New Who Review #144

Twice Upon a Time ❄️ 🔥

This story was heartbreaking for me to watch. I love 12 and this is his final story. I thought most of this was boring because it lacked action and was basically just dialogue for 50 minutes. This not having an enemy really hurts it and feels a bit underwhelming coming directly after one of the best story's from the revival. The inclusion of Villenguard was cool because we've been seeing them more often now a days then ever. Testimony was a cool concept and it was intriguing watching the Doctor not believe that Bill is really there because she died. Having the first doctor here was cool and made for some funny scenes however some scenes felt out of place and a bit sexist which isn't good. There was 2 regenerations in this episode. One from the 1st doctor which was cool but it came from the old episode just edited in. The 12th Doctor's final speech was beautiful. 12 was the speech doctor to me and I'm gonna miss hearing his speeches because they were all beautiful. I'm not a big fan of the regeneration looking like lasers but sure I guess?

I've really enjoyed watching this incarnation grow. From a emotional wreck of a guy to a nice compassionate man this doctor grew so much. He had some high highs but he also had some really low lows. This to me is where the show dips in quality for a while. The 13th doctor isn't one of my favourite doctors she is in fact one of my least favourite's. Overall a nice story and a good regeneration to wrap not only the 12th doctors era up but also to wrap the Moffat era up entirely. 7/10

Ps: all my 12th doctor reviews & Stats are up on my profile feel free to check them out ❤️

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

“TWICE UPON A TIME: TWO DOCTORS, ONE FAREWELL”

Twice Upon a Time marks the end of an era, serving as both Peter Capaldi’s swansong and Steven Moffat’s final script as Doctor Who showrunner after steering the ship since 2010. Originally broadcast on Christmas Day 2017, this special also functions as a multi-Doctor story, taking place in the final moments of The Tenth Planet (1966). The First Doctor—played here by David Bradley, who previously portrayed William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time (2013) and later took on the role of the First Doctor in Big Finish audio dramas—finds himself on a final adventure with his future self, as both struggle to accept their impending regenerations.

The cold open is a fantastic hook, seamlessly blending clips from The Tenth Planet with a modern reimagining of its final moments. This effectively introduces the idea that, much like Twelve, the First Doctor initially resists regeneration, buying himself some extra time with one last adventure between leaving the Snowcap Base and returning to the TARDIS. It’s a clever use of a narrative gap—very much in the style of Big Finish—to slot in an untold story without contradicting existing continuity.

A MEETING OF MINDS (AND EGO)

Time itself is unravelling at the South Pole, freezing snowfall in mid-air while a First World War officer, Captain Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart, is inexplicably pulled from the trenches. Mark Gatiss gives a strong performance in the role, though the later reveal that he’s the Brigadier’s grandfather edges into fan service territory. His presence mostly serves as comic relief, playing the bewildered third wheel to two Doctors bickering over who’s in charge.

The interplay between One and Twelve is a highlight of the episode. Though vastly different in demeanour, they share a core stubbornness, each reluctant to acknowledge the other as their future self. Their back-and-forth banter is reminiscent of the best multi-Doctor stories, filled with playful jabs and one-upmanship. Yet beneath the humour, there’s genuine poignancy as they slowly come to terms with their fates.

THE TESTIMONY – A FRAGMENTED THREAT

The episode’s central mystery revolves around the Testimony, a crystalline race from the far future that harvests the memories of the dying, preserving them in digital afterlife form. It’s an eerie and intriguing concept, tying neatly into the special’s meditation on death and remembrance. However, the Testimony ultimately feel underdeveloped, taking a backseat for much of the runtime. Their role in the narrative is overshadowed by an obligatory Dalek detour that, while visually striking, doesn’t add much beyond padding the episode’s length.

A more successful emotional thread comes with the return of Pearl Mackie’s Bill Potts. Though technically a construct of the Testimony rather than the original Bill, her presence is instrumental in guiding both Doctors towards accepting their destinies. The story also revisits the Christmas Truce of 1914, a rare moment of peace in wartime that thematically reinforces the Doctor’s ethos of hope and reconciliation.

THE BRADLEY DEBATE – A QUESTIONABLE CHARACTERISATION

David Bradley is a fine actor, and his take on the First Doctor works in broad strokes. However, his portrayal deviates noticeably from William Hartnell’s original, coming across as overly gruff and anachronistically chauvinistic. While The Tenth Planet did depict One as a bit crotchety, he had mellowed significantly by that point—certainly not to the extent of making outdated comments about Polly cleaning the TARDIS. It feels like an exaggerated caricature designed to highlight how much the character has evolved, but it does a disservice to Hartnell’s legacy.

That being said, One’s criticism of Twelve’s reliance on technology—echoing the War Doctor’s jabs at Ten and Eleven’s “sonic screwdrivers” in The Day of the Doctor (2013)—is a nice touch, showcasing how much the Doctor has changed across regenerations.

A CINEMATIC SEND-OFF

Visually, Twice Upon a Time is stunning. The icy South Pole landscape, the eerie halls of the Testimony ship, and the war-torn ruins of Villengard are beautifully realised. Rachel Talalay’s direction ensures a grand, cinematic feel, fitting for Capaldi’s final bow.

The episode also serves as a bookend to the Twelfth Doctor’s journey, with echoes of his earliest episodes and the resolution of his unfinished business with Bill. His farewell scene, where he briefly recalls Clara, mirrors Eleven’s emotional send-off in The Time of the Doctor (2013).

Capaldi’s final monologue inside the TARDIS is heartfelt, though it does linger a little too long. Then, in an explosive regeneration scene reminiscent of The End of Time (2010), we get our first glimpse of Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor—just in time for her to be unceremoniously thrown from the TARDIS, ending the Capaldi era on a literal cliffhanger.

📝VERDICT: 8/10

A sentimental and reflective send-off, Twice Upon a Time succeeds as an emotional farewell to Peter Capaldi, even if its plot is somewhat meandering. The interplay between One and Twelve is engaging, and the Christmas Truce provides a fittingly hopeful note to end on. However, the Testimony feel underused, the Dalek sequence adds little, and Bradley’s First Doctor is an exaggerated take that may irk long-time fans. Visually stunning and thematically rich, but a bit uneven in execution.

I think people are way too hard on this episode, sometimes.  David Bradley is charming as hell as the First Doctor, and the jokes are just that.  They're pretty funny to be honest because they aren't too far from the actual writing of the First Doctor at times, too.  I like how the writing makes use of the Christmas Armistice in a big way, too.  That's a nice use of real history to tell and effective story that's pretty rare for the Moffat era.  Plus the way the aliens weren't evil was a fun twist we don't often get to see.  It's a very charming and hopeful story overall, one I quite enjoyed on the whole.  While it definitely gets overblown at times (the speech at the end is way too long for my tastes), I think it's pretty great overall.

At first I had a grudge against this episode for what they did to my favorite gremlin old man the First Doctor, but I rewatched it with the explanation from the novelization in mind (that One was just doing that to annoy Twelve) and it became ten times funnier and also very enjoyable. It's a fun episode, even if it's very uncharitable towards the early show and the time period it was written in.