Doctor Who Theory: What Does "The Well" Monster Really Want?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 3, "The Well." Doctor Who's recent episode, "The Well," revisits a familiar foe, providing fresh insight into its motivations. This allows us to formulate a compelling theory about its unsettling behavior. "The Well" serves as a surprise sequel to the chilling 2008 episode "Midnight," resurrecting the enigmatic creature encountered by David Tennant's Tenth Doctor.

While this iteration of the monster presents some differences, Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor quickly recognizes the unwanted reunion. Just as "Midnight" thrived on ambiguity and the unseen, "The Well" maintains a similar aura of mystery. However, the new episode subtly expands on the villain's backstory, allowing for a deeper understanding of its actions.

Doctor Who's "Midnight" Monster: A Carbon Parasite? The creature from "Midnight," dwelling on Planet 6767 (formerly known as Midnight), has remarkably adapted to survive the planet's harsh conditions. Its existence defies the X-tonic light and galvanic radiation that render the world uninhabitable for other life forms. However, light alone is likely insufficient for survival.

The key to the monster's existence, it seems, lies in carbon. The original "Midnight" episode a planet abundant with diamonds, composed of pure carbon. When the Crusader Tours vehicle inadvertently brought the Tenth Doctor and his fellow passengers within range, the creature may have sensed a potential food source. If the planet holds no other life, the carbon within the diamonds could provide sustenance. Crucially, many lifeforms, including humans, Time Lords, and the Lombardic race in "The Well," are also carbon-based. The monster's desperation for carbon explains its predatory behavior. Furthermore, it appears unable to exist independently away from the planet's diamond-rich surface, drawing energy from carbon-based beings when inside them.

The Monster Emerging From The Well The transformation of Midnight into Planet 6767 dramatically altered the monster's circumstances. Over 400,000 years, the X-tonic sun burned out, and devastating wars stripped the planet of its diamond reserves. If the monster relies on carbon, this loss would have forced it underground.

"The Well" takes place in a mining colony excavating diamonds from deep beneath the surface. The mining operation, targeting carbon 46, inadvertently breached the monster's new habitat. The episode reveals that the creature left the mineshaft while "laughing," likely overjoyed at the discovery of a new food source and promptly attacking the Lombardic colonists.

The Monster's Escape: A Greater Threat Fifteen confesses that "Midnight" was the most frightened he had ever been, as he barely survived the initial encounter. The Doctor will find it difficult to locate somewhere like Midnight again, where there are diamonds for it to feed on and nothing else. He narrowly avoided being ejected from the shuttle, saved only by the hostess's sacrifice. While the Doctor considered it a victory that the monster was returned to Midnight's surface, the end of "The Well" reveals a terrifying twist. The creature secretly hitched a ride on a platoon member's back, suggesting it will spread further into the universe, unleashing chaos and bloodshed. This escape makes it trickier for the Doctor to defeat. The Doctor may be forced to take more drastic measures in their next encounter.