Doctor Who Just itted Something About Its Main Character I've Suspected For 18 Years

Published May 1, 2025

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 3, "The Well."Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor its to something in "The Well" is a surprise sequel to "Midnight," which is one of my favorite episodes of the show ever. "Midnight" shows a side of the Doctor I'd never seen before, or at least never quite to such a degree.

Now, with Ncuti Gatwa leading the Doctor Who's unnamed Midnight Monster is a brilliant tribute to the David Tennant adventure while also serving as a worthy continuation. Rather than moving ahead as its own story, "The Well" manages to reference "Midnight" brilliantly, including a big reveal about what Ten was feeling at the time, and how every adventure since has compared.

I Always Felt Like The Tenth Doctor Was Absolutely Terrified In "Midnight" & "The Well" Confirms It

The Doctor's Unexpected Reunion Comes With A Harsh Truth

"Midnight" presented the Doctor with a unique sort of threat. Sure, he'd battled shapeless, invisible monsters before, but he'd never had to do it in such a testing scenario. Plus, he had absolutely no information on what he and the others aboard the shuttle were up against. Ten was operating on best guesses and instinct, and with no companion to back him up when people started to doubt his authority.

Gatwa, Tennant, and Whittaker as their respective Doctors in Doctor Who

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As he starts to lose control of the situation, especially when the entity attaches itself to him, Ten starts to seem more and more afraid, which is incredibly uncharacteristic. In "The Well," Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor its that the last time he encountered the Midnight Monster was the most fear he's ever felt. So, I was right to be so concerned about the Doctor all those years ago.

Gatwa's Doctor is much more open with his emotions, so he its to the fear pretty much instantly after realizing he was experiencing an unwanted reunion.

Ten may have put on a brave face for the majority of "Midnight," but Tennant's brilliant performance allowed flashes of that intense fear to flash through the cracks of his Doctor's otherwise-confident demeanor. Inversely, Gatwa's Doctor is much more open with his emotions, so he its to the fear pretty much instantly after realizing he was experiencing an unwanted reunion.

The Doctor's Fear Is Why The "Midnight" Monster Feels So Scary, Even Though You Don't See It

The 2008 Doctor Who Villain's Return Remains Just As Terrifying

Considering the countless life-threatening situations that the Doctor has been in since "Midnight," his ission in "The Well" is a huge reveal that also reaffirms just how dangerous the entity is. If the Doctor had never felt fear that strong before and hasn't since, then it also makes the audience feel the same level of terror. It all comes down to the matter of the Doctor fearing what he feels he can't stop, and there's shockingly little the Doctor can't overcome.

What's more, the monster being impossible to see in "Midnight" added to the fear factor. Usually, once a monster like that is seen, it loses a little of its impact. However, Fifteen finally gets to see what it looks like in "The Well," and it doesn't seem to make him feel any less terrified. If anything, the look on his face suggests he's now even more afraid after laying eyes on the thing that drove such fear into his hearts in Doctor Who season 4.

Doctor Who Season 15's Release Schedule On Disney+
Episode	Title	Release Date (2025)
1	"The Robot Revolution"	April 12
2	"Lux"	April 19
3	"The Well"	April 26
4	"Lucky Day"	May 3
5	"The Story and the Engine"	May 10
6	"The Interstellar Song Contest"	May 17
7	"Wish World"	May 24
8	"The Reality War"	May 31