I hope you guys enjoyed the video! If it’s a tad less polished than the previous two, then I apologise. I’d planned on finishing with The Doctor Falls video, and had a lot less time to work on this than I’d hoped. But I suppose that’s rather fitting for a look at Twice Upon a Time. I’ve never related more to Steven Moffat in my life.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. As of 2021, Twice Upon a Time was the last good episode of Doctor Who before we got the terrible 11th and 12th seasons of Doctor Who.
Just think of this as a Bonus Capaldi episode and then all is right with the World again. I agreed with everything you pointed out except one thing, the Doctor gets to remember Clara again, and I loved that. Memories are all we have in the end, and the Doctor should have his.
Maybe you’re right, I am usually inclined to prefer happier endings. I think my disappointment really just stems from my appreciation of that ending in Hell Bent. I’m sure I’ll get round to properly discussing that story and ending at a later date
I loved Twice Upon a Time and Capaldi was given the magnificent send off he deserved. Good insightful essay, however, with a deeper insight into 12's arc and the Doctor character throughout. Thank you.
Now rewatching most of the Capaldi era in 2021 I’m growing to like his Doctor more and more. When I first saw him as the doctor in 2014 I wasn’t as impressed since Matt Smith had been terrific but now I see why you like him so much
I always assumed the 4th wall breaks were him just talking to the TARDIS. He looks at different places, and the TARDIS is all around him, so the camera view was to immerse us as a companion despite us really playing the TARDIS. And despite the lengthy rubbish* over his name, this WAS the most theatrical of the lot lol
Before I watched this video, I would have said that Capaldi's era should defintely have ended with The Doctor Falls - I've always liked bits of Twice Upon A Time (mainly, somewhat ironically, the bits focusing on the Twelfth Doctor), but The Doctor Falls would have been a much better ending. Now, though... well, I still think The Doctor Falls would have been a better ending, and I will always wish that Capaldi's final line had actually been "Pity, no stars - I hoped there'd be stars." but I'm a lot less resentful that this episode exists (although Chibnall didn't help by immediately undoing the main reason it was made).
I'll still always be convinced this is Twelve's mid-regeneration dream sequence, a way to ease the trauma of his three friends dying at his hand. It's a cute episode though, with loads of ideas and themes that could fill an entire series, let alone crammed in one episode.
The dream-like fairytale framing means you can just write this off as a hallucination, or at least a cutesy retelling of real events. Allows for all sorts of headcanons
@@Joe_Brennan_ Didn't they already do something like this before, where Mat Smith is reversing through his timeline watching what he has done through his life. This kinda reminds me of that.
2:29 My interpretation of the end of time has always been that Ten was simply a very human doctor. He grew "too close" to the people around him and got caught up in their views of death, and he got attached to his current form. So when he knew something was going to happen to him that would typically kill a human but for him would simply cause a regeneration he reacted like a human would - he genuinely believed he would actually die. I haven't explained this very well, but I hope I've given enough for the zero people who see this to figure out what I mean.
I also look at his time as “John Smith”. He was scolded so hard from for doing that, it must have left a mark on him and made him paranoid about what regeneration really was. Also, god complex lol.
1:56 "I can't keep doing this, Clara. Burning the old me...to make a new one." Best. Arc. Ever. 12's suicidal, weary-of-life nature is so well-earned. He lost his best friend, his wife, his oldest friend, and his newest in the space of just a few years. I wouldn't want to come back either. How perfect for his successor to be so full of life and absent of agnst! Oh...Series 12 happened. I was blissfully ignorant for a second there.
I nearly included that clip from Heaven Sent but the Heaven Sent clips were giving me copyright trouble in the last video, so I rewrote it. It’s very clever though
@@Joe_Brennan_ In a way Clara and the 12th Doctor were canon ... so he should remember her because the very beginning of the impossible girl story was about the Doctor remembering her.
@@BriZ3l21 - very true. Also 12 immediately remembers her as the Diner TARDIS dematerialises and he sees the waitress's face painted on his own TARDIS. It's written in the script, but no one watching the episode released that he remembers Clara so Steven just went with it and gave him his memories back here. I seriously do not understand the memory removal scene in Hell Bent given Steven would - TWO SCENES LATER - undo it. And it confuses me even more so that people never picked up on the fact that 12 does indeed get his memories back.
@@nightowl8477 you see ... the 11th was drawing her when he first met her as Clara that we know ' I guess ' and in hell bent she was a painting ' on the Tardis ' ... and when first the 11th reg to 12th .. he said to her that you look at me but you can't see me ... umm that's really what happened in hell bent ... he looked at her but he couldn't see her ... so in a way it should be like that
apparently in the novelisation, the first doctors' misogyny is revealed/presented to be him teasing and trying to embarrass the 12th i really like this idea, it doesn't walk all over the "time lords past gender binaries" thing while keeping up with the first doc's clear disdain for the modern show, *and* makes those scenes even funnier with that headcanon in place
thank you so much for this, now the episode isn’t spoiled for me at all, i didn’t know episodes in the show had novelisations could you explain that more
@@matthewrickard5050 same for me, as soon as i heard about the novelisation's interpretation i breathed a sigh of belief at being able to interpret the episode in a really fun new way the novelisations are published by the bbc for a large range of select episodes, they're great because they have so much more space to fill out blanks that 45-minute episodes don't have the leeway to do. often they're written by people with some contacts to the original writer, but it's hard to say what's original and what was just lost in translation from page to production.
You hit the nail on the head with this. Not perfect, but...still, we got a lot of nice bits and it had potential. Plus, one more turn for Peter Capaldi. I love the end with the WWI scene. Beautiful.
The death of Davros and the Master in this series & all the nods to the dawn of doctor who with that style of daleks/ cybermen/first doctor really does make it feel like an ending. It could have closed here. Not saying it should have but would neatly have tied it up. Similar to how the Simpsons could have ended at Holidays of Future Past but didn't
Hold on, when did Davros die? I know Missy, who's the final incarnation of the Master (go fuck yourself Chinballs), was killed by John Simms' incarnation but Davros' last appearance was in the Season 9 two part opening episodes and I don't remember him being killed in those. In fact, the Doctor made a point about Davros' chair making him almost immortal.
I really want to do one, but it'll probably be further down the line. I've just spoken a lot about him in the last three videos that I'm afraid I'd be repeating myself
I've always thought this special was so underrated, and I'm glad to a positive review! I'm not a huge fan of the sillier christmas specials of the Moffat era, so this one felt right. It's got unforgettable moments, like Lethbridge-Stewart asking "What do you mean, one?" (I was so happy to see you mention it!), or Capaldi's delivery of "Do you know how many of you I could fill? I would shatter you", which makes me cry every single time XD. Even though The Doctor Falls is for sure a superior episode, I will never lament that it wasn't 12th's last, because he deserved a more hopeful send-off. Also, "Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind" might as well be how one might describe 12th. ♥
I think I agree about the Clara scene from a story angle, but I've always viewed it as Moffat leaving as clean a slate as possible for Chibnall. But, that scene of Capaldi with his arms still hugging after Bill and Nardole disappear... still hits just the right way.
I guess that makes sense actually, leaving future writers with one less thing to worry about when it comes to the Doctor's history. Still, I reserve the right to be a tad grumpy
"We get a weird looking cameo from Jenna Coleman" Yeah that shot has always reminded me of some of the scenes in Infinity War and Endgame where people are standing in front of a green screen and them and the lighting looks all weird and shoved into the rest of the movie.
