Over at The Sci-Fi Christian, Mike shared his thoughts about the previous episode of Doctor Who. He felt that “The Magician’s Apprentice” was a bit of a magic trick, giving the viewer the semblance of progress when it was really just spinning its wheels. Even though I enjoyed “The Magician’s Apprentice,” I thought that Mike made some valid points. “The Witch’s Familiar,” however, made up for the illusion of progress.
“The Magician’s Apprentice” and “The Witch’s Familiar” made for one spectacular episode of Doctor Who. On their own the episodes were good, but together they were great. I appreciated how “The Witch’s Familiar” used one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies to delve more deeply into what makes the Doctor the Doctor.
Peter Capaldi is still relatively new to the Doctor and he spent most of last season trying to figure out if he was a good man. “The Witch’s Familiar” proved beyond any doubt that the Doctor is a good man, which hopefully sets him up for some feats of heroism in the coming episodes.
Here are some other thoughts I had while watching “The Witch’s Familiar.”
No One Would Know
Integrity has often been defined as the person you are when no one is watching. When given the chance to commit genocide and kill all of the Daleks on Skaro, the Doctor passes. The Doctor already has the blood (do Daleks have blood) of enough Daleks on his hands. Instead of following a path that led him to become the War Doctor, Twelve chose a different path. The Doctor chose compassion instead of vengeance. Even though no one would know if the Doctor had committed genocide, he still chose the more virtuous path. I can only hope that I will choose the more virtuous path, even if no one would know.
Belonging
Davros made some pretty impassioned speeches in this episode, especially about belonging and having a people. Even for a crazed maniac who created a killing race, Davros has some good ideas about our need to belong. The Doctor needs his people and even Davros needs the Daleks. We all need to belong; we need to find a place where we fit in. A lot of nerds tend to be introverted, happy to stay at home with their collections of comic books and video games. Even shy nerds, though, need someplace to belong. God created us to be in community, both with himself and others. We may not need an entire race to feel like we belong, but we at least need a small group or a close circle of friends.
Mercy
“I’m not sure that any of that matters – friends, enemies – so long as there’s mercy.”
Mercy is one of the only things that can turn enemies into friends. We were enemies of God, but because he showed us mercy we now have the opportunity to become his friends. Mercy and compassion are the reasons the Doctor is who he is; they are the guiding principles for everything that he does. His principles of mercy and compassion are especially pronounced when compared to the Daleks and their desire to exterminate everything. Through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, we can look more like the Doctor with his mercy than the Daleks with their hate.
“The Witch’s Familiar” was a satisfying resolution to “The Magician’s Apprentice.” Even though I didn’t mention her, I absolutely loved Missy in this episode; I certainly could see her returning with a squadron of Daleks at her command. I also hope the sonic screwdriver makes a return; I don’t like anyone who wears sunglasses inside, even the Doctor.
What did you think about “The Witch’s Familiar?”
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