Doctor Who The Time of the Doctor Review

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Clara Oswald, Cybermen, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Christmas Special, Jenna Coleman, Matt Smith, Orla Brady, Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat, Tasha Lem, The Doctor, The Silence, The Time of the Doctor, Trenzalore, Weeping Angels

The Time of the Doctor

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

The 50^th Anniversary of Doctor Who draws to a close as Matt Smith takes his final bow and hands over the key of the TARDIS to his successor, Peter Capaldi, in the 2013 Christmas special: The Time of the Doctor. The 2013 Christmas special, the ninth since the series returned in 2005 is also the programmes 200^th episode, and it’s a seasonal spectacular packed with monsters and adventures where the Time Lord must face his darkest hour.

The fall of the eleventh is nigh and the clock is already ticking twelve’s as the Doctor (Matt Smith) arrives to whisk Clara (Jenna Coleman) away from her family Christmas diner for one last adventure, to answer the call to a distant backwater world, where the Doctor meets his old friend Tasha Lem (Orla Brady), and his deadliest enemies have also arrived having been drawn to this planet by a mysteriously indecipherable signal echoing through the depths of space.

The Doctor must discover what this signal heralds for his fate, and that of the universe itself, as their journey takes them to the planet below, Trenzalore, the place where it is foretold the First Question will be asked and the Doctor will ultimately fall. The snow covered streets will lead to the Doctor‘s final battleground. Soon the trap is sprung, as the Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, and the Silence, begin to attack, the Time Lord stands defiant and becomes a hero to the people of this small town. The Siege of Trenzalore has begun and the Doctor; his many lives now all but spent, must make his final stand and confront the inevitability of his own mortality…

The Time of the Doctor is the third adventure in a broadly linked trilogy of stories, that began with The Name of the Doctor, and then continued spectacularly in the 50^th Anniversary special The Day of the Doctor. The Time of the Doctor also marks a return to Trenzalore, the planet first mentioned in The Wedding of River Song (2011), which has since often been spoken of in hushed whispers and dark prophecies. We know Trenzalore is where the Doctor will die, his body is buried there, and in the Name of the Doctor he even saw his own tomb in the future. Dorium Maldovar told of the question that must never be answered, a religious order called the Silence are determined to ensure this never happens, and even the Great Intelligence knows the Doctor’s time was almost up.

Having linked a severed Cyberman head “Handles” to the TARDIS console to decipher the signal coming from the unknown planet, that has left half the universe in terror, the Doctor is first confronted by the Daleks before being attacked by Cybermen and escaping in the TARDIS as the Cybership attacks, when the he suddenly gets  a call from Clara on Christmas Day. She needs help cooking the Christmas dinner for her family, so the Doctor makes a quick detour to lend a hand. After helping with lunch and meeting Clara’s family: Dad (James Buller), Linda (Elizabeth Rider), and gran (Sheila Reid), the Doctor offers Clara a respite from the festivities while the turkey cooks, and together they set off to investigate the signal coming from the planet where his enemies ships are gathering, which Handles bizarrely identifies as Gallifrey. The TARDIS is intercepted by a giant vessel of The Papal Mainframe, where they are taken aboard and greeted by the Doctor’s old friend, Tasha Lem, and her troops, Colonel Albero (Mark Brighton) and Colonel Meme (Sonita Henry). At the behest of Tasha Lem, the Doctor and Clara set out to explore a town called Christmas on the planet below, which is blanketed by a truth field, where they encounter Abramal (Rob Jarvis) and Marta (Tessa Peake Jones), and a young boy called Barnable (Rob Jarvis).

Some of the Doctor’s most feared enemies have also heeded the call to Trenzalore, gathering together on this remote world to oversee the demise of their greatest adversary. The Daleks are as formidable as ever, stalking the Doctor until the bitter end, while the Cybermen introduce a wooden upgrade to counteract the effects of the Time Lords defences. The Weeping Angels are more ruthless than ever, lurking in a snow storm, they will stop at nothing to prevent the Doctor’s escape, and  we will finally lean why the Silence is so determined to ensure that the question they have protected so incessantly is never, ever answered.

The issue of the Doctor’s remaining regenerations is also tackled in The Time of the Doctor as he approaches the end of his natural lifespan. It is well known fact that Time Lords can only regenerate 12 times, a rule established by the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin, which over the course of a number of stories, has subsequently become so engrained in the mythology of the series that it is now the one, indefatigable rule that cannot be ignored. However, as well as the 10^th Doctor’s somewhat truncated regeneration in Journey’s End (2008), since the events of The Day of the Doctor, it is the quandary posed by the introduction of the War Doctor (John Hurt), an incarnation that existed during the Time War between the Doctor’s 8^th and 9^th regenerations, that has now actually made  Matt Smith’s 11^th Doctor the Time Lords final incarnation.

