"Doctor Who" Twice Upon a Time Reviews

• The end of an era

  pjgs2002017-12-26

  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!

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• The old guard sign off in style.

  Sleepin_Dragon2017-12-25

  It has to be said this really did feel like the end of a chapter, and a goodbye was said to all from the Steven Moffat/Peter Capaldi era, fond farewells to Clara, Bill, even Mark Gatiss, who's been somewhat a fixture in the show's return was given a great send off. Fortunately the last hurrah was absorbing from start to finish, a wonderfully clever story, dazzling effects, and a proper nod to the show's history. Capaldi ending his time in style, he was exceptional in this episode, his character has become incredibly well balanced, strong and humorous. David Bradley once again utterly on point in Hartnell's shoes, doing true justice to the first Doctor. A really fine performance from Mark Gatiss also (If you're reading more League of Gentlemen PLEASE!) Nice touches the whole way through, that poignant moment where the Christmas day ceasefire was remembered, such a powerful moment. Funny, moving, intriguing, sentimental, the list goes on, the show what it should be, the best thing on at Christmas. 10/10

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• Great send off for Peter.

  Manwhofell2017-12-25

  This was a very good episode, worth the wait. The whole transition to Jodie's doctor doesn't overshadow the episode. I hate that it was announced ahead of time like it was because we obviously knew how it's going to end, just not the road that was taking us there. Peter & David were fantastic, as usual. It was nice to see a few old friends along the way as well. A solid send off for the guy who has replaced Tom Baker as MY Doctor.

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• Heartwarming

  parksandrec2017-12-25

  This episode might not be perfect, but it's just fun, bittersweet, and heartwarming. Capaldi's performance is moving, and arguably one of his best ever. Rachel Talalay's direction is once again fantastic, and although the script isn't perfect, it's still pretty great. I really loved this episode. For those unsure about having a woman play the Doctor, all I can say is give her a chance. Anytime a Doctor has been chosen, it's because they're right for the role. Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi have all been equally amazing, and I'm sure Whittaker will be as well. When the Doctor changed from Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi, people complained "he's too old," and jumped ship right away. Let's not do the same thing just because the Doctor has changed, once again. We could be missing out on the height of the show's creativity and an audacious new era, or we could be missing out on a mediocre few series, but we'll never really know unless we watch with an open mind, just like we did when we first watched Doctor Who. Chris Chibnall even asked Whittaker to audition, because he knows her personally and thought she would be great for the job. She's clearly a talented actress (BIFA nominations for Venus and Adult Life Skills and a wonderful, wonderful performance in Paddy Considine's Journeyman), that will breathe new life into the show and hopefully make ratings skyrocket next series. I'm excited to see what she does with the character.

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• A moderate view of Twice Upon a Time

  korereviews2017-12-28

  Since opinions about Doctor Who seem to have degenerated into polemics, consisting of either uncritical adoration or irrational hatred, a moderate view of Moffatt's final episode seems like a helpful offering. This episode was okay. It wasn't horrible. It didn't make me want to throw things at the television, like some of Moffatt's episodes. But it wasn't thrilling either, and I was surprised to find - just as I was thinking that the main plot must be about to kick in - that in fact the episode was almost over, and what I had just watched WAS the main plot. That was a bit of a let-down. Compared with previous Christmas specials, this one featured no cataclysmic disaster for the Doctor to avert at the last minute. What we expect to be the monster in fact turns out to be benign. On the upside, this is a refreshing idea, something unexpected. But it does make the episode quite anti-climactic. The story was also notably simpler and more straightforward than Moffatt typically is, and there was no "timey-wimey" stuff. That too is a positive. One just wishes that the gap left by those things had been filled with something a little more engaging and dramatic than what we got. As a send off for Capaldi, it was a bit of a whimper. Heaven Sent it was not, alas. That said, the episode, had some very enjoyable aspects: David Bradley put in a thoroughly charming performance as the first Doctor, almost making you wish that 12 might just regenerate back into him. The banter between the two doctors was very engaging, and Bradley and Capaldi played off one another brilliantly ("I AM younger" - hilarious). More problematic was Moffatt's decision to make the first Doctor into a raging chauvinist (which he never really was ) - funny at first, perhaps, but the gag went on far too long. More structurally, there didn't turn out to be any real reason for both of them to be in this episode - it had nothing to do with the central plot - it seems Moffatt just though it would be "cool" to have the first Doctor in an episode. Gatiss put in a quality performance as the confused WWI soldier - proving yet again that he's a better actor than writer. I wasn't thrilled to see Bill back again - not because I didn't like her character, but because I think continually bringing back old companions (under any pretext) nullifies the emotional effects of their leaving in the first place, and is frankly just cheap fan service. (In that connection, I now realize that I DID almost throw something at the TV when she-who-shall-not-be-named put in a brief appearance as well...) It's hard to say anything good about Capaldi's final speech and regeneration scene: the speech was forced, cheezy, meaningless, and yet another example of how Moffatt can't write human (or alien) emotion. The regeneration itself was brief, and exactly the same as the previous two. Could have used a little more imagination there. As far as the next Doctor's introduction goes - it was brief, but looked good. Not a lot to go on, but there was certainly nothing to object to in her performance or look so far. The episode ending with her falling out of the Tardis was a nice touch. I have to say, I'm feeling optimistic about her portrayal at this point. In sum, weak plot, great performances, not much drama. I'd give it 6.5, but IMDB doesn't allow half points, and 7 seems a bit high for this episode.

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