Dreaded this mini-season of Doctor Who coming to a close. True, it was three more episodes than I expected to see but I was so wrapped up in them I wanted every Saturday night to be like this. As it was, for oh so many years. Thats the thing about magical joy bringing eras, you dont always know you are in one. So here we are, the episode where we expected to see The Doctor/Donna pairing be torn ascunder once more.
Only it was'nt. Joy to the world, our hero did not have to die to make room for the next iteration, he got to live. He got to walk away in his own shoes, with his own feet.
Actually, that last line might not make much sense if you are not a long term fan. It has context, a bit wibbly wobbly context, but context all the same. See the End Of Time part one and you will understand what I am referring to; One of the saddest lines delivered by The Doctor in the history of the traveler.
The Giggle begins in London 1925 in one of the most striking toy shops I ever laid eyeballs on. Honestly, the level of design in this show is just lovely. I once looked around an old toyshop in Spain many years ago and got a similar vibe. It is there we meet stooky Bill and a carefully woven trap is set. I entered the room at my house where I watch television and from the opening to the end I never sat down once. I did not even really notice I was standing in front of the telly the whole time. I was well beyond the edge of the seat. Fast paced, exciting, a thrill ride in great company with some old faces and some new ones. The Doctor has never seemed more heroic and yet vulnerable, worn down by lifetimes of emotional trauma, unresolved, always building, crushing him down, carrying a painful weight that only his very best friend, Donna, could see him struggling with. And how beautifully portrayed by the gifted David Tennent. The "This old face" question having an unexpectedly poignant payoff. Fortunately, just waiting in the wings, or perhaps next to The Doctor's kidneys, is Ncutti Gatwa. And I use the present tense with precision, he is The Doctor now. Helping save the day in his underpants! Its more than a giggle, its a belly laugh from deep down!
He hit the ground running, perfectly formed and ready for adventure. I am glad that almost the first words he hears are Mel's, telling him how beautiful he is, in character from the first words.
And his race is just beginning.
Run you clever boy!
