I don't know how I'm going to do a proper review of this thing, because it's hard to talk about like it's a TV show. It's a movie, is what it is. A short movie. But, yeah. I guess I'm just going to start by saying that I really loved this. I was enjoying myself the whole way through, and I came out of it with almost entirely positive impressions. Once I got to thinking about it, I did have a few qualms, but in spirit and in tone, Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary did exactly what it needed to do. It respected the past, but it looked to the future. I was pleasantly surprised by how much this episode serves as a spring board into a new fresh version of the show. Even with Moffat still running things next year, I'm starting to be hopeful that he might genuinely have a new direction to take things.
Yeah. The Moffat thing. Let's talk about that for a moment, shall we? I don't like the man. Like, as a person. He's said some pretty awful things, and I hate the way he writes women, generally. However, as a storyteller and as a creator, he often knows what he's doing. I know I've probably rambled on about him in previous reviews, but just briefly I must say that I think he's strongest in self-contained episodes. When he does overarching plots, they aren't as good to me. That's one of the main reasons why I think Series Five, Six, and Seven feel less in the spirit of Doctor Who than the Russel T. Davis stuff. But luckily, this 50th Anniversary was a self-contained story. In many ways it stretched through all of the show, and even into the future, but in other ways it was a story that exists independently of what came before and what's to come after. Ultimately, I think that may have been one of its biggest strengths.
But let's take a look at this story, shall we? The Doctor and Clara are all set for an average adventure, when suddenly the TARDIS is picked up by a helicopter. They are being taken to Trafalgar Square by UNIT. There, they meet with Kate Stewart. This was an excellent opening. It showed off our current companion and current Doctor, gave them a chance to showcase their close relationship, and had a fun adventure with the Doctor hanging off of the TARDIS. It also brought back Kate, a character we've seen before, and returned us to the concept of UNIT, which hasn't been around in a while. In all, I thought it was a fun way to start things off. Simple, with the promise of bigger stakes right around the corner.
Kate tells the Doctor and Clara that Queen Elizabeth I has a message for the Doctor. We then see a Time Lord painting called "No More," or maybe "Gallifrey Falls." It is a 3-D painting, basically like a frozen slice of time. The painting depicts the battle at Arcadia, specifically on the day that the Doctor destroyed the planet and ended the Time War. The Doctor is understandably a bit shaken at seeing this. We also see other paintings, which have had the glass in them shattered from the inside. We later learn that Zygons have escaped from the paintings. Here's the problem, though: these Zygons can shape shift, and they use this power to take over Kate's form and get access to the Black Archives. Kate makes her way into the Archives and plans to detonate a nuclear warhead, which would destroy all of London, but save the rest of the world from the Zygons.
In this part of the story, we set up a conflict and the stakes for the world. I think the Zygons were sort of weak in appearance when in their natural form, although there was a freaky moment when we realize that they're hiding under the sheets pretending to be statues. However, the fact that they can shape shift makes them into pretty scary villains. I enjoyed the character Osgood, who is seen wearing the iconic Doctor scarf. She was sort of your typical nervous scientist character, but she stood in for an avid fan of Doctor Who, and although she was scared a lot of the time, she was also very brave. The concept of the Black Archives was cool, although I will admit that I thought the whole "blow up London" thing was just a bit too close of a parallel for the Doctor's situation, but I'll get to that in a moment. The stuff with the shattered glass and all of that was lovely, and while the Zygons aren't the most terrifying of Doctor Who villains, they still did a good enough job making them threatening.
Now, we go back into the Doctor's past and see the battle at Arcadia, also known as the day Gallifrey fell. John Hurt makes his appearance as the War Doctor. He takes a gun and shoots the phrase "No More" into the wall, before leaving with Gallifrey's most powerful weapon, called "the Moment." He goes out into the middle of nowhere to detonate it, which will cause Gallifrey to be destroyed, and end the war. There's just one thing. "The Moment" has a conscious. It takes the form of Rose Tyler, and she talks to the Doctor about the consequences of his imminent genocidal action. She decides that he needs to see want the consequences will be, so she opens up a fissure portal thing and sends him through to see two versions of himself from the future.
