2nd Opinion: Twice Upon A Time
Connor Johnston & Gustaff Behr give their verdicts on Capaldi’s final episode.
Connor’s Verdict
Even among other science fantasy shows, Doctor Who’s concept of time is one unique in its flexibility – the past, present and future being as malleable and simultaneous as the narrative demands. Outside of its own universe however, time remains slightly more rigid: the future is unknown, the present is over before we can truly appreciate it, and all that is left of the past are memories that become harder and harder to interact with.
In Steven Moffat’s first series finale, a tattered Eleventh Doctor sits by Amelia’s bedside to say goodbye. Here he presents one of the most moving speeches of the show’s history – expressing how we’re all stories in the end. It’s a sentiment echoed a number of times throughout the last few years; notably at the farewell points of every companion and now every Doctor in Moffat’s era.
From the interior of the first Doctor’s TARDIS, through the ruins of Villengard and finally to the trenches of World War One – Twice Upon a Time makes for an unpredictable but oddly suitable farewell tour for Capaldi – whose performance is consistent with that of the last 4 years in being utterly remarkable. In his final chance to do so, Capaldi embodies every aspect of the Doctor’s charisma and kindness to a tee. So too does David Bradley who presents a remarkably enjoyable and movingly truthful portrayal of William Hartnell’s First Doctor that truly delights.
Bill Potts’ return is cause for a similar celebration. The energy and dynamic Mackie brings to the show will be sorely missed, with her new *final* appearance offering her one last chance to challenge the Doctor’s perception of the universe as well as his own mortality with great class. Mark Gatiss also offers a striking performance as the Captain; who despite being a brand new character fits in with a sense of familiarity even when we disregard his place in who lore – be that due to his talents or to the audience’s familiarity with Gatiss in all aspects of the show’s production.
Separate to anything, the Testimony are named incredibly. Granted, their role in the episode’s narrative is far from the most conventional, however this does work at moments to embed the script with a sense of unpredictability. For their purpose, they fit into the story well both physically and thematically. Admittedly, there are moments within the episode where the lack of a proper adversary for Capaldi’s final victory is a sad omission, though these moments are short-lived.
From this point onwards, all that is left of both Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat’s time with Doctor Who is our own memories. Some might find this notion slightly saddening; though in his final script Moffat asserts that this shouldn’t be the case by ringing true to a message that has remained constant since that moment at Amelia’s bedside all those years ago. Knowingly or not, Steven Moffat has been preparing audiences for this farewell for the better portion of the last decade. In the show’s darkest moments, we’re reminded that to live in the shoes of the Doctor is to be a victim of constant loss, though this message is one always countered by the approach that even to lose something is in itself a celebration of the memories and legacy it leaves behind.
Twice Upon A Time isn’t your typical ‘final battle’ type of regeneration story, nor is it necessarily a farewell. Instead it is a celebration of immortality. An immortality that survives through memories, and most importantly an immortality that survives through change and renewal.
Having drawn her first breath in the role, there’s now no question that Jodie Whittaker will lead the show through continued brilliance.
Gustaff’s Verdict
While I’ve had some issues with the Capaldi Era over the years, those issues have never included the man himself, who has always managed to brighten even the most mundane of scripts. Twice Upon a Time is a very unique story. It’s an amalgamation of ideas, references, both Meta and otherwise, as well as bookends and even acts as a Multi-Doctor Adventure, something fans only really get every 10 or so years.
But let’s get the bad bits out of the way first. There isn’t much, but the sexist characterization of the First Doctor really stands out. Unlike in his original run of stories, One is portrayed as straight-up sexist with regards to the role of female companions. This element is played for laughs, but this is also a form of psychological manipulation on Steven Moffat’s part as it involves a single appearance of a character that hasn’t been seen for decades in anything more than stock footage, and his character isn’t completely defined by sexism. At the same time it’s also justified as Moffat and company are poking fun at the 60s as compared to the New 10s, and how societal changes have been reflected in the show, partially by way of setting up the gender bender regeneration of the Twelfth Doctor into the Thirteenth at the end of the story.
Next up, Chris Chibnall. Now when Matt Smith was announced as the Doctor, I was hesitant to let go of David Tennant as he was my Doctor, but Matt Smith’s post-regeneration scene at the end of The End of Time is arguably the best of any Doctor and instantly sold me on his incarnation. I’m saddened that Chibnall chose to play it safe and not to have a scene like this for Jodie, instead deciding to write in an obstacle to quickly distract audiences and the Doctor from his new form, thereby not allowing Jodie a chance to sway those who still do not approve of her casting. These scenes are vital. After all, first impressions are important. In playing it safe, Chibnall has given the hesitant ones a reason not to tune in next year.
Now the good bits! As usual, Moffat nails the multi Doctor dialogue and banter, as well as crafting a story that feels unlike any regeneration story we’ve ever had before. He offers new thoughts and ideas on regeneration, implying each incarnation finds a reason to regenerate and builds a story around that by featuring the First Doctor, who has no experience regenerating…yet. Bravo!
I wasn’t too invested in Testimony or the Captain, but both characters helped add something extra to the script. The Captain offered the human factor, making audiences feel for his plight. His scene with the German soldier is noteworthy, and while not very complicated, succeeds in what it sets out to do. After all, it’s hard to negotiate or beg for your life when there’s a language barrier between you and the enemy. As to Testimony, she feels a little too much like the Teselecta, but proved to be a good enough distraction and mystery for Twelve and One to solve seeing as there is little in the way of bad guy to defeat.
I’m also grateful that Moffat brought Bill back in a way that does and doesn’t undo her exit. This version of Bill is real, but at the same time she isn’t…which is just another way of Steven Moffat giving his companions a ‘technical’ death but without actually permanently killing them if you know what I mean. As to Clara, I did not want her in the episode, but I can cope with ten seconds, even if she continues to be an obnoxious know-it-nothing. You wiped his mind, it’s not offensive he forgot you – that’s what you intended to happen!
Also worth mentioning is how visually beautiful this episode is. When Twelve regenerates, one of the first post-regeneration shots is a ring slowly falling down the Doctor’s now more slender finger. This is likely a call back to when the first Doctor regenerated and Ben and Polly tried to confirm his identity by making him wear One’s ring, which wouldn’t fit Two’s more slender fingers either. Not only this, but the rest of the episode is adorned with some fantastic shots and colours, from the ‘Doctor of War’ sequence to the strangely lit TARDIS during Capaldi’s speech at the end.
This episode is also very Meta, which makes for a fun second viewing. The episode of Game of Thrones that aired the same day that Jodie Whittaker’s casting was announced featured a scene where David Bradley peels off his face to reveal a young woman; said woman coincidentally played Ashildr in Series 9. Doubly funny when Bradley plays a sexist First Doctor here. The Jesus imagery is once again strong in that another incarnation of the Doctor dies and is born again on Christmas. Subtle but the first shot we ever see of Twelve in The Day of the Doctor is a close-up of his fierce eyes while the last shot we ever see of him are his eyes, softened and relenting.
Acting as a bit of a bookend, Steven Moffat has the honour of bearing witness to a female Thirteenth Doctor. The first televised story he wrote for Doctor Who featured a non-canon Thirteenth Doctor. Bonus points since Twice Upon a Time is his last script for Doctor Who. Steven Moffat’s tenure also began with a Doctor who initially believed he had become a “girl” after his regeneration. Now, his tenure ends with the Doctor becoming a woman for real. And lastly, the Moffat Era began and ends on the same note: the Doctor regenerating and subsequently blowing up the interior of the TARDIS.
