So am I crazy or did this whole sequence come to absolutely nothing?

RTD2: “Maybe the real plot were the friends we made along the way.”

whoa thats crazy but have you heard this?

The moral of the story: future RTD episodes have to stand on their own, and intrigue / mystery / series arcs need to be ignored because we’re 2 for 2 in terms of setups with no payoff

I mean she is just a descendant, but there’s a line about poppy being the reason they were drawn together

Isn’t that the whole point of the scene? i.e. 15 is all hyperactive and happy about having a shiny new companion, looking for connections that aren’t really there etc expecting Belinda to be amazed and impressed like Ruby was, only for her to have none of it

This was just RTD desperately feeling the urge to explain in-universe why he cast a supporting actress from the previous season as the companion in the current one. Because he couldn't just say she had a cousin who looked almost identical this time. In short, yes.

Her character was so good and then went nowhere 😅

I think the OG plan was they were meant to be connected through Poppy their daughter but reshoots basically changed all of that. WhoCulture did a video basically explaining the reshoots and what it changed

Don't think it was ever meant to lead to anything. The Doctor mentions it like it will and then Belinda rejects the idea that she's one of his adventures/mysteries. I belive that's the end of it.

Compare this to 15 saying "I knew I'd get you in the end!" in The Reality War when Belinda says she wants to keep travelling with him... honestly made me uncomfortable. So even without Poppy, her Deal is to get over her VERY fair misgivings and learn to appreciate the Doctor???

You cut out the next line where Belinda says "[Destiny?] Is that what you say to all the girls?" Which drives the point that there wasn't a connection between Bel and Mundy beyond being part of the same family line. The Doctor was just trying to reel her into adventure.