End Of Time Review: Part 2

So that was it, the last David Tennant as The Doctor, welllll... that is if that half human, half Time Lord version of himself doesn't come back but never the less it was a thrilling episode, well I say thrilling it was a tad bit too long and drawn out towards the end but I guess thats artistic credit for you. However with the way Russell T. Davies ended his run as Head Writer on Doctor Who, it feels like all the characters were going to disappear for good and in most cases (except for Sarah Jane Smith and Jack Harkness) they probably will.

Other than that though it was a fantastic episode from the 'Worst rescue ever' to the final moments of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in a burning TARDIS shouting 'Geromino!' (looks like that will be the new 'Alons-y') as not only does The Doctor (David Tennant) have to face every single person on the planet, now that they look like The Master (John Simm) but also the return of the Time Lord race, led by Rassilon. Played by former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton who cleverly uses The Master to accomplish their return.

Like the previous episode, John Simm's Master is a scene stealer, literally, and while his insanity is played down Davies' explains why The Master is insane and when both The Doctor and The Master learn the truth behind The Master's insanity Simm's acting really makes you feel sorry for the character. While Rassilon is portrayed as quite the power mad ruler with selfish intent which Timothy Dalton plays magnificantly giving the audience some insight as to the inner workings of the Time War which up until that point was only mentioned in passing by The Doctor and exactly why The Doctor ended up being The Last of The Time Lords.

It wouldn't be a Russell T. Davies story without a chase sequence in it and unlike his love for vertical/horizontal chases, this story lacked that but in a good way as The Doctor in The Vinvocci spaceship raced towards the Naismith Mansion hoping to stop the arrival of The Time Lords all the while being chased by missiles which were being blasted by one of The Vinvocci and Wilf, it really added a bit of action and adventure often seen in films to the episode.

Once again the dialogue between The Doctor and Wilf Mott is a real highlight,there is a kind of 'father-son' bond here (even though they aren't related) and you can tell that Wilf doesn't want The Doctor to meet his fate but with this being a Doctor Who story even when The Doctor wins he still loses. The way Tennant's Doctor is forced to regenerate is somewhat similar to that of the 5th Doctor's and Tennant's predessecor, putting the life of their companion first although Tennant's 'noble' sacrifice comes after an out of character moment for The Doctor, who once again like in The Water's On Mars becomes angered by preordained events and once again we see The Doctor's selfish side.

The episode showed a minute of Matt Smith as the newly regenerated Doctor, finally, as much as I've enjoyed Tennant's reign as The Doctor, I have been looking forward to Matt Smith's arrival since he was first announced, mainly to see what he would bring to the role that has been going for 47 years and I enjoyed what I saw. Role on Spring 2010.

And here's what Whovians have to look forward to: