Everything has its time—and now it’s the thirteenth Doctor’s time to regenerate. The grand Doctor Who special in which Thirteen goes on her final adventure has been looming since last July, when it was first announced that both star Jodie Whittaker and current showrunner Chris Chibnall would be leaving the show. Whittaker’s finale has been such a long time coming, it’s almost hard to believe it’s really here.
But then the Master shows up and everything makes sense again.
This trailer is a classic Who tease: Show a whole lot of the Doctor’s enemies and very little plot! And then, for a real kick, add in an enemy who can make it really personal. In this case, that’s the Master (Sacha Dhawan), who spent the season before last digging into the Doctor’s true origins. Now, he’s back to see the Doctor to her end, and with a lot of gloating, no less. “Welcome to the end of your existence” is no way to greet an old friend.
But she’s not the only thing about to vanish: paintings and seismologists (yes, seismologists) are vanishing from Earth. To add to the mystery, classic companions Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) are back. (Even more old Who characters will be back for the show’s 60th anniversary special, but that one’s not until next year.)
Goodbyes are always hard—especially when we have to wait until 2024 for regular episodes from returning showrunner Russell T. Davies and the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. Say farewell to Thirteen when “The Power of the Doctor” airs on October 23rd.
