Doctor Who Series 7 Review - You Probably Forgot About It

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Doctor Who Series 7 - You Probably Forgot About It
 There is an overwhelming agreement that this is one of the worst series of the show and I am inclined to agree with that idea. It has some wonderful moments but I think it is definitely a very tired and slow series, it feels rushed and pumped out and is always just wasting time before the 50th anniversary. Each story feels like a first draft and I don't feel any real heart to it, the first half desperately tries to squeeze in an arc revolving around Amy and Rory leaving and the second half is a mess of a running story which is equal parts entertainingly nonsensical and frustratingly disappointing. Upon rewatch I just felt like there were a couple episodes missing, the majority of character development and plot I want to see is done off-screen, instead, we are wasting so much time with the nonsense frustrating faff. Moffat toots his own horn as per, but he doesn't seem to be interested in his own plot, he is clearly preoccupied with writing the Special that so much of this series is muddled and nonsensical. I do enjoy a couple spots here and there, mostly the smaller forgettable episodes are a bit more interesting than the several big event stories which are much more messy and tiresome. By this point everyone had grown a bit tired of the show's direction, patterns were emerging that become frustrating and the mysteries were met with a bit more scrutiny after the disappointing conclusion from the previous seasons. In my opinion, I find it to be a really forgettable bunch of episodes, with a few moments here and there that I genuinely quite like, it seems like 'Doctor Who' for 'Doctor Who' sake there never feels like a core idea or aspect that Moffat wants to tell which is why I have much less respect for this series than the previous. The last two series are ambitious daring series that I don't love but appreciate for their boldness, this series is tired and slow with barely any ambition and often ripping itself off once again. Well let's dive into each episode and explore the good and the bad of the end of an era.

Asylum of the Daleks


I wish I didn't have to start on such a negative but this is such a mishandled episode that I find it to be genuinely so unlikable to watch. It is beyond contrived, genuinely such a mess and so ridiculously full of itself that it basically is just a product of its own hype. I remember before this came out people were beyond excited, rumours of every single Dalek, a return to Skaro and Moffat himself stated it was the episode that was going too make the Daleks scary again (you know because they never recovered from 'Victory of the Daleks'). But as a result of this, it feels so reliant on its own spectacle and comes off as frustratingly gimmicky, it essentially boils down to the 'Daleks doing different things and saying things they haven't said before' as an illusion for stakes and plot. It is such a massive gimmick that the episode clutches on to, when you boil down the plot it leaves so much unresolved and abandons one gimmick for another every ten seconds. I found myself asking 'What were the Daleks afraid of on the planet?' Was it meant to be Oswin? We never get a solid answer because the ending thinks its big plot twist is enough to keep us preoccupied. I haven't even mentioned the out of nowhere subplot of Amy and Rory's divorce, which just baffles me, I think it is one of the laziest, forced and completely pointless subplots in the history of the show. I know you are meant to watch 'Pond Life' to understand why they split up, but why on earth would you not include essential character development in the actual episode! This is the couple that Moffat has whimsied his way around proving they are the most perfect in love couple of all time and here they are mid divorce with no explanation. How about you show this instead of including the terribly contrived conversation where Amy says they split up because she couldn't have kids which just feels out of nowhere and rushed, this could essentially be the basis of an episode but Moffat doesn't care about this. They split up off-camera and get together in one episode, there isn't ant emotional weight to it because Moffat wants the reason why to be another reveal, which I find ridiculously contrived and pointless. Oswin is a nice addition, Jenna Coleman is genuinely brilliant if a bit frustratingly written like a 'Moffat woman' where being mean and flirty equals being strong-willed, she does an excellent job creating pathos in those closing moments though. I dont like this episode, it is far too repetitive, full of reveals for reveal's sake and trying to be far too clever with the Daleks only to come off as reaching and muddled, the 'eggs' reveal is shamelessly ridiculous.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship


Apparently, Series 7 was intended to have a bunch of 'blockbuster' style episodes, each one is intended to feel like a big ambitious epic but in reality, it just makes a few episodes feel a bit dull. It is weird, the most iconic episodes of the show are usually the small ambitous episodes that work as conceptually unique stories in their own right rather than the more action-based big episodes. This is why an episode like this just blends into the background, there is a big-budget, bombastic ideas and an all-star cast but a script that only cares about the fact it has these elements and I think it relies far too much on the scale rather than interesting writing. It is an extremely gimmicky episode, the title on its own is basically a fun idea that we never develop further, like Chibnall woke up with the idea of 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship' and gave up on anything more interesting than that. There are far too many moments that fall flat because Chibnall underwrites anything and puts the focus on the gimmick, the supporting cast is extremely underdeveloped because having Queen Nefretiti flirt with Riddel is entertaining enough, they are simply charicatures and are there for meaningless spectacle. I am a self-confessed massive fan of Mitchell and Webb and even I find them irritating in this episode, Chibnall doesnt give them funny dialogue because people will recognise their voices and not need anything else, instead they feel quippy and underused. I wish the episode would slow down, explore what it had instead of making a 'Brian does something a dad does' joke or 'CGI Dinosaur does a funny thing' and sidetrack developing the plot in any interesting way. The villain is a colossal waste of David Bradley (who thankfully gets to redeem himself in a different episode) he is nothing more than a snivelling terrible person with such ridiculously over the top malicious motivations that aren't exploring anything interesting, it isn't making a point it is just over the top for plot conviencence. There's also an abundance of Chibnallisms, every plot detail is ridiculously over explained, the last ten minutes wrap everything up far too easily and the characters are about as bland as beige. Every now and then an interesting idea is glossed over, I wanted to get a chance to explore the character of Brian Williams but he is just there for comedic nonsense and doesnt react to this in any way that is dramatically interesting, the Silurian ship that has been taken over is somewhat interesting but we waste time looking into it any further than that. A big, impressive blockbuster which is ultimately incredibly insubstantial.

A Town Called Mercy


There is a core idea that I love in 'A Town Called Mercy' in fact I would go as far as saying that this is one of my favourites of the series even if it does have a tendency to trip over itself a lot. Whilst the previous episode wasted it's 'blockbuster' feel to it, this is one of my favourite directed episodes of the show, the design and feel to this episode is genuinely well thought through and the transition in tone and genre is brilliant. I think I really love this episode for what it is, there isn't anything crazily ambitous about it but it does an impressive job with its environment and story managing to maintaining a well thought through story in an incredibly interesting environment. Whithouse is a fantastically inconsistent writer, he has written some of my favourite episodes whilst also written some genuinely awful episodes here and there, you never know what you are going to get and here is an example of his brilliant work. It does fall under the crutch of 'episode based around a moral decision' but the environment and actual moral exploration is something quite interesting, mostly due to the fact that the dialogue is for the most part quite well done. The moral dilemma, whilst not exactly revolutionary is wonderfully explored and adds a lot to the emotional crutch of the episode, exploring this basically impossible situation to its true extent. I do think it is an episode that has no idea what to do with its companions, Amy and Rory feel out of place and unneeded as if they are just along for the ride with no purpose in the episode and when Whithouse tries to give them stuff to do it is so underdeveloped and pointless. I just really enjoy the episode's design and feel, the western tropes aren't overdone and actually make sense to the plot in an engaging fashion and the tone is well balanced, they tone Smith down and focus on the interesting emotional angles rather than faffing about way too much. Perhaps it is from an amazing performance by Adrian Scarborough or a production value that is way incredible, but this return to a more traditional and toned own episode feels so much more welcome than the frustratingly messy, smug and gimmicky episodes that have come before.

