Doctor Who: Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor Returns in Season 15!

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Approach with Caution: Contains Plot Twists for ‘Doctor Who’ Season 15, Episode 5 entitled “The Story and the Engine”. As part of the ongoing supernatural elements in season 15, this episode also features the return of a past character from the show, who recently departed – specifically, Jo Martin as The Fugitive Doctor. First introduced in 2020 as the latest actor portraying the Doctor, Martin reappeared in three additional episodes and has been absent since ‘The Power of The Doctor’ in 2022. This sudden appearance of The Fugitive Doctor in season 15 is unexpected and brief but carries significant implications.

Martin’s appearance in the season 15 cast of Doctor Who takes many fans by surprise due to several factors. The character is tied to Chris Chibnall’s Timeless Child storyline, which significantly altered the Doctor’s history. This twist rewrote parts of the backstory, introducing numerous regenerations prior to William Hartnell’s era that the show’s lead character can’t recall. This major shift in the established narrative caused a near-unanimous outcry among Whovians, and since Russell T. Davies returned, he has only briefly mentioned it. However, it appears that Chibnall is planning to revisit this topic more extensively.

Why Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor Returns In Doctor Who Season 15

The Fifteenth Doctor briefly summons the memories of a previous regeneration

In “The Story and the Engine,” The Fugitive Doctor briefly steals the spotlight, but within the series, she doesn’t make a reappearance. Instead, it is Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor who converses with Abena (Michelle Asante). From their very first encounter, Fifteen feels like he knows Abena from somewhere, yet can’t quite place where. Eventually, Fifteen recalls that he had encountered Abena during his tenure as Jo Martin’s portrayal of the Doctor.

ABENA: “Typical Doctor. Irresponsible”

Let me confirm this, Abena. Are you, by any chance, the very same Abena, who is known as the daughter of Anansi?

You shouldn’t even attempt to utter it. You’re not deserving. I was raised in captivity alongside Anansi, always fearful someone might win me in a wager. I’d heard tales about you, moving through time. I believed you would aid me. However, you abandoned me instead. It’s all your fault that I’m here. You embarrassed me, Doctor.

FIFTEEN: “You look so different now. I am sorry that I couldn’t take you with me.”

REBEL MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL: “At that time, I was on the run. It wasn’t wise of Anansi to make that wager. To be honest, I was engrossed in another tale that may conclude someday.

– Doctor Who season 15, episode 5, “The Story and the Engine.”

In an unusual twist for “Doctor Who”, Martin taking on the role of The Doctor to share his last encounter with Abena is a fresh development. Typically, the series features the current incarnation of the Time Lord discussing past events without appearances from the specific prior Doctors. Given that Martin’s portrayal of The Doctor hasn’t had as significant an impact as other actors, it seems logical for “Doctor Who” to remind viewers which Doctor Abena encountered. Not only was their meeting off-screen, but mere words might not be enough to bring to mind the likeness of the Fugitive Doctor.

When The Fugitive Doctor & Abena Met: Timeline Explained

Jo Martin’s Doctor was on the run from Division

Connecting Dr. Abena’s encounter with the Fugitive Doctor to her overall timeline is relatively straightforward. Martin’s character, a pre-William Hartnell Time Lord version of the Doctor, has been introduced. This means any encounters she has or will have are set in a time frame prior to “An Unearthly Child,” which was the debut episode of ‘Doctor Who’ in 1963. As a result, it can be inferred that Jo Martin’s Doctor met Abena before regenerating into the First Doctor as we know him.

In the hazy past, pinpointing the precise moment before the Hartnell era when I encountered Abena turned out to be quite a challenge. However, luckily for me, Martin’s character makes it clear in “The Story and the Engine” that she was a fugitive during those times, which explains why she couldn’t save Asante’s character and whisk her away to safety with the TARDIS. That’s as far as the trail goes. It remains unclear where among the numerous Time Lord incarnations during that era Martin’s portrayal belongs. After all, he was the only actor who brought an established Time Lord to life during that period.

In the series, “The Fugitive Doctor” is evading capture from a Time Lord group called Division, who had drafted her as an assassin. This background explains Martin’s character’s boldness and her propensity for violence compared to other incarnations of the Doctor. Her appearance in the show offers the most vivid depiction of what the Doctor was like while under Division’s control.

Jo Martin’s Doctor Who Season 15 Cameo Risks Creating A Timeless Child Plot Hole

The Doctor should not remember Abena from their last encounter

Through her introduction to “Doctor Who” within the Timeless Child narrative, Martin’s character introduced several plot inconsistencies that Chris Chibnall, as showrunner at the time, didn’t fully resolve. Some of these issues were simply overlooked. However, one significant aspect of this twist was the establishment that the First Doctor represented a clearer start for the Time Lord compared to previous regenerations, and this significance would persist even after future transformations. Essentially, the character had their memories erased by Division following their service with the black-ops group, which means they have no recollection of events prior to the Hartnell era.

In a way that seems strange, “The Story and the Engine” portrays The Doctor as if he recollects his past lives as the Fugitive Doctor, even though he is supposed to be unaware of those memories due to his missing ones from an undetermined number of previous incarnations. However, Fifteen converses with Abena as if he has firsthand knowledge of being the Fugitive Doctor and meeting her character, Asante’s character, for the first time. This interaction predates the Hartnell era, so The Doctor should not recognize Abena, yet he immediately identifies her and eventually recalls where he knows her from.

As a devoted fan, I must admit that it’s peculiar how long it takes the Doctor, who is known for their exceptional memory, to recognize Abena in this instance. This could mean that remnants of the Fugitive Doctor’s memories are still hidden within them and resurface upon encountering Abena. However, “The Story and the Engine” doesn’t seem to clarify this point effectively, leaving us uncertain whether this is indeed the case. Moreover, Fifteen appears unfazed by regaining access to memories he previously couldn’t recall, which adds to the confusion. Therefore, it’s crucial that the Timeless Child storyline is clarified to prevent any further complexity from being added to an already intricate narrative.

Jo Martin’s Return Sets Up Future Doctor Who Appearances

The Fugitive Doctor implies she will be back to finish her story

Given the contentious nature of the Timeless Child arc, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for Davies to bypass it entirely as Doctor Who continues its journey. However, the return of the Toymaker in “The Giggle” subtly undid some of the changes made during this arc. Although the God of Games tampering with the Doctor’s timeline offers a resolution, it can only mend so much of the discord. Therefore, Jo Martin’s reappearance strongly suggests that the Timeless Child storyline will be revisited at some point in the future, and the Fugitive Doctor plays a significant role in this narrative.

In simpler terms, when the Doctor (Martin) was discussing with Abena, she hinted at a potential greater reward. This is what’s known as the Fugitive Doctor, or Fifteen, was saying when he mentioned being occupied in a “different tale that might be wrapped up someday.” Essentially, this implies that during that time, the Doctor had other significant matters to attend to and heroics weren’t his top priority. Moreover, suggesting that Martin’s era could potentially be “wrapped up someday” seems to indicate that the creators of Doctor Who might revisit that period in the show’s near future.

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

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2025-05-11 09:35