She looked ethereal. The lighting actually added to the scene because Clara wasn't really there. She was an illusion who represented the Doctor's long buried memories of her.
19:19 - "his death would rob the universe of all the things his future self would accomplish" - shows an image of whittaker... maybe he should have refused to regenerate after all :/
... What kept Doctor Who, the show, alive? What keeps any of us alive - after we're gone? ... Memories. What a wonderful legacy. Twice Upon a Time is a big ''thank you! for all the memories!'' the Doctor Who show provided us all with. Darn cleverly done, rush job, low budget, intimately set. Deeply felt. Like in the olden days. They've addressed a couple of issues you mention in the Cornell novelisation, it's fairly packed and well written. 1st Doctor's response is explored more in depth. Also, the parallels. There's a few! Worth reading. Here's the extended Rusty scene: Rusty harbours a strong ... dislike for his own kin, he's now a psychologically damaged Dalek who, with some ''help?'' in the past, expanded consciousness beyond the programming and genetics - regained his memories of a star being born (power of memories) - while falling into the reversal ideology - ''kill all that's not a Dalek'' burned into ''kill all Daleks'' through the fusion with Doctor's memories (of everything popping into existence & strong hate - which became one of his fears, whether he's a good man) - Rusty as he has been for billions of years at that point, his decision and credo, in essence, have been shaped by memories themselves and logic derived from them: ''Because helping me, in any way, does something wonderful. It hurts the Daleks.'' Another pause. The Doctor was pretty sure he really could hear the cogs whirring. ''Your logic is ... ingenius.'' He grinned. ''And just a little bit evil.'' ''I approve.'' The Doctor now felt able to approach. He went to the Dalek, and took his sonic sunglasses from his pocket. He tapped them against the Dalek's sucker arm, and heard the sound of vast quantities of information flowing into the creature's cyborg brain. He felt it was about time that Rusty came out with its standard catchphrase about him once again. ''You would make a good Time Lord,'' said Rusty. The Doctor winced. Now /that/ was just plain /mean./ * And possibly below the belt - I like that Rusty popped up and had a say. And tell him off a bit, just in case: what's in a perspective: what's worse than a good Dalek? A good Time Lord? Thank goodness he's just an idiot. What a save. Anyway, unlike with Me, whom he checked upon from afar, the Doctor left Rusty to fend for himself entirely. He grew enough not to repeat that same mistake later with Grant. Dalek philosophy is now meaningless and pointless to Rusty, but he's caught in this vicious cycle of cancelling the Daleks. And here's the meanie Time Lord who put him in this position. Primum non nocere - firstly, do no harm - yeah, Rusty's arse. (Not that he couldn't say: Enough of this! I'm packing my bags and going to the Bahamas! Come on, Doctor! Why didn't you include that one in the flashback?! ;P) A bit sorry to see him still exterrrminating through the aeons, though. Then again: what's a Dalek equivalent of ''just being happy'' ... Personally, I got warmth from Bradley's Doctor - but also grittiness, sense of adventure, a twinkle, packed in one. He's not trying to be Hartnell's Doctor - just being 1st Doctor. Moffat, and let's face it: this episode is VERY moffaty ;) - inserted those ball-knobs in there for a purpose: for one: they're cheap CGI (which is a bit of a clue to what was coming), and also - whenever he got the chance, he lists all Doctor's incarnations, hammering them in: 50th, Husbands of RS, Name of the Doctor, here, .... Minus a couple of bazillion that exist now. He made sure to tie Classic Who to Reboot Who - and especially interesting is that all of Capaldi run - has to deal with death and passing, giving a sense of finality to the show (if one so chooses - as I think I have: judging by the initials of this episode and unreliable yet fun and completely incorrect Urban Dictionary guide, TUAT stands for a female getting on your nerves (which is in 55% incorrect as it's Chibnall's writing I really can't stand, not only Whittaker's delivery --- and I had hopes. ... Just a shame ...)) ... But I love Twice Upon A Time. Very best thing about it? The Captain's family won't have to rely on the memories - to be with their husband and father ...
9:15 I think that's part of the point. The Doctors themselves are horrified by what they see, but Bill (and the audience, thanks to the music) views his exploits as triumphs. Everyone can see that the Doctor is a force for good except him; it's a thematic callback to the Series 6 arc and an idea that Moffat seems to like a lot.
@@Ben-vf5gk - I think thematically New Year specials are a thousand times more appropriate for the show, yes. Christmas is a time of remembering, reflecting, looking back. But Doctor Who is a show sustained on forward momentum. A New Year's Day Special, looking into the future, just makes more sense tonally. Additionally, there are only so many Christmas-themed stories to be told. But New Year's? Steven and Mark put out a gothic horror the other year. And the year before that, Chris put out a sci-fi blockbuster. Point being: anything goes on New Year's. There's so much variety, so many different stories allowed to be told. It's liberating for future Who writers. Having said that, the 25th of December, 7PM, BBC 1 is hands down the _best_ time slot in the entirety of British television. And for over a decade, it was Doctor motherfucking Who's. I get why people miss it. We got a big dick moment every year. But Chris did the right thing. I'm referring to the joke about Jenna's pause though.
Everything after the Christmas Armistice is just perfection. Doctor Who distilled. It's everything I love about the show. The set-up is pretty great too; 12 gets to reflect on both his past and future, though there really was no need for Bill. Let her have a cameo with Nardole and Clara, that's all she needed. Then we could have spent more time developing Soldier-Whose-Name-I-Can't-Remember! If I'm being honest, I don't think the Testimony plot could ever have worked - and I actually stand by the "There isn't an evil plan" 'plot' point. Just a bit dull, really. But I imagine the original cut of the scenes with Rusty was amazing, finally reflecting on the "Am I a good man?" Arc, and tying together the loose strands of 12's very jumpy character journey. I honestly think the original 90-minute cut might have made for one of the greatest stories of all time, not just in the show itself but of television. It's a shame. With that half an hour gone, everything before the resolution is just a mess of nothing. No substance. You can get away with no plot, but you gave to have _content_ for Christ's sake! Bloody BBC. They gave Russell eighty minutes! Ah, well. Rachel has confirmed that they shot the original footage, so that 90-minute cut does exist, and maybe one day I'll get it. Who's to say?
@@frogoat - Steven wrote the script as 90 minutes - they then shot 90 minutes of footage. At the last second, the BBC insisted on it only being an hour, so Rachel - sadly with o help from Steven - had to cut out 30 minutes of footage, which is unheard of. I like to think most of issues with the script would be remedied with the original, more appropriate, runtime.
The crowd cheering over Nardole was when I gave this video a like. Also I guess that's two awkward long pauses with Clara at the end and 1 in the beginning with "have you no emotions........................ sir?"
I always enjoyed Twice upon a time. Sure, the joke about the first Doctor being sexist got boring quickly and was overplayed, and Bill coming back was a tad unnecessary, but other than that it was a fun adventure, and as you say, it was a good epilogue to the twelfth doctor’s run. I remember hearing some negative reviews of it at the time, and I didn’t understand why people were so down on it.
that bit at 9:14 where I actually do film the scenes with door knobs was so awkward. Crouching on my knees holding an ipad to the doorknob, balancing the phone with my chin, trying not to be in shot. Makes me laugh though
I've really enjoyed your videos on these episodes and I agree that while Twice Upon a Time is certainly the much more flawed and messy part of an otherwise brilliant and tragic trilogy, I have a soft spot for it and have come to forgive its poorly handled stuff for the lovely small moments and clever ideas that it delivers. I think in light of the recent two series (which at best have never really clicked for me and at worse have really disappointed me), I've come to appreciate these episodes and series 10 as a really special point of Doctor Who. I'd be interested to hear your views on more of Capaldi's episodes - potentially the series 9 finale (again I feel I've softened to Hell Bent a lot more over the intervening years!)