Now, I was really happy to see Billie Piper, don't get me wrong, but I actually don't know if she was needed in this episode. I know. I sound crazy. But honestly she had no internal purpose to be there. Since the War Doctor doesn't know Rose Tyler, the impact of her appearance is lost on him. The Moment could have appeared as any other companion or really any other human being and it wouldn't have made a difference. If maybe the 10th or 11th Doctors had mentioned Rose in the episode, it could have justified her importance to them and thus the reason why the conscience of such a powerful weapon chose to take her form. That being said, I'm still really happy that she got to be a part of such a momentous moment in Doctor Who's history. She did a lovely job with the role. So too did John Hurt. I was very skeptical about the addition of another Doctor, but I think he did a marvelous job in this opening scene of showing the weight of the war and how desperate things had truly gotten.
Meanwhile, we see the 10th Doctor out on a lovely picnic with Queen Elizabeth, who accepts a spontaneous proposal from the Doctor. The Doctor immediately declares that she's not the real Elizabeth, because the real Elizabeth never would have said yes. He identifies her as a Zygon! But no - actually, the horse was the Zygon the whole time! Now, the Doctor and Elizabeth have to run away from the alien. Unfortunately, when the Doctor and Elizabeth get separated, there are then two Elizabeths, and the Doctor can't figure out which is the Zygon. At this point, the 11th Doctor makes his entrance through the fissure portal thingy, and he is shortly followed by the War Doctor. The three of them are taken to the Tower of London, where they are imprisoned by Elizabeth.
I'll start off by criticizing the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth... I know I might be harping on a lot of details, but this was such a special episode that I feel like I need to comment on everything. Elizabeth I is an awesome historical figure, and here she was reduced to a woman desperate for a husband. She did have a couple of bad ass moments later on, but in essence they played off a really cool historical figure for some cheap laughs. Since ordinarily Doctor Who's versions of historical figures are really fun and creative, I was let down by the simplicity of Elizabeth. Again, the Zygons aren't the most threatening of villains, but they still worked fine. That being said, this is also the part of the episode where we get the first interactions between our three Doctors. And Oh. My. God. That's where the real strength of this episode comes from. I was expecting a lot from Smith and Tennant, and I was cautiously optimistic about Hurt, and let me tell you - these guys delivered. Everything was insanely witty and hilarious. I'm not going to even bother going through all of the great jokes in this section, because you've all already seen them all. The fez was funny, the thing with the glasses was funny, and the War Doctor chastising Ten and Eleven for their childish behavior was fantastic.
Now that they're imprisoned, the 11th Doctor has a plan for how to get them out. He starts carving a code in the tower, so that Kate can use a time machine thing to get to them in their prison. However, as previously mentioned, the Zygons have taken over Kate's body, so that plan is a bit risky. Just as it looks like Clara is going to be captured by the Zygons, she uses the code carved into the wall by the Doctor and then sent to Kate's phone, and she travels back in time.
While that's happening, the Doctors have a quite intense conversation about the Time War and guilt. With some help from "Bad Wolf Girl," the War Doctor figures out that they can calculate how to get out of the door using the sonic screwdriver. If he starts the calculations, then the 11th Doctor's screwdriver will still be running the program. In fact, the screwdriver finishes the calculation! However, just before they use it on the door to their prison, Clara shows up and opens the door. Apparently, it was unlocked.
The scene in the prison was really intense for all sorts of reasons. Particularly amazing was the moment when the 10th Doctor asks the 11th Doctor what's going to happen next, and says he'd "like to know where he's going." The 11th Doctor replies: "No, you really wouldn't." It was so intense. The cleverness of the sonic screwdriver was really neat as well. I will admit the only weaker moment was that the door was unlocked the whole time. It was a bit too on the nose in terms of showing that the Doctor always makes things more complicated than they need to be. I wish that hadn't been the case.
Regardless, the three Doctors and Clara now learn from Elizabeth that the Zygons got through to present-day London by going through Time Lord paintings. The Doctors and Clara use the same technique to get into the Black Archive, even though it's supposed to be TARDIS-proof. In the Black Archive, Kate is still attempting to blow up London to save the world from the Zygons. However, the Doctors make the Zygons and humans forget who they are, so that nobody is sure whether they are Zygon or human. This trick works to help them start a debate with no clear biases for either side.
This was a good scene, because it again showed the Doctors working together and being very clever. However, as I mentioned before, the blow-up-London plot is a bit weak, and this plot with everyone forgetting if they're a Zygon or a human actually doesn't end up coming back. It's just sort of... abandoned, for more interesting things. And I love the more interesting things, but we only get an implied resolution to this thread, rather than showing us how it all works out. Regardless, let's get to the awesome climax.
