Doctor Who - The End of Time

The End of Time - Part I

The 10th Doctors (David Tennant) final adventure sees him travelling without a partner.  After the debacle that was the Waters of Mars, the Doctor has realized that he has a limited time left due to the prophecy of the Ood.  Visiting the Ood to get more details, he finds that the Ood have advanced to a remarkable degree in the time that he has been away from them and that someone or something is accelerating their development.  While with the Ood, he is made to learn that the Master is returning along with "something" else - from the Darkness!  Rushing back to Earth the Doctor is too late to prevent the return of the Master, who has been resurrected through a cult dedicated to the Master (however - the resurrection is incomplete due to the intervention of Lucy Saxon (the Master's wife)).  Lucy was able to interrupt the resurrection process, but it left the Master with great power and an unending hunger.

On Earth we see Wilfred Mott (grandfather of Donna - the Doctor's previous companion) who has started a search for the Doctor.  Joining the Doctor just before the Doctor confronts the Master, the Master uses his new powers on the Doctor and also forces him to listen to the noises in his head.  Finally hearing these noises, the Doctor realizes that it is not just the Masters insanity that has caused him to hear this, but that it is in actuality real and that there is something else at work!

While discussing the larger problem with the Master, the Doctor is subdued and the Master captured by Naismith who has "found" an alien device - the Immortality Gate.  Not realizing that the device can be used to imprint ("cure") the whole population based on a single image, he asks the Master to repair it for him.  While this has happened, the Doctor has discovered where the Master has been taken and journeys there with Wilf to try and stop him.  Once again, discovering too late what the Master is working on, he is unable to stop the Master from entering the Gate and imprinting himself on everyone except - Wilf, The Doctor and Donna Noble.  At this point, everyone on Earth is an image of the Master!!!

OK, this is one thing I didn't really like about this episode and I know its kind of the end point, but didn't it just remind you of Agent Smith from the Matrix movie?  When this happened, that's all I was thinking off - pity as its an interesting concept.

Part One ends revealing that the Narrator, who has appeared throughout the episode warning of the end of humanity on Christmas Day is the Leader of the Time Lords, and he announces that this is the day that the Time Lords will return!!

OK, now that is cool ... that actually gave me shivers as throughout the new series of Doctor Who, the only Time Lord has been The Doctor himself (and for a couple of episodes, The Master), so this has the possibility of completely changing things around!

The End of Time - Part II

Captured and taunted by The Master, The Doctor and Wilf are saved by the Vinvocci (scavengers who were introduced in Part 1 and who are there for the Immortality Gate).  They escape and go into hiding in their orbiting ship.  The Doctor realizing that The Master is now in control of all the weapons on Earth and that he will use them to destroy the ship, quickly disables it so that it will not show up on any of the scans.

The Master becomes aware of the "sound of drums" amplified by the billions of clones, recognizing it as a signal calling to him. When The Master discovers a fallen Gallifreyan diamond, a Whitepoint Star, he uses it to further enhance the signal and creates a link to the Time Lords, intending to leapfrog from the Human Race into the Timelords in a similar manner.  Announcing the presence of the Whitepoint Star to The Doctor who immediately realizes its significance he continues to gloat about his success and the Doctors failure.

The Doctor - realizing that the Whitepoint Star can only be found on Gaillifrey also realizes that the Time Lords are returning.  He indicates in no uncertain way that in the Final Days of the Time War, the Time Lords changed from their more benevolent selves into a fanatical race, willing to do anything and everything to win.

The Master broadcasts the Time Lords' impending return across the globe, forcing the Doctor to return to Earth. The Doctor arrives too late as the Time Lord Council appear. The Master plans to use the Gate now to imprint himself on all Time Lords, but the Time Lord President stops him and undoes the previous change by the Gate and restores humanity. The President then reveals that now freed of the Time Lock, the Time Lords will end time and creation itself in order to live eternally as pure consciousness.

The Doctor tells The Master that that is why he had to stop the Time Lords at the end of the Time War, as he knew they were planning that. Gallifrey begins to materialise by the Earth, and the Doctor reveals that it will soon be followed by all the other horrors from the Time War.

The Doctor determines that instead of killing The Master or the President, he can instead use Wilfs gun to destroy the diamond that is maintaining the link.  Doing so, the Doctor is further threatened by the President, but is instead saved by The Master!!  Furious that he had been manipulated since a child by the President, The Master attacks the President in a rage.  Gallifrey, The Master and all the Time Lords disappear back into the Time Lock. The fate of the Master, who also vanishes, is unclear.

The Doctor enjoys only a brief moment's relief at surviving before he hears four knocks, the sound which will precede his death. He turns around to find Wilfred, having returned to help the Doctor, still trapped in an isolation chamber which will soon become flooded with lethal radiation; only by self-sacrifice can he be freed. The Doctor hesitates and rages about his fate, but concludes he may have lived too long; he releases Wilfred, and suffers a massive dose of radiation poisoning.

Although he survives initially, the healing of the Doctor's wounds show that his regeneration has started. He takes Wilfred home and brief scenes show him fleetingly visiting several past companions. Not wishing to change, the Doctor completes his regeneration in an unusually violent manner with the TARDIS windows shattering and the console room bursting into flames. The newly-regenerated Eleventh Doctor explores his new body before eventually recognising that the TARDIS is hurtling back to Earth, taking the controls and gleefully shouting "Geronimo!"

Overall thoughts? - sad that David Tennant is gone ... really liked him as The Doctor ... however from what I understand the new Doctor has signed on for at least 3 years which means there are going to be some good stories coming and hopefully further details.  Also, despite my previous comments about the Time Lords - quite cool that they were "bad" at the end ... however, being the last Time Lord, also means there is no one else with the same amount of power as the Doctor, which also means that he really can't lose.  Also with the Master gone, the Daleks gone and Cybermen gone, this is even more true!

I look forward to seeing what's coming ... it should be interesting!!