I’m really glad you enjoyed the videos! They’re the first of this kind I’ve ever made so I’m still learning. I’ll definitely have a look at the Series 9 finale at some point. But not for a little while, as this Series 10 trilogy was quite a demanding project. I think I’d have to include Face the Raven as well, so it’ll probably end up just as long as this. I’m really excited to revisit them, but will need some shorter videos first 😂
I wish instead of Regenerating him they would have just killed the Doctor off, the show would have been much better if these 3 episodes were the last 3 episodes ever, the end of the series and the show, imagine just how much more impactful they would have been. I do not class any of the series' after this as cannon at all, more so a Knock-Off show so to me, this episode IS the last episode of Doctor Who, where the show ended and I think the directors also had that in their mind, re-watching it you can see MANY signs that this should be the last episode of a show, the first and last doctors, recent friends, the war and so on. All you have to do to fix it is remove the regeneration scene and boom, the show is fixed and had one hell of an awesome 3-part ending. RIP Doctor Who.
The show started, had an awesome rune and ended with a hell of a bang, bringing back some of the first faces we see, I mean they even showed some of the old regeneration scenes of the first doctor which to me was super cool to see and again, shows the directors knew of what was to come and wanted to finish the show there, this kinda explains why the episode feels rushed because no doubt BBC forced them to add Jody and so on. Without her scene and him dying, I think this would have been the perfect ending to the show, a sad yet happy ending.
Moffat: Makes loving references to the Brigadier in Six Stories which had me saluting the screen in four of them in beautiful tributes to Doctor Who's Greatest Companion Chibnall: Abolishes UNIT for literally no bloody reason (The Pertwee fan in me is not over that)
Chibnall again: Abolished Christmas Specials, made the companions nothing more than question machines and made the Doctor hypocritical and some sorta Space Jesus God Destined amalgam
@GamingWithChu agree to disagree... you enjoy Chinball, go right ahead.. I don't want to take away from anyone's fun. But if i start listing the problems i have with the Timeless Children (and legitimate plot holes and thematic betrayals that are engraved), it would be a very long essay indeed.
@GamingWithChu since you've suggested me a video (which I've watched but do disagree with), watch this one... by B-WHERE (it's the channel name) "The Timeless Children Ruins Doctor Who"
@GamingWithChu for you it doesn't. Cool. But for many, including me, it does... it's fine. Some people hate The Hybrid arc, some love it. Some people hate Bad Wolf, Some love it.. that's great. Makes the show more engaging and always relevant.
I would say the elements you focus on regarding swan songs and "death" and future Doctor's sauntering off etc are all negative qualities Tennant's run encapsulated. I always to people describe Tennant as a brilliant actor, but not really a brilliant Doctor. His characteristics and outlooks were some of the least Doctor-like traits of the show's entire run. Whilst Matt and Peter superseding him were some of the most accurate portrayals of what a Doctor should be I feel. I would also say your blog on the death of Doctor Who was a couple of series too soon personally. The actions taken in The Timeless Children are definitely more deathly to the show's past and future than a few badly placed "back in my day" style traits.
@@Joe_Brennan_ That is the best attitude to take. There’s always going to be good episodes and bad episodes, and sometimes the bad episodes outnumber the good ones, but then a new showrunner steps in, and the pendulum swings in a different direction again. What one person sees as the death of the show, will be someone else’s entry point into becoming a fan. The Chibnall era has kind of washed over me and I’ve not been as invested in the series lately, but I’ve enjoyed episodes here and there, and that’s fine. Perhaps I’ll enjoy the next showrunner more, (or even the one after). In the meantime, there’s plenty of other Doctor Who content to enjoy, whether it’s books, audiobooks, graphic novels etc.
I always felt that the Tardis getting bigger, embodies the growth and progress both the Doctor and indeed, his closest "companion" have made. And I think it's brilliant they showed the two Tardises right next to each other to indicate just how long of a way the Doctor has come. It's the perfect epitome imo. That's my subject take on it at least!
I have a lot less to say about TUaT, it feels rushed, it has it's issues, Bill being there doesn't have any payoff, the glass lady tension doesn't have any payoff, the captain doesn't see enough development, Rusty and the inclusion of the dalek mutants was pointless, I personally don't mind that 1's sexism was more overt than it often actually would be for the sake of showing the contrast between then and now but understand why other don't like it. But while it doesn't excuse it's faults or make them go away, this is an episode I can look at with a smile throughout and say: "why not, it's christmas". Does that make my positive opinion of it mean less? Maybe it does. Though above all else TUaT succeeds at being a fun story, and to me that's all I feel it truly needs to be as 12's epilogue. I suppose it's earned that luxury thanks to the two episodes preceeding it. It's nice to see I'm not the only person that appreciates the floof of Capaldi's hair in this one. I'm not a fan of his short haired look but the long hair he has for the last year of his run is mesmerising.
@@Joe_Brennan_ I understood everything he said until he brought the children up, I was absolutely bewildered and bamboozled almost ruined the regeneration for me. To this day when he brings up that line I still haven't got a single clue what he's talking about lol
"Twice Upon a Time" has a special place in my list of favorite DW episodes! I was having a private celebration of the holidays with my husband. I got carried away and got stuck in a k-hole. Through the fog and confusion, I heard the voice of, not one Doctor, but two (hubby had changed the channel on the TV)¡ I was saved! It was the last Christmas I spent with him before he passed away. 😶
As someone who is not very fond of this episode, when you were like "It may sound like I was complaining for twenty minutes", I was a little surprised, because to me it mostly sounded like praise.
"Lass mich einfach hier" "Ohhhh if only I spoke German" BRUH, I get 'einfach' tripping you up but you didn't get "Lass mich hier"? That's almost already english.
Awesome video Joe. While I'm not a big fan of TUAT, I would agree that it certainly had a lot of potential and its a shame that many of it's best ideas are painfully underdeveloped. You certainly have a talent for these types of video essays, and I look forward to your next video
And capping off the fantastic regeneration scene, the transition of 12 to 13 was AMAZING; then she's thrown out of the disappearing Tardis - WOW! And it's been all downhill since. Chibnall, ugh - Whitaker deserved better. I SO miss Capaldi!
I think there’s a lot of good in this episode, in particular in examining the psychological toll such a long life and such a drastic change in identity takes on someone, and the juxtaposition between the First and Twelfth Doctor. But yeah, all the interesting things are not fleshed out enough. So...lots of good, lots of potential, if it had been planned I think it could have been great but due to the fact it was rushed out it wasn’t nearly as strong as it could’ve been.
The only problem I have with World Enough / Doctor Falls, is that they acted like time was speeded up at one end when it was actually slowed down at the other by the black hole. The far end was out in REAL TIME where the civilization that built it had plenty of time to find out what happened to it. Not to mention all the other effects they left out, like tidal forces that would have ripped it apart. Pretty good story, but it was only there to kill the Doctor and Missy.
@@Joe_Brennan_ That was the excuse to frame it that way, but the whole premise was that all those generations happened too fast for anybody to react. They didn't even tell us why the original team never came back "up" when you could do it instantly. Plus the TARDIS went into the gravity well with no problem but THEN couldn't move, when the timestream around the black hole was supposedly the problem. I got more but I'll stop,.
