The season finale of Doctor Who happened over the weekend, and it was a doozy. As you can tell from the title, I already have a review for the show and the entire 8th season, and it’s all summed up into one word. Disappointed.
I realize I may be in a small minority of Doctor Who fans who didn’t actually enjoy this year’s writing or this finale. I know a few people on Twitter who would rank “Death In Heaven” amongst their favorite, and many websites are touting that the episode was brilliant. Everyone loves Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, and I agree, he’s fantastic in the role. I’m fine with Jenna Coleman as Clara, and I’m personally happy that Danny Pink is no longer in the picture. But, as always, in Stephen Moffat fashion, love conquers all and the world is saved. Nothing clever, nothing well thought out, just love. A deus ex machina I cannot get behind
The story of “Death in Heaven” revolved around Missy, aka The Master, as she plans to turn the world, and the world’s dead, into Cybermen. Why? Because! We then see Clara play the Doctor for a little while to try and fool a couple of attacking Cybermen. Reminiscing in full force all the things we remember from past Doctors, she even gets the lead credit in the intro with her face in the cloudy, timey, whimey business. It’s another unnecessary walk through memory lane with hints and cues to things we may have forgotten, like the Doctor having a genetically engineered daughter roaming through space. The Master soon reveals her plan to the Doctor and that she would use Cybermen pollen, made from cyber rain clouds, to populate the earth and every planet throughout the galaxy and raise the dead as metal monsters. As quickly as it began, it ends, as the Doctor is swept away by Unit, who is once again headed by the Brigadier’s daughter, Kate Stewart and the Mistress…Missy…The Master…the IT support woman…whoever the hell she is, is captured.
Zaniness ensues as the Doctor is made President of the World and runs off on a plane, while Cybermen are flying all over the world causing chaos, and Missy goes insane and kills the only other character I liked, Osgood. Now I want to take a moment to express my anger at this one. I got mad, because Moffat killed off an obvious fan favorite, for what? To force an emotional reaction? To show that The Master is crazy? We know Missy is insane! Why the needless killing of a future companion? I’m going to say it…it was stupid.
Apparently all the characters in the show forgot that the Cybermen can now fly as they escape on a jet liner, and Kate Stewart is thrown out of said plane to supposedly die. Meanwhile, Clara is on the ground, hanging out with, who we find out to be, Cyberman Pink. Danny is all robotic and there’s a lot of crying and sadness and leaves audiences wondering what the hell is going to happen to their future grandson that Clara and the Doctor met in that one episode I can’t remember? Does this mean Clara is pregnant? Because Danny did lose his chance at some Zombie sex at the end of the episode.
Missy and the Master join the Clara and CyberPink, and Missy waxes on with more insanity, stating that this was a gift to the Doctor on his birthday and that the Doctor is just as crazy as she is. Danny urges Clara to stop the pain that is this episode, and just turn on his Cyber implant to make his feelings vanish. Clara is angry and pointing and soon convinces the Doctor to hand over his screwdriver so she can kill her boyfriend fully. The Doctor then realizes he’s an idiot and that the power of love will conquer all, as the Cyber implant did not work on Danny, and the bracelet Missy gave to the Doctor allowed Mr. Pink to control all the Cybermen and blow up the pollen clouds.
Missy is in shock, gets shot by a Cyberman, (who is now speculated to be teleported away from the scene}, and Cyberman Brigadier shows up to show off how he can also stop the Cyberman brainwashing with the power of love and save his daughter who previously fell out of a plane.
The show ends with Danny, having the power of the Master’s bracelet to bring back the kid he killed back when he was a soldier, into the world of the living. The Doctor, who followed the coordinates provided by Missy, ends up in empty space where he thought Gallifrey would be hanging out, and then the Doctor and Clara meet in a cafe, where the Doctor slyly pours Stevia into her cup of tea. The Doctor and his companion lie to each other because they’re both the Doctor and the Doctor lies and then it’s all over. Or is it!?
In a necessary tease for the Christmas Special, Nick Frost appears to tell the Doctor that he should stop being a lying, liar who lies, and asked what he wants for Christmas, because Nick Frost is good ole St. Nick! Get it?!
As you can see, this finale was just…rough, with all the trappings of a writer who has given up on making this show good. Moffat just thinks that because it’s got the “Doctor Who” name, it’ll be fine. And that’s just my speculation. Who knows the reason why Stephen Moffat is sabotaging Peter Capaldi’s career and trying to destroy a fifty year old franchise? All I know is, I like the concept of love conquering all, but not in my Doctor Who, because the show is better than that. I realize this sounds like I hated the episode, but I didn’t hate it entirely. There were a few good things in it, like Missy going nuts, and Osgood showing promise of being the next companion. But there was so much more bad. If I were to rate this episode, it would be a 4 out of 10. In the end, all I know is that this Christmas Special and next season better be clever, because this show desperately needs it.
