Jodie Whittaker’s final outing as Doctor Who leaves her, and outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall, with a lot of heavy lifting to do. Not only is it Whittaker’s swansong, but it runs to the length of a feature film, at a whopping hour and a half, and it is part of the BBC’s centenary celebrations, too. The Power of the Doctor (BBC One) approaches this mammoth task by rolling up its sleeves and throwing everything at it, then taking a step back and throwing some more. It goes big before it goes home.
This might set alarm bells ringing for some, but there’s no need to worry. When it follows its worst instincts, Doctor Who can turn into a convoluted tangle, impenetrable to casual viewers, dragged down by its own massive mythology. This episode is bombastic, and so stuffed with Easter eggs and nods to the past that I doubt I even caught half of them, but it rolls through this meaty story – or more accurately, several stories that eventually converge – with Whittaker’s trademark energy and a just-right lightness of touch.
It begins with a long mini-episode-ish sequence, before the title sequence gets going, which seems more like a finale than an opener, and which sets up its ambitions from the off. The Power of the Doctor is back-to-basics Doctor Who, but with add-ons and extras. Having dealt with time loops, Sea Devils and pirates in the first two of these three last specials, the Doctor is now facing her old foes the Cybermen. Only these Cybermen have been beefed up and boosted somehow, by way of an angelic-looking child, which only ever signals that something incredibly creepy is about to happen.
Any promise of a slow-creep spooky episode is dispensed with quickly, however, and the action careers on. Fifteen of the world’s greatest paintings have gone missing. Seismologists are disappearing. There may or may not be another moon in the sky. It’s Siberia, 1916, then it’s London, 2022. The Daleks appear, and then the Master himself is back, meaning Sacha Dhawan gets to bring the darkest parts of the episode and the lightest; his unhinged panto villain shtick really does shine here, and there’s one scene in particular where he truly lets rip. I’m not sure I’m supposed to enjoy his malevolent presence quite as much as I do, but his frothing toddler tantrums are so hard to resist.
The Doctor is dealing with a triumvirate of old-school evil, then, as several loose threads heave into view, flicking between planets and eras. There’s a sort of Siri-on-steroids bit, some meditations on consciousness and hope, a dastardly plan that very nearly comes together. “Do I win a prize if I guess how this all fits together?” she asks at one point, which is a question I’ve been asking myself since roughly 2012. I am still not quite sure I have the answer. Does it matter? Not really, and actually, as episodes go, this is largely comprehensible. Luckily, I am forbidden from explaining it, for reasons of spoilers and definitely not because I couldn’t if I tried.
Considering this is a super-long episode, it trots along at a decent speed and the pace rarely dips. Fans old and new should find plenty to delight them. The return of Ace and Tegan, who get their own slice of the adventures as well as time to reflect on what it means to be an ex-companion, mixes air-punching glee with emotional depth. Old faces come and go. There are countless welcome surprises, drip-fed throughout, and it gives this a stately air, which seems fitting, given its celebratory centenary purpose.
But really, it’s about saying goodbye to Whittaker, the first female Doctor, who brought real warmth and spirit to the role. (It could also be a hello to Ncuti Gatwa, who presumably makes his first appearance at the end – it was chopped off the preview that I saw.) The Power of the Doctor finds plenty of room to celebrate that achievement, and it’s a success because it is anchored by its big heart (or should that be hearts?). The relationship between the Doctor and her companions, in particular, is lovely. John Bishop’s Dan steps off the time and space train early on, but as the Doctor’s time with Yaz comes to its inevitable end, their parting is beautifully done. Against all that spectacular action, the explosions, the battles, the villains and the peril, friendship, love and resilience turn out to be the show’s beating heart. It is a great send-off for Whittaker, focused and full of feeling, which makes this an apt welcome for Gatwa, too.
The Doctor Who finale is on BBC iPlayer now in the UK. It is also available to watch in Australia on ABC iView and will air on ABC TV on Monday at 7.30pm.
