2nd Opinion, Take 1 “The Power of the Doctor” – As Much Good As There Is Bad
Gustaff Behr reviews the Centenary special.
“Well folks, if you’re so smart, why was the Fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS a police box?” – Me (2018)
“Keep watching, hater. It will be paid off.” – Chibnall fans (2018)
“Lol” – Me (2022)
“The Power of the Doctor” is a difficult episode to review, as opposed to other stories from this era. It isn’t your run-of-the-mill script. There are as many good things in Jodie’s swansong as there are bad. There are things I respect Chris Chibnall for not doing or not paying off, while at the same time there are things that take away some of my respect for the man for not sticking to his guns at least. I can understand why the Timeless Child arc is never even mentioned. And I know why Chris decided not to give in to the Thazmin ship. A lot of his decisions in this story highlight the shortcomings of his era and how clumsy it felt most of the time.
I will say that for all the plot convenient asspullery that goes on in this episode, Chibnall makes it difficult for you to hold that against him. The AI Doctor interface is a convenient way of keeping her in the story after her body is stolen. It also robs some of the characters of doing more, but without it, we don’t get the beautiful “brave heart” and “We’re Ace” moments with the Doctor, Ace and Tegan. Janet Fielding’s breaking expression hearing that from Five is utterly magnificent. Some fans might not like the ‘Edge’ mythos that Chibnall introduces in this story, but without it, we don’t get to have David, Peter, Colin, Sylvester and Paul FREAKING McGann back onscreen. The inside of a volcano is meant to be hot (unlike it is in the episode), but without it, you don’t get to see Sophie Aldred bashing a Dalek with a baseball bat.
I’d compare this episode to a cake that was prepared by an amateur chef who manages to cover the faults of his work with a lot of frosting, sprinkles and sweets. The references in this story run deep, and there are a few deep cuts that surely pleased a lot of hardcore fans. They also highlight just how much of a fan Chris Chibnall is. Tiny details like Tegan being afraid of climbing down from a great height feels a lot harsher when you know that she watched the Doctor fall to his death before.
It’s unfortunate that Chris Chibnall decided to throw out all his normal essential tropes on his last script. I’m not sure if the budget finally allowed for a script editor to join the crew, but I will openly congratulate him on 1) Not putting a countdown timer in the story, 2) Managing to balance a ton of characters, 3) Giving everyone something to do and 4) Remembering his audiences are intelligent and thus do not need so much freaking exposition.
Given that, this episode does have some large holes. The special effects are one of them. What the heck happened with that train scene? Did the money run out? The scene on the train felt like watching “The Lazarus Experiment” in 2007, but if “The Lazarus Experiment” had been made in 2022. This is especially jarring given that the CGI at the end with Jodie’s regeneration was beautiful. Likewise, the Master’s plan is ridiculously complicated and just plain ridiculous. I’m glad it was a three-phase plan because a two-phase plan would have been laughable. You do not need to take over the Doctor’s body to ruin her reputation. You are both shapeshifters, for god’s sake! Go out into the universe, cause havoc and tell everyone ‘I am the Doctor’. It’s literally that simple. Not only that, but do you recall how utterly repulsed the Master was in the Series 12 finale when he discovered that a part of the Doctor will always be inside of him now? Chris Chibnall didn’t because the Master is suddenly okay with fully being part Doctor. This is the part where you redraft your script, ladies and gentlemen because motivations need to make sense.
Other irritancies include Dan just being put on a bus at the start of the story, citing the danger, only to pop up at the end seemingly in the middle of an investigation. You have Graham showing up out of nowhere with no explanation. As cool as it was seeing Ace bash a Dalek, blowing up that base turns out to be busy work in the climax when the Doctor plugs up all the other volcanos.
You have Yaz leaving the TARDIS for…reasons I guess? She leaves because the Doctor asks her too, yet Doctors 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 11 had companions to support them through the traumatic process. Does the Doctor believe Yaz will not love her anymore if she looks like David Tennant? That just makes Yaz look superficial. No, people, the simple reason is the script needed Yaz to leave and Chris Chibnall couldn’t find a way out of the corner he wrote himself into with her.
Performance-wise, I enjoyed everyone’s. Jodie genuinely felt like the Doctor once again. Her awkwardness around Tegan and Ace, her frustrations with the Master and her interactions with Yaz all land. I found her final words to be very 13-ish (in a good way) which is strange given how inconsistent this incarnation’s character has been over the years. Somehow, if it had been anything else, especially a speech, it wouldn’t have felt nearly as powerful. Yaz, meanwhile is finally given something to do. I can’t say I’m going to miss her. She ended up being one of the most boring and underdeveloped characters in the franchise. Chibnall’s only real use of her was to queerbait parts of the fan base.
I have also been iffy on Sacha’s portrayal of the Master so far, but this episode, more than any other, does an excellent job of showcasing how utterly unhinged this incarnation is. Almost Joker-like. This is a man so far gone, that he is one, tiny step away from absolute madness.
For now though, we close the book on the Thirteenth Doctor. We’ll see if those interviews about her wanting to come back amount to anything. Whether it’s Big Finish or next year in the 60th Anniversary, the latter being unlikely…or at least it would be had I not just seen Paul FREAKING McGann be brought back OR watch Jodie Whitaker regenerate into David Tennant…who is actually the Fourteenth Doctor!
