Doctor Who: Series 1, Episodes 12-13 – “Bad Wolf” / “The Parting of the Ways” (2005)

*Spoilers.*

I’ve found virtually every season finale of new Who at least a little unsatisfying. In part, they haven’t been able to take everything that’s been set up and bring it to a fitting close. In part, the showrunners have tended to double down on their most indulgent tendencies with every passing season, with nothing reining them in for the benefit of the story. And in part, I think, I’m just chasing a season finale that hits me as hard as this one. When it comes to new Who finales, this is the gold standard for me.

One moment, the Ninth Doctor, Rose, and Jack are aboard the TARDIS. The next, they’ve been transmatted onto different levels of the Game Station, which churns out nonstop reality TV with a deadly twist. As our heroes fight to escape the games and get back to each other, they discover the secret monstrosity at the heart of the Game Station. It involves the depths of the Doctor’s Time War trauma, a heroic last stand, and two words that the Doctor and Rose keep encountering everywhere: Bad Wolf.

In retrospect, you can see the pattern of extreme RTDness that begins with “The Parting of the Ways,” with the near-endless horde of enemies and seemingly no way to stop them. There’s bombast and angst, to be sure, but this is a case where it works for me. As big as it goes, I feel it always stays on the right side of “too much.”

Not to mention, “Bad Wolf,” which precedes it, very much does not fit into that pattern. It’s a fast-paced episode with a terrific mix of goofy satire, perilous thrills, and intriguing mystery. I like seeing the Doctor and the companions each land in a different game, each reacting to the situation in a way that’s quintessentially their own. It’s fun and exciting, and when the heat gets turned up at the end of the episode, the stakes going into the finale feel earned.

Because we just get all the feels here. The Doctor bringing the Oncoming Storm against the Daleks, even as the fact of their existence shakes him to the core. Jack fighting to his last breath for the sake of the friends he loves. Poor Lynda with a Y. An actual triangle of kisses. Rose looking deep into the heart of it all, risking oblivion for a chance to save the Doctor.

And then, the regeneration. I’m biased because Nine was my first. I absolutely love him, and while I was in no way prepared for him to go (sorry, David Tennant!), I maintain that this is the one regeneration that new Who has gotten exactly right. Just long enough, just heartbreaking enough, just loving enough. Nine fumblingly, badly, tries to explain things to Rose, tries to prepare her for what’s coming. And then, just before the end, we get his dazzling smile one last time.

Be still my geeky fangirl heart, I never stood a chance.

I can forgive this story whatever quibbles it may have for the beauty of these final scenes, but really, I don’t need to. This is a strong story that ties up the season and packs an emotional punch. It adds a wild new environment for our heroes to contend with while also bringing forth old nemeses, and it introduces engaging oneshot characters while also giving the main characters every ounce of their due.