Doctor Who: Series 11, Episode 0 – “Twice Upon a Time” (2017)

This is your belated Sunday Who Review, as well as an extra Countdown to Thirteen post, since it is, of course, our first glimpse of the Thirteenth Doctor.  Not to mention, you know, our last glimpse of the Twelfth Doctor!  :tears:  In other words, there’s a lot to pack in today.  Premise spoilers by necessity.

Standing on the brink of regeneration but not sure if he wants to change again, the Twelfth Doctor comes face to face with… himself, the First Doctor in much the same boat.  The two are unexpectedly joined by a WWI captain plucked out of time, and as they wrestle with questions of life, death, and rebirth, the Doctors try to unravel the mystery of a glass woman presiding over what she calls the Chamber of the Dead.

Honestly, this was my favorite regeneration episode since “The Parting of the Ways,” which is such a relief.  I was so disappointed by both Ten and Eleven’s exits, and I was dreading the possibility that Twelve was going to go out the same way.  But while this story isn’t perfect, it’s a pretty lovely contemplation on life and death, the plot holds together decently, and I’d also say it’s one of the better multi-Doctor stories out there.  I like the Chamber of the Dead storyline, and Mark Gatiss does a fine job as the marooned soldier.

David Bradley is back from An Adventure in Space and Time, playing the actual First Doctor this time instead of William Hartnell.  His portrayal is still pretty excellent, although I don’t think Moffat’s writing captures One very well.  The characterization hits One’s crankiness but not his mischievousness (to be fair, the impending regeneration might be affecting that aspect,) and the running joke of One’s old-fashioned sexism – and Twelve’s repeated insistence that he can’t say things like that – isn’t true to the character at all.  In One’s era, the show itself could certainly be paternalistic, and One was in the habit of urging female companions to stay behind for their own safety, but if he’d ever acted like it was Barbara’s job to dust the console room, he’d have had another thing coming.  That’s an admittedly-disappointing part of a Christmas special that, for the most part, I quite enjoy.

And then, there’s Twelve’s goodbye.  I will point out that I appreciate getting a little more detail on his resistance to regeneration than we got in “The Doctor Falls.”  It’s not so much, “I want to stay this Doctor,” (a la Ten) as it is, “I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”  It’s not about digging in his heels, it’s about being tired and not being sure if he has another round in him; if he’s fighting to hold back the regeneration energy, it’s only because he hasn’t decided that yet.  And I get that.  There are some really gorgeous lines in this episode about the Doctor’s very long life and the toll that takes.  More than any other, this is a regeneration episode about regeneration, and the whole story is a way for Twelve to get where he needs to be.  In the end, his final scene, while perhaps a hair too long, is absolutely lovely.

And then, we get Thirteen.  I’m a little annoyed at how much time the show spends blatantly holding back the reveal for the sake of the two people who didn’t know the next Doctor was going to be a woman – it hangs a bit of a sign post on the Very Big Dealness of it, and more importantly, it takes away from those vital seconds of our first hint of our new Doctor.  As Thirteen, Jodie Whittaker only manages to get in one line before the usual post-regeneration chaos kicks in (when, oh when, will the Doctor learn not to put the TARDIS in flight immediately before regenerating?), but it’s enough to get me mad excited.  I have no idea how I’m going to wait to see more of her!

Accent Watch

Again, there’s only the one line to work off of, but it sounds Northern to me – Whittaker’s natural accent?

Recommend?

In General – As I said when I reviewed “The Time of the Doctor” for Capaldi Fall, yes, but not as a starting point for Doctor Who – this is an ending, and a good one at that.  At minimum, go back to Twelve’s first season and start from there, but I’m an advocate of starting at the beginning of new Who and working your way forward. 

Jodie Whittaker – We have so little to go on so far, but I’m still ready to give a resounding “yes!!”  That stunning smile and that one line have me freaking out.  Bring on the Thirteenth Doctor, please!

Warnings

Violence, scary moments for kids, a little drinking, and thematic elements.