Monday, 25 November 2013

Doctor Who: The Day Of The Doctor

So, it's the day after The Day Of The Doctor, the 50th Anniversary Special of the world's longest-running TV science fiction show. The day after the world witnessed ( amongst other things ) the terrible events of the last day of the Time War, a coming together of different incarnations of the Doctor, Zygons running amok in Elizabethan England, discussions about Cup-A-Soup, and Billie Piper looking like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards...
Please don't expect any reasoned, dispassionate critical appraisal of the episode here: I absolutely loved The Day Of The Doctor! Watching it, I felt as giddy and excited as I did when first watching The Three Doctors or The Five Doctors all those years ago. More than just a backwards-looking, nostalgic excuse for a televisual knees-up, this episode was bursting with ideas, Steven Moffatt's trademark twisty-turny plotting, some wonderful acting, beautiful special effects and a genuine sense that the show was moving forward as well as celebrating the past.
Bringing in the amazing John Hurt to portray the mysterious, forgotten War Doctor was a genius move  -  confronting at last the dread decision the Doctor made to end the Time War... and his suffering ever since. Matt Smith and David Tennant were a joy to see as the two modern Doctors  -  now enjoying each others' company, now competing, both flipping between excitement and melancholy in a heartbeat. There was also solid support in less flashy roles from Jemma Redgrave and Jenna Coleman, bringing a human perspective to this tale of gods and monsters.
And then there were the cameos and unexpected nods to the past: from the names on the sign outside Coal Hill School, to the photos on the walls in UNIT HQ, to the first glimpse of the 12th Doctor ( fierce! ), to the beautiful final shot of all the incarnations standing tall together, to the shiver-down-the-spine appearance of the mighty Tom Baker. As I said, I absolutely loved it  -  and so did the rest of the family, even Sophie who hasn't watched a Doctor Who episode in about 3 years. Welcome back...  :-)

Happy Birthday, Doctor! Here's to many, many more!

Soundtrack: All Is Dream by Mercury Rev
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7 comments:

  1. Kid25 November 2013 at 02:08

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Kid25 November 2013 at 02:09

    "...Except for viewers in Scotland..." as we're used to hearing. They obviously screened a different episode up here.

    I thought there were a few nice bits scattered through an overall underwhelming programme. Liked the ending 'though.

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  3. Richard25 November 2013 at 02:21

    I loved it. About a year ago, the Christmas episode with the Snowmen made me feel like everything I once loved about Doctor Who had finally been erased and I never wanted to watch a new episode ever again. Yes, I really hated it that much. But this one brought me back, and I'm glad it did.

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  4. Jasper L'Estrange25 November 2013 at 20:42

    I too stopped watching Doctor Who when it became apparent the Sonic Screwdriver had become a deus ex machina get-out for any situation, but since you evoked "The Five Doctors" - something I watched about 50 times on VHS after it was first broadcast, and was, at the time, one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen - and since it won Sophie back...I may now give this a watch and see if it can reignite the old flame.

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  5. Simon B 27 November 2013 at 01:06

    Thanks for the comments, guys! I've watched The Day Of The Doctor a couple of times now and, if anything, I love it even more :-)
    "They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do - assemble a cabinet at them...?"

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  6. Kal9 December 2013 at 05:48

    I have told the story many times how I hated Doctor Who as a kid. It came before Star Trek on PBS on Sunday nights. I had my own little 13 inch tv so I would stay up or try to but usually fell asleep during WHO and woke up when Trek was almost over. Then came 2005 and a hot summer evening and only CBC on the TV in the cool basement and I watch the newest incarnation of the good Doctor with my most beloved Rose Tyler. No, I mean I LOVE LOVE her. Have been a huge fan ever since. Love Torchwood too and Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper. Great stuff all. No one does this kind of stuff like the BBC.

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  7. Simon B 10 December 2013 at 19:00

    Rose? She ain't all that...
    :-)

    Who am I kidding?

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