This two part story from the fourth Series of the re-launch
Doctor Who is the finale of David Tennant’s last series with the show. Following these episodes he only appeared in
a series of specials before he gave his life to save Wilfred and regenerated
into Matt Smith. Remarkably this episode didn’t just mark the end of David
Tennant’s time as the Doctor but also celebrated Doctor Who’s 750th
episode and tied up a whole load of loose ends left over from the series.
So much happens in this episode and there are so many
moments for the fans that you almost forget that this is the first appearance
of Davros since the show’s return. Who doesn’t love a good Dalek episode?
Davros’ plan is to use the 27 planets that he has stolen to create a ‘reality
bomb’ which he will use to destroy the universe, very dastardly. As ever the
Daleks are a very formidable foe, they work their way around the world cutting
off communication links between the Doctor’s allies in the hope of stopping the
Tardis from locating Earth. Martha, Sarah Jane, Harriett Jones and Torchwood
are using their combined power to create a subwave signal that the Doctor will
be able to track down from outside of the pocket universe they have been
confined to.
There are many things that make this particular story
resonate so well with its audience the main thing being the lovely way that it
wraps the entire world of Doctor Who up in one neat little bow; by incorporating
companions both old and new alongside a little cameo from the casts of
Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Smith adventures and a little hint of K-9 this
episode is easily amongst the top billed for this series and a fitting send off
for an incredibly popular Doctor.
The first thing I want to mention and probably most
significant for the fans of Series 1 and 2 is the return of Rose Tyler.
Following her recent appearance in Turn Left and a few glimpses of her
throughout the series it is finally time for her to see the Doctor once more.
This eagerly anticipated and awaited moment is as heart-warming as you would
expect however it is short lived as the Doctor is promptly shot and forced to regenerate.
The joy on the Doctor’s face at the sight of Rose is
reminiscent of a groom seeing his bride for the first time after a night apart
and there is something that is really special about that connection. Though
Rose does eventually find her Doctor it is most certainly not immediate and she
spends much of the episode following the movements of various other companions
hoping that she too can find and help the Doctor to save the world.
Also appearing in this episode are Martha, who has taken on
a high profile position in UNIT helping to keep the Earth safe when the Doctor
cannot, Mickey who has forced his way through from the parallel universe
alongside Jackie Tyler looking for Rose, Sarah Jane Smith who is contacted by
Harriet Jones and the Torchwood team including Captain Jack Harkness. It is
really interesting seeing the interaction between all of these companions who
have worked with David Tennant’s Doctor over the years.
Donna Noble plays a pivotal role in this episode which also
marks her final episode with the Doctor. Trapped alone in the Tardis, Donna comes
into contact with the Doctor’s severed hand which is bubbling with regeneration
energy. This contact creates a second Doctor, a human Doctor who is filled with
all of the knowledge of the Time Lords but has only one heart, however the
process is not just one way, a wealth of Time Lord knowledge is implanted into
Donna and she becomes a half-human/half-Donna hybrid. The Doctor Donna is
amazing!! Sassy, clever a little bit cheeky and a whole lot of fun! However all
of the knowledge begins to overwhelm Donna’s human mind, there is a reason that
Time Lords have never fused their minds with humans before and the tragedy of
this episode is that Donna begins to burn up and she knows exactly what that
means. The Doctor is forced to wipe the Donna’s memory of everything relating
to Time Travel, Space and himself.
In a twist of events, after being shot the Doctor
demonstrates an ability to focus his regeneration energy on a particular form,
a concept that had not previously been explored. As he still has his own severed
hand from his fight with the Sycorax the Doctor is able to use the biological
matter to regenerate back into the same form, stunning a teary Rose and a
shocked Captain Jack. It is later revealed that despite the Doctor’s fit of
vanity this did still count as one of his regenerations during Matt Smith’s
last episode ‘The Time of the Doctor’. Now here’s the fun part. With Two Doctors, the Doctor Donna and a full cast of companions the Tardis gets to finally be flown the way it was designed to be flown. There is something really heart-warming and life affirming about seeing these ordinary humans doing something simply fantastic as they celebrate saving the universe from a threat as deadly and formidable as the Daleks.
With the threat to universe overcome once more the Doctor
returns Rose and Jackie Tyler to BadWolf Bay but this time their goodbye is a little
different. The Doctor gives Rose a gift. He leaves her his second, human, self.
A Doctor that she can grow old with, a Doctor who can love her until the day
they die, who she can marry and start a family with. A beautiful but tragic end
to the modern Doctor’s first love story.
This episode is emotional and heart-warming, terrifying and
funny all in equal measure. A perfect way to end the Series. 4/5
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