Spoilers The Doctor Falls (Grade & Discussion Thread)

[Velocity]

Poor Bill was shockingly made into a Cyberman and to add insult to injury, it was a version that looks a lot like a sock puppet. The nostalgic bits (like offering the jellybabies) were nice, but there were several boring bits. I get that the event horizon time moves more slowly than in the upper levels, but how large is that space ship, anyway and how long before the people get tired of running and realize that being a cyberman isn't so bad since they are doomed by the black hole anyway? And who was asleep at the wheel (so to speak) to allow it to fall into the black hole in the first place? I am so ready for the next doctor.

 

[starsuperion]

If there was a scene we didn't see, I'd like it if Nardole found Missy and brought her along.

I don't think Nardole did. But the Doctor has his TARDIS, has to go back for Missy anyhow, and Nardole. He's got an oath to keep. Hopefully the writers don't let that HUGE plot hole go. Missy deserves to live again.

But on the subject of "would like to see" to have Missy regened by the doc's energy, brought back. Given reprieve on Gallifrey and becomes the President. Using Gallifrey and all its resources to aide the doctor from the near end of time, as atonement for all her past sins. And since we are hitting classic who, sends a demat circuit to the third doctor at the conclusion of the 3 Doctors, and does other stuff from afar, would be poetic justice. Missy, aka the Master is the greatest Lord President in Time Lord history, and helps the doctor across all space and time. That would be the best way to retire the Master-Missy, and allow another villain to re-emerge. Namely the Great intelligence. Or maybe the Rani.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I have to say, Moffat sure knows how to pull our heart strings. If you don't shed a tear at some point during the last 10 minutes of the finale, you might actually be a cyberman.

 

[Snaploud]

I wonder if the Christmas episode will end with the Doctor regenerating into his first personality. Is David Bradley up for doing a full season or two?

 

[Refuge]

I wonder if the Christmas episode will end with the Doctor regenerating into his first personality. Is David Bradley up for doing a full season or two?

He's in better shape than William Hartnell.

It would be kind cool and all the crap this Doctor has taken for his age would pale into insignificance..

 

[The Wormhole]

I had thought from previous episodes that The Doctor was already dying especially when Missy sees him after she rescues him from Mars.

That was fan speculation only, and it's clearly that whatever it was that made half fandom think the Doctor was regenerating back then, fans were just looking real hard at something that wasn't there.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Of course, Moffat has to put his stamp on the first Doctor, it wasn't enough just to place Clara throughout the Doctor's lifetimes. And he burns off the rest of his toys as well. I'm glad he's done (well, almost...) I just can't take any more. Mind you, at times he's been brilliant but living with a madman can be exhausting no matter what genius might lie within. Lately, I have found the pieces of charm and brilliance that shine through have not been enough to salvage the mess they're within but I'm glad that many people found this to be a good episode but personally I thought it was pretty tedious and lumbering.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I was hoping for something really oddball like "Kirk? Yes, I met him once".

I'm sure he has. Considering 10 claimed to have visited Hogwarts, well why not the Enterprise?

Also if the Master really did kill Missy, like properly so there is no regeneration as he claimed isn't he killing off any future life he may have?

 

[φ of π]

Missy always knew her previous incarnation was going to shoot her, if she remembered doing so while being the Master. I'm sure she would have taken precautions for when that will happen, that just like always carrying a spare dematerialization circuit.

 

[Refuge]

Missy is dead.

 

[DimesDan]

Oh, it is attention seeking. But it's also about an experience you've just had, and this randomer is sharing their take on it. But hey, instead of having to watch hours of video, here's a six minute compilation of reactions of the last say 10 min of the show. The drunk girls spent most of their time crying for about the last half of it, so yeah. The reactions to One are especially fun.

Why thank you for clarifying that and taking the time to post a video.

On both accounts, I do not care, I do not care about some randomer posting a video of them watching something, nor do I care that you have posted a video of a compilation of such shite.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Missy is dead.

She's not.

 

[DS9Continuing]

Pity Mickey was left out of the (sigh, new series only) companion roll call. Odd that Strax was left out while Vastra and Jenny were included.

I had wondered if they were keeping it as all girl for some reason - perhaps the Doctor might be picturing all his girl companions as a way to explain why his next regeneration is a girl, or something. There's long been a theory that each regeneration is a reaction to the previous in some way, or that some experience just as he is regenerating helps to inform the next incarnation. After all, the War Doctor's last companion of sorts was Clara, who is from Blackpool, and the Ninth Doctor is very Northern. Plus Eleven hallucinated Amy just before regenerating, and Twelve is Scottish. Perhaps the same thing was happening here.

