Well, Peter Capaldi's first tour in the TARDIS has ended, with a fairly mixed series of some good and many bad episodes. So it's needless to say it was necessary for this second part to the finale to pay off. And pay off it did. Big time. With Missy revealing herself as the Master at the end of last week, an army of Cybermen made up of the dead, and a master plan (pardon the pun) falling into place, I actually struggled to comprehend how the Doctor would overcome this threat. Head writer Steven Moffat had a heck of a job on his hands to come up with a good solution
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| Each of the actors here deliver incredible performances in an incredible finale |
The actors continue to be on top form this week, with Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez being the stand-out performances. Their chemistry on screen as best friends turned enemies is undeniably fantastic. As I said in my last Who review, I have very much enjoyed Capaldi's run and his acting. His acting as been emotional and intense whenever needed and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Michelle Gomez is brilliant as Missy, a psychotic Mary Poppins-esque character, and has the best scenes of the episode. There is a particular moment featuring Ingrid Oliver's Osgood that results in the character's death, where Missy is so cruel, so evil that the mental state of this character is conveyed quite clearly. Besides the two lead characters, Jenna Coleman is also brilliant. Again, it has been a great series for the character of Clara, as she has received a lot of character development. Her acting is spectacular here as her emotions and anger are shown brilliantly. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters pulled the short straw. Remember Seb from last week? Criminally under used. Remember Kate Stewart, the scientific head of UNIT? Useless. Steven Moffat, improve your supporting characters. Now.
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| Missy is quite angry at how she ends up when the story finishes. |
Obviously, the story continues from last week and it is soon revealed that Missy plans to use something the Doctor dubs "cyber-pollen" to turn dead people into Cybermen instantly. Whose idea was this? Clara also pretends to be the Doctor to escape the Cybermen. Facepalm. The Doctor is also elected President of Earth with full control over everything. He's not even human....The Cybermen are also defeated in the most Moffat way possible...love. As you can see, there is a lot wrong here but it unbelievably works WELL on screen. It is action-packed with a great set-piece on a UNIT plane with Missy and the Cybermen as well as great and hard-hitting emotional moments. Special mentions go to Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson in the scenes with Clara and Cyberman Danny. And then he goes and kills the Master at the end. Why can no writer in Doctor Who deal with the character of the Master without killing them? The character is actually smart, you know. Otherwise, Moffat has done well here to write an engaging and interesting story. Well done, Mr. Moffat.
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| The Cybermen return in their first actually GOOD appearance in years |
This series has been mixed, no doubt about it. There have been some great episodes (Listen) and some terrible ones (looking at you, Robot of Sherwood). But this was an excellent finale with a mature and intriguing script and characters, as well as excellent effects and music. Moffat is known for his fairy tale approaches to episodes but he has done well here. I actually thought he had changed until the bewildering scene at the end when Santa Claus, played by Nick Frost, invades the TARDIS, asking the Doctor what he wants for Christmas, in a set up for a special that looks like it's straight out of Ridley Scott's "Alien." Weird, for sure. This Christmas should be interesting.
Rating : 9/10
Original Air Date : 8th November, 2014
Starring : Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Samuel Anderson, Michelle Gomez, Chris Addison
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