We have the two-part finale to Series 10 and for a long time, at least up until 2023, the last excellent episode of Doctor Who. But even with the few great episodes we’ve had since Russell took over, none have managed to top this episode. Of course, this had a lot of buzz going in with the promotional images of the original Cybermen and the return of John Simm as the Master, all signs seemed to indicate this was going to be another overblown series finale as we’d become accustomed to at this point and yet surprisingly this ended up way better than it had any right to be.

It starts off giving these by-the-numbers Moffat vibes with a lot of hockey dialogue and Missy being her usual over the top self as she’s put to the test by the Doctor in his efforts to rehabilitate her. But suddenly the tone of the episode seems to snap when it all goes wrong with Bill paying the price and what follows is one of the heaviest and most unforgiving ordeals any companion of the Doctor has ever gone through. I love the setting Moffat creates in this story, having a massive spaceship on the edge of a black hole where time moves slower on one end than it does for the other, resulting in a scenario where the Doctor, Missy and Nardole spend only a couple minutes at their end of the ship coming to grips with the situation while Bill is forced to spend years at her end where a society has grown over the decades but the population is dwindling.  And when humanity is desperate to survive by any means necessary when the world is falling apart, sometimes that involves discarding everything that made them who they are for a life as an unfeeling machine.

Now I should make it very clear, World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls doesn’t contradict the events of Spare Parts, where the Fifth Doctor lands on the planet Mondas at the birth of the Cybermen. The story makes it clear that the Cybermen are an unfortunate result of humanity’s future no matter what planet, they’re like a shadow over human evolution, gradually drawing nearer. Now I wouldn’t say this is as strong a story as Spare Parts, but I think it’s a very worthy TV parallel and, in my opinion, the best Cyberman story the show has ever done. I have talked about it loads of times now in regards to the Cybermen stories I prefer, the ones that focus on the horrors of conversion, something I felt the show wouldn’t be able to get away with for a family friendly audience, but Moffat really pushes the limit with what he could get away with. Some of these scenes where Bill’s exploring the rundown hospital with these eerie patients that are almost unrecognisable, some of which can only talk through a voice box, and some have actually had their voice boxes turned off because they were screaming things like “kill me!” I mean good lord Moffat!!! Which builds to a chilling scene where Bill is about to have her final treatment where she will be “made better”, by a hospital doctor no less, people you’re supposed to trust with your lives, and we just see him holding up that oh so familiar headgear for her to stare at in horror.

I was wrong when I said this was one of the most brutal ordeals a companion’s ever gone through, this is honestly THE most brutal thing a companion’s ever gone through, being shot through the chest, spending a decade trapped in a creepy hospital and then turned into a Cyberman!!! Pearl Mackie really doesn’t get enough credit for her time in the show, she is absolutely fantastic in this story, especially in part two where it seems her conversion isn’t quite as perfect as most Cybermen, and we get some of my favourite bits of directing in the show where we cut back and forth between her perspective as herself and her Cyberman form.

Title decided by throwing 3 darts at a clump of sticky notes then shoving "and" somewhere.

I've always felt that the main "monster" of this episode are at their best in horror stories, and that's something I think this episodes does very well. This episode is centred around a really cool idea and is full of genuinely creepy moments. All of the characters are great and the main setting adds so much to the atmosphere. Overall, trying to keep the review spoiler-free, this is how episodes featuring the main "monster" of this episode should be in my eyes.

This one is a true masterpiece.  I am of the belief that the Doctor Falls isn't quite as strong, but it is easy to look at World Enough and Time as its own thing, with its own focus, and its own ending.  Taken like that, this story is kind of perfect.  We start with something truly endearing and heartwarming.  After teasing Missy potentially wanting to redeem herself, we see her, I think, sincerely trying to be like the Doctor - going about the universe and inflicting a little good upon the worlds for once.  And then it all goes horribly wrong.

I love what they do with Bill this episode.  It's a true nightmare, it comes out of nowhere, and it is one of the most impactful companion deaths to date.  I truly despise how this moment is walked back later, but here, it is a stark reminder that there is risk to adventure.  And so this tragedy unfolds before our eyes in a way I found very creative and interesting.  The massive ship they were on with whole floors devoted to agriculture or industry and even artificial environments to reflect that is one of the coolest settings I've seen in any Doctor Who episode.  I also found the scene where the Master reveals himself and we see the fate of Bill to be really well done too.

This is one of those Doctor Who stories that really pays off the more familiar you are with the franchise. Lots of deep cuts and references to Cyberman history dot this story and it's second part, The Doctor Falls.

Focusing on just the first part though, World Enough in Time is so astoundingly good. Taking advantage of fun time dilation effects, while brilliantly showcasing the horror of the Cybermen in a clever and carefully built way, I have no notes for this episode. There's not a frame I think I would change, although the Black and White clip someone made of Bill's big scene, done in the style of Classic Who, really makes me wish there was a version of the episode edited that way, too. I still think it shows how well the source material lends itself to Classic Who and that particular brand of horror.

That's not even to mention all the great moments with Missy. Not only is there the big reveal with Simms, which was a lot of fun and I will fully admit I did not see coming on first viewing, but she just has these amazing moments right from the start. "Comic relief and Exposition" is just brilliant. World Enough in Time has a bit of cheeky fun like that here and there but at its core it is a gut-punch of a story. The Doctor is trying to do the right thing with Missy and instead gets his companion butchered, and the episode lives up to the breadth of such a thing rather well. This is a big deal and it is given that appropriate level of seriousness. Moffat very nicely strikes that balance.

Moffat also is really showing off his ability as a writer here. People will sometimes point out that every second the Doctor wastes explaining the situation regarding Bill is costing his companion large amounts of very valuable and precious time, but it is necessary for us as an audience and basically doesn't hold back the story one bit, because it is done with this sense of urgency and drives us forward into the heart of the story's conflict. It's all but perfect. Sure, some of the effects are more impressive than others, but it still looks great and is absolutely unforgettable as a piece of Doctor Who history. Currently rated as one of the best Doctor Who stories of all time, and deservedly so, I heartily recommend this entire Series, as the 10th season of the revived era is overall is one of my absolute favourites thanks to stories like this.

I WOULD HAVE EATEN TONS OF CHIPS WITH YOU, AND KEPT YOU ALIVE FOREVER