Letter #22 - Spoilers, sweetie!

Dear Whovians,

I think it's been long enough since the final episode of Doctor Who that this shouldn't contain any spoilers for fans of the show, but just in case, look away now if you haven't seen the episode. Go and watch it instead!

So I loved the episode and I know that if Twitter is to be taken note of, there was a very mixed reaction to this latest viewing from Moffat. Now, I am not at all a Moffat fan; I crave the days of RTD, but what am I to do? This entire season however, for me, has been fantastic as a whole. And this episode, Hell Bent, was the cherry on the top.

I've had to rewatch it to find the best quotable lines from the episode. There were many. And it felt like a much more grown up season and this episode in particular, was an emotional highlight for me.

Peter Capaldi has managed to fill that David Tennant shaped hole in my heart, that Matt Smith was never able to fill. He is a delight to watch and I feel for him more than I did with Smith and at times, even Tennant! His acting; the desperation, that crazed "I will do anything" look in his eyes was everything.

I will admit to welling up at points, especially as the recycled plot of memory loss came up. While everyone else was hating on that, I was remembering how awful the Doctor-Donna situation had been and praying that this scene wasn't as bad. I was clearly wrong. It was so much worse, since it's the Doctor.

I was hoping for anything but his forgetting about her. His pain was still there as well as his desperation. All that had disappeared was who Clara was and who she was to him. I can't help thinking what a horrendous situation that would be to find yourself in. It was tragic and I do not use that word lightly.

I couldn't help but think of every other Doctor when it came to the end of the episode. As a character, he's so broken, and so complex, that your heart goes out to him. But the range of fantastic actors that they have had to fill the position makes all the difference. He's the most brilliant character that even if I got bored of the episodes, as I had shortly done during the Matt Smith phase, I would still be invested in the character and how he is. 

The wit and the clever repartee that are synonymous with the Doctor seem like tell-tale signs once you figure it out who he is. The Doctor is one for the ages; he'll be remembered long after the show's end, though I hope that that isn't near.

The simplicity through which the concept of the show has progressed makes every scene important and a story to tell. After all, "stories...are where memories go when they're forgotten"

Here's just a few of the beautifully resonant lines that this episode gave us:

"Tomorrow is promised to no-one, doctor, but I insist upon my past."

"Every story ever told really happened."

"Nothing's sad till it's over. Then everything is."

"When something goes missing, you can always recreate it by the hole it left."

"Run like hell, because you always need to. Laugh at everything, because it's always funny. Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends. Never eat pears; they're too squishy and they always make your chin wet. That one's quite important, write it down."

Well Doctor, write it down I did! And I will be sure to remember all of those life lessons, as well as the many more that are sure to come.

Now, off you go and get ready for the Christmas episode of Doctor Who. It's sure to be a good one!

Until next time, be inspired...

Love, Z