Gosh dang it Moffat!!!! Why do you torture us so??!!?!? You make these season finales memorable so that the Christmas episode is EXCRUCIATING to wait for!!
With “The Doctor Falls” we got a true conclusion to the Cyberman arc started last episode, as well as resolutions for Nardole, Bill, both Masters…and a prolonged ending for the Doctor.
Now, there a ton of faults with this episode. Mainly with it once again choosing to focus on Bill and her situation versus some of the other elements. I’m honestly not convinced it needed that extra half hour (that’s why the review is so late. Sorry about that….TV issues…), but for what it did, it was good.
It started out in true Doctor Who fashion, or should I say Moffat fashion. A feint of a beginning scene, the Doctor quickly turning things around on his enemies, and him doing what he does best, turning an impossible situation around.
With the Cyberman (both Mondasian and modern) threatening to kill everyone on the ship, level by level, the Doctor, Bill, Nardole, and the Masters had to figure out a way to stop them. But rarely is it that simple, and it turned out to be both that, and not.
I won’t spoil it, because I really you’d rather watch it, but I will point out the highlights. First off, Capaldi, dang I’m going to miss him! He’s my favorite Doctor, and I hope he stands the test of time as one of the best Doctors, because he delivers…my gosh he delivers. That speech he gave to both masters about being kind, and “where I stand…is where I fall…” that was beautiful. Rivaling only his speech about war and peace in the “Zygon Inversion”. Then, at the end, where he’s denying his regeneration, because he knows he can’t keep doing this, it was good.
Now, I heard people saying that this “sudden” revelation was too quick to arrive. I disagree. He lost Clara, and couldn’t even remember her fully because of the events of last season. Then, he promised to keep Bill alive, but he failed in a grand way. He’s lived over 2000 years, more now because of this season and the events of Missy and the vault. He’s tired, he’s lost too much, so I don’t blame him for realizing that regeneration is a curse and not a gift.
Speaking of curses, the Masters! This is really tough to talk about, because on one hand, the two Masters together was REALLY fun, and oddly…perverted…but in a way that makes sense. They stole the show every time they were there…but they weren’t there that often. Plus, while their “endings” was epic, and true to character, it kind of burned the bridge that Moffat had been making all season. Could Missy truly be good? Now we’ll never know seemingly.
Onto Bill, who got a surprise ending, as the water girl from “Pilot” showed up to save her and take her across the stars. Some may think this is Deus Ex Machina, but I feel it’s actually rather good, and they explain why that happened, so nice job Moffat.
I’ve never been a fan of Nardole, he’s entirely forgettable, but I did admire his ending. He’s now going to save the people on the ship (somehow…) from the Cybermen (somehow…). Oh, and he’s getting a girfrield. Sure. Why not.
Ok, onto the ending….THE FIRST DOCTOR!!!! Ok, this was teased (including by us!) for a while, but to see it happen in this way? Dang it…WHY IS IT NOT CHRISTMAS YET?!?!!?
In the end, “The Doctor Falls” was not a perfect episode by any means. But, it did tie up a lot of loose ends, and sets up Capaldi for one last grand adventure. And I can’t wait.
4 out of 5 nerds
Todd Black
Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!
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