Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022) - Review

And with that, the Thirteenth Doctor's era has come to a close. It's easy for regeneration stories to be overshadowed by the programme's future - understandable given the show's constant change and renewal - but suffice it to say that The Power of the Doctor makes for a fitting conclusion to this era of the programme.

Kicking things off with a heist on a space train, we're reintroduced to the Cybermasters, returning from The Timeless Children back in Series 12. It's good to see them return, even if their ultimate roles in the narrative serve mainly as cannon fodder more than anything else. Their Cyber-converted planet, which I'd speculated to Gallifrey, was a nice idea even if it served as a backdrop to the events unfolding rather than playing a significant role. Quite why Ashad and his Cyber Warriors were brought back, other than fan popularity, I'm not sure. An off-hand comment about the Master cloning Ashad doesn't quite resolve the character's rather flippant demise in Series 12.

It's after this escapade that John Bishop's Dan decides to depart the TARDIS. It's not a bad idea to write Dan out early on; his departure is set up at the end of Legend of the Sea Devils, even if that was several months ago now. The character has never really has the sort of development one would expect from a companion, mostly because he's technically only had three stories (the six-part Flux, Eve of the Daleks and the aforementioned Legend of the Sea Devils). It's a shame he doesn't get to say goodbye to the Doctor (a recurring theme in this special), but it's safe to say that John Bishop was a welcome inclusion in the TARDIS team, and it was nice to see him pop again for the ending.

Speaking of companions, the surprise return of Tegan and Ace is a nice inclusion, although it's fair to say that neither character quite gets the reunion with the Doctor that fans would expect, especially when compared with Sarah Jane or Jo. Both Tegan and Ace get a fair bit to do though, and while they're probably superfluous to the plot, they do add to the story's themes. It was incredibly touching to see them reunite with their respective Doctors, while an Ace and Graham spin-off show would be great fun to see. Tosin Cole may not have returned (not even for a brief cameo), but "you're doing it mate" himself Graham O'Brien did, admittedly for a glorified cameo, but a fun one nonetheless. Vinder's return, whilst teased as a key role in the trailers, turned out to be more of a fun call-back to Flux than anything else, but the real icing on the cake was the ending. Seeing so many Doctor Who companions together in one room (ignoring some FX trickery) was an absolute delight. Mel! Jo! Ian Chesterfield-I mean, Chesterton! This, coupled with the regeneration zone cameos (Bradley! C. Baker! Davison! McGann! McCoy!) made for one of the most fan-pleasing episodes ever put to screen. Even Jo Martin got a brief cameo role.

Then we come to the actual plot. The Master's return was always going to be a welcome one, especially to see more of Sacha Dhawan. Back during Series 12, I felt that he was the best Master of the modern series, and while in hindsight I do think he works better when he's less manic and more quiet and sinister, it's clear that Dhawan really relishes the role, and always delivers a top-notch performance. His role in this story reminded me quite a lot of John Simm's Master, complete with a dramatic sequence underscored by the Rasputin song. The Rasputin angle itself was a nice set-up but perhaps more like a sequence from an entirely different episode (maybe it was intended for Series 13, you never know). His actual plan to 'replace' the Doctor is an interesting one, although it's the sort of nonsensical megalomania that RTD was doing with The End of Time, and I wasn't a huge fan of it there, either. It'd be a shame if this is the last we saw of this Master, but he has been a good foil for Jodie Whittaker's Doctor.

If there is a key disappointment with The Power of the Doctor, it's that Jodie Whittaker herself is side-lined for so much of the narrative, confined to a green-screened regeneration zone or hologram appearances alongside her companions. I don't think she quite managed to get a defining, final heroic moment as the Doctor, although the story seemed more interested in her positive influence across the universe. Perhaps, to put it another way, the real power of the Doctor was the friends she made along the way. The lead-up to her regeneration was nicely under-played, and the scene itself felt strangely uplifting, in a way that the last few changeovers haven't. I wondered if I'd be more upset to see her go, but seeing her smile as she let this version of herself go was quite reassuring. I'd be interested to see other fans' reactions. I'm sure some will argue that Yaz should have stayed with the Doctor, but the story definitely sets up the idea that it was time for her to move on. Her more active role in the narrative was strangely refreshing, and despite the odd moment, I'm sure some 'Thasmin' shippers will be very disappointed.

All in all, it's hard to coalesce my first thoughts on The Power of the Doctor into an entirely cohesive review. The episode is filled to the brim with fan service, but feels like a culmination of characters and ideas in the series. It may not make a huge amount of sense, some aspects of the plot passed me by completely, and some of the dialogue was a bit clunky and nonsensical, but I had a lot of fun watching this special. This wasn't by any means an all-time great of the series, or of this era, but it was a nice crowd-pleasing finale to an era of Doctor Who that will hopefully receive a more positive re-evaluation from fans in the near future. It's not quite the episode I thought it would be, but I get the impression that Chris Chibnall had a lot of fun writing this particular story, bringing together all these characters and monsters in a grand, blockbuster narrative that spans time and space and concluded the Thirteenth Doctor's adventures.

Now, we have our brand-new Doctor to look forward to: David Tennant. Hang on. What? What?! WHAT?!