Doctor Who: 10 Most Shocking Moments from ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’

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(Warning: this article contains MASSIVE SPOILERS from the Doctor Who Series 9 premiere, ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’)

On Saturday, the long-awaited ninth series of Doctor Who premiered around the world. With the knowledge that ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ was only the first of a two-part story, we expected cliffhangers. But no one could’ve predicted the massive amount of jaw-dropping moments throughout the 50-minute premiere.

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10. Missy’s Return

Unless you somehow managed to stay one-hundred percent spoiler-free, the return of Michelle Gomez as the Doctor’s nemesis Missy (AKA the Master) really wasn’t much of a shocker. She was heavily featured in promotional materials, including trailers, photos, and even the official episode poster. What’s more, Gomez has tagged along on many of the press interviews over the past few months and was even on the panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Still, it was a bit surprising to see Missy back in action so soon after what seemed to be her demise at the end of Series 8’s ‘Death in Heaven.’ Of course, the Master ALWAYS manages to get away (as Missy herself says in ‘The Magician’s Apprentice, “death is for other people”), so it’s not as if anyone really thought she was down for the count anyway.

The manner of her return was shocking, though: freezing airplanes all over the world just to garner the attention of UNIT and Clara, and then murdering snipers when Clara dared to suggest she’s turned good. (Missy’s line, “No, I’ve not turned GOOD!” in that thick Scottish accent was easily one of my favorites of the episode).

We still don’t know HOW Missy returned, though I suspect it may have something to do with that vortex manipulator on her wrist. More on that in a bit.

Next: 9. That's No Space Station...

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9. Skaro Survives

This was heavily rumored before the episode aired, so it wasn’t a surprise to some, but to Missy, Clara, and the Doctor, the revelation that they were on the homeworld of the Dalek race was quite a shock.

Skaro was long thought to have been destroyed, or at least left in a devastated, post-apocalyptic state. The look of shock on Missy’s face when she realized where they were was incredible. I would imagine it takes a lot to take the Doctor and the Master by surprise, but Davros definitely did just that.

So how was Skaro restored? Who knows. Maybe we’ll get an answer in ‘The Witch’s Familiar,’ but most likely it will be one of those unanswered questions best attributed to “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wifey” stuff.

Next: 8. Where Everybody Knows Your Name

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8. Maldovarium/Shadow Proclamation

After the opening teaser and the main titles, ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ opened with a series of scenes showing Davros’ servant Colony Sarff searching the galaxy for the Doctor. The settings for these scenes were a number of familiar Doctor Who locations we hadn’t seen onscreen in quite a while.

First up, Colony Sarff glided through Dorium’s bar on the Maldovarium, last seen in 2011’s ‘A Good Man Goes to War.’ If you looked closely, you’ll have noticed a number of familiar aliens enjoying a drink in the bar, as well: a Kahler, a Hath, a Blowfish, a couple of Oods, and a Skullion (previously seen only on The Sarah Jane Adventures).

Colony Sarff then headed to the Shadow Proclamation — first mentioned in ‘Rose,’ the very first episode of the revived series, and only seen onscreen in 2008’s ‘The Stolen Earth’ — where he confronted the Shadow Architect and her Judoon assistant.

Next up was a trip to Karn and the Sisterhood of Karn (including Ohila, last seen in the 2013 mini-episode, ‘The Night of the Doctor’). That would’ve been a cool surprise, too, but both Ohila and Karn were shown in the two-minute prologue released prior to ‘The Magician’s Apprentice,’ so their reappearance wasn’t much of a stretch.

Next: 7. I Thought You Were an Idiot

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7. Bors’ Betrayal

He didn’t have much screen time in ‘The Magician’s Apprentice,’ but Daniel Hoffman-Gill was a charming presence as Bors in the Series 9 prequel, ‘The Doctor’s Meditation.’

So it was all the more shocking after the Doctor was taken by Colony Sarff to see Bors track down the TARDIS and reveal himself to be a Dalek puppet. We’re still not sure when Bors actually became a Dalek puppet, though — was he always infected and just managed to keep up an amazing cover story, or were the Dalek nanogenes somehow implanted when he was bitten by a snake from Colony Sarff? The latter makes more sense, as Davros and the Daleks clearly had no idea where the Doctor even was until Colony Sarff followed Clara and Missy.

Despite his short tenure, it truly was sad to see the Doctor’s loyal servant become an enemy.

Next: 6. Anachronisms

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6. The Doctor’s Entrance

“Shocking” might not be the right word for this one. “Hilarious” maybe? “Awesome”? At any rate, seeing the Doctor enter the arena through a cloud of smoke while playing the guitar on top of a tank was pretty unexpected.

