TV Review: Doctor Who
Series 7, Episode 13: The Name Of The Doctor
Air Date: April 18th
SPOILER ALERT! This review contains some pretty big spoilers for the season finale of Doctor Who!
"The Doctor does not discuss his secrets with anyone, my dear. If you are still entertaining the idea that you are the exception to this rule, ask yourself one question: what is his name?"
The Doctor's postman must have been jumping for joy this week with the promise of the Time Lord's name about to be revealed after 50 years of the same old question: 'Doctor who?'
For the past few weeks, the promotional material for this season's finale The Name of The Doctor has been accompanied by a single tagline: 'his secret revealed.' So with this episode finally closing the curtain on the seventh revived series of Doctor Who, was it a satisfying conclusion or a little more wibbly wobbly?
Applause! Despite a lacklustre run so far this year, showrunner Steven Moffat has written not only the best episode this series but possibly one of the most fan-pleasing Doctor Who stories of all time - and he didn't have an easy task either. Thanks to the 'one-shot' nature of the stories in series seven, the overall arc of Clara Oswald's existence still lingered over the narrative; so not only did Moffat have to put a full stop to her conundrum, he also had to ensure that The Doctor himself had plenty to do.
Even on top of that, the Moff had to reintroduce River Song along with old nemesis The Great Intelligence and ensure that new monsters The Whispermen had enough menace about them to provide a decent threat.
Luckily, Moffat has effectively succeeded in almost all of the above, with a script that not only gives a wink and nod to hardcore fans of Doctor Who and its history, but also manages to raise more questions as it simultaneously answers others.
Right out of the gate, the episode bolts off full steam ahead, with an incredible view of Gallifrey pre-Time War as we see the First Doctor stealing the TARDIS...with a warning from Clara thanks to some (admittedly dodgy) CGI. From then on, we see her frequently bumping in to past versions of The Doctor - and this is before the credits have even rolled!
The reintroduction of the Scooby Doo gang (as they shall forever be known) warranted an eye roll or two, but luckily Strax, Jenny and Madame Vastra are actually essential to the plot this time rather than just some groovy additions to shake up a tired story, with Strax even providing some hilarity.
This is the story of The Doctor's greatest secret however, and it truly is revealed - it's just not the one we were expecting at all. For an episode entitled The Name of The Doctor, it actually spent very little time asking that particular question, and the reason why is made abundantly clear come the final few moments thanks to some brilliantly crafty misdirection from Steven Moffat.
Instead, we are transported to the horrific Trenzalore where Strax, Jenny and Madame Vastra have been held hostage by The Great Intelligence. In order to save his friends, The Doctor must travel to Trenzalore and cross his own time stream in the biggest way possible - by visiting his own grave.
Speaking of which, the whole episode has very funeral-esque feel to it, with director Saul Metzstein throwing a darkened tinge over the proceedings like a veil. The scenes in the graveyard on Trenzalore are brilliantly dark and rightfully reflect the blackened hearts within The Doctor as he faces what he expects will be his death, or something akin to it.
So let's get the negatives out of the way first: The Great Intelligence and The Whispermen were laughable threats. All that The Whispermen seemed to do was to come up with creepy rhymes while poking people in the chest (ouch!) while The Great Intelligence seemed to just be interfering with The Doctor's life for the sake of it, although it was good to see Richard E. Grant snarling his way through the scenery in over the top style.
Yet then there was the actual climax, in which The Great Intelligence killed The Doctor at various points in his timeline, therefore erasing all of his good deeds from history. Ultimately, the threat was simply a much larger scale version of the Series 4 episode Turn Left, in which The Tenth Doctor dies too early in an alternate timeline and, to cut a long story short, the world goes through pain and misery as a result. Rip off!
Still, these were very minor niggles in a finale that delivers grandiose performances in spades. Matt Smith is absolutely terrific, giving The Doctor a sense of gravitas that makes us feel like we're watching an old friend in pain. In fact, it's surprising how emotionally affecting this episode truly is, with the mystery of Clara Oswald wrapped in a very neat bow indeed. Jenna-Louise Coleman refuses to be outdone in this episode, and Clara is for once one of the most exciting characters on the screen with her devotion to The Doctor and her enduring sign-off line ("Run, you clever boy...and remember.") truly cementing her as a fantastic companion, and one that will be welcome in more years to come.
Those last five minutes though! Stuck in a desolate place inside The Doctor's timeline, Clara hopelessly watches past versions of the Time-Lord streak by her until the Eleventh Doctor finally reaches her. All good! That is until a single figure stands on the horizon, and The Doctor describes his name as "a promise you make...he's the one that broke that promise." And in swoops John Hurt, credited as The Doctor!