The Power of Three


What a fascinating episode, genuinely a genius idea and something I would absolutely adore that manages to be a proof of the importance of execution with potential. I love about 50 percent of this episode and hate the other 50 percent, every scene makes me smile and get invested and then discourage any care I have for it within 30 seconds. From the previous episodes, there is this weird underdeveloped idea of Amy and Rory planning to leave, at the end of each episode they mention they want to go home and it is quite underdeveloped until this episode. This is the most developed and interesting I have ever found this TARDIS team, this is the first time they are written as actual characters and not witty dialogue generators and it's Chibnall proving he writes characters really well occasionally. I just love seeing these characters get to experience the day to day, to grow and interact like humans and actually evaluate their own decisions in context to The Doctor, it is a brilliant step to maturing these characters. Amy and The Doctor's speech outside the Tower of London is my favourite interaction between these characters, the two admitting that their adventures were just consistently running away without thinking is a lovely addition to them as genuine characters. The cubes themselves are a brilliant literal mystery box, seeing genuine humans react to them is very RTD and I love how the mystery consistently subverts your expectations up until the third act. There is a lot of Smith faffing about that you all know I am not a fan of, this is peak just wasting time by making Smith wave his limbs about for a bit. I love the slow more methodical pacing with the time jumps being dealt with well and with genuine interest, it doesn't feel rushed and is paced well up until that finale. And then it all falls apart, with one of the most disappointing conclusions to a story with so much potential, I hate the reveal that it is just 'another alien invasion, the cubes are just heart attack generators' it just feels like a waste. Steven Berkoff (yes that Steven Berkoff) is laughably bad and was apparently a pain onset, it blows my mind that he ever did this because his performance is terrible and the Shakri are so forgettable. It is brimming with potential and then falls flat on its face, I appreciate it for what it does but it definitely falls apart in that horrific third act.

The Angels Take Manhattan 


I have had my peace with the characters of Amy and Rory, I've never been much of a fan so the emotional crutch of this entire episode doesn't entirely have the intended effect. I'm sorry, I really am I wished I understood why this episode is loved so much but apart from the emotional impact of the Pond's departure this is a gigantic mess of a plot. It is essentially a roundabout way to get from point A to point B, it is my least favourite type of Moffat story where he overcomplicates the plot with clever twists that ignore any type of structure or satisfying narrative. The opening crutch is the TARDIS team reading a book written by River Song and using it as a way to work out how to rescue Rory who has been sent behind in time by the Angels. The problem with the Angels is that they only really work in the context of 'Blink' by design and Moffat keeps introducing contrivances and plot nonsense in order to maintain the Angels as a genuine threat. When your enemies power is returning people into the past, a time traveller seems to have a ridiculous advantage and here Moffat just fills the plot with this jargon to be able to convincingly pull off the fact that Amy and Rory aren't coming back. He claims that 1920s New York is time-locked with no reason or explanation which would be fine if the main point of tension wasn't reliant on this fact, the Angels are nothing more than a pointless messy threat as Moffat just pushes them to the side whilst dropping hints at interesting ideas that are not developed in any way. The Statue of Liberty is an Angel, they use a building they made to farm people by consistently sending them back in time are kind of major game-changing ideas that are only there to push the plot forward with nothing done with them. And that is my major problem, I dont really have much connection to the emotional angle because this isn't a TARDIS team I enjoy spending time with, seeing them go is well done but far too contrived to be emotionally effective, I also dont buy Smith as an emotional actor so that angle really falls flat. So when I look at the plot, there isn't anything else to get out of it, the plot is really messy and only there for a clever reason to say goodbye to Amy and Rory, simplicity would have been more effective and here it really falls apart.

