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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Doctor Who: Day of the Doctor Review

Thoughts: Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. Does The Day of the Doctor live up the absurdly high expectations fans of the series have set? If you have not seen the episode, click here to watch it now in its entirety.
First off, the episode opened with the original black and white opening from the series inception, which is a perfect thing to do for the 50th Anniversary. Second, David Tennant is back and he is better than ever! His brilliant performance in the episode makes me wish he had never left or that we could see more of him somehow. The Day of the Doctor is like a Doctor Who episode on a theatrical budget and the episode was even released in select theaters, in 3D no less. It is basically a movie in both scale and entertainment, and it is better than most of the ones I have seen this year. The Day of the Doctor hit every note from the emotional to the comical, and if you are a fan of the series, you will at least find something to like. What I did enjoy is that the episode did not go for an all out style over substance with the larger budget. But instead, it focuses on what makes the Doctor tick, and why he acts the way he does. Both Tennant and Smith's incarnation of the Doctor are developed and the reasons they act the way they do is revealed and explained. He is a literal "Madman in a Box" because of the inner struggle of trying to forget all of the billions he has murdered to save the universe. This is one of the few times that we get to know more about the Doctor's character as he reflects about his past and future selves. It is basically a character study of the Doctor, which is fantastic.

John Hurt's incarnation of the Doctor, or "War-Doctor" is rather excellent. His performance was incredibly strong in the role and portrayed the Doctor's conflict perfectly. He is the embodiment of every angry classic Who "fanboy," which makes for rather amusing scenes when he berates his future selves for their "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey" sayings.

My biggest complaint has nothing to do with the episode itself, rather Christopher Eccleston's decision to not to return, and even though John Hurt was "Fantastic!" in the role, Eccleston was originally intended to be that Doctor. Having him in the episode would have made it even better, but that is neither Moffat's or the crew's fault.

*Major Spoilers*
One of the best parts of the episode was when all of the Doctors came to save Gallifrey from its ultimate demise. I literally had chills during that scene and seeing all of the Doctors, both new and old, was absolutely "Fantastic!"
What turned out to be a pleasant surprise is what was not in the episode, rather than what was in it. Thankfully, River did not make an appearance, and while I like the character for the most part, the more I see her, the less I like her. Since "The Wedding of River Song," my patience with the character was wearing thin. Additionally, Captain Jack, Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, fortunately did not make an appearance, and I was even glad that the other companion did not appear in the episode, since they would only distract from the focus, The Doctor(s). However, having Clara along was great and, as before, I loved her character.

Despite how much I loved the episode, I do have a few minor flaws. The first of which being the Zygons. They were decent enemies and a cool callback to the classic era, but why are they the antagonists of the 50th Anniversary special? Overall, they served their purpose of driving the plot forward. My other minor problem is the "Zygon" leaving the door unlocked was a little too silly for its own good, especially after the Doctors figure out how to make the calculation to disintegrate it, which sets up the final scene perfectly. My last problem are the few plot holes, like what happened to the rest of the Daleks if "The Moment" did not destroy them? Although, if the moment did destroy all of them the first time, how were there still Daleks for the Doctor during the series?

Now for the references and cameos. First off, we have the Osgood woman wearing a scarf that is obvious a reference to Tom Baker's Doctor and Smith even comments, "Nice scarf." Peter Capaldi makes a surprising appearance in the episode. As for Capaldi's future Doctor, I am extremely optimistic and look forward to seeing an older Doctor. As Tennant is leaving he says, "I don't want to go," and Smith tells Clara, "He always says that," which made me laugh hysterically! But the best part in terms of references has to be Tom Baker at the end as the "The Curator." Of course there were other references and such, but there are far too many to mention here.
*End Spoilers*


The Good: David Tennant returns!, Moving story, Great sense of humor, Unexpected cameos, John Hurt is an amazing Doctor, Balances humor and story effectively, References to both Classic and NuWho, Billie Piper gave a delightful performance, Less is more, Meta-humor, Just about everything, Smith and Tennant playing off each other, Fan-service abound, Impressive special effects, Deeper study of the Doctor's character,

The Bad:


Plot: 10/10- While there are some logical flaws, as mentioned above, the story gets it right where it is important, the characters, specifically, the Doctor in all of his incarnations. The reasons why the Doctor is the way he is and how he has changed since ending the Time War is studied in depth. The dialogue is snappy, witty, and often hilarious! Clara was used well, being the only companion to truly be apart of the episode, however she never overshadowed the Doctor(s). Some of the events of "The Name of Doctor" were left unanswered, however we will probably receive our answers in the Christmas special.

