WATCH ALONG | DOCTOR WHO | 50th Anniversary Special: The Day of the Doctor
Added 2023-05-05 13:04:25 +0000 UTCI can't believe we're finally here!
We're all excited for this one and it's ready to be released now, so I'm publishing it a little early! :)
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me with all the prep for this! Another huge thank you to every single one of you for not spoiling a single thing about this episode!
*****
A Few Notes:
- Please no spoilers beyond this episode unless you see that later episodes have already been released. In that case, no spoilers beyond those episodes.
- This video is in a watch-along format. This means you'll need your own copy of the episode to watch alongside my reaction. This is in an effort to avoid copyright infringement.
- If you're based in the UK (or using a UK streaming site), here are instructions for how to get your copy to sync with mine.
- The show footage will play for the first 30 seconds with both video and audio. After that, the show footage will be silenced, and the video will be blurred for the remainder of the episode. There is also a count-up timer that begins once the episode has started. These things will hopefully make it easier for you to keep your copy of the episode synced with mine.
- This episode was viewed on HBO Max.
- If you want to know whatβs coming up, check out the schedule here.
*****
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Comments
Not sure if you're looking at your responses on old posts, but I am a fairly new subscriber who loves your reactions and has been bingeing them for this last little bit. This is one of my top things Dr. Who of all time - and my first Doctor was Pertwee (though my favorite is still Baker). There is a line that Baker says as the Caretaker about going back to some familiar faces, so yes, he is the Doctor (and as has been said here confirmed after airing), but I believe he is actually a future version of the Doctor. This episode/special/whatever you want to call it has it just about all. Brings back some of the old villains that we haven't seen in the reboot yet, asks a lot of questions, and answers some of them. As you said, it leaves those unanswered ones open to be answered in future episodes. I think it has the right amount of each - too many things tied up and it could have been a block for the series, not enough tied up and it just gets confusing. Anyway, thank you so much for these reactions. I love that I'm able to watch the episodes with someone instead of alone - it's amazing how much of a difference that actually makes.
Kal Zakath
2024-02-06 05:59:14 +0000 UTCI know it's controversial, but I love the fact that Moffat reversed the Doctor destroying Gallifrey in this story. As a very long time Who fan (I grew up with Classic Who since the 80s), it never set well with me that RTD had had the Doctor do that to Gallifrey in the first place (and the reasoning of RTD thinking Gallifrey stories were 'boring' was why he did so just irked me). It just felt wholly out of character to me, but I guess YMMV. Either way, as I said, I was super-happy with that aspect of this story and it was such a delight to watch it again (especially in another anniversary year!). <3
Nicole Mazza
2023-05-27 07:55:31 +0000 UTCYes, we drove actually to Germany to see to in the cinema!
Michael Oswald
2023-05-08 15:47:04 +0000 UTCI love the fact that you were recommended classic episodes that didn't fully fit in, because that way you know if we do that again it's not going to be a big spoiler. What I love about this is if you go back and watch certain episodes you'll see all the references to Queen Elizabeth the First. The main two that come to mind (there's more than two btw) in the Shakespeare code at the very end a much older Queen Elizabeth marches in and screams "Doctor, my mortal enemy, off with his head" Martha ask's why she said that and the Doctor says "I don't know, that's in my future." Basically in this episode, he runs off after the wedding, and she never sees him again (until Shakespeare). Then in the beast below with Liz X, she says "oh good queen bess wasn't so good, was she now? Oh you naughty boy" or something along those lines.
