Something's Very Wrong With The TARDIS In Doctor Who Season 14

Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episodes 1 & 2.

Summary The TARDIS groans wearily in Doctor Who season 14, episode 2. The Doctor is confused as to why.

Something appears to be wrong with the TARDIS, which would explain a season 14 trailer shot.

Potential explanations include Maestro's influence, carrying Ruby as a passenger, or the Fifteenth Doctor splitting the TARDIS in "The Giggle."

The TARDIS has not been in proper working order since Doctor Who began in 1963, but something seems to be very wrong with the iconic blue box in season 14. While the Doctor is often considered the only constant protagonist across all Doctor Who eras, that assessment underestimates the TARDIS, which has fully earned the right to be considered a Doctor Who character of its own. Episodes regularly rely on the TARDIS as a plot device too. If its cloister bells ring, then trouble is brewing. If it runs away, then trouble is brewing. If the coffee machine breaks, nothing is brewing.

Ncuti Gatwa's new TARDIS in Doctor Who season 14 is a massive departure from previous versions, with Disney paying for an impressive renovation that looks like what might happen if X-Men's Cerebro and the stage from Taylor Swift's Eras Tour were tossed into the time vortex together. The heart and soul of the TARDIS remains unchanged, however. The Fifteenth Doctor still treats his ship like a sentient companion, and the TARDIS is still used as a barometer for how close the universe is to certain doom. If one scene in Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord," is any indication, certain doom is very close indeed.

Related 20 Greatest Doctor Who Stories Of All Time, Ranked Doctor Who has been a fixture on TV screens for 60 years, meaning there are plenty of stories to choose from when picking out the Time Lord's best.

Doctor Who Season 14, Episode 2 Hints Something Is Wrong With The TARDIS

The Doctor & Ruby Notice Something Wrong With Their Ship

When the Doctor and Ruby visit post-apocalyptic London and encounter the brand-new Doctor Who villain Maestro, their immortal enemy seizes the TARDIS. Fortunately, the Fifteenth Doctor manages to wrestle back enough control to return to 1960s London and Gatwa kisses his TARDIS console to apologize for the rough flying. As he and Ruby walk away across Abbey Road, however, the TARDIS audibly groans. Ruby assumes this has something to do with freeing the ship from Maestro and asks the Doctor, "Did you break it?" Ominously, a confused Fifteenth Doctor replies, "No, that's something else..."

Maestro is able to control the TARDIS through their ability to control sound. Maestro can manipulate anything that makes noise.

The Doctor's visible concern and the accompanying enigmatic bars of score suggest this scene is sowing a seed that will grow in importance with each Doctor Who season 14 episode. If the TARDIS groaning isn't just a consequence of the Doctor struggling to pilot his ship through Maestro's interference, then a larger mystery is afoot. The pressing need to defeat Maestro forces the Doctor and Ruby to shove any potential TARDIS problem onto the backburner as they save the world from a music-free existence, but the overriding implication of this scene signals that Doctor Who season 14 is building toward a big reveal that something is very wrong with the TARDIS.

Why The TARDIS Might Be Broken In Doctor Who Season 14

Three Possibilities Behind The TARDIS' Problems

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Several possibilities explaining why the TARDIS is struggling in Doctor Who season 14 spring to mind. The most obvious answer is Maestro being to blame, as the problems only begin after Jinkx Monsoon's character begins fiddling with the Doctor's time machine. The Time Lord may believe his TARDIS is creaking because of "something else," but that could simply mean Maestro has secretly done something to affect the ship permanently. Perhaps a tiny bit of Maestro's power or essence has seeped into the heart of the TARDIS, allowing the villain to retain a foothold in the main universe.

Another potential solution can be found in 60th anniversary special episode "The Giggle." In a canon-breaking first-time-ever moment, Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor divided the TARDIS so that his predecessor could avoid London's extortionate renting prices by living in his trusty blue box between visits to Château Noble. The TARDIS may now be feeling the ramifications of that split, and potentially can't function at full throttle without its other half. A few easy trips through time are fine, but the strain of fighting Maestro might have exposed the TARDIS' weakened state.

Alternatively, the TARDIS' problems might be connected to Ruby Sunday. By the end of Doctor Who season 14's "The Devil's Chord," it is clear from the falling snow that Ruby possesses inner power of immense and ancient proportions. Even Maestro is frightened by what they sense lurking inside Ruby, hinting toward a connection between her and the "Old Ones." Ruby's presence as a passenger could be having a negative effect upon the TARDIS. Childhood memories of falling snow seeping into reality are a sure sign that Ruby can manipulate time, albeit not intentionally, and her power may be clashing with the TARDIS' timey-wimey engines.

Doctor Who's Broken TARDIS Would Explain A Season 14 Trailer Shot

Is It The Beginning Of The End For Doctor Who's TARDIS?

Something being wrong with the TARDIS may explain a key shot revealed by Doctor Who season 14 trailer footage. The scene in question showed a seemingly abandoned TARDIS resting upon the edge of a cliff, curiously covered in moss and grass as if no longer operational. The in-dialogue hint that not all is well with the TARDIS from "The Devil's Chord" could represent a first step toward paying off this trailer shot of a dusty, forgotten blue box that hasn't been touched in years.

Before a single second of Doctor Who season 14 aired, trailer footage had, at the very least, confirmed the TARDIS would fall into disuse at some point in the coming episodes. That in itself isn't hugely unusual. Because of Doctor Who's labyrinthine timeline, the TARDIS has been forced to wait for the Doctor on many occasions, such as in the wake of Clara's death and shortly after Peter Capaldi's Doctor regenerated. The aforementioned trailer shot could simply be another instance of the TARDIS waiting for its owner to catch up. After hearing the machine creak and groan in "The Devil's Chord," however, it looks more like the TARDIS itself could be the problem.

Episode Disney+ Release Date "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord" May 10 "Boom" May 17 "73 Yards" May 24 "Dot & Bubble" May 31 "Rogue" June 7 "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" June 14 "Empire of Death" June 21