The Doctor and Clara teleport to the planet, they arrive in a town called Christmas, where the Doctor discovers a crack in time, the same one that originally featured in Season Five, where the message is being transmitted from. The message is the same question repeated over and over: “Doctor Who?” It is the question that must never be answered, it is from the Time Lords of Gallifrey – who were transported into a pocket dimension in The Day of the Doctor – and if the Doctor speaks his name they will know this is the place where they can try and return.  But if this should ever happen the alien forces circling the planet will burn this world, a world Tasha Lem informs him is Tranzalore, and that the Time War will start all over again. The Siege of Trenzalore will begin and untold chaos and destruction will be unleashed throughout the universe. The Doctor then tricks Clara and sends her back home in the TARDIS, while he remains to defend the town and enforce the stalemate.

The Time of the Doctor starts out as a fun Christmas adventure for the Doctor and Clara, before events quickly take a darker turn, when the Doctor explains to Clara that he has no more regenerations and his time is almost up.  There are some fun moments to be had though, especially with the Doctor helping Clara to cook Christmas dinner, and meeting her family, but once the TARDIS arrives on Trenzalor a brooding air of menace begins to pervade this bizarre winter wonderland as the Doctor’s enemies prepare to strike. Tasha Lem is a very intriguing character, a being with an uncanny knowledge of the Doctor, played by  Orla Brady who gives a great perforce as the strange alien. We discover that Tasha Lem is the supremely powerful Mother Superious of the Papal Mainframe, an old friend of the Doctor, she knows him very well and is extremely loyal to him.. However, her friendship with the Doctor later proves crucial, as her will alone is strong enough to resist Dalek conditioning, especially with a little help from the Doctor and Clara after the Dalek reinforcements have arrived.

Fortunately with Clara Oswald around, the past, present, and future never  seems to be set in stone, as the Impossible Girl stubbornly refuses to be sent home, gripping the sides of the TARDIS, she forces the Time Machine to return her to the Doctor, now an old man, who has been defending Christmas and its population for over three hundred years. The Doctor explains to Clara that he has reached his final regeneration. They are transported back to the Papal Mainframe, where they learn the Silence are really genetically engineered priests, and that it was the Kovarian chapter who broke away from the Papal Mainframe to prevent the Doctor ever reaching Trenzalore by destroying his TARDIS (The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang) and engineering a child, who would grow up to be River Song (The Impossible Astronaut / The Day of the Moon / A Good Man Goes To War / Let‘s Kill Hitler / The Wedding of River Song), to assassinate  him. It seem that the Daleks have returned, Tasha and her crew have been taken over and transformed by the Daleks, but she manages to resist and helps the Doctor and Clara escape, before Clara is tricked again by the Doctor into going home for a second time.

Back in her flat with her family after Christmas lunch, Clara hears the TARDIS return. She rushes out only to find that it was Tasha flying the TARDIS, she does not want the Doctor to die alone, and together they return to Trenzalore where Clara is reunited with the Doctor, now extremely old and facing the end of his life. He still refuses to release the Time Lords, only the Daleks now remain to oppose him, and the Doctor has been fighting them with the aid of the Silence. As the Doctor goes to the Clock Tower to face the Daleks attack, it is then that Clara desperately appeals to the Time Lords of Gallifrey through the crack in the wall, she begs them to reach out and help him as she speaks his name.

The crack in time vanished from the wall before suddenly reappearing in the sky above Trenzalore as The Time Lords bestow the Doctor with the energy of a new regenerative life cycle, which he then unleashes on his enemies to destroy them as his 13th regeneration begins. After the battle Clara goes back inside the TARDIS to find the Doctor is young again. He begins to see images of the young Amelia Pond as he waits for his regeneration and new life cycle to begin. The adult Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) appears to greet her raggedy man in his final moments. Clara watches in awe as the Time Lord rapidly regenerates into the new Doctor (Peter Capaldi), who quickly says “kidneys, I‘ve got new kidneys!” before turning to her as the Time Machine lurches in flight and asking her is she knows how to fly the TARDIS.

Matt Smith is superb as the Doctor in this story, looking positively Troughtonesque in a new variation of his costume, delivering a show stopping performance that is simply brilliant. You get a real sense of the Time Lords plight as he is faced with the certainty of his impending death as he begins to age over the course of the episode. This time there is no more running, and nowhere to hide. Ever since Matt Smith’s gangly tweed clad, fez loving, 11^th Doctor burst onto our screens with a cry of “Geronimo” he has charmed us with his carefree spirit of adventure, bow ties, jammy dodgers, and fish fingers and custard. His adventures have been some of the most complex and timey wimey in the shows history. The companions were many, Amy and Rory, River, the Paternoster Row gang, and finally Clara, were all swept up in the Doctor’s adventures. Matt Smith also managed to convey the Doctor’s great age and more alien eccentricities, enthusiastic and almost frivolous one moment, his steely gaze held centuries of wisdom that belied his youthful appearance.

Jenna Coleman is also excellent as  Clara Oswald, her journey as the Doctor’s companion has seen her life become entwined with the very fabric of the Doctor’s time line, she has meet all of the Doctor’s incarnations at one point or another, saved him on many occasions, and played a significant role in helping the Doctor remember the promise he made when he took his name so he could find another way to save Gallifrey during the Time War. I have really begun to warm to Clara as a character now, to begin with it sometimes felt like we were always meeting Clara for the first time, only to have her snatched away again before we could even get to know her. Fortunately when Clara became a full time companion in The Bells of St John (2013), we finally got to know the Impossible Girl a lot better. Jenna Coleman also had great chemistry with Matt Smith’s Doctor, her character still has plenty of potential, and it will be interesting to see how Clara adjusts to Peter Capaldi’s new Doctor.

