10 Best "Everything You Know Is A Lie" Moments In Doctor Who
Those moments that changed everything for certain Doctor Who characters.
One of the most satisfying moments in any form of media is when a character (or the audience) finds out they've been wrong about something the entire time.
Think The Sixth Sense, Planet of the Apes, or Shutter Island. All great films with incredible, earth-shattering reveals. Almost literally in that middle case!
Doctor Who isn't immune to this trope either. Over the years, the show has presented us with many situations and then flipped them on their heads, much to the shock and delight of everyone watching.
Well, not always to the delight of everyone. Sometimes we all just collectively sigh as yet another plot twist throws everything out of whack. We're looking at you, Moffat! You know what you did!
Still, at least these reality-busting moments hold up.
All these reveals completely change what we thought we knew about a character or a story. They all feature some truly brilliant drama, with ramifications across a single episode, a whole series, and sometimes - though rarely - across the entire rest of the show
10. The Bracewell Bomb (Victory Of The Daleks)
When the Doctor and Amy turn up in World War II London, they discover that Winston Churchill and his scientists have developed a new super-weapon to use against the Nazis. He calls them Ironsides, but the Doctor (and everyone watching at home) immediately recognises them as Daleks.
In this episode, Skaro's favourite sons - or daughters, or others, it's never quite explained how Dalek genders work - were supposedly invented by Professor Edwin Bracewell, a kind Scottish fella who seems immensely proud of his work.
However, halfway through the episode, poor old Bracewell's reality is shattered when he discovers that he didn't create the Ironsides. In fact, they created him. Oh, and he's also a bomb that's about to explode. Talk about kicking someone while they're down.
Bracewell had memories of a life he'd never actually lived, which was a particularly cruel thing for the Daleks to do, even by their standards. But on the plus side, those memories come in handy during a heartwarming scene where Amy forces the Professor to embrace his humanity, which cancels the countdown on the bomb.
You feel genuinely sorry for Bracewell as he desperately tries to cling to his implanted human emotions and memories, and it makes for a strong emotional beat (and a standout moment for new companion Amy) in an otherwise average episode.