Doctor Who Series 10 - A Beautiful Goodbye
Perhaps this is a controversial statement, but Series 10 of NuWho is my favourite Moffat series and one of my favourites of the whole series. Now I had low expectations, I was kind of left in a state of disinterest after Series 9, every time I was enjoying the show it would jump the shark and just make me lose interest. Capaldi's last season is stripped back, smaller scale and has one of my favourite companions in the whole show, I can't stress enough how underappreciated this series is. Of course, it comes down to personal tastes, I have said time and time again that I am not a fan of Steven Moffat's long-running arcs and often find his Series to be self-absorbed and nonsensical. But here he seems to take a step back, a lot of the stories have smaller stakes and a focus on character and tone rather than trying to consistently subvert and surprise the audience with overblown plots, we get nice little (for the most part) stories that are classic Doctor Who that I love. It's a bit more camp, a bit more human and even if a couple episodes here and there are a bit messy I always appreciate it for Capaldi and Mackie's chemistry and the way they are written together. Honestly, this series is what has kept me going when writing these reviews, it is by far the one I am most excited to revisit and I begin this review with excitement as we delve into Capaldi's final series.
The Pilot
What a bold name for an opening episode and exactly what this show needed, Moffat clearly demonstrates that he wanted to strip back the show a bit and almost reboot the show again. It's a bit weird he decided to do this on his last series, but I adore how 'The Pilot' slowly reintroduces yet reinvents the show within a cohesive and brilliant narrative. We start in Bill Potts feet and never really leave them for the whole episode, it is an attempt at bringing back the RTD way of writing companions by portraying Bill as an everyman and then fulfilling that beautiful escapist fantasy that she needs in her life. I think this a beautiful character, she begins as a mostly comedic character but as we slowly develop her more throughout the episode she becomes much more sympathetic and realised. This is not only a reintroduction to the show, it is a romance and a reset, it's about starting afresh and finding something new and beautiful in life to care about. The Doctor feels new in this episode, I love the Professor version of this character and I think it is really suiting to his character to have him meet Bill as her tutor. It is functionally a romance introduction story, we use a small little sci-fi story to establish this world from Bill's perspective and I love how it is done through the eyes of a romance. Bill is introduced through a casual little relationship she has which is adapted into a sci-fi concept and then from that we use this to introduce her to the world of The Doctor. I love the chase sequence that covers the concept of the TARDIS and the confrontation as a way of proving Bill as the perfect person to fit this companion role. Then we succinctly sum up where The Doctor is as a character with the mind wipe conversation and within the 50 minutes everything fits together beautifully, it's short and sweet. Not exactly an insanely experimental concept for an opener but a beautiful way to introduce Bill as a character and set the lighter tone of the series.
Smile
If there ever was an episode that seemed doomed from the start it is this one, Frank Cotrell Boyce the writer of one of the most hated episodes of the show returns with an episode about emoji-bots and who would have thought that it wouldn't be that bad, in fact, it's quite a fun clever story that is a really enjoyable experience. 'Doctor Who' has done more 'Earth Colony' stories than we've had morally strong prime ministers but that doesn't lessen the impact of this very story, in fact, it puts an interesting spin on this perspective by making it a story about human greed and essentially a metaphor for the British Empire. It is essentially quite a by-the-books story done wonderfully, it falls into a bit of a predictable pattern but on a visual and thematic level, it stands above stories that follow a similar pattern. First and foremost this in an episode that is almost completely reliant on visuals, it is one of the most stunning looking episodes of the show, the setting is beautiful and designed completely brilliantly. I like the way the mystery unravels, the fact the audience knows the stakes before The Doctor and Bill and this allows Bill to develop and really grow into her first adventure. The third act is what makes this episode, although it admittedly fixes its stakes easier than I would have liked the reveal that the villains were attacking out of confusion and needed to be recognised as their own species. It is about the implication and a really clever way to use emojis, a human invention to simulate human interaction, in a story about this species learning about being human and wanting to be recognised as a species. Unfortunately a lot of these ideas sort of muddle together, it suggests a lot more than its saying and you end up completely inputting your own idea on it rather than a cohesive message that Boyce is conveying. A strong first adventure that looks amazing.