I loved TuaT from the very start; I think its great parts far outweigh the tasteless jokes. I can't believe I missed the (hopefully intentional) callback to Deep Breath you mention at 13:42. That's one of my favorite Capaldi scenes! 17:33 was literally me in the theater lol
fun fact about the regeneration scene: peter capaldi says “never be cruel. never be cowardly.” this is a reference to the parody movie that Steven Moffat wrote back in 1999. In the movie, a companion says “he was never cruel or cowardly”
"Twice Upon a Time" has a special place in my list of favorite DW episodes! I was having a private celebration of the holidays with my husband. I got carried away and got stuck in a k-hole. Through the fog and confusion, I heard the voice of, not one Doctor, but two (hubby had changed the channel on the TV)¡ I was saved! It was the last Christmas I spent with him before he passed away. 😶
Honestly my only problems with this episode are the bad CGI bits, but that couldn't really be helped to be fair. I don't like the sexist 1st Doctor stuff (I don't think it works for the Captain to be sexist either but that's another point) but that could be remedied with a few minutes worth of editing work.
Peter Capaldi is my last doctor who... What had followed since us like an awful pizza nightmare... Is anyone still watching Doctor Who? All I hear is silence.... I really enjoyed your commentary though since I'm new to the channel I kept losing what you were saying due to that Rian Johnson's trophy bust (like the old moose head or lion head... I never felt comfortable around them....)
Capaldi is my favourite of the new doctors. This video touches beautifully on why that is. But oddly I loved this episode the first time i watched it. And generally, even his bad stuff bothers me less than most doctors because he's just so good at selling it. I really miss him.
Two of Britain's finest actors trying to play the different versions of the same role! But there is just something about "Twice Upon A Time" that is different to other mutli-Doctor stories; a sort of 1st and Last meeting of minds! 🤔
i always thought puddle bill was glass bill. real bill died the moment she when her cyber body finally gave up. and heather was just testimony coming to get her. testimony is heaven. it collects you just before your death and stores you.
@@Joe_Brennan_ It can, and when I came to review the novelisation I was still a lukewarm, but it's really grown on me. (Oh and for hot takes? Capaldi's run is arguably my favourite of the revival. Including Hell Bent. Men have been killed for less.)
I need to rewatch it in its entirety, at the time I felt like it struggled to find its footing. But every story I revisit, I find a new respect for. I'm planning on having a look at Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent in the future on the channel, I'm excited to dive into them
Hell Bent, for example. I think people expected it to be a story about Gallifrey and a triumphant return. Instead, it's a story about the Doctor desperate to save one friend. The Doctor is keen to return home, until Heaven Sent happens and he remembers why he left.
I think the interactions between The Doctors would have been better if they're feelings were switched. The first is more willing to regenerate but is scared, and 12th being so battered by everything that has happened in his life and just wants to stay as is. The ambiguous conflict would also help if the whole scene about the doctor's future as The War Doctor was left out and more emphasis was put into the Conversation between Bill and the 1st Doctor, showing that even after every regeneration and differences in his life he had brough so much to the universe as if he never really changes.
That's funny, my opinion on this episode has gone in the complete opposite direction. It used to be in my top 3 Christmas Specials, then I started to dislike it on my third watch last year. Hopefully I can love it again when I rewatch it this year.
@@Joe_Brennan_ Oh that's wild. Idk if the entire article was in that screenshot but I read down to "Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie's charm". It was tough, lots of trial and error with quick pausing but, I grew up watching The Goodies on DVD and I have experience frame-by-framing for analysis
If you’re interested, here’s a link to the whole thing. It’s not my best work but it can be quite funny. portsmouthpoint.blogspot.com/2018/07/rip-doctor-who-1963-2017.html
@@Joe_Brennan_ wibbly wobbley. I always thought that the evolution of capaldis hair was a nod to Jon pertwee along with the red velvet liner of his jacket cape thing.
you realise the testimony bill was meant to explain what actually happened in twice upon a time. or maybe it isn't. I didn't think of that until just then
![DID IT SUCK? - Doctor Who [TWICE UPON A TIME REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P4ZCGKVOA-Y/mqdefault.jpg)
![CAMPปลิ้น | EP.82[1/2] แก๊ง 3 สาวเพื่อนซี้บุก CAMPปลิ้นครั้งนี้ห้ามเสียอาการ](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_6WUjXHe1TM/mqdefault.jpg)
I hope you guys enjoyed the video! If it’s a tad less polished than the previous two, then I apologise. I’d planned on finishing with The Doctor Falls video, and had a lot less time to work on this than I’d hoped. But I suppose that’s rather fitting for a look at Twice Upon a Time. I’ve never related more to Steven Moffat in my life.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. As of 2021, Twice Upon a Time was the last good episode of Doctor Who before we got the terrible 11th and 12th seasons of Doctor Who.
That Ethan Hunt / Capaldi Hair Breakdown tho
I'll take any opportunity I can to talk about Ethan Hunt
Just think of this as a Bonus Capaldi episode and then all is right with the World again. I agreed with everything you pointed out except one thing, the Doctor gets to remember Clara again, and I loved that. Memories are all we have in the end, and the Doctor should have his.
Maybe you’re right, I am usually inclined to prefer happier endings. I think my disappointment really just stems from my appreciation of that ending in Hell Bent. I’m sure I’ll get round to properly discussing that story and ending at a later date
@@Joe_Brennan_ You may require 3 videos again, that story is pretty much a Pseudo-Trilogy as well.
We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, yeah.
I loved Twice Upon a Time and Capaldi was given the magnificent send off he deserved. Good insightful essay, however, with a deeper insight into 12's arc and the Doctor character throughout. Thank you.
Now rewatching most of the Capaldi era in 2021 I’m growing to like his Doctor more and more. When I first saw him as the doctor in 2014 I wasn’t as impressed since Matt Smith had been terrific but now I see why you like him so much
I always assumed the 4th wall breaks were him just talking to the TARDIS. He looks at different places, and the TARDIS is all around him, so the camera view was to immerse us as a companion despite us really playing the TARDIS. And despite the lengthy rubbish* over his name, this WAS the most theatrical of the lot lol
Before I watched this video, I would have said that Capaldi's era should defintely have ended with The Doctor Falls - I've always liked bits of Twice Upon A Time (mainly, somewhat ironically, the bits focusing on the Twelfth Doctor), but The Doctor Falls would have been a much better ending.
Now, though... well, I still think The Doctor Falls would have been a better ending, and I will always wish that Capaldi's final line had actually been "Pity, no stars - I hoped there'd be stars." but I'm a lot less resentful that this episode exists (although Chibnall didn't help by immediately undoing the main reason it was made).
I'm really glad you've become less resentful towards it, just as I have
Clara's cameo was so weird.
I'll still always be convinced this is Twelve's mid-regeneration dream sequence, a way to ease the trauma of his three friends dying at his hand. It's a cute episode though, with loads of ideas and themes that could fill an entire series, let alone crammed in one episode.
The dream-like fairytale framing means you can just write this off as a hallucination, or at least a cutesy retelling of real events. Allows for all sorts of headcanons
@@Joe_Brennan_ Didn't they already do something like this before, where Mat Smith is reversing through his timeline watching what he has done through his life.
This kinda reminds me of that.
