Fresh off the joyous "Doctor Who" 50th Anniversary Special, Whovians are now prepping for emotional meltdown when Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith reaches his final hour in "The Time of the Doctor."
In a 30-second trailer that masks the feels with explosive action, "The Time of the Doctor" could be the Doctor's biggest adventure yet, as his greatest and most memorable foes--the Cybermen, the Silence, Weeping Angels, Daleks and more--come together on that fateful moment at Trenzalore.
Check out the trailer here if you haven't already:
We all know how it will end: the climatic regeneration from Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith to Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi. It's going to be sad, no doubt, but the explosions and high drama are good at covering up the emotions.
What was done right:
-Celebrating Eleven's finest moments. Pooling together Eleven's most popular villains was a wise choice for Matt Smith's final episode. “I think it’s good for the Doctor to go out with a bang, a crash and a wallop," Smith said in an article by Mirror. It's not just an episode that puts the Doctor in a final epic battle--it relives Eleven's finest moments and celebrates his legacy.
-Matt Smith lets it all go. Eleven's final line in the trailer ("If you want my life, come and get it!") is reminiscent of Matt Smith's many dramatic "speech scenes," such as the speech from "The Pandorica Opens" (Season 5). Eleven's speeches got old by Season 7, but one more in the final episode would top off Eleven's run perfectly. Look forward to a brilliant, unhindered performance by Matt Smith.
-Hidden emotion. Smith's leaving of the show is obviously going to be sad, but keeping emotion away from the trailer was a smart move. The focus was on the adventure and suspense.That keeps it exciting and makes the emotion hit even harder when the episode airs.
What could have been done:
-Chill out, Clara. The trailer played out with some pretty generic conventions. Clara's poem at the beginning as well as her plea to "change the future" seem a bit like forced drama. It's a climactic episode, but hopefully Jenna Coleman will not overact this one.
What "The Time of the Doctor" needs to do:
-Give each villain equal treatment. These villains must be juggled well in order to be effective, or Eleven's final hour will be a messy one.
-Make us cry. Let's face it--it's awful, but somewhere deep down inside, we like it. Tenth Doctor David Tennant's regeneration was arguably one of the saddest "deaths" in "Doctor Who," so Matt Smith has some shoes to fill.
-Give us Capaldi, clear and straight! After Smith regenerates, Capaldi will undoubtedly say at least one line to introduce himself as the new Doctor. He needs to be unique from the start and have a sharply contrasting personality from Smith.
"The Time of the Doctor" airs Christmas Day, Dec. 25 on BBC One.
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