Dark Water

"It's short for mistress. Couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now, could I?"

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 1st November 2014

Series: 8.11

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Clara betrays the Doctor. Danny is dead. A trip to the afterlife! Missy is here, but what's her motive? What is going on at the mysterious 3W and what are they keeping water tombs?

Verdict 

Dark Water is an absolutely outstanding episode to kick off the finale of the eighth series! It really is brilliant from start to finish. I remember being confused on broadcast about Danny's sudden death (I think I cheered a little though) and I was just waiting for him to come back to life or, what I thought was more likely, for it to be revealed that he didn't actually die at all. But there Clara was, ready to tell him everything about her adventures with the Twelfth Doctor in note form and after she tells Danny that the words 'I love you' from her are exclusively his, something I'd consider massively significant, he's silent. Then we hear a women on the phone and she reveals that Danny's been hit by a car and is dead. Clara's reaction was superb and I loved the determined look on her face when running to the scene. That span round into a dejected look as she returned to the scene what seemed like a short time after the accident. I thought the conversation with her gran was pretty sad though as she said his death was boring. But then she was on the phone to the Doctor and a lightbulb went off inside her head. After all the Doctor had done for her, she was prepared to betray it all and then some for the sake of her boyfriend. She quickly located the seven keys of the TARDIS the Doctor had hid and her threats were about to commence. The look of desperation was heartbreaking. I can't say I blame her though. If I lost a loved one and knew a time traveller, I'm sure I'd try and go back and save them! She chucked all seven TARDIS keys into the lava of the volcano Clara 'wanted' to see after the Doctor wonderfully refused to go back in time and save Danny. Capaldi was incredible in this outstanding scene. But when Clara thought she was in control the Doctor just laughed in her face as he revealed it was he who put her in a dream like state to see how far she'd really go. And he was surprised. She'd betrayed his trust, friendship and let him down. After all that, he set his sights on going somewhere that was bound to be off limits - the afterlife. As was in Listen, Clara was in control of the TARDIS only this time she did have to think about Danny. Her thoughts had brought the TARDIS to 3W, an intriguing institute very interested in the dead. Danny's arrival to the Nethersphere was great and I really loved Seb! A superb character who was actually quite comedic about everybody arriving here being dead. He did lay Danny down easily about it though. His embryo comparison was actually brilliant. I think it's good that we finally learned why Danny stopped being a soldier, that's one of the few interesting things about the character. He shot a young boy mistakenly and regretted it massively. The Doctor and Clara's first meeting with Missy was eccentric to say the least. I loved how she imitated being an android and laid an impression on the Doctor as to who she really was. The luring of what was really in the water tombs during the episode was wonderful and when it was decided that the dead of mankind should be harvested, the slow reveal occurred in style. The Doctor missing things is a common trait to this incarnation and the closing of the doors to reveal the tear duct eyes of the Cybus Cybermen was excellent. Obviously the design of them is different here but we now knew who was coming. Obviously on broadcast things had been spoiled sadly due to publicity shots and what have you so the big lead up seemed wasted then but I thought it was magnificent here. And then came Missy running back revealing she was a Time Lady who the Doctor had abandoned. My mind immediately thought back to Warriors' Gate and Romana but what we got was even more shocking. Danny, after an emotional call to the other side with Clara and seeing the boy he'd killed, was seemingly giving himself up to the Cybermen by 'deleting' his emotions. Clara was trapped in a room with a Cyberman. A horrific theory on the dead being conscious and begging not to be cremated didn't pale in comparison to the shocking revelation of Missy's identity! She was a woman and she's the bloody Master! Amazing. I don't think I have ever been more shocked by a Doctor Who cliffhanger. I never suspected her being the Master so this truly was incredible. Overall, an astounding start to the finale! See you on the other side for the rating.