2:29
My interpretation of the end of time has always been that Ten was simply a very human doctor. He grew "too close" to the people around him and got caught up in their views of death, and he got attached to his current form. So when he knew something was going to happen to him that would typically kill a human but for him would simply cause a regeneration he reacted like a human would - he genuinely believed he would actually die.
I haven't explained this very well, but I hope I've given enough for the zero people who see this to figure out what I mean.
I also look at his time as “John Smith”. He was scolded so hard from for doing that, it must have left a mark on him and made him paranoid about what regeneration really was.
Also, god complex lol.
1:56 "I can't keep doing this, Clara. Burning the old me...to make a new one."
Best. Arc. Ever. 12's suicidal, weary-of-life nature is so well-earned. He lost his best friend, his wife, his oldest friend, and his newest in the space of just a few years. I wouldn't want to come back either. How perfect for his successor to be so full of life and absent of agnst! Oh...Series 12 happened. I was blissfully ignorant for a second there.
I nearly included that clip from Heaven Sent but the Heaven Sent clips were giving me copyright trouble in the last video, so I rewrote it. It’s very clever though
@@Joe_Brennan_ In a way Clara and the 12th Doctor were canon ... so he should remember her because the very beginning of the impossible girl story was about the Doctor remembering her.
@@BriZ3l21 - very true. Also 12 immediately remembers her as the Diner TARDIS dematerialises and he sees the waitress's face painted on his own TARDIS. It's written in the script, but no one watching the episode released that he remembers Clara so Steven just went with it and gave him his memories back here.
I seriously do not understand the memory removal scene in Hell Bent given Steven would - TWO SCENES LATER - undo it. And it confuses me even more so that people never picked up on the fact that 12 does indeed get his memories back.
@@nightowl8477 you see ... the 11th was drawing her when he first met her as Clara that we know ' I guess ' and in hell bent she was a painting ' on the Tardis ' ... and when first the 11th reg to 12th .. he said to her that you look at me but you can't see me ... umm that's really what happened in hell bent ... he looked at her but he couldn't see her ... so in a way it should be like that
apparently in the novelisation, the first doctors' misogyny is revealed/presented to be him teasing and trying to embarrass the 12th
i really like this idea, it doesn't walk all over the "time lords past gender binaries" thing while keeping up with the first doc's clear disdain for the modern show, *and* makes those scenes even funnier with that headcanon in place
thank you so much for this, now the episode isn’t spoiled for me at all, i didn’t know episodes in the show had novelisations could you explain that more
@@matthewrickard5050 same for me, as soon as i heard about the novelisation's interpretation i breathed a sigh of belief at being able to interpret the episode in a really fun new way
the novelisations are published by the bbc for a large range of select episodes, they're great because they have so much more space to fill out blanks that 45-minute episodes don't have the leeway to do. often they're written by people with some contacts to the original writer, but it's hard to say what's original and what was just lost in translation from page to production.
You hit the nail on the head with this. Not perfect, but...still, we got a lot of nice bits and it had potential. Plus, one more turn for Peter Capaldi. I love the end with the WWI scene. Beautiful.
Thanks for watching!
Says he promises to make it shorter. Ends up being just over a minute shorter
I didn't LIE...
Capaldi is absolutely the best Doctor. He embodies everything the character should be
Both onscreen and off
Yeah
Peter Capaldi is my David Tennant
Sadly they cucked him and you could sense the wistful sadness of an actor forced into mediocre demeaning writing
I prefer the 9th
The death of Davros and the Master in this series & all the nods to the dawn of doctor who with that style of daleks/ cybermen/first doctor really does make it feel like an ending. It could have closed here. Not saying it should have but would neatly have tied it up. Similar to how the Simpsons could have ended at Holidays of Future Past but didn't
Definitely agree
Hold on, when did Davros die? I know Missy, who's the final incarnation of the Master (go fuck yourself Chinballs), was killed by John Simms' incarnation but Davros' last appearance was in the Season 9 two part opening episodes and I don't remember him being killed in those. In fact, the Doctor made a point about Davros' chair making him almost immortal.
can we get a full vid about Nardole? i think that would be quite neat
I really want to do one, but it'll probably be further down the line. I've just spoken a lot about him in the last three videos that I'm afraid I'd be repeating myself
Nardole is my favourite character of the new series. Bill and Donna tied for second.
I've always thought this special was so underrated, and I'm glad to a positive review! I'm not a huge fan of the sillier christmas specials of the Moffat era, so this one felt right. It's got unforgettable moments, like Lethbridge-Stewart asking "What do you mean, one?" (I was so happy to see you mention it!), or Capaldi's delivery of "Do you know how many of you I could fill? I would shatter you", which makes me cry every single time XD. Even though The Doctor Falls is for sure a superior episode, I will never lament that it wasn't 12th's last, because he deserved a more hopeful send-off.
Also, "Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind" might as well be how one might describe 12th. ♥
I think I agree about the Clara scene from a story angle, but I've always viewed it as Moffat leaving as clean a slate as possible for Chibnall.
But, that scene of Capaldi with his arms still hugging after Bill and Nardole disappear... still hits just the right way.
I guess that makes sense actually, leaving future writers with one less thing to worry about when it comes to the Doctor's history. Still, I reserve the right to be a tad grumpy
"We get a weird looking cameo from Jenna Coleman"
Yeah that shot has always reminded me of some of the scenes in Infinity War and Endgame where people are standing in front of a green screen and them and the lighting looks all weird and shoved into the rest of the movie.
She looked ethereal. The lighting actually added to the scene because Clara wasn't really there. She was an illusion who represented the Doctor's long buried memories of her.
Sadly this is where Dr.Who ended for my family. But at least we can always go back and rewatch 12 amazing doctors and there adventures.
THIS EPISODE WAS GOOD BUT IT WAS MUCH BETTER WITH YOU TALKING OVER THE TOP OF IT.
19:19 - "his death would rob the universe of all the things his future self would accomplish" - shows an image of whittaker...
maybe he should have refused to regenerate after all :/
probably
I don't know, her first season was a bit hit and miss but it wasn't terrible.
Annnd I'm crying again!
Gods we miss you Peter!
12 was such a gift!
What a great review.
Thank you!
Thank you for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed it
... What kept Doctor Who, the show, alive? What keeps any of us alive - after we're gone? ... Memories. What a wonderful legacy. Twice Upon a Time is a big ''thank you! for all the memories!'' the Doctor Who show provided us all with. Darn cleverly done, rush job, low budget, intimately set. Deeply felt. Like in the olden days. They've addressed a couple of issues you mention in the Cornell novelisation, it's fairly packed and well written. 1st Doctor's response is explored more in depth. Also, the parallels. There's a few! Worth reading.
Here's the extended Rusty scene: Rusty harbours a strong ... dislike for his own kin, he's now a psychologically damaged Dalek who, with some ''help?'' in the past, expanded consciousness beyond the programming and genetics - regained his memories of a star being born (power of memories) - while falling into the reversal ideology - ''kill all that's not a Dalek'' burned into ''kill all Daleks'' through the fusion with Doctor's memories (of everything popping into existence & strong hate - which became one of his fears, whether he's a good man) - Rusty as he has been for billions of years at that point, his decision and credo, in essence, have been shaped by memories themselves and logic derived from them:
''Because helping me, in any way, does something wonderful. It hurts the Daleks.''
Another pause. The Doctor was pretty sure he really could hear the cogs whirring. ''Your logic is ... ingenius.''
He grinned. ''And just a little bit evil.''
