The War Between The Land And The Sea was announced at San Diego Comic-Con as the upcoming spin-off to the popular sci-fi series Doctor Who. It will bring back one of Doctor Who’s best monsters from the classic run of the show, the Sea Devils, as they’re brought into conflict with humanity once again. The spin-off will also center around UNIT, the international task force that has often helped the Doctor. Details about The War Between The Land and The Sea are sparse, but its existence is enough to excite Doctor Who fans about the show’s future – especially because of the possibility it provides for a popular character return.
Since it’s been announced that The War Between The Land and The Sea will bring back Jemma Redgrave’s character Kate Stewart, there’s a high possibility that some more Doctor Who characters could return in the spin-off. There were rumors, for example, that Freema Agyeman would be reprising the role of Martha Jones, but these seem to have been sadly dismissed. Instead, the show will be led by returning actors Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who previously played the characters of Alonso and Tish Jones during previous seasons of Doctor Who. Beyond these returnees, however, another potential character involvement is even more exciting.
The War Between The Land & The Sea Is The Perfect Chance To Bring Back Osgood
The Character Hasn’t Been Seen For A Long Time
If there’s one character that deserves to be brought back in a UNIT-focused Doctor Who spin-off, it’s Petronella Osgood. The character was first introduced during the 50th Anniversary Special “The Day of the Doctor”, where she helped the Eleventh Doctor, the Tenth Doctor, and the War Doctor fight against an invasion of shape-shifting Zygons. Her loyalty to her friends immediately made her a fan-favorite character, and she was brought back for both the season 8 finale and another Zygon-centric adventure in season 9.
The War Between The Land and The Sea would be a perfect opportunity to bring Osgood back after almost 10 years of absence. Not only was she close friends with Kate Stewart, who is confirmed to be returning, but her character’s backstory is perfectly suited to deal with a conflict between Sea Devils and humans. There are currently two versions of Osgood that are known of – one Zygon, and one human. She knows better than anybody how possible it is for species to coexist, and her diplomatic skills could be extremely helpful in this show.
Doctor Who Has Weirdly Underused Osgood After Peter Capaldi’s Era
She Was Missing From Chibnall’s Era Entirely
One reason that Osgood’s return would be so exciting is because her character was unfortunately underused after Peter Capaldi’s era ended. She was so effective in preventing the Zygon invasion, not once but twice, and then the show seemingly forgot about her just as her story was getting more interesting. It would be fascinating to have a character on-screen where audiences never know whether they’re human or Zygon – but Chris Chibnall’s era neglected to capitalize on that possibility. UNIT has a rich history with the Doctor so their presence in the show hasn’t faltered, but for some reason, Osgood simply hasn’t been there.
…if (Osgood)’s not coming back to the main show any time soon, The War Between The Land and The Sea is a perfect place for her return to happen.
It’s possible that Doctor Who is simply waiting for another Zygon-focused adventure to bring Osgood back and make the most of her unique situation, but there have been ample opportunities for that since Capaldi’s era ended. The creatures have been mentioned several times in Jodie Whittaker’s run, though Doctor Who seems hesitant to bring them back for another whole adventure. But if she’s not coming back to the main show any time soon, The War Between The Land and The Sea is a perfect place for her return to happen.
The Problem With Doctor Who’s Spinoff Bringing Back Osgood
Her Job Has Already Been Taken
Admittedly, Osgood’s character has essentially been replaced by now, and it would be difficult to bring UNIT’s scientific advisor back without getting rid of the ones that currently exist: Shirley and Morris. Both characters were introduced as part of Russell T. Davies’ new era, so it’s more likely that Doctor Who will stick with them for now. Still, with Kate Stewart returning as (probably) a main character, there’s room for her friendship with Osgood to be explored outside the work environment, even if it’s just a small cameo in The War Between The Land And The Sea.