Crossposting from my Tumblr (and editing a bit)
So, I just watched Night of the Doctor…
…and holy fuck. Holy shitballs. I mean…holy fucking shitballs.
Let’s say that all of it was just perfect. I mean, first off, the special effects were amazing. I don’t necessarily always say that the special effects were one of the best things about a certain bit of film, TV, etc. (I mean, that’s all well and good, but I’m always looking for the story and whatnot. Sounds snobbish of me, I know…sorry) But they really were amazing. I also liked the set-up of the sisterhood of Karn and even a bit of the Doctor’s old humor saying that eternal life is kind of boring. Also, Paul McGann making his return as the Eighth Doctor in the midst of the Time War.
Honestly, if nothing else, just watch for Paul McGann’s performance. He just nails the part beautifully - the anguish of the Time War, his agony over failing to save Cass, his decision to regenerate into the War Doctor, etc. And speaking of Cass, even though she was just on screen for a very short while, she was a really good character. It helps that the actress playing her was really good - she really nailed Cass’ sort of sarcastic wit (when she’s arguing with the ship computer about the whole “Doctor” thing), as well as her reaction when she finds out that the Doctor is a Time Lord. And I liked the whole matter of her saying that there’s really no difference between the Time Lords and the Daleks (and really, considering Rassilon and all, she's right) - it really just nails just how bad things have gotten in this whole war. The new Doctor Who has definitely carried this whole theme about War is Hell, and it’s really nailed home here - we don’t really see all the destruction that the Daleks are causing and whatnot, but its presence can definitely be felt. I think one thing that the new version of Doctor Who has done beautifully is the matter of War Is Hell - it doesn’t just shove it down your throat and whatnot; it shows you, from its effects on the Doctor to stuff like “Human Nature/Family of Blood” and much more. I think just seeing the effects that it has on the Doctor…it’s just really well-done, and really affecting. And it was really well-done in this episode; I admit, while I actually like the Moffat era, I confess I kind of missed instances like that. I’m not saying he should have constantly hammered it home, but at least reminders that it was still there and whatnot, if only because of how part of the Doctor’s character it really is.
I think my favorite part of this was seeing the Doctor make the decision to regenerate into the War Doctor - just sort of taking the cup, almost seeming to sort of apologize to his old companions and whatnot (also, very sweet of Moffat to mention the Big Finish companions), as well as, earlier, the whole “Make me a warrior” sort of thing. I like the sort of symbolism in it, really - the idea that the Doctor didn’t just regenerate, but it was almost like who he was, fundamentally, died in that moment (and keep in mind, from Paul McGann’s performance, we’ve already seen that the Doctor’s gone through some massive Break the Cutie, to say the least), and the War Doctor, the one who destroyed Gallifrey if only to stop the Time Lords and the Daleks alike, was born. And it really explains why Nine was who he was before he found Rose, as well as why the other Doctors would sort of disown him; from their point of view, he went against everything they ever stood for. All that in one moment - the Doctor doesn’t have to make it super-obvious; it just shows you what’s happening. It shows you the Doctor’s anguish, what led him to make this decision, it shows the effects of the Time War because even though this is just a part of the Time War (keep in mind, this is pretty much happening all over time and space itself), its presence is very much felt. Sort of like a shadow hanging over the Doctor’s head. It reminded me of one of many things I loved in the RTD era - because we saw what the Doctor was going through after the Time War and as parts of the Time War (the Daleks, etc.) came back literally to haunt him, and we felt for him. Moffat did the same here in this minisode, and he did it really well.
So yeah, it was a great minisode. It really makes me all the more excited for “The Day of the Doctor”, to be honest. Well done, Steven Moffat. Very well done.