Doctor Who season 12 finale preview: “The Timeless Children”

The finale of Doctor Who season 12 is upon us, with lots of questions to answer. Can Team TARDIS stop the Cybermen? What is the deal with Gallifrey? And who are the Timeless Children?

Even though it feels like this season of Doctor Who has barely begun, the season 12 finale is upon us. And it has a ton of questions to answer. Can it stick the landing? Maybe. But it’s got a lot of work to do.

Despite the fact that this was originally labeled a two-part finale, most of last week’s “Ascension of the Cybermen” felt like set-up. Team TARDIS traveled to the end of the CyberWar, met a bunch of new secondary characters, most of whom were killed over the course of the episode, and eventually ended up discovering a portal to a burned out Gallifrey with the Master inside just as the credits rolled.

Plus, there was also a story about an Irish kid who couldn’t die which, quite frankly, doesn’t mesh with the bulk of the rest of the episode, but will probably turn out to be either an origin story for Lone Cyberman Ashad or the strange Jedi-like portal keeper known as Ko Sharma.

I mean, like this episode didn’t have enough to wrap up already.

Given that this is the season finale, we know even less than we normally do about what to expect. Showrunner Chris Chibnall has been particularly adamant about keeping secrets during his time on Who, so we don’t have a lot of official news – or even set leaks – to go on.

The official synopsis sure does make everything sound wildly dramatic though.

"In the epic and emotional series finale, the Cybermen are on the march. As the last remaining humans are ruthlessly hunted down, Graham, Ryan and Yaz face a terrifying fight to survive. Civilisations fall. Others rise anew. Lies are exposed, truths are revealed, battles are fought, and for the Doctor — trapped and alone — nothing will ever be the same again."

Funny, there’s no mention of the Master here, according to the finale trailer, he will be involved with whatever revelation is coming about Gallifrey, the Time Lords and the “Timeless Children” of the episode’s title.

Doctor Who also released a second, longer finale trailer which, quite frankly, looks incredible, even if I’m already anxious that there’s no way this single hour can wrap up this season in a way that we all find satisfactory.

What are the Timeless Children, though? We have no idea, really. The concept came up way back in Jodie Whittaker’s second episode, but there wasn’t much in the way of explanation then, either. Now, having gone through season 12, it seems just as likely that the answer could be Time Lords or the Cybermen or the last refugees of humanity who passed through the portal or something in between all three.

It does appear very likely though – particularly given the introduction of the Ruth Doctor earlier this season – that we’re about to get some additional lore-altering bombshells introduced during this last episode of the season 12. The question is what kind, and how different the show will be afterward.

The season 12 finale of Doctor Who airs Sunday at 8pm ET on BBC America.