SeeJay
2023-05-06 08:31:08 +0000 UTCI feel like we are totally following each other. I noticed we are also in the same facebook group (fan's who actually like the show) ππππ
SeeJay
2023-05-06 08:26:56 +0000 UTCIt was SO great to watch this with you. Like someone above said, it was slower than the BBC iPlayer version so I did have to pause every few seconds to keep it in sync, but I enjoyed seeing your reactions to everything. The Curator is The Doctor, this was confirmed after the episode aired. How he's The Doctor is partly up to the imagination but also partly gets explained in the future. Also what happens to the Zygons does get explained in the future too. And this 50th, as well as being a celebration of the show, also sets up the next couple of series and beyond, things happened in the most recent series leading on from this episode. There's SO much coming that's a direct result of what happened here. I can't wait for you to see it all. I also want to say again just how AMAZING Clara is. You're seeing more and more just how important she is to the show and to The Doctor's life. She saved him hundreds or maybe thousands of times when she jumped into his time stream. And now she literally talked The Doctor into saving Gallifrey. And her importance continues after this. She's SO special, it's no wonder the past Doctors loved her as much as the present one does. I'm super excited for the Christmas special next week. It's a good one. π
Siobhan Linehan
2023-05-06 01:14:19 +0000 UTCI've read several comments from Classic fans saying that,while it's a very good episode,it's not a true anniversary story. I see their point - but it's not particularly valid from a storytelling perspective. The A-plot takes place between the two incarnations of the show,and ultimately joins them together; while the B-plot features Zygons,UNIT, Lethbridge-Stewart and a character specifically fangirling Tom Bakers Doctor! I also feel that The War Doctor is a sort of generalized representation of Classic Doctors as a whole. His is a character who isn't a comparatively young,poster-friendly,guy. He's much older; irascible; and not at all given to displays of affection (which he finds quite baffling). Perhaps it would have been nice to see a few Classic companions (although I'm not sure where they could have been fitted in); but,heck,we saw Ian and Barbara on the photo wall - and lovely reference to The Brig :)
Ian Smith
2023-05-06 00:00:17 +0000 UTCThe biggest complaint I've seen online is some people feel this episode was more a celebration of the current run of Who rather then the franchise as a whole, but I think it does get the whole franchise I've seen in interviews Stephen Moffat wanted Christopher Eccleston to be the Time War Doctor, but he ultimately decided not to return, & Moffat also said he didn't see Paul McGann doing it as he said he felt the 8th Doctor loved life too much, so The War Doctor was created as a retcon & gets official called The War Doctor as to not throw off the numbering Of Eccelston, Tennat & Smith
Retro Tom
2023-05-05 22:48:21 +0000 UTCI glad you enjoyed the episode. ultimately I think it is very well made. There are a few elements that don't work for me. Like you I was very excited to see the time war and the war doctor but despite John hurt's touching performance the war doctor falls a little flat for me. What I really hoped to see from the war doctor was more darkness from the him instead of just being told that he did bad things. Personally, I would have been happy for McGann to have played the role rather than adding in an extra doctor. And like you mentioned when you think back to DT last story 'The end of time' the doctor's motivations for using the moment in this episode don't really work. When the doctor talks about why he destroyed gallifrey in the end of time it was all to do with stopping the time lords, mainly Rasilon which isn't mentioned at all here. Just to clarify, I think the whole time-war is still timelocked (ie. you can't time travel within the period of the war) but in the end of time Rasilon is trying to break the timelock and escape from the last few days of it (might be wrong). I find the reasoning of protecting the universe from the timelords rather than the daleks more compelling. I don't hate the fact they changed what the doctor did as much as some people but I personally would have preferred for him to have done it as I liked the nuance it brought to our 'hero' and ultimately it feels like trying to make a false happy ending. So my view is that the curator is a future version of the doctor that reuses Tom Baker's. Super excited you're nearly at series 8.
Carys Barnes
2023-05-05 22:23:37 +0000 UTCI love this story! It's so much fun. Then again, I'm a big fan of artificial time travel stories in general, which explains why I've been such a big fan of the show for so many years.
David Blau
2023-05-05 22:07:36 +0000 UTCLove the hair!!! So glad you enjoyed this, you were absolutely right about some fans being mad because they changed the outcome of the Time War. There have been a few points over the years where some people have decided they were done with the show because of some big/controversial changes, and this was one of them. Whenever you reach one of those points I always get worried you're gonna stop liking the show, but that fact that you enjoyed this bodes well for your future reactions lol. Thank you for allowing us to vicariously re-experience this through your eyes :)
Nonna Nono
2023-05-05 21:56:25 +0000 UTCA friend of mine pointed out to me that we didn't particularly need Billie Piper in this. If The Moment was using a persona known to the Doctor in order to be an Avatar,surely previous incarnations of HIMSELF would have been more appropriate..? They could potentially have used the voices of earlier Doctors (which,in turn, would have made this more representative of 50 years of Dr Who). It's an interesting idea - plus,I can't help feeling that many people would have been disappointed at the lack of any 10/Rose interaction.You sort of get the feeling that Piper was brought back in order have her name on it (for the trailers e.g.)
