The Woman (The End of Time)
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"The Woman" was a mysterious person with an unknown identity. She was a Time Lord during the last days of The Time War, and appeared to Wilfred Mott on several occasions both prior and during the Master's attempt to bring the Time Lords back.
Profile
The Woman was first seen in a church on December 23, 2009. She told Wilfred Mott of the church's past: it was once a convent that had been attacked by a demon from the skies in the 1300s, and was saved by a "sainted physician". After saying that the physician may appear again, she vanished.
She next appeared to Wilf on Christmas Day, her image appearing on television, which only Wilf could see. She told Wilf that he needed to take up arms, and that the Doctor's life could still be saved. Before vanishing again, she warned Wilf not to tell the Doctor of anything she had said to him. She once more appeared to Wilf on the Vinvocci's spaceship when Wilf claimed to be lost, claiming that he was found, and telling him that it was the Doctor's final battle, and that he had to take up arms. He asked her who she was, but she remained silent and told him that she was lost so long ago, before disappearing once more.
She seemed to be a mysterious Time Lady, and could be seen in a weeping position standing by The Narrator, who was revealed to be Rassilon. She and a male Time Lord had been the only two to object to Rassilon's Final Solution. When the Doctor looked at her, she briefly uncovered her face and looked at him. They seemed to share a recognition of each other. She shed a single tear, and glanced toward the diamond being used as part of Rassilon's plan. This seemed to be the inspiration which the Doctor needed to shoot the diamond, sending her and the other Time Lords back into the Last Great Time War. Her giving him that inspiration saved him from the terrible choice of having to shoot either the Master or Rassilon. When the enraged Rassilon turned to kill the Doctor, she returned to her weeping position, but he was saved by the Master. The Woman and the other Time Lords were returned to Galifrey where they died when it was destroyed. When later asked by Wilfred who she was, the Doctor replied with only silence. (DW: The End of Time)
Behind the scenes
- Whenever the Woman appears to Wilf, she appears somewhat older, and has slightly more grey, perhaps indicating that the Woman who talked to Wilf was from a future or alternate timeline.
- In the final script, the identity of the Woman is not revealed. In REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, Russell T Davies states that he created the character to be the Doctor's mother and this is what actress Claire Bloom was told when she was cast. However Davies acknowledged that the character could be interpreted as any trustworthy Time Lord, including Romana or a regenerated Susan (especially considering that when Wilfred asks who she is, the Doctor doesn't answer, but watches Donna, Wilf's granddaughter, for a few seconds). Also noteworthy is the possibility and rumor that she is the White Guardian in disguise, as he has been shown to have immense power and wore all white when she appeared out of nowhere, which he could have used to disguise himself as a Time Lord. The character is credited as "The Woman" which, in Italian, is "La Donna".
- During filming, newspapers The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph announced that Claire Bloom would be portraying the Doctor's mother. [1] However, the character was never explicitly identified as such during the special.
- In commentary for the second half of The End of Time, Julie Gardner was of the strong opinion that The Woman was the Doctor's mother, but admitted there was enough ambiguity to allow other interpretations. Russell T. Davies, for his part, generally refused to be drawn by Gardner's comparative certainty about The Woman's identity.