Steven Moffat brings the 11^th Doctor’s era to a rousing, if highly complex, close with The Time of the Doctor, bringing together various plot threads, some of which reach as far back as The Eleventh Hour (2010) itself, including revelations about the Silence, the Seal of the High Council which he took from the Master in the Five Doctors, as well as revealing what the Doctor saw in The God Complex (2011) when he looked into room 11, and even the question that must never be asked is finally revealed. Director Jamie Payne skilfully balances the darker elements of the story, interspacing them with a couple of very funny moments – when the Doctor and Clara have to cook the turkey and when she later finds him naked in the TARDIS – as well as some particularly emotional scenes for the Doctor and Clara, and the final showdown is explosive and shocking. I do feel that The Time of the Doctor is a tad overlong, the regular episode length would have probably been sufficient, and the story effectively reboots the series – paving the way for an entirely new era of the show to being. Peter Capaldi also makes a strong debut as the new Doctor, the rogues gallery of monsters bring added menace to this Christmas episode, and Matt Smith’s heartrending final moments as the Doctor will resonate long after the credits have rolled. The Time of the Doctor is a brilliant Christmas special, it rounds off the 50^th Anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who in fine style, and provides a triumphant finale for this youngest ever incarnation of the Doctor.

Images Belong To BBC

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The Time of the Doctor TV Trailer

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Doctor Who, The Time of the Doctor, The Time of the Doctor TV Trailer

The Time of the Doctor TV Trailer

Check out the TV trailer for The Dr Who Christmas Special

The Time of the Doctor

Batman #26 Review

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Batman, Batman #26, Danny Miki, DC Comics, Doctor Death, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, Scott Snyder, The Riddler, Zero Year

Batman #26

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Gotham has been blacked out by the Riddler, now the young Batman is confronted by a new enemy. Dr Death, former scientist at Wayne Enterprises, Dr Karl Helfern, his face and body now horrifically mutated into a skeletal appearance, has been murdering other scientists with his formula that causes accelerated bone growth. Unwilling to help Lieutenant Gordon’s investigation, Bruce Wayne asks Lucius Fox for help, but is shocked when Lucius stabs him with a syringe just as Dr Death emerges from the shadows. Bruce must escape from Dr Death and find a way to work with Lieutenant Gordon if he is to prevent any more deaths, as super storm Rene approaches Gotham, and the night of his parent’s murder returns to haunt Bruce once more…

Dark City, the second major story arc of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s epic Zero Year event, continues to explore the darker aspects of Bruce Wayne’s early career as Batman #26 sees the Dark Knight faced with a new adversary Dr Death. While he recovers his senses, Bruce watches helplessly as Dr Death throttles Lucius.

It transpires that Helfern, Lucius, and the other murdered scientist were all part of the team hired by Bruce’s uncle, Philip Kane, and that Helfern has returned with his own agenda, having used the formula they developed himself. As he toys with his victims, Dr Death gloats about how he knows a terrible secret to draw Bruce into the open. Suspecting that Dr Death was coming for him next, Lucius actually injected Bruce with a vaccine, and Bruce is able to help him and they try to escape. However, Dr Death’s body continues to change when he is injured, making him stronger and more grotesque than ever.

Snyder and Capullo’s new approach to Bruce Wayne’s early career as Batman took a surprise turn last issue with the introduction of Dr Death, as Zero Year once more takes elements form the golden age of comics and gives them a more modern slant. Dr Death first appeared in Detective Comics #29 (1939) as Batman’s very first reoccurring super villain, Dr Karl Hellfern, a scientist that developed a formula from pollen to blackmail the rich with the help of his servant, Jabah. Dr Death was defeated by Batman, and seemingly killed in a fiery explosion at his lab, but he returned again in Detective Comics #30 with a new scheme, and Batman later discovers Dr Death’s face was disfigured in the fire; leaving him with a horrible skeletal appearance.

After only just managing to escape Dr Death with their lives Bruce and Lucius are rushed to hospital, where Bruce later wakes from a vivid dream-like memory of events where he was once incarcerated, to find Alfred at his bedside informing him that his fight with Dr Death  has left him suffering from a cranial fracture. Lieutenant Gordon arrives to question Bruce about what he knows about Dr Death so they can prevent any more scientists being killed.

What follows gives us a much deeper insight into the bitter animosity Bruce holds towards Gordon and the GCP Police department. Batman #26 opens with the young Bruce Wayne playing truant and watching a film alone at the Theater, a film that will soon hold great significance as that fateful night in Crime Alley draws near. Bruce remembers how Gordon and his partner, Detective Dan Corrigan, drove him back to the station, stopping at several businesses along the way, just “checking in” to protect their neighbourhood, and receiving a gift along the way. It is this gift, the trench coat that Gordon still wears today, that exemplifies how much Bruce doesn’t trust Gordon, considering him just as corrupt as the rest of the GCPD, before turning the tables on the Lieutenant as he confronts him with the one memory he can never, ever forget.

