Following up on the ending of “World Enough and Time”, the Doctor’s been captured by the union of Masters, but he managed trick the Cybermen into thinking the Time Lords are humans as well. So he, the Masters, and Bill are rescued by Nardole in a shuttle and taken some levels up to a solar farm, where the descendants of that one expedition the Master mentioned in passing last episode now live. But the Cybermen are beginning Project Exodus and so the homestead now must prepare to fight them off. Meanwhile, Bill struggles in her new Cyberman body and Missy must choose to side with the Doctor or her scheming past self.
The humble country setting is a nice change of scenery from the last episode, but it is disappointing that so little of the plot continued into this one. Apart from Bill’s scenes which aren’t the central focus, the episode doesn’t expand a lot on the birth of the Cybermen, with their role in the story negated back to the same expendable villains they were before last episode. Why are none of them still human like Bill? Do they perceive themselves the way Bill does? That would make them more human, more complex, but it’s not explored. There are also story points that are insensible or convoluted, mostly surrounding the nature of the ship. How exactly do the lifts work? Couldn’t anyone get to any other level of the ship by using those? Why don’t the Cybermen just immediately go to the bridge, or for that matter why doesn’t the Doctor? He spouts something about the Cybermen being too evolved by that point for them to get to the TARDIS, but how would they beat them there if they’re restricted by the same time progression as each level they’re on? A lot of the plot devices are pretty lazy, like the Doctor early on just happening to enter the right computer code when being hit by Missy so they later have to form an alliance. The dead bodies of proto-cybermen being crucified in the cold open doesn’t amount to much but a dark visual that reminds me a little of “The Family of Blood”. The episode also ultimately defeats the idea that this ship was the origin of the Mondasian Cybermen which is quite a let-down, because they’re presumably all gone by the end meaning they can’t become the Cybermen we saw in “The Tenth Planet”. This is clearly an episode that works better if you don’t think about it too hard and I don’t think even Moffat cares about the plot holes. He just uses whatever contrivance is necessary to get to the particular scene or character beat his heart is at. And in fairness, those moments largely work. His other weakness of course is his humour. Comic relief moments like another out-of-nowhere Trump joke and the Master having a hard-on for Missy (there’s actually a lot of sexual tension between the two Masters -Moffat’s got some issues) are horrible, as are the millennial-pandering references to Apple and “viral”.
I do however appreciate the easter eggs to other arenas of the series. Though we see relatively few Mondasian Cybermen, we do see Canary Wharf Cybermen, Planet 14 Cybermen (“The Invasion”), etc. Oh, and the Doctor offers a kid a jelly baby! I really like the decision to depict Bill’s point of view, as obvious as it was when we first saw her as human. Though clearly just a way to keep Pearl Mackie in the episode and give some of her lines dramatic weight, it made for a unique perspective as she struggled with the metaphorical claws of the cybernetic enhancements trying to completely convert her while still staying by the Doctor’s side. More importantly, it provides a curious allegory for prejudice.
“People are always going to be afraid of me, aren’t they?” As a Cyberman, everyone on the farm fears Bill, in part for good reason. She can blow something up from her antenna when she gets angry for instance. But the way everyone looks at her, ignores her and the effect this has emotionally on her, is played tremendously. It’s a really good illustration of how difference is perceived and it’s a creative lens I haven’t seen this issue explored with from Doctor Who before. It also helps that Pearl Mackie is really good in all her scenes, portraying both this incredible isolation as well as the doom that the Doctor most likely won’t be able to save her. This leads to considering real thoughts of euthanasia, as she makes clear to the Doctor she doesn’t want to live if she can’t be herself. As you’d expect there are a ton of emotional moments from her in this episode, and she earns every one of them.