The War Doctor has made his decision to push the button and commit genocide. He figures that even if he's ridiculously guilty in the future, that guilt will propel him to save so many more lives, and isn't that worth it? However, Clara reminds him that he chose the name Doctor, and he should live up to it. Just before he pushes the button, Ten and Eleven show up in their respective TARDIS's. They tell him that he was the Doctor on the day when it was impossible to make the right choice. They come to stand with him, and it looks like all three Doctors will push the button together. However, Eleven changes his mind. He says there must be another way, and together the Doctors figure it out - they can freeze Gallifrey in a moment of time, like the paintings. The Doctors summon all of their incarnations together and they use the TARDIS's to do something fancy and timey-wimey to make Gallifrey disappear. The Daleks then get caught in their own crossfire, taking themselves out.
So, yeah. Epic. Beyond merely epic. Extreme. The moment where all the Doctors are standing by the button... chills. I actually got goosebumps. And then to have them change their minds... it was so amazing to end this episode on such a hopeful note. Seeing all the Doctors was fantastic, even if it was just in archived footage and voice doubles. Peter Capaldi even made an un-credited very brief appearance, and that was insanely surprising.
So, now that all of that craziness is resolved, the War Doctor and the 10th Doctor both leave to go back to their respective timelines (side note - I'm assuming that the 10th Doctor was in the part of his timeline after Donna left but before the "End of Time." I sort of would have liked confirmation about that, though. Just a nitpick). Both the War Doctor and the 10th Doctor realize that they won't remember any of this, and will have to continue shouldering the guilt of what they did on Gallifrey. Ten convinces Eleven to tell him about Trenzalore, considering that he won't remember it anyway. Clara leaves to give the Doctor some time alone with the painting of the battle at Arcadia. Suddenly, a mysterious museum curator appears. And it's... Tom Baker! His resemblance to the 4th Doctor is addressed but not explained, and he reveals to Eleven that the painting's name is not "No More," or "Gallifrey Falls." It's all one title: "Gallifrey Falls No More."
The Doctor now has a purpose - to find Gallifrey once more. He talks about a dream he has sometimes, where he and his other selves all look for Gallifrey so they can return home. The Doctor is then seen in all his regenerations, looking out on Gallifrey.
And so endeth the 50th Anniversary. So, first I have a question... if the War Doctor and the 10th Doctor can't remember any of this, does that mean that Eleven isn't going to remember it either? Obviously he does remember, but how does that actually work? Eh, who knows? And then we've got TOM BAKER. Like, holy hell. That was the most pleasant surprise. I loved the "congratulations" thing, because it was such a meta thing, like it was Baker congratulating Smith on playing the Doctor. The idea of reintroducing Gallifrey as a reality on this show is insanely smart. I'm so excited to see how this is going to go as we move forward, with Clara and the 12th Doctor on a hunt for the missing planet.
I've talked on long enough. I did have a few moments where I was less than impressed with the Black Archives/Zygons/Queen Elizabeth plot, but it wasn't like it was horrible... all of that stuff was serviceable, but luckily the focus remained right where it should: on the War Doctor and on that terrible moment during the Time War. All of the acting was superb, there were lots of fun surprises along the way, and as much as I don't like giving Moffat props, I must say I was mightily pleased with this amazing Anniversary Special.
9/10
Now that they're imprisoned, the 11th Doctor has a plan for how to get them out. He starts carving a code in the tower, so that Kate can use a time machine thing to get to them in their prison. However, as previously mentioned, the Zygons have taken over Kate's body, so that plan is a bit risky. Just as it looks like Clara is going to be captured by the Zygons, she uses the code carved into the wall by the Doctor and then sent to Kate's phone, and she travels back in time.
While that's happening, the Doctors have a quite intense conversation about the Time War and guilt. With some help from "Bad Wolf Girl," the War Doctor figures out that they can calculate how to get out of the door using the sonic screwdriver. If he starts the calculations, then the 11th Doctor's screwdriver will still be running the program. In fact, the screwdriver finishes the calculation! However, just before they use it on the door to their prison, Clara shows up and opens the door. Apparently, it was unlocked.
The scene in the prison was really intense for all sorts of reasons. Particularly amazing was the moment when the 10th Doctor asks the 11th Doctor what's going to happen next, and says he'd "like to know where he's going." The 11th Doctor replies: "No, you really wouldn't." It was so intense. The cleverness of the sonic screwdriver was really neat as well. I will admit the only weaker moment was that the door was unlocked the whole time. It was a bit too on the nose in terms of showing that the Doctor always makes things more complicated than they need to be. I wish that hadn't been the case.
