Picking up where we left off in "Part One", The Master (John Simm) has transformed the whole of mankind into clones of himself, The Doctor (David Tennant) is bound and gagged to a very uncomfortable-looking chair, Wilf (Bernard Cribbins) is likewise incapacitated, Donna's (Catherine Tate) the last remaining human on Earth with her own identity (and a memory full of dangerous, combustible Time Lord knowledge), and it's revealed that The Time Lords shown last week are essentially stuck in a temporal purgatory...The infamous Time War that we assumed had destroyed Gallifreyan civilization in fact only imprisoned its surviving population in a time-locked "bubble" of The Doctor's creation (as his once noble race apparently became dangerous warmongers in their dying days.) Now, their leader Rassilon (Timothy Dalton), hatches a plan to ensure their timely release -- by acting on a prophecy that The Master and The Doctor will be the last remaining post-war Time Lords, then manipulating The Master into facilitating their release using a rhythmic drumbeat and a white-star diamond...
The plot crumbles to dust at the merest inspection, so it's best to enjoy "The End Of Time: Part Two" on a more visceral and emotional level, helped along by the marvellous performances from Tennant and Cribbins. John Simm also improved as The Master here, as his starved and crazy performance last week was mostly forgotten about and he was restored to the devious imp of series 3. Timothy Dalton's role essentially rested on his ability to speak lines like "what news of The Doctor?" with a straight-face, and his natural gravitas accomplished everything expected of him. I particularly enjoyed his sneering condemnation of "child" Master after arriving on Earth through the Immortality Gate's portal to Gallifrey (yes, that gizmo develops another use in this two-parter!)
It's been obvious from the beginning that Davies is more successful at writing quiet moments between a few characters, rather than the huge sci-fi epics he struggles to imbue with much sense of rhythm. So, I was grateful that a sizeable amount of screen-time in "Part Two" boiled down to two-handers. Wilf and The Doctor's conversation aboard a spaceship about the necessity for The Doctor to break his pacifist principles and bear arms to defeat The Master was interesting, emotional dialogue. The Doctor essentially refusing to save six billion human lives because it would mean killing one person. That's the kind of weighty, conflicted stuff Doctor Who should tackle more regularly.I also really liked the scene of The Doctor facing a clear choice (shoot The Master or shoot the Time Lords), and how The Master ultimately decided to commit murder on his enemy's behalf to defeat Rassilon; and I absolutely loved how The Doctor's fate was sealed, by having him rescue Wilf from a locked chamber that released deadly gasses on himself. Tennant was particularly impressive here, as he realized that the prophecy "he will know four times" was referring to the trapped Wilf, and realized he had to sacrifice himself seconds after believing he'd cheated fate. I'd have been happy for the long-awaited regeneration to take place there and then (despite the similarities to Spock's demise in Star Trek II), but instead the script soldiered on. It goes without saying that Tennant was marvellous throughout, although I grew slightly weary of his dejected tone and lamentations due to the script's prolonged farewells. There are only so many times you can press an audience's "cry button" before they start to become annoyed by the manipulation.
Certainly, there were moments in this finale's appendix of "grace notes" that worked nicely as an all-encompassing farewell to RTD's era. I actually quite enjoyed seeing The Doctor get a chance to visit old friends/companions one last time, knowing he's terminally ill. More than any other regeneration in the show's history, it wasn't treated as a handy way for The Doctor to cheat death, but as a real death of a personality, if not a physical being...Seeing The Doctor meet the descendant of his human wife from "The Family Of Blood" at a book-signing was unexpected and fun; Donna finally became a blushing bride (with a winning lottery ticket as a parting gift); and there was wonderful poetry in seeing The Doctor succumb to his illness shortly after saying goodbye to Rose (Billie Piper), a few months before he first met her (and audiences were first re-introduced to the show in 2005.)
But, the sequence with married mercenaries Martha (Freema Agyeman) and Mickey (Noel Clarke) fighting a Sontaron in a derelict industrial site was terrible; The Doctor saving Sarah Jane's (Elisabeth Sladen) son from traffic was a bit dull, although Sladen's wistful look at the departing Doctor spoke volumes; and I'm in two-minds about the homage to Star Wars' cantina bar, where The Doctor helped a morose Captain Jack (John Barrowman) get his leg-over with "Alonso" (Russell Tovey), the doomed midshipman from "Voyage Of The Damned". Is this a sign that Davies intends to get Tovey involved in Torchwood, perhaps replacing dead Ianto?As expected, "The End Of Time: Part Two" was a fun, crazy mélange that basically felt unfocused and desperately in need of some restraint, but it was ultimately a satisfying conclusion that summed up Davies' era perfectly – for better or worse. Russell T. Davies takes some stick from adult fans who demand the best (myself included), but he's been a marvellous spokesman and a key figure in bringing this classic series back to our screens – which was, lest we forget, a sci-fi dinosaur widely considered an embarrassment by TV insiders. What a difference four years make, eh. Doctor Who is now a huge money-spinning success for the BBC, and a lot of that is down to Davies and his creative team. You may not like Davies' childlike sensibility, but you can at least appreciate his passion and integral role in Who's revival.
The final scene found the dying Doctor echoing many fan's sentiments in his final, poignant words ("I don't want to go..."), and it's certainly true that David Tennant's put a stamp on the role that his successor will have to work hard to improve on. Even more so than Davies, Tennant's been a fantastic ambassador for Doctor Who, clearly enjoying every second of every episode he's been involved with and tirelessly promoting the show with good humour and ardour – both on and off-screen. It helped enormously that Tennant himself is a "Whovian" (crediting the series for inspiring him to act), and you could tell he approached The Doctor as the role of a lifetime.Eventually though, all good things must come to an end. And lo, Doctor Ten's violent regeneration caused mass interior destruction of the TARDIS, which the emergent Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) had to immediately contend with, as the ship nosedived to Earth for a crash landing – inspiring what appears to be a new catchphrase for the series in "Geronimo!" It's sad to see Tennant go after three memorable years, but equally as exciting to know Doctor Who will return in just a few months, regenerated with the peerless Steven Moffat in charge of his childhood favourite.
A few errant thoughts:
- So, who was the mysterious Woman (Claire Bloom)? Based on the look she gave The Doctor in the Gate Room, I'm assuming she's his mother?
- Of all the silly moments, I think the stupidest was seeing The Doctor freefall from a spaceship without a parachute and somehow survive smashing through a glass dome.
1 January 2010
BBC1/BBC HD, 6.40pm
written by: Russell T. Davies directed by: Euros Lyn starring: David Tennant (The Doctor), John Simm (The Master), Bernard Cribbins (Wilf), Timothy Dalton (Rassilon), Catherine Tate (Donna), Jacquieline King (Sylvia), June Whitfield (Minnie Hooper), Claire Bloom (The Woman), David Harewood (Joshua Naismith), Tracy Ifeachor (Tracy Naismith), Lawry Lewin (Rossiter), Sinead Keenan (Addams), Karl Collins (Shaun Temple), Brid Brennan (The Visionary), Paul Kasey (Ood Sigma), Silas Carson (Ood Sigma, voice), Billie Piper (Rose), Camille Coduri (Jackie), Freema Agyeman (Martha), Noel Clarke (Mickey), John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Russell Tovey (Alonzo), Joe Dixon (The Second, Julie Legrand (The Partisan), Nicholas Briggs (Judoon, voice), Pete Lee-Wilson (Tommo), Dwayne Scantlebury (Ginger) & Winston Katusi (Allister Bain)
