Alternate Review: DOCTOR WHO Series 6 Finale
All of us knew that the Doctor (Matt Smith) wasn’t going to really die at Lake Silencio. I mean, not really die. How could he? If nothing else, he has a Christmas special to be in.
Matt Smith) wasnt going to really die at Lake Silencio. I mean, not really die. How could he? If nothing else, he has a Christmas special to be in. But even knowing what we knew, we still looked forward to seeing how the Doctor dodged death, and now that Ive seen that, and know that I know, I have to say that Im quite pleased. It didnt feel forced. It made sense, and the show did exactly what it should do: answered some questions while asking more, including one very vital, important Question, and it will be really interesting to see how that gets resolved. Our story begins in an alternate timeline; one where Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice) is the Holy Roman Emperor, and has a Silurian physician. Where pterodactyls are pests in parks, and Charles Dickens does talk show appearances. Its a universe where all of time has happened all at once. From that point we go to a series of flashbacks, with the Doctor talking to Churchill about his final days and what lead up to the stoppage of time. We see the return of River Song (Alex Kingston), Amy (Karen Gillan), Rory (Arthur Darvill), Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) and our blue-skinned friend Dorium (Simon Fisher Becker), as well as others. Initially we see that the Doctor is trying to delay the inevitable, talking about Queen Elizabeth I, Rose Tyler and Captain Jack. Hes almost manic with enthusiasm. Then he hears about the fate of an old friend and deflates. The story takes the Doctor to Egypt, where he learns more of whats going on and exactly whats going to have to be sacrificed to fix the universe and allow time to flow once again There was a lot I loved about the episode. The 5:02 universe was pure eye candy, and just looked absolutely magnificent. The performances from everyone were top-notch, especially Alex Kingston and Matt Smith, who continues to impress me more and more as the Doctor, something thats especially notable because Ill fess up to being one of those people who thought he was too young for the role. And who didnt love all the little cameos and returns of people from previous stories? I was also very pleased by writing that made sense, didnt rely on a paradox for resolution and offered a way out for the Doctor that seemed reasonable (even if I did guess it before hand). And I was very touched by the Doctor trying to reach the previously-mentioned old friend and what exactly he learned during that moment. In fact, there wasnt anything I really disliked about this story. Like I said, it did what it should in that it answered many questions, raised some new questions, resolved the present dilemma and left the story open to go all sorts of new places, especially with the comments at the very end about the Doctors role in the universe. Since the relaunch in 2005 the show has been somewhat even. Series one, two and three were ok, but nothing great. Series four, at least in part due to the presence of Donna, moved the show up several notches, and despite a somewhat uneven series five, its continued to improve, leading to this, which was the best series so far. With episodes like The Doctors Wife and The Girl Who Waited, weve seen what the show can be when it really tries. Im not entirely pleased about the planned changes to the shows schedule for 2012. Going from the Christmas special until very late next year with no new shows is going to be a real pain in the ass. But you know what? If what we get at the end is at least as good as series six has been, I think I can deal with the wait.