The Dangers of Heaven

David Selby speculates on the impact the afterlife finale revelations could have.

As the season has developed, placing strategic clues, red herrings and teasers throughout, the internet has been abuzz with theories about ‘Missy’, the mysterious Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere and her infatuation with the eponymous Time Lord. Side-lined, however, is the concept of ‘Heaven’ itself – an afterlife, apparently, which now exists within the show’s mythos. Take a moment to ponder on what the consequences of that may be.

Rather than to speculate on possibilities, the purpose of this article is to imagine the plausible truth that this is literally an afterlife and explore the potential pros and cons of introducing it into the show. Are you sitting comfortably? Resting peacefully?

Impact on Religion

The most obvious pitfalls of introducing an afterlife are the diverse impacts on religious and non-religious communities who are viewing the show. The reception depends upon how the afterlife affects any established ideas in religious communities. If it is explicitly mentioned as the only afterlife, a number of religious viewers could find themselves uncomfortable with the show’s apparently atheist or antitheist stand and become disconnected on a personal level.

There is, alternatively, the possibility that this afterlife could be one kind of afterlife that does not impact the others – a form of purgatory, perhaps, where souls still have the capacity to return to their mortal bodies and have not fully moved on to the afterlife. Considering the mysterious and debatable nature of purgatory as a concept within religion, it can be utilised in all media without utterly betraying religious beliefs. It is also possible that this is one afterlife of many. For this reason, it might be easier for polytheists to accept the show’s idea than it would be for a monotheistic community as anything outside of the one and only afterlife would be false.

There are many – theist, atheist or agonistic – including myself, who would instead argue that whatever the show interprets as the afterlife does not necessarily affect an individual’s ability to connect with the show and/or to believe in their chosen religion or non-religion. In other words, a scientist can thoroughly enjoy a fantasy programme and take it as just that. As long as the show is respectful towards its religious audiences and does not seek to explicitly offend beliefs or values, I believe it is entitled to explore new possibilities of life after death, thus expanding its mythos and making it once again stand out among other modern television series’.

Impact on Science

What I feel personally is the more significant issue here is the impact on science. Kill the Moon received a largely mixed response because of how it blatantly contradicted established laws of physics. Interestingly, my own problem with the episode wasn’t that it broke these laws, but that it took itself seriously in doing so.

One of the most off-putting factors in a science-fiction show is overconfident phoney science, and this, I would suggest, is why “timey-wimey” as a phrase became so popular: it understands that science is incomprehensible and that its own interpretation of science is, at times, ridiculous, and choses to embrace this. A similar approach could be taken with the afterlife, or, if Moffat spent more time than the typical writer would on a research, he may be able to produce a reasonable, coherent and at least mildly-believable explanation.

There is even more risk in alienating non-religious viewers than there is with the religious, as many might find the idea of the afterlife in a science-fiction show to be a ludicrous prospect. But, as per previously, a show can still be enjoyed even if it does not align with your own beliefs.

Impact on Storytelling

NB: It is at this point that I should remind you that this speculation is hypothetical based on the idea that the afterlife does what it says on the tin. It almost certainly won’t, but discussing all theories would be borderline impossible.

My ultimate concern for this arc is the impact on future storytelling possibilities. If the afterlife is kept, it could have catastrophic ramifications. The characters that are dead have not died, as they are effectively living on in Missy’s ‘paradise’, so a certain sense of tragedy is lost. Or from another perspective, the recurring location of an afterlife could provide a much-needed new flavour for the show, allowing it to cross between two distinct worlds.

Canonically, the effects range from both disastrous to attractively convenient. It would contradict the scientific stance of the show, but would also be able to overwrite the bleak view of death represented in Torchwood. In Dead Man Walking, it is established that the dead go to a hellish black realm of nothingness which, if they return from, will bring back the entity of Death to the world. Such a callous and uncompromising view of death upset a lot of viewers, especially those who considered the fates of beloved deceased characters such as the Brigadier. This may not need to be completely abolished – what if this particular afterlife was hell? The two who returned from it were Owen and Suzie; at the point Owen returned, he had unresolved issues and a questionable morality, and at the time Suzie returned she was as psychopathic and bent on revenge as ever. When Owen died the second time, the scene faded to white in a similar fashion to Series Eight’s afterlife scene. The same happened for Eugene’s final death. Could these characters have gone to Heaven? Could Series Eight actually be able to subtly work alongside Torchwood?

It would not be the first time for the main show to take a view on the afterlife. Russell T Davies’ references to events in the Time War such as Arcadia and Elysium paint a picture of a (corrupted) idyllic paradise. Fascinatingly, The Time of the Doctor stated or at the least implied that there are multiple afterlives. As a throwaway line, this could be ignored – but knowing Moffat’s ability to plan plots in advance, it would not be surprising if this was referenced during the finale.

Conclusion

Whatever conclusions are reached here, the answer will obviously be less straightforward and typical than the hypothesis I went with. Nonetheless, it is interesting to look at what effects an afterlife could have on the show. The pros and cons balance each other out to the extent where it all becomes about personal preference. The truth remains crystal-clear: the afterlife is a controversial subject which will upset some viewers. But the act of risk-taking is a necessity when it comes to the immortality of shows which are a fundamental part of our culture. Loss of viewers is that price that is paid for the ability to move forward. Let’s just hope that Moffat takes a contentious issue and turns it into something compelling.