ANDREW'S
DOCTOR WHO REVIEWS 
We reach the end of another era – both that of Peter
Capaldi’s Doctor and also that of Steven Moffat’s time as show runner. This
story is a great way for them both to go; it has some great funny moments, some
good serious acting, a wonderful surprise in the return of the First Doctor and
also some great pathos around the character of the Captain as played by Mark
Gatiss.
In Antarctica 1986 the First Doctor (David Bradley) is
wandering back to the TARDIS and refusing his first regeneration, he meets up
with the Twelfth Doctor who is having exactly the same inner dialogue about
refusing to change. They are joined by the Captain (Mark Gatiss) who is a First
World War soldier who has been snatched from the front. The three are taken to
a spaceship where they are met by what appears to be Bill Potts. The Doctor
realises that this is not Bill and the glass-like figure of the pilot of the
ship then appears and offers the Doctor’s a choice – freedom for the life of
the Captain.
The Doctors, true to form, refuse and take the First
Doctor’s TARDIS to the planet Villengard. Here they learn that the ship they
were taken to is the Testimony which has been designed to take people from the
moment of their death and archive their memories into glass avatars. Realising
there is nothing evil here to fight, the Doctors agree to take the Captain back
to World War I.
When they arrive, the Captain asks the Doctor to keep an eye
on his family, he is Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart, an ancestor of the
Brigadier and Kate Stewart. Time resumes and it transpires the Twelfth Doctor
has taken the Captain to the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 and thus saved his
life.
With the Captain saved the First Doctor realises his time
has come, he returns to Ben and Polly and begins to regenerate into his second
incarnation. The Twelfth Doctor is left alone with the Bill avatar who informs
him that a person is the sum of their memories, so she returns the Doctor’s
memories of Clara. The Doctor finally allows himself to regenerate, turning
this time into a female form (Jodie Whittaker). The TARDIS then begins to blow
up leaving the newly regenerated Doctor tumbling through space.
This is a lovely little coda of a Doctor Who story that
allows Peter Capaldi time to give a last great performance which the previous
story would have denied him with its frantic pace. Here there is no big enemy,
no big threat, just four characters working through various issues and twists
in the tale.
It works because each of the actors is on top form. Mark
Gatiss is superb as the Captain, who you can well believe is an ancestor of the
Brigadier, Pearl Mackie gets one last outing as the Bill Potts avatar and is as
good as ever, but the story really belongs to the two versions of the Doctor we
have.
David Bradley makes a good substitute for the First Doctor,
he has enough Hartnell-esque qualities to make us believe it’s the same person,
but doesn’t try to do a straight copy (which would have been a poor choice).
There’s some great humour, although the whole First Doctor makes a joke that
you can’t say anymore because of social mores does run a bit thin after a while.
The First Doctor rarely, if ever, says anything that could be considered
against modern social mores and it is slightly lazy shorthand to make that the
case. But there are some good laughs in the two Doctors’ interaction and I
would be happy enough to see Bradley return as Doctor One sometime.
Rightly this is Peter Capaldi’s show and he goes through all
his best things as the Doctor here. There is humour, scowling, anger, sadness
and best of all that wonderful speech he gives just before he regenerates. It
sums up not only his Doctor but also Steven Moffat’s whole approach to our
programme. “Never be cruel. Never be cowardly … Hate is always foolish, love is
always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind … laugh hard, run
fast and be kind” It’s a mantra whole-heartedly embraced by the Doctor Who
community and is the perfect end to this Doctor’s era.
Twice Upon A Lifetime is great TV, great Doctor Who and one
of the best regeneration stories in both old or new series. Highly recommended.
NEXT UP: THE WOMAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
© Text copyright - Raving Loony
Productions and
Andrew J. Müller,
Roy Barton
and Shaun Runham
© Photos and Artwork - Andrew J. Müller
© Web Design and Layout - Andrew J. Müller
2022
