theme. :-)
I love how everyone forgets Time of the Doctor here. Room 11 wasn’t housing the Valeyard, but a crack in time.
“Oh but he said who else not what else”
That’s a moot point; since the Time Lords were using the crack to break back into the universe, or at least “someone” was trying to use it to break back into the universe, from the Doctor’s perspective. Plus, the cracks were made by an exploding TARDIS, of course he’d say “who”, who else but the TARDIS exploding again be his greatest fear?
It’s not really a mystery when the answer was given to us nearly 10 years ago.
It's Gallifrey. It's the Time Lords, through the crack. That's who. Hearing the cloister bell - from Gallifrey - played on the Doctor's fear that the Time Lords could be coming back, bringing the Time War back with them. Which is his greatest known fear - it made him set his identity aside to put an end to it - the one thing that drove him to lengths he refused to ever speak about - and he picked up a gun in The End of Time... He'll do anything to avert the return of the Time War. Break every rule he has.
It's not obvious. That blink-and-you-miss-it flashback in Time of the Doctor is all we get to connect it. Moffat left way too much room for doubt on questions like these.
Btw the Silence created the cracks when they blew up the Doctor's TARDIS in that aborted timeline - the Time Lords just used it, somehow.
I mean with the pretence given to the darker side of the doctor and the 'dream lord' showing up before this episode and explaining that he only himself hates himself more than anyone else. I think it could be the Valeyard that he sees in there, as the Valeyard if the epitome of everything evil about the doctor, the literal dark version of him.
I presumed that the doctor's greatest fear was the war doctor, as the doctor had always regretted wiping out the time lords, combined with the fact that the doctor has said many times in the past how he can't bear to look at the past because he wouldn't be able to bear it.
I think that the doctors greatest fear isn’t himself, the thing he hates most is himself, but the thing he fears most is being alone, so my guess is that behind the door was an old decaying version of him that was completely alone, maybe even standing over the graves of all his past companions
As soon as you said "Not the crack in time!" I went "So its The Doctor, right?"
thanks for the cookie! for a video idea i was thinking lungbarrow? :D i love weird gallifrey lore
I’ve always thought it was himself, perhaps becoming a Tyrant.
I think the crack could be much less big of a deal than people think. I think it could be that dead person with the buzzing flies that is talked about in Heaven Sent, which terrified the Doctor as a child. Sometimes the biggest fears people have are something that scared them as kids.
i remember reading the doctor who adventures magazines during 11's run and in the issue after this episode they had a joke where the doctor said it was Justin Bieber in room 11 and I still believe that to be the truth
I always thought it was his companions that he hurt in the room, he’s gotten a lot of them killed or put them through hell which he feels guilty about - he puts people in danger so he doesn’t have to feel alone, he likes to pretend he’s a selfless hero but he’s not and being reminded of your truth is scary
At the time I thought that. After all, David Tennant's Dr showed what can happen when he starts to lose control. Matt Smith's Doctor built on that.
I think it makes since the doctors greatest fear is to give up. The entire series is just him running from his past, trying to stay good and do good, despite the trouble he has caused and despite all the hardship he faced. The worst thing that could happen to him is that the eons of strife finally drive him to loose himself, or even find a way to kill himself.
Always thought it was The Valeyard he sees, which I guess is the same thing. Seems to be a running worry of all The Doctors since The TRIAL. Great video! Thanks!
Thank YOU, you legend
Personally I think the Doctor’s greatest fear is an unreversed polarity.
I thought, maybe it was a fear of losing the TARDIS and for it to all end...but you're right, we did get a glimpse, clever!
Just wanna point out that he says, "Who else" (like doctor 'who else' haha😐 ) if it is meant to be the Doctor that's probably the best way the 'Doctor Who' title has been used in the show. Take that as you will
I always assumed it was just himself. His greatest fear will always be himself and what he is capable of/is becoming.
Thought the room being 11 was just the reference to it being him.
haven't finished the video yet but i think it's pretty clear it's himself. him looking through the crack in time is just him being that version staring back. i'm gonna finish the video and come back to see if i change my mind after i've watched the full thing.