Action: 8.2/10- The battle on Gallifrey is quite impressive considering that Doctor Who is usually on a television budget. While there is some typical running around action that we come to expect from Doctor Who, the episode is fortunately more about the characters and less about the spectacle.

Acting: 10/10- David Tennant was fantastic as the Doctor again! He might have been even better than before. Matt Smith is reliably funny and clever as always giving a perfect performance. John Hurt gave a surprisingly fun and strong performance as the "War-Doctor." Billie Piper's performance was delightfully zany and fun as the mysterious "Moment." Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I was noticeably weaker than the rest of the cast. For such an iconic historical figure, a better actress should have been chosen. However, the rest of the cast was fine.

Special effects: 10/10- Compared to any other Doctor Who episode, the special effects are stunning and high quality. While not always on par with theatrical films, the effects are rendered very well.

Soundtrack: 10/10- Doctor Who's soundtracks are always amazing, but The Day of the Doctor featured some memorable tracks that I cannot wait to be released on their own. Also, opening the episode with the classic Doctor Who opening was positively brilliant! If anyone knows where I can listen to the soundtrack, please let me know.

Comedy: 10/10- The Day of the Doctor featured many hilarious jokes, inside references, and all around witty and humorous dialogue. Everything was spot on perfect in terms of humor, and never did a joke fall flat.

Would I Watch This Again: While I do not normally rewatch episodes of anything, The Day of the Doctor is an exception to rule because I have rewatched it and will certainly watch and rewatch it many more times.

Overall: 10/10- As a fan of Doctor Who, giving The Day of the Doctor a non-bias rating is nearly impossible, however it completely exceeded all of my expectations for the film/episode and it makes me hopeful for what is to come.

Closing comments: If you are a Doctor Who fan, chances are you have already seen it, if not, what are you waiting for!?

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17 comments:

  1. Well I am not a fan but I would love to watch this "episode" b/c I had a feeling it was going to be hilarious. And finally explaining the time-war is a good bonus...So, is it online now?

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    1. While not officially uploaded I don't think, this website has the episode in its entirety and in good quality. Here is the link.

      http://www.watch-tvseries.net/series58/DOCTOR-WHO/season-07-episode-101-The-Day-of-the-Doctor

      I hope you enjoy it.

      -James

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    2. Sorry. I need a version that has subtitle options. One thing I can be sure of is that I will never catch every word. Looks good though.

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  2. School has prevented me from giving a formal review until the end of the semester (though I wrote my impressions on the fans at the DOTD screening). I am less enthusiastic than you are (DOTD won't earn a 10/10 from me...Spoilers).

    On one point I will comment. "(John Hurt) is the embodiment of every angry classic Who "fanboy," which makes for rather amusing scenes when he berates his future selves for their "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey" sayings."

    I don't think of myself as an 'angry Classic Who fanboy' because I have given positive reviews to some NuWho episodes and negative reviews to some Classic Who stories. I do remember that in the 10th Anniversary Special The Three Doctors, the 1st Doctor mocks the Third & Second Doctors. "Ah, so you're my replacements...a Dandy and a Clown," he says. Nothing out of the ordinary for a senior Doctor to belittle his successors.

    We are in agreement on Hurt: he gave the best performance out of the cast, though how I wish an alien had burst from his chest...

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    1. I look forward to reading your review of the episode.

      I do not think of you as an angry Classic Who fanboy either. I am referring to the "fans" that hate the NuWho to an irrational degree. I have seen quite a few on the internet.

      Haha, I couldn't stop thinking of Hurt's in Alien either while watching the episode.

      -James

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  3. I've watched it twice and it improves on a repeat view. Loved Hurt, loved Tom Baker's cameo too. I agree that the War Doc berating his young successors ("Am I having a mid-life crisis?") was a highlight.

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    1. "Am I having a mid-life crisis?" was my favorite line from the War Doctor. Hurt killed it in the role. He really made me think that he is the Doctor.