There were a few fans who found it to be TOO over-the-top, but I think that was the point. Here was a Doctor who had resigned himself to death and was going out with a bang. Sure, he was messing with the natural order of the timeline by showing off that stuff (not to mention introducing the word “dude” a few centuries early), but who cares? He was going to be gone by tomorrow and then it wouldn’t be his problem anymore.

One thing is for sure, like the meme we posted on our Facebook page says: You may be cool, but you will never be Peter Capaldi playing the guitar while standing on a tank cool.

Next: 5. Why Did it Have to be Snakes?

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5. Colony Sarff’s Unveiling

So THAT’S why he has those lines on his face.

There were a lot of theories about the so-called “slashed face man” seen in the Series 9 trailers, including a prevalent proposal that he could be the Time Lord Morbius, based on his location on Karn. I don’t think anyone could have guessed that, no, he wasn’t scarred — he was literally a giant snake coiled up to look humanoid.

Technically, he was a giant snake coiled up to look humanoid AND a whole bunch of other snakes wriggling around to help fill out his robes. It’s been pointed out often that “sarff” is actually Welsh for “snake,” so Colony Sarff is literally a colony of snakes.

Hopefully we’ll learn more about Colony Sarff in ‘The Witch’s Familiar,’ as he’s a fascinating new villain who deserves a bit of backstory.

Next: 4. The Boy Who Lived

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4. “Davros… My Name is Davros”

The young Davros storyline had been rumored for months, so in some respects it wasn’t really a surprise. Of course, if you were one of the lucky people who managed to stay spoiler-free, it likely came as a bit of a shock.

Regardless, much like the look on Missy’s face when Skaro was unveiled, the stunned visage of the Twelfth Doctor when the young boy revealed his name was hard to forget.

Of course, it’s debatable which was the bigger shock: the boy’s identity or the Doctor’s decision to abandon him. In a lot of ways, it’s hard to blame him; Davros is a monster, responsible for the deaths of millions and millions of lives. On the other hand, here he was just a boy… scared and alone. And the Doctor refused to help him.

Next: 3. The Doctor's Wife

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3. The Destruction of the TARDIS

Quick: what’s the most iconic, recognizable symbol of Doctor Who, even among non-fans? Easy, it’s the TARDIS. Other than cosmetic tweaks every few years, the blue police box has been the one constant on Doctor Who ever since its debut in 1963.

So to see the Daleks fire upon her and cause her destruction was painful to watch. Without that TARDIS, who is the Doctor? How will he travel through time and space? Vortex manipulator? Not the same.

But then again, did the Daleks actually even destroy the TARDIS? Technically, we never saw her explode — there was a bright white light as the Daleks fired, but the light dissolved into the next scene before we saw what happened. Not to mention, the last time the TARDIS was blown up, it resulted in cracks throughout the fabric of space and time. Never a good outcome.

Next: 2. Hunters and Prey

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2. The Deaths of Missy and Clara

It’s always shocking when a character dies on Doctor Who, even if it’s just a minor character like Danny Pink. But to have both the Doctor’s companion and his best friend/nemesis die within minutes of each other was jaw-dropping.

To be honest, it seemed like Missy’s ploy would actually work at first. She did have a point: with a working TARDIS and a Time Lady willing to help them control it, the Daleks could’ve conquered the galaxy. So when they instead exclaimed, “MAXIMUM EXTERMINATION!” and blasted Missy into oblivion, it was surprising to say the least.

At that point, it became clear that Clara was in serious trouble. She knew it, the Doctor knew it, and Davros knew it. In the end, they waited for her to run before dooming her to the same fate as Missy.

But are they really dead? We know Jenna Coleman is leaving this year, but Clara has been seen in trailers and photos from almost all of the remaining Series 9 episodes. So did the Doctor alter the timeline, or did Missy’s vortex manipulators transport them both at the moment of impact? Dalek blasts don’t normally cause disintegration…

Next: 1. Are You Going to Save Me?

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1. “Exterminate!”

Yes, the most shocking moment of ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ came at the very end. After the apparent deaths of Clara and Missy and the destruction of the TARDIS, we returned to the field of battle and young Davros, left alone by the Doctor.

But now the Doctor is back, on the other side of the minefield. He tells Davros he’s come from the future to save his friend, but which friend is he talking about? When the camera finally reveals the Doctor, he’s brandishing a Dalek gunstick, seemingly pointed directly at Davros. As the Doctor exclaims “Exterminate!”, the episode ends, and we’re left wondering what could possibly happen next.

Will the Doctor really kill Davros? How did he get there? Once the shock wears off, the questions remain. Fortunately, we only have a few more days until we get the answers.

For more on all the upcoming Series 9 episodes, check out our frequently updated guide: Doctor Who Series 9: Everything There is to Know So Far.

What do you think? What was the most shocking moment for you? How do you think these jaw-dropping cliffhangers will be resolved? Sound off in the comments below!

Next: 'The Magician's Apprentice' Smashes Ratings Record in the US