But we need to get back to Smith’s Doctor and Clara. As entertaining as the alien races are, this era of “Doctor Who” is all about the Doctor’s relationships with his companions. Clara’s only been around for about half a season at this point, although it’s been over a year in real time since her first appearance in “The Asylum of the Daleks.” There’s even a callback to that episode as the Daleks regain their memories of the Doctor after dispatching Tasha Lem.
When the Doctor and Clara encounter the “truth field” on the planet, I was honestly surprised when she said that she travels with the Doctor because she “fancies him.” I never really got that vibe from Clara. The Doctor’s response to the truth field was a very funny breakdown of the show’s premise: “I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I stole a time machine and ran away and I’ve been flouting the principal law of my own people ever since!”
Smith’s last dance with the Doctor gave him plenty of comedic material to work with and I was shocked when he took off his wig at one point. I didn’t expect the show to acknowledge Smith’s shaved head, but it was a great moment. This episode also turned Smith’s Doctor into an old man by stranding him on the planet for centuries as he held off the alien armada to protect his people and the residents of a town called Christmas. I’m sure this was intentional, but Smith resembled the First Doctor, William Hartnell near the end of his life on Trenzalore. That’s right, the planet was Trenzalore, where we previously saw the Doctor’s tomb in “The Name of The Doctor.”
Trenzalore has been mentioned on the series since the end of the sixth season, so I do believe that Moffat had this in mind from the start. Although I’m willing to bet that the only reason that Trenzalore was Christmas themed was due to the timing of Smith’s departure. Yes, this is the “Doctor Who” Christmas special, but shoehorning Christmas into the episode felt unnecessary. it was enough that Clara wanted to escape her Christmas dinner to be with the Doctor. Their destination didn’t have to be the live action equivalent of Planet Abed from “Community.”
One of the things that the episode glossed over was the way that the Doctor lied to send Clara away from Trenzalore… twice! We’ve seen the Doctor pull that trick on Rose Tyler back in the first season, so it wasn’t a surprise that he did it again here. Clara’s feelings of betrayal briefly gave Coleman some interesting material to play, but all of Clara’s anger towards the Doctor melts away when she sees him again. I think it would have been more interesting if Clara had stayed angry.
Of course, it’s Clara who eventually saves the day by speaking to the Time Lords through the Crack in the Universe to appeal to them for help. We’re just going to have to overlook the fact that the Doctor spent centuries on Trenzalore and never tried the same tactic. Although, this is the same man who didn’t try to open an unlocked door in “The Day of The Doctor.” And I suppose the argument could be made that the Doctor didn’t communicate with the Time Lords because he didn’t want them to come through the Crack while they were still in danger from the alien armada.
Prior to this episode, Smith’s Doctor may have been in this incarnation for the longest period of time of any previous Doctor, including the original. That record was shattered by the Doctor’s time on Trenzalore. However, the idea that this Doctor already had his final regeneration was a bit forced. Obviously Moffat and company couldn’t reveal that Smith’s Doctor didn’t have any more regenerations until after ‘The Name of The Doctor” introduced the War Doctor, but making David Tennant’s Doctor count twice felt like a cheat. The Doctor’s last regeneration could have been used for some great dramatic moments over the next few seasons rather than racing through the implications in this episode.
Perhaps because it had been centuries since his last change, the Doctor’s regeneration is incredibly powerful when it finally arrives, courtesy of the Time Lords and Clara. I think this is the first time that the Doctor has used his regeneration energy as a weapon and it was impressive. It was also good to see Smith’s Doctor briefly regain his youth before the end of his life. And that cameo was a really great moment. Yes, Clara Oswald was born to save the Doctor and she’s clearly important to him. But who was more important to the Eleventh Doctor than Amy Pond? Kudos to Karen Gillan for making the brief appearance and to Team Doctor Who for keeping it a surprise.
It was a little disappointing that Capaldi’s first appearance as the Doctor didn’t give him a chance to do more than comment on the color of his kidneys or wonder how to fly the TARDIS. But I did enjoy the fear and confusion that Coleman conveyed in that scene. More than anyone else, Clara should have been prepared to see the Doctor take on a new form and a new face. Instead she begs the Eleventh Doctor not to change and watches helplessly as he does.
As a swan song for Matt Smith’s Doctor, “The Time of The Doctor” was terrific and Smith will definitely be missed. It couldn’t have been easy to follow David Tennant, but Smith certainly made it look that way. Time will tell if Capaldi will be equally successful, but he’s a gifted performer and I have every confidence in his abilities.
If nothing else, the Doctor walks away from this episode with a fresh set of regenerations… which makes it somebody else’s problem when the show’s creative team has to deal with the 24th Doctor (and beyond!) several years from now. “Doctor Who” always changes and adapts to survive the departures of the lead actors. And I’m very much looking forward to seeing what comes next.
