Written By: Steven Moffat
Directed By: Saul Metzstein
The Story: The Doctor must travel to the one place he should never go, and his greatest secret is revealed…
The Verdict: Oh Steven Moffat, you clever boy! I could kiss you. In fact, I better join the queue, because I think the whole of DOCTOR WHO fandom wants to kiss you too. You were so cruel, with that title and that build-up, and that promise of revealing what we thought was the one thing that should never, ever be revealed – the name of the Doctor. And then you didn’t reveal it. No, instead you revealed something else entirely.
And it was excellent!
And yet, THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR is more then just a massive revelation that rocks this fifty-year-old show to its core – it’s a tightly plotted, wonderfully sad, occasionally scary, but completely brilliant finale, and easily the best finale episode Steven Moffat has ever written.
The dark, melancholic tone lends the episode a true sense of doom and sadness – something quite apt when dealing the heavy subject matter of death and goodbyes. The return of River Song here was possibly the character’s finest moment, bringing her relationship with the Doctor full circle and providing one of the single saddest and yet hopeful moments in the show’s history. Alex Kingston is tremendous in all her scenes and River’s appearance here never feels forced for just the sake of bringing back a popular character. It’s a natural end for River and beautifully done.
The Clara reveal, then. Again, what a brilliant moment (and a fan-pleasing one at that!). Yes some of the CGI with the old Doctors and Clara is a bit ropey, but for the most part it works (especially her interaction with the First Doctor, which is truly amazing). It’s simple, but incredibly effective. It’s truly a great character defining moment, and a beautiful piece of writing and plotting. Jenna Louise-Coleman has never been better, and this episode sets Clara up as a strong contender for best DOCTOR WHO companion ever!
Richard E. Grant is deliciously evil here as the Great Intelligence (more then making up for his lack of screen-time in THE SNOWMEN) and is at times truly terrifying. As for the Whisper Men, they are easily some of the scariest creations of the Moffat era and visually stunning at that, though there is the slight niggle that we barely get an insight into what they are or what they want (they do seem like henchmen and nothing more at times). Still, perhaps that’s for the best – what you don’t know is all the more terrifying after all.
And that leads us back to that stunning ending. Simply put, it’s a brave, shock-inducing and powerful moment, and one that may well be the biggest game changer in the show’s recent history, if not its entirety. Some die-hard fans may have problems with it. This die-hard fan loved it. And if the die-hard fans who hated the twist aren’t even the littlest bit intrigued for the anniversary special well, then, they must have been out of the room when John Hurt turned round and those big bold words came up on screen.
I’m rambling on and on, but can you blame me? THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR defies expectations and delivers not only a brilliant twist ending, but also 45 minutes of damn fine television. Emotional, funny, scary, intriguing and incredibly shocking, its one of the best season finales we’ve ever witnessed.
Oh, Steven Moffat, you clever, clever boy!
Best Bit(s): Too many to go into detail, so here’s a select few (tough there are plenty more): Gallifrey, Strax in Glasgow, Jenny’s realisation of her death, “Those little…Daleks”, the Doctor’s tomb, the Whisper Men, the Valeyard, River Song’s final lines, Clara and the First Doctor, “my impossible girl”, and ‘INTRODUCING JOHN HURT AS THE DOCTOR!’ Phew!
Best Line(s):
Clara (to the First Doctor as he prepares to steal a TARDIS): “Sorry, but you’re about to make a very big mistake. Don’t steal that one, steal this one. The navigation system’s knackered, but you’ll have much more fun”.
THN’s Doctor Who Series Blog returns in November for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special.
