The episode establishes that, regardless that Fifteen and Fourteen did not do any time touring of their scene collectively, Fifteen remains to be in Fourteen’s future. The Fourteenth Physician will spend the remainder of his life residing a blissful, mostly-domestic existence with Donna’s household, and when he is able to go (and has completed therapeutic from all of the trauma he is confronted for 1,000+ years), he’ll regenerate into Fifteen, who we have simply met.
How does this work, precisely? Contemplating we noticed Fifteen be pulled out of Fourteen’s regenerating physique, how will Fourteen regenerate into him for actual when the time comes? Or has the regeneration already occurred, and Fourteen will merely die a traditional loss of life when his time comes? “The Giggle” itself appears remarkably tired of clarifying any of this, which solely goes to point out: the Russell T. Davies period is again, guys. It is so again.
Just like the conclusion to Ten’s sorta-regeneration in “Journey’s Finish,” the bi-generation plot level in “The Giggle” is one which clearly prioritizes fan service over constant worldbuilding. It is a deus ex machina so daring and aggressive it’s a must to admire it. Individuals gave former showrunner Steven Moffat loads of flak for his questionable endings over time, like his choice to disclose that The Physician by no means truly blew up Gallifrey in spite of everything within the fiftieth Anniversary Particular, however he not often pulled out an answer as flimsy as this. Even his many bootstrap paradoxes, which Moffat began to deal with as a story get-out-of-jail-free card, not less than saved a logical consistency to them that bi-generation merely does not have.