The Day Of The Doctor: Did It Live Up To Our Expectations?
You're never going to win over ever fan, every audience member. It's a fact. An infinite number of wish lost items. Every Doctor. Every companion. References to every great story. A expansion on the ongoing story lines and / or something fresh and new for casual fans. Oh and a great story. At the end of the day, it's all about interpretation. One man's rubbish story is another man's epic. So how do you measure the success of the 50th special? Well breaking the Guinness world record for the largest ever simulcast of a TV drama is a start, but then it was always going to get larger viewing numbers. Worldwide cinema screenings certainly helped. But the thing is, 'Day Of The Doctor' would still have got those numbers even if it has been the largest turd in Doctor Who history. Thankfully it wasn't. Far from it. Reviews have been massively favourable. A great blend of dramatic story, stonking performances and enough nods to the past while not becoming a greatest hits tour...Steven Moffat and director Nick Hurran delivered. Gripes people might have, but the general consensus is that 'Day Of The Doctor' was a success. Let's start with the story. Well it was certainly a bold move to dive head first into the climactic battle that ended the Time War. It was a brilliant concept and added a powerful narrative to Doctors Nine and Ten story, though Russell T Davies always preferred to refer to events rather than show them, dipping a toe into the action so to speak in stories like 'Journey's End' and 'The End Of Time'. And for the most part it was the right decision. After all, how do covey evocative references like Nightmare Child on screen? But in a big ballsy 50th special, it was absolutely the perfect opportunity to finally deal with the one of the most significant and unseen events in the Doctor's life since he stole the Tardis and escaped Gallifrey with Susan many centuries ago. And yet it was so much more than Star Wars with Daleks, though this certainly added the spectacle the special needed (particularly in 3D). It was at its heart, an examination of the moral dilemma the Doctor faced and has continued to agonise over (or forget) in the four hundred years since he pushed the button. But it also have the perfect blend of Moffat Timey-Wimey plotting. The back and forth Fez hopping. The message in the Tower Of London prison cell and the 400 years of accumulated data in the sonic screwdriver (though I loved that that was utterly pointless!). Clever little quirks that showed that Moffat truly is a master of time travel stories. The Zygon / UNIT plot was a great tool to get the Doctors together (the returning baddie proving to be surprisingly nasty), though if I were to find any fault in the special it would be that the plot was completely dropped in favour of the bigger Time War spectacle. The performances? Well the supporting cast were certainly on fine form. Joanna Page delivered a feisty, powerful Queen Elizabeth I; the latest quasi love interest for the dashing Tenth Doctor. Jemma Redgrave built on her confident performance in series 7's 'The Power Of Three' as the Brigadier's daughter Kate Stewart. It was only fitting that UNIT played a role in the special and she was certainly the right choice to lead it. And the companions...well Clara was certainly on fine form, showing that while other writers may have struggled to convey depth to her character, Moffat really knows how to make her shine. The voice of reason, seemingly emboldened by her actions in 'The Name Of The Doctor', I found it interesting that she continued to play a pivotal role in the events of the Time War, being the outside voice to bring the Doctors to reason. However the surprise performance for me was Billie Piper as the conscience of the weapon, taking on the form of Rose Tyler's Bad Wolf Persona. She excelled alongside John Hurt's War Doctor, balancing whimsy with dramatic tension; this was easily her best performance to date. And the Doctors themselves? This is where the biggest strengths of 'Day Of The Doctor' lie. I could have watched hours of Hurt, Tennant and Smith together in a room, bickering. There was a brilliant camaraderie between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. For all their jibes they bounced brilliantly off each other; a great team. And despite the fact that both Doctors are young and massively energetic, the special clearly brought out the traits that made them so different from each other. But it was John Hurt's War Doctor stole the show for me. Surprisingly he wasn't all doom and gloom. What he was, was every Classic Doctor personified...believing Smith and Tennant to be companions? Groaning over their catchphrases. His reaction to timey wimey! And yet, at the end he admired everything they were...what he would become. A special that could question the moral implications of genocide (how many children?) while having lovely moment of humour. All the main cast were on brilliant. And the nods to 50 years of the show. The original title sequence. Clara working at Coal Hill School from 'The Earthly Child' (and Remembrance Of The Daleks'). Ian Chesterton as the school's governor. Tom Baker's scarf. The companions photographed on the walls of the Black Archive. The 'Oh, you've redecorated' line from 'The Three Doctors'. And of course the return of all the old Doctors (AND CAPALDI!!!!!) to help save Gallifrey. I love that in the end this was in some part a full 'Thirteen Doctors' story. A magnificent spectacle. Did it succeed? Definitely!