The Snowmen


Series 7 was infamously split into two parts, and as a result, feels a bit overstuffed and confused, the first half is dedicated so saying goodbye to Amy and Rory and the second half is juggling the Clara plot, the Trenzalore plot and the set up for the 50th. However, I actually quite enjoy some of the stories in this second half, perhaps I like the fact we get something new and interesting for a short while and I think 'The Snowmen' is a really solid story. First things first, Clara, one of the most divisive characters in the show, I really like Clara, she overstays her welcome later on but she is mostly just a really fun performance from Jenna Coleman. Admittedly I don't love her in Series 7 because she is almost essentially just a mystery box, to begin with and tends to just say over-written pretentious mystery baiting, but this in this episode she is my favourite version of this character. This is a really strong episode, it has a lot to handle but does it well, it has to squeeze a plot that transforms The Doctor from a grieving cynical person into the man we know, Smith doesn't do moody great it kind of comes off as childish but the way Clara reinvigorates him is really mystical and heartwarming because of how quickly Clara feels like a fun fairytale character. I really like that the mystery adds to her character, her optimistic Victorian fairytale-like persona is wonderfully done and I wish we stuck with this version and spent more time delving into her as a character. Maybe I am a bit biased as I am a gigantic fan of Richard E Grant who plays a classic cynical Victorian snivelling posh bad guy that is wonderfully over the top, the Great Intelligence isn't developed much but the concept of 'telepathic snow' is balanced and explained well, it is a simpler idea that makes sense rather than an overcomplicated idea that doesn't meld well. It is one of my favourite Christmas specials, it gets a bit silly at times and the comedy almost always falls flat (I can't stand Strax I am very sorry)  but tonally it is beautifully romantic and fairytale-esque in a genuinely realised empathetic fashion rather than being insubstantial and wishy-washy. I'm not even that sure why, perhaps it is just the fact that Murray Gold just amazes me so much that this episode remains one of my favourites of the season due to being tonally captivating and wonderfully Christmassy.

The Bells of Saint John


This is where series 7B falls apart a bit, every episode feels unimportant because of how obsessed Moffat is with teasing the Clara mystery, I had this problem with Series 6 as every time you reference the main mystery it detracts from the self-contained plot of each episode. Even as someone who quite likes Clara I feel like she overshadows the actual plot, I dont think the 'Impossible Girl' plot should have ever been a part of this as the Great Intelligence/Trenzalore plot is probably enough rather than another mystery box on top of that, I wish The Doctor came here to find the Great Intelligence, that the whole series was The Doctor Vs The Great Intelligence. But like here, it is a good enough companion introduction with a dull Wi-Fi plot being buried underneath on the Clara fluff, I like her introduction but she functions as a mystery for the episode so when another mystery is introduced for the episode it feels overstuffed and muddled. Granted I kind of enjoy some of the ideas going on here and there, the Wi-Fi plot is a bit gimmicky, relying on a tired trope but the personality editing and uploading people is quite intimidating and somewhat entertaining. The only problem is that it relies far too much on technobabble to solve the stakes and is full of sequences just there to keep the pace and action up without any other purpose, the aeroplane scene is a horrible example of this. Clara goes down in my books in this episode, she feels a bit too 'Moffat woman' where she consistently flirts and makes sexual jokes as a way to say she is a strong character, however, I do like the fact she is endearing and empathetic in her actions and proves her value immediately. It is a bit of a return to the norm, a classic RTD modern-day threat story that is something the rest of the series takes under its wing as a way too make Clara a bit more developed rather than trying to hard to make an overcomplicated set of ideas. It is messy in areas and several Moffatisms which are more problems with the overarching series plot than the episode itself. 

Rings of Akhaten


I want to love this episode so much but it just falls flat on its face, I really enjoy the idea behind it but honestly, it has one of the worst resolutions to a story that diminishes the value of everything else. I like seeing who Clara is by exploring her parents, the leaf is a quirky fun thing in the opening and it adds a really needed sense of reality to her whimsical story. The setting and environment is by far my favourite aspect and one of the best-looking episodes the show has ever done, the attention to detail in the alien designs is something I will never get bored of and putting Clara in this over the top alien world is a brilliant contrast and works wonderfully for that 'fish out of water' story. I really enjoy stories that are just about visiting an area and taking it in for a bit, it is a trope for new companions but I enjoy it because it fits that escapist pleasure the show can provide and this is one of the most beautiful looking worlds out there. The first half is incredible, seeing Clara interact honestly and openly with the girl is wonderful as she feels genuinely human and it is the polar opposite to the scene from 'A Beast Below' with Amy, here she talks to her like someone who knows how to talk to children which I really appreciate. There is something so refreshing about seeing Eleven and Clara just enjoy an alien world as tourists, the ceremony with its beautiful score and set of aliens gives me goosebumps every time, however the second the actual plot starts it falls apart a bit. The second act in the pyramid is just faff getting to the reveal of the fact the sun is the villain and then it is saved through a big speech and a power of love convenience which I find so disappointing. The speech itself is adored but I dont think it is about anything, it is essentially just The Doctor showing off that he has done stuff when you compare it to some of Capaldi's speeches it is laughably thin, the leaf is a predictable way out and something far too convenient, it is fairytale writing that since the stakes are way too high it doesn't have any effect. It is such a shame because there is an essentially unbelievable amount of potential and atmosphere that leads up to something convenient and disappointing. 