But then I realised that Jack was included, so it's not all girl - at least not unless you're willing to say very off-colour things about Jack. "The girlie and the freak... but which one's which?" -Harold Saxon.

Radio Free Skaro podcast review suggested another answer. This regeneration had a lot of references to previous regenerations - quotes, visual callbacks, intersecting with the First Doctor's regen story, holding off a pending regen until you're ready like Five did in "Androzani".

That last one is the key - Five's regen showed images of five previous companions, followed by the Master. And likewise, Twelve's regen showed images of twelve previous companions, followed by the Master. So that's why they missed out certain companions - to make sure the numbers matched up. Except that I only count ten, so I guess that theory's out as well.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Tantric regeneration.

Why thank you for clarifying that and taking the time to post a video.

On both accounts, I do not care, I do not care about some randomer posting a video of them watching something, nor do I care that you have posted a video of a compilation of such shite.

Remember when the Doctor said that he couldn't feel the wonder of the universe any more unless he saw it from the perspective of an innocent, impressionable Human?

(Q said the same thing to Vash.)

...And other than being a pointless waste of time, that's what reaction videos are for.

 

[Refuge]

But then I realised that Jack was included, so it's not all girl - at least not unless you're willing to say very off-colour things about Jack. "

I am. Good looking, all girl man.

 

[MacLeod]

I wouldn't expect the Christmas Special to be so directly linked to "World Enough and Time"/"The Doctor Falls" to consider them a trilogy. Besides the once-a-year Christmas audience, there will be viewers who are tuning in solely to see the regeneration, people who haven't seen (and probably have no desire to see) the last two episodes of Series 10. That's just the reality of the Christmas episodes.

So while a voice in the back of my mind is going, "Hey, this could be to 'The Tenth Planet' what 'Trials and Tribbleations' is to 'The Trouble with Tribbles,'" another, louder voice is saying, "You know this is going to be a one-off romp that guest-stars the first Doctor and ends with a regeneration, and that's all it's ever going to be."

One other think to consider is that a regeneration is a chance to bring back people to the show or get new ones depending on who is cast the next Doctor. So as you say you might not wanto tie too m uch directly into previous episodes.

 

[DimesDan]

Remember when the Doctor said that he couldn't feel the wonder of the universe any more unless he saw it from the perspective of an innocent, impressionable Human?

(Q said the same thing to Vash.)

...And other than being a pointless waste of time, that's what reaction videos are for.

I don't remember that and I'm all for doing things that are a pointless wastes of time, watching some randomer reacting on youtube is not one.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I don't get it either.

 

[TommyR01D]

How large is that space ship, anyway?

It's 400 miles long and 100 miles wide. V-Ger is compact by comparison and Red Dwarf is barely a speck.

 

[Lonemagpie]

I checked the scene again at the 45 minute mark. After Missy stabs the Master and he is bleeding, she helps him back to the lift. He says "how long do I have?" and Missy replies, "I was very precise. You will be able to make it back to your Tardis, maybe even get a cupper, though you might leak a little." and then the Master replies, "then I'll regenerate into you." So I think the scene makes it quite clear that the Master will descend down the lift wounded and bleeding from being stabbed, but make it to his TARDIS before regenerating into Missy. So yes, the Master survives to become Missy but Missy is quite dead since the Master even says to her "don't bother trying to regenerate. You took the full blast."

Two issues wrong with that.

1) It's not certain that Missy is the next incarnation after Simm - when he directly asked her that, she said she was "hazy on the regenerations thing" - so we know he will eventually become her, but there's space for a future showrunner to cast whgoever they feel like.

2) Missy dead. Ahahahahahahaha.... This character has been killed off in so many ways over the years (falling into the Eye Of Harmony twice, vapourised, squished by a T-Rex, stranded on an exploding planet, etc...) that there is zero chance of there not being a future incarnation after her. (and bear in mind she remembered the warning to always carry a spare demat circuit, so she could have remembered the zapping too, and took appropriate measures)

3) if I was going to be really anal about it, in The Sound Of Drums, "prevent regeneration" was a completely separate setting/function on the Master's laser screwdriver from "kill"...