Doctor Who spoilers: Who is Brendan and why is his story important?

Doctor Who’s two-part finale gave us an intriguing mystery with the character of Brendan. Was the explanation a satisfying one?

One of the most intriguing aspects of Series 12’s penultimate episode, Ascension of the Cybermen, was Brendan’s story. While most of the episode depicted a Doctor versus Cyberman story in the far future, Brendan’s story was something very different. Especially for a Doctor Who episode.

Set in an Irish village in the 20th century, we gradually see Brendan’s life unfold. From being discovered as a baby by Patrick, to joining the local police force, until he eventually retires in his old age.

However, there were a couple of interesting details. The first is that, early in his career as a police officer, he’s shot by a criminal and falls to his death. However, this is only for a brief moment, and he immediately comes back to life, with hardly a mark on him. The second key moment arrives just after his retirement, when his father and boss thank him for his service before attaching electrodes to his head and shocking him.

What made this storyline so intriguing is that it felt so detached from the rest of the episode. There were no indications on what it could mean or why Brendan was important. It was clearly building up to something in The Timeless Children. Some big reveal as to how it all fits together. And we did get an explanation for Brendan’s story. But was it a satisfying one?

There was a particular twist to Brendan’s story. But was it built up well?

Photo Credit: Ben Blackall/BBC Studios/BBC America

Revelation

As revealed by the Master in The Timeless Children, Brendan never existed. The whole story was just a metaphor for that of the Timeless Child, and indeed, it’s easy to see the parallels. The discovery of a child by Gallifreyan pioneer Tecteun on a far off world. The child being killed but coming back to life through regeneration. The child being recruited for something called “the Division”. We don’t have all the answers for how it all ties together, not just yet. It’s strongly implied that what the Division is will be expanded on at a later point.

It was also revealed that the whole story was not only created by Tecteun as a coded message for the Timeless Child, but that the Master had been mentally sending it to the Doctor over the course of the previous episode.

Except…there’s absolutely no indication of that happening.

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How not to build up to a twist

We did see Brendan’s story, that much is true. But there was absolutely no indication that the Doctor was seeing it too, even just mentally. No indication that she was seeing those images, no moments of distraction, nothing. And that’s disappointing, because frankly, it feels like a total cheat.

The idea of a story being nothing but a metaphor is intriguing, but the fact that there were absolutely no hints towards it being a metaphor feels like a cheap trick to the audience. Yes, the audience like to be tricked with a twist. There’s a reason why everyone remembers Utopia‘s amazing Master reveal almost thirteen years later, after all. But that worked well because it didn’t just come out of nowhere: along with plenty of setup in Human Nature, Yana is literally carrying the Chameleon Arch with him for the entire episode, disguised as a seemingly ordinary fob watch. For the twist with Brendan’s story, there’s no buildup towards it.

Admittedly, it’s a small thing, especially in comparison to the major revelations we were seeing in The Timeless Children. But at the same time, Brendan’s story was such an intriguing part of Ascension of the Cybermen that it would have been nice if it had been handled better.

Do you think the twist with Brendan’s story was handled well? Was it one of your favorite parts of Ascension of the Cybermen? Or do you think it could have been handled better? Let us know in the comments below.