Cold War


Oh, look! Another Gatiss episode time to forget it ever existed the second after it finished because it is such a nothing forgettable 45 minutes of the show. I'm being slightly hyperbolic but Gatiss seems to just pump out these dull 'by the books' episodes that dont offer anything and can essentially be skipped entirely in the long run. 'Cold War' is an episode of 'Doctor Who' and nothing more, Doctor and Companion end up in a historical situation, there is an alien to defeat which has something to do with the context of the episode and they defeat him and the episode ends. That is it! I can't stand episodes like this because there is nothing to write about, there aren't any interesting themes or ideas, it just fills in the spot of an episode and doesn't give me anything interesting. I suppose it is a fine base under siege story, the stakes are entertaining and if you are a fan of the Ice Warriors I'm sure it is good to see them back, to me they are just another warrior race that I dont really care about because all they do is be militaristic. It has a good environment to it, the submarine is cramped and gives this claustrophobic sense to it however I do think it doesn't entirely do anything that interesting with soviet morales or the submarine potential. The Ice Warrior is an interesting part, I love the original design of the suits and think they are wonderfully inhuman and unsettling yet this takes away a bit of the magic by seeing it out of the suit in a sort of Dalek-style unveiling that is disappointing and really goofy. Honestly, there isn't anything to talk about in this episode, it is just another story that doesn't really add anything new, the production design is nice and the supporting cast are fun if woefully underdeveloped but there it sits right in the middle and doesn't give me any pleasure or things to think about.

Hide


There's something bizarrely safe about Series 7, a lot of the episodes feel like they massively underserve their purpose and dont actually want to attempt anything that exciting. That being said 'Hide' is a story that seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis and doesn't want to commit to one of its fair few interesting ideas. Straight horror stories are something I usually enjoy when the show does, but here the ghost story angle just gets swept under the rug about 20 minutes in for a different story. Something this era tends to do is attribute far too many tropes and ideas about 'Doctor Who' into stories that dont really require it resulting in so many stories that could have been interesting and different turning into something really interesting. The Doctor and Clara wander into a two paranormal investigators investigating a ghost, then they discover the ghost is a woman stuck in a pocket universe and then it becomes a straight monster story. I wish we spent more time in this eerie ghost story, the design of the ghost is really well done and there are a couple of moments that are really creepy and well done. The 'timey-wimey' sequence just tends to feel gimmicky in my opinion, seeing The Doctor go to the start and beginning of the universe is too dismissive of something like that, we spend 5 minutes with Clara coping with that and then just move on from there. Maybe it comes down to personal taste but I dont enjoy when interesting ideas are thrown to the curve to just include a moment of spectacle. If it played it as a straight ghost story it could explore what these characters do under the pressure of the unknown or perhaps the implication of what the ghost is could be something thematically strong. Instead, it is a clever 'pocket universe' explanation and then becomes distracted by a 'misunderstood monster' story that we have seen so many times before, the traveller being stuck in a pocket universe gets no development and the thematic implication of something like that could have been explored through Clara but it really isn't. I love the design of the monster, both Jessica Raine and Dougray Scott are brilliant and really well developed, I like how Emma bonds with Clara similar to how Rose would with side characters. It just falls victim to wanting to be a 'Doctor Who' story rather than something new and interesting with what it has.

