Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: TV
Broadcast: 23rd November 2013
Series: 50th Anniversary Special
Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara, Tenth Doctor, War Doctor
Synopsis
In the 21st century, something terrible is awakening in London's National Gallery; in 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor's own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.
In the 21st century, something terrible is awakening in London's National Gallery; in 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor's own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.
Verdict
The Day of the Doctor is exactly what it should be in being a real celebratory story. It was wonderful right from the off and just shows how much of a success this staggeringly good TV programme has grown since its debut in 1963 with An Unearthly Child which was paid homage to very nicely. The original opening sequence opening the story was terrific and seeing the shadow of a policeman was a lovely throwback. I like the idea of Clara having a job teaching in Coal Hill School! If she's not going to be constantly travelling with the Doctor then her home should have some connection with the Doctor and what bigger than Coal Hill? The humour surrounding UNIT picking up and transporting the TARDIS to the Tower of London was a great way to open the story. I'm glad to see Kate Stewart back after her success in The Power of Three and I like how the legacy of the Brigadier shone in the anniversary special. Osgood was a great assistant of sorts sporting the iconic scarf of the Fourth Doctor which the current Doctor nicely complimented. The scenes with the Tenth Doctor and Elizabeth I were done really well I thought as they definitely felt at home in the Tenth Doctor era. I think it's great that the ending of The Shakespeare Code is finally explained, some 6 years after its broadcast! But better late than never. The humour regarding the Zygon with the horse and later once the Eleventh Doctor arrived was absolutely fantastic. The scenes on Gallifrey were wonderful and I'm interested to know how long after the events of The End of Time this story took place. The leadership of the Time Lords has clearly changed significantly which I find intriguing. The moment all three Doctors joined together was wonderful! There's not many things better than a multi-Doctor story and with the exception of Time Crash we finally get one in the revived series. The humour as in all previous multi-Doctor stories was outstanding, especially as you'd expect between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors with their quirkiness. The scene where they both sat in the chairs and put their feet up was so simple yet stunning. The War Doctor was excellent throughout and despite this being his debut story (sort of) he always looked and had the presence of the Doctor, even if he didn't call himself that. The fact that he stole the Moment from Gallifrey was intriguing and I loved how it was such a deadly weapon that it developed its own conscience. Billie Piper played the role with a lovely delicacy. The plan of the Zygons was simple yet fantastically effective. Their home world was destroyed in the early days of the Time War so they needed a new world. Earth was their target. The use of Time Lord art was astoundingly genius! I loved how the Zygons hid inside the painting. Tremendous. Clara was incredible in this story I have to say. She had three Doctors all to herself and she shone magnificently. Her elegance with the Tenth Doctor was lovely and I adored how she could see in the War Doctor's eyes that he hadn't yet destroyed his own people and the Daleks with them. I loved the Black Archive being TARDIS proof, even UNIT know some things have to remain secret from the Doctor. The scene when the three Doctors were locked up and trying to open the wooden door was hilariously brilliant. I loved the reactions when Clara just walked in with it unlocked. The fact the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor decided to be there with the War Doctor on the day he did it was very touching. They felt the hurt and loneliness of that day for centuries but now the War Doctor wouldn't have to do it alone. It was clear by the scorned TARDIS that this incarnation had been through a lot, especially with the significant ageing since The Night of the Doctor. But then it was Clara who was utterly stunningly beautiful in seeing the projection and being ashamed of the Doctor when seeing the people he'd kill. Her Doctor would condemn it. She refused to accept that and subtly talked him into changing his own history in one of the all time great scenes that followed. In the Council Room on Gallifrey, not one, three or even eleven Doctors were present via video link. "All thirteen!" The shock on broadcast of seeing Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor was unprecedented and just amazing. All the Doctors joined forces to freeze Gallifrey in suspension in a pocket parallel universe. The Dalek crossfire would wipe the species out but with it I love how it accounts for how some Daleks survived the Time War. The Doctors all rescued their home planet and now, after yet another beautiful scene with Tom Baker as the Curator, the Doctor could go off and find his home planet. Gallifrey Falls No More. A superb title for a painting. Overall, brilliant scenes, humour, many things tied up and a War Doctor regeneration, a perfect anniversary story really!
