"Good-bye, Doctor."
Well... Good-bye Twelve. Good-bye Peter Capaldi. Thank you for being such a wonderful Doctor.
Compared to last year's Christmas Special, this one was way better. But even if last year had been really good, this one would have still blown it out of the water. I wasn't fond of "The Time of the Doctor" since it tried to do too much, but I'm glad they went for a smaller story here. It's just a story about saving one man (be it Twelve, One, or the Captain). Moffat could have done something huge and bombastic, but thankfully, he didn't. Who says you have to go out with a bang. Though, I'm sure there will be fans who will argue that "Twice Upon a Time" does too little, but what can I say. I'm a sucker for character moments.
I'm glad the episode was an hour. On the face of it, the plot didn't need 60 minutes, but the extra time was there for the Doctor. He got to meet himself, have some awesome banter, and he got to say good-bye to his friends. He also got to give some prespective to his younger self. You know, Bill, or the avatar of Bill, has it right. Memories make a life. Twelve isn't gone. The Doctor will always be every incarnation that came before. The Doctor will always be the same person, no matter the appearance on the outside.
It was fun having One around. David Bradley finally got to play One in the proper context and it was pretty great. It wasn't an impression; it was an interpretation. The hands on the lapels! I could have used some more "Hmms" and "What's that, my boy?" and maybe even some impatient handkerchief snapping at the TARDIS console, though, but that's just me. On how Moffat wrote him, though... Why did he make One this sexist curmudgeon? Like, suggesting that Polly (and by extension, the other female Companions who were around during One's time) was responsible for cleaning the TARDIS? Or that all women are fragile? One couldn't even seem to grasp that Bill likes other women. He's the Doctor for frak's sake! Even if he's early in his life, that crap doesn't matter to Time Lords. Ugh. That was the only thing that really bugged me about the episode.
(Okay, sure, One was written by men from the 1960s, so maybe a bit of that came through in the character, but I honestly can't remember any circumstances when One told Barbara to clean up the TARDIS.)
It was great to see Bill again, or an aspect of her at any rate. I thought her role would be small, like a cameo, but she was like the second Companion after One. Plus she got a proper good-bye with the Doctor. Actually, all of Twelve's Companions got a farewell in. So glad they were able to work in Nardole and Clara. Clara's brief appearance was nice. It's a shame that she and the Doctor weren't in the same frame for the scene, but I assume Clara's bit was filmed somewhere else to avoid spoiling the moment. And the Doctor can remember her again! The only thing that bugged me was the length of Clara's hair. It doesn't quite match how it was in "Face the Raven". Yes, that's super nitpick-y of me, and it shouldn't matter since there were also hair issues with Karen Gillan when she showed up, but it still distracted me.
Loved that the Captain turned out to be an ancestor of the Brig's. The second Archibald mentioned Cromer I just had this sudden notion that he was related to the Brig (I don't even know where or what Cromer is; I was just reminded of the Brig's infamous line in "The Three Doctors"). Archibald mentions his sons. Can we imply that Archibald is the Brig's father? Or maybe grandfather makes more sense? Either way, I wonder if that was always the case. I remember they didn't release much information about Mark Gatiss' character ahead of the episode so I can only assume this was planned. Actually, I'm sure fans probably theorized who the Captain was long before the episode came out. So, does this mean that the Doctor remembers his promise to Archibald? I feel like One doesn't remember any of this since he was in the presence of another Doctor when he was forming these memories. Hmm, maybe the TARDIS remembers and she was able to steer herself, and the Doctor, towards a meeting with the Brig.
Capaldi's last speech was great. He talks about everything the Doctor is and should be. But the bit about how children can hear the Doctor's name was especially great. It echoes something Peter mentioned when he was here for the comic book expo, that the Doctor's name is a frequency you can only hear in your heart. His last line, "Doctor, I let you go", is another one of those great dual lines. It's sums up Peter and Moffat's tenure on the show. They are letting the Doctor go, but they are making way for what's to come.
