10 Most Profound Doctor Who Quotes
9. Keeping The Balance - Twice Upon A Time
The epilogue to Capaldi’s tenure, Twice Upon A Time, was definitely a mixed bag. Whilst there is much to love in Moffat’s swan song, many took issue with the disrespectful portrayal of The First Doctor, at times reducing him to a ‘misogynistic old man’ trope. Love or hate the episode, most fans agree that this is a bit of a shame (or an insult to over 50 years of history, depending on who you ask), especially those who have seen David Bradley’s touching portrayal of William Hartnell in An Adventure In Space And Time.
David Bradley’s Doctor does get a few moments to shine in this episode though, particularly in a scene where he finds himself alone with Fake Bill Potts / Testimony whilst Twelve is attempting to bargain with Rusty the Dalek. Doctor Uno (Uno Who? Nah, that won’t catch on...), like Twelve, is grappling with the concept of regeneration, and becoming someone else; especially given he is now horrified by the idea of becoming a ‘Doctor of War’ after Testimony casually drop a handy highlight reel of his darkest moments on him earlier in the episode. He barely recognises his future self as the same person.
NotBill starts to question the Doctor about the day he stole the TARDIS and ran away, but instead of asking him what he was running from, which we as viewers already know, she asks what he was running to, a question that is as new to us as it is to the Doctor. Pausing a moment, he comes back with the following:
"There is good and there is evil. I left Gallifrey to answer a question of my own. By any analysis, evil should always win. Good is not a practical survival strategy. It requires loyalty, self-sacrifice and er, love. So, why does good prevail? What keeps the balance between good and evil in this appalling universe?"
In a way, it would have been better that this question be left unanswered. Yes, this particular story required the Doctor to hear that he was the glue holding the universe together in order to begin his journey toward becoming a hero, but in isolation the quote suggests something a message that is arguably more powerful: that against all odds, and despite the personal sacrifices required, people genuinely tend to be good, and that love wins the day. Isn't that nice?