Day 899 - The Day Of The Doctor

Well this was a rather busy day. 

In anticipation of the final day, and knowing that the episode to watch on this day was the awesome 50th anniversary episode, Matt joined me for the day.

We started off playing some board games (yes I'm afraid my geekiness is not solely confined to the world of Doctor Who) before planning what we were going to watch that night.

Matt has seen many of the old episodes of Doctor Who. We used to live together so he couldn't really avoid them! Knowing that my challenge was nearing its end, and needing something else to obsess over, we decided to sit down and make the definitive list of all the episodes he has yet to see. I love making lists and luckily it seemed Matt was just as excited about making one too. You know when you say something out load and it feels more embarrassing then when you say it in your head? I think I've just had one of those moments.

So with the list made we thought it would be a good idea to watch some classic Doctor Who, and get a little drunk (obviously) before the main celebration of the 50th anniversary episode kicked off later that night. Adding more spice to this we decided to leave which story we watched completely up to chance by selecting it completely at random, and the result couldn't have been any more random, The Savages. A first Doctor story where none of the episodes even exist any more. We were going to go from watch a blurry black and white reconstruction of a 1960s Doctor Who to the full cinema released extravaganza of the 50th anniversary episode. Never let it be said that Doctor Who doesn't have a long and varied history!

It was actually quite fun "watching" The Savages as it's a story I had only seen the once and I couldn't really remember anything about it so it was like watching it for the first time again. We only got through the first couple of episodes before my panic about getting the actual designated episode for this day in before midnight started to take hold so we had to switch over to the 50th anniversary.

But not so fast! Before The Day Of The Doctor, we of course had to watch The Night Of The Doctor and what a surprise gift this was to fans on the 50th year of the show. Paul McGann was back!! 

Poor Paul McGann was only ever given the one television appearance back in the 1996 TV Movie and his Doctor was then never seen again. When the series returned in 2005, a new Doctor came with it in the form of Christopher Eccleston and so the fate of the eighth Doctor was always a mystery. 

McGann is an excellent Doctor and whilst he may have only been a "one night stand" he has gone on to star in many Doctor Who audio adventures which have helped to further flesh out his era of the show. These audio adventures are produced by a company called Big Finish and are not strictly part of the continuity of the actual show itself. Steven Moffat, being a fan of the Big Finish productions, obviously decided to change all that when he not only brought the eighth Doctor back to the TV series but also had him name check many of his companions from the Big Finish audios! Whilst I thought this was a fantastic move I must admit it did make my heart stop for a second as I considered the further ramifications of this one line of dialogue..Are all the audio plays now canon? Do I need to included all of them in my challenge now??? That would probably add another two years on to it!

Steven Moffat also has this excellent technique that he has used several times where a character will say something which makes perfect sense within the story but also is a clever nod to the audience watching. One of the very best examples occurs at the beginning of this mini episode when we see McGann for the first time and he utters the line "I'm a doctor, but probably not the one you were expecting" To bloody right!! This episode also confirms where John Hurt's doctor falls into the time line of all the other doctors as it is revealed that he was the one who fought in the Time War after McGann's doctor gives in against his resistance to fight. 

All of this and I haven't even got round to talking about the actual 50th anniversary episode yet! Where do I begin?

First of all I have to acknowledge the fact that this episode was simultaneously broadcast across the world to over 90 different countries on 23rd November 2013, also being shown at the same time in cinemas around the planet. That is mind blowing! The show had certainly come along away since the days of Ingrid Pitt karate kicking a pantomime horse.

The use of the original opening graphics from 1963 is a beautiful touch, and the first scene is back in Coal Hill School, where a certain "I Chesterton" is chairman of the governors. This is just one of many examples of nods to the past which are made throughout the episode. That's one of the great things, that these nods are put in without being integral to the plot. The episode works on different levels for the both the casual viewer and the hardcore fan.

Seeing David Tennant back as the Doctor is of course a treat even for the casual viewer. His Doctor continues to rate as one of the most popular and knowing that he is massive fan of the show it seemed a bit of a no brainier that he would be back for the 50th anniversary. As much as I loved seeing him back I must admit to feeling a bit annoyed at all the fan girls who gasped with delight when he appeared on the screen. But then who am I to judge? I let out a fair few gasps at various moments as I'm sure I will touch on soon. There was also a fair amount of consternation by fans that no older Doctors had been cast in the 50th. Again this will be touched on later.

There is essentially two plot threads going on throughout the episode. One involves the Zygons who have found themselves in Elizabethan England and are now putting themselves into a kind of suspended animation by placing themselves into paintings, to then emerge in the modern day world. Whilst it's exciting to see the Zygons back in Doctor Who (one of the more popular monsters from the past despite only ever appearing in one story!) I think they get a little overshadowed by three of the Doctors coming together and the second plot revolving around the final day of the Time War when the Doctor was forced to take the dreadful decision of killing his entire race in order to also defeat the Daleks and end the war that was threatening the entire universe.

With multi Doctor stories, the one issue that tends to be a problem is just how on earth do you think of a way to get all these Doctors together, and how can you get that to make sense within the confines of the episode. The way it's done here is nothing short of genius. The War Doctor has stolen the "moment", a weapon of mass destruction in order to end the war. As he is contemplating using it, the interface manifests itself into the forms of Rose Tyler and begins to discuss the ramifications of the Doctor's actions. In order to show him exactly what using the weapon will turn him into, she opens time windows on to his future which he travels through in and thereby meets his future selves.

