Doctor Who Season 8
Episodes 11/12
Introduction
Finally it is here my review of the last two episodes of the Season 8 .
They are controversial episodes which have some brave or daring choices by the Doctor Who team. Beware Spoilers ahead!
Part 1 Episode: 11 "Dark Water"
Basic Plot
Clara attempts to tell Danny about her life with Doctor, Danny is hit by a car and is (Spoiler) killed. Clara calls the Doctor. She attempts to blackmail the Doctor into saving Danny by throwing the TARDIS keys into a volcano. The Doctor uses Clara's memories with the help of the TARDIS to find Danny. The Tardis takes them to a facility named 3W; where skeletons are contained in blue-liquid.
Meanwhile Danny is being consoled for his death.
The Doctor opens an information book, read by a hiding Missy, who claims that she is a droid. He meets Doctor Chang, he explains that the dead are conscious and also shows them "dark water", a substance which can only display organic material.
Elsewhere, Missy awakens the skeletons and the tanks begin to drain. Clara talks with Danny;trying to find proof of his identity, but Danny refuses to let her be with him in death, so Clara puts the phone down. The Doctor and Chang exit into the hallway to see the tanks drain, revealing the skeletons are actually Cybermen. The Doctor and Missy exit and find themselves on the steps of St Paul's cathedral. The Cybermen begin to march out of the cathedral! Missy informs him his efforts to to evacuate are pointless (Major Spoiler) Missy is short for Mistress, revealing that she is the Master!!
My Thoughts
This episode is shocking and has good character development for both Clara's relationship with the Doctor as well as being a homage to the classic era Cyberman episode The Invasion. But the Cybermen are just a plot device and not used fully nor is it explained why they are working with Missy. The Master returns not as we know him and here is where it all falls down the Master is a women, real women which changes his interaction with the Doctor which is great.
But sadly the first thing the Master does in this new form is kiss the Doctor! Really?
Not very original at all. The Master as women is a poorly written and looks like Mary Poppins gone wrong. Missy does pull the Master's crazy off well.
I feel overall this episode had a great build up and tension but has a poor plot twist as once again Moffet is at his concept cramming best ; with references to classic era of who, inception and Ironman randomly exploding all over the place but moving the plot forward very little. This episode suffers for it.
It comes off as a mix of the classic era invasion of the cybermen who do nothing apart form come out of a tank, walk again down the steps of St Paul's and then do nothing but before turning into sliver flying Ironmans complete with cross on chest and blue glowing middle . A cheap tacky use of this once proud enemy; who at one time had evil plots by themselves and were able to carry them out. It is tradition for the Master to work with someone but this takes the biscuit as it has been done before and better.
Missy as a character has tied the whole season together well with the dead from
other episode being brought together nicely into this Dark Water's plot crash which explodes all over the screen randomly.
OVERALL RATING 3/5 Plot Crashed
Part 2 Episode: 12 "Death in Heaven"
Basic Plot
The Cybermen detonate themselves around Britain, releasing "Cyber pollen" that reincarnates and transforms the dead into Cybermen which is all part of Missy's plan.
Danny turns out to be one of these but rescues Clara from 3W.
UNIT bring the Doctor and Missy aboard a plane, where the Doctor is given control of Earth's armies as "President of the Earth". Osgood tells the Doctor that this is happening all over the world, and the clouds have not yet dispersed, the Doctor offers her a chance for "all of time and space" as his companion. Missy overpowers UNIT, kills Osgood and blows up the plane using the Cybermen.
The Doctor survives by calling the TARDIS to him and reunites with Clara in a cemetery, where Clara has discovered the Cyberman who rescues her is Danny. Danny reveals that a forthcoming rainfall will convert all living people to Cybermen as well. Missy arrives and gifts the Doctor with control of all the Cybermen so he can conquer the universe. The Doctor refuses and gives control to Danny, who leads other Cybermen into exploding and stopping the rainfall.
Missy is disintegrated by a final Cyberman, a reanimated Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. In the aftermath, Clara and the Doctor bid farewell with lies to each other: Clara tells the Doctor that Danny was brought back from the Nethersphere; in reality, he used his one chance to get out to revive a young boy he accidentally killed when he was a soldier, and the Doctor tells Clara he has found Gallifrey with coordinates Missy gave him; the coordinates actually led to empty space.