Thin Ice
Something I really love about Series 10 is how each episode runs into each other, there is a much more serialised feel to it that allows the character and plot to grow in front of you rather than off-screen. Something that really annoyed me about Clara, Amy and Rory was how many times their development was mentioned off screen rather than actually shown to us. We go straight from the ending of 'Smile' into the opening of 'Thin Ice' which revels in being a pretty straight forward historical with some really interesting and entertaining elements. The story is much more concerned in adapting Bill slowly to The Doctor and the concept of time travel, there is this brilliant repeated quirk to her character that she just consistently asks the wrong questions. She manages to be entertaining and actually really endearing, there's something about allowing her to slowly learn about The Doctor that does his character such a service. The actual story itself is nothing particularly bold but it is really sweet and character-based, it's about Bill learning about consequences and perhaps finding out that The Doctor isn't as perfect as she may think he is. This is the episode that Series 10 really starts to work for me, it is where everything begins to make sense, Capaldi's Doctor really finds himself in this episode. He is quieter and timider, much less brash and arrogant but wise and playful here, his relationship with Bill is built on respect and he's her teacher first and foremost. He teaches her about sacrifice and how to make good out of bad, stare prejudice in the face and enjoy the moments where good prevails. I really enjoy this story, I love the vibrant setting, the racist villain that The Doctor punches in the face, the exploration of how to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds. I think it is an absolute treat, it doesn't need some bold sci-fi concept but it tells a very human story that's paced really well.
Knock Knock
What a treat to have a straight horror episode that doesn't get overwhelmed in trying too hard to be clever and just makes a compelling creepy story. Once you get past the attempts at being a cool and youthful story there is a lovely story here that is gothic, disturbing and exciting. Putting Bill in a typical college student horror story is brilliant, it's a refreshing way to show her adapting to her new life as a time traveller by doing the classic RTD trope of bringing the Sci-Fi to the characters and letting Bill grow from there. The story is one that relies almost essentially on atmosphere and design, the creepy house with this beautiful sound design is something I will never get bored with, there is clearly a lot of thought and effort that has gone into how effective the atmosphere of this episode is. It features a pretty forgettable supporting cast, it's nice seeing Bill act like a real college student and not a whimsy machine. The real highlight is one hell of a performance from David Suchet, a genuine national treasure delivering a genuinely really brave and absurd performance, he manages to be a simultaneously creepy old mad man and naive child throughout which is such a delight, the man elevates this episode beyond belief. The design of the little 'woodlice' is unsettling, the deaths are a bit camp but I find insects incredibly creepy anyway, Eliza is also one of my favourite designs of the series and she is wonderfully creepy. It's a really atmospheric story that doesn't offer much new but it is wonderfully entertaining and really atmospheric. I think now might be as good a time as ever to bring up the running vault plot, I dont love it in the first few episodes as it is essentially an Abrams' mystery box but I do like the idea of keeping The Doctor on earth and having his adventure be even riskier due to this commitment to the vault.
Oxygen
Now that is how you redeem yourself, Jamie Mathieson, 'Oxygen' is a masterpiece of a 'distress signal' story that is creepy, political and wonderfully exciting. It is so perfectly conceived, creating a zombie story with a ticking clock being how much oxygen you have, it is tense engaging and one hell of a story. There is so much to love in this one episode, the catalyst for the adventure being The Doctor missing space and wanting adventure only for the actual adventure to be a disturbing capitalist nightmare that costs The Doctor more than he could ever imagine. It is very much a quite typical base under siege story but it is fascinatingly done, with this constant tense and angry atmosphere to it, I just love this simple idea of having the villain being this unseen capitalist nightmare. The suits that spew out artificial voices that are actually slowly tickling down to your death, charging you for every breath you take whilst working somewhere to earn the money in order to pay for your own oxygen. It is a depressing metaphor, a very clear and concise way to show capitalism at its worse, creating literally zombies just programmed by their suits to walk do their work whilst gaining money from them for every breath they take. On top of this, it is a tense, funny and engaging episode with some brilliant stakes and set pieces that keep you fixated on this brilliant core idea, the tension is paced wonderfully to a point where even if the conclusion is a bit convenient it matches up with the tone and the ideas wonderfully. Here is the first step in developing The Doctor into his series' arc, the idea that he thirsts for adventure but never the consequences, his love of helping people against his pain and suffering that this aid causes him. The cliffhanger of him remaining blind is incredibly impactful, Capaldi has played a quieter and more tired Doctor this series and this is some really interesting consequences for him.
