This episode has a lot of haters. I am not one of them. It's bombastic and Moffat-y and indulgent, and it's wonderful. Handles is excellent, Tasha Lem is compelling, it retroactively does make s5 and 6 make sense (mostly), and it's fun. It's just fun.

And then it breaks your heart. Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman put their all into this and it shows. I can't ask for more.

There’s so much fun to be had with this story. Only 20 minutes in, you’ve already encountered the Silence, the Weeping Angels, and The Daleks. There’s also Matt Smith’s bald head, which was a clever use of a unique opportunity. However, the episode does feel overstuffed for its runtime and perhaps a bit unfocused. The appearance of the crack in the wall was a thrilling moment. The feeling it gave me is a testament to how much I loved Series 5.

Tasha Lem, the “sexy priestess” doesn’t resonate with me as a character. It felt unnecessary and repetitive given similar female representation in the form of other Moffat characters. Dedicating so much of Matt’s final story to this one off character he was supposed to know dearly felt off. The introduction of a new romantic interest undermines the emotional weight of River Song’s story, which was central to Matt Smith’s arc. It adds a dud note.

The episode also suffers from having too many villains and not enough focus. While some parts, like the Barnable subplot, were charming, the pacing felt bloated. The concept of the Christmas meal spanning the entire episode was delightful, but much of the dialogue felt like characters making grand speeches instead of truly connecting. That said, Matt Smith’s very final speech—his quieter farewell, not the one before the bombastic regeneration energy scene —was absolutely beautiful and deeply moving. Amy Pond’s return to say goodbye to her “Raggedy Man” perfectly recaptured my nostalgia of Series 5. Bittersweet as it’s just before he disappears forever.

Peter Capaldi’s introduction at the end was electrifying. It’s a thrilling moment that leaves you eager to see what’s next…!

New Who Review #104

The Time of the Doctor ❄️ 🔥

This story was sad. It's the eleventh doctors final story and he is forced to stay on Trenzalore to protect the town called Christmas. I really liked this story and the threat of the time Lords coming back is good. I loved how all the stuff with the crack in time is wrapped up and we even find out what was in the doctors room all the way back in series 6's "The God Complex" it was nice to find out that these cracks were the time Lords trying to break back into this reality and it finally gives an answer to what they were. The music in this was so so good and I genuinely think this one has some of the best music in the show. 11's final speech was touching and got me all teary eyed. Having Amy back for a little Goodbye cameo was sweet. When the Bowtie was off I knew 11's time was over and that's when it hits the hardest. Eleven had a really strong era starting all the way in series 5 he had some great story's and the crack in time was really really good. He then ventured on into series 6 where his death was a fixed point in time but he cheated it with the teselecta and then in series 7A he lost his closest friends Amy and Rory and went into a bit of a depressed state where he would stay on a cloud until a familiar girl called Clara would come and change that. In 7B he was very curious what clara is and how she was in all of his memories this was wrapped up nicely and gave a very good answer which was she went into his time stream and to wrap his era off he fought the zygons alongside 10 & War and found out the secrets of the time war which would then lead him to trenzalore which we see the events in this story. I've really had a blast watching 11's era but now it's time for my favourite doctor Peter Capaldi let the future commence!

Ps: you can check out all my 11th doctor rankings and reviews on my account feel free to check out them all or just your faves ❤️

I think I'm officially getting tired of Moffat's vision of Who. He really doesn't seem like he has anything else to give to the show.

So much happened in that episode that should have been epic but none of it was. The return of the Timelords, the Doctor's last life, the regeneration into Capaldi...and I couldn't think of a worse way to handle them all than what we got to be honest.

I wanted to like it but I really didn't on first watch. Started off interestingly but soon went downhill. Not a worthy farewell for Smith.

11's hour is over now, the clock is striking 12's.

Prerequisites: References are made across the entire Smith era, so honestly watch all the Smith episodes prior to this to get the full experience.

The Time of the Doctor has an emotional core that I love, but I find most of the dressing and details to be lacking. The first fifteen minutes is honestly a pretty weak segment, and a prime example of annoying 'Moffatisms'. We've got everything here: annoying over-sexualization (the whole 'don't wear clothes to church' thing is idiotic), a completely irrelevant section dedicated to a companion's family that we never see again, a woman introduced who feels exactly like River Song (Tasha Lem), and a hodgepodge of different mystery boxes all coming together. I'm also not a fan of the reveal that the Silents were confessional priests the whole time (silly idea that adds nothing), and the reveal that the Doctor's biggest fear from the God Complex was the cracks in time (boring answer). Still, despite all of those flaws, the middle section is genuinely pretty good, and the last fifteen minutes are truly excellent. In particular, 11's regeneration speech is one of my favorites in the entire show, and I adore pretty much everything about that scene. Overall, this is a pretty messy episode, but I do still quite like it on the whole.