WhileDoctor Whoseason 15’s “The Well” has emerged as one of the strongest episodes of Ncuti Gatwa’s era, one divisive moment of the episode is inspiring both discussion and fans to reimagine key scenes in a recurring editing style of recent seasons. In the episode, the Fifteenth Doctor and new companion Belinda (Varada Sethu) join a rescue mission to an abandoned mining colony. However, after encountering the facility’s sole survivor, both time travelers learn that the world and entity that haunts the settlement are aterrifying foe from one of the Doctor’s bleakest adventures.
Despite a strong Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, one moment ofDoctor Whoseason 15’s “The Well” has left viewers divided, asfans have critiqued the cutaways to David Tennant’s season 4 adventure “Midnight"when Gatwa’s Time Lord learns he’s returned to the world. Alongside discussing the usage of archive footage, however, they have also reimagined key Doctor Who moments through the episode’s editing style:
@TYLERSTRONpraised the effort to not rely too heavily on past flashback techniques.
While@iamevil56praises the efforts made to interconnect to the past, they wish it had been applied more to more returning foes.
@IntergalacticWagjokes about how so many shots from Tennant’s first tenure appearing in the current era.
In response,@facinliaris more critical of how often the current era has recycled old footage.
Similarly,@TorchwoodLingerfeels that the editing choice was somewhat patronizing and had less faith in the audience’s awareness.
@SalamiSandwich4defends it as necessary to keep the story accessible for fans of all levels of involvement.
@SmilesInMaypoints to a trend that was seen in the Ice Warriors' return in season 7’s “Cold War”.
@XTrangefolkfollows with her own edit of the Macra from season 3’s “Gridlock.”
The Sontaran’s arrival in season 4’s “The Sontaran Stratagem” is reimagined by@defrostedrobot.
Finally,@OricorioWhoreedited the Dalek’s terrifying return from season 1’s “Dalek” in the new style.
Why Doctor Who “The Well’s” Flashback Style Is So Controversial
The Technique Has Been A Recurring Element Of The Current Era
While it has emerged as a strong episode forDoctor Whoseason 15,“The Well” has been subject to plenty of criticism. With it being a follow-up to the acclaimed, character-driven horror of “Midnight”, it has left people divided on how to receive it, as while some appreciate the pair as a genre shift in the vein of howAliensbuilt onAlien, others had concerns that making it a sequel was unnecessary, and lessened the impact of the original episode. However, criticisms of the reveal stem from earlier points of Russell T Davies' second showrunning era.
The decision to cut to older footage on a big reveal was first seen in “The Giggle”, as Neil Patrick Harris was revealed to be a new incarnation of the Toymaker, with colorized footage of 1966’s “The Celestial Toymaker” being interwoven between shots of him and Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor’s reaction. Critiques again arose with “Empire of Death”, as the episode sees Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and the Doctor watch footage of Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) from 1974’s “Pyramids of Mars” when trying to figure out how to beat the villain. For some,these editing choices veer too heavily into fan service.
Our Thoughts On “The Well’s” Flashback Handling
Some Viewers May Need The Additional Context
Though it has proven to be controversial, it is understandable why the editing choice was made for “The Well”. Despite the acclaim it has within the fandom to this day,“Midnight” aired over 17 years ago, meaning more casual viewers may need a more explicit reminder of what happened on the Doctor’s last visit to the planet. While viewers may be lovingly poking fun at it, many others may appreciate how the creative trend reimagines keyDoctor Whotwists.
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Doctor Who: Released on August 06, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