Extremis
Is this an absolutely insane episode? Yes. Is it one of the most daring, risky and high concept things the show has ever done? Yes. Is it good? I dont really know. The thing about 'Extremis' is that it falls into the category of Moffat scripts that are completely set up, they have a bunch of exciting ideas and are almost only as successful as their payoff. That is my main problem with Moffat as a writer, he tends to just have these really clever ideas that he can't follow up on yet instead of toning down the ideas, he leans into them and toots his own horn beyond belief. I enjoy 'Extremis' for what it is, a fantastic insane story that ramps up the tension brilliantly, getting more and more bizarre as it goes on, it is wonderfully interesting and full of potential. The Veritas plot is such a brilliant setup, the episode is incredibly dark and quite bold for a kid's show as it revolves around literally mass suicide when people discover their world is fake. It is an insanely bold perspective to base an episode around, the mystery slowly unravels and gets darker and darker, I actually really love how Moffat structures his setup here. Each element adds to the last, the setup isn't something like 'Pandorica Opens' which has The Doctor and Co. just wait around a mystery box, it slowly adds clues to clues that accentuate each mystery. However as great as the actual mystery is, I do find it to be a bit bizarre that this is the episode that we reveal what is in the vault and we intercut this interesting simulation plot with a long flashback about The Doctor taking the oath to look after Missy. I've tried to work out the thematic angle that Moffat is going for by pairing these plots together but I think it mostly just a roundabout way to reintroduce Missy, there isn't anywhere else this sequence could go. It's a creepy, balls to the wall insane episode that is a delight to watch, if quite inconsistent in what it wants to show and a bit of a retrospective disappointing setup.
The Pyramid at the End of the World
I struggle with the monk trilogy in Series 10 as it seems to do everything a bit backwards, it dedicates two episodes to setting up the plot and only one to resolve it, for the first mid-series three-parter it seems to be surprisingly rushed. I think this plot has a whole series arc worth of potential, but for what it is right now I can't help but be a bit disappointed. This episode is contrived by its very nature, in fact, it is completely meant to be but the entire drive of Harness' script is to get from a point A to a point B that the audience knows is inevitable. I actually quite enjoy this episode when you take it for what it is, there's something really entertaining about the set up that keeps the episode completely afloat, The Doctor and Bill are fighting an upcoming apocalypse that is so elaborately conceived and impossible to defeat. I love the military stalemate based around this Pyramid, the tension and impossible situation is something that is really compelling, accompanied by seeing the coming disaster that is based around such specific requirements. You genuinely feel the impact of Extremis' simulation, the power of the Monks is something so intimidating as this situation plays off as something unbeatable. The problem is that it is a lot of just standing around and waiting for the apocalypse, there are some nice tense sequences but the reality of the plot is that there isn't much tension to be had around The Doctor and Bill. Essentially it is just waiting for 'when' the Monks take over, the 'how' is something really interesting but it seems to not have much else going for it. A quite compelling episode that falls down to contrivances and attempts at plot progression rather than much else, although I like hearing the return of Ten's theme for some reason.
The Lie of the Land
Oh man, what a mess this is. This is one of those episodes that is hated by many of the fans, I don't think it is terrible, a disappointment maybe but not an absolute disaster. It is basically a bit of a messy 'The Sound of Drums', a sort of dull and desperate attempt at an espionage apocalypse story with a lot of faff and one hell of a disappointing conclusion. It is a story that always focuses on the wrong thing, the first act is dedicated to a Bill and The Doctor reunion and a fakeout regeneration. The second act revolves around meeting Missy and find out a way to defeat the Monks, the third act boils down to an infiltration story and a 'power of love' resolution. Two episodes of setting up these Monks and here they can be defeated ridiculously easy, it is a frustrating resolution to a story that is a victim of its own success. This race that created a simulation to discover the best way to invade a planet, orchestrated a Doomsday clock situation that would let the human race give their world away to them and they are defeated by an overthought in the design of their apocalypse. But, this isn't an episode that is just a sum of it's ending, I really like what it does for Bill as a character and how much it adds to her. She gets the Martha treatment on a smaller scale, proving she is strong without The Doctor and her love for her mum is a small little detail I enjoy. I also really like the small appearance of Missy and the beginnings of her redemption, Gomez is always a delight and her small moments of honesty are really touching. The regeneration fakeout is cheap and dumb, the entire sequence is so pointless and just for the trailers and it wastes half the episode that should be focused on what Monk-Earth looks like. A disappointing conclusion that has a couple of nice moments but is tough to enjoy without frustration.