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS


This is any Doctor Who fan's dream, a whole story taking place in the TARDIS seems to be impossible to not become a classic, the glimpses of the TARDIS' extra locations are some of my favourite little moments of the show. On a pure spectacle collection of interesting ideas this episode is incredible, wonderfully intriguing, downright terrifying in places and incredibly subversive in others. However it gets bogged down inside characters, stakes and characterisation, I wish we had stripped this episode down a bit and just revelled in exploring the TARDIS and what it is like when the TARDIS turns against you. Mostly I just wish this episode didn't have the three salvage crew members and the baggage they carry, it feels like a Chibnall script where side characters are introduced for narrative purpose and we waste time with pointless character subplots that weigh down the story. The android subplot is such a waste of time, the three brothers are just unimportant and we stand in the corridors of the TARDIS, witnessing the Eye of Harmony and devote time to these three people we haven't met bickering about family politics. This is such a shame because there are some beautiful moments exploring the madness inside the TARDIS, the journey is beyond fascinating as we see time glitches, corridors bend around each other and the places The Doctor hides his many secrets. In manages to maintain the mystique and curiosity whilst still developing unknown concepts, something 'The Doctor's Wife' did very well in the last series is tackle 50-year-old ideas and unveiling new concepts behind them. The generic Time Zombie characters are a bit disappointing, the reveal of what they are is underwhelming, to say the least, and honestly, I would have preferred if there were just some creatures in the TARDIS that were left unexplained I think that is much more interesting and unnerving. Even the Doctor's oldest friend has some dark secrets hidden within its walls and I think that would have been really interesting, but they clearly are there for actions sake and to give a reason for the side characters to be there. A really amazing set of ideas that develops some things I really enjoy yet disappointing B-Plots and a convenient ending brings down what could have been something special.

Crimson Horror


Why did we get two Gatiss episodes this series? This one is much better than 'Cold War' but it still about as inconsistent as his other works. You often find people pretending this never happened, it is such a bizarre story, Gatiss almost goes back to his roots by making this disturbing unsettling story that is gross and ridiculous. Maybe it is the 'League of Gentlemen' fan inside that appreciates how genuinely insane and gross this episode is, it is still the closest we will get tonally to something like that show in 'Doctor Who' but it does fall apart by being tonally all over the place. I want a gruesome unsettling victorian Yorkshire horror tale about a woman that freezes people in place to feed a little red leech strapped too her but then we spend half the episode with the god damn Paternoster Gang. I never understood why we spend this much time with these characters, I always feel like I missed an episode where they were developed and given a reason to be here but they just show up and quip their screentime away. They are way too comedically orientated and feel like caricatures, which is fine for one-off appearances but when we spend so much time with them and all they do is perform slapstick routines it feels like a waste of time. There is also the infamous sexualisation of Jenny from The Doctor in a scene that I point to for the problem with Smith as a Doctor, that joke is used all the time and it comes off as creepy and gross. I just kind of love how uncompromisingly weird it is in places, Diana Rigg is incredibly over the top as this snivelling freak of a person that chews the scenery delightfully. The visual design of the Crimson Horror itself is wonderfully gross, the people getting turned into frozen red zombies is wonderful and the tone of Sweetville is idyllically disturbing. Maybe I just enjoy it for how out of place it feels, the actual plot is paced horrifically and the ending is laughably bad but other than that it just feels so wonderfully weird.

Nightmare in Silver


Oh Gaiman, I love you so much but this is such a waste of your talents. I hate criticising one of my favourite writers but I have no idea what happened here, I think he was approached to write a Cyberman story but like most of this Series, it was just filler and seemed to be written in a real rush. It feels like it should have been the finale, or a two-parter or something else that isn't just 'another Series 7 episode' feeling like a waste of so much. There is two core ideas that this whole episode should have been stripped down to, the aftermath of the Cybermen war or the fact that The Doctor is being converted. Instead, both happening at once trip over each other and on top of this is the two children. Two annoying waste of time children. I dont know the exact history behind the writing of the episode but it feels absurd to give Gaiman the story that introduces a new brand of Cyberman and has two children running around for no reason. Gaiman does weird interesting psychological stories, he does stuff like 'The Doctor's Wife' this episode feels like he wanted to write a story about The Doctor battling being transformed into aa cybermen and had to fill in the rest from there. The problem there is that Smith can not handle this performance, in fact, he is kind of embarrassing, he plays this dual personality like I would when I was 10 and in a school playground. The difference between the two personalities isn't clear enough and it doesn't explore the potential of this enough and we sideline that for Cybermen war stories. It is a real disappointment, I wish we spent more time on each idea rather than this jumbled all over the place plot that doesn't quite work at all and feels laughably inconsistent at time. Clara takes being a military general way too easily, Porridge is a woeful waste of Warwick Davies and his character is nothing more than a clever reveal rather than a character and the 'planet-destroying thing' is such a conveniently ridiculous thing that doesn't make sense. I wish this was better, I even quite like the new Cybermen design but it doesn't half feel overblown and a waste of potential.

