Doctor Who: 5 Best Nods to the Classic Series in ‘The Doctor Falls’
By James Aggas
After seeing the amazing finale The Doctor Falls, we take a look at the five best references and nods to the original series used throughout the episode.
Well, that was a marvelous finale, wasn’t it? There was a great deal to enjoy from these past two episodes, particularly The Doctor Falls, as my editor Molly discusses in her review. There was a great deal of brilliant characters, dialogue and acting all round.
However, in addition to all of that, there was something else I enjoyed about these episodes. Specifically, their use of the show’s mythology, particularly of the Classic Series. Here are five key instances where the episodes not only referenced or paid homage to the Classic Series. They also did it in exactly the right way.
BBC
The Master’s New Look
Editor’s note: Between me and James, I think we could have a site just about John Simm in these last episodes!
So, first things first: didn’t John Simm look absolutely fantastic in these episodes? Admittedly, it’s a lot more obvious in terms of how evil it looks compared to his previous costumes. (Specifically, of a politician’s suit and a hoody.) So, there was a real danger of looking closer to a cliché than a believable character. This is probably why Russell T. Davies turned Simm down when he asked to have a goatee in his earlier episodes. And I can see why the former showrunner would have wanted a brand new look for the character.
But it has to be said, Simm just absolutely rocks this more Classic-style Master look. The entirely black costume is reminiscent of the costumes that Anthony Ainley used to wear. But it’s the goatee, as previously worn by both Ainley and the original Master himself, Roger Delgado, that really makes it work. Simm has waited a long time to get it, (at least as the Master,) but it definitely paid off.
Speaking of bringing back Classic looks…
BBC
The Return of the Mondasian Cybermen
I was really, really happy to see the return of the original Cybermen. The earliest design has always been one of my favourites. With the human hands and clothed faces, there are more reminders there that they’re not robots. This is something I wasn’t too keen on with the later designs. While the more metallic designs introduced in the New Series have looked cool, the fact that they were completely metal made it easier to forget that they were originally people. (Although to be honest, this was somewhat true of many Classic designs, too.)
What I appreciated about both World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls wasn’t just that they brought the design back. They also brought back the humanity, and therefore, the fear. World Enough especially was full of body horror and buildup, which helped to remind us what’s underneath the masks.
But making the companion a Cyberman was a stroke of genius. Regardless of Bill’s ending, it was great to experience the horror of what being a Cyberman would be like, even one with emotions. No, more than that. Especially one with emotions. Getting to see people react to how Bill really looks, and then getting to see her reaction from her point of view, gave us some really great drama. It also gave us an even clear idea of exactly why the Cybermen don’t want to have emotions.
Like Simm’s more old-school look, bringing back the Cybermen’s original design was a risk. Arguably, a much greater risk, at that. But Moffat gave it just enough horror and tragedy to make it really effective.
And one more nod to Cybermen mythology I loved was…
Credit: Big Finish
The MANY Origins of the Cybermen
I need to confess something: I’m really annoyed at Moffat right now. Now, many fans have said this over the past 7 years, but it’s very true in my case right now.
You see, I was in the middle of writing another article for this site. Looking at whether the magnificent audio story Spare Parts could still be considered canon after World Enough and Time. I spent quite a while going into detail about how it could either be taken as the “Genesis of the Cybermen”. Or was it possible that it was merely a Cyberman origin story, one of two, including Mondas?
I just needed to do some “research” and watch World Enough and Time again, along with a re-listen to Spare Parts, to make sure that I had picked up every key point. I knew I had to wait until after The Doctor Falls had broadcast to finish the article, but why should I worry? We all knew it would more than likely be left ambiguous, after all.
And then what does Moffat do in the very next episode? Oh, he only just canonizes virtually every origin story of the Cybermen with just a few very short lines, thus making the article I had planned to finish completely redundant!
Spare Parts and The World Shapers
"They always get started. They happen everywhere there’s people. Mondas, Telos, Earth, Planet 14, Marinus…"
From the Doctor’s own mouth, it’s virtually confirmation that this isn’t the “genesis of the Cybermen”. At least, not for all of them. In fact, it’s only one of many.
This not only instantly helps Spare Parts, arguably the greatest Cyberman story ever, to remain canon. With the mentions of “Planet 14” and “Marinus”, even the Sixth Doctor comic story The World Shapers has now been made canon. It’s a bold choice by Moffat. (Especially as that presentation of the Cybermen’s origins has been far more controversial than Spare Parts.)
But it’s also very welcome. Compared to Star Wars and Star Trek, which tends to ignore or replace expanded universe material (or even ignore or replace the original timeline), it’s nice to see Doctor Who doing the opposite. More importantly, it’s also nice to see it done in such a way that doesn’t alienate the more casual viewer.
Still a shame I had to stop writing the speculation article as a result, though.
BBC
“Doctor!”
Now, in the penultimate scene of the episode, as Capaldi’s regeneration begins, there were a lot of nods to previous episodes. Particularly regeneration stories. Both the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor’s final lines got directly referenced.
But it wasn’t just New Who, even when it looked like it. One slightly subtle nod to a Classic regeneration story was the montage of the Doctor’s previous companions. Even while it was keen to focus on regular and recurring companions exclusively from the New Series, to fans of the Classic Series, particularly Tom Baker fans, the homage was clear.
In the last scene of the Fourth Doctor’s final story, Logopolis, the Doctor thinks of all his companions. All of them saying, of course, one word: “Doctor”. It was a nice little way to say goodbye to Four.
What’s interesting about Moffat’s homage is that, while it isn’t his nor Capaldi’s final episode, it’s definitely letting us know that the long goodbye has begun.
But even with the very beginning of a regeneration, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Especially with what was just around the corner. Quite literally, in fact…
BBC
The First Doctor
Oh wow. That’s all I can say. Even though it was heavily rumoured, the return of the First Doctor still left quite the impact.
There’s a lot that I appreciate about this ending. It’s not just the idea of having two Doctors in one story. Nor is it the fact that David Bradley, who played William Hartnell brilliantly in the documentary drama An Adventure in Space and Time, is finally playing the First Doctor in the actual show.
No, what I appreciate about this most is, like the last multi-Doctor story, how clearly placed it is in terms of continuity. Judging from the frozen setting, and the First Doctor commenting about not wanting to change, this seems to take place during the closing moments of The Tenth Planet. And I love that idea, because it means that the next episode isn’t just a multi-Doctor story just for the sake of it. There’s a real purpose to it, with the potential for a really good story. Particularly as both the current and the original Doctors are facing their final moments. They’ll definitely be a lot of interesting character drama there.
There’s a lot more that I appreciated about the finale, of course. But as a massive fan of the Classic Series, it was wonderful to see not just the Classic Series referenced a great deal in these last two episodes, but also have it seamlessly weaved into the plot very naturally, too.
Next: Rachel Talalay’s Doctor Who episodes stand out among the rest