Rating: 10/10
My personal fave of the Doctor Who anniversaries.
ReplyDeleteThe War Doctor was my top fave and always would be. The main reason why I sought to see this. Old but tough. Grumpy but nice. Got me onto trenchcoats, bandoliers, scarves, fobclocks, waistcaots, gaiders, and Van Dyck beards. And paly by the eloquent John Hurt.
The 10th Doctor mistaking the queen and a rabbit for Zygons tickle me. As did the War Doctor complaing, showing hismelf more able than some say on elders.
It woudla been grand if Rose really came. I want her to interact with the War Docotr and to help him. She' very nice.
Grand how they and the other Doctors save Gallifrey.
The War Doctor's end was fitting; old age being a gentler and fitting end he earn for all the hard work he's done to help a dying universe. Woulda been storng if Valem Decem paly for him, fitting a sad goodbye to thius lvoeable elder.
Here's how I woulda done it:
ReplyDelete1. The real Rose Tyler would be there helping the War Doctor. I see her being nice with him.
2. The 9th Doctor would appear.
3. The humansie Dalek Rose met would be there as a companion to Rose and a member of her team. He'd own a name..... Dice, after some wandering traveller from Skarosian legends.
4. Rose would defend the War Doctor from the 9th, 10, and 11th Doctors who treat him as a mosnter adn call the 9th one a hypocrite, mention him falling for the Gelth and seeking rervenge on Dice; whylst the War Doctor saw throuhg lies and try to save Davros.
5. The Brig would be feature.
6. Sylurians, Sea-Demons, Ice Warriors, Thals, Ogrons, and Draconians would feature.
7. Rose would reveal to the Brig he play a part on beginning the Time-War. His choice to slay the Sylurians and Sea-Demons het met cost the humans their chance to prevent the palgue which help Daleks conquer Earth (The Dalek Invasion of Earth). The Daleks forge time machines as a way to hunt the Doctor, and then chose to forge some to conquer. The Time Lrods use the Doctor and Sarah J to try to prevent their origin, hence the Daleks's counterstrike with cloens and the Hand of Oemga. LEading to the War. All ebcasue of Brig's arrogance and prejrudic.e
8. Sarah J and co would be feature. Sarah would styll see her Doctor in the war one and help comfrot him.
9. The 9th Doctor would almost slay the War Doctor to save Gallifrye, but Rose stops hima s woeuld Dice who points out the hypocrisy and reveals he'd been deceive.
10. Davros and the Daleks would appear, reveal to'd been using the Brig and his daughter as wll as the 9th Doctor.
11. The 9th Docto would be shown as inferior to the War one who ironically prove more sane and noble than he.
12. Rose would accept mroe than one Doctor, and find the bickering funny when many would find it creepy.
13. Valem Decem would play for the War Doctor.
14. Dice would do a farewll to the War Docotr and feel happy they'd made peace.
15. The Curaytor would wear a rainbow ikad-scarf and a plum-purple moleskin scarf with his olife green tweed jacket.
16. After the many Doctors looking on Gallifrey, we can see a clip simialr to the War Doctor's clifhanger with words 'Introducing Peter Capaldi as the Doctor'.
I'd feature the War Doctor as the first of the many Doctors to meet the Ice Age characters, the Tarzan characters, Sunset and Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony, Iroh from Avartar: The LAst Airbender, and more.
ReplyDeleteI'd also add him sword-fighting. Each Doctor must do so. I see him with a dao sword from China.
I also thought of him with a Panama cap with a paisley capband. And also a double-breast moleskin waistcaot done in indygo-and-amber. And an olife-green scarf.
I also thought of him using a kukir knife sometimes.
One of his stories I thought of be when he helps Sylurians and Sea-Demons as well as many ektinct fauna including dinosaurs, Ice Age giants, dodos, great auks, Tasmanian tigers, quaggas, Steller's sea-cows, pterosaurs, Mesozoic sea reptyles, Carboniferous insects, Devonian amphibians, and Permian reptomammals on a space-ark to flee a world being ravage by the Time-War and find a new world hidden from them (simialr to Noah's Ark)... a large way to show the elder knows saving lifes be more important than winning a war.