Doctor Who: 10 Overused Tropes Of The Steven Moffat Era
8. Love Saves The Day
At the end of Series 6’s Closing Time, Craig Owens’ love for his
son is so strong that he can’t be converted into an emotionless Cyber-Leader
and all the other Cybermen blow up.
We can see why this is a nice idea – Doctor Who is all about finding another way out of a conflict rather than fighting violence with violence, and as it doesn’t have the budget to be full-on sci-fi action, emotion-led endings can be more effective.
But this ending is less great when you consider that just three episodes before, the monsters had also been defeated by a parent’s love for a child. And the last time the Doctor had met Craig, the plot was resolved by his love for his girlfriend.
It’s not always love, either. Villains have been defeated by memories, the ‘power of motherhood’, and, err, losing faith in the Doctor. Who needs scientific logic, anyway?
While the optimistic, anti-violence message of Who is all too welcome, we do wish it could be worked into some more original and less flimsy plot resolutions.