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"Physician, Heal Thyself: Eleven’s Bold Masterplan Revealed"

Physician, Heal Thyself brings the Then and the Now arc to a dramatic close in the Eleventh Doctor’s second year of comics. While the issue leans heavily on exposition, it compensates with some standout character moments and thrilling payoffs.

Abslom Daak gets a scene-stealing moment, ramming a vehicle into Dalek Squire with satisfying force—his brash, chaotic energy is at its peak here. River Song also makes a triumphant return, inexplicably cured of the Malignant and arriving just in time to save the day in what feels like a classic RTD-style deus ex machina.

The narrative resets much of the chaos, revealing that the Doctor, in true Eleven fashion, had been orchestrating events all along. What initially seemed like failure is reframed as part of his grand plan, a twist that’s both clever and true to his character.

The issue’s climax is a highlight, sending the Then and the Now, along with Abslom Daak, back into the Time War for a Dalek-slaying spree. It’s a fittingly explosive and satisfying conclusion to this arc, blending the Doctor’s cunning with the chaotic energy of his companions.

📝Verdict: 6/10

Though dense with exposition, Physician, Heal Thyself delivers a thrilling and rewarding finale, showcasing Eleven’s brilliance while tying up loose ends with style.

So with fourteen issues of build up, is the payoff to it all satisfying.....

Eh, I mean, kinda.

I feel this story resolves itself too quickly and too easily. There's a lot of stuff in there about Eleven's plan going wrong, and how everything's doomed now, but you never really feel like it's going to end badly. The other characters around him are mostly just acting fine with everything and like it's all already sorted (which in a way, it almost is), and so it never lives up to other finales.

Eleven, Alice, and River here are..... fine. I don't really have much to say about it, Alice calls Eleven out for how he's basically just been manipulating everyone for this entire year, but because he's sorry about it and was doing it for good reason it's fine? I guess?

I don't only have criticisms here though, there's one thing I've absolutely loved about this year of comics, and his name is Absolm ■■■■■■■ Daak: Dalek Killer. God I adore this himbo. His utter glee at killing Dalek-Squire, and the very end when he's sent back into The Time War. What's not to love?! Easily the highlight of these comics and I'd love to see more of him.