Despite the fact that Doctors from the classic era are not exactly included in the episode, I love how John Hurt's Doctor is there to represent them. This is done through various comments made by him. He seems shocked by how young his future selves appear and also their constant use of the sonic screwdriver. "Why are you waving them around like that? They're scientific instruments! Not water pistols!" Also as we finally witness the wedding between the tenth Doctor and Queen Elizabeth the first (something that was briefly hinted at in The End Of Time) the War Doctor looks on in astonishment at the tenth Doctor snogging his new bride. The eleventh Doctor warns him that this stuff does tend to happen to him more often now. The thought of a classic era Doctor acting in such a way is beyond belief. Although I do think the War Doctor has a nerve to be so judgmental about kissing when it was his direct predecessor (the Eighth Doctor) who was the first to kiss his companion, way back in the TV Movie. But then again he also claimed to be half human so maybe his brain was still a bit frazzled from the regeneration!

 

There is also a fantastic scene where the three Doctor's are "locked up" in a cell in the Tower Of London. This gives them the opportunity to speak to each other probably for the first time as the War Doctor gently enquires as to how his actions in the Time War will have further impact on his future selves. It's also a moment of sheer genius where they realise that the sonic screwdriver would be able to destroy the door but would require centuries to work out the required calculation, the War Doctor scans the door with his screwdriver so that the eleventh Doctor's screwdriver will come up with the answer as 400 years have passed between them. Just as they do this, Clara comes stumbling into the room as the door was never locked in the first place. This is hilarious but it's also an important scene where the Doctor's can speak from their hearts and also sets up a very important idea for later on in the story.

 

As mentioned before, the Zygons do get a little overshadowed in the episode by everything else which is going on around them but I like how the Doctors eventually "defeat them". Using the memory erasure device implanted implanted in the room where the Zygons (who have taken human form) and the humans are arguing over a bomb that is about to detonate, they erase the memories of those in the room so they no longer know which side they are on because none of them know if they are a Zygon or a human. Apparently this is an actual philosophical theory, that to have the perfect debate, then the best way is to not be sure which side you are on. This makes perfect sense when you think about it because you would automatically want to find the best compromise for both races as you are not sure to which race you belong!

 

The real joy of this episode for me is the scenes set during the final day of the Time War. We had seen the briefest glimpse of this in The End Of Time but now we see the battle in full force, with Dalek ships surrounding the planet and a massive war going on on the surface below. Watching this in the cinema did not seem out of place at all as it was just like watching an epic movie.

 

By the conclusion of the episode, we have the three Doctor's come together to push the final big red button to end the war but at a most terrible cost. A scene earlier on had gone into detail about hoe each Doctor had coped with the genocide that he had caused, with the tenth Doctor living a state of constant guilt and regret and the eleventh Doctor trying to bury it at the back of his mind and forget about it entirely. Now they are together and ready to accept what they need to do. These scenes give me shivers, they are so intense!

 

As Clara speaks to the her Doctor, she asks him what is promise is. The name "Doctor" is his promise and its to be "never cruel or cowardly".."never give up, never give in". I may be wrong but I believe these are lines often written by Terrance Dicks in the novelisations of the classic era of the show. Dicks was a writer and script editor for the show back in the era of the third Doctor and he went on to write the majority of the novelisations. To hear his words spoken by the tenth Doctor and the War Doctor feel pretty special.

 

Figuring out a way that they could possibly save Gallifrey instead of destroying it the Doctor's come up with their craziest plan ever and this is where things go beyond exciting and become something else entirely. Having a plan, but knowing it would take centuries to work out the calculations, all the Doctors come together from the very first Doctor, William Hartnell. This is where the scene with the sonic screwdriver mentioned earlier comes into play as the same idea is being used again, with the first Doctor working on the problem, then the second and so on down the line. As the Doctor says he "has been working on the problem for a very long time!" Not only do we see all 12 Doctor's we also get the briefest glimpse of Capaldi! The cinema practically erupted at this moment.

With the battle over, and feeling almost as exhausted as if I'd been there by myself, it was time to relax a little as the three Doctors bid goodbye to each other to travel back to their separate time streams. This could have been the end of the episode but Steven Moffat has one last glorious treat in store for us. As the eleventh Doctor sits and looks at the painting of the last day of the Time War, he hears the curator's voice...a very familiar voice. It's only Tom Baker!!!!!!!

As the earliest of the Doctors who are still with us, to have him appear in the episode is just the greatest thing that could have happened. Also given his reluctance to ever return to the show, the most famous case being his refusal to appear in The Five Doctors, it just makes it all the more amazing he is here. As soon as you hear that distinctive voice, not dulled by the passing of the decades, you can't help but start to feel emotional.  

His true identity is left as somewhat of a mystery. He calls himself the curator but when the Doctor tells him that he never forgets a face, the curator says "you may find yourself revisiting a few one day, but just the old favourites" implying that this is a future version of the Doctor who has changed back into one of his most preferred appearances the same way we may slip into our favourite suit. Whether he is a future Doctor, or an aged version of the fourth Doctor doesn't matter either way, it's Tom Baker back in Doctor Who and that is bloody awesome!

This is probably the longest blog entry so far and yet I'm sure I'll still think of some amazing moments that I have missed out. I love this episode! Part of me was a little upset that this wasn't the last episode of the quest as I would have loved to have shown it to my friends at the party I plan to have for the final day. But that privilege has to be left for The Time Of The Doctor as these 900 days of madness finally come to an end.

If you've stuck with this blog entry then well done to you!