Ian Smith
2023-05-05 19:20:25 +0000 UTCPurple hair dont care ! Great reaction of course living to expectations. Good work us for keeping spoiler free huh (or mods). Drop me a free pass to KE and the subs may stay active lol.
Brian Britton
2023-05-05 18:30:32 +0000 UTCwe have options on the discord for how to sync them ;)
Clara Gros-Louis
2023-05-05 17:39:36 +0000 UTCAh this version though appreciated for spoiler reasons doesnt sync well at all on the I player version. Its about 15% slower for me anyway. No big deal but just be aware when watching. Our Britneys superb content can overcome little obstructions, play on !
Brian Britton
2023-05-05 17:33:26 +0000 UTCOh how exciting! Iβm still catching up with your doctor who reactions so I wonβt watch this yet but Iβm so pleased youβve got to this one, I hope you enjoyed! I still remember seeing this in the cinema (it was released in cinemas in the uk and I think in some other countries too?) at the time and it was the most incredible/joyous thing!
Lyla
2023-05-05 16:26:38 +0000 UTCTo avoid confusion the Doctor numbers are still all the same, 11 is still 11, as the numbering only applies to "official" Doctors. Keep in mind though, that the regeneration limit mentioned in the movie still stands, regardless of how much the Doctor wanted to pretend his past self did not exist.
Malcolm Wolf
2023-05-05 15:49:21 +0000 UTCDon't read into "send for reinforcements" line too much. It just means that if the Daleks knew what the Doctors had planned they might very well have scrambled and tried to find more reinforcements, but they had none as they were throwing everything they had at the Timelords already.
Malcolm Wolf
2023-05-05 15:22:37 +0000 UTCReferring to Tennants last episodes: The End of Time: in the beginning of the 50th, when the Gallifreyens walk into the conference room, one says: "The high council is in emergency session, they have plans on their own." and the General said: "To hell with the high council, their plan have already failed.". This were the events from End of Time.
Michael Oswald
2023-05-05 15:05:42 +0000 UTCGenesis of the Daleks is what inspired RTD to come up with the Time War in NuWho. He felt Genesis planted the seeds of how the Timelords were willing to break their usual personal rules around time to try to defeat them, that caused an retaliatory escalation that eventually became the Time War. There was an interesting parallel where the Doctor struggled with the concept genocide, while the more modern day Doctor had to go through with it. Genesis of the Daleks connects with a lot of modern Dr Who episodes, including the 50th, and it could have easily been suggested at a earlier time and worked also. Helping you to get to know Tom also was a bonus.
Malcolm Wolf
2023-05-05 15:01:58 +0000 UTCThe "Museum Curator" mentioned "revisiting an old face" after 11 mentioned he would like to retire and become a Curator someday. This suggests that a future Doctor chose to retire and regenerate with a face he had in the past. This is why the Curator seemed to hint at future events. In short, I believe he is not a "former" version of the Doctor, but a future one that chose a former face, that was "one of his old favourites"
Malcolm Wolf
2023-05-05 14:41:17 +0000 UTCThis ... this is ultimate Doctor Who. This is everything that NuWho has been about. I absolutely LOVE this episode! Just a quick thing for you -- there are like a billion easter eggs in the black archives, and I won't go over the ones from classic who since you haven't seen much of it, HOWEVER -- those red shoes? They're River's. The ones she wore in her first Matt Smith appearence. The crash of the byzantium, as it was. Oh, and they also have the table thing that the Master strapped the Doctor into back in the End of Time part 2. So, lots of easter eggs for fans!
The Inedible Mattman!
2023-05-05 14:33:16 +0000 UTCAt last, we now know why the Queen was so angry at The Doctor & called him her sworn enemy in the Shakespeare Code episode. He left her at the wedding and never came back. Also fun fact: David Tennant was excited to do a story with the Zygons as they are his favourite villains in Doctor Who. Its implied The Doctor will return to previous faces he had in the past "you may find yourself revisiting a few but just the old favourites" so Tom Baker was The Doctor but from the future with a past face.
Tommy
2023-05-05 14:12:30 +0000 UTC
