The Doctor and Clara travel to the Nethersphere and finally meet the mysterious Missy. Clara’s loyalties are tested as she faces up to the hardest decision of her life. And the Earth is once again in peril from some familiar foes.
Unless you’ve managed to avoid the trailer at the end of In the Forest of the Dead and all the promotional images relating to the finale, you’ll know by now that the concluding two-parter sees the return of the Cybermen and, after a series of cameo appearances throughout the season, the meeting of the Doctor and Missy.
Dark Water delivers its biggest revelations in its opening and closing moments – two key segments at the very end of the episode have been removed even from preview versions – and gradually builds the tension in between.
The heart of this story is to be found in its quiet moments rather than big action setpieces, as Steven Moffat pays off the character development of both Clara and Danny which has been threaded throughout this season.
Indeed, there’s precious little action throughout the episode – expect more next week – as Moffat goes against his previous finales by laying out a simple, character-based mystery which steers clear of timey-wimey complexity.
We’ll see the Doctor and Clara’s relationship pushed to breaking point. And there’s a call-back to the events of Listen as the pair find themselves travelling to the Nethersphere in search of answers they may not want to hear.
Fans of the classic series and the Cybermen will also be delighted by scenes that recall two Second Doctor stories.
As a set-up for the second half of the finale, Dark Water is pitched just about perfectly, investing time in fleshing out the storyline without ever feeling padded. It makes for dark and at times uncomfortable viewing, touching on some potentially contentious social and religious issues which belie its pre-watershed transmission time.
The always excellent Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman get to play with their characters’ full emotional ranges, and Michelle Gomez’s Missy finally has the chance to play off them face-to-face in scenes which crackle with mischief and menace.
Buckle up for the ride. This one’s an emotional rollercoaster.
Unless you’ve managed to avoid the trailer at the end of In the Forest of the Dead and all the promotional images relating to the finale, you’ll know by now that the concluding two-parter sees the return of the Cybermen and, after a series of cameo appearances throughout the season, the meeting of the Doctor and Missy.
Dark Water delivers its biggest revelations in its opening and closing moments – two key segments at the very end of the episode have been removed even from preview versions – and gradually builds the tension in between.
The heart of this story is to be found in its quiet moments rather than big action setpieces, as Steven Moffat pays off the character development of both Clara and Danny which has been threaded throughout this season.
Indeed, there’s precious little action throughout the episode – expect more next week – as Moffat goes against his previous finales by laying out a simple, character-based mystery which steers clear of timey-wimey complexity.
We’ll see the Doctor and Clara’s relationship pushed to breaking point. And there’s a call-back to the events of Listen as the pair find themselves travelling to the Nethersphere in search of answers they may not want to hear.
Fans of the classic series and the Cybermen will also be delighted by scenes that recall two Second Doctor stories.
As a set-up for the second half of the finale, Dark Water is pitched just about perfectly, investing time in fleshing out the storyline without ever feeling padded. It makes for dark and at times uncomfortable viewing, touching on some potentially contentious social and religious issues which belie its pre-watershed transmission time.
The always excellent Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman get to play with their characters’ full emotional ranges, and Michelle Gomez’s Missy finally has the chance to play off them face-to-face in scenes which crackle with mischief and menace.
Buckle up for the ride. This one’s an emotional rollercoaster.