The first scene, simply entitled "Prologue", is a somber affair, with the Doctor on Karn, apparently avoiding someone. "He has asked to see you," says Ohila, the member of the Sisterhood of Karn last seen at Paul McGann's regeneration in "The Night of the Doctor". It becomes clear that the Doctor has done something wrong, and the item he hands Ohila is obviously something of great importance, and he knows that he has to make up for it somehow. "You are embarking on an enterprise that will end in your destruction," Ohila warns him. "You could say that about being born," the Doctor jokes bleakly. But no, it's time to go face the music.
But not quite yet. Our next prequel, "The Doctor's Meditation" (which was initially released as a special teaser accompanying the 3D theatrical screening of "Dark Water" / "Death in Heaven" overseas), is a much more light-hearted affair, with the Doctor in 12th century England, preparing to meditate but being completely incapable of sitting still for very long. One thing to note here that wasn't as obvious in the Prologue scene is how Capaldi's hair has grown -- or, as Terrance Dicks might say, how increasingly bouffant it's become. It has the effect of making Capaldi seem a bit less severe than in series 8 (well, that and the T-shirt and hoodie, matched with light grey plaid trousers), and the humorous tone of this piece also helps with this -- this Doctor at least seems much more comfortable with himself, even if he's avoiding something dark. It's a fun little scene, and it does the job of making us curious as to just what the Doctor is running from, what it was that he did wrong.
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| Stuart Manning's poster for "The Magician's Apprentice" (from Doctor Who: exclusive The Magician's Apprentice poster revealed) |
More on that in a moment, but for now let's focus on everything leading up to the Doctor's inevitable reunion with Davros. As I said, there are some big ideas in this episode and some fun callbacks, such as a return to the Maldovarium (from a number of episodes, starting with "The Pandorica Opens") and the Shadow Proclamation (from "The Stolen Earth") -- and look, they've even brought back Kelly Hunter as the Shadow Architect, just for this scene. But perhaps the biggest idea in the first half is the fact that all the planes in the sky on Earth have been halted. This is just a way for Missy to get UNIT's attention -- and yes, Missy is back with no explanation whatsoever as to how she wasn't killed at the end of "Death in Heaven". "How come you're still alive?" Clara asks her. "Death is for other people, dear," Missy replies dismissively.263 It's wonderful to see Michelle Gomez back as the Master, and she shows that she's just as crazy as ever, even if this time she's ostensibly on the Doctor's side, having received his confession dial -- his last will and testament. The Doctor expects to die.
Which is what makes his appearance in 12th-century Essex all the more fun, as he rides in on a tank, wearing sunglasses and playing electric guitar: he knows he may die, but he's going to enjoy himself before he goes. It's an unusual sight, but Capaldi makes it seem incredibly natural for his Doctor to play guitar licks. But as I noted earlier, despite all the spectacle this is being driven by the Doctor meeting Davros. Getting picked up by a mobile colony of snakes (Colony Sarff) and bringing Missy and Clara along for the ride is just extra.
And it's great to see Julian Bleach back as Davros (who was also in "The Stolen Earth", come to think of it), giving us a weary, accusatory performance. It's wonderfully nuanced, with little of the ranting that frequently characterizes Davros. Plus we get some nifty callbacks to conversations he'd previously had with the Doctor -- another opportunity to hear Sylvester McCoy rant about unlimited rice pudding.
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| The Daleks wait for the Supreme Dalek's order. ("The Magician's Apprentice") ©BBC |
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Right, so. There's one Tom Baker clip that Davros plays to the Doctor to accuse him, from the famous "Do I have the right?" scene from part six of Genesis of the Daleks. "If someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you, and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?" the Doctor says in that. And this is what's great about this: for the Doctor, and for the first-time audience, this appears to accuse the Doctor, to say that because he attempted to, if not kill, at least not save the young Davros, he put Davros on the path toward creating the Daleks; because of that attempt, he grew up be totally evil. "Do you know why you came, Doctor? You have a sense of duty. Of guilt, perhaps. And certainly of shame," Davros says to him -- and later, when Clara's life is in danger: "Compassion, Doctor. It has always been your greatest indulgence. Let this be my final victory. Let me hear you say it, just once. Compassion is wrong." But for Davros, and for repeat viewers, suddenly the situation is turned on its head: Davros is accusing the Doctor of not killing Davros, of allowing the Daleks to be created as a result. In fact, because the Doctor ultimately saved Davros's life, he ensured a future full of the Daleks who've just killed Missy and are now threatening to kill Clara; thus, according to Davros, "compassion is wrong" because it led to the deaths of the Doctor's friends. That is frankly brilliant writing, and I'm full of admiration for Steven Moffat, fully intending that reading not to surface until you watch it a second time, with the knowledge of what the Doctor ultimately does.
So yeah, despite the spectacle, this episode comes down to the confrontation between the Doctor and Davros, and it's not about what we see, it's about what we hear, as these two take the time to talk to each other -- a conversation that seems destined to continue, red herring cliffhangers of the Doctor threatening young Davros's life notwithstanding. (Although even that's brilliant, as it starts to suggest that what Davros has been talking about isn't simply neglect but attempted murder.) But we'll have to wait for "The Witch's Familiar" to see how that works out.
263 Steven Moffat apparently intended this be something of an homage to the way Anthony Ainley's Master would keep popping up, with no explanation as to how he'd survived his previous story. Knowing that doesn't make this any less vaguely irritating, though.