In "Wish World," the Rani Builds an Alternate 'Doctor Who' Reality
No matter which reboot or what season, showrunner Russell T. Davies' version of Doctor Who has a few...let's call them "consistencies." His Doctors are morally complex figures who are optimists at heart, although they carry around no small amount of trauma (Fourteen's still-pending self-actualization aside). His companions are three-dimensional figures with lives and relationships outside the TARDIS. He loves classic villains, call backs, and deep cut lore, and he believes in the magic of this franchise in ways few others can match. He also loves a big, messy barn burner finale, a sweeping two-part banger with ridiculously high stakes that throws literally everything at the wall to see what might happen.
The effectiveness of these sorts of bonkers stories and their largely nonsensical resolutions is up for debate, but they're a ton of fun to watch.
In that vein, the penultimate Season 2 episode "Wish World" is almost all set-up, as the Rani crafts a false reality with the help of Mrs. Flood, Ruby Sunday's vile ex-boyfriend Conrad, and a reborn God of Wishes, an infant complete with the Toymaker's giggle. There's not much in the way of resolution: We only get the briefest glimpse of Carole Ann Ford, no hint at all as to why the Doctor was having visions of her, and even the Rani herself is remarkably unforthcoming about where she's been all these years or why now is the moment she's chosen to return. (Though it must be said that Archie Panjabi's red leather get-up is great.)
