"The Time of the Doctor"

All too soon, it seems, the saga of the Eleventh Doctor comes to an end, such a short while after celebrating the seeming immortality of the character. In fact, one of the things "The Time of the Doctor" is about is confronting the inevitable fact that the grave waits for all of us, even the Doctor. However, this is not the main aim of the story. Neither is the fact that it pretty much ties up all the loose ends in what can loosely be termed the Eleventh Doctor's Arc. The story is about how this silly man can be the greatest warrior and the greatest hero the universe has ever seen.

A mysterious coded message broadcasting to all of space and time has attracted some of the most fearsome armies in the universe to a seemingly innocuous planet. When the Doctor decodes the message, it reveals a question that he has been running from all his life emanating from a crack in the Universe he vainly hoped he had left behind him. A question whose answer could rip the cosmos apart – for it is the Time Lords who ask it and the planet is Trenzalore and, with the Daleks closing in, the Time War could start again. It is here that we meet the oft-mentioned Papal Mainframe, led by Tasha Lem, the 'Mother Superious'. The way in which the layers of Steven Moffat's additions to the Doctor Who mythos finally integrate is joyful – the Silence is a religious order of the Papal Mainframe that was formed to stop the Doctor answering the question, with some chapters breaking off and actually declaring war on the Doctor – all the while unknowing that they are being groomed to become a bridgehead for the Doctor's greatest enemies to finish what they started.

This all seems to indicate a grim story of siege and attrition – yet all two of the three principal characters want to do is celebrate Christmas. Throughout the story, Clara is cooking the Turkey for Christmas dinner with the Oswalds, whom we finally meet in the 'present day'. Although Clara's family do not register as well as they could, this is not true of Ms Oswald herself. Clara is put through the wringer more than she has ever done and Jenna Coleman's performance is delightful and very moving, from her faking her romantic relationship with the Doctor to demonstrating the strength of their real one. Supporting the regulars is the fantastic Orla Brady as Tasha, making us instantly feel that she is an integral part of the Doctor’s life, despite only just having met her. Moffat manages to garnish the story with his trademark humour, juggling the varying moods perfectly. He is helped by a stellar production, with vast fleets of starships, wooden Cybermen and the beauty of a day that lasts minutes. Jamie Payne brings all of this to life with style in another excellent outing in the director's chair.

The Doctor celebrates Christmas in a different way – for Christmas is the name of the town on Trenzalore where the TARDIS materialises. The Doctor will protect Christmas, but not by using its inhabitants as soldiers. When Moffat inherited the role of showrunner, the Doctor was a man who was haunted by the belief that he had committed genocide against his own people. The events of "The Day of the Doctor" removed that burden from his past and now, "The Time of the Doctor" removes another burden from his future. Trenzalore promised a battlefield strewn with the graves of those who died defending the planet. What the Doctor does is defend the people as well as the place; now the graves are those of the people who were saved by the Doctor. The people of Christmas love their saviour, a man who can fix young Barnable's toys whilst holding off the greatest army in the universe. Believing this to be his final life, the Doctor is allowed to retire as only he can, saving the universe and, approaching the end of his second millennium (probably) he looks very much like he did twelve lives ago. However, as has been said before, even the universe cannot bear to be without the Doctor.

Anchoring all of this is the final regular performance in the title role by a man who confounded all initial expectations and exceeded all subsequent ones. Matt Smith inherited the role from a man who made it his own in a way no-one else had done for 30 years – and managed to inhabit the role completely in less than an hour. The youngest actor to play the Doctor managed to make him feel like the oldest, which is reflected in the way he meets his end – his predecessor didn't want to go. He knows what is inevitable, although his successor will not get the bow tie. As I have said before, Peter Capaldi is a phenomenal actor and he immediately makes an impression. But the raggedy man with the big chin will never be forgotten...

NEXT:  "Deep Breath"

"The Wedding of River Song"

For the first time since the programme’s return, there has been a change to the format of the season. Gone is the epic two-part finale but, it appears that the length of a story does not necessarily affect its epicosity (sic)- it is amazing just how much Moffat manages to include in a single episode that is not even an extended one, without making the story seemed rushed. The pre-title sequence is the utterly dazzling one that we have come to expect from Moffat- Earth where all of history happens at once, where pterodactyls swoop around Hyde Park, cars are hoisted aloft by Montgolfier balloons and Winston Churchill rules the Holy Roman Empire from Buckingham Palace. Like "The Big Bang", time has been damaged, but in a fascinatingly different way that shows the sheer imaginative sweep and power of Moffat’s writing. It doesn’t stop there, of course- The Silence are back with a vengeance and are as menacing as ever and we are treated to carnivorous skulls (which will linger in nightmares for years to come) a particularly deadly form of chess and the reason why they are all wearing eye-patches.

Despite all this, the characters still drive the plot. Amy and Rory search for a man they only know from memories that should not exist, because they resolutely remain the same people in this Tralfamadorian version of reality. There has always been something tragic about Rory, but when ‘the man who dies and dies again’ is about to do so again, he is saved by the woman who will always be his wife, saving him from his tragedy. River is the psychopath who has fallen in love with the Doctor- in true psychopath style, she is willing to let reality go hang if it means not completing her mission at Lake Silencio. Symbolically, the Doctor and River are the opposite poles of this meta-reality and, while some need the love of a good woman, the Doctor’s future and, indeed the very concept of a future, requires the love of a bad one. Darvill and Gillan are as utterly awesome as ever and Alex Kingston yet again proves that River Song is one of the most welcome additions to the Whoniverse ever. Ian McNeice makes the most of his role as Churchill and we have engaging supporting roles for Simon Fisher-Becker as Dorium Maldavar and even a fantastic cameo from Simon Callow returning as Dickens. I sincerely hope that Madame Kovarian is still alive in this reality, played with delicious menace by Frances Barber. Our hero is as awesome as ever, but the sense of the Doctor marching willingly into the arena is ever present- triggered by receiving the news that the Brigadier has passed away in a beautifully written and touchingly performed scene. Moffat manages to make a story based on incongruity, discontinuity and clash of styles work very well and director Jeremy Webb is equal to the task, helped, as he is, by a Herculaean effort from the production team.

Of course, the Doctor escapes his fate. Some might see this as a cop-out but, truth be told, the only way for it not to have been would have consisted of our hero actually biting the dust. It is great that the Teselecta was used rather than the Flesh (a clear red herring). "The Wedding of River Song" is a glorious end to another fine season. Questions have been answered, but questions remain- who hijacked the TARDIS and made it explode? Is the fall of the Eleventh what it sounds like? However, unlike other telefantasy series, the questions are only a small part of Doctor Who. At the end of the story, the Doctor is a mysterious wanderer in time and space, who has adventures, helps the people he meets and defeats the bad guys- which is what the show we know and love is really about. The oldest question will never be fully answered, I think- and it matters not one jot!
  
NEXT: "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"

"The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon"

The opening story of a new series of Doctor Who has certain expectations. A light-hearted adventure that gently eases us into an exciting new season of time-travelling fun. This is what we get to some extent- we have the Doctor being silly at various points in history before having a picnic with his friends before the credits roll. Then, an Apollo Astronaut appears in the lake and the Doctor is shot dead in a way that certainly answers the question about how to kill a being that can regenerate. The cosiness is gone and, as River promised in "The Big Bang" everything seems set to change…

It seems odd that the programme has not done an epic two-part season opener until now, considering how well "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon" work. The roots of the story are clear- Christopher Nolan’s Memento and The X-Files amongst others. Despite this and the first American location shoot, the story remains Doctor Who to its very core. Moffat also introduces us to a very scary new race of monsters- The Silence, whose existence has been intimated since "The Eleventh Hour"- indeed, I wouldn’t be too surprised if there was more to “Silence in the Library” than meets the eye (to coin a phrase). Like the Weeping Angels, the Silence challenge subjective idealism- the Weeping Angels can only move when they are not observed. The Silence can only be remembered when they are observed- in a way that would make Berkeley run screaming back to Kilkenny. As with "Forest of the Dead", Moffat uses the very structure of visual storytelling to emphasise this. The markings on Amy’s face increase in number with every progressive shot. Scenes progress to the punchline while missing the setup. More than any other story so far, there are gaps in the narrative- the brilliant cliffhanger to "The Impossible Astronaut" is only resolved well into "Day of the Moon" in a rather indirect fashion. We are never told on screen why the Doctor is imprisoned and his companions hunted. We don’t need to, however, because it should be obvious by the end. Moffat realises something that some less imaginative observers of the programme have either forgotten or never realised- that children like gaps that they can guess or fill in themselves. Indeed, as a youngster, I would create my own version of the next episode before I actually saw it- one should never underestimate the imagination of a child.

This is not to say that the story is inaccessible- it still engages, helped by many great lines ranging from the funny to the poignant- River realising that the most important man in her life is slipping away from her is very effectively brought out. The 1969 setting is used to great effect and Nixon gets a very fair hearing- it is becoming increasingly clear that it was not that he did what he did, but that he was caught doing it that damned him. This gives a clear framework to the unsettling mood and prevents the story becoming too inaccessible. The threat of the Silence is conveyed excellently and the Doctor’s solution is simple, yet ingenious, as his best plans usually are. There are a good many questions unanswered at the end, but I doubt if they will remain so.

As said before, the show shoots for the first time in yer-actual US of A, and the stunning locations available in the country are brilliantly utilised. Toby Haynes shoots with epic flair, but does equal justice to the creepy, funny and intimate scenes and, crucially, the discontinuities that Moffat’s script demands. He is backed by a stunning show from the entire production team. The filming in the awesome Valley of the Gods is breath-taking and the special effects are fantastic. The Silence are very effectively realised with a mix of prosthetics and CGI adding to their impact as one of the most effective of monster races.

The performances are first rate- Mark Sheppard is brilliant as Canton, and Stuart Milligan is a pleasant surprise as Nixon- thankfully he isn’t too overwhelmed by prosthetics. Matt Smith continues his masterful tenure in the title role and Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill continue to impress. Alex Kingston remains utterly electrifying as River Song and I can’t wait to see her return.

The story ends with the little girl on the streets of New York dying, and subsequently regenerating. Steven Moffat is definitely committed to taking his version of the programme into a totally different direction from RTD’s vision. We have, perhaps, been made too comfortable, and whatever happens, I’m sure it will be worth it.

NEXT: "The Curse of the Black Spot"