The finale of series 8 of Doctor Who begins this Saturday with the first of a two-part series, and after last Saturday’s frankly boring and sentimental episode involving a confused child, some trees, and, um, solar flares, I’m hoping for a couple action packed episodes to end an otherwise disappointing series with a bang.
Between Clara and Mr. Pink’s tumultuous relationship that is basically a poor copy cat of Amy and Rory’s ups and downs and plot lines that start big but by the end deflate like a leaky balloon, the only thing keeping me watching is, aside from serious loyalty to the show, Peter Capaldi’s genius turn as the twelfth doctor. His dry wit balances out Clara’s often saccharine do-gooder attitude, and infuses what can sometimes be a cheesy show trying to communicate lessons on high morality against of a backdrop of cheap looking robots or, in the case of last week’s episode, a random forest, with a necessary darkness, and a biting sense of humor that is sharp and harsh in a fictional world where everyone is always engaged in the rather boring struggle to do the right thing. Capaldi erases Matt Smith’s charming goofiness with a more sophisticated, mature doctor, a doctor who isn’t fooled by the show’s constant reliance on a happy ending.
In any case, the finale trailer teases that we finally get to find out the identity of the mysterious Missy, who claims to be ushering people that have died in the wake of the Doctor’s appearances on Earth to heaven, though the audience gets the distinct impression she’s really a villain in disguise. It also looks like the Cybermen are coming back — yawn — and maybe Clara and Pink will finally figure out if they — oh nevermind, I can’t even finish that thought, too boring.
There are plenty of explosions ahead, and Clara might even have turned evil, which is promising, but then again, I wouldn’t put it past the writers to somehow chalk up even the most surprising moments to a mundane explanation that the Doctor miraculously figures out in two minutes after spending the previous 40 either yelling at Clara or pacing in the TARDIS. My hopes remain high however, and I will report back next week on my findings.
If you loved this season of Doctor Who, let me know in the comments. Any and all counters to my cynicism are welcome!
Image: BBC
Smart Girls love SciFi 
I love Capaldi’s Doctor. He’s brilliant, so different from Smith and Tennant, and does a wonderful job pulling in some of the mannerisms from the classic Doctors.
I’m SO over Clara! It’s past time for her to go. At first I was excited, hoping she’d get some real character growth. She got growth all right, but none of it was good and none of it makes any sense.
It’s time for Moffat to turn the show reins over to someone else. We need fresh blood and fresh creativity. Moffat is repeating himself more and more in every episode.
I do like Capaldi….though I admit…I still kinda miss Tennant!
Clara as revealed in the teasers might not be who we thought, and as such might be very interesting!
We all tend to forget she started as the impossible girl…
I’ll admit I kinda love Moffat he proved he could think big and long term with “Day of the Doctors”. I just want to see that play out. The vague hinting is a bit overdone and needs to be reworked, but that is a trend in the series.
We all just need the overarching plot to be clearer, and more engaging.
One things you can say about Doctor Who it keeps you hanging…
Great article! I have issues with this season too, mainly Clara’s nastiness towards the Doctor.
Interesting that you see Amy and Rory in Clara and Pink. I see Rose and Mickey.
Yeah I actually think you’re right. It’s much more Rose v Mickey
I’ve enjoyed this season so much more than the last and I think most episodes have been pretty good. There were a couple of noticeable clankers, but that’s nothing new.
I know what you mean about the endings! That was my major problem when Russell T Davies was writing it! He’d have these wonderful buildups then at the end the Doctor would say, ‘Hang on, I’ll just push this button. There. All fixed!’ I guess that’s the problem with only having 45 minutes per episode, as opposed to the original series which usually had two hours split over four episodes. There was more time to build to a satisfying resolution.
I am really enjoying Capaldi’s Doctor! It’s fantastic that the Doctor has an edge again. I liked David Tennant, but by the end of his time there, I was sick of him kissing all the girls, and Matt Smith was good, but a bit light for me.
Aside from a couple of scientifically ropey episodes (Kill The Moon, I’m looking at you), I’ve really loved this series. The less hectic storytelling suits the more mature story lines, imo.
The only thing I really agree with is Clara. I didn’t like the whole “Impossible Girl” spin, and I’m not keen on her being there because of Missy either.
I am anticipating what they do with the Impossible Girl….I don’t except it to be true conflict with his companion….I suspect she will be something more, and then show that she did believe in the Doctor in the end.
Sort of like the relationship with Amy…or professor Song.
And “Kill the Moon” made my meticulous physics’ researching self cringe!
Density? Mass? How could an embryo get heavier when feeding on what was available in it’s environment?
I have a Physics Professor (A “Doctor”) I use as a source for ALL of my Sci-fi books….he has changed my descriptions of black holes, and been huge in my understanding of the nature of time.
The man is a marvel! And will be getting an mention in my upcoming release.