We spent most of our “The Zygon Invasion” article praising the work of Ingrid Oliver, the British actress and comedian who plays Osgood in Doctor Who. U.N.I.T.’s resident nerd and Time Lord cosplayer has been a fan favorite since she first appeared in the 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” sporting the Fourth Doctor’s characteristic scarf and an inhaler. Missy killed Osgood in the series eight finale, but “Kill the Moon” writer Peter Harness brought her back for his two-part story, which concluded with Saturday’s “The Zygon Inversion.”
The character’s reappearance in the series was a welcome one, especially since the narrative trick of using two Osgoods — the original human and her Zygon mimic — helped explain away her apparent demise in “Death in Heaven.” Yet the “sister” depicted in both episodes refuses to say which Osgood she is. Even when the ceasefire negotiated by the Doctor between the humans and Zygons comes close to exploding in their faces, Osgood never reveals herself.
DOCTOR: I need to know, which one are you?
OSGOOD: I’m Osgood.
DOCTOR: Human or Zygon?
OSGOOD: I’ll answer that question one day, and do you know when that day will be? The day nobody cares about the answer.
Her identity plays into the story’s obvious critique of modern war, especially since the main antagonists were a Zygon “splinter group” reminiscent of ISIS and trigger-happy humans hell-bent on protecting the planet from all Zygons. Yes, it’s clever, and yes, it makes for very good drama — especially when Peter Capaldi got to bust out his acting chops in the penultimate scene.
But the best part of both episodes is Osgood, hands down. The Guardian dubs her the “best of fandom [in] contrast to the lone, angry typists” that most assume raging geeks to be. The character is the best, especially when it’s just her and the Doctor. She is the mind to Clara’s (Jenna Coleman) heart, which most Doctor Who companions tend to be, and that isn’t a bad thing. She’d make a great travel buddy, and the Doctor knows it — hence why he asks her to tag along in the final scene.
Osgood refuses the offer, saying that she and her new double (Bonnie, Clara’s former Zygon double and ex-resistance leader) will preserve the peace on Earth. This leaves the door open for the character’s return in future episodes, but it also hints at the possibility of a spinoff. So why not give Ingrid Oliver her own Doctor Who-derived television show? The BBC has done with before with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and they recently announced a new one, titled Class. Petronella Osgood deserve her own adventures, too.