      -James

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  4. Spoilers!
    Awesome review!! :D I agree, the whole scene at the end where ALL the Doctors appear to help save Gallifrey was the best part and was so amazing!! That scene definitely had me very, very excited!! :D And seeing a brief bit of Peter Capaldi was great- definitely looking forward to him as the Doctor(it will be nice to have an older Doctor). I agree, Tennant was awesome as ever in his role(I was happy to see him perfectly in character) and Smith was at his best. John Hurt's Doctor impressed me and I could definitely tell he was a seasoned actor. I also really enjoyed Billie Piper's performance- at first, when I heard it wasn't actually Rose, I was disappointed, but I was happy with it when I watched the episode and it ended up working very well(loved it when Ten was all "Bad Wolf?".
    Seeing Tom Baker, as well as the old opening sequence, in this episode was definitely awesome and it was really fun seeing all the little call-backs to previous episodes in the show.
    I agree, I also didn't care for how Elizabeth I was portrayed, and that was probably one of my few complaints. And yes, I agree, I don't care for River Song either.
    Glad you enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to where the show goes next! :D

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    1. That scene was such a fantastic one; I was in awe kind of. :D Seeing Peter Capaldi was a fantastic surprise, I loved it! :) I think that was the best way they could have added Billie Piper into the movie, because any other way she would have distracted from the plot probably. :)

      -James

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  5. Wow, I didn't know Eccleston was originally supposed to be the War Doctor, that's interesting. I'm glad he didn't do it -- nothing against Eccleston, but I think it's awesome how it turned out, with Hurt being technically the Ninth Doctor, but the Ninth we know going by Nine (and Ten and Eleven continuing the pattern) as a way to not acknowledge the existence of Hurt's Doctor being a proper Doctor (because what he did, he didn't do in the name of the Doctor) because they didn't remember that Hurt's Doctor actually is worthy of the name. If the Ninth Doctor had been the War Doctor, it wouldn't have been nearly as awesomely timey-wimey!

    Anyway, I loved this episode too, and there are too many specific things I loved to mention them all, but I agree with everything you mentioned. And when Ten says "I don't want to go" that was probably the most awesomely evil thing Moffat has ever done... so sad, yet so brilliant.

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    1. According to reports, Moffat has said that he wanted him to be the War Doctor, or at least have him along with the other two Doctor and the War Doctor maybe. Being Moffat, the details are a tad confusing, but that is what they said.

      I know, Tennant's line made me want him to come back! He was too good of a Doctor.

      -James

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  6. The episode was as you said, 'fantastic!'. It was awesome to see two of the Doctors that I know the best together in an episode! (I was around 7 during Series Two). My favorite part of the episode was the beginning when the TARDIS was brought to the art gallery via the helicopter ('Next time would it kill you to knock?') and I love how they did the credits this time, no title sequence just the names on the screen as the scene goes by. As much as I love the titles, I loved how they did it for the 50th and I hope they will again. I agree as far as the actress for Elizabeth I, no offense to the actress, but she didn't seem Elizabeth-y enough (the week before this episode aired I was reading about Elizabeth I in World History). The Daleks weren't destroyed by The Moment, but when Gallifrey disappeared, they ended up firing upon themselves, destroying themselves in the process. The scene when all the Doctors were saving Gallifrey was brilliant and I found nothing wrong with the episode, however I did notice that the Zygon plot was more or less left unfinished. But some questions were arisen during the episode for me-when did Clara meet UNIT before? She didn't seem to know who they were because the Doctor explained them to her, but she was shown in the pictures in the Black Vault (you'd have to pay real close attention in there, you'll find props from past episodes. I saw River's red high heels from Time of Angels, and the clamps used in Doomsday when they were going to throw the Daleks and Cybermen back in the void.). I'm assuming that there could be future interactions with UNIT, especially during the Capaldi run.
    Fantastic Review as always, James!

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    1. Cool! That part was hilarious! 'Next time would it kill you to knock?' The classic opening credits were such a nice addition to the episode, weren't they? Agreed, Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I was not good at all, and nothing like the history books say about the real historical figure. I was wondering about the Zygon story as well, they kind of forgot about the treaty.
      About the picture, did they supposedly erase her memory anytime someone leaves? That is why she does not remember right?
      I noticed all of those artifacts as well.
      Thank you!

      -James

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  7. Spectacular, like what you revealed that Christopher Eccleston was meant to portray this Doctor not John Hurt. Still the review you made for us is spot on :)

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    1. Glad that you liked it, and thanks for the comment! :)

      -James

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  8. Haven't seen it but it sounds great. :) Focus on characters is always good.

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  9. You've summed up my thoughts on the 50th. I thought it was going to be serious and dark, kind of depressing. I thought the War Doctor was going to be stern and grim and "must kill everyone!" But he was charming and funny, and I enjoyed watching him with 10 and 11 and getting annoyed with their childish antics. And I loved 10 and 11 together. It makes me wish we could have them together more often.
    I really loved having David Tennant back.
    And Clara was just as amazing as ever.
    Over all I was really pleased with it and pleasantly surprised. I laughed much more than I thought I would.

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