Doctor Who reveals a forgotten RTD character secretally set up the main villain for season 14.
Alert: Features Doctor Who, Season 14, Episode 7, "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" spoilers! A forgotten RTD character who was last seen 15 years ago set up Doctor Who season 14's major terrible and villainous allegiance. "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" episode 7 of Doctor Who season 14 reveals that The One Who Waits is Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf), the god of death. Sutekh first appeared in the venerable Tom Baker serial "Pyramids of Mars," where the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) stopped the godlike extraterrestrial from delivering his gift of death to humanity in the 1930s.
Along with Sutekh's comeback, Doctor Who season 14, episode 7, "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" alludes to another villain with a relationship to Sarah Jane Smith. But this adversary comes from her mid-2000s Doctor Who spinoff, The Sarah Jane Adventures rather than from her time journey with the Doctor. The Trickster (Paul Marc Davies), one of SJA's recurring antagonists, relished in bringing havoc for the Doctor's erstwhile friend. 15 years ago the Trickster was vanquished by Sarah Jane and the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), he is reinterpreted in Doctor Who season 14, contextualizing his appearances in SJA.
How Sutekh's Trickster Relates To The Sarah Jane Adventures
Revealed in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" is the Trickster from The Sarah Jane Adventures' close relationship to Sutekh. Episode 7 of Doctor Who season 14 unveils the Pantheon of the Gods' members. Other legendary Doctor Who villains are revealed among callbacks to current offenders like Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) and the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris). Pantheon members are The Mara, the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) period adversary, is identified as the God of Beast; The Trickster from The Sarah Jane Adventures is the God of Traps.
The Trickster sets up a sequence of ever terrible traps for Sarah Jane Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures. In his debut appearance, SJA season 1, episodes 7 and 8, "Whatever Happened To Sarah Jane?" the Trickster controlled a childhood acquaintance such that Sarah died as a small child. Returning in SJA season 2, episodes 9 and 10, "The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith," he gave her an opportunity to spare her parents from the vehicle tragedy that cost their lives. Though Sarah Jane and the Tenth Doctor beat him, the Pantheon's disclosures potentially set up the Trickster's comeback.
Before Season 14, the Trickster Introduced by Doctor Who developed the "Pantheon" Idea
The Tenth Doctor notes in "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith" the Trickster is a part-member of The Pantheon of Discord. According to the Doctor, the Time Lords knew their existence and had heard tales of the Pantheon. It's not a great stretch, hence it would be reasonable to propose that the Pantheon of Discord is the same one causing havoc in Doctor Who season 14, episode 7. Remembering that William Hartnell, the First Doctor, is similarly conscious of the misconceptions about the Toymaker (Michael Gough) while entering his domain back in the 1960s makes the link more clear.
Given what Doctor Who season 14 had thus far, it's fascinating that one of David Tennant's last visits as the Tenth Doctor included the Pantheon of Discord. David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor introduced the Toymaker into our reality by means of magic at the brink of the cosmos in "The Giggle". This is most likely the reason the Pantheon from The Sarah Jane Adventures have since returned with force in Ncuti Gatwa's first season of Doctor Who, causing anarchy and strife in their wake.
Sarah Jane's Trickster Story Way More Important Thanks to Doctor Who's Pantheon Reveal
Revealed as Sarah Jane's adopted daughter Sky's father, the Trickster would have had troubling ramifications for Ruby Sunday's own lineage.
Now that the Trickster is officially included into Doctor Who's Pantheon, his narrative in The Sarah Jane Adventures gains fresh complexity. First of all, the Trickster's fixation on Sarah Jane Smith shows how the Pantheon might meddle with the life of Doctor Who friends once they are not in the TARDIS. Second, The Sarah Jane Adventures boasts one of the most potent enemies within the Doctor Who world. Thirdly, an unmade Trickster narrative for the fifth season of The Sarah Jane Adventures might assist pinpoint Ruby Sunday's mother. The Sarah Jane Adventures was decided to be ended midway through season five following the death of Elisabeth Sladen in 2011. With The Trickster revealed as the father of Sarah Jane's adopted daughter Sky in the scheduled SJA season 5 finale, "The Battle for Bannerman Road," Ruby Sunday's own parentage would be seriously compromised. Sutekh's attendance at Ruby's birth needs to have a purpose. Ruby's story already borrows ideas from RTD's Doctor Who book Damaged Goods, thus it's quite likely he will adapt this unmade Sarah Jane Adventures story for the next finale, substituting the Trickster for Sutekh.
Doctor Who's Pantheon: a fresh danger for the doctor
The Pantheon in Doctor Who comprises entities whose power is not to be undervalued; their menace could change the dynamic of the programme. Emerging as a potent force in Doctor Who is the Pantheon, a group of strong and ancient beings each reflecting a particular facet of chaos and conflict. The pantheon's presence reminds us of the vastness and complexity of the Doctor Who world, and their impact might have significant effects for the doctor and his friends.
As the God of Traps, the Trickster is a fascinating addition to the Pantheon and his relationship to Sutekh and Ruby Sunday begs even more issues regarding his part in the greater story. The history of Trickster's manipulation and torture of Sarah Jane Smith points to a possible closer relationship between him and the Doctor and his allies than first seems. The expanding impact of the Pantheon is evidence of the continuous change of the Doctor Who universe. Offering an exciting new layer of intricacy and mystery, the Pantheon's power and their dedication to anarchy imply that they will remain a potent factor in the Doctor's exploits.
Season 14 of Doctor Who: An unexpectedly interesting season
The Doctor Who season 14 finale "Empire of Death" teaser makes clear that Ncuti Gatwa's doctor must confront a returning adversary to preserve civilization. With turns that have left viewers on the brink of their seats, Doctor Who season 14 has been one of surprises. The comeback of iconic Doctor Who adversary Sutekh has given the Doctor's path still another level of complication and peril. The knowledge that The Trickster belongs to the Pantheon of Discord attests to the interdependence of the Doctor Who universe and shows how much even the apparently forgotten characters can influence the story of the series.
Season 14 of Doctor Who has demonstrated the ability of its narrative by combining elements and characters from all across the history of the show to produce an exciting and mesmerizing plot. With the Doctor facing a tough opponent and battling to preserve the universe from ruin, the finale looks to be a heart-pounding confrontation.
