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Warning: contains SPOILERS!
For even the most casual viewer, Christmas 2009 will forever be remembered as the year you could barely turn on the television set without seeing David Tennant. The BBC and the production staff were clearly very proud of 'The End of Time', the last episodes of both Tennant and head writer and show rejuvenator Russell T Davies, but was their pride justified?
In 'The End of Time: Part One', Tennant bounces beautifully off John Simm, who plays the post-resurrection Master as more insane than ever, but it’s in his scenes with Bernard Cribbins as Wilf that the episode really comes alive. The café scene, in which these two old men discuss the Doctor’s impending regeneration and the prospect of death, is one of the most touching things I’ve seen in a long time. But the episode is basically just treading water, filled with fairly unremarkable but perfectly fine supporting characters, really coming to life only in the final minutes with the epic, gasp-inducing, ridiculously exciting triple cliff-hanger.
The first 50 minutes or so of the second episode are spent resolving some of the mysteries and problems of the first half while others are left unresolved, such as the identity of the Woman in White. It’s far from a perfect story – a lot of the sci-fi is technobabble heavy and logic light – but it is a perfect encapsulation of Russell T Davies’ era. He never excelled at the sci-fi plots, which was a major problem for many fans, less so for others like myself. What he does excel at is the emotional scenes, and this story has emotional scenes a-plenty.
The turning point of the episode comes when the Time Lords have been defeated, along with the Master, and the Doctor is still around. For a moment, he looks triumphant, but his face changes, as he realises the real subject of the four knocks prophecy was not the Master, but Wilf. The Tenth Doctor dies saving not the entire world or all of humanity, but one man, one of the little people he had scorned at the end of 'The Waters of Mars'. The scene is beautifully written, acted, scored and directed, and it leads into the heart-breaking last twenty minutes, in which the regenerating Doctor goes to see all of his companions. The scene with the granddaughter of Joan Redfern is a lovely touch, while Donna finally gets a happy wedding. It’s sentimental and self-indulgent, but it’s great to see all of Davies’ characters once more, and to be honest, Tennant and Davies have earned it.
'The End of Time' is flawed, but overall it is a fitting end to Tennant’s time as the Doctor, and having Bernard Cribbins as the companion was an absolute masterstroke. Tennant and Davies will be sorely missed, but the Eleventh Doctor’s first words (“Legs! I’ve still got legs! Good.”) and moments have left me with great hopes and one big question - when exactly in Spring 2010? Because, well, I honestly don’t know how long I can wait.
I'm not looking forward to it. I already miss Tenant.
u r not marvin the paranoid android by any chance :(
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