SEASON FINALE | 'Doctor Who: The Doctor Falls' S10E12
The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) are trapped on the lowest floor of a spaceship in the clutches of a black hole, out of reach of the TARDIS and at the mercy of not one, but two incarnations of the Master. It’s a tense setup for the season finale!
SPOILER ALERT!
A season finale has two purposes: to bring the season’s story to a conclusion (or at least some kind of resolution), and to set up for the next season. This episode not only finished a season, but prepared for the end of both Capaldi’s and showrunner Steven Moffat’s time with the show.
After a daring escape from Cybermen that are now targeting Time Lords, The Doctor, Nardole, Cyberman Bill, Missy (Michelle Gomez) and the previous Master (John Simm) find themselves on a beautiful solar farm level, where a group led by the indomitable Hazran (Samantha Spiro) is defending a group of children from the Cybermen intent on taking them to be upgraded.
Bill’s discovery that she is a Cyberman is particularly heartbreaking, as she realises that people will always be afraid of her now, that she must keep her temper in check or risk harming the people around her. Some very clever writing allowed Mackie to show Bill’s anguish by having her alternate between her perceived human self, and her physical Cyberman body.
Just as it seemed all hope was lost, Bill’s mysterious pilot friend from the first episode of this season, Heather, was able to pull her out of there and whisk her off before she’d even had a chance to see if the Doctor was going to be all right.
The storyline of a village protecting itself against an invading Cyberman army was reminiscent of the eleventh Doctor’s final story, ‘The Time of the Doctor’, when he fought for hundreds of years to protect the town of Christmas. For all its similarities, this was a much darker and more violent story. No-one was saved - even the children who escaped with Nardole are only waiting on an upper level of the ship for the Cybermen to get to them.
Meanwhile, after blowing up most of the farming level, The Doctor wakes up quoting his own lines from previous regenerations, which served as a reminder of the pain that is to come.
The Master and Missy are deviously delightful together. Seeing Missy change her mind every few moments about whether to side with the Doctor or not has been difficult to see throughout Series 10, but it was so good to see her finally decide that it was time to stand together. It’s a shame the decision came too late, but given the Master’s penchant for reappearing without explanation after apparently having died, there’s a fair chance this isn’t the last time we’ll see the not-quite-evil Time Lord.
The final moments of ‘The Doctor Falls’ see him re-acquainted with his first incarnation, in this case played by David Bradley. Bradley previously portrayed the late William Hartnell in the 'Doctor Who' docu-drama, ‘An Adventure in Time and Space’, although viewers may also recognise him from his work in ‘Harry Potter’ (Argus Filch), or ‘Game of Thrones’ (Walder Frey), or any other of his many film and television roles. He will return in the Christmas Special.
Season 10 has been a welcome return to classic 'Who' moments, scary stories and a happier Doctor. Capaldi has given the Doctor passion and life, and it is difficult to see him go. He will certainly be missed
Christmas is a long six months away. Fans have still to find out who will replace Capaldi as the thirteenth Doctor, and since it has been widely reported that Mackie will also be leaving the series, who will become the next companion?
Hopefully, it won’t be too long a wait.
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