I just finished watching David Tenant’s last episode of Doctor Who. Any fan will know there was a prophecy in The Dead Planet which said that something was returning from the dark and that “he will knock four times”. This stirred up much speculation on the intertubes about who could be knocking four times and what could be returning. A number of people figured that Gallifrey would be returning and, in fact, it was the Time Lords and Gallifrey. However, I do not recall reading anywhere that anyone thought that Wilfred Mott would be the one who knocked four times. Yes, that’s right. It was not The Master and his drums like so many thought.
I admit that it was a wonderful farewell episode for David Tenant and a great intro for Matt Smith at the end. While I liked the “last visit” scenes, the episode could have done without them. They do serve as character development and also highlight the impact he has had on various people during his adventures, from Sarah Jane Smith to Captain Jack Harkness to Rose Tyler to Micky Smith to Martha Jones and others.
I do have an issue with the showdown scene with the Time Lords, though. When The Doctor sends Gallifrey back, he calls the Lord President a significant name: Rassilon. Rassilon is a legendary figure and should not be living. Of course, it is entirely possible that he is merely a namesake or that Rassilon was brought back during the time war. Still, it is a bit of a discrepancy.
Also, who was the time lady that came to Wilfred? She clearly knew the Doctor and he clearly knew her.
For a “wrap up the loose ends and leave a clean slate for the new guy”, this episode sure left a lot of things unresolved. Maybe some of that was at the request of the new guy? Who knows.
All in all, I liked the episode. It is fun to look for all the back references like the wasp Donna sees or the Adiposian at the bar. And the actual regeneration sequence was great. Looks like the Tardis control room is going to get remodelled by the new regeneration.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how the upcoming season unfolds.