📝6/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

THIRD IMPRESSIONS: “DOOMSDAY”

One issue I have with Army of Ghosts and Doomsday is that the episodes feel overly packed—Russell T. Davies crammed in every major plot thread and character from the season into one story. While this certainly adds to the epic scale, it also leads to a fractured and overstuffed narrative. These episodes didn’t need to juggle the return of both the Cybermen and the Daleks, set up Torchwood and Pete’s World, reunite Jackie and Pete, and write out Rose all at once.

The main focus of Doomsday initially revolves around the clash between the Cybermen and the Daleks, which delivers plenty of laser battles and memorable one-liners. The conversion scenes are especially brutal and impactful, even more so than earlier in the season. The introduction of the Cult of Skaro, which escaped the Time War and hid in the Void, serves as a clever setup for future Dalek stories, including their eventual grand return in Victory of the Daleks in Series 5.

Jake and Pete’s reappearance from Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel feels somewhat unnecessary, except for establishing the connection between our world and Pete’s World, which is crucial for Rose’s exit. Still, the heartfelt reunion between Jackie and Pete is undeniably a standout moment.

The third act ramps up the melodrama as Rose resists being sent to safety, culminating in her being pulled into the other universe while trying to hold the gateway open. It’s an intense, emotional moment, and the goodbye sequence on Bad Wolf Bay is beautifully executed. The Doctor being a jerk and draining a star to communicate with Rose adds a dramatic touch, and both David Tennant and Billie Piper deliver excellent performances. While I’m not a fan of Rose or her dynamic with Ten, her farewell scene is one of the most memorable in Doctor Who history—though I could have done without the “I love you” exchange at the end.

Rose comes across as particularly overconfident here, which makes her fate feel earned. Tennant, meanwhile, leans into smugness, especially in his scenes with Piper. Noel Clarke (Mickey) is largely sidelined, and Tracy Ann Oberman (Yvonne Hartman) doesn’t get many moments to shine, apart from one cool Cyberman scene.

Doctor Singh’s death is especially graphic and unsettling, standing out as one of the more visceral moments in the revived series.

From a production standpoint, Doomsday must have been a dream project for Nicholas Briggs, who voices both the Cybermen and the Daleks. The famous verbal sparring match between a Dalek and a Cyberman is equal parts amusing and awkward.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• I love the Tenth Doctor’s line about the sonic screwdriver being good at opening doors. It’s a fun and quintessentially Doctor-ish moment.

While Doomsday is a little melodramatic for my tastes near the end with Rose, and a little heavy-handed because of that content, I still like it quite a bit. It's a fun story with a very memorable clash between the Cybermen and Daleks. That is, by far, my favourite part of the episode. Not only does it lead to a very funny and famous scene where the two legendary monsters have a well written clash of words, they also do a great job showcasing the nature of these two beings as what kind of threat they are. The Cybermen are really brutal converting people here while the Daleks really come across as a threat, being severely outnumbered yet more than a match for both Cybermen and humans. Not a lot of franchises would be willing to do that instead of treating both villains as equal, but I think Doomsday is really effective at showing just how monstrous the Daleks truly became during the Time War here.

It's very strong overall, even if the effects can be a little janky at times. I don't love the Doctor-Rose stuff, but I certainly won't deny it wasn't well acted. The only person who doesn't hold up well is Noel Clarke. It's not something I noticed the first time around, but he's a little out of place here to the point it feels like his character no longer serves much of any person this deep into Rose's arc. Her character feels long past him while Clarke's real life behaviour doesn't exactly make him feel like a welcome presence these days. Still, Doomsday is a pretty strong ending to Series 2, an uneven season of Doctor Who, but one with a lot of memorable moments. This episode is no exception.

Thirteen-year-old me thought this was a definite high for the show. It impressed its intended audience. It penetrated the public consciousness as well and created memories that people still cherish today. But, whilst its still a good romp, I'm not sure it stands up quite to that level today.

The good elements were, as with all RTD stuff, the long running characters who we have built a close investment in. Rose, her boyfriend and her family have built up such a close bond onscreen that it feels like the end of an era saying goodbye to them all at once. Billie Piper especially, in the tragic final beach scenes totally nails the sense of drama - whilst I didn't cry this time, I've cried many times watching this. Both David Tennant and Billie also create a beautifully iconic sequence pressing up against their sides of the wall. Murry Gold's finest music score for the show accompanies this moment. Among all this, I'm not sure we needed Jake back - he didn't add a great deal.

The actual plot seems to take a back seat in this one. There's a lot of shouting. The Daleks vs. Cybermen plot is great fun, the best moment being the reveal itself which I could not get over on transmission. It remains a special memory.

The human moments are directed very well by Grahame Harper, but the more action packed, effects sequences feel a little more staged. The worst offender being Rose sucked into the void, before Pete randomly appears at the last moment to catch her. The direction and writing match up to a slightly dud moment there - when you should be caught up in the height of emotion.

The campy, quirky humour throughout, mixed with the shallow plot, big monsters and huge human emotions make this an iconic, if flawed finale. Its uneven in tone but gets more right than wrong. Which is probably how I'd describe this whole series to be honest. Maybe even the whole show!