Welp.
Yeah, we had a regeneration.
Yeah, Billie Piper is (possibly?) the 16th Doctor.
The bigger surprise to me, and one of my favorite moments of the Doctor Who finale, was the return of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor.
The biggest problem I’ve had with this series as a whole is the writing.
Every actor who’s played the Doctor in nuWho have been brilliant IMHO, as have most of the companions.
Eccleston, Tennant and most of Smith’s runs had, for the most part, overall better written stories than Capaldi, Whittaker and Gatwa’s runs.
- The Impossible Girl storyline just went on too long, and the whole Danny Pink plot felt too forced for us as fans to care.
- The Flux storyline and the Timeless Child idea seemed not fleshed out enough, as did the Fugitive Doctor.
- Space Babies. ’nuff said.
Bringing back Jodie actually made me smile and tear up, she was wonderful in this short appearance. That one exchange:
Thirteen: I should say that to Yaz.
Fifteen: You never do. But she knows.
Wow.
As for the Billie Piper thing, the credits simply said:
Not ‘as The Doctor’ as they usually do. Is this a fake out? Will she go by another name, like… Bad Wolf?
Of course the other question is how long until the next series, or if we’re even getting another series?
In any case, this finale, to me, was the perfect end to Gatwa’s short run as the Doctor.