Review by RCR contributing editor, Hayden Black, follow him on Twitter @HaydenBlack!
The season finale has aired and there isn’t a dry eye in the universe. Moffat and director Rachel Talalay have crafted one of the best two-parters the show has ever seen and provided a stunning send-off for Peter Capaldi.
To recap quickly; the Cybermen mount an attack on the higher floors of their 400-mile long spaceship. The Doctor, Nardole, both incarnations of the Master, and Bill stuck in the form of a Cyberman try to defend the Mondasian people there while dealing with how they’re each changing themselves.
By the show’s end, Bill has been restored to a mostly human form and reunited with her girlfriend Heather (from the season opener The Pilot), Nardole is finding peace amongst the Mondasians he helped rescue, Missy appears to be dead (killed by her John Simm incarnation who, in turn, has been killed by her) (if you have to ask, you’re not a Doctor Who fan), and the Doctor is meeting with his first incarnation (once played by the late William Hartnell and who’s now played by David Bradley).
And what a journey it was. These two episodes had one foot firmly stuck in the nostalgic past and the other in the unknown future. From references to jelly babies right through the appearance of the First Doctor it was a glorious trip down memory lane. But there were so many other layers; so many!
The way Missy found salvation before she was killed by her former self. The journey Bill takes despite convinced she’s a dead woman walking (her Cyberman was very reminiscent of the comic-book-only Cyberman creation in the decades-old classic Junk Yard Demon story). And, of course, the Doctor himself – taking a stand that will lead in his death knowing there is no hope, no witness, and no reward. Doing it simply because it’s the right thing to do.
Moffat wasn’t just writing the end of Capaldi’s era, he was writing the end of his own so it makes sense that the dialog and action were so crisp and moving. Rachel Talalay’s direction is so strong (as usual) that she’s easily one of Doctor Who’s most powerful assets.
I only had a couple of issues with this episode, the first being the appearance of the more modern “warrior” Cybermen. Why? The Mondasian Cybermen have proven themselves to be one of the most terrifying creatures the show has ever seen. Creatures stripped of their basic humanity and operated on against their will are far scarier than metal robots with lots of firepower (and yes, I know they’re all the same under those costumes but the cloth-faces are far more menacing).
My second was the ghost-in-the-machine appearance of Heather who responded to Bill’s tears in the nick of time (despite never showing up whenever Bill had cried previously). But you know what? This show was so damn good, I’m going to overlook them because I don’t want anything spoiling what was so magical.
The episode – and series – ended with the Doctor staggering out of his TARDIS in a snowy environment and running into his first incarnation. As I pointed out last week (did I actually guess something right for a change? I think I did!!!), this is most likely the South Pole where the Doctor first encountered the Cybermen back in 1966 – and where the Doctor first regenerated (from Hartnell to Troughton).
We’ll find out more in the Christmas episode but it makes perfect sense; that as one Doctor rages against the machine, sick of having to regenerate all the time, he meets himself before he’s ever had to regenerate before.
See you at Christmas!
Watch Doctor Who on Saturday nights at 9/8c on BBC America
About this Episode of Doctor Who
The Mondasian Cybermen are on the rise. It’s time for the Doctor’s final battle.
The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is an alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through all of time and space in his TARDIS with his companion. Instead of dying, the Doctor is able to “regenerate” into a new body, taking on a new personality with each regeneration.
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Review by Hayden Black
Hayden Black is the award-winning British star/writer/producer behind Goodnight Burbank (“Better than 99% of the stuff on TV” – USA Today”), the first-ever scripted half-hour comedy series made for Hulu and then licensed – the day it premiered – by Mark Cuban for his cable channel HDNet. Goodnight Burbank and his other original online work – including Abigail’s Teen Diary & The Occulterers – have won Webby, iTunes and Yahoo awards, been viewed in the multi-millions, and taught in college courses.
