Twice Upon a Time

The best "regeneration" episode of the new serie.

Because it's not epic, because it's not a showdown. Because it's just a last goodbye, a beautiful last goodbye.

Of course, there is the annoying sexist bit, but I understand (even if I don't agree) why they did it.

This episode features David Bradley recreating the very first Doctor (originally played by William Hartnell) and accompanying Peter Capaldi in his final adventure before his 12th Doctor regenerates into a female 13th Doctor. The episode begins with a beautiful clip from Hartnell as the 1st Doctor starting to feel his regeneration coming before a slightly unnecessarily noticeable transition to Bradley playing the 1st Doctor. The tiny flaw in this transition is quickly forgotten as Bradley does a fantastic job throughout the episode. Bradley is a supremely good actor and it shines through in this respectful, humorous and magical portrayal of the Doctor. Capaldi is on top form and the story is thoughtful, moving, funny, interesting and works really well in all departments. I also loved Mark Gatiss role of the Captain who joins the adventure and turns out to be of lovely significance. The element which lifts the story even more into greatness is the inclusion of the Great War (now, of course, more often known as World War I) and the movingly beautiful scenes and thoughtful ideas presented with brilliant acting all round. Excellent stuff.

Steven Moffatt's final episode as 'showrunner'/writer is among his best in my opinion. This episode is like classic series Doctor Who in many ways; it is not a non-stop roller-coaster of action, it is more slow, character based drama. I like that style when done well and the script, plot and acting in this episode carries off the slower paced, less action oriented story superbly well. I am not saying this is the best episode ever but it easily sits alongside top class stories.

The 13th Doctor's arrival at the end regeneration scene was rather dramatic. I think I would have preferred a less shocking introduction and it gave more ammunition to online negative commentators who latched onto the scene as evidence of it 'ruining their show'. This episode, though, was about Peter Capaldi signing off as the 12th Doctor and he really finished on a high. His acting was superb and the writing gave him a great send off. Moffatt chose to have the 12th Doctor suffering a sort of identity crisis throughout his time, I guess you could argue the new cycle of regenerations given to the Doctor could cause this or just the chain of events could have made him question himself in a kind of mid-life crisis type situation. I loved that in Capaldi's farewell Moffatt allowed his Doctor to have a feeling of resolution and renewed faith in himself. Maybe this was overdue but it was done very well indeed.

I feel I should address the accusations some make that this episode rewrites the 1st Doctor as a sexist. I do think that it is unfortunate that Moffatt's modern ideology and dramatic aims make people feel the 1st Doctor is being misrepresented but I did not find it a big issue. A few comedic comments here and there do not, for me, damage the 1st Doctor at all. I found it was a light hearted and very minor aspect of the episode but I felt overall this portrayed the 1st Doctor as equally admirable and wonderful as Hartnell's original performance. It just infers he was rather patriarchal in a harmless way which is not that out of keeping with the way the 1st Doctor acted.

The merging of this story with The Tenth Planet and involvement of original Mondasian Cybermen as well as the wonderfully acted recreation of the First Doctor just give this story a magic and nostalgia which combined with moving war elements and a very good script make this a great episode and a fitting send off for the brilliant Peter Capaldi.

Compared to past farewell Extravaganzas, Twice Upon a Time is a simple affair. The fate of the Universe is not at stake, at least not the immediate stake as the Doctor decides whether he'll regenerate or let things end. The spice is the Twelfth Doctor meeting the First Doctor (played by David Bradley.) This results in a fun and enjoyable adventure that has some emotional moments and a big fat kiss to the show's paths.

The Twelfth Doctor's wariness at regeneration is understandable and makes for a good core conflict. The show features fine actings all around, which makes for an enjoyable show. Where I think the show didn't do as well is with the way it resolves, and the more cliched moments. Also, 1960s Doctor Who was never as sexist as Bradley was portrayed as being. Many female companions of the era (Barbara, Vicki, and Polly) were far stronger than the typical female character than the era. It's an unkind knock. Still, despite that, this is the best final story for any Doctor since, "Parting of the Ways."

The time has come, and the moment has been prepared for, as it always is. The question, the oldest question. Is it a suitable regeneration story for the twelfth doctor and can it also serve as a decent multi doctor story?

Well...let's start with the fact that I love all of the multi doctor stories in the series run, The Three Doctors, The Two Doctors and the Day of the Doctor are in my top fifty stories at the very least and the Five Doctors is like a big wedge of cake on your birthday.

But, is a doctor's regeneration story really the best time to have a multi doctor story? I am not sure if it really is. It's meant to be one last run with the doctor before he bows out and the next one comes along.

Still, to be fair the two part finale of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, which was originally meant to be his regeneration story and makes much more sense as one.

However, as a coda to that story it's a lot less egregious and having David Bradly playing the First Doctor is certainly an interesting take, though not one I would have personally replicated as his replications of the First Doctor's scenes...well, he was clearly cast as William Hartnell and not as the First Doctor

Another issue is the First Doctor's characterisation, it seems to always be more an issue with the First Doctor than any other as he is always the one who seems to be reduced to a few traits. Specifically that he's a grump and he's sexist.

Well, yes he was that. He was also a gentleman and a scientist and loved his granddaughter and could be the warmest of all the doctors and had a great sense of humour and all of that, sadly he is reduced to this for the sake of a few jokes, most of them not very funny.

Now I am actually quite a fan of Steven Moffat's writing, I love Hell Bent even more than Heaven Sent for example. But the First Doctor is my third favourite and seeing him portrayed this way is difficult for me and makes the overall story harder for me to enjoy.

With that said he does have a few excellent moments, his conversation with Bill standing out to me as they speak about why exactly he ran away from Gallifrey, it's not something William Hartnell's incarnation of the first doctor would have spoken off, for several reasons, but it is sweet and I was utterly caught up in it.

Speaking of Bill, she had returned for the twelfth doctor's last episode and I am personally glad of it, I loved Bill and Peral Mackie just fills her with such a sense of likeability and inner confidence that she worked great alongside Twelve.

Their is of course also the Captain, as played by Mark Gatiss, who I personally found a bit of a non entity. I kind of guesses his identity as did a great deal of people but he did have the most poignant line in the entire story.

I also like that this is a much smaller story in scope, not every regeneration has to be about fighting off entire armadas and fighting off fleets of daleks. It's almost entirely character driven and that is an amazing feet.

I also love the ending, some will say it's a problem with Moffat personified but I found it very sweet and I think it almost sums up his run. The Universe may generally fail at being a fairy tale, but that is why there is the doctor.

And of course, we can go no further without speaking of Peter Capaldi. An amazing actor and doctor and while he never personally over took Matt Smith as my favourite new series doctor, he did take a damn good swing at it.

Funny, Angry, Sad, full of Compassion. Oh, and Kind. So Kind. It's a script which gives Capaldi so much to do and I do think it is him at his best and for a moment, I didn't want him to go.

His speech was one of the best in the history of doctor regenerations in my mind and it was a beautiful moment, a state of grace before the light and the change and there she is. The new woman.

All I can say is this, hello Jodie. You're the Doctor, and it is going to be brilliant.