Okay, so this is it. The beginning of the end for the Tenth Doctor. I’m almost hesitant to do a review solely because I really feel this episode is just the setup. It’s a lot of exposition getting ready for the big finale. The people of Earth are all having nightmares about the Master, but only Donna Noble’s grandfather, Wilf can remember them. He’s keeping an eye out for the Doctor and enlists the help of his friends. Meanwhile the Doctor is summoned by the Ood, but he decides to wait a few years before answering the call. He learns from the Ood that the Master is returning and that time itself is in peril. The Doctor races off to Earth to stop the Master from being resurrected. He arrives too late and runs off in search of the Master. Along the way he is reunited with Wilf and together they go off to stop the Master. The Master in the meantime is kidnapped by a billionaire who has some stolen alien technology that he plans on using on his daughter so she will be granted immortality. All he needs is the Master’s genius to complete the repairs. The Master on the other hand has his own designs.
This is probably the darkest of the Christmas specials, though not as dark as Waters of Mars. The Doctor knows that the end is coming for him. As he explains to Wilf, he could die for good but even if he does regenerate, he’ll be a completely different man. There are some good light-heaarted moments as well such as the Doctor’s arrival on the Ood homeworld and some of the modifications he’s made to the TARDIS (which I’m curious to see if Moffat keeps…). Then there’s the flirtatious old lady who wants her picture taken with the Doctor. Very funny. Lastly there’s the recurring mention of President Obama making a speech saying he’s going to end the world-wide recession. Of course we’ll have to tune in next week to see how this all fits together.

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