The Power of the Doctor [TV/2022.10.23]

 

★★★★☆

  Oh, Jodie Whittaker, how I shall miss thee. You deserved a far more positive reception than you got, and I'll be the first one to admit that at any time of the year. 

  What's funny about The Power of the Doctor is that it actually doubles down on the rather irritating writing habits of Chris Chibnall... and instead of driving me mad, actually manages to become much more than the sum of its parts. It's been a while since it's aired at this point, and it's great to see that so many fans who were critical of Jodie Whittaker's era of Doctor Who overall embraced this swansong. Some even claim it to be Thirteen's best adventure, and while I still hold that the Thirteenth Doctor's era had much superior examples (Demons of the Punjab, It Takes You Away, and The Haunting of Villa Diodati among others), there's no denying that The Power of the Doctor has a vigorous energy to it that is both reminiscent of what came before (this feels like it would have comfortably fit between Series 4 and 5) and arrestingly new. Like it or not, Chibnall is content with the way he presented the Timeless Child revelation and then refused to elaborate, instead going for the wonderful notion that the Doctor is still the Doctor regardless of such backstory, and we're going to have to live with it. Whether or not you're infuriated with this behaviour depends; I personally have no problem.

  What makes The Power of the Doctor special is the (re)affirmation that the Doctor's power comes from the friends they make along the way. The episode isn't just an ode to the Thirteenth Doctor, but also a love letter to companions past and present. Tegan and Ace are given closure with their respective Doctors, and I find their scenes to be absolutely wonderful. They, along with Yaz, Dan and Graham, meet up with other companions from the past and share stories about their Doctors -- and that is where the strength of Doctor Who lies: stories told about adventures in time and space, and about the wonderful alien who led them to this path. Interestingly, The Power of the Doctor puts effort in setting a parallel between this message and the Doctor herself: she's more closed-off than ever, keeping secrets from Yaz and displaying a wealth of cold moments towards even her past companions. The final scene atop the TARDIS with Yaz, having ice cream as the Doctor begins her regeneration, is at both an ode to their fraught relationship and an indication that the Doctor tries to be more open. Some incarnations are better at it than others, and Thirteen has been especially devious and emotionally distant, but they try. Sometimes, that's all you can ask for.

  Sacha Dhawan's brilliant Master gets the spotlight as well. Here is an incarnation of the Doctor's arch nemesis that wants nothing more than to bring the Doctor down to his level, to tarnish the name of the Doctor by regenerating into her next incarnation. There's an aspect of the Master that we never got to see before in The Power of the Doctor -- a level of self-hatred and denial -- that really touched me. The Master hates himself so badly that he's practically begging not to be returned to his own identity, and I find that extremely powerful. Dhawan plays the part with such ease and passion that it's hard not to be charmed by this very dangerous character, and he (along with many other aspects) is going to be sorely missed as the Chibnall era comes to a close. 

  The Power of the Doctor is a huge mess on paper executed with such skill, with every actor bringing their A-game and elevating the material to new heights. It's funny that the BBC Centenary special/regeneration story of Thirteen manages to be a much more all-encompassing (and in my opinion, emotionally resonant) ode to Doctor Who than the actual 50th anniversary special was; I suppose it just goes to show how unpredictable Who is, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I honestly didn't have high expectations from The Power of the Doctor, and so I was overwhelmed by the myriad of beautiful moments. Past Doctors becoming fragments of the incumbent's consciousness, the Master dancing to Boney M's Rasputin, Ashad's UNIT corridor action sequence straight out of a stylish action film, and the genuine love for this incarnation that both Chibnall and Whittaker obviously had. I've always loved the Chibnall era of Doctor Who -- a breath of fresh air that is clumsy and charming in equal measure -- and I wouldn't have wanted the swansong to be in any other way. As a representation of the Doctor as a character of insurmountable legacy, as well as a love letter to Doctors and companions who have come before, it's hard not to be impressed by the result. 

  And so Jodie Whittaker's regeneration scene plays out, with Segun Akinola's beautiful theme reaching a crescendo and John Smith VFX's beautiful visual effects creating the most visually impressive regeneration yet. We see a familiar face as the next Doctor -- the Fourteenth Doctor -- and for now, I'm eagerly waiting for the 60th anniversary in 2023. How will Russell T Davies, showrunner once again, explain the return of David Tennant as the Doctor's newest form? Will lightning strike twice? We'll just have to see.