Capullo’s striking redesign for Dr Death has given the character a complete overhaul, Helfern’s face and body are now horrifically distorted, his mouth is a mass of jagged teeth, and his bones continue to grow and twist whenever he is injured. I loved the scenes where he almost crushes Bruce’s skull, leaping from the darkness, his back a twisted mass of bones. While he looks radically different, Dr Death’s return in The New 52 is a clear homage to the characters Golden and Silver age appearances, and Snyder cleverly integrates the character into Zero Year with the added twist of introducing Lucius Fox and his connection to the team that originally helped Helfern develop the formula.

I also really enjoyed the flashbacks where young Bruce is at the Theater and Gordon acts as truant officer, Greg Capullo transports us back to this moment in time, and brilliantly conveys the emotional impact of these scenes as events unfold and gradually merge into the present, when Bruce confronts Gordon at the hospital. The scenes with Dr Death are also wonderfully dark and horrific, with Danny Miki’s inks and FCO Plascencia’s colors bringing an added sense of revulsion and horror to this ghoulish character. It’s also interesting to note how the colors and tones alter as the time shifts between the past, the present and back again on a number of occasions in Batman #26, completely drawing you into the story.

With super storm Rene closing in on Gotham, we rejoin Batman as he races across the bay in the Bat Boat in an attempt to save the two remaining scientist hired in his group at the Newton Centre before Dr Death can reach them. Once inside the building, a weather centre set up by Philip Kane to research and develop technologies weaponizing weather; Batman finds he is too late. The scientists have already been injected with the formula, they are beyond help but before he can act the GCPD surprise Batman and open fire…

Batman #26 may keep the Riddler in the background, but his presence is never far from the main storyline, and Nygma’s role in events is beginning to take shape as his web slowly closes around Bruce Wayne and Gotham.  As well as brining back Dr Death, Scott Snyder also explores Lucius Fox’s place in the Bat Mythos. It’s also interesting to see Bruce and Gordon at this early stage in their lives, and I look forward to seeing how Snyder will forge the foundations of the bond that one day will make Gordon one of Batman’s most trusted allies. The cliff hanger ending puts Batman in mortal danger, but somehow I think bullet wounds are going to be the least of his worries.

As well as seeing the debut of another Bat-Vehicle, the Bat Boat / Bat Jet Ski, in Batman #26, this issue also has a fantastic cover by Capullo and FCO Plascencia, with Batman standing on Dr Death’s skeletal hand before a dusty twilight sky. The variant cover by Dustin Nguyen is really striking as well, with Dr Death peering out at us, milky wet eye gleaming in a face of distorted bone, pointed teeth locked in a vicious sneer.

I have enjoyed every issue of Zero Year so far, Snyder and Capullo have done a fantastic job of revisiting Batman’s origin. We will have to wait a little while longer though to see how the Dark City story arc of Zero Year will end, as Scott Snyder has announced a change to the scheduling for February’s Batman #28, originally solicited as the finale of this arc, Batman #28 will now be a special “spoiler” issue written by Snyder, James Tynion, and drawn by Dustin Nguyen, that will take place six years in the future and offer us a glimpse of what to expect in 2014. March’s Batman #29 will then take us back into the Zero Year storyline and conclude the Dark City arc.

Scott Snyder made this Bat-Announcement on Twitter this Tuesday (10^th December), to thank all the fans of the series for their support. This special issue sounds brilliant and I would just like to say a big thank you back to Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and all the Bat-Team for making Zero Year such an exciting story that has kept me enthralled right from the start. So read and enjoy Batman #26 safe in the knowledge that  2014 now has even more surprises for us to look forward to.

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First Official Godzilla Trailer

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First Official Godzilla Trailer

Check out the first official trailer for Gareth Edwards Godzilla!

The Amazing Spiderman 2 New Official Trailer!

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The Amazing Spiderman 2 New Official Trailer!

Check out the awesome new official trailer for Amazing Spiderman 2!

 

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Earth 2 #18 Review

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Batman, DC Comics, Doctor Fate, Earth 2, Earth 2 #18, Nicola Scott, Superman, The Flash, Tom Taylor, Trevor Scott

Earth 2 #18

Review By Paul Bowler

The World Army fleet and the New Wonders have retreated to their Arkham Base after Brutaal killed Steppenwolf in Dherian and was revealed as Superman, the formerly deceased hero of Earth 2, now returned as the herald of Darksied. The Arkham Base is now in ruins after the enraged Superman’s onslaught, the Red Tornado has been uploaded with a new identity, and the mysterious Batman of Earth 2 is about to unleash the prisoners held in stasis within the lover levels of Arkham as the forces of Darkseid and Apokolips begin their invasion. Yet even as Batman’s new allies prepare to enter the fray, the Flash bravely confronts Superman alone so the base can be evacuated, but soon all seems lost  as the world cowers before its new masters…

Tom Taylor continues to build on the earth shattering events of last issue as Earth 2 #18 opens with Mr Terrific searching the wrecked Arkham Command Centre for survivors, only to find one of his comrades critically wounded. In order to give everyone a chance to evacuate, Jay Garrick decides to distract Superman. While the furious Man of Steel pursues the Flash halfway across the world, deep beneath Arkham the new Batman is confronted by Major Sato, who is determined to stop the Dark Knight from releasing the prisoners in the stasis chambers.