Random: I love the recap they did of "The Tenth Planet". It had original footage and some recreated scenes. But 709 episodes earlier? Is that right? Quick, someone double check the math! I have some issues with the actors they chose to play Ben and Polly, since they look nothing like the actual actors, but they're barely in there, so it's not a huge deal. They also found a good place to work in the regeneration glow of One's hand. Hey, for all we know, it was actually there back in the day, but you just couldn't tell with a black and white TV. ;-) It's so great that the production was able to get more use out of the props that were created for "An Adventure in Space and Time". The cracks about the appearance of the TARDIS were so funny. I never get tired of Doctors complaining about the new interior. Apparently the German solider in the crater was Toby Whithouse? I didn't recognize him, but he was wearing a hat and was covered in dirt. Was this his swan song, too? As always, I loved it when they showed brief glimpses of the other Doctors. I didn't see Two or Nine, but some of those spheres went by fast. Now, the timeline error that happens when Testimony pulls Archibald out of time. The Doctor presumes it was his and One's fault because of their timelines crossing, but I wonder if the error was because Testimony pulled Archibald too soon out of his timeline. That the moment in the crater wasn't actually the moment of his death. When they visit Villengarde, I couldn't remember why the name sounded familiar. Then I remembered that Jack's squareness gun was from there and there's now a banana grove where the weapons factory once was. Cool to see Rusty, too. The battlefield scenes were bittersweet. Not just because the melachony tone, but because of the Doctor says. That a Christmas Day armistice never happened again.
So Thirteen's introduction... It was weird how it was shot. It's framed that you don't see Thirteen's face right away, but what was the point in hiding the reveal for a few seconds when every fans knows that the Doctor regenerates into a woman? Maybe the reveal was for fans who have been living under a rock since the summer? I'm a little annoyed that Thirteen says exactly two words ("Oh, brilliant"), but her tone of voice kind of makes up for that. The Doctor isn't mad or annoyed. She actually sounds a bit pleased. Like, "Oh this is new. This should be fun." Not fun, however, is the Doctor getting sucked out of the TARDIS and falling from the sky. With the way the TARDIS is exploding, I can assume that Thirteen will have a new interior? Also, random nitpick, but was Jodie Whittaker wearing mascara? Shouldn't the Doctor have zero make-up on after the regeneration?
Sigh. It's sad to say good-bye, but there's good stuff to come, too.
Compared to last year's Christmas Special, this one was way better. But even if last year had been really good, this one would have still blown it out of the water. I wasn't fond of "The Time of the Doctor" since it tried to do too much, but I'm glad they went for a smaller story here. It's just a story about saving one man (be it Twelve, One, or the Captain). Moffat could have done something huge and bombastic, but thankfully, he didn't. Who says you have to go out with a bang. Though, I'm sure there will be fans who will argue that "Twice Upon a Time" does too little, but what can I say. I'm a sucker for character moments.
I'm glad the episode was an hour. On the face of it, the plot didn't need 60 minutes, but the extra time was there for the Doctor. He got to meet himself, have some awesome banter, and he got to say good-bye to his friends. He also got to give some prespective to his younger self. You know, Bill, or the avatar of Bill, has it right. Memories make a life. Twelve isn't gone. The Doctor will always be every incarnation that came before. The Doctor will always be the same person, no matter the appearance on the outside.
It was fun having One around. David Bradley finally got to play One in the proper context and it was pretty great. It wasn't an impression; it was an interpretation. The hands on the lapels! I could have used some more "Hmms" and "What's that, my boy?" and maybe even some impatient handkerchief snapping at the TARDIS console, though, but that's just me. On how Moffat wrote him, though... Why did he make One this sexist curmudgeon? Like, suggesting that Polly (and by extension, the other female Companions who were around during One's time) was responsible for cleaning the TARDIS? Or that all women are fragile? One couldn't even seem to grasp that Bill likes other women. He's the Doctor for frak's sake! Even if he's early in his life, that crap doesn't matter to Time Lords. Ugh. That was the only thing that really bugged me about the episode.
(Okay, sure, One was written by men from the 1960s, so maybe a bit of that came through in the character, but I honestly can't remember any circumstances when One told Barbara to clean up the TARDIS.)
