Twice Upon a Time was a heartwarming, meaningful, and very pleasant episode of Doctor Who. It's fun, emotional, and pretty well written (for the most part).
Peter Capaldi gave another great performance. Even though the script doesn't give him a whole lot to do with when compared to episodes like Heaven Sent and The Doctor Falls, he manages to make every action and look meaningful. Peter Capaldi truly is the greatest actor to ever play the Doctor.
Like Capaldi, Pearl Mackie was also wonderful. She was an exciting breath of fresh air from her introduction in The Pilot and continued to be a fun and genuinely likable presence all series, even if Bill didn't have a lot of character development. Pearl Mackie had such a warm and funny screen presence throughout series 10, so it was really great to see her come back. Likewise, Nardole's cameo was a fun (and very welcome) surprise. Matt Lucas was also hilarious in every episode he was in, and the trio of Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, and Matt Lucas is probably my favorite TARDIS team of all time.
David Bradley and Mark Gatiss were also good in their respective roles. Some may complain about how the First Doctor was written, and to be honest I was worried about how he would be characterized (even not having seen much of Classic Who), but I think that his non-PC attitude played out well and wasn't very bothersome, even if it isn't true to his character. It made for some funny lines, it wasn't too jarring, and David Bradley's delivery was always good. Still, I understand those who felt it was uncalled for.
Talalay's direction was great. That shouldn't be a surprise after her sterling work on every episode she's worked on, but she impresses every time, directing strong performances and creating a solid visual tone for the episode. The First Doctor's regeneration scene was beautifully filmed and made great use of shadows and lighting. It's a small touch, but one that is very appreciated and that goes to show just how much she elevates the show. Likewise, Murray Gold's score was phenomenal, blending older tracks with new ones skillfully. Whoever is replacing him next series has some big shoes to fill.
For the most part, Steven Moffat's writing was good, but I thought that the Doctor's monologue at the end of the episode didn't really work well. His goodbye to Bill and Nardole would have been a perfect final scene before the regeneration, but to be frank, the lines about children during his monologue were too hokey and stuck out because they had nothing to do with the story or even the Twelfth Doctor, ruining the scene. I much preferred the Eleventh Doctor's final monologue. Still, Steven Moffat is a tremendous writer who is responsible for many (if not most) of the show's best episodes and who has done a lot of good for Doctor Who.
As a whole, Twice Upon a Time was a really nice Christmas episode and a great send off for Peter Capaldi and the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who. It was funny, enjoyable, and meaningful.
Now, for the elephant in the room...
Over two years ago, Hayley Atwell caused fair amount of controversy when she responded to a fan's tweet, asking if she wanted to be the Doctors' companion, by saying that she wanted to be THE Doctor. I said that the notion of having a woman play the Doctor was ridiculous, and that it should never happen.
Oh, how times change... I think it's great that there will be a woman playing the role of the Doctor, one that has never really lent itself to one sex over the other, even if it has always been played by men. Patrick Troughton himself is on record saying that he thinks there should be no limit when it comes to the Doctor's race or sex. Having a woman play the Doctor will really shake up the show, and hopefully it'll make the ratings go sky-high.
I am also pretty happy that Jodie Whittaker was chosen. She looks right for the job, and obviously has the acting ability to take on the role. I liked the one minute introduction trailer that we got in July, but I was disappointed that she only said one line at the end of the episode. After such a long wait and such a large announcement, you'd think that they would make her introduction to the show more exciting, and give us a sense of what her character will be like before the long wait until Autumn of next year and to try to tide over fans who are unsure about having a woman play the Doctor. I did like how her whole introduction sequence played out though, and thought that it was well filmed.
To those who are opposed to having a woman take on the role, all I can say is to give the new Doctor a fair shot. If we've decided that we hate the new Doctor, even before watching her first series, there's no way we'll like her or the next season. It doesn't make any sense to give up on our favorite show just because we're unsure about one casting choice, especially one that was bound to happen anyway. Changing the gender of the lead character is a pretty big deal, so a bit of uncertainty is perfectly normal. Regardless, whoever was chosen to be the Doctor was chosen because they were right for the role.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this episode and look forward to what the future holds for Doctor Who. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and God bless!
