Death in Heaven

"The dead are returning to life as Cybermen."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 8th November 2014

Series: 8.12

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

With Cybermen on the streets of London, old friends unite against old enemies and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role as President of Earth. With Missy pushing the Doctor to his limits, what will be the fate of the dead as an unprecedented Cyberman conversion begins...

Verdict

Death in Heaven was an action and emotional packed season finale! Continuing immediately from Dark Water, I was surprised by the Cybermen's actions of just standing still after the infamous march on St Paul's Cathedral. They just gathered together and didn't even object to selfies! And then UNIT made an emphatic return which I thought was magnificent. It was lovely to see Osgood and Kate Stewart back, not seen since The Day of the Doctor, and the roles in the story for both of them brought two very big shocks which I'll get to shortly. I absolutely adored Michelle Gomez in this episode, she was utterly wonderful. I bloody love the Scottish accent on a women and when we've got a villain of such significance as Missy who, as the big cliffhanger revealed last week, is the Master, then the voice is definitely important and I just sat in adoration for every scene. I'm not sure how Missy got control over the Cybermen but whatever her methods I like the alliance a lot! I'm guessing her aiding the conversion of the dead with the Gallifreyan hard drive was why they were a team. And what an alliance. It's about time the Master teamed up with a famous foe of the Doctor's! I'm not counting The Oseidon Adventure in that category at all, neither the short lived power trip seen in Frontier in Space. This alliance was far more effective and the idea of the Cybermen harvesting the dead is just astounding. As the Doctor said, how can you defeat an enemy who has control over the dead? The chemistry between Capaldi and Gomez was magnificent and I loved her glee of the city of Glasgow. A typical Scot! I'd have liked an explanation as to how Missy escaped the events of The End of Time but as seen historically for this Time Lord renegade, explanations for returns aren't always warranted. The idea of Clara pretending to be the Doctor was an intriguing one though I'm not sure they needed to do what they did with the opening credits. Although seeing the beautiful Jenna in the titles wasn't bad at all! Her big speech when trying to prove to the Cybermen that she was the Doctor was utterly sublime. It was almost a kind of comical mockery of her best friend. I was surprised how much she knew or had been told about the Doctor! I particularly liked the The Doctor's Daughter reference. Osgood working out that Missy was a regenerated female version of the Master was terrific and I loved the shock factor in how she was killed off. The way Missy told her she was going to kill her was beautiful. Heartless divinity. It was a nice throwback to the classic series Master who would murder those in his way. Now, it seems a gender change has brought those roots back. I felt so sorry for the Doctor when he was recalling how the Master was once a good friend when the pair grew up on Gallifrey, now look at her. The presentation of The Invasion type Cyberman head that was destroyed was marvellous and I enjoyed the recognition by the Cybermen themselves. However they'd changed a lot since then! The flying ability was interesting and I'm not usually in favour of mass change but I think the Cybermen needed a new ability. The Doctor being President of Earth was intriguing and I loved his reaction to discovering he was the man in charge of the human race and its safety. The way Missy was revealed as the mysterious woman in the shop wasn't exactly a surprise but nevertheless I enjoyed it! And I thought the way she was doing everything as a gift to the Doctor was quite disturbing. She'd raised the Doctor an army. A Cyberman army. And he had a choice - conquer the universe or see the murder of the human race. I'm sure the Doctor liked that one. He of course found a way around that thanks to Danny, who was now dead and a Cyberman at the same time. I wasn't overly keen on the Danny Cyberman to be honest but the emotion it brought was fantastic. I really do hope that's Danny written out of the series now because if it is then that's a brilliant sendoff! He rescued the human race after the Doctor gave him the commanding bracelet. The scene near the end with Kate being rescued was stunning. Absolutely incredible. The Brigadier had been brought back from the dead and converted, not just as a Cyberman but fittingly as the Cyber Leader. And he got his salute from the Doctor in a heart-wrenching scene. Danny allowing the boy he killed at war to live and return to life was an interesting decision but a courageous one. And then we had the emotional ending at the coffee table. Missy gave the Doctor the coordinates to Gallifrey's location and after the tragedy he had to go through from bodies 9-11 living with the guilt of destroying his planet, the Doctor was going to go home. But once again, the Master got the upper hand. Gallifrey was still lost. The way Missy exited the story was rather ambiguous which I like and I really hope we get a return from the incredible Michelle Gomez! As much as I like Clara, I do hope that this was her sendoff as it will be so memorable! Both the Doctor and Clara lying to each other. Danny stayed dead and Gallifrey remained lost. Both things would have detrimental effects on the other. If this is the end for Clara, then she's been majestic. But judging by the mid closing-titles scene, I'm not convinced we've seen the last of her. The Santa appearance at the TARDIS was not a favourable lead in at all  and I think it tarnished the episode a bit. But overall, a stunning and emotional finale! Some questionable elements, but the two parter as a whole was superb. Hopefully this has seen a fabulous companion sendoff! 

Rating: 9/10