Heaven Sent

"I'm the Doctor. I'm coming to find you. And I will never, ever stop."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 28th November 2015

Series: 9.11

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis 

Trapped in a world unlike any other he has seen, the Doctor faces the greatest challenge of his many lives. One final test. And he must face it alone. Pursued by the fearsome creature known only as the Veil, he must attempt the impossible. If he makes it through, Gallifrey is waiting...

Verdict 

Heaven Sent was an excellent episode of Doctor Who to start the finale and it's brilliant to see something new! New is something so rare in the programme these days and that's because it's been going for over 52 years now, which is an astonishing feat. But here we are with something brand spanking new - almost a monologue! Peter Capaldi on his own with barely anyone or anything to bounce off. I imagine it was incredibly difficult for him at times and I must say how audacious this episode is! Well, the format at least. You would think that a 55 minute episode featuring pretty much one actor wouldn't be much fun at all but bravo to Steven Moffat for first of all trying it and then even more bravo to him for making it work brilliantly! The idea was great with the Doctor in his own torture chamber. Once all was revealed I kind of think I should have guessed what was going on in the revolving castle, whose location was not revealed. There was something that I worked out very early on though that probably spoiled the cliffhanger but I'll get to that shortly. The Doctor being alone in his own torture chamber was a good place to start for having just Capaldi as the lone performer, and I liked the inclusion of an old nightmare from the Doctor's childhood chasing him everywhere he turned in the castle. A dead old lady draped in veils with flies surrounding her hardly sounds like the worst thing in the world, especially for the Doctor after everything he's faced, but all things are scarier when you're a child and that nightmare has stalked the Doctor since. The clues leading to room 12 being dropped throughout were very good and at first I was a little disappointed by the fact that Ashildr had sent the Doctor to this place only to be given help in escaping. Thankfully that wasn't the case and it worked out wonderfully. The Doctor was helping himself all the time. I should have known from the clothes moment. After the horrific events of Face the Raven, the first episode to make me cry in years, it's interesting to see how the Doctor will cope with Clara's death. For now he's busy but as he pointed out in the episode, once he's done she's still going to be dead and he can't do anything about that. The use of Clara in the episode, considering she's dead, was surprisingly high! The TARDIS scenes while the Doctor worked out how he had survived were perhaps a little bit cheating but I'm happy to let Moffat off the hook. I loved how vital the companion role was highlighted to be here. The Doctor was supposed to make her laugh whilst she asked all the right questions. He needed her and I'm not sure how he's going to cope with the aftermath of this finale when she's gone and really not coming back. The confessions the Doctor made during the episode, along with my memory of The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familar, made me realise early on that the Doctor was the hybrid. I was waiting for the revelation all episode and I had genuinely somehow convinced myself that the Doctor was half Dalek, hence his lack of involvement in the Time War and reason for destroying both races. Thankfully the prophecy was wrong and there was no Dalek-Time Lord hybrid. However, as expected, I was correct about the Doctor being the hybrid. I thought the dialogue was incredible with him saying he would be standing in the ruins of Gallifrey, and now he was back. The long way around. Billions of years of burning to replace himself. Punching through 20 feet of rock harder than diamond. But here he was, looking on at the citadel of his home planet. He didn't know he'd been back home during Listen, but now he really was here. I think that's magnificent and based on the next time trailer I can't wait for the second part of the finale! Gallifrey has been so rare in the revival era, especially when compared to the Classic era, but now it looks like we're going to get a full episode on the planet! And I can't wait. Ashildr is back again. Regeneration is mentioned and I get a feeling we'll see Missy based on the torture chamber being confined in the confession dial. A lot of questions to be answered but for now, a brilliant first episode! Brave, audacious but fantastic. I'm now getting thoughts about Peter Capaldi being my favourite Doctor which just shows how good he's been. Let's hope he gets a few more series yet! If I'm thinking of him being my favourite then I'm inclined to say he is. I'll wait for the finale though, and that's where the rating will come.