4 Years Ago, ‘Doctor Who’s Biggest Failure Was Just the Beginning of the End
Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor, “The Power of the Doctor”, brings her era to a close with a battle against the Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen. The article argues that, despite an exciting plot and Whittaker’s strong performance, the finale underserves both the actor and the relationships that give Doctor Who its emotional core.
The Master impersonates Rasputin, joins forces with the Doctor’s enemies and tries to trigger worldwide volcanic eruptions before attempting to take over the Doctor’s body. The Doctor stops the plan but is fatally wounded and regenerates into David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor, in a moment written by returning showrunner Russell T. Davies. The special also reunites classic companions and Doctors, while the article criticises its limited development of Thirteen and Yaz’s romantic relationship.
In short
- Whittaker’s final episode delivers a major battle and regeneration.
- The article says the finale relies too heavily on nostalgia.
- Thirteen and Yaz’s relationship is left unresolved.
Explained simply
Doctor Who follows the Doctor, an alien time traveller who can change appearance and personality through regeneration. Each version travels in the TARDIS, a ship that looks like a blue police box, and meets recurring foes including the Master, a rival Time Lord, and the Daleks and Cybermen.
Jodie Whittaker was the first woman to play the Doctor on television, with Mandip Gill as her companion Yaz. Russell T Davies, who led the programme’s revival in 2005, returned as showrunner for the transition to David Tennant’s next Doctor. The series’ long history means anniversaries and changes of actor often bring earlier Doctors and companions back.
The Doctor’s friendships are a central part of the show, and viewers had followed Thirteen and Yaz together over several series. Their relationship therefore mattered to audiences as part of Whittaker’s era, alongside the science-fiction conflicts and the handover to a new Doctor.