''I approve.''
The Doctor now felt able to approach. He went to the Dalek, and took his sonic sunglasses from his pocket. He tapped them against the Dalek's sucker arm, and heard the sound of vast quantities of information flowing into the creature's cyborg brain. He felt it was about time that Rusty came out with its standard catchphrase about him once again.
''You would make a good Time Lord,'' said Rusty.
The Doctor winced. Now /that/ was just plain /mean./
*
And possibly below the belt - I like that Rusty popped up and had a say. And tell him off a bit, just in case: what's in a perspective: what's worse than a good Dalek? A good Time Lord? Thank goodness he's just an idiot. What a save. Anyway, unlike with Me, whom he checked upon from afar, the Doctor left Rusty to fend for himself entirely. He grew enough not to repeat that same mistake later with Grant. Dalek philosophy is now meaningless and pointless to Rusty, but he's caught in this vicious cycle of cancelling the Daleks. And here's the meanie Time Lord who put him in this position. Primum non nocere - firstly, do no harm - yeah, Rusty's arse. (Not that he couldn't say: Enough of this! I'm packing my bags and going to the Bahamas! Come on, Doctor! Why didn't you include that one in the flashback?! ;P) A bit sorry to see him still exterrrminating through the aeons, though. Then again: what's a Dalek equivalent of ''just being happy'' ...
Personally, I got warmth from Bradley's Doctor - but also grittiness, sense of adventure, a twinkle, packed in one. He's not trying to be Hartnell's Doctor - just being 1st Doctor. Moffat, and let's face it: this episode is VERY moffaty ;) - inserted those ball-knobs in there for a purpose: for one: they're cheap CGI (which is a bit of a clue to what was coming), and also - whenever he got the chance, he lists all Doctor's incarnations, hammering them in: 50th, Husbands of RS, Name of the Doctor, here, .... Minus a couple of bazillion that exist now. He made sure to tie Classic Who to Reboot Who - and especially interesting is that all of Capaldi run - has to deal with death and passing, giving a sense of finality to the show (if one so chooses - as I think I have: judging by the initials of this episode and unreliable yet fun and completely incorrect Urban Dictionary guide, TUAT stands for a female getting on your nerves (which is in 55% incorrect as it's Chibnall's writing I really can't stand, not only Whittaker's delivery --- and I had hopes. ... Just a shame ...))
... But I love Twice Upon A Time. Very best thing about it? The Captain's family won't have to rely on the memories - to be with their husband and father ...
9:15 I think that's part of the point. The Doctors themselves are horrified by what they see, but Bill (and the audience, thanks to the music) views his exploits as triumphs. Everyone can see that the Doctor is a force for good except him; it's a thematic callback to the Series 6 arc and an idea that Moffat seems to like a lot.
Alright, I subbed for that last joke.
I’m glad it worked then, at least once
Tbf... are we really losing much by ditching Christmas Specials? Are we tho?
@@Ben-vf5gk - I think thematically New Year specials are a thousand times more appropriate for the show, yes.
Christmas is a time of remembering, reflecting, looking back. But Doctor Who is a show sustained on forward momentum. A New Year's Day Special, looking into the future, just makes more sense tonally.
Additionally, there are only so many Christmas-themed stories to be told. But New Year's? Steven and Mark put out a gothic horror the other year. And the year before that, Chris put out a sci-fi blockbuster. Point being: anything goes on New Year's. There's so much variety, so many different stories allowed to be told. It's liberating for future Who writers.
Having said that, the 25th of December, 7PM, BBC 1 is hands down the _best_ time slot in the entirety of British television. And for over a decade, it was Doctor motherfucking Who's. I get why people miss it. We got a big dick moment every year. But Chris did the right thing.
I'm referring to the joke about Jenna's pause though.
Everything after the Christmas Armistice is just perfection. Doctor Who distilled. It's everything I love about the show. The set-up is pretty great too; 12 gets to reflect on both his past and future, though there really was no need for Bill. Let her have a cameo with Nardole and Clara, that's all she needed. Then we could have spent more time developing Soldier-Whose-Name-I-Can't-Remember!
If I'm being honest, I don't think the Testimony plot could ever have worked - and I actually stand by the "There isn't an evil plan" 'plot' point. Just a bit dull, really. But I imagine the original cut of the scenes with Rusty was amazing, finally reflecting on the "Am I a good man?" Arc, and tying together the loose strands of 12's very jumpy character journey.
I honestly think the original 90-minute cut might have made for one of the greatest stories of all time, not just in the show itself but of television. It's a shame. With that half an hour gone, everything before the resolution is just a mess of nothing. No substance. You can get away with no plot, but you gave to have _content_ for Christ's sake! Bloody BBC. They gave Russell eighty minutes! Ah, well. Rachel has confirmed that they shot the original footage, so that 90-minute cut does exist, and maybe one day I'll get it. Who's to say?
What do you mean by a 90 minute cut? Is there a version I'm unaware of somewhere?
@@frogoat - Steven wrote the script as 90 minutes - they then shot 90 minutes of footage. At the last second, the BBC insisted on it only being an hour, so Rachel - sadly with o help from Steven - had to cut out 30 minutes of footage, which is unheard of. I like to think most of issues with the script would be remedied with the original, more appropriate, runtime.
The crowd cheering over Nardole was when I gave this video a like. Also I guess that's two awkward long pauses with Clara at the end and 1 in the beginning with "have you no emotions........................ sir?"
Nearly pointed that out, but I felt like I was becoming too nitpicky. Don't want to become a Doctor Who Cinemasins
The 12th Doctor will always be my favorite Doctor in the whole show
This is the best finale to all Doctor Who.
I always enjoyed Twice upon a time.
Sure, the joke about the first Doctor being sexist got boring quickly and was overplayed, and Bill coming back was a tad unnecessary, but other than that it was a fun adventure, and as you say, it was a good epilogue to the twelfth doctor’s run.
I remember hearing some negative reviews of it at the time, and I didn’t understand why people were so down on it.
Great video
PLS aPpRoVe My PoStS
In all seriousness this was a great video keep it up man
LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FILMED USING DOOR NOBS
that bit at 9:14 where I actually do film the scenes with door knobs was so awkward. Crouching on my knees holding an ipad to the doorknob, balancing the phone with my chin, trying not to be in shot. Makes me laugh though
I've really enjoyed your videos on these episodes and I agree that while Twice Upon a Time is certainly the much more flawed and messy part of an otherwise brilliant and tragic trilogy, I have a soft spot for it and have come to forgive its poorly handled stuff for the lovely small moments and clever ideas that it delivers. I think in light of the recent two series (which at best have never really clicked for me and at worse have really disappointed me), I've come to appreciate these episodes and series 10 as a really special point of Doctor Who. I'd be interested to hear your views on more of Capaldi's episodes - potentially the series 9 finale (again I feel I've softened to Hell Bent a lot more over the intervening years!)
I’m really glad you enjoyed the videos! They’re the first of this kind I’ve ever made so I’m still learning. I’ll definitely have a look at the Series 9 finale at some point. But not for a little while, as this Series 10 trilogy was quite a demanding project. I think I’d have to include Face the Raven as well, so it’ll probably end up just as long as this. I’m really excited to revisit them, but will need some shorter videos first 😂
@@Joe_Brennan_ Fair enough! I look forward to whatever comes next! :)
I wish instead of Regenerating him they would have just killed the Doctor off, the show would have been much better if these 3 episodes were the last 3 episodes ever, the end of the series and the show, imagine just how much more impactful they would have been.
