2. I owned the stage.
Youve got a lot to look forward to, you know. A normal human life on Earth. Mortgage payments, nine to five, a persistent nagging sense of spiritual emptiness. Save the tears for later, boyo. Oh, that was crabby. No that was old. But I am old, Stormy. I am so old. So near the end.
You, Alfie Owens, you are so young, arent you? And you know right now, everythings ahead of you. You could be anything. Yes, I know. You could walk among the stars.
They dont actually look like that, you know, they are rather more impressive.
You know when I was little like you I dreamt of the stars. I think its fair to say in the language of your age that I lived my dream.
I owned the stage. Gave it a hundred and ten percent. I hope you have as much fun as I did. This scene is nothing if not understated. Theres no shouting, no ranting or raving. Theres no motive behind it. Its a meditation on the Doctors place in the universe. Hes an old, old man facing his mortality. And when you think youre approaching the end, you begin to think about the beginning. Theres nothing specific in this speech, no details. Its about potential, and the long life the Doctor has lived. He sounds old and crabby, but he really shouldnt because he got to live a long and fantastic life. The gravitas of the thing is somewhat undermined by the fact that the Doctor did not, in fact, die in the next episode (which was a big shock, really, a twist no one could have imagined). But Smith sold it beautifully, and its a truly touching piece of work.