Doctor Who finales are always something of a double-edged
Darth Maul-style sword. On one hand, they are automatically the most
anticipated and often most exciting to watch by nature of their sending off the
current run of the show with a bang. On the other, the pressure of ending the
series on a high note can be too much and such episodes don't always live up to
the hype. In this respect, 'Death in Heaven' succeeds, delivering an episode
both exciting and emotional in equal measure.
Perhaps unlike the feature-length series
opener 'Deep Breath', this episode certainly benefited from its fifteen minute
extra running time, which really allowed for a few scenes to be further explored
that might otherwise have been cut short. The story deserves praise alone for
wrapping up most of the ongoing ideas and themes of the series - from Clara and
Danny's relationship to the Doctor's dislike of soldiers. Building on the
thoroughly glum 'Dark Water', 'Death in Heaven' tugged at the heartstrings and
contained its fair share of shocks to boot. Much like last week, however, there
were points at which I thought the show was pushing the boundaries of taste. In
particular, one 'reappearance' of a much-loved character seemed a tad dubious
in its execution to me and I'd rather it hadn't happened. Still, there was
much to enjoy elsewhere…
While it was fun to see them, this episode
had the unenviable task of featuring two classic villains in the Cybermen and
their Master. For the Cybermen, this was glorious comeback. Their new
jet-powered boots are a great new superpower to add to their evergrowing collection and the image of them attacking UNIT's plane like gremlins is a
terrific moment. Likewise, not since 'Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel'
has the true terror of the Cybermen been demonstrated this well: that they were
once us. Whereas previous episodes have cast them as regular robots, we are
left in no doubt here as to who these Cybermen are underneath.
Also, Michelle Gomez is rather wonderful here as an utterly
'bananas' incarnation of the Master. What she does, particularly mowing her way
through the episode's supporting cast and her scenes with the Doctor, she is
brilliant at but with the episode as packed as it is the character is not as
well explored as she could be - just why was she suddenly so besotted with the
Doctor, for instance? This reviewer certainly hopes she will return.
Despite the shocks and the Cybermen, the
true heart of this episode is the trio of central characters who all go through
the ringer here. Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson have been
superb all year and each go out with another fine performance. Anderson's Danny
proves to be the real hero of the series as he finds redemption for past
failures in the most tragic of ways. Faced with his old enemy, the Doctor has
to look hard at who he is but comes out the other end a wiser man by realising
he is nothing but ‘an idiot with a box.’ And Clara...Well, poor Clara. The final
scene between Capaldi and Coleman is a touching affair and beautifully scripted
by Steven Moffat, acting as a bittersweet round-up of the characters’ journeys
over the series.
There really was much to like about this
finale which encapsulates this series' style, mood and its courage to be
different. It was not a heavenly episode of Doctor
Who but that's not to say it
came from the Nethersphere either. Say something nice? How about: 'Death in
Heaven' is almost certainly the best finale since 2010. There you go, that's
something to squee about.
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| In the words of Clara, thank you Capaldi and Coleman for making Doctor Who feel special. |
Next time: The Doctor returns at Christmas when he faces the great evil of ... Santa Claus and his elves?
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