Enjoyable and perhaps the least messy of the more recent Doctor Who, “The Power of The Doctor” is a spectacular and also heartfelt finale for the Thirteenth Doctor as she goes up against The Master’s ludicrous plans yet again and meets up with some old friends.
I’ve very much enjoyed Jodie Whittaker’s take on The Doctor and still maintain that her debut series 11 was a good and solid season of easing into the new roles (for everyone), with an overall feel reminiscent of the Christopher Eccleston era. Unfortunately, her tenure has been let down by inconsistent writing since then resulting in diminishing returns. Series 12 felt like the slightly bigger scope of stories from toward the end of David Tennant’s run, and the unfortunately messy series 13 (aka “Flux”) was the much more ambitious season-long arc akin to that of the Matt Smith “Impossible Astronaut” era. Then there were the two specials that felt like leftover scripts. There was a sense that showrunner Chris Chibnall was more focussed on emulating past glories and lifting specific moments and ideas rather than prioritising good stories.
The Power of The Doctor appears to continue that trend lifting moments and ideas from earlier stories in place of actually good story telling but does so while doing a much better job at creating an exciting final adventure for Thirteen as well as an effectively emotional and heartfelt goodbye for Jodie and the rest of the main cast. It doesn’t quite stick the landing on every element, there are a few convenient moments and clumsy contrivances (no more than any other episode of Doctor Who if we’re honest) but overall this finale was most enjoyable and a fitting send off for Jodie Whittaker.
But you know me, it was enjoyable but was it good? Well, it was a lot better than “Flux”.
I’m going to add SPOILER BOXES throughout this review that require clicking on to reveal…
We’re waist-deep in pop-culture media’s over-reliance on “remember this?” ideas to turbo-charge the already lucrative and saturated nostalgia market, with some of it working better than others. While this finale still has a few of the aforementioned copying of old ideas (if I were to list them, you would instantly recognise which previous episodes they came from and understand why Chibnall used them) but there’s also a reliance of references and call backs to recent and past lore.
Off the top of my head… Modified TARDIS used to power something, The Master’s needle drop to a song that’s currently charting and has something to do with his presentation, a group of companions operating the TARDIS, Yasmin’s trajectory somewhat mirrors Martha Jones’, secret organisation’s building in the middle of a city is full of Cybermen, also it’s another park the Doctor drops off the companion before leaving (there’s probably more that I’m forgetting)
It’s yet another convoluted plan by The Master (Sascha Dhawan) once again putting the Earth in peril just to get back at The Doctor. We’ve got Cybermen, Daleks, a few familiar faces, and of course the obligatory regeneration scene. If it sounds like I’m being glib about it, it’s pretty much the standard formula for these sorts of big event final episodes. And yet despite the well-trodden territory and heavy-handed references, it actually worked better than I anticipated.
I had genuine fun watching the 87-minute special that began with a rather thrilling opening, I was invested in the story and I haven’t cared about such since series 12’s baffling and rather pointless twist. I was also honestly sad at seeing Thirteen’s final adventure because I truly think Whittaker was undermined by very poor stories (I have a similar opinion on most of the Matt Smith era) and my wanting her to go out on a great adventure.
Although, I did describe The Master’s plan as “convoluted”, the main story itself was surprisingly straightforward and so much less messy than “Flux,” probably lessons learned from that considering there are multiple parts and characters to work with in The Power of The Doctor.
Jodie Whittaker gives an energetic and dignified performance as our favourite Time Lord, it was somewhat more reserved than certain previous outings that were a touch too scatterbrain and inconsistent but here it reminded me that she really was a great Doctor. Sacha Dhawan’s The Master was appropriately unhinged, chewing the scenery like an old-school Batman villain and he was fantastic. As we’ve seen from the promos, former companions Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) have returned and are recruited by the recently-reformed UNIT thanks to their previous knowledge and experience in the blue box. They certainly felt like companions from pre-relaunch Doctor Who and despite my lack of attachment to those past incarnations, it was lovely to see them for the first time in many decades.
However, I think the standout performance is Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan who, like many former modern companions, had a lot to do in this finale (actually even Ace and Tegan were more than mere cameos). I think it’s a matter of personal taste with how far it should have gone but this did feel like a good culmination of her character arc and rather satisfying too… almost.
As I said earlier, not every moment quite sticks the landing and a few ideas fall short of their potential or simply fall by the wayside. But then again it may be a case of other shows having everything matter or mean something and in reality not every part of the animal needs to be used. The way the story unfolds things are enjoyable enough to sort of ignore these short comings.
Except the most egregious is how Chibnall chickened out of the Yasmin telling The Doctor how she felt. That was way too much like the unrequited love that Martha felt before she left at the end of the third season. It just ends up feeling like queer-baiting all along.
Some scenes are a touch on-the-nose as I alluded to, however, I appreciated them even though I can understand how some people may be taken out of the story…
Both Ace and Tegan had moments of closure with an interactive holographic version of The Doctor, which I really enjoyed and appreciated as both companions had abrupt and unfinished ends to their adventures on the TARDIS.
There were also a few contrived and convenient story beats that seemed like odd choices…
Dan (John Bishop) gets written out in the first act because he almost dies on a mission, there’s an excuse as to why Ryan (Tosin Cole) wasn’t with Graham (Bradley Walsh) just to have that space filled by Vinder (Jacob Anderson). The Master gets arrested and taken in like The Joker in The Dark Knight just to be able to easily escape when his “trojan horse” was successful but he didn’t even need to be there in the first place.
Despite these shortcomings, there are two highlights that do make this finale for me. One of which is a surprise that no one saw coming and I found rather delightful and validating. The other is a much more enjoyable and delusion meta-narrative…
The Master’s plan to become The Doctor, to tarnish her name across the galaxy, and then dress up in elements from some of the previous incarnations is a commentary on the barrage of misogyny that Jodie Whittaker has had to endure from sections of the fanbase. It’s akin to the “fight me” climax in Captain Marvel.
Your mileage may vary on how successful it was but for me I just really enjoyed its place in the story. Basically, I find it difficult to get too nitpicky about minutiae as very little of it tarnished my overall enjoyment.
The Power of The Doctor may not be the best of Doctor Who but it is a great improvement over the most recent offering from this era of the show as well as a suitable, heartfelt, and satisfying swan song for Jodie Whittaker’s version of the Time Lord. I am looking forward to the future but I will also miss her and what she really could have been in this role.
If you enjoyed this review then please consider contributing to my tip jar at: ko-fi.com/oldtrenchy