"I saw the last great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out moment by moment. I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman. I have seen universes freeze and creations burn; I have seen things you wouldn't believe. I have lost things you will never understand. And I know things, secrets that can never be told, knowledge that can never be spoken. So come on, then! Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!"
If there's one speech to capture where the show is, right now, this is it. This is the crowning moment of Matt Smith's time as the Doctor. The Pandorica one was about what the Doctor imagines he is, what other people's beliefs make him. This one is about who he really is. It's about his past, about what he has done, about the stories that make up his soul. The Pandorica speech was that of a young man. This is the speech of an old man. A man who has seen, who has lived, who has lost. And a man who still, impossibly, hopes and fights. It's THE speech of the 11th Doctor. Bring on the 12th.
Rebecca Kulik lives in Iowa, reads an obsence amount, watches way too much television, and occasionally studies for her BA in History. Come by her personal pop culture blog at tyrannyofthepetticoat.wordpress.com and her reading blog at journalofimaginarypeople.wordpress.com.
