Doctor Who: 7 Things You Need To Know About The Doctor's Meditation Prequel

1. The Doctor's Last Battlefield?

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Bors returns, hearing the summons. "Are you any good with a broadsword?" asks the Doctor. Bors confirms he is. The Doctor holds up the spoon from last year's Robots of Sherwood and says, "Fancy a friendly?"

"Enough, magician!" roars Bors. "I do not believe you will meditate. It is not in your nature. If this is to be your last night here then we shall celebrate. There shall be revels. But first, tell me your story. Tell me how you came to this place and why now you are compelled to leave it. I will not depart this room until you do so."

And - at last - the Doctor is somewhat honest with him. "I suppose I do owe you."

Bors states, "I have served you loyally, Sir Doctor."

"Yes," admits the Doctor, almost hissing the word. "Yes, you have."

"Then begin your tale."

"Well, a little while ago," begins the Doctor, as music from the Matt Smith era plays, "a very long way from here, I was looking for a bookshop. Instead, I found a battlefield. Story of my life. I have seen many battlefields. But this one will be different. This one will be my last." As the Doctor says this, the scene changes to a smoke-covered battlefield where very little can be made out. Then, "To Be Continued" flashes up. And the Prequel ends.

Analysis: So, just like with Matt Smith's Trenzalore arc, this season will see a "final battlefield" for the Doctor, and fans will again accuse Moffat of revisiting the same ideas over and over. Still, there were some funny jokes along the way in the Prequel; the spoon gag alone makes it worth watching!

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Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year. You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike