The Master returns with a ridiculous plot to end life on Earth as we know it, and even Barack Obama shakes his head at this one.
Far too many farewells pepper The Tenth Doctor’s long-awaited yet sadly poor departure.
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The final day has dawned and all human life on Earth has been eradicated, except for our old friend Wilfred Mott, and — wouldn’t you know it? — Donna Noble.
The Time Lords are on approach and The Doctor must team up with a prickly pair of aliens to undo the Master Race of part 1.
The prophecies have told of the final confrontation between the surviving children of Galifrey, and Lord President Rasillon is determined to have a hand in proceedings.
- Will Donna’s brain finally implode?
- Will Rassilon throw a diamond into a hologram?
- Will The Doctor care enough to put on a parachute before throwing himself out of a speeding rocket?
All this and more in our review.
Wow! What an episode. I don’t remember it being this good the first time. Perhaps it’s a function of my increased knowledge of Doctor Who and further exposure to older and newer Time Lords? I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this episode showcases The Master (and John Sims) more than it does The Doctor (and David Tennant).
Both are doing what they always do: The Master is trying to take over the world and Doc is coming up with a last-ditch plan to save everyone. Each is in his element. But I must admit I’m much more mesmerized by The Master as he alternately celebrates, schemes, and agonizes. It is so interesting to see the interplay of pride, power, and passion in The Master, Rassilon, and The Doctor. The Master knows he’s the smartest person in his world, and solely responsible for his new success. It just eats him up when Rassilon shows power over him by reversing his Master Race. Then there’s the Doc, fighting with himself over whether to kill and which person’s death will save the rest of the world. The payoff sees The Master collaborating with The Doctor at last, which hasn’t happened previously in New Who. The result is much more interesting for The Master, who is more of a wildcard; The Doctor we know typically chooses the path involving less fighting and more cooperating. Massively good performances all around.
Rating:
I know as a Time Lord you are unaccustomed to thinking of yourself as mortal. But death is a natural part of all things. Do not be afraid of it. It doesn’t matter how many birthdays you had. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t do more. You were here. You changed lives, and even saved some.
Each time you appeared people were drawn to you immediately because of who you are. Your awesomeness radiates from you like a beacon, and people just want to be a part of that. So many people in fact that you had to turn a few away. But don’t be sad about that either. No one can be friends with everyone, and the experiences they had in meeting you will still mean something long after you’ve moved on.
I know you think your actions doomed those you love, but the truth is, they were more complete people because of you. You showed them your life; showed them your world and in so doing, you inspired them. Following your example they found in themselves the courage, the spirit of adventure, and above all the desire to put themselves on the line in order to help others. They didn’t die because of you- rather they lived because of you.
You lived. And it was really good. But it’s time. Time for new good things to come to pass. So let it all go: the guilt, the pride, the fear, the control. Let it go and rest.
The Ood are singing. Goodnight.
Hello again! I’ve returned to New Who to take a look at the swansong of the Tenth Doctor, “The End of Time”. Is it as great as everyone says? Well, let’s take a look at it.
To me, the End of Time is my least favorite regeneration story for several reasons. It was cluttered, the jokes weren’t funny, the Doctor was a drama queen at times, the Master and the Time Lords coming back were pointless (hopefully Series 10 will fix the Simm Master) and really, why did we need to see the Doctor say goodbye to everyone? It’s so dumb.
Also, what was the Master’s plan? Turn everyone into a copy of himself and then go to war with the Universe? Then the Time Lords come out of nowhere and then we get Rassilon back from the dead! What is this and why is it happening?
Staying with the Master, why is he Skeletor? Why is he eating a chicken menacingly? What happened to him after he went back to Gallifrey? Seriously, so many unanswered questions. Perhaps at the time they were implying that the Master was killed when the Doctor destroyed Gallifrey. But that didn’t happen! (Again, hopefully Series 10 will fix that).
The Doctor should’ve been in the same mood he was in after “The Waters of Mars”. He knows the end is coming. And what happens when he appears in End of Time part one? He comes out to the silly music looking like he’s just been to Hawaii or something like that and he locks the TARDIS like a bloody car! Why? This should have been a more serious story. But no, we get the Doctor and silly music.
And remember when I called the Doctor a drama queen? Well, there’s that scene from part two where the Doctor flips out at Wilf when he has to save him. He complains about having to save him! This is the guy who nearly didn’t regenerate to save Peri! So dramatic and it really makes me want him to go.
And the last 20 minutes we just get a RTD-Era fan wank. That’s exactly what it is. We visit companions and even the (great) granddaughter of that one lady from Human Nature/The Family of Blood. I mean, my goodness. This went on for too long. Just get to the regeneration already! It’s like “The Web Planet”! The episode goes on too long.
The regeneration itself was over the top. I mean, why did they blow up the TARDIS? I may not be the biggest fan of the Coral TARDIS, but seeing it on fire wasn’t really needed. And seriously, “I don’t want to go”? Is that the best you’ve got? The one thing I like about the regeneration is Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. I mean, he’s so different from his last incarnation in that he doesn’t get all dramatic when he regenerated. He was calm and he made his speech and went quickly before he could cry like Ten did.
So, what do I think of this two-parter? I think this whole story was a part of a bigger plot to turn the Tennant fangirls on the new Doctor and showrunner. It ended up happening on it’s own, but whatever. When comparing this to other regeneration stories, this one feels too long, even though there is a regeneration story that is almost five hours in length! So, I’m giving this one a 1.6/5. It has it’s moments but it’s a failure of a regeneration story. I can only watch it once or twice every so often and I’d have to take a break halfway through just like with “The Web Planet”. This is Tennant’s Web Planet. Actually, that might be a bit much. But it’s bad. There isn’t much saving it. I’m not the only one who thinks so. I have seen many a rant about this story in my time. So I’m not alone.