Last issue also saw Lois Lane resurrected as the Red Tornado, when General Lane gave the order for his daughter’s consciousness to be uploaded into the android. Although the General was killed by falling rubble when Superman attacked Arkham, the transfer was successful, and Lois now exists as the Red Tornado. It will be interesting to see how Taylor develops her character now she is an android; her resurrection is bound to have a significant effect on Superman as well. She could be a secret weapon designed to use against him, or perhaps her return might be enough to sway even this evil zealot’s fanatical loyalty to Darkseid?

Nicola Scott’s art for Earth 2 #18 is as impeccable as ever, with Trevor Scott’s inks and excellent colors by Pete Pantazis, who perfectly balances the muted tones inside the ruined base, with the vivid clarity of the Flash’s global supercharged attempt to outrun Superman, and the sinister pulsating purple hues of the stasis chambers. I really enjoyed the scenes were Superman was chasing the Flash, not only does it once more highlight Jay Garrick’s selfless bravery, you get a real sense of the speed and power involved as they race across land and sea.

Not everyone makes it out of Earth 2 #18 unscathed, there are some very distressing scenes, especially for one officer in the Arkham Command Centre, and Superman’s way of stopping the Flash is guaranteed to make you wince. However, all of this aside, it is the events unfolding down in the lower levels of Arkham that are what really intrigue and shock in equal measure this issue.

We have been teased about the new Batman’s identity for a while now. Though Earth 2 #18 doesn’t exactly spill the beans, Tom Taylor  certainly serves up some very interesting clues about this version of the Dark Knight, especially when his confrontation with Major Sato takes a somewhat  unexpected turn after the Red Tornado intervenes. However, the man beneath the cowl is a very tough customer indeed, and what remains unspoken in the Stasis Prison will give you much to ponder long after you have finished the issue.

If that wasn’t enough to get you foaming at the mouth for answers, then the prisoners Batman releases from their Stasis Chambers will definitely be a surprise, especially one of them, who I really wasn’t expecting. To top it all, the final stasis chamber, and Batman’s reaction to it, provides an effectively brutal and shocking conclusion to Earth 2 #18!

Earth 2 #18 was another great issue by Tom Taylor. We are given little time to pause for thought as the action unfolds, there is sense of real danger as Mr Terrific and Sloan have to coordinate the evacuation and get the injured to safety. Taylor has quickly established himself on this series with the carnage unleashed by Superman, as well as the return of Lois Lane, while also building the mystery surrounding Batman’s identity, and Khalid Ben-Hassin’s ramblings from last issue will no doubt yield some hidden meanings as we progress.

Although next issue may hold more clues, we will have to wait until the Earth 2 Annual #2 in January to find out more about the new Batman. Taylor does introduce some characters this issue, who will certainly add a lot of potential for the future, and the final moments for one character in stasis will leave you in no doubt that this Batman means business. Now Superman has obtained his objective and the invasion is about to begin, these are dark days indeed for the New Wonders. Earth 2 #18 is a terrific issue, Tom Taylor is doing great things with this title, maintaining the tone and style fans of the series have become accustomed to while gradually moving things forward by introducing new plot threads and characters, which together with Nicola Scott’s superb artwork, ensures that Earth 2 will keep us eagerly awaiting the next issue.

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The Walking Dead #117 Review

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All Out War, Charlie Adlard, Ezekiel, Image Comics, Michonne, Negan, Rick Grimes, Robert Kirkman, Stefano Gaudiano, The Saviors, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead #117, Walkers, Zombies

The Walking Dead #117

Review by Paul Bowler

The first battle of Rick’s war is over. While Rick’s plan left the Savoirs trapped inside their own base, surrounded by Walkers attracted by the gunfire, Holly bravely sacrificed herself to breach the Savoirs defences, and was then taken captive by Negan.

It was great to see Rick and his allies using the Walkers to their own advantage last issue, effectively pinning the Savoirs inside their compound, but Negan isn’t going to give up without a fight, as The Walking Dead #117 clearly illustrates just how resourceful and cunning the Savoirs leader can be when he’s backed into a corner like this. At first Negan thinks he has captured Andrea, someone who he can use to break Rick’s spirit, but Holly reveals she was with Abraham as she tells Negan and Dwight why she drove the truck herself to smash the gates and let the Walkers in.

As Rick and the others regroup, Robert Kirkman uses this interlude to show what effect Holly’s sacrifice has had on the others, while Michonne, Ezekiel, and Shiva deal with some more Walkers. Rick then asks Michonne to return with a group to their community to help Andrea and Carl, just in case Negan manages to strike at them before they can return. Michonne agrees, even though she is unsure that they should be dividing their forces at this time, while Ezekiel will remain with Rick’s group and help take out the rest of the Savoirs outposts.

