Review - Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and as we continue to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the beloved BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, I'd like to rewind the clock back to ten years ago, when BBC celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who with The Day of the Doctor. Written by Steven Moffat, this special starred Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, David Tennant, Billie Piper, and John Hurt, along with additional cast members like Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver, Ken Bones, Joanna Page, and a surprise cameo by Tom Baker. 

         So, the special starts off with Clara Oswald finishing teaching a class at Coal Hill School, when another faculty member tells her that she has a call from the Doctor. Riding off on her motorcycle, Clara reaches the TARDIS, where the Eleventh Doctor is waiting for her, and they plan on a big trip. Unfortunately, a U.N.I.T. helicopter airlifts the TARDIS, leading the Doctor to call Kate Stewart, who is shocked that the Doctor was still IN the TARDIS when it was being airlifted. Changing the helicopter's direction, Kate has the TARDIS, along with the Doctor and Clara, brought to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Kate hands a letter to the Doctor, claiming that she was on orders from Queen Elizabeth I, whose credentials were inside of the National Gallery. 

          The Doctor, Clara, Kate, and her assistant Osgood all head inside, where they see a 3D oil painting with one of two names: "No More" and "Gallifrey Falls." The painting is a piece of Time Lord art, hence bigger on the inside, and it depicts the fall of Arcadia, the second city of Gallifrey. And that night, one man would commit an unspeakable act. That man was the Doctor. The War Doctor, to be exact. A version of the Doctor who was on the front lines of the Time War, which was a very devastating conflict between the Time Lords and the Daleks. And that night, the Doctor would leave a message for both sides blasted into a wall: "No More." By sunrise, the Doctor has stolen a dangerous relic called The Moment, and plans to use it to destroy both the Time Lords and the Daleks, thus ending the war. 

          However, The Moment has a conscience, which takes the form of Rose Tyler, and attempts to convince him that activating The Moment, and thus destroying Gallifrey, the Time Lords, and the Daleks, his future would be one of regret and bitterness. So, The Moment creates a convergence involving the Doctor at three points in time: at the end of the Time War, in the present, and in the year 1562, where the Tenth Doctor is spending a sunny afternoon with Queen Elizabeth I, even proposing marriage. However, the Doctor is quick to assume Elizabeth is a fake, having been replicated by an alien called a Zygon. Zygons, as I said in a previous Doctor Who post, are big, red, rubbery, and covered in cephalopod suckers. Oh, and they shapeshift. 

          So, when the Doctor learns that his horse was the Zygon, not Elizabeth, he panics. And, when a Zygon shows up appearing as Elizabeth, the Doctor sees a vortex open up, and a fez drop out of it, similarly to when The Moment opened a similar vortex for the War Doctor. Back in the present, the Eleventh Doctor, Clara, Kate, and Osgood go to explore the Gallery, with Osgood being tasked with analyzing piles of stone dust, and more of the Time Lord paintings are revealed, with glass broken. But not as of someone broke the glass from the outside, but as of something broke out. And, of course, another vortex appears, and the Doctor tosses his fez and runs in, encountering his past self and the two Elizabeth's. 

           After a bit of a stare off, the two Doctors start to put things into perspective, only for the War Doctor to appear, and all three are apprehended and taken to the Tower of London, where Kate and Clara go to in the present. In 1562, the three Doctors try to put together their predicament of being together. And it's here where the War Doctor asks his future selves an important question: did you count how many children were on Gallifrey the day The Moment was activated. While the Eleventh Doctor forgot, the Tenth didn't. Why? The Eleventh Doctor saw something far more pressing. 

        Anyway, back in the present, a code carved by the Doctor is sent to Kate and Clara, who activates the vortex manipulator left to U.N.I.T. by Captain Jack Harkness, and Clara transports to where the Doctor is. Clara reunites with the three Doctors, and Elizabeth, who reveals that she is the real one, and she killed her Zygon counterpart, reveals the Zygons' plan: enter a form of stasis with the Time Lord paintings, emerge when the time is right, and take over Earth in the modern day. The Doctors and Clara head back to the present, but are unable to enter the Tower of London, and thus need a way in, calling a U.N.I.T. scientist to have the "Gallifrey Falls" painting sent to the Tower of London. Meanwhile, Kate, Osgood, and all whom the Zygons duplicated reach the Tower, and attempt to activate a nuclear warhead that would destroy all of London. But, the three Doctors emerge from the painting, and erase the memories of everyone so they won't know which is human or Zygon. 

