Staff Writer
Well, wow. What can one say after holding their breath for months and finally being able to exhale? Fifty years of television, countless actors and production staff, and all of their hard work on Doctor Who led up to Saturday, November 23, 2013. The Day of The Doctor finally came to television and cinema screens across the world and Whovians relived the opening credits fifty years to the moment they first graced the screen. Steven Moffat, a Whovian himself, put pen to paper and weaved an intricate story that not only celebrated the iconic show and tied up loose plot gaps, however it also shone a light on the next fifty years.
The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) are summoned, physically, to UNIT Headquarters by decree of Queen Elizabeth I (Joanna Page). After she was married to The Doctor, she ensured the safety of her rare collection of art with an order to summon The Doctor if anything were to go awry. When Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) shows The Doctor the Queen’s credentials to prove the letter was indeed from her, The Doctor became uneasy as he gazes upon a painting of the darkest day of his life; the last day of The Time War. The painting, titled both No More and Gallifrey Falls brings the Doctor to recall the day when he flew his TARDIS to his home planet to let The Daleks know that he was not going to stand for the war any longer. In order to rectify the situation he grabs The Moment; the ultimate weapon hidden on Gallifrey. His plan is to destroy Gallifrey, The Daleks and himself.
When trying to activate the weapon, the interface appears in the form of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). In trying to ensure The War Doctor (John Hurt) fully understands his actions and the consequences that will follow, she takes him to a point in time when the Eleventh Doctor, just from the gallery with Kate and Clara discovering that something has escaped from pieces of art, just travelled to when the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) is fighting Zygons alongside Queen Elizabeth. Little do they know, but the Zygons are also the same beings that escaped the paintings in modern London.
In an effort to return to the present to stop Kate from destroying millions of people in an effort to defeat the Zygons, The Three Doctors freeze themselves into the painting of No More; the same method of travel the Zygons used to wait for civilization to advance. While working out a peaceful way to solve the fight between Humans and The Zygons, The War Doctor decides that it is time for him to return and use the weapon to end The Time War. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors go to join him so that he does not have to destroy his home planet alone when they concoct a plan to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment in time and destroy the Daleks. Everyone will believe that Gallifrey was also destroyed, however in reality they would be saved in a painting.
Once The Time War is stopped, The Doctors return to their own timelines, not remembering that they in fact saved Gallifrey instead of destroying it, except the Eleventh Doctor. The War Doctor boarded his TARDIS and immediately regenerated into the Ninth Doctor, The Tenth Doctor returned to his TARDIS still believing that he had single handedly destroyed his home planet. The Eleventh Doctor takes a moment to gaze on the painting called either No More or Gallifrey Falls. He realizes that he would love to one day retire and be the curator of a museum, but before he can give it a second thought, the old curator appears behind him (Tom Baker) hinting that one day his wish will come true.
Some viewers found the episode a bit confusing, however fans of both Classic and Modern Doctor Who will find over an hour filled with references to the past. The end of this epic adventure highlights the show’s heritage and sets the stage for story to come. The Curator of the museum also clarifies for The Doctor that in fact the painting is titled Gallifrey Falls No More, sending The Doctor off to find his home planet. The final scene showcases all Eleven Doctors and The War Doctor standing side by side in a beautifully poetic moment.
Another jaw dropping moment of the program was when The Doctors circled Gallifrey to freeze the planet in one moment of time. All of the currently known versions of The Doctor appear to assist as well as the next incarnation, Peter Capaldi. The Whovian world, including this Whovian, screamed with surprise and delight.
Three Doctors, Three TARDISes, a Queen, two alien villains, a shadow from the past and The Tower of London: this list seems like a summary of a season of Doctor Who, not one episode. The Day of The Doctor was not simply an old episode though; it was a work of art that was well worth the wait.
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