The Zygon Invasion is the best episode we’ve had all season and the knowledge that we’ll be getting a second part to this is pretty exciting. Sure, there’s some dumb bullshit in the episode but for the most part, it was pretty engaging.

Now, let’s talk about social commentary. Personally, I like it in science fiction but it needs subtlety. Guile. Something other than a smack in the face. So when this episode approaches the Zygon invasion as a proxy for Muslim radicalisation, I could see that being pretty interesting. Then I remember this was written by Peter Harness, the same man who wrote Kill The Moon aka THIS IS ABOUT ABORTION!: The Episode.

It was handled about as ham-fistedly as you’d expect from this clown but apart from that, there’s some good writing here. There’s tension, there’s wit and there’s a really awesome twist!

The reappearance of Osgood was a head-scratcher for most, and the reveal that she may/may not have been a Zygon is a good way around that. They never let it slip if the remaining Osgood is human or Zygon, cleverly having her shake even the Doctor’s confidence by Osgood insisting that she’s both.

Kate Stewart’s return is very welcome but she feels a little more gung-ho in this episode. Still, that may be because she’s the Kate-Zygon, much like there’s a second Osgood around. I don’t know, character inconsistencies usually get chalked up to doppelgangers, right?

Speaking of spitting images, did anyone else notice that the Zygon town was the same location as the town Christmas from Time of The Doctor? I wonder if Truth and Consequences has been used before…

Man, that Clara reveal was soooo good! Is it too much to ask that Clara is dead and the evil Zygon-Clara can be the antagonist for the rest of the season? Jenna Coleman makes an excellent villain, she’s got the right look of evil about her. Hell, she could play Missy and I’d be happy.

So that’s the first half of the Zygon two-parter and I really enjoyed it and I really hope the second half isn’t terrible but we’ll find out next week with The Zygon Inversion.

Doctor Who season eight comes to a close with Death in Heaven, a thoroughly dreary and depressing affair and something of a lacklustre finale, only saved by the performances of most of the cast.

The Clara Backdown can finally end because Jenna Coleman’s character, veteran of a season and a half, ends her tenure as a companion and I breath a huge sigh of relief. Clara could be a fantastic character at times but, as a whole, she is the wrong kind of companion for Capaldi’s Doctor. In a fun moment at the start of the episode, after Clara declares herself to be the Doctor, the credits roll and Jenna Coleman’s name swaps places with Capaldi’s, and her eyes replace his later in the credits. It’s a clever little wink to the audience. The final goodbye between the Doctor and Clara is a microcosm of their emotional relationship. Even knowing they’ll never see each other again, they’re all too willing to lie to one another, perfectly summed up in the line: “Never trust a hug, you can’t see someone’s face.”

Danny gets the short end of the stick, first getting jobbed out by a car and becoming a hired goon in a Cyber-Suit for Missy. His performance is strong as steel and gets a big damn hero moment and a speech worthy of Stacker Pentecost. Still, Samuel Anderson is a fantastic actor and despite getting dumped on all season, I hope to see him in other stuff in the future.

Guest stars come thick and fast, with the return of Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver as Kate Stewart and Osgood, respectively. Kate is still living up to her father’s legacy and I’m glad she keeps appearing, another case of a character we need to see more of. Osgood… Poor sweet and smart and adorable Osgood… I’m pretty bummed by her death, more so than Danny. Danny got to be a badass, Osgood was little more than fodder and that’s just plain wrong. Sanjeev Bhaskar also guest stars but his role primarily consists of saying “It was Captain Scarlet” and getting sucked out of a plane window. Such a waste of a good actor. We also get the return of… THE BRIGADIER! In a last minute save, a now Cyberised Brigadier saved his daughter after she fell from the plane and finally gets that salute he always wanted from the Doctor. Then he flies off, presumably to solder on a metal moustache and fight aliens as CyberBrig.

Missy; aka The Master, aka Missy Poppins, aka Miguel Sanchez Michelle Gomez takes the performance from last week and dials it up to Heath Ledger! Obviously taking some elements from John Simm’s Master and adding her own hectic, bat-shit-insane mannerisms to it. Gomez is a very express and energetic actress and I’m glad to see that transfer into her performance as the Doctor’s oldest nemesis. Missy escaped thanks to the Doctors’ intervention and moving Gallifrey out of time (Thus negating John Simm’s tenure as the Master?). Her ultimate fate is mysterious, as the effect of her being vaporised is the same as the teleportation she used earlier so perhaps she can return in the future!

Peter Capaldi’s first season as the Doctor has been very rocky. Inconsistent writing, coupled with the wrong companion has made this whole season very lacklustre, despite some very strong episodes and performances by him. As the Doctor and Clara part ways and the credits roll, we suddenly cut back into the TARDIS with a melancholy Doctor and a booming voice at the door. Our mysterious caller enters the TARDIS and…

IT’S SANTA! *flails* Nick Frost’s role in the upcoming Christmas episode is confirmed with his appearance here and I cheered. Love me some Nick Frost and he is going to play this perfectly! As for the Christmas episode itself? Check it out:

Nick Frost as Santa in a Doctor Who episode homaging John Carpenter’s The Thing? SOLD! I’ll see you guys at Christmas!

When last we met, the internet was freaking out over the revelation that John Hurt was an unspecified regeneration of the Doctor. Six months on and a 6-minute minisode later and the internet is flipping its shit once more! What over? Spoilers… But thanks to the web based nature, you can check out The Night of the Doctor on youtube legitimately, if you haven’t already. But be warned, I will be launching into a spoiler-filled analysis after the video.

All done?

Good.
 

PAUL FREAKING McGANN

I expected a couple things from this episode that I got, quick rescue setup, mysterious dealings, origins of John Hurt’s Doctor but this? I never expected this. Paul McGann has been described as a Mayfly Doctor because he only appeared in the 1996 TV Movie (Maybe we should review that at some point…) and was only ever seen as the 8th Doctor in comics and audio books. To see him return on screen is a blessing and I lapped up every single minute of it.

What’s interesting about this minisode is that this is clearly during the Time War, as Caz reels in horror at the discovery of a Time Lord. She hates him. Truly reviles what the Time Lords have done to the universe during the course of the war, even going as far as to say there is no difference between them and Daleks. Much to the Doctor’s horror, she would rather die than let him help her. It’s truly shocking to see this. We’ve seen hintings at it in Matt Smith stories but to see someone fear and loathe the Doctor when all he wants to do is help is horrible to say the least.

Older and a little scruffier, Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor is brilliantly played and as he comes to face with the Sisterhood of Karn (last seen in 1976’s The Brain of Morbius) he is equally mocked for his inability to fight against the Time War and implored to become something other than the Doctor. I love the callouts to the Eighth Doctor’s companions and I believe this is the first time the Big Finish audio books have truly been recognised as canon. Good one, Moffat!

This minisode is a must-see prequel to the upcoming 50th Anniversary special and hopefully you have and not just ruined it for yourself with my ludicrous typing. I’ll see you guys real soon when No, You’re a TARDIS returns for Day of The Doctor.