Peter Capaldi has really grown on me as the Doctor. His first few episodes were suspect, but he really came into his own through the past two series. I was preparing for his regeneration in “The Doctor Falls,” but thankfully we’ll get one more Christmas special out of Twelve.
Here are some thoughts I had while watching “The Doctor Falls.”
Two Minds
Missy is a great character. She was great as the wholly evil Mistress last series, and she was even better this series as the Doctor’s conflicted and possibly repentant prisoner. So seeing Missy interact with the Master was extremely fascinating as we got to see both sides of her personality. Missy even acknowledges this by saying that she’s in two minds, quite literally. We may not have a past version of ourselves walking around, but we can often be of two minds. If we’re followers of Jesus, there’s always the tension of our new life and our old life. We know everything that the new life has to offer, but we’re still drawn to our old lives.
Tears and Hope
The Doctor told Bill that where there’s tears there’s hope. Throughout my life I’ve never really been a big fan of tears. I don’t really enjoy crying and I prefer to hold it together as long as I possibly can. Before some good therapy, holding it together meant holding it in. While I still don’t like crying, I don’t hold my tears in; I’ll let them flow around my wife and my good friends. Tears do represent hope because dead things don’t cry. As long as we’re crying it means we’re breathing. Our tears may be brought on by tragedy or seemingly insurmountable circumstances, but God will meet us even in those times. Our tears are a reminder that we’re still alive and that God is still at work.
Right, Decent, Kind
Twelve began his journey with Clara wondering if he was a good man. More than anything, this has been the theme of Capaldi’s time as the Doctor. Twelve always seemed to be weighing his past choices and current attitudes against the good that he had accomplished. His journey towards being a good man almost fell apart when his love for Clara nearly caused him to rip the universe apart. However, with this series the Doctor has done good simply for the sake of doing good. His impassioned speech to the Master and Missy was a perfect summation of everything that we’ve seen with Twelve. “I do what I do because it’s right, because it’s decent and above all, it’s kind.” That definitely wouldn’t be a bad mantra and attitude to carry through our lives.
This Christmas Alycia and I will be in our own place, Clara will be celebrating her second Christmas and I’ll be settling in to watch Peter Capaldi’s actual finale as the Doctor. I am loath to see Twelve regenerate, but there is always that twinge of anticipation for a new Doctor.
What did you think of “The Doctor Falls?”
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