Regardless, the three Doctors and Clara now learn from Elizabeth that the Zygons got through to present-day London by going through Time Lord paintings. The Doctors and Clara use the same technique to get into the Black Archive, even though it's supposed to be TARDIS-proof. In the Black Archive, Kate is still attempting to blow up London to save the world from the Zygons. However, the Doctors make the Zygons and humans forget who they are, so that nobody is sure whether they are Zygon or human. This trick works to help them start a debate with no clear biases for either side.
This was a good scene, because it again showed the Doctors working together and being very clever. However, as I mentioned before, the blow-up-London plot is a bit weak, and this plot with everyone forgetting if they're a Zygon or a human actually doesn't end up coming back. It's just sort of... abandoned, for more interesting things. And I love the more interesting things, but we only get an implied resolution to this thread, rather than showing us how it all works out. Regardless, let's get to the awesome climax.
The War Doctor has made his decision to push the button and commit genocide. He figures that even if he's ridiculously guilty in the future, that guilt will propel him to save so many more lives, and isn't that worth it? However, Clara reminds him that he chose the name Doctor, and he should live up to it. Just before he pushes the button, Ten and Eleven show up in their respective TARDIS's. They tell him that he was the Doctor on the day when it was impossible to make the right choice. They come to stand with him, and it looks like all three Doctors will push the button together. However, Eleven changes his mind. He says there must be another way, and together the Doctors figure it out - they can freeze Gallifrey in a moment of time, like the paintings. The Doctors summon all of their incarnations together and they use the TARDIS's to do something fancy and timey-wimey to make Gallifrey disappear. The Daleks then get caught in their own crossfire, taking themselves out.
So, yeah. Epic. Beyond merely epic. Extreme. The moment where all the Doctors are standing by the button... chills. I actually got goosebumps. And then to have them change their minds... it was so amazing to end this episode on such a hopeful note. Seeing all the Doctors was fantastic, even if it was just in archived footage and voice doubles. Peter Capaldi even made an un-credited very brief appearance, and that was insanely surprising.
So, now that all of that craziness is resolved, the War Doctor and the 10th Doctor both leave to go back to their respective timelines (side note - I'm assuming that the 10th Doctor was in the part of his timeline after Donna left but before the "End of Time." I sort of would have liked confirmation about that, though. Just a nitpick). Both the War Doctor and the 10th Doctor realize that they won't remember any of this, and will have to continue shouldering the guilt of what they did on Gallifrey. Ten convinces Eleven to tell him about Trenzalore, considering that he won't remember it anyway. Clara leaves to give the Doctor some time alone with the painting of the battle at Arcadia. Suddenly, a mysterious museum curator appears. And it's... Tom Baker! His resemblance to the 4th Doctor is addressed but not explained, and he reveals to Eleven that the painting's name is not "No More," or "Gallifrey Falls." It's all one title: "Gallifrey Falls No More."
The Doctor now has a purpose - to find Gallifrey once more. He talks about a dream he has sometimes, where he and his other selves all look for Gallifrey so they can return home. The Doctor is then seen in all his regenerations, looking out on Gallifrey.
And so endeth the 50th Anniversary. So, first I have a question... if the War Doctor and the 10th Doctor can't remember any of this, does that mean that Eleven isn't going to remember it either? Obviously he does remember, but how does that actually work? Eh, who knows? And then we've got TOM BAKER. Like, holy hell. That was the most pleasant surprise. I loved the "congratulations" thing, because it was such a meta thing, like it was Baker congratulating Smith on playing the Doctor. The idea of reintroducing Gallifrey as a reality on this show is insanely smart. I'm so excited to see how this is going to go as we move forward, with Clara and the 12th Doctor on a hunt for the missing planet.
I've talked on long enough. I did have a few moments where I was less than impressed with the Black Archives/Zygons/Queen Elizabeth plot, but it wasn't like it was horrible... all of that stuff was serviceable, but luckily the focus remained right where it should: on the War Doctor and on that terrible moment during the Time War. All of the acting was superb, there were lots of fun surprises along the way, and as much as I don't like giving Moffat props, I must say I was mightily pleased with this amazing Anniversary Special.
9/10
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