Perhaps the biggest fear is someone having to explain why the Earth’s volcanos are now frozen steel and that doesn’t have long-term consequences.īoney M’s Rasputin joins a select band of contemporary music appearing in Doctor Who. The scene where the Cybermen were bursting through the walls to get at Tegan managed to exploit a fear of falling and a fear of enclosed spaces at the same time, and was a highlight. The Daleks were a bit part here, and Ashad remains the only Cyberman that can shoot straight when needed. Sacha Dhawan’s Master always seems most ominous when at his peak charming and normal - the lecture theatre full of tissue compressed seismologists showed him at his most calmly unhinged. There will be some fans you suspect who will argue that the whole “Yaz fell in love with the Doctor and the Doctor wanted to reciprocate but wouldn’t” plot thread has not been handled completely brilliantly, and has ended up being a bit of a bolted on tease. Yaz (Mandip Gill) did not get her happy ending with the Doctor, or even a kiss. At least Chibnall remembered that he’d previously shrunk his house to nothing. There was an extremely abrupt and early exit for Dan (John Bishop) who had appeared in some pre-publicity for the episode but clearly hadn’t been around to film much of it. The Master steals the show as show as a host of familiar faces turn up to send off Whittaker’s era in style. Just don’t think too hard about how well the Master’s evil plan hung together. Russell may have only had one line, but what a delightful recognition of how it was the cast and crew who made that fledgling programme 59 years ago who did so much to establish it as a success that will continue into its sixth decade. It was nice to get a little bit more of Jo Martin in a role that she excelled at when actually given screentime.Īnd what about William Russell eh? For the BBC’s centenary they bought back one of the original stars from 1963. In advance an episode that promised a regeneration, Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, Vinder, Ace, Tegan and Kate Stewart felt like even over 90 minutes it would be a struggle to fit it all in, and yet even more ingredients had been held back. It would be a shame if we’ve seen the back of him on-screen. Whether it was the gif-able Boney M Rasputin dancing scene, his Doctor cosplay, or his taunting of Unit staff and companions, he positively revelled in being centre of attention and had all the best lines. Sacha Dhawan’s Master stole the show though. “I secretly implanted a holographic chip in your shoulder and that explains why we look older” might have been a clumsy plot device, but the scenes that saw 1980s Doctors Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy resolve differences and reconnect with their now older 1980s companions Tegan and Ace was both overt fan service but genuinely touching. And then we got David Tennant – and Ncuti Gatwa! Jodie Whittaker ended her time as Doctor Who in a feature-length episode that was crammed with special guests and returning cameos, with a towering performance by her nemesis the Master, and a smattering of showpiece showdowns with Daleks and Cybermen. 21.09 BST Doctor Who BBC centenary special recap – The Power of the Doctor
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