The art by Charlie Adlard is excellent, there are some outstanding pages featuring the Walkers attacking Negan and his men as they try and beat back the undead horde, where they soon find themselves outnumbered and have to quickly retreat inside. It was a good move to bring inker Stefano Gaudiono to The Walking Dead for All Out War, his inks bring an added clarity and shade to the bleak environments, and the Zombies look even more menacing.

Robert Kirkman continues to show us more sides to Negan’s character. The Saviors leader delivers an expletive laden rant when his attempt to clear a path through the Walkers fails, knowing the urgency to get out and strike back is now crucial to their survival, Negan orders his people to figure out a way to attack the Zombies from a distance. What follows is a scene where Negan discover that one of his men, David, is about to assault Holly. Appalled by what nearly happened Negan’s justice is swift, and ruthless, as he punishes David for defying the rules.  It becomes clear that Negan is looking at the bigger picture here, at how they will all have to work together when the war is over, and that sinking to such inhuman levels is completely unacceptable, even for him. While the Saviors leader remains highly unpredictable, Negan’s twisted logic indicates that he is not an adversary to be underestimated.

The Walking Dead #117 sees Rick preparing to divide his forces between dealing with the Savoirs outposts and protecting Andrea and the others, as she is sure to be the focus of any counter attack launched by Negan. Whether this is a good move or not remains to be seen, Rick could be spreading his forces too thin, and that could very well give the Saviors the opening they need to strike back when they least expect it.

This third part of All Out War has certainly seen no let up in the action, Robert Kirkman continues to build the suspense, and the art by Charlie Adlard and Stefano Gaudiano delivers some spectacular scenes where the zombies attack in force. The Walking Dead #17 is another really good issue, battle lines have been drawn, and with both sides are preparing to make their next move, All Out War is shaping up to be an epic event.

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The Day of the Doctor : Review

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Billie Piper, Daleks, David Tennant, Doctor Who, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary, Gallifrey, Jenna Coleman, John Hurt, Matt Smith, Steven Moffat, The Day of The Doctor, The Time War, UNIT, Zygons

The Day of the Doctor

Review by Paul Bowler

It’s Saturday evening and a strangely familiar theme tune rings out as the day draws to a close, a policeman walks past a gate, the sign reads I.M. Foreman, and suddenly we are standing before Coal Hill School… Right from its opening moments, the 50^th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor instantly transports us back to the shows origins, drawing on the programmes rich mythology and subsequent rebirth in a new millennium for a record breaking simulcast event as fans around the world celebrated fifty years of adventures in time and space. This special feature-length episode of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor sees Matt Smith’s 11^th incarnation of the Time Lord teaming up with his predecessor, David Tennant as the 10^th Doctor, and John Hurt as the War Doctor –  a mysterious new incarnation of the Time Lord who came into being during the Time War.

Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), now a teacher at Coal Hill School, receives a message from the Doctor, and rides her motorbike to meet him in the TARDIS. Moments later the TARDIS is intercepted by UNIT and airlifted by helicopter to Trafalgar Square where the Doctor and Clara are greeted by Kate Stuart (Jemma Redgrave) and scientist Osgood (Ingrid Oliver). They go to the National Gallery, where the Doctor opens a sealed message from Queen Elisabeth I (who it transpires was once married to the 10^th Doctor) that holds instructions which entrust the Time Lord to curate some very special paintings; including a piece of Time Lord art depicting The Fall of Arcadia during the Time War – a single moment of time locked inside a 3D painting – that has become known by two ominous names: “No More” and “Gallifrey Falls”.

Matt Smith gives a terrific performance as the Doctor in this special anniversary episode. His Doctor is right at the heart of the action, I thought the opening moments were the Doctor was suspended below the TARDIS as it was flown over the London skyline was fantastic, and later Matt Smith really gets to run the gauntlet of emotions as the Doctor’s actions during the Time War  return to haunt him. Jenna Coleman is also terrific as Clara, now a teacher at Coal Hill School, the impossible girl now seems all grown up and even more confident than before, and  the scene where she rides a motorbike into the TARDIS is great fun.

The painting offers us a glimpse into that darkest hour on Gallifrey during the last day of the Time War, as the Dalek armada encircles the planet and launch a devastating attack. The War Doctor emerges from the shadows after using a gun to blast the words “No More” into a crumbling wall to leave a message for the Daleks, before escaping in his TARDIS as Arcadia, Gallifrey’s second city, falls. The Time Lord War Council are shocked to discover the War Doctor has taken a sentient weapon of unimaginable power know as The Moment, a galaxy eater created by the ancients of Gallifrey, which he intends to use to destroy his own people and the Daleks to end the Time War. Travelling to a remote location, the War Doctor attempts to activate The Moment, but the devices interface, or conscience, assumes the form of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and tries to convince him to choose another path…

The special effects used to depict the final day of the Time War, with Gallifrey surrounded by a vast fleet of Dalek warships, are absolutely magnificent. The Day of the Doctor is about as epic in scope and scale as Doctor Who has ever been. To see Gallifrey in ruins is also quite shocking; this once majestic world, now torn apart by Dalek firepower, with the city burning as the population flee in terror as Daleks close in to exterminate them is chilling.

