If last week’s episode of “Doctor Who,” “Robots of Sherwood,” reinstated our faith in the show’s ability to deliver entertaining standalone stories in the Steven Moffat era, then this week’s outing, “Listen,” was here to remind us how great this show can be at making us fall in love with its characters. Clara and the Doctor were both in top form on Saturday, as audiences learned that Danny Pink would be an even bigger part of the Companion’s life than we initially thought, the TARDIS returned to Gallifrey, and Clara unintentionally gave the Doctor a childhood nightmare that would stick with him forever.
It was a clever, emotionally resonant episode that wisely decided not to introduce a new villain (or revisit an old one, like the Silence), but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a million questions about “Listen” haunting our dreams from Gallifrey to the End of the Universe and back. Questions like…
1. Can the Doctor return to Gallifrey now?
During “The Day of the Doctor,” Gallifrey was frozen in time and shucked into another universe. However, Clara was able to return there — specifically, to that barn the War Doctor used to set off the big bang — due to her telepathic TARDIS connection being messed up by her botched date with Danny Pink. Sooo… does this mean we’ll finally be able to return to the Doctor’s homeland soon?
2. What was that creature underneath the blanket?
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This was undoubtedly the question every “Who” fan was shouting at their TV by the end of the night.
At the end of the episode, we learned that the Doctor’s fears were — for once — completely unfounded, and instead of revealing a major villain, Moffat and co. cleverly revealed that the Doctor had been haunted his whole life by that nightmare unintentionally set off by a time-traveling Clara. (Once again reminding us that the Companion is scattered in crucial places all over the Doctor’s timeline — like when he stole the TARDIS.)
However, we never found out who or what was haunting little Rupert Danny Pink in his childhood bedroom. We were probably supposed to deduce that it was a child, but that thing moved crazy fast and was incredibly creepy. If that really was just a little kid, it inevitably grew up to be a serial killer, but it’s also entirely possible that little Pink was being haunted by something much more sinister.
3. Who, or what, was knocking on the door at the End of the Universe?
We might never know what was taunting the Doctor and Orson at the End of the Universe — if anything — but it certainly looked and sounded like a lot more than just a metaphor for the power of fear.
4. Are Clara and Danny going to have children, like, definitely?
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Because let’s be honest here, so far we have no reason to like these two together. All of their interactions have been disastrous, so if Danny does end up being crucial, let’s hope things turn around for the two characters, stat. (I need a healthy relationship I can root for!)
5. What kind of person just sits there when someone grabs their leg from underneath their bed?
Seriously.
6. Did the Doctor write “Listen?”
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Pretty much everything we saw haunting these various characters ended up being nothing but their own fear, but still — the Doctor did write that single word that kicked off the events of the rest of the episode, then forgot about it.
Why did he do that, or, perhaps more importantly, when? Could he have done so at a different part of his own timeline, knowing that these events would prove to be important? (Time travel, man.)
7. Will this episode tie in to the series’ overall story arc?
This is the first episode in the series to not feature the Promised Land/Missy storyline, but the return to Gallifrey and revelation that Clara helped give the Doctor one of his greatest fears feels far too important to toss aside. How will the events of “Listen” effect the rest of the series, if at all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
BONUS: Why does Clara need three mirrors?
Can’t she just turn her head?
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