Doctor Who Christmas Special 2017: What ‘Twice Upon A Time’ Really Means
6. The Greatest Hero Of Them All?
Another major theme during Moffat’s tenure, perhaps the most central of all, is the exploration of the Doctor’s heroic nature. What is it that makes him a hero, and how does he differ from comic book superheroes like Superman or ancient legends, like Robin Hood or Merlin?
Clara was deeply suspicious of the twelfth Doctor’s motivations, and initially unable to answer the question “am I a good man?” Bill, by contrast, though never afraid to challenge him was naïvely trusting even after her faith was put to the ultimate test in Thin Ice and The Lie of the Land.
The glass avatar that carries Bill’s memories, stolen as she lay dying following her cyber conversion (but after the moment she had seen Heather again), is still incredibly trusting of the Doctor. When the First Doctor questions why good sometimes triumphs against the odds she suggests it’s all down to ‘a bloke’, clearly meaning the Doctor himself. It’s the kind of godlike statement that the Doctor would rarely agree with, except when at the height of his Messiah complex.
This belief ties into the notion that the Doctor makes fairy tales come true. This is a meta-reference to how the Moffat era began. A conscious decision was made to move away from the soap opera hyperrealism of Russell T Davies. Moffat’s storytelling moved the show more firmly into the realm of fantasy, causing much controversy when taken to its most extreme (e.g. Kill the Moon, In the Forest of the Night).