Doctor Who
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
We are so back.
Sure, the next season ofDoctor Whoisnt supposed to drop until sometime in spring 2024.
But to help us transition into the upcoming era, were getting three-anniversary specialsanda Christmas special this month.
Returning showrunner Russell T. Davies is hitting the ground running.
In contrast, this episode rests almost entirely on the Doctor and Donnas shoulders.
Good thing theyve got giant arms!
(Or at least, their evil twins do.)
Perhaps these so-called Not-Things are distant relatives of the creature fromMidnight?
Either way, its a thoroughly creepy premise.
Much likeDoctor Whoitself, the TARDIS is in the process of rebuilding itself.
The Doctor and Donna are stranded and aware that theyre in danger.
Donna is understandably panicked by the gravity (or mavity) of the situation.
Yeah, some of his past regenerations could never.
They meet back up, but somethings off.
At first, its easy to identify the Not-Things.
Theyre puffed-up, distorted versions of the Doctor and Donna that clog the hallway.
But their duplication gets better with each try.
Oh, RTD definitely playedAmong Usduring lockdown.)
Despite their comically stretchy bodies, the Not-Things struggle to wrap their heads around the concept of nuance.
Most concerningly, theyve decided that the universe isonlyabout fury, hatred, and violence.
Their restricted system of thinking makes them falter when presented with any seeming contradictions.
How can Donna think shes both dumb and brilliant?
Why is the Doctor suggesting that a superstition can also be true?
At one point, the Not-Doctors tie disappears after he drops it on the floor.
The episode constantly emphasizes that things dont always fit into mutually exclusive binaries.
Conveniently, the Doctor and Donna dont actually have to think of a way to take the Not-Things down.
The captain also took her own life before her plan could be copied from her mind.
Unfortunately, the Not-Things find it easier to duplicate targets who are thinking, whose blood is pumping.
This means the hostile action is over, so the TARDIS comes back!
Just as the bomb goes off, he ejects the Not-Thing and scoops up his real companion.
Safely back in the TARDIS, the Doctor seems to be on the precipice of an emotional milestone.
The conversation affected him so much that he stopped to kick a wall afterward.
Plenty of fans certainly did.
When she says she doesnt, however, he falls right back into old patterns of avoidance.
Donna even accuses him of timing the TARDISs landing so he doesnt have to talk about what happened.
To be fair, the universe does enable his behavior.
Theres always a distracting fire that needs to be put out somewhere, and this episode is no exception.
When the TARDIS finally lands, Wilf is parked outside waiting for his granddaughter and his favorite alien.
Wilf reveals that everyones gone mad and the whole world is coming to an end.
As easy as that, the Doctor has another excuse to put off processing his feelings.
I appreciate the parallels between the Doctor and Donnas conversations with the Not-Things.
Incidentally, I cant believe those giant handswerent CGI.
The Doctor surprises himself by admitting that he finds Isaac Newton to be sohot.
He just wanted to flex in front of Romana, lol.
I didnt expect to get so emotional about the dedication to Bernard Cribbins in the end credits!
Hoping to see more of him in the next episode.