I do not class any of the series' after this as cannon at all, more so a Knock-Off show so to me, this episode IS the last episode of Doctor Who, where the show ended and I think the directors also had that in their mind, re-watching it you can see MANY signs that this should be the last episode of a show, the first and last doctors, recent friends, the war and so on. All you have to do to fix it is remove the regeneration scene and boom, the show is fixed and had one hell of an awesome 3-part ending.
RIP Doctor Who.
The show started, had an awesome rune and ended with a hell of a bang, bringing back some of the first faces we see, I mean they even showed some of the old regeneration scenes of the first doctor which to me was super cool to see and again, shows the directors knew of what was to come and wanted to finish the show there, this kinda explains why the episode feels rushed because no doubt BBC forced them to add Jody and so on.
Without her scene and him dying, I think this would have been the perfect ending to the show, a sad yet happy ending.
And now tenants back so everything gets a bit more wibbly wobbly
Was robots of Sherwood bad? I quite enjoyed it
Moffat: Makes loving references to the Brigadier in Six Stories which had me saluting the screen in four of them in beautiful tributes to Doctor Who's Greatest Companion
Chibnall: Abolishes UNIT for literally no bloody reason (The Pertwee fan in me is not over that)
Chibnall again: Abolished Christmas Specials, made the companions nothing more than question machines and made the Doctor hypocritical and some sorta Space Jesus God Destined amalgam
@GamingWithChu agree to disagree... you enjoy Chinball, go right ahead.. I don't want to take away from anyone's fun. But if i start listing the problems i have with the Timeless Children (and legitimate plot holes and thematic betrayals that are engraved), it would be a very long essay indeed.
@GamingWithChu since you've suggested me a video (which I've watched but do disagree with), watch this one... by B-WHERE (it's the channel name) "The Timeless Children Ruins Doctor Who"
@GamingWithChu for you it doesn't. Cool. But for many, including me, it does... it's fine. Some people hate The Hybrid arc, some love it. Some people hate Bad Wolf, Some love it.. that's great. Makes the show more engaging and always relevant.
@GamingWithChu it ruins the show
I would say the elements you focus on regarding swan songs and "death" and future Doctor's sauntering off etc are all negative qualities Tennant's run encapsulated. I always to people describe Tennant as a brilliant actor, but not really a brilliant Doctor. His characteristics and outlooks were some of the least Doctor-like traits of the show's entire run. Whilst Matt and Peter superseding him were some of the most accurate portrayals of what a Doctor should be I feel.
I would also say your blog on the death of Doctor Who was a couple of series too soon personally. The actions taken in The Timeless Children are definitely more deathly to the show's past and future than a few badly placed "back in my day" style traits.
I reckon I’ve moved past my reactionary “the show is RUINED” days. For now, at least. I’ll just try enjoying what I enjoy and forgetting what I don’t
@@Joe_Brennan_ That is the best attitude to take. There’s always going to be good episodes and bad episodes, and sometimes the bad episodes outnumber the good ones, but then a new showrunner steps in, and the pendulum swings in a different direction again.
What one person sees as the death of the show, will be someone else’s entry point into becoming a fan.
The Chibnall era has kind of washed over me and I’ve not been as invested in the series lately, but I’ve enjoyed episodes here and there, and that’s fine. Perhaps I’ll enjoy the next showrunner more, (or even the one after). In the meantime, there’s plenty of other Doctor Who content to enjoy, whether it’s books, audiobooks, graphic novels etc.
I always felt that the Tardis getting bigger, embodies the growth and progress both the Doctor and indeed, his closest "companion" have made. And I think it's brilliant they showed the two Tardises right next to each other to indicate just how long of a way the Doctor has come. It's the perfect epitome imo. That's my subject take on it at least!
Good stuff Joe. Can you send a link to the interview of Colin saying "sorry Peter you're talking rubbish"?
I took it from here, he was criticising Peter Davison's reaction to the reveal of Jodie Whittaker
th-cam.com/video/zvCS4SYu6bs/w-d-xo.html
@@Joe_Brennan_ what a lovely bloke Colin is. (shit pant)
I always loved this ep this and WEAT/DF are all in my top 15 dr who eps all amazing
I've always felt that the 12th was talking to the tardis during 4th wall breaking scenes
I have a lot less to say about TUaT, it feels rushed, it has it's issues, Bill being there doesn't have any payoff, the glass lady tension doesn't have any payoff, the captain doesn't see enough development, Rusty and the inclusion of the dalek mutants was pointless, I personally don't mind that 1's sexism was more overt than it often actually would be for the sake of showing the contrast between then and now but understand why other don't like it. But while it doesn't excuse it's faults or make them go away, this is an episode I can look at with a smile throughout and say: "why not, it's christmas". Does that make my positive opinion of it mean less? Maybe it does. Though above all else TUaT succeeds at being a fun story, and to me that's all I feel it truly needs to be as 12's epilogue. I suppose it's earned that luxury thanks to the two episodes preceeding it.
It's nice to see I'm not the only person that appreciates the floof of Capaldi's hair in this one. I'm not a fan of his short haired look but the long hair he has for the last year of his run is mesmerising.
I think this would work really well in black and white
I absolutely love Twice Upon a Time
Just get rid of the children line in his regeneration and it feels really nice
Sometimes... when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, children will hear your name
@@Joe_Brennan_
I understood everything he said until he brought the children up, I was absolutely bewildered and bamboozled almost ruined the regeneration for me. To this day when he brings up that line I still haven't got a single clue what he's talking about lol
"Twice Upon a Time" has a special place in my list of favorite DW episodes! I was having a private celebration of the holidays with my husband. I got carried away and got stuck in a k-hole. Through the fog and confusion, I heard the voice of, not one Doctor, but two (hubby had changed the channel on the TV)¡ I was saved!
It was the last Christmas I spent with him before he passed away. 😶
As someone who is not very fond of this episode, when you were like "It may sound like I was complaining for twenty minutes", I was a little surprised, because to me it mostly sounded like praise.
2:43 Actually the script originally has him look at his hand at that moment at it's glowing with regen energy, so it was definitely deliberate
I'm actually really glad that didn't happen in the final episode. I prefer the subtlety. Thank you for letting me know!
Da
Fa
Da
Daem
"Lass mich einfach hier"
"Ohhhh if only I spoke German"
BRUH, I get 'einfach' tripping you up but you didn't get "Lass mich hier"? That's almost already english.
Awesome video Joe. While I'm not a big fan of TUAT, I would agree that it certainly had a lot of potential and its a shame that many of it's best ideas are painfully underdeveloped. You certainly have a talent for these types of video essays, and I look forward to your next video
Thanks for watching! I'm so glad you enjoyed it
And capping off the fantastic regeneration scene, the transition of 12 to 13 was AMAZING; then she's thrown out of the disappearing Tardis - WOW! And it's been all downhill since. Chibnall, ugh - Whitaker deserved better. I SO miss Capaldi!
I feel all imp moffat characters should have made a cameo in the weird cloud space
Also i hated hell bent
I think there’s a lot of good in this episode, in particular in examining the psychological toll such a long life and such a drastic change in identity takes on someone, and the juxtaposition between the First and Twelfth Doctor. But yeah, all the interesting things are not fleshed out enough. So...lots of good, lots of potential, if it had been planned I think it could have been great but due to the fact it was rushed out it wasn’t nearly as strong as it could’ve been.