John Hurt is magnificent as the War Doctor, a new incarnation of the Doctor that existed during the Time War, and was responsible for unleashing the Galaxy Eater and destroying his own people to end the war. This dark secret is one that the even the 11^th Doctor is loathed to speak of, yet fate will force him, and his 10^th incarnation, to confront this aspect of his existence, and ultimately work together to find another way to end the Time War. John Hurt gives a commanding performance as the War Doctor, painting a weary, tragic figure, who is forever condemned by the impossible choice he was faced with as he witnessed the fall of Arcadia.

Billie Piper makes a welcome return to Doctor Who as Rose Tyler, but not in quite the way we might have expected. She appears as The Moment, the sentient conscience of the Galaxy Eater, which has taken the form of Rose Tyler to communicate with the War Doctor. Billie Piper is excellent as the mysterious and somewhat playful “Bad Wolf” girl as Hurt’s Doctor calls her. It’s great to see Billie Piper return to Doctor Who, her role as The Moment/Bad Wolf was crucial to brining all of the Doctor’s together to change history. I also liked how The Moment got Clara to help the Doctor’s find another way to end the war, immersing them within Arcadia‘s final moments, with Clara finally appealing to her Doctor to “be a Doctor” and make the promise of his name a reality that would save his people from destruction.

Meanwhile, in Elizabethan England 1562, the 10^th Doctor and Queen Elizabeth I find themselves under attack by a Zygon, a shape-shifting alien, who tries to confuse the Doctor by assuming the form of Queen Elizabeth I. Before the 10^th Doctor can figure out who is who, three portals created by The Moment open across space and time and draw both the 11^th Doctor and the War Doctor to 1562, where they meet the 10^th Doctor and are promptly arrested by the Queens troops and taken to the Tower of London. The  Zygons are using a stasis cube to travel into the future, where they have been stored inside the paintings held within a secret chamber in the Under Gallery, where they start to emerge and quickly attack Kate Stewart, and scientists Osgood and McGill (Jonjo O‘Neill). The Zygons duplicate their captives and, with their leader posing as Kate Stuart, get the unsuspecting Clara to accompany Kate to the Black Archive at UNIT HQ beneath the Tower of London.

With some guidance from the Moment, who only the War Doctor can see or hear, the imprisoned Doctor’s attempt to escape from their cell by using the software in their sonic screwdrivers to calculate a solution that would take centuries to complete individually. The computation is eventually completed on the 11^th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, which is four hundred years old, but in the meantime he has also inscribed the code of Captain Jack’s Vortex Manipulator onto the wall of their cell, and it is this message to the future which enables Clara to snatch the Vortex Manipulator from the Black Archive and prevent the Zygons from using it.

The Day of the Doctor has a great supporting cast, with Jemma Redgrave returning as UNITS’s chief scientific officer Kate Lethbridge Stewart; she gets some great scenes with the Doctor and Clara, and has to confront the Zygons as well. Ingrid Oliver is also good as the scientist Osgood, a really fun character, who quickly figures out what the Zygons are up to, and helps Kate escape and reach the Black Archive to stop the Zygons. There are so many references to the history of Doctor Who in The Day of the Doctor: far to many to mention here, some of my favourites were the opening scenes with the original theme and titles from the very first story in 1963, An Unearthly Child, the sign outside Coal Hill School where the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan, once attended tells us Ian Chesterton is now the chairman of the school governors, the time of the very first episode also feature on a clock face as Clara goes to meet the Doctor and the date and time is also the code for the vortex manipulator, Osgood wears a scarf just like the 4^th Doctor’s, there are a number of references to the Doctor’s old friend Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, as well as the 10^th and 11^th Doctor’s eras, but I think some of the best nods to the past are in the Black Archive, were we see a notice board covered in pictures of the Doctor’s previous companions, and its great fun trying to identify them all.

The scenes set in Elizabethan England were also a lot of fun. This is the point in the story were the 10^th Doctor becomes involved with Queen Elizabeth the I, he even ends up marrying her, and there are some great scenes as he has to confront the Queen and her Zygon double. Joanna Page was also really good as Queen Elizabeth I, especially when Tennant’s Doctor thought she was really a Zygon, and it was clever how the story gives us an idea of why the older Queen later hated the 10^th Doctor when she appeared in the Shakespeare Code. This is also were all three of the Doctor’s were finally united in the episode, another fantastic moment, and I loved the witty banter between them. Matt Smith and David Tennant were brilliant as they tried to out sonic each other and later, as they continued to wind each other up, with John Hurt’s Doctor getting all the best lines as he wearily tries to keep up with his future selves and their youthful exuberance. It was fun to see the TARDIS interior changing when all the Doctor’s stepped inside, from the 10^th Doctor’s “grunge” phase, the classic roundels then appeared in the Ward Doctor’s console room, before shifting to the 11^th Doctor’s TARDIS interior, with the 10^th Doctor saying Patrick Troughton’s classic line from the Three Doctors: “You’ve redecorated… I don’t like it!”