Peter Capaldi gave another great performance. Even though the script doesn't give him a whole lot to do with when compared to episodes like Heaven Sent and The Doctor Falls, he manages to make every action and look meaningful. Peter Capaldi truly is the greatest actor to ever play the Doctor.
Like Capaldi, Pearl Mackie was also wonderful. She was an exciting breath of fresh air from her introduction in The Pilot and continued to be a fun and genuinely likable presence all series, even if Bill didn't have a lot of character development. Pearl Mackie had such a warm and funny screen presence throughout series 10, so it was really great to see her come back. Likewise, Nardole's cameo was a fun (and very welcome) surprise. Matt Lucas was also hilarious in every episode he was in, and the trio of Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, and Matt Lucas is probably my favorite TARDIS team of all time.
David Bradley and Mark Gatiss were also good in their respective roles. Some may complain about how the First Doctor was written, and to be honest I was worried about how he would be characterized (even not having seen much of Classic Who), but I think that his non-PC attitude played out well and wasn't very bothersome, even if it isn't true to his character. It made for some funny lines, it wasn't too jarring, and David Bradley's delivery was always good. Still, I understand those who felt it was uncalled for.
Talalay's direction was great. That shouldn't be a surprise after her sterling work on every episode she's worked on, but she impresses every time, directing strong performances and creating a solid visual tone for the episode. The First Doctor's regeneration scene was beautifully filmed and made great use of shadows and lighting. It's a small touch, but one that is very appreciated and that goes to show just how much she elevates the show. Likewise, Murray Gold's score was phenomenal, blending older tracks with new ones skillfully. Whoever is replacing him next series has some big shoes to fill.
For the most part, Steven Moffat's writing was good, but I thought that the Doctor's monologue at the end of the episode didn't really work well. His goodbye to Bill and Nardole would have been a perfect final scene before the regeneration, but to be frank, the lines about children during his monologue were too hokey and stuck out because they had nothing to do with the story or even the Twelfth Doctor, ruining the scene. I much preferred the Eleventh Doctor's final monologue. Still, Steven Moffat is a tremendous writer who is responsible for many (if not most) of the show's best episodes and who has done a lot of good for Doctor Who.
As a whole, Twice Upon a Time was a really nice Christmas episode and a great send off for Peter Capaldi and the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who. It was funny, enjoyable, and meaningful.
Now, for the elephant in the room...
Over two years ago, Hayley Atwell caused fair amount of controversy when she responded to a fan's tweet, asking if she wanted to be the Doctors' companion, by saying that she wanted to be THE Doctor. I said that the notion of having a woman play the Doctor was ridiculous, and that it should never happen.
Oh, how times change... I think it's great that there will be a woman playing the role of the Doctor, one that has never really lent itself to one sex over the other, even if it has always been played by men. Patrick Troughton himself is on record saying that he thinks there should be no limit when it comes to the Doctor's race or sex. Having a woman play the Doctor will really shake up the show, and hopefully it'll make the ratings go sky-high.
I am also pretty happy that Jodie Whittaker was chosen. She looks right for the job, and obviously has the acting ability to take on the role. I liked the one minute introduction trailer that we got in July, but I was disappointed that she only said one line at the end of the episode. After such a long wait and such a large announcement, you'd think that they would make her introduction to the show more exciting, and give us a sense of what her character will be like before the long wait until Autumn of next year and to try to tide over fans who are unsure about having a woman play the Doctor. I did like how her whole introduction sequence played out though, and thought that it was well filmed.
To those who are opposed to having a woman take on the role, all I can say is to give the new Doctor a fair shot. If we've decided that we hate the new Doctor, even before watching her first series, there's no way we'll like her or the next season. It doesn't make any sense to give up on our favorite show just because we're unsure about one casting choice, especially one that was bound to happen anyway. Changing the gender of the lead character is a pretty big deal, so a bit of uncertainty is perfectly normal. Regardless, whoever was chosen to be the Doctor was chosen because they were right for the role.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this episode and look forward to what the future holds for Doctor Who. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and God bless!