It was great to see Bill again, or an aspect of her at any rate. I thought her role would be small, like a cameo, but she was like the second Companion after One. Plus she got a proper good-bye with the Doctor. Actually, all of Twelve's Companions got a farewell in. So glad they were able to work in Nardole and Clara. Clara's brief appearance was nice. It's a shame that she and the Doctor weren't in the same frame for the scene, but I assume Clara's bit was filmed somewhere else to avoid spoiling the moment. And the Doctor can remember her again! The only thing that bugged me was the length of Clara's hair. It doesn't quite match how it was in "Face the Raven". Yes, that's super nitpick-y of me, and it shouldn't matter since there were also hair issues with Karen Gillan when she showed up, but it still distracted me.
Loved that the Captain turned out to be an ancestor of the Brig's. The second Archibald mentioned Cromer I just had this sudden notion that he was related to the Brig (I don't even know where or what Cromer is; I was just reminded of the Brig's infamous line in "The Three Doctors"). Archibald mentions his sons. Can we imply that Archibald is the Brig's father? Or maybe grandfather makes more sense? Either way, I wonder if that was always the case. I remember they didn't release much information about Mark Gatiss' character ahead of the episode so I can only assume this was planned. Actually, I'm sure fans probably theorized who the Captain was long before the episode came out. So, does this mean that the Doctor remembers his promise to Archibald? I feel like One doesn't remember any of this since he was in the presence of another Doctor when he was forming these memories. Hmm, maybe the TARDIS remembers and she was able to steer herself, and the Doctor, towards a meeting with the Brig.
Capaldi's last speech was great. He talks about everything the Doctor is and should be. But the bit about how children can hear the Doctor's name was especially great. It echoes something Peter mentioned when he was here for the comic book expo, that the Doctor's name is a frequency you can only hear in your heart. His last line, "Doctor, I let you go", is another one of those great dual lines. It's sums up Peter and Moffat's tenure on the show. They are letting the Doctor go, but they are making way for what's to come.
Random: I love the recap they did of "The Tenth Planet". It had original footage and some recreated scenes. But 709 episodes earlier? Is that right? Quick, someone double check the math! I have some issues with the actors they chose to play Ben and Polly, since they look nothing like the actual actors, but they're barely in there, so it's not a huge deal. They also found a good place to work in the regeneration glow of One's hand. Hey, for all we know, it was actually there back in the day, but you just couldn't tell with a black and white TV. ;-) It's so great that the production was able to get more use out of the props that were created for "An Adventure in Space and Time". The cracks about the appearance of the TARDIS were so funny. I never get tired of Doctors complaining about the new interior. Apparently the German solider in the crater was Toby Whithouse? I didn't recognize him, but he was wearing a hat and was covered in dirt. Was this his swan song, too? As always, I loved it when they showed brief glimpses of the other Doctors. I didn't see Two or Nine, but some of those spheres went by fast. Now, the timeline error that happens when Testimony pulls Archibald out of time. The Doctor presumes it was his and One's fault because of their timelines crossing, but I wonder if the error was because Testimony pulled Archibald too soon out of his timeline. That the moment in the crater wasn't actually the moment of his death. When they visit Villengarde, I couldn't remember why the name sounded familiar. Then I remembered that Jack's squareness gun was from there and there's now a banana grove where the weapons factory once was. Cool to see Rusty, too. The battlefield scenes were bittersweet. Not just because the melachony tone, but because of the Doctor says. That a Christmas Day armistice never happened again.
So Thirteen's introduction... It was weird how it was shot. It's framed that you don't see Thirteen's face right away, but what was the point in hiding the reveal for a few seconds when every fans knows that the Doctor regenerates into a woman? Maybe the reveal was for fans who have been living under a rock since the summer? I'm a little annoyed that Thirteen says exactly two words ("Oh, brilliant"), but her tone of voice kind of makes up for that. The Doctor isn't mad or annoyed. She actually sounds a bit pleased. Like, "Oh this is new. This should be fun." Not fun, however, is the Doctor getting sucked out of the TARDIS and falling from the sky. With the way the TARDIS is exploding, I can assume that Thirteen will have a new interior? Also, random nitpick, but was Jodie Whittaker wearing mascara? Shouldn't the Doctor have zero make-up on after the regeneration?
Sigh. It's sad to say good-bye, but there's good stuff to come, too.