Space Crip

Throughout the episode, Abed and Toby cosplay as their favorite Inspectors and compare themselves as neurodivergent people to the Inspector. Because Inspector Spacetime is an affectionate parody of Doctor Who, they are actually comparing themselves to the Doctor. I’d argue that Abed represents all that is good about the Doctor while Toby represents all that is bad about the Doctor. (That would make Toby the Dream Lord from “Amy’s Choice.”) Toby is the Doctor’s feelings of superiority, his carelessness with other people’s lives, his racism, and his investment in the British Empire. Abed is the Doctor’s love for average people, his sense of wonder, and his ability to share the magic of the universe with others. Toby is what happens when the Doctor travels alone. With Troy and the study group by his side, Abed will never be alone. Toby is the Doctor who calls himself a “madman with a box” but burns the Daleks in the Asylum alive, because for all of Toby’s talk about connecting with another Inspector/autist, he is quick to lie, cheat, and steal from one. Abed is the Doctor who would free the Daleks from the Asylum.