In true Doctor Who style, we've been given a handful of answers and a shed load of questions...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Steven Moffat has really pulled a fast one here, and in one of the best season finales of Doctor Who's 50 year history, he has managed to not only answer the most pressing questions of this series, but has also managed to introduce more questions for the Anniversary Special in November. While it is true that this year of the show has had its ups and downs (the latter more so than the former), Doctor Who has bowed out in superb fashion with a breathless, brilliant finale. All is forgiven.
Roll on November and the anticipated return of David Tennant!
For the past few weeks, the promotional material for this season's finale The Name of The Doctor has been accompanied by a single tagline: 'his secret revealed.' So with this episode finally closing the curtain on the seventh revived series of Doctor Who, was it a satisfying conclusion or a little more wibbly wobbly?
Even on top of that, the Moff had to reintroduce River Song along with old nemesis The Great Intelligence and ensure that new monsters The Whispermen had enough menace about them to provide a decent threat.
Luckily, Moffat has effectively succeeded in almost all of the above, with a script that not only gives a wink and nod to hardcore fans of Doctor Who and its history, but also manages to raise more questions as it simultaneously answers others.
Right out of the gate, the episode bolts off full steam ahead, with an incredible view of Gallifrey pre-Time War as we see the First Doctor stealing the TARDIS...with a warning from Clara thanks to some (admittedly dodgy) CGI. From then on, we see her frequently bumping in to past versions of The Doctor - and this is before the credits have even rolled!
The reintroduction of the Scooby Doo gang (as they shall forever be known) warranted an eye roll or two, but luckily Strax, Jenny and Madame Vastra are actually essential to the plot this time rather than just some groovy additions to shake up a tired story, with Strax even providing some hilarity.
This is the story of The Doctor's greatest secret however, and it truly is revealed - it's just not the one we were expecting at all. For an episode entitled The Name of The Doctor, it actually spent very little time asking that particular question, and the reason why is made abundantly clear come the final few moments thanks to some brilliantly crafty misdirection from Steven Moffat.
Instead, we are transported to the horrific Trenzalore where Strax, Jenny and Madame Vastra have been held hostage by The Great Intelligence. In order to save his friends, The Doctor must travel to Trenzalore and cross his own time stream in the biggest way possible - by visiting his own grave.
Speaking of which, the whole episode has very funeral-esque feel to it, with director Saul Metzstein throwing a darkened tinge over the proceedings like a veil. The scenes in the graveyard on Trenzalore are brilliantly dark and rightfully reflect the blackened hearts within The Doctor as he faces what he expects will be his death, or something akin to it.
So let's get the negatives out of the way first: The Great Intelligence and The Whispermen were laughable threats. All that The Whispermen seemed to do was to come up with creepy rhymes while poking people in the chest (ouch!) while The Great Intelligence seemed to just be interfering with The Doctor's life for the sake of it, although it was good to see Richard E. Grant snarling his way through the scenery in over the top style.
Yet then there was the actual climax, in which The Great Intelligence killed The Doctor at various points in his timeline, therefore erasing all of his good deeds from history. Ultimately, the threat was simply a much larger scale version of the Series 4 episode Turn Left, in which The Tenth Doctor dies too early in an alternate timeline and, to cut a long story short, the world goes through pain and misery as a result. Rip off!
Still, these were very minor niggles in a finale that delivers grandiose performances in spades. Matt Smith is absolutely terrific, giving The Doctor a sense of gravitas that makes us feel like we're watching an old friend in pain. In fact, it's surprising how emotionally affecting this episode truly is, with the mystery of Clara Oswald wrapped in a very neat bow indeed. Jenna-Louise Coleman refuses to be outdone in this episode, and Clara is for once one of the most exciting characters on the screen with her devotion to The Doctor and her enduring sign-off line ("Run, you clever boy...and remember.") truly cementing her as a fantastic companion, and one that will be welcome in more years to come.
Those last five minutes though! Stuck in a desolate place inside The Doctor's timeline, Clara hopelessly watches past versions of the Time-Lord streak by her until the Eleventh Doctor finally reaches her. All good! That is until a single figure stands on the horizon, and The Doctor describes his name as "a promise you make...he's the one that broke that promise." And in swoops John Hurt, credited as The Doctor!
In true Doctor Who style, we've been given a handful of answers and a shed load of questions...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Summary
Roll on November and the anticipated return of David Tennant!
9/10 - Brilliant
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