My Thoughts: In Summary Just what a Mess!!
Great to see Kate and UNIT back (not just a 50th anniversary nod) and a really good use for them plot wise. But why would anyone from UNIT make the Doctor President of earth's armies? When they know of his dislike for both violence and guns? That is exactly why the Doctor is picked; but it still is a bit silly as UNIT know this. Love the plane and more on UNIT later. Great nod to Doctor who classic era history with UNIT and Osgood is an excellent development.
Clara/Danny
Clara and Danny story is resolved beautiful and really is well done and Danny 's sacrifice is beautiful and tragic at the same time. Excellent.
Doctor /Clara
This is the episode where you really understand the Doctor need for Clara and friendship with her but you also feel that the Doctor feels that he has a high debt to pay off with her and it is not an equal relationship but something complicated and messy which is good a Clara the impossible girl has saved the Doctor in very regeneration and the Doctor should have guilt issues with that.
It Get's Messy From Here..
Missy = Master
Missy is insanely evil and this episode proves it and the destruction of the plane it just soul destroying. A really good use of the Missy character.Still none the wiser as to why the Cybermen are working with Missy no explanation there.
Missy is the Master who plans to use the Cybermen to create an army to take over the universes.
The Doctor offer Missy the chance to travel the universes in the Tardis with him and be is forever companion. Nice offer Doctor which not a new offer for the Master/Missy what Clara would feel about it is unclear.
The Doctor is give the armies of earth by UNIT and he is forced to accept them but Missy creates this army and then decides to give it the Doctor is the high of stupidity as Missy /Master knows like UNIT knows that the Doctor + violence and Guns = his extreme dislike (River Song excluded naturally)
what is with this why would Missy do this! Doctor's Facepalm is classic at this suggestion.
I feel that a male Master would have still escaped and take some of his soldiers with him. Missy as a female character can have a army and can takes over the universe without the Doctor !It is just insane and makes no sense at all to give the Doctor this army. It could also be classed as more Moffet sexists writing of female characters including the Missy Master. Scary really. It is pretty clear that to the audience we will see Missy again. but it allows for Danny /Clara to have their tragic love story ending which is good. Now on to the really big issue with this episode.
First World War Centenary 1914-2014
The Year 2014 marks 100 years since the start of the First World War.
In August 2014 the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. By the end of the First World War there were very few people in the countries that took part who remained unaffected. Children grew up in its shadow, fathers absent or lost. Women became directly involved, picking up the pieces of industry and agriculture as the men went off to fight. By 1918, they too could join the army and serve their country.
‘Sometimes I don’t think about it for months on end, then I come back and dream about it all. How really extraordinary it was. I can’t quite get it out of my system. I can’t sleep sometimes. I just think about it.’
Stephen Williamson looking back at the First World War in 1985
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
I appreciated that this episode is a giving a huge nod to the those who fourght in the 1st World War and how the current people living in peace own them their freedom. I get the metaphor using Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as the past still saving us today but it could have been done without turning a beloved character into a cyberman but Clara has been a Dalek! I hear people cry.
I love the fact he at the got a salute from the Doctor in the end but why could not the Doctor salute his portrait of the Brigadier at the end. It was awesome how the Brig saved Kate his daughter. But turning one of the best classic who era character after Sarah Jane Smith into a Cyberman after 11th had got the news he had died in season 6 is just a bit disrespectful. The scene below was perfection and not from this episode but it was perfection.
You also get the Danny is just a solider and the Doctor is an officer metaphor plus so is the Brig and how much the Brig sacrificed for the earth safety honing the past which is cool.
But this is a bitter sweet moment which is should be but its stings the Shows past like a jellyfish sting. Maybe it makes it good but it just hurts.
Going Forward
This episode summed up nearly all plot lines in season 9 and gave the Doctor some hope even if the it was fake hope. Both the Clara and the Doctor's relationship became more richly messy but they also grew this season equally as Clara was the lead for most of the season which did harm the 12th Doctor's introduction but new fans of the shows need the support and it gave Clara the chance to be seen as a strong companion in her own right and in a new light.. But boy I am glad this season is over as Danny and Clara were whiny at time and annoying with their soap opera storyline. Sorry it took some time do this review I enjoy last year Christmas special more than these two episodes but really. Bring on season 10!
OVERALL RATING 3/5
