Review: The Day Of The Doctor

"You were The Doctor on the day it was impossible to get it right..."

It's Saturday night. It's the 23rd of November. It's cold and dark out, but across the country families are gathering in the warmth of their living rooms to watch a bit of telly.

There's an eerie howl of music as black and white images swirl across the screen. Then we see a policeman patrolling past a sign for the junkyard owned by I.M. Foreman on Totters Lane. The action cuts to Coal Hill school, and we are introduced to one of the teachers.

This isn't 1963, and we're not watching An Unearthly Child. It's 2013, and we're watching The Day Of The Doctor.

That this very special episode opens with the original intro sequence, and a near-recreation of the first few scenes is just one of many wonderful nods to the past in the seventy-five minutes that are to follow (did you catch the names on the board outside the school? Of course you did!), and in just these first few minutes we are left in no doubt that Mr. Moffat is absolutely the right man to pen this half-centennial outing for our favourite Time Lord.

But it's not all about nostalgia, and we are immediately left in no doubt that this is a very modern Doctor Who, as Clara hops onto a motorbike (passing a clock that reads 5:16 - the exact time that the first episode went out) and drives straight into the TARDIS for a crazy aerial ride over Trafalgar Square. Before the cast list has even finished rolling, The Doctor has been thrown from the TARDIS, left literally hanging on the telephone, and partaken in one of the boldest stunts that the show has ever attempted.

The mission statement is clear - this is going to be an episode that marries nostalgia with the most modern take on Who yet.

And - for the most part - it succeeds.

There are two distinct storylines at play during this episode. The framing narrative consists of the last days of the Time War, as The Doctor that nobody wants to talk about [John Hurt] witnesses the previously-mentioned Fall Of Arcadia and decides "no more", stealing superweapon The Moment and preparing to end the war once and for all. This is an incredible moment - more epic in scope and visuals than anything that Doctor Who has ever managed before. The constant "this will look cool in 3D" moments distract a little when watched on a normal telly, but other than that mild quibble the Fall Of Arcadia is stunning. The fiftieth had to be huge, but Moffat and co. go above and beyond here, with special credit having to go to director Nick Hurran.

But for the first forty-five minutes or so, the focus is on a team-up between Matt Smith and David Tennant's Doctors to stop a Zygon invasion that is taking place both in Elizabethan England and the present day (meaning, for those keeping score at home, that this episode takes place hundreds of years before, hundreds of years after, or just moments before The End Of Time depending on which Doctor you count from... and at the exact same time as that episode from the perspective of the Time Lords). To be honest, this Zygon storyline is the weakest part of the episode.

The interplay between The Doctors is fantastic - especially when John Hurt's Doctor is thrown into the mix by the spirit of The Moment (Billie Piper, in a role that to be honest you can't help but feel could have been filled by far more worthy companions... Carole Ann Ford anyone?) to see what sort of a man he would become should he activate the weapon. David and Matt have a great time comparing sonics and insulting each other's clothing, while John Hurt is a delight as the grumpier, older Doctor who is slightly dismayed at how young his replacements are. When Smith refers to something as "timey-wimey", Hurt is appalled, and asks why Smith can't be "more adult". With an awkward look, Tennant claims that he has "no idea where [Smith] gets it from". Later on, they enter Hurt's TARDIS, and Hurt looks on wearily as the later two Doctors geek out at the fact that he still has "the round things" on the console room wall. It's a true joy to watch. What's intriguing about these scenes is the way in which Tennant and Smith seem surprised at how likable and... well... Doctorly Hurt is. This is the man they have demonised and denounced, in the moments leading up to, well, the Moment that will forever damn him in their eyes, and they are forced to accept just how like them he is. Hurt, meanwhile, is faced with the proof of the fact that he will have to live with his actions ("the cost" of pressing the button, as The Moment puts it). It sets in motion a sequence of events that will see Hurt's reputation not only redeemed in the eyes of his successors, but also see him acknowledged as a true Doctor by them, and as possibly the bravest Doctor of all by us at home.

Hurt is an absolute revelation in this episode. Playful, crotchety, sad, sarcastic, worldweary but with a magical twinkle in his eye. Events would imply that this is going to be the only time we see his take on The Doctor (unless Big Finish step up - are you reading this guys?), and that is a true shame, as he makes for a truly brilliant Doctor. Make no mistake, this episode absolutely belongs to John Hurt. He has well and truly stamped his impression on Who lore with this performance.

The rest of the Zygon section, though, is a tad underwhelming. For a start, the Zygons actually look worse than they did in their first appearance nearly forty years ago. Gone is the organic, somewhat greasy and slimy look, replaced (as with the Ice Warrior in Cold War earlier this year) with a disappointingly plastic-looking suit. And, sadly, Joanna Page gives a less-than-impressive performance as Queen Elizabeth. It's all good fun, but the teasing glimpses of The Moment that we have been given serve as a distraction during this phase of the story. We've seen the Fall Of Arcadia, we've seen Hurt at the button, and anything else feels like Moffat stalling for time a bit.

Thankfully, The Time War returns with a vengeance in the last twenty minutes, as difficult decisions must be made, realisations about Hurt's circumstances are made, and The Doctors come to a stunning "third option" that calls for one of the most remarkably surprising moments ever in the show. There could have been a cheap retcon here, but history is not rewritten (not one line), but instead expanded upon in glorious style. There are nine cameos that we were all hoping for, one we could never have expected, and a truly satisfying resolution that - true to Moffat's word - sets up the next phase of the show in majestic style. In more ways than one we get a look at where the show is going. And it's in safe hands.

While the broad strokes of the story are by-and-large very satisfying, it wouldn't be Doctor Who without all the little moments. And in The Day Of The Doctor the long-term fans are in for a treat, with continuity references aplenty (there's even a UNIT tech character called Osgood, and a brief [albeit photographic] appearance of most the past companions - even the woeful Kamelion gets a look in). But where Moffat excels is in the way that he never gives in to gratuity. Unlike in previous celebratory episode The Five Doctors, plot is never once sacrificed in favour of nostalgia - anyone who has never seen the Classic series would never feel left out by the referencing going on here.

Where Moffat is perhaps slightly less successful is in making this episode accessible to the more casual viewers. While the fiftieth anniversary should be written primarily with the fans in mind (it's our celebration, after all), one has to expect that this is an episode that will have been watched by millions more than would usually tune in to Who, and it will be interesting to see their reaction come Monday morning's papers. Anyone not well-versed in at least the new seasons of Doctor Who must have found this whole thing rather baffling.

But even though some of the references may be lost on some of the viewers, the power of the final scene will have been apparent to everyone. If you've not watched it yet, turn away now.

As the Eleventh (well, twelfth now...) Doctor sits alone after the adventure, he is greeted by the curator of the gallery. And it's Tom Baker.

What follows is an achingly beautiful scene, as Baker's character implies that he may be a Doctor from the far future (he mentions to Smith that in time he may find himself revisiting familiar faces - "but only the absolute favourites" he adds with a wink), and the two share a lovely little conversation.

It's fanservice of the highest order, adding nothing to the plot or the grand scheme of the episode in general. But at the same time, it's so much more than that. It, in essence, is the grand scheme of the episode. The meeting of old and new. The passing of the torch to a new era. The looking back with wonderful nostalgia at the old era. The celebration of The Doctor, whoever he may be.

That was what The Day Of The Doctor set out to be.

And it managed it very well.

...Fantastic.

Geekin' Out Verdict: 8.5/10