Watch & Remark: Doctor Who, Part 3

And so season 10 of Doctor Who has come to an end. Reader, I cried. I cried a lot. This series wasn't everything I hoped for, but it was pretty damn close. Bill was a dream with great eyebrows, the Doctor was emotional and abrasive, Nardole was brilliant comic relief.

These last four episodes were pretty intense. the trio was pushed to the rink of their abilities and were tested on all fronts, and they made it through. Now, we await the Christmas episode--where the First and Twelfth Doctors meet on some strange planet, and we have no idea what will happen next.

Spoilers ahead!

Episode 9: "Empress of Mars"

We begin in NASA, where the Doctor and Bill intervene to discover that someone--or something--has written "God Save the Queen" on the surface of Mars--and it turns out to be Victorian soldiers. The trio sets off--with a few TARDIS malfunctions--and discover that there is a sleeping colony of Ice Warriors under the surface, and they're about to be disturbed by some Victorian soldiers looking for precious metals. Of course, not all is as it seems, and there's treachery and possible war afoot.

This episode really brings out Bill's humanity, and we get to see how the Ice Warriors exist past that one episode a few years back where they were in a submarine. It was cool to see more of them, but also kind of freaky, because it shows that the show writers always have several subplots hidden in every corner of even the smallest bit of dialogue.

We also get Missy, out of the vault. Who knows whats on her mind?

Episode 10: "The Eaters of Light"

The Doctor and Bill are arguing about who knows more about the Ninth Legion--a famed part of the Roman army that disappeared suddenly. So, of course, they set out to find them, and prove each other wrong. They do find them--and they're both kind of right in the end, after a light-eating beast escapes through a portal and causes more trouble than its worth before they can work with the locals.

This was a really interesting episode because it really tests the Doctor and his willingness to sacrifice everything for these tiny humans. Capaldi is a powerful Doctor, and he has some powerful lines in these episodes. We get a taste of just how far this Doctor is willing to go to protect even the smallest piece of humanity.

Episode 11: "World Enough and Time"

This episode has a few time jumps that are a little confusing. We see the Doctor starting to regenerate. Then we jump back, and see him telling Bill that he's going to give Missy a test-run at the controls. Then we jump forward and they're on a ship broadcasting a distress signal, and everything goes wrong. The ship itself has screwy time--being drawn into a black hole, time in the back half of the ship is going slower than the front half. Bill gets badly hurt--and now she's something that she never should have been. It takes the Doctor 10 years to see her again, from Bill's point of view. And nothing is ever the same.

Also, the Master returns! But wait, Missy is still there? Paradox!

Sorry for the long summary--this episode was a big one. It's the return of an old, old villain, from Classic Who. Bill gets shot. The Doctor takes too long. This episode is intense and scary--there's no guarantee that everyone will make it out alive, especially when the ship itself is working against you. There's no way for the Doctor to get everyone out of this unscathed, and he can barely even try.

Episode 12: "The Doctor Falls"

The ultimate resolution. Bill is a cyberman, but she doesn't quite see it. The Doctor has to sacrifice everything, to try and save Missy and convert The Master as his last act. Nardole meets a lady friend. They are trying to save the humans who are onboard the ship--but its a close call, as the cybermen evolve to attack. Missy and The Master have some issues to work out--in a very surprising fashion.

We also see the return of one of Bill's love interests, which ties up Bill's story in a messy bow, and leaves her future wide open. The Doctor now must deal with himself. He's regenerating--and he wants to stop it.

This episode made me cry. There's backstabbing, emotional goodbyes, and a startling ending that gives us back a character we thought was long gone. It was really, really great--and it brought back some intense memories from the goodbyes of other Doctors as well. With so many goodbyes, its a wonder that The Doctor held on to give us the Christmas special.

Final Thoughts:

This season blew my mind a little bit. I never want Doctor Who to end, and each Doctor who leaves hurts. I fall in love with each one of them, and they break my heart when they leave every time. I'm sure I will love the next one--I just hope it's not a white man.

Right at the end I was worried that Capaldi was going to be cheated out of his last Christmas episode, but now we know that there's even bigger conflict waiting for us at the end--the Doctor against himself. Against his original self.

Seeing the Doctor fight himself, and Missy fight herself as well, is an interesting juxtaposition. We are almost certain that The Doctor's fight will turn out OK, but we really got thrown for a loop with Miss & The Master, and I think it was the greatest end (supposedly) to that arc. Doctor Who is an amazing piece of work, and this kind of character conflict is what makes it great. I can't wait for the special to blow our minds again.

Until we meet again at Christmas for our Christmas episode--keep an eye out for that blue police box, and for Bill travelling the universe with her space girlfriend!