There were also some very serious moments, especially when The War Doctor asks them if they ever counted how many children died on that terrible day on Gallifrey. The 10^th Doctor immediately states that is was 247 billion, and is aghast to think the 11^th Doctor has seemingly forgotten and moved on over the last four hundred years, which of course we know he hasn’t, not really, but it makes for a wonderful scene that takes place in that most tried and trusted staple of Doctor Who, a prison cell, and one which ironically isn’t even locked! One could say this scene is perhaps the most serendipitous moment ever for the Doctor, as it illustrates how he has become imprisoned within the grief of the impossible choice he made as the War Doctor, condemned by his own hand and lost in a universe without hope for the salvation that was always waiting to be found.

After Clara travels to 1562 to team up with the Doctor’s and Queen Elizabeth I against the Zygons, Osgood rescues Kate Stuart and together they enter the Black Archive. Kate activates a nuclear device to stop their Zygon doppelgangers using the alien artefacts stored in the secret facility, but her Zygon double keeps overriding the countdown. With the TARDIS unable to breach the UNIT bases defences, the War Doctor gets them to use the stasis cube to transport themselves through the painting of Gallifrey Falls, which the 11^th Doctor has managed to have moved to the Black Archive by making a time warping phone call from the TARDIS to McGill in the past. The Doctor’s emerge from the painting and uses the Vaults own defences to wipe the memories of all the humans and Zygons present so the countdown can be stopped and a peaceful solution reached.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of the Zygons in The Day of the Doctor. This is the first time they have appeared since their first and only television story, Terror of the Zygons in 1975. The new look Zygons are even more menacing than the originals, although their appearance hasn’t really changed that much here, they do dribble copious about of slime now and the human/ Zygon transformations are much better, but obviously it was a case of if it isn’t broke don’t fix it by the production team. It was also good that they played a significant role in the story, rather than being some token monster, and I hope they return again soon.

Still convinced he was right, the War Doctor returns to the point in time where he is about to activate The Moment. The ethereal form of Rose Tyler manages to delay the War Doctor long enough for the 10^th and 11^th Doctor’s arrive, and they stand with him so that he does not have to do this terrible thing alone. Clara is horrified by what they are about to do, the Warrior, the Hero, and appeals to her Doctor to find another way, and with The Moment also gently exerting her influence, the 11^th Doctor changes his mind and summons all of his previous incarnations, including his future self (Peter Capaldi), and each Doctor uses their TARDIS to freeze Gallifrey in one moment of time, just like the painting, causing Gallifrey to vanish and the Daleks to be destroyed in their own crossfire.

Ok, now here is the bit where total fangasim hits, I can’t tell you how exciting it was to see all the Doctor’s unite to freeze Gallifrey in one moment of time. I had a feeling that Steven Moffat might find a way to included a few clips of the past Doctor’s, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect them all to turn up and play such an important role in the story. While it may seem like a bit of sci-fi cliché, or reset switch to do this to Gallifrey, but it is entirely plausible as we saw Time Lords from Gallifrey trying to escape from a pocket dimension to destroy Earth in the 10^th Doctor’s final episode The End of Time. Seeing the Doctor’s team up to save Gallifrey in The Day of the Doctor was the icing on the cake for the 50^th Anniversary, it opens up a wealth of possibilities for the future, and of course let’s not forget we were also treated to a glimpse of that future. Yes, Peter Capaldi, the next incarnation of the Doctor, also showed up to help save the day!

Afterwards the War Doctor, and the 10^th and 11^th Doctor’s return to the National Gallery to say their goodbyes, it’s a parting tinged with sadness as they all know they will have no memory of these events once they return to their own time. Once the War Doctor leaves in his TARDIS, he begins to regenerate, and the 10^th Doctor departs after hearing about Trenzalore from the 11^th. Sensing that the Doctor wants to be alone with the painting of Gallifrey Falls, Clara steps inside the TARDIS, just as an old man, the curator approaches.

Now this is the moment that totally blew me away, as the 11^th Doctor looks up as the curator wanders into view… and it’s Tom Baker!! This incredible scene, were the curator tells him the painting is actually called Gallifrey Falls No More, and hints that Gallifrey might have been saved after all, is just magical. Whether the Curator was really the 4^th Doctor or not, it was an incredible moment and this was the highlight of the entire episode for me.  Tom Baker is simply wonderful in these scenes with Matt Smith as they discuss Gallifrey’s fate, this made the episode even more special, and then later in the TARDIS, as the Doctor describes a dream he has, were he is reunited with his former selves amongst the stars, and resolves to find Gallifrey and return home…

I thoroughly enjoyed The Day of the Doctor, it was a fantastic celebration of Doctor Who, and I loved every moment of it. Steven Moffat delivered an incredible story that provided some of the most exciting scenes ever seen in Doctor Who, director Nick Hurran ensured The Day of the Doctor was a visual spectacular, and Murray Gold’s musical score was phenomenal. Best of all was the fact that fans around the world could watch and enjoy this episode together, on TV, or in the cinema. The Day of the Doctor was a brilliant story for the 50^th Anniversary of Doctor Who; it lived up to all the hype, and exceed all my expectations.

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