Empress of Mars
For probably the last time it is Gatiss time! This falls into a Gatiss episode that is dull and forgettable with a 'what if x monster in y setting' and doesn't offer much else of interest at all. I get it, the Ice Warriors are an iconic Classic Who villain that deserves to be recognised properly, but they are just a boring warrior race with hardly anything else going for them. I dont find them interesting, they are a militaristic race that aren't at all unique or prove an interesting or compelling threat to The Doctor. Gatiss doesn't offer anything interesting here, it falls upon having an interesting setting of Victorian soldiers on Mars and then gives up doing anything else with that. I hardly have anything to say about this episode as it is an incredibly gimmicky story that hides such a by-the-books narrative with elements that I have seen so many times before, perhaps Gatiss is going for an homage to Classic Who which I enjoy but it doesn't distract from how little there is to clutch on to here. It follows way too similar beats that distract away from any potential, I swear I must have seen so many of the elements in this story so many times in some episodes that Gatiss wrote! In fact, it is scarily similar to 'Victory of the Daleks' an episode no one wants to be reminded of in a hurry, Gatiss' writing style is just a bit bland and occasionally quite outdated. His jokes are uncomfortable and drag the pace down, Bill is reduced to quippy instead of being an actually compelling character like she is in other series. It is a real dull nothing of an episode that even an Alpha Centauri appearance cant save.
The Eaters of Light
Now this is how you do a historical episode! It is a small simple story that adapts a brilliant historical setting into a simple sci-fi story that doesn't overstay its welcome and focuses on character and voice. You know what I love about Series 10, the fact this is episode 10 and this is the episode Bill learns about the TARDIS' translation and it gets a whole episode to develop a simple idea that we have seen so many times into a wonderful moment for her character. This is a story about understanding and listening, a story about how wars are passed down to generation to generation so much that they lose the reason as to why they are fighting in the first place. I strongly recommend revisiting this episode as it is an absolutely delightful story, it is the quintessential Bill story for me personally and sets in motion beautifully what is to happen in the finale. The clutch of the story is an argument between Bill and The Doctor about the missing 9th Legion, which results in the two of them getting stuck in the middle of a conflict and learning about both sides. It's a much slower story than usual, it takes more time with conversations between the TARDIS team and the warring sides, they are stuck in a fight and a hatred they dont even understand and are brought together to defeat a common enemy. Two sides that are essentially just lost children who come together to stop a common enemy, sure as hell sounds a lot like two Time Lords we know very well. It is the catalyst for the finale, designed to fill in the character work and does so whilst still creating a wonderful historical episode. Bill begins to understand The Doctor's perspective on the human race and why he keeps trying to see the good in people, The Doctor is willing to sacrifice everything because he is old and tired and ready to give in. Finally Missy and The Doctor share a touching scene of remorse that shows a genuine change in Missy due to an incredible performance by Michelle Gomez. A brilliant little story that moves into the finale wonderfully.
World Enough and Time/ The Doctor Falls
This is it, this is the episode that kept me doing these reviews even when I absolutely hated doing them I knew this was coming and I had to gush about it. This is my favourite Moffat episode and one of my favourite stories of the whole show, it is a perfect culmination of The Doctor's arc and one of the most compelling and fascinating things the show has ever done. 'World Enough and Time' is what Moffat does best, a high concept beautiful horror story, a slow build-up with a focus on atmosphere and tone that all culminates in one bombastic cliffhanger. Starting with a brilliant setup, The Doctor trialling Missy in a pretty basic distress signal story that slowly unravels into an absolute disaster and a high stake rescue station battling against literal time. There are so many wonderful little ideas that come together wonderfully, the ship where time runs faster at one end compared to the other is one of those Moffat timey-wimey concepts that actually succeeds in being used in the plot interestingly and not overwritten. It's a setup episode that is paced wonderfully, having Bill be shot through the heart in the opening is insane and then the sequences with her in the hospital are bizarre and unnerving, with a wonderful over the top performance from John Simm. It's a shame that the BBC ruined the surprise of his return, the lead up is incredible and the final act with Bill as a Mondasian Cyberman and The Master returning absolutely took my breath away. Rachel Talalay is the best thing to happen to NuWho and she elevates this episode wonderfully, the intercutting between the dingy hospital and the pristine bridge is done wonderfully, the horrifying repeated cries of anguish from the proto-cybermen is terrifying and Murray Gold peppering in little moments of Simm's Master theme makes this a beautifully constructed story.
