Doctor Who: 9 Most Underrated Episodes Of The Revived Series
5. The Next Doctor (2009/10 Specials)
Ok, yes - theres that whole Cyber King stomping through the streets of Victorian London and doing so much damage that it surely isnt possible for anyone to not remember it in the future thing, and no, the Cybershades dont really have much of a point. The former niggle has been retroactively fixed, however, with the Cyber King falling through the cracks in the universe. And as for the Cybershades well, they've never been addressed again. But there's still lots of things to enjoy in this episode, too. The main plus point has to be the brilliant performance by David Morrissey as Jackson Lake, or as the title would have you believe, The Next Doctor. His performance as the pseudo-eleventh is everything youd want from someone playing that role, being charismatic, arrogant, funny and smart in equal measure. In fact, hes so good in the role that if theyd announced that he actually was going to be playing the Eleventh Doctor straight after the episode, a lot of the fanbase would have been fine with it. Even after the reveal hes at the top of his game, playing the identity crisis so well that you cant help but sympathise with the guy. Hes not the only one performing well. David Tennant is good, as ever, but really its Dervla Kirwan as the villainous Mercy Hartigan who threatens to steal the show from Morrissey and, admittedly, she ultimately does steal the show from the Cybermen. Its her embodiment of the voluptuous villain that pushes the Cybermen plot forward and brings everything to its head. Shes nasty enough that you love to hate her, which is always good for a baddie, and her eventual demise is rather satisfying as a result. Theres also the added nugget of awesome for Classic fans and Big Finish listeners. This episode contains the first montage through the different Doctors, confirming Paul McGanns place in the canon. This sets off the path that would eventually lead to his return The Night of the Doctor and the canonisation of the Big Finish audio adventures. Hurrah!