Name of the Doctor


I want to know honestly what the plot 'Name of the Doctor' is because I watch it and I feel like it 
is such a frustrating mess of nothing. What are the themes and ideas of this episode? What are the plot elements of this episode that aren't just a roundabout way to answer the running mystery? It is such an insanely nothing episode that could be something if Moffat didn't insist on trying to one-up his audience with the reveal of who Clara is. The first act is full of faff, wasting so much time in order to get The Doctor and Clara to Trenzalore, we then spend ages with a mystery box teasing The Doctor saying his name for no reason, then the finale act is based around the Great Intelligence jumping into the timeline and Clara jumping in as well. If you cut all the gimmicks out, the Paternoster Gang faff, River Song's wasted inclusion, stupid comedic and action filler this is just our protagonist arrives at the location, the conflict is revealed and resolved almost immediately. This is one of the biggest most bizarre mistakes of the series as it is basically just trying to resolve the Clara plot and setting up the cliffhanger for the 50th, it becomes far too frustratingly convenient, almost like an episode that is just a checklist of plot threads Moffat needs to complete. I dont know, I find the whole set-up to be ridiculously contrived in order to reveal the mystery, there is no way to guess where this Clara plot is because of how overwritten and ridiculous this is. Moffat tries to be so clever, Trenzalore is where The Doctor is buried and the Doctor's name needs to be said to open the door to his timeline which Clara jumps into in order to explain why she keeps showing up. This isn't compelling because it works on its own rules, each scene is full of exposition because none of it makes sense and the level of patience the audience has to have is ridiculous. I can't stand this, I think it honestly as such awful messy dialogue and far too obsessed with its own cleverness that I am not surprised people tend to overlook it and even a massive Richard E Grant fan cant stand this pile of rubbish.

Day of the Doctor


It's pretty good I guess. Moffat clearly was preoccupied during this series and focusing his efforts on this special and it pays off, I don't love it but for what it is and for everything it achieves I can't help but admire it. Everything feels big and cinematic in the special and it genuinely feels polished, thought through and had so much time to make it feel like a payoff to the legacy of this show. On a pure spectacle basis, there is so much to love, there are so many elements that the fan inside me can't help but adore and whenever the plot gets a bit messy I dont really mind as I've no idea how this could have been any better. Is it heavily reliant on nostalgia? Yes, but it does take this nostalgia and finish an 8-year arc in a satisfying emotionally relevant way which I really appreciate. I dont know, I go back and forth with 'Day of the Doctor' because it is in some ways so overdone and messy but I still really enjoy it and maybe it just appeals to my sensitivities. Maybe my love for John Hurt, the return of David Tennant and Billie Piper, the Time War finally been shown just simply makes me incredibly happy and I think that I can be very cynical to Moffat's work and whilst the problems still remain here it just feels pointless to criticise. Whilst in something like 'Name of the Doctor' Moffat has been his biggest fan and tried to one-up his own mystery to the point of contrivance and pointless consequence, however here the story is a bit smaller and much more focused without consistently teasing a mystery. I can just switch my brain off and enjoy 'Doctor Who' for once, without being promised a brilliant mystery or being shown a series of really clever snippets as Moffat flexes his brilliant conceptual massive brain instead it is a clear story with a clear thought process, message and a wonderful tribute to the show's history. 



Tennant slips right into the role and my god hearing Murray Gold's theme for him hits me right in the nostalgia, I love how he isn't over the top but they still poke fun at him, he still manages to communicate everything wonderfully about his character. The boyish charm and procrastinating from his genuine issues are very well done and I just really love seeing him come back even if it is for a short while. The Eccleston fan in me is disappointed that we never saw the original version with him, or even using McGann instead but my god does the late great John Hurt do an incredible job as this broken disgruntled Doctor.  He manages to do so much in his short appearance, maintaining this sense of sympathy with this pain that hangs over him, he was always an incredible actor and we were honoured to be able to watch him. I do think the story doesn't need the Zygon subplot, feels weird to bring them back for the first time in the 50th anniversary especially when the focus is on the Gallifrey plot however the little bit of time we spend with them is fun and whimsy for a bit. I wish we spent a little more time with the solution, it feels a tad bit romanticised to finish this plot with something as convenient as that but I do think they do a wonderful job at making it feel spectacular. Thematically I love how personal this story is, managing to think about growth, trauma and how much we change and move on from the past that haunts you. I really love how this has been such an essential character beat for The Doctor and here it is opened up and delved into really well, it is a wonderfully well done cathartic episode that fills you with joy and sometimes that is all you need. I struggle with this era a lot but episodes like this remind me that this show will always be messy, it will grow and change wonderfully and sometimes reflection is part of the journey. Even if the episode straight afterwards exists. 

Time of the Doctor


I'm not going to lie when I say this is one of my least favourite episodes of this era. It is just not what I want from 'Doctor Who' and I've tried to understand the love for it but I just find it to be an absolute disaster.  Everyone complains about those last ten minutes of 'End of Time' for being far too self-indulgent which is weird when this is basically an hour-long 'things you remember from Doctor Who' with such a pointless nothing plot full of gimmicks and absolute nonsense. In this single episode, we retcon the entire of Moffat's unanswered questions to fit this plot, all of Series 5 and 6 happened to stop The Doctor from saying his name and letting the Time Lords return. I dont know, I prefer my 'Doctor Who' to have a cohesive plot, one that doesn't take place over 1000s of years with a million different monsters and stakes that are so over the top they dont seem unfathomable. What is the tension in this episode? most of the action happens in montage and it is so directionless at times that I dont even know what happens. It just doesn't work, I dont care about any of this because there isn't anything cohesive to grasp on to, Moffat has to face up to these mysteries and stumbles around upping the stakes consistently to coincide with the mystery. He does this time after time, he avoids the simple answer to his own questions as a way to seem clever but here he falls flat on his face because the simple answer isnt available here and instead we get a series of events so unintelligible and frustrating. The Doctor must protect a town called Christmas for thousands of years so that he doesn't say his name and bring the Time Lords back, that is a synopsis but essentially the majority of the second act is being told that statement repeatedly. Clara has to have small little mini-adventures to waste time, there are wooden cybermen, Silence and horrible comedic flirting to pad out what is a story that simply can't be shown in an hour. You cant make something on this scale so dismissive, I dont feel anything because it all so overwritten, by the time Smith says his final speech it is almost jarring because it is the first time in so long he has spoken something that isnt plot babble. I can't stand it, it just isnt what I want from this show and I have absolutely no sadness seeing Smith leave, granted this is his best series performance wise, I have always found him frustratingly repetitive. However, those final moments of Capaldi remind me that there is good to come and I can move on from one of my least favourite Doctors to one of my absolute favourites. 


I know Ive been exhaustingly negative about this era, it is hard not to be cynical about it if you don't have the nostalgia that many people have. I like substance, I like character and I will always prefer small stakes big idea stories over Moffat's constant obsession with pushing the stakes way too high so that he can never fulfil them. But I understand the love for the Smith era, it is whimsical and something wonderful to be swept up in but I can't help but find it frustrating and difficult to separate the annoying patterns in Moffat as a writer. It is time to move on, to the high concept, incredibly inconsistent and sometimes incredibly underrated Capaldi years next and it is going to be a pleasure. Thanks for reading!