Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: The Day of The Doctor

"Great man are forged in fire... it's the privilege of lesser man to light the flame...whatever the cost." - The War Doctor.

Today is reviewed the most anticipated episode of this series. Today I have the previlege of reviewing the Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary Special: The Day of The Doctor.

November 23rd 1963, one of the best shows in television history begins: Doctor Who. The most famous police box appears for the first time in the episode titled "An Unearthly Child" with William Hartnell as the very first Doctor. 50 years and 11 Doctors after, we get this special episode, featuring David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor and John Hurt as the War Doctor. David first appeared in the Christmas invasion episode after Eccleston leaving the show, and quickly became a fan favourite, among the best Doctors to travel in the TARDIS. When it was announced that Matt would be his replacement, and that the 10th incarnation would regenerate in the episode "The End of Time", everyone was sceptic as would someone fill the void left by David. After 3 seasons the answer is: yes, and well filled it was, as Matt's performance was brilliant. It's the second appearance for John Hurt as he appeared in Series 7 finale, "The Name of the Doctor" just for a brief moment in the end, so it would be the first time he would be an incarnation of Britain's most famous time traveller. There was a lot of expectations about his role, as he would be the filling gap between Paul Mcgann's 8th Doctor and Eccleston's 9th, but maybe I'm getting ahead myself. Let's talk about the story.

From left to righ: Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt

The plot starts with UNIT taking the TARDIS as they had orders from Queen Elizabeth I for him. They show him a painting of Gallifrey during the time war, a special one that's actually a fragment of time in a frame. Then we switch to Gallifrey during the Time War against the Daleks and the War Doctor appears, and steals the most destructive weapon of the Time Lords. A weapon that the interface is sentient, and can judge even it's user. When the War Doctor activates it, it gains the form of Rose Tyler, aka Bad Wolf, as it finds the most suitable form for presenting herself for the Doctor, and offers to show him what will be his future and opens a time rift, and a fez falls from it.

Billie Piper as the interface

We switch again to the 11th as he reads the letter Elizabeth wrote to him and then a painting of her and the 10th is shown to him. We jump to the past, as 10th is on a stroll with Queen Elizabeth I. Then it's shown that the Zygons want to replace themselves with Elizabeth I, and a time vortex appears on front of the 10th and also a fez falls out from it, and eventually the 11th also jumps to it, and eventually the War Doctor, and the 3 are together and the rest of the story develops, showing the War Doctor how his actions will save millions of innocents in the future, and that his own future is safe. As the War Doctor is about to destroy Gallifrey and Skaro, the other two Doctors appear and will aid him to use the weapon, as this time he doesn't have to be alone to do it.

Then they come to a conclusion: this time there's three of them and they come up with another solution: trapping the entire planet on a pocket universe, like the paintings shown before, and the Daleks would self destoy in the cross-fire. As they go to Gallifrey, all his incarnations show up and they successfully put the planet on pocket space. As Galiffrey is safe the War Doctor tells his future selfs that he feels as he is the Doctor again, even if he will not remember it, as the timelines will sync and he will forget the events. As he goes away in his TARDIS, the War Doctor starts to regenerate into the 9th. The tenth also says his goodbyes, and the 11th is left alone in the museum, to talk to the curator. Then Tom Baker makes his appearence, and we get a very confusing dialogue with the 11th, where we are left wondering if it really is the 4th Doctor, or jut a simple curator. Quoting him: 

"Who knows? Who-nose?"

THE GOOD POINTS:

1.  David and Matt's performance is just brilliant, their Doctors complement each other so well we find ourselves wanting more and more.
2. David wearing a Fez.
3. John Hurt performance is astonishing, as he portrays an old and tired Doctor, that feels lost about the future. He also get so well with Matt's and David's performance and is such an interesting version of the Doctor that I felt sad that he regenerates at the end. He could have stayed a bit more.
4. Matt wearing a fez.
5. Finnaly the unveilling of the time war and it's conclusion, as it has been eluded us since 2005. Like the truth, Gallifrey is out there.
6. The comedy is well made, and as in the series, the Doctor is just the Doctor, independently of wich incarnation it is.
7. It gives a sense of direction for the series, as I found series 7 without an objective in the end.
8. David high-fiving the tardis

THE NOT SO GOOD POINTS:

1. 76 minutes lenght only.
2. Clara was most of the time a stand in.
3. John Hurt didn't wear a fez.
4. Billie Piper as the interface. I can find a the logic behind the interface chosing Rose Tyler as the guide for the lost War Doctor, as she was the one who calmed the anger that the 9th had, and turned him into the more merry 10th incarnation. I liked it, but it felt a bit forced.
5. 76 minutes lenght only
6. The Zygons had more screen time than the Daleks. The time war was between the Time Lords and the Daleks, and the Zygons get more air time than both.
7. The bits of the 9th Doctor were archive footage. It wouldn't hurt to put it him in it even if it was just for 3 seconds.
8. 76 minutes lenght only
9. Capaldi's cameo felt forced too, but I personally liked it.
10. Tom Baker at the end felt more forcefull than Billie and Capaldi put together. The scarf on the scientist girl would suffice.
11. Again, why didn't John Hurt wear a fez? WHY??

The judgement:

Plot - 4/5 - It was a great episode, truly beffiting the 50th anniversary.

Visual - 5/5 - The monster characterization continues excellent, and in this special the effects were a lot better than in the series. It was brilliant.

Soundtrack - 5/5 - the same of the series, so it is the excellent themes we are used to.

Performances 4/5 - The 3 Doctors steal the show completely, and leave few for others to shine. It was expected as it was the 50th but I would had liked more from other characters such as Clara.

Doctor Who: The Day of The Doctor gets a Timey-Wimey Wobbly-Bobbly 18/20.

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