Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates, TV | Tagged: bbc, clara, cyberman, death in heaven, doctor who, jenna coleman, master, peter capaldi, tv

Ten Thoughts About Doctor Who: Death In Heaven

The final episode of Doctor Who under Christmas Day. But the timing of this episode is all about this weekend.

1. Remember, Remember

Tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday. All around Britain, people are wearing poppies,  sold by the British Legion as a symbol of remembrance for those fallen in war. Right now, over 800,000 ceramic poppies fill the moat of the Tower Of London, London's most popular attraction by far. Tonight's hour-long episode of Doctor Who was keenly timed and very relevant to such themes. The Reborn Cyberman, rising from graves, commanded as soldiers, to give their own lives one more time to save the living was a blatant a subtext as you are going to get.

2. Bow Ties Are Targets

The Doctor's biggest fan switched from the long scarf to the bow tie… and marked herself out as a target so much she might as well have painted a bullseye on her chest. Being close to the Doctor, being the Doctor, it's always going to be dangerous.

That's the thing, if the protocols are to make the Doctor into the President of Earth, then of course that's what Missy wants to happen and is expecting to happen and, indeed, making it part of her plan. That's what she always does. The only plan to have to beat The Master/Missy is just to have no plan. Or planes just start exploding.

3. The Name's Who, Doctor Who

Planes being ripped apart, exploding planes, sky diving into the TARDIS, it all but needed a certain "badup badaaah ba da daaaah" blact of the horns for the arrival of UNIT into proceedings to recreate a certain James Bond-style Doctor. Couldn't the TARDIS have had a Union Jack parachute?

4. Chim Chimminny

So, we thought she was "like" Mary Poppins before? Remember Mary Poppins has been regarded as a secret Time Lord, the bag being her TARDIS, aspects of which were also reflected in Flatine and the appearing mallet…

Disintegration does seem to eliminate regeneration. For now. Unless that was a tissue compression device masquerading as a Cyberweapon planted on the Brigadier by Missy.. could she challenge The Doctor for Queen Of Gallifrey one day?

5. He Now Knows Who He Is And He Is Who

He began this series not knowing who is, and spent much of it asking whether or not he was a good man or not. And now he has his answer, he is an idiot.

Of course if everything Clara said was a true about the Doctor as everything else, "My children and grandchildren are missing, I assume dead." Also, the Doctor has a doctorate from Glasgow University? So does Steven Moffat…

6. He Made A Good Cyber Man

It's not the Doctor who saves the day again, but those that he has turned into weapons. So as Danny is affected by the Doctor, in Listen, becoming Dan Dan The Soldier Man until those actions transformed him into a penitent school teacher, not only saves the world but redeems himself by bringing the child he killed back from the dead. It was his story all along (even if it was Jenna Coleman who got top billing over Peter Capldi at the beginning.). Oh and look, Love Conquered All again. Bless it.

But what now for his future descendant Oswald? Well, we didn't exactly get any clarification of Clara's condition, did we?

7. Goodbyeeeeeeeeeee

Well, we finally got to say a proper goodbye to the Brigadier. Maybe not the way we ever expected to. Unless of course that was Rory Pond under the metal, he was a soldier for a very long time as well.  But there were more goodbyes to come.

8. There Is An Afterlife After All

We began with the Doctor talking about how there could be an afterlife, and exploring ho to get there. He was diverted by the Nethersphere, and never got to Heaven or Hell but it seemed that Danny made the journey that the Doctor could not. Was this the remnants of the Nethersphere as suggested – or the real afterlife? Or course… would he really want to send a young child back from Heaven to South London? I know it's a desirable up-and-coming area but, still…

9. The First Lie: "I've Found Gallifrey"

What was at the co-ordinates that Missy gave? Those were the original co-ordinates from Gallifrey given in Pyramids Of Mars way back. But what was actually there? Looks like absolutely nothing. Did Gallifrey Fall After All? Did the Master destroy it before the Doctor could get there? Was she simply lying? What else did she know? Why did the Great Curator think everything was saved?

Also, Doctor, I think your hair has a life of its own, literally. Someone suggest that as a plot to Steven, it would clear up all sorts of continuity issues.

10. The Second Lie: "Me And Danny, We Are Going To Be Fine"

And for Clara, who has seen the ends of space and time, stopped humanity blowing up a cosmic space baby, and who was split into so many versions of herself to save the Doctor, goes out sitting in a cafe then walking away down the street back to her life. The Impossible Girl becomes the Mundane Woman.

Of course, maybe there is a newly adopted son on the carousel, maybe she's pregnant, maybe there is much more to come at Christmas…  but saying goodbye in the most mundane fashion ever, letting the Doctor think that, unlike Amy and Rory everything ended happily every after, could she really completely fool the Doctor again? She did quite a good impression of him in front of the Cybersquad, didn't she?

Well, as she told them, she's an "incredible liar".

Bonus Thought

But no, of course we can't end like that. Simon Pegg has been in the show, now it's time for Nick Frost. We know Father Christmas definitely exists in Doctor Who, now it;s time for an adventure with him!

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