        The War Doctor, after a moment with Clara, decides to go back, returning to his time to activate The Moment. However, the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors arrive to ultimately help their past self carry the burden of what he's about to do. However, after seeing all those who are about to die, they have a change of heart and make an alternative plan: place the planet Gallifrey into a pocket universe, similar to the stasis paintings, and the Daleks will blow each other up. 

         Back on Gallifrey, the Time Lord known as the General is made aware of a new message from the Doctor, remarking "Gallifrey Stands." And the three Doctors contact the General to inform them of their plan, which will keep Gallifrey safe in an instant of time, as opposed to outright destruction. And, it's not just the Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, and the War Doctor, but EVERY version of the Doctor, past and yet to come. Giving the order, the General accepts the Doctors' plan, and Gallifrey vanishes in a flash. 

       Returning to the National Gallery, the Doctors look at the painting, questioning whether it's called "No More" or "Gallifrey Falls." Ultimately, the War Doctor departs in his TARDIS, and begins the regeneration into the Ninth Doctor. The Tenth Doctor, who is aware that he'll forget as well, asks the Eleventh Doctor where their going that he doesn't want to say, and the Eleventh Doctor reveals the truth: the Doctor dies in battle on the planet Trenzalore, where he is buried inside of the TARDIS. After hearing this, the Tenth Doctor remarks how it's good that his future is in safe hands, and says his goodbyes. 

        Clara steps away, and the Eleventh Doctor meets the gallery's Curator, to whom the Doctor remarks to never forgetting a face. And the Curator replies "I know you don't. And in years to come,.you may find yourself revisiting a few. But, just the old favorites." And, it's here where the Curator points out the mistake over the painting's title, as it's a single title instead of two. The real title is"Gallifrey Falls No More," implying that Gallifrey was saved, and is waiting for the Doctor. With a new mission, the Doctor heads off with one goal: bring his home back. 

        Okay, so obviously Steven Moffat and his crew pulled out the stops and made The Day of the Doctor an event. And, on top of that, in addition to it having the largest global simulcast in the history of BBC, it was also broadcast in movie theaters in 3D, which really enhanced the viewing of the special. The writing by Steven Moffat, as well as the directing by Nick Hurran, was absolutely second to none. 

        Having multiple Doctors at once, either physically or through archived footage, was absolutely fantastic. Seeing Matt Smith and David Tennant play off each other was hilarious, and the two really get along well. And, while it was a bummer that Christopher Eccleston wasn't able to return, the introduction of the War Doctor was actually kinda smart, and John Hurt was absolutely perfect in the role of a weary, war stricken version of the Doctor, who had been through hell during the Time War. And, on that note, it was great to actually see the Time War, which had only been alluded to in the past. 

        Having both Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper, even though Billie could only interact with the War Doctor, was fantastic. Jenna as Clara Oswald was a fantastic Companion, and having Billie Piper as the interface of The Moment, taking the form of Rose Tyler, was just incredible. I also enjoyed the likes of Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver as Osgood. Ken Bones as the General was neat, as it showed a Time Lord who was a high ranking leader at a time when Gallifrey was at war with the Daleks. 

       Speaking of which, having the Daleks in the special was great, as the Daleks are just as much a part of Doctor Who as the Doctor and the TARDIS are. And, making the antagonists be the Zygons was genius, as they had only a single appearance in classic Doctor Who, and seeing them again in the modern era was pretty cool. The makeup effects for them was genuinely fantastic, and didn't feel overly cheesy. But, the best part was seeing Tom Baker as the Curator. Honestly, when he showed up at the end, my jaw dropped. And, his scene with Matt Smith was absolutely fantastic, and it was great that he came back after so many years. 

        Simply put, the fiftieth anniversary special The Day of the Doctor was some of the best storytelling for modern era Doctor Who, and I'm giving it a rating of 5/5. Honestly, the forthcoming sixtieth anniversary specials have big shows to fill, but I have faith in the work that Russell T. Davies and his crew have ahead of them. 

        Okay, guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.