HE’S BACK
I agree about Bill, though. I loved her and it's a shame it undercut her loss so much.
The best Doctor last words were Chris Eccleston's.
Awesome vid Joe, keep it up bud! Love you lots ❤️
I refuse to watch Twice Upon a Time.
This is an amazing video
The only problem I have with World Enough / Doctor Falls, is that they acted like time was speeded up at one end when it was actually slowed down at the other by the black hole. The far end was out in REAL TIME where the civilization that built it had plenty of time to find out what happened to it. Not to mention all the other effects they left out, like tidal forces that would have ripped it apart. Pretty good story, but it was only there to kill the Doctor and Missy.
I guess they only acted like it was slower at the bottom because the explanation we got was from the perspective of those at the top
@@Joe_Brennan_ That was the excuse to frame it that way, but the whole premise was that all those generations happened too fast for anybody to react. They didn't even tell us why the original team never came back "up" when you could do it instantly. Plus the TARDIS went into the gravity well with no problem but THEN couldn't move, when the timestream around the black hole was supposedly the problem. I got more but I'll stop,.
Wonderful video. This story as a three parter with the S10 finale, it really is possibly the best story in Who’s history!
Fantastic video 👌🏼
Thank you!
I loved TuaT from the very start; I think its great parts far outweigh the tasteless jokes. I can't believe I missed the (hopefully intentional) callback to Deep Breath you mention at 13:42. That's one of my favorite Capaldi scenes!
17:33 was literally me in the theater lol
you think Capaldi's hair-volution is awesome ? check out Tsukasa from Kamen Rider DCD :P
So I was away for a couple of weeks what did I end up missi-
Oh fuck no
Best regeneration story ever.
12 having the whole 'be kind' thing really speaks to me. Genuinely makes me cry the more i think about it. Why not. Be kind.
fun fact about the regeneration scene: peter capaldi says “never be cruel. never be cowardly.” this is a reference to the parody movie that Steven Moffat wrote back in 1999. In the movie, a companion says “he was never cruel or cowardly”
I’m watching 14:34 knowing full well that I think about the potential that rusty had on a day to day basis.
Guess he returned specifically for you then haha
@@Joe_Brennan_ I was unmeasurably happy seeing him again 🤣
"Twice Upon a Time" has a special place in my list of favorite DW episodes! I was having a private celebration of the holidays with my husband. I got carried away and got stuck in a k-hole. Through the fog and confusion, I heard the voice of, not one Doctor, but two (hubby had changed the channel on the TV)¡ I was saved!
It was the last Christmas I spent with him before he passed away. 😶
Honestly my only problems with this episode are the bad CGI bits, but that couldn't really be helped to be fair.
I don't like the sexist 1st Doctor stuff (I don't think it works for the Captain to be sexist either but that's another point) but that could be remedied with a few minutes worth of editing work.
I enjoyed your video. I've loved this episode since it first aired.
Thank you! I'm glad I enjoy this episode now too
The Doctors' interacting and the Armistice stuff is good, but the actual plot is weak. Typical Moffat really.
Really bloody love the subtle bit of the 9th doctor's theme immediately post regeneration 👌
I changed my mind and enjoyed the 12th doctors run a lot more when I rewatched it recently tho I was about 13 to 17 when I first saw it
Peter Capaldi is my last doctor who... What had followed since us like an awful pizza nightmare... Is anyone still watching Doctor Who? All I hear is silence....
I really enjoyed your commentary though since I'm new to the channel I kept losing what you were saying due to that Rian Johnson's trophy bust (like the old moose head or lion head... I never felt comfortable around them....)
Capaldi is my favourite of the new doctors. This video touches beautifully on why that is. But oddly I loved this episode the first time i watched it. And generally, even his bad stuff bothers me less than most doctors because he's just so good at selling it. I really miss him.
I still get chills when I watch that scene between Bill and the First Doctor talking about why he left Gallifrey.
Two of Britain's finest actors trying to play the different versions of the same role!
But there is just something about "Twice Upon A Time" that is different to other mutli-Doctor stories; a sort of 1st and Last meeting of minds!
🤔
3:47 same with my hair
i always thought puddle bill was glass bill. real bill died the moment she when her cyber body finally gave up. and heather was just testimony coming to get her. testimony is heaven. it collects you just before your death and stores you.
Agree almost 100% with all of this.
I’m so glad, defending Twice Upon a Time can sometimes feel like a hot take
@@Joe_Brennan_ It can, and when I came to review the novelisation I was still a lukewarm, but it's really grown on me. (Oh and for hot takes? Capaldi's run is arguably my favourite of the revival. Including Hell Bent. Men have been killed for less.)
I need to rewatch it in its entirety, at the time I felt like it struggled to find its footing. But every story I revisit, I find a new respect for. I'm planning on having a look at Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent in the future on the channel, I'm excited to dive into them
@@Joe_Brennan_ Yeah, it works better binge-watched in many ways. You can see the thoughtlines better.
Hell Bent, for example. I think people expected it to be a story about Gallifrey and a triumphant return. Instead, it's a story about the Doctor desperate to save one friend. The Doctor is keen to return home, until Heaven Sent happens and he remembers why he left.
I'm so glad Rachel Talalay is returning to direct the 60th anniversary!
Twice Upon A Time was the last good episode of Doctor Who as of 2021.
I disagree I think David Bradley did a fantastic job as the first doctor he really honoured William hartnel in my opinion
I liked it, I never understood all the hate. I love Moffats era. My favourite by a long margin.
I think the interactions between The Doctors would have been better if they're feelings were switched. The first is more willing to regenerate but is scared, and 12th being so battered by everything that has happened in his life and just wants to stay as is.
The ambiguous conflict would also help if the whole scene about the doctor's future as The War Doctor was left out and more emphasis was put into the Conversation between Bill and the 1st Doctor, showing that even after every regeneration and differences in his life he had brough so much to the universe as if he never really changes.
WORET EPISODE EVER! (Yes, worse than the timeless turd)
Poor Chris Chibnall didn't want to start with a CHristmas episode. What is he too good for Christmas or something?
Glad this episode is getting the love it deserves.
That's funny, my opinion on this episode has gone in the complete opposite direction. It used to be in my top 3 Christmas Specials, then I started to dislike it on my third watch last year. Hopefully I can love it again when I rewatch it this year.
Wait you were in school in 2017? I had you down as older
I am seven years old
@@Joe_Brennan_ real?
People claim the episode is rushed yet have no idea how long would be spent on an episode normally anyway?
Did anyone else pause during the article screenshot to read it?
You might be the first, no one has commented about it before
@@Joe_Brennan_ Oh that's wild. Idk if the entire article was in that screenshot but I read down to "Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie's charm". It was tough, lots of trial and error with quick pausing but, I grew up watching The Goodies on DVD and I have experience frame-by-framing for analysis
If you’re interested, here’s a link to the whole thing. It’s not my best work but it can be quite funny. portsmouthpoint.blogspot.com/2018/07/rip-doctor-who-1963-2017.html
just wanted to say I really like your videos.
"it will still be him".....until he became HER.
that pause in the end is quite offensive
Are you dressed up as JNT?
JNT stole my look
@@Joe_Brennan_ wibbly wobbley. I always thought that the evolution of capaldis hair was a nod to Jon pertwee along with the red velvet liner of his jacket cape thing.
you realise the testimony bill was meant to explain what actually happened in twice upon a time.
or maybe it isn't. I didn't think of that until just then
Just sorry Capaldi was the last Doctor