The title of this "special" programme should have been "Three Doctors in Search of a Decent Story." Although one expected to see the return of various supporting characters, evildoers and gadgets ("Where does he get those wonderful toys?"), the filmmakers threw everything they had at it except an interesting story. The story that comprises "The Day of the Doctor" has substituted the kind of faux mysticism one finds in science fiction for plot and character development.
The central problem with Steven Moffat's script is that it fundamentally changes the backstory of central character. Since the series was revived in 2005, the responsibility of having annihilated his own planet and his race has been a huge weight on The Doctor's shoulders that has shaped his personality and often dictated his actions. It is as if the post-2005 Doctor is driven by enormous guilt and a desire to seek repentance by putting things right. Moffat's screenplay changes this cornerstone of the Doctor's history and then has John Hurt's Doctor coyly say that he (and presumably all his successors) will not remember this alteration but will continue to believe themselves to be profoundly guilty and wicked.
The other issue is the violation of what was previously a given, that more than one version of a Doctor or companion cognisant of co-existing in the same time as another would be devastating. Has Moffat now rewritten this rule for all time?
The best bit comes at the film's end with the brief appearance of Tom Baker, the fifth (and perhaps the best) Doctor, here as the museum curator.
"The Day of the Doctor" created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of television's longest-running series. Expectations were high. What a disappointment!
The central problem with Steven Moffat's script is that it fundamentally changes the backstory of central character. Since the series was revived in 2005, the responsibility of having annihilated his own planet and his race has been a huge weight on The Doctor's shoulders that has shaped his personality and often dictated his actions. It is as if the post-2005 Doctor is driven by enormous guilt and a desire to seek repentance by putting things right. Moffat's screenplay changes this cornerstone of the Doctor's history and then has John Hurt's Doctor coyly say that he (and presumably all his successors) will not remember this alteration but will continue to believe themselves to be profoundly guilty and wicked.
The other issue is the violation of what was previously a given, that more than one version of a Doctor or companion cognisant of co-existing in the same time as another would be devastating. Has Moffat now rewritten this rule for all time?
The best bit comes at the film's end with the brief appearance of Tom Baker, the fifth (and perhaps the best) Doctor, here as the museum curator.
"The Day of the Doctor" created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of television's longest-running series. Expectations were high. What a disappointment!
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