In the twelfth and final episode of the eighth series of Doctor Who, the Doctor faces down Missy while Clara and Danny both face their personal demons. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
Trigger Warning: For body horror, consent, grief, death.
Why has series eight of Doctor Who felt so different to me? I’ve struggled with the answer to that question as I’ve enjoyed the vast majority of this season. The problems I had with series six and seven are seemingly gone here, as if someone else wrote the bulk of this season. But it’s still a lot of the same names, including Steven Moffat, so why the tonal differences? Why the dark edge to everything? Why so much terror and angst and moral quandaries?
The Twelfth Doctor stands in glaring contrast to Eleven and that entire era. While I think Doctor Who tried to address accountability in a manner similar to “The Water of Marsâ€-era Ten, but that message was lost in convoluted story threads and series-long arcs. (I still don’t understand “The Wedding of River Song†and I’ve watched it three times since then.) While there’s absolutely a series-long arc here, it’s much, much more straightforward. Both the Doctor’s “goodness†and the Master’s Cyber-plan (see what I did there???) avoided that whole dangling carrot nonsense that plagued past series. This season was far more brutal, direct, and vicious than we’ve seen of Doctor Who in a long time.
In that sense, I think I can absolutely understand why this might not have been someone’s favorite season or why it would not have been an enjoyable experience. This is some gritty storytelling that addresses the horrors of time travel, the consequences of power and arrogance, and the pains of friendship and love. It’s not an easy journey by any means, and ever since Twelve first appeared to Clara, the two of them fought. Lied to one another. Said hurtful things without any consideration. Turned their backs on one another. They did this frequently throughout series eight. But why? For the sake of the drama?
If we look at “Death in Heaven†as the end result of this conflict, a full story emerges. Twelve’s appearance was more than just a shocker for Clara; her entire life was upended by his introduction. Gone was the silly, exuberant fool she came to adore as she explored the galaxy. In his place was a man who was quick to insult her. Who was quick to challenge anything she said. Who treated her with a bizarre form of respect and a bizarre form of love. Who never, ever made things easy for her. So what kind of story was going to result from this? The Doctor spent this series aggressively trying to determine what kind of person he was and whether he was “good,†and I think this episode answers that pretty definitively.
No, he’s not. He’s not evil, either, but the Master’s gift to the Doctor highlights an aspect of him he’d rather ignore. It’s a haunting turn (in the midst of an unbelievably upsetting scene) for the Doctor because the Master isn’t too far from the truth. It stings. She assembled a Cyberarmy as a birthday gift. Why? Because the Doctor has consistently behaved in a way that made it seem like this is what he wanted. He could save every life. He could defeat any enemy. He could control every situation. Isn’t that what he does as the Doctor? Isn’t that precisely what he’s wanted?
What eventually matters most – and what unravels the Master’s plans right before her eyes – is Danny Pink. I’m not ashamed of the way this episode turned me into a messy, teary disaster, and that’s because I love Danny Pink. I love what he represents. I love that we were given a character (who’s also a man of color) who cares so deeply about the people in his life and the world he lived in that he fought the Cyberman programming and won. His love for everything saved the world.
And it also broke my heart. One of the reasons this episode was so upsetting was the horror of knowing what becoming a Cyberman actually meant. Now, I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a Cyberman without their mask before; if we did, I don’t remember it. And I don’t know if this is what was always within a Cyberbody either, but the implication is horrifying. At least with the Master’s plans and her Cyberpollen, human bodies were turned into these beings. Seeing Danny in this state was just… the worst. And bless Samuel Anderson for being able to take this character to this point. We knew it was Danny, and we also knew how far Danny was from who he used to be. We could see how much pain he was in every second that the inhibitor wasn’t activated.
Now, I don’t think this story is necessarily perfect, nor is series 8 perfect either. But “Death in Heaven†was sold to me by the performances. Samuel Anderson, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, and Michelle Gomez all made this feel huge and emotional and important. I mean, I haven’t even had a chance to just gush about how incredible Michelle Gomez has been, either! BECAUSE HOLY SHIT. She survived the end of the episode, so… the Master isn’t gone, right??? THERE CAN BE SO MUCH MORE, YES? Anyway, I thought the Cyberman weren’t all that scary, as I’ve never found them to be frightening, but Danny’s use here as one certainly made them way more disturbing. The whole Cyberpollen thing was a bit confusing, but this is yet another instance where the story itself was good enough for me not to want to nitpick.
So what’s in the future for these characters? I interpreted Danny’s final scene as absolute confirmation that he’ll never return, which breaks my heart to even type. But at least in his last moments, he undoes the wrong he did in Afghanistan. I’m upset about Danny’s death, but it doesn’t irk me as it might have because… well, he got a story. A real good story, I might add. He isn’t killed off for shock value, and his death still matters. And in the end, he gets to make a choice about it. As for the Doctor and Clara? Well, I initially read that final scene as both of them slipping back into their normal routine of lying to each other, but I don’t think that’s quite the case. I think they’re trying not to shower one another with bad news. After so much loss and sadness, they offer each other a moment of happiness, one I suspect they both know is bullshit. But in that moment, they are tender with one another, something we haven’t seen all season, and I think it’s an improvement. It makes me excited to see more.
Onwards to the Christmas special! NICK FROST AS SANTA, OH MY GOD.
The video for “Death in Heaven†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S. this summer and fall Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of The Legend of Korra, series 8 of Doctor Who, and Kings. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
