Not dead!
Series 10 of Doctor Who ended last weekend with a roller coaster of a finale. There were moments of sheer brilliance and moments where I was like “Wait, what?” Quality-wise, it was very much what one might expect from a NuWho finale, and that got me thinking about the past 9 finales and where “The World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls” would fit among them.
It’s ranking time!
10. The Wedding of River Song (Series 6)
Series 6 opened with the death of the Doctor, and proceeded to constantly remind us that there’s no way for the Doctor to get out of this one, even though we all knew he would and in a clever, exciting fashion. That didn’t happen.
“The Wedding of River Song” is a romp with some fun ideas and visuals (It’s certainly the most light-hearted of all the finales), but feels cheap. It foregoes coming up with a clever, exciting way for the Doctor to cheat death in favour of just telling us “It was a robot” and not really allowing much time to truly explain what the living heck is going on. It’s far from “terrible,” but could’ve been better.
9. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords (Series 3)
“Utopia” is actually a pretty good episode, even though it’s all basically set-up for the next two episodes. Everything from Yana pulling out the pocket watch to the end credits is so exciting. It’s an exceptional way to begin and endgame.
With the third series' finale, Russell T. Davies pretty much wrote himself into a corner by having everything so over-the-top, the Master’s so seemingly unbeatable and the Doctor, Martha and Jack’s situations so dire. As a result, he was forced to include one of the reboot’s dumbest deus ex machinas: the Doctor briefly gaining superpowers because people were praying to him. Ugh. It’s not without its good aspects, but it also goes to show that “go big or go home” is not the best motto to have when writing Doctor Who finales.
8. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday (Series 2)
I know that these episodes are considered masterpieces by many, mostly for the Bad Wolf Bay scene (which was inexplicably voted the best science-fiction scene of all time back in 2014), but I just find them…fine?
Yeah, there are some emotional moments (Jackie and Pete’s “reunion” is more emotional than Bad Wolf Bay, in my opinion), and the Dalek/Cybermen rivalry is a hoot (“THIS IS NOT WAR. THIS IS PEST CONTROL!”), but there’s not much else that makes this finale stick out to me like some of the other ones I’m about to talk about. It’s not good, but it’s not bad. It’s fine!
7. The Name of the Doctor (Series 7)
“The Name of the Doctor” is pretty much in the same boat as the previous finale (It’s fine). There’s just a few things this one has over it…
1.) Seeing Clara run around the Doctor’s timeline and hanging out with all his previous selves.
2.) The reveal that that was the whole mystery about Clara and not going the “She was (insert classic enemy name here) the whole time!” route.
3.) The inclusion of Vastra, Jenny, Strax and River
4.) The Whispermen and their design
5.) The criminally never-used-again “conference call.”
Other than that, there’s nothing exceptional here. Move along.
6. Dark Water/Death in Heaven (Series 8)
Peter Capaldi’s time on Doctor Who seems to have a recurring problem: two-part finales where the first episode is excellent, and the second just isn’t. In this case, “Dark Water” is Who’s eerie vision of the “afterlife,” and “Death in Heaven” is a blockbuster-esque invasion episode with some questionable creative choices.
The performances are all top-notch, lending to some truly emotional or intense sequences, and Missy/the Master steals the show. But there’s also a lot of padding and the resolution is way too convenient. I seem to be in that minority of fans that really enjoy these episodes, but I can see how the flaws can be a bit too glaring for some.
5. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (Series 4)
I’ll admit it: I like these episodes as much as I do because it’s all fan service. You’ve got the companions from the previous 4 seasons (including Sarah Jane), a full-on Dalek invasion, Davros, etc. Also, it’s another universe-threatening evil plot, one which seems to put Davies in a corner when it comes to coming up with a way out and has to opt for another deus ex machina…but it all sort of works?
Like I said, I like this one mostly for the fun of seeing Donna flirting with Jack, Rose reuniting with the Doctor, the Doctor catching up with Davros, Martha threatening to blow up the Earth (that’s fun, right?), the whole gang flying the TARDIS, etc. But it shares a few of the flaws of Series 3’s finale, flaws which are glossed over really well by some top-of-the-line FAN SERVICE™.
4. Heaven Sent/Hell Bent (Series 9)
“Heaven Sent” is a masterpiece. There’s no denying that. It’s “Hell Bent” where things become problematic.
After 10 years (for us, anyways, we finally witnessed the Doctor return to Gallifrey and reunite with his people. Things go funky, however, when the finale suddenly decides to use the last 20 minutes to bring back and then give another send-off to Clara, closing the Hybrid mystery on an unsatisfying note. It seemed like a missed opportunity, especially since Moffat finally had the literal sandbox of Gallifrey to play in. But “Hell Bent” deserves some love for being the first finale with stakes that end up being personal rather than reality-threatening. It’s a nice misdirect.
3. The World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls (Series 10)
It’s about time I talked about these episodes, huh?
Once again, the first episode is better than the second. “World Enough and Time” is a time-bending tragedy, while “The Doctor Falls” sees the Doctor and friends, along with the two Masters, defending a farm from Cybermen. It’s a shift in gears that really doesn’t make much sense, but the latter episode is honestly the most thrilled I’d been by Series 10 at that point (no offense to the season’s other good outings). But while I wouldn’t change a thing about “World,” there’s plenty I would change about “Falls,” such as the Masters’ roles and Bill’s departure. As a whole, however, it sets the stage for Capaldi’s final adventure rather well.
2. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways (Series 1)
I think that Series 1 is a real mixed bag of a debut season, but its finale is still one of the reboot’s best.
What starts as a hilariously sinister satire of reality TV slowly becomes a fight to the bitter end against the Daleks and the Dalek Emperor. It’s tense, it’s funny, and Bad Wolf Rose is a plot point that doesn’t feel contrived because it was actually and properly set up. And, of course, it brings a satisfying end to Christopher Eccleston’s first and only season as the Doctor.
1. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang (Series 5)
I could use these two episodes as an explanation for why I love Doctor Who so much.
It’s a story that’s unabashedly imaginative, with no stone left unturned. You’ve got an Indiana Jones-styled atmosphere that includes Romans and Stonehenge, along with Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, and every other iconic villain. There’s the return of Rory and River, answers to the most burning questions raised over the course of the season, twists, turns, humour, and some timey-wimey insanity.
It has its contrived moments, but I believe this is Doctor Who at its best right here, and a reminder that this is a show where nothing (to a point) is off the table. A fact that should be taken advantage of by writers more often.
Don’t worry! There’s not another near-month-long break again after this. I’m going to start posting some movie reviews within the next few days, so hang tight!
Noah
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