Most of NuWho's finales are awful in both parts and suffer from the same problems since theyre all the same plot of an alien invasion of Earth which gets bigger and bigger with no tension whatsoever. But this one has the audacity to show incredible promise first. The Stolen Earth shows the Daleks being done right in one of all of two times in NuWho in terms of both the actions they undertake and the tear-filled breakdowns their very presence commands. By now Rory can powerslide through an entire room full of them and not care. In this, though, Captain Jack kisses his friends on the forehead and tells them that were dead as soon as he hears exterminate! on a radio signal from way up in space. It ends with a brilliant cliffhanger in which this very believable, very visceral danger hits every character at once as they finally come to what looks like the end of the futile stand against an enemy which has already won. Journeys End then squirms and wets itself all over this from frame one as all the believable tension completely bursts out and everybody is saved through completely contrived cop-outs put in by the screenwriter. Any immersion disintegrates right here because youre screaming at the TV. Suddenly the Doctor doesnt have to regenerate anymore. Mickey and Jackie know just the right spot to teleport into at the right time from a parallel universe to save Sarah Jane. Tension and suspension of disbelief die and youre stuck watching a plot move from point A to point B by a man making the actors say lines which will get him out of the corner hes written himself into. Its impossible to care about anything because while danger is shown, it's waved away so that everything can have a nice happy ending with everybody smiling in the TARDIS. It vomited up the bloodied final nail in the coffin of Russell T Davies Doctor Who and it can stay dead and ashamed. What did you think of this list? Are there any other Doctor Who stories with disappointing concluding episodes that should have been included? Let us know in the comments section below.
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