John Simm’s Master is back and is pretty much the same, though I’m thankful to say a little less erratic than he’s been in the past. And as expected, he’s the architect of chaos, refusing to ever be on the same page as the Doctor, eventually forming a plan to escape with Missy in his own TARDIS back on the lowest level using the dematerialization circuit she carries with her ever since the one on his own TARDIS blew out on this very occasion. We also learn what happened to him after “The End of Time”: he escaped Gallifrey and went into hiding until he found himself on this Mondasian ship. It’s not all that dramatic. The same excuse from “Day of the Doctor” of being out of sync is used to explain Missy not recalling most of this. Simm is as usual, a thoroughly entertaining presence throughout (though I could have done without his random sexism). But it’s his successor who’s more important. As the series finale, this episode has the task of wrapping up Missy’s arc, and early on we have an indicator that the Doctor’s effect is still on her, when she claims after knocking the Master out, that’s she’s been on his side this whole time. However she bounces back and forth subsequently, with the only interesting development before the end being in the scene where the Doctor begs for the Masters to stay and help fight off the Cybermen. The Master of course, ignores his great speech, but Missy hesitates. He tells her all he’s ever wanted is for her to stand at his side, and she admits the same, but leaves anyway. Why couldn’t she? We’re not really given the answer. Michelle Gomez performs well, but she’s under-utilized compared to the Doctor and Bill, and I wish she wasn’t because hers was an interesting arc. It could never have led to a permanent change, but it was throwing a character for a curve we haven’t seen before.
But it’s Peter Capaldi who stands apart from the others. He’s often been the best actor on screen during his run as the Doctor but in this episode he really demonstrates it, selling every speech, every action, every moment of pathos. Though Capaldi knows he’s got another episode left, he plays “The Doctor Falls” as his swansong, and it’s a pretty good one -the Christmas special’s going to have a lot to live up to. Not only does the Doctor know the odds are against him, but he’s dealing with his feelings of what’s happened to Bill and whether or not there’s any hope left for Missy. And as I’ll discuss, he never gets a resolution on either of those. Of particular greatness is his speech to the Masters about how he does what’s right no matter what, even if it may be lethally dangerous or stupid. Though Capaldi’s performance in “Heaven Sent” might be better, this episode was the highlight of his Doctor, and reminded me why I love the character, and by proxy the show so much. His personality and drive shines through so impeccably.
Another character who we saw the last of this episode was Nardole. On the sidelines through a lot of it, Nardole had a few good moments, such as rescuing the crew Back to the Future Part II style, and subsequently being told by both Masters the Doctor was dead and never cared for him. Not to mention his seamless blowing up of the bush from the “How Not to be Seen” sketch. During the final battle, he works the weapons from inside until the Doctor comes in with instructions to evacuate everyone to the other solar farm. Nardole argues he’s being given the task of a babysitter to mask his concern over the Doctor staying. And though he retains his comical remarks (“I’m gonna name a town after you -a really rubbish one”), it’s ultimately a sorry moment when he does leave -he’s speechless for the first time. He does guide the others up to the next solar farm and waits a while for the Doctor and Bill to turn up, but they never do. I’m very sure we’re not going to be seeing Nardole again, and though the circumstances are a lot better, I’m reminded of when the Doctor just left Jack Harkness on a Dalek ship. For one thing, though it’s implied, it’s not entirely clear that the Doctor completely vanquished the Cybermen -wouldn’t more come up from the bottom levels or the top eventually? Which means Nardole may have to fight this same fight again. But even otherwise, is he just going to live on this time distorted ship for the rest of his life? There’s sentiment to this parting, it just raises a few questions. The Doctor’s been guilty of not looking back before, and I wonder if in saving these children, he may have doomed Matt Lucas’ plucky, sarcastic sidekick.
While Nardole leads this evacuation, the Doctor fights off the Cybermen solo. Though he’s shot fatally during the fight, he manages to ignite the McGuffin that destroys all of the Cybermen present. As he falls and fades into unconsciousness, he utters one of the most beautiful dying lines of any Doctor, so much so in fact I’m actually really disappointed it’s not his last: “Pity, no stars; I’d hoped there’d be stars”.