Most people tend to prefer the first half to the second half which I completely understand, but I think 'The Doctor Falls' is an absolute masterpiece in every single way. There's something so special about how final this story feels, it's all about reaching the end of your road and it's something so perfect for this Doctor to have his "final" story be one where he sacrifices everything to save just a few people. It's a heartbreaking exploration of everything this Doctor has been through, the unending aspiration to be good against all odds. It's a tragedy. The Doctor shut himself off before to make sure Missy doesn't get out into the world, he began to open himself up due to meeting Bill and learnt to try and rehabilitate Missy only for her to betray him and to lose Bill. Here he is at the end of his rope, in an impossible situation where he is slowly dying and his only point of purpose is to save a small village full of civilians. Having Missy and The Master in the finale but making them not the main antagonist is genuinely ingenious, I love how they have no choice to work with The Doctor and this opens up Missy as a character. She is confronted with a gloriously over the top performance by John Simm as the genuinely maniacal version of the character and in a situation where her only purpose to be evil is for selfish reasons. The essential moment of the Capaldi era is that beautiful speech he delivers in this episode, the desperate final attempt to make Missy understand why he does what he does, 'above all, it's kind' is one of the most important things about this character and it may simply be my favourite moment of this era. It does have a bit of a convoluted ending, the return of Puddle girl is very deus-ex-machina but I understand it is only there because Moffat was rushed into writing the Christmas Special. I dont have enough words to describe how much I love this story, it is emotional, beautiful and such a fantastic way to summarise everything Capaldi's Doctor has gone through/
Twice Upon a Time
So if you didn't know, 'The Doctor Falls' was meant to Moffat's big goodbye, which is why it works so well, but Chibnall didn't want to begin on a Christmas Special so Moffat wrote this as he didn't want to abandon tradition. As a result, the episode feels really pointless, there doesn't really seem to be any true purpose to it other than to fill a space for the Christmas Special and have Capaldi regenerate. I'm in the firm camp that says Capaldi should have regenerated in the TARDIS at the end of the last episode, so this feels like literally prolonging space and just having an episode for the sake of having an episode. The big thing that brought people to this episode was the return of David Bradley as William Hartnell as the First Doctor, who is always a pleasure to see and honestly, I really love his performance here. A lot of people complain about the 'woke-ness' of his portrayal, it's completely in character as when you rewatch some serials it is quite outdated and I think it serves a real purpose to the plot. He is meant to remind Twelve of how far he has come, it is a story about growth and reflection, learning to move on from the past and try and be a better person. The actual plot is rubbish, I'm sorry but the Testimony plot it's just filler and a contrivance to fill the space of the Christmas Special. It's a real shame, but just feels like a waste of time really, Bill's return softens the point of her departure and it's a bit too nice and fluffy when compared to how we last left The Doctor. Capaldi's last speech is a bit disappointing, it goes on far too long and I feel like we are just retracing old ground, but as a fun little Christmas Special it's alright, just both Capaldi and Moffat deserved better.
This is one of the most monumental things the show has ever done, it's why I struggle to watch Chibnall era Who because we've gone from something like this to absolutely nothing. The most nuanced performance from an actor playing The Doctor comes from Capaldi, he is the heart and soul of this episode and I will forever miss his performance, his anger and resentment that is drenched in tragedy and the desperate clinging onto hope. Michelle Gomez as Missy, the most realised version of an iconic character, one that cares for The Doctor and one that struggles with her instincts and her skewed version of what is right and wrong. Pearl Mackie as one of my favourite companions, this charming and messy person that always sees light through the darkness. I think it is a pleasure of a season, one that I had so much joy revisiting and hopefully it won't be the last time I absolutely fell in love with 'Doctor Who'. Goodbye Capaldi, Goodbye Moffat and most importantly Goodbye Murray Gold. Thank you for joining me on this journey, it has been an experience to go through every single episode of a show I basically grew up with and even through the highs and the lows I loved every second of it.
Thanks for Reading!