Defence in Heaven

Guest contributor Kevin Burnard on whether the criticisms of the story are warranted.

Despite its universally adored set­up in Dark Water, Death in Heaven has been a pretty divisive episode for many fans. A recent article published here pointed out that, among other things, they felt the Cybermen/Master team­-up was underwhelming. It is this complaint that I would like to turn to, because I feel it is indicative of a fundamental divide in how viewers approached this story. Anyone who goes in expecting a traditional story out of it, or for that matter, out of any finale by Moffat, is sure to be disappointed.

So first, let’s look at the past Moffat finales. The Pandorica Opens sets up an enormous conflict, with practically every monster teaming up against the Doctor. The Big Bang leaves this all behind for a quieter character piece in a museum, with just one Dalek left to menace the heroes. The Wedding of River Song promises all of history happening at once and the Doctor’s death, while in actuality it is a story about the Doctor forgiving River and very much not dying. The Name of the Doctor never even comes close to giving us the Doctor’s name, and The Time of the Doctor keeps its promised battle of Trenzalore to the sidelines of the plot. There’s a very clear pattern here, of course. Moffat finales are built upon subverted expectations, and he works from the hook of a large spectacle to smaller character­-focused pieces.

Next, I would like to talk about the Master. They are, of course, created as an evil parallel to the Doctor, down to the very name, which harks at a degree, just like the Doctor’s. The archetypal Master story has traditionally involved the Master teaming up with another force to conquer, usually resulting in an Earth invasion. In his first season alone, the Master teams up with the Autons, the Axons, the Devil, and a weird blobby mind parasite that can inexplicably teleport around a prison. Meanwhile, the Doctor and UNIT would seek to stop him. The Master would go through disguises and convoluted plots before inevitably being betrayed by whoever or whatever he allied himself with, typically turning to the Doctor for help. Anyone who has watched the Pertwee era will likely know these plot beats by heart. While Death in Heaven carries this framework, with the Doctor and Kate facing off against Missy and the Cybermen, it is pointedly not that story.

Speaking of the Cybermen, just why are they here? The criticism often levelled against this story is that they spend most of the climactic scenes shuffling around the graveyard and generally doing nothing. It’s true, of course, that that’s exactly what happens. Throughout those scenes, though, Cyber­Danny gets to shine. Just like the Master is a distorted reflection of the Doctor, the Cybermen are reflections of humanity. Cyber­Danny emphasizes the most powerful aspects of the Cybermen, the psychological and body horror of being augmented into a grotesque, inhuman machine.

In fact, I would argue Cyber­Danny is the single most effective use of the Cybermen since Spare Parts came out in 2002, a Big Finish audio story (that you really should listen to if you haven’t already) that thrives off of the same psychological and body horror. Armies of Cybermen marching about don’t get to the heart of what makes the Cybermen threatening. Much­loved as stories like The Invasion, a story so iconic that it is referenced in the cliffhanger of Dark Water, or Earthshock are, the Cybermen in those stories could easily be replaced by just about anything else. Death in Heaven realizes where the strengths of the Cybermen lie and utilizes them to the fullest.

Ultimately, Death in Heaven subverts the framework of iconic Master and Cybermen stories and subverts them into a far more chilling and effective character piece. I’ve brought up Missy and the Cybermen as reflections briefly earlier, and that’s exactly the purpose they serve here, with Missy being set against the Doctor and Danny set against Clara. Instead of carrying out the invasion story of The Invasion or the “the Master teams up with *insert monster here*” story of the Pertwee era, both expectations Dark Water builds, Death in Heaven pulls the typical Moffat finale twist of subverting expectations to create an intimate character piece.

Clara, Danny, the Doctor, and Missy all shine in the story far more than they ever would in a rehashing of old plot points. Death in Heaven uses Missy and the Cybermen at their greatest and creates an excellent character analysis, and for that reason, I will always love it. Doctor Who doesn’t need more Cybermen invasions of Earth or stock Master team-­up stories. It’s a show that thrives on change and that needs innovation, and that is exactly what Moffat seeks to provide.