Let’s recap. Bill has been converted into a Cyberman. The Master has returned and been reunited with his latest incarnation. Peter Capaldi’s penultimate episode is an epic with an extended 1-hour running time. Two Masters. Cybermen. As series finales go this has all the ingredients for spectacle and it sure delivers.
It is difficult to know where to start with this one. Even trickier is discussing this dramatic final episode without revealing any crucial information regarding it. What can be said with absolute confidence and sincerity, however, is that Peter Capaldi is phenomenal. There are several moments during the episode where viewers will beg their television sets for him not to leave. In certain scenes, Peter Capaldi is nothing short of breathtaking. The Doctor finally reveals his motivation after all these years which only makes you cheer for him louder. As the era of the Twelfth Doctor draws to a close it is only fitting that Capaldi bows out on such a high.
Unsurprisingly John Simm and Michelle Gomez make for an utterly fabulous team. They devour their dialogue with the perfect combination of glee and deranged mania. Finally, viewers get the multi-Master story they deserve as this pairing proves to be the ideal combination. Their narcissistic relationship dynamic is a fantastic watch. Simm slots effortlessly back into the role even raising his game to meet the standards set in recent years by Michelle Gomez’s wicked Mary Poppins persona. After a series droning on about the Vault, Nardole also finally comes into his own as a crucial and valuable asset in the battle against the Cybermen.
In amongst all the chaos, it is the characters in the situation that drive the story forward. All of the players have their individual moments to shine proving to be a harrowing experience for all involved. Not least, the viewer. As with last week’s ‘World Enough and Time,’ there are twists and turns aplenty, in a thrilling climax worthy of the finale to Series 10.
Plus you will never believe who turns up!
Trivia
- In addition to the Mondasian Cybermen from last week, the episode also features Pete’s World Cybermen, first seen in 2006, and Nightmare Cybermen, first seen in 2013.
- Samantha Spiro, cast in the role of Hazran, will also be familiar to fans of Game of Thrones. Her character Melessa Tarly appeared in the Season 6 episode ‘Blood of my Blood’. Spiro has also played Barbara Windsor twice, most recently in the BBC’s docu-drama ‘Babs’.
- Alit is played by child actress Briana Shann who recently appeared in the powerful Ken Loach movie ‘I, Daniel Blake’.
Quotes
Always read the comments because one day They’ll be an army.
We’re not going to get out of this one are we?
the ultimate apple upgrade.
Without hope. without witness. without reward.
Where there’s tears, there’s hope.
Videos
“Plus you will never believe who turns up!”
Yes, if only it hadn’t been spoiled since a couple of months…
It would have really been ONE big suprise! 🙁
Let me guess? …The first Doctor turns up for Christmas