Jodie Whittaker’s Time As The Thirteenth Doctor Ends With… Legend of the monkfishsecond of three doctor who special offers in 2022.
We count down to a new regeneration on doctor who, although exactly who will replace Jodie Whittaker to become the Fourteenth Doctor remains a closely guarded secret. (No it is not Tom Holland.) But the BBC released a teaser this weekend for: Legend of the monkfishone of three special episodes airing this year to mark Whittaker’s final days as the Thirteenth Doctor.
As previously reported, the recently concluded 13th season was particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. (That’s the 13th season since the franchise rebooted in 2005, not the 13th season since the show debuted the day after Kennedy’s assassination). Instead of the usual 13 episodes, due to the pandemic, S13 only had eight episodes scheduled. In the end, showrunner Chris Chibnall decided to cut the season down to just six episodes, with a full storyline rather than the episodic structure more typical of the series. (The decision is not unprecedented, however. The Ordeal of a Time Lord in 1986 was also a complete story.)
Collectively, the six-episode arc was subtitled flux† In it, the Doctor and her companions stumbled upon a universe-ending anomaly with the intent of killing the Doctor. The crew also had to deal with a mishmash of classic Whovian alien races: the Ood, the Cybermen, the Sontarans, and the Weeping Angels. While some critics found the story confusing – almost inevitable if the Weeping Angels are involved – and the finale disappointing, overall it was a solid season.
Noticeably absent in flux were the Daleks, but that’s because Chibnall was saving them for the first special holiday, Eve of the Daleks, which aired on New Year’s Day. The special introduced a new breed of Dalek, the Dalek Executioners, who sought revenge on the Doctor for her actions in the S13 finale. The Doctor and her companions Yaz and Dan got stuck in a time loop, thanks to a TARDIS reset (needed to recover the TARDIS from damage taken by the Flux). Each time the loop was reset, it shortened by a minute and was destined to completely collapse at midnight.
Legend of the monkfishin comparison, is a classic doctor who period story. In it, our heroic Time Lord encounters a famous character from the past – in this case, an infamous pirate queen in 19th-century China named Zheng Yi Sao, aka Madame Ching. Born in 1775, historians speculate that Madame Ching may have started out as a prostitute or madame on a floating brothel.
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Her life changed forever in 1801 when she married the infamous pirate Zheng Yi, who came from a long pirate family. Madam Ching proved to be a valuable asset, using her diplomatic skills to help her husband consolidate the various pirate fleets into a loose confederation. Each fleet had its own distinctive flag color (red, black, blue, white, yellow and purple) and Zheng Yi took command of the largest Red Flag fleet.
When Zheng Yi died in November 1807 at the age of 42 – falling overboard in a storm, what seems like a disgraceful end for a pirate – Madame Ching took over the entire Confederacy. She had the support of Zheng Yi’s cousin and his adopted son, Zhang Bao. (“Adopted” is not quite accurate; the boy was kidnapped from his family at age 15 and forced into piracy. It seems to have been common practice.) While Bao took over his father’s command of the Red Flag fleet He was clearly not the boss. Historical records indicate that Bao obeyed his stepmother’s orders and “consulted her on all things before acting.” The two were also romantically involved.
Many battles and much looting ensued, but increasing opposition from the Chinese government of Qing, the East India Company, and the Portuguese Empire—all of whom suffered significant losses to the Pirate Federation—ultimately became too powerful. This happened as the pirate federation showed cracks in solidarity: The leader of the Black Flag Fleet, Guo Podai, openly fought Bao in late 1808 and surrendered to the Chinese authorities shortly after.