A lone Cyberman walks across the barren battlefield, the blast having destroyed all the trees and greenery. She finds the Doctor and weeps that he’s dead. Bill still hasn’t been briefed on his regeneration meaning she has no way of knowing he’ll come back. Then the episode gets metaphysical when she sees in a pool of water, Heather -the girl she was attracted to in “The Pilot” -reappear. Bill appears to be dead as she sees the Cyberman carcass fall to the ground; in actuality she’s become a pilot like Heather, who it seems is basically a god. She’s been following Bill through her tears, and so with little effort, manages to transport them and the Doctor’s body to the TARDIS. After sharing a kiss, Heather offers Bill just about anything she wants including the option to return to her old body and old life on Earth, but would prefer if Bill came with her. She takes the TARDIS away and opens the doors revealing the cosmos. Thinking the Doctor’s gone but telling herself she’ll never believe he’s truly dead, Bill says “it’s a big universe -I hope I see you again”. At this point, the ending to Bill’s story essentially becomes (SPOILERS) the ending to Legend of Korra as she makes up her mind to go with Heather, entering the unknown universe hand-in-hand. More than any other character resolution, I’m mixed on Bill’s exit. She’s been by far the best companion of the Moffat era, and there’s certainly more potential development to her character (did they ever go anywhere with that fixation she had on her birth mother?). After one series, it’s a shame to see the end of Bill Potts and Pearl Mackie, who seems to be forced out of the show merely because Moffat and Capaldi are quitting. Also the reappearance of Heather is cute, but it would have meant more if they had more of a relationship, if she’d appeared once or twice after her initial flirtation with Bill. It does have a lot in common with those final moments of Korra, including a very similar visual, but in Korra there’d been a definite relationship between the two women, albeit not one overtly romantic. This couple may have gone farther with an on-screen kiss, but the investment just isn’t quite there. Still there is a sweetness to it, and the door’s left open that Bill might return, but it’s unlikely. In part because this is a very good note to leave her on. The atmosphere and emotion is there, Bill is pretty much going on doing the same thing, just as companion to a different space traveller. It feels at least deserved, if premature.
So clearly this is the best ending to any episode in all of Doctor Who. It certainly made me giddy. Casting Bradley, who played William Hartnell in the excellent An Adventure in Space and Time seems the natural way to bring back the very first incarnation of this long-running character. It’s especially exciting to me because the First Doctor is actually one of my favourites, and that era of Doctor Who despite all its shortcomings, I have a real soft spot for. So the indication that this years’ Christmas special will hearken back to that excites me. It also seems very fitting. The Christmas special is going to be Moffat’s last episode and my criticisms of him aside, I’ll never take away the fact he is a massive fan of the Doctor Who legacy. So an episode dealing with that legacy looks like the best way for him to go out. It’s also likely going to force the Doctor to look at his past and at himself objectively. No doubt the First Doctor will play some part in his decision to go through with his regeneration, which he’ll be presumably struggle against the entire special. The Tenth Doctor made it look so easy during his round of goodbyes.
“The Doctor Falls” was an hour long which seems the right length, but the time probably could have been appropriated better. This show was trying to wrap up the Doctor, Bill, and Missy’s character arcs while also forming a continuation from the last episode. Missy in particular I feel got short-changed, as did the Cybermen. While “World Enough and Time” was devoted to expanding their mythos, this episode couldn’t afford to address that. However, despite the plot problems and a few unsatisfying pay-offs, this episode delivered on quite a few fronts. It’s a shame about Missy and Bill and even Nardole, but again, you can pinpoint the moments Moffat and his team were intent upon, and they get most of those moments down superbly. There’s a fair bit of emotion in this finale, and drama, and it even manages to come off feeling epic -something I haven’t wholly felt from a Doctor Who finale since the Davies era. And the performances from Pearl Mackie, and especially Peter Capaldi are abundantly engaging and moving.
Going into the Christmas special and Chris Chibnall’s takeover next year, the obvious efforts to give him a clean slate to start from, it left me very hopeful. Series ten of Doctor Who reminds me in some ways of season six of Game of Thrones, in how it was largely mediocre until the final few episodes. And like Game of Thrones, those last couple episodes promise a slew of better things to come.
See you at Christmas.
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