Summary
Since its first airing in 1963,Doctor Whohas been one of the BBC’s most iconic sci-fi television shows. For years, audiences have witnessed the exciting adventures of the Doctor and their companions.Whether it’s action-packed battles with Cybermen and Daleks, or the emotional highs and lows of the Doctor’s relationships with his human friends, there’s always something to enjoy about the series. Likewise, every storyline comes fromDoctor Who’s fantastic showrunners, including the very talented Steven Moffat.
Moffat’sDoctor Whotenure featured the Eleventh (Matt Smith) and Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi). Eleven and Twelve are often thought of as audience favorites, andMoffat’s work included some of thegreatestDoctor Whostories of all time. Unfortunately, not all the Eleventh or Twelfth Doctor’s storylines are part of thebestDoctor Whoepisodes by Steven Moffat. Since completing his final episode with the Twelfth Doctor, “Twice Upon A Time,” Moffat has been critical of his work.
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Twelfth Doctor
Season 8 - Season 10
InTV Choice’sThe BIG Interview: Doctor Who’s Steven Moffat, the previous showrunner explained why he is not proud of “Twice Upon A Time.” Speaking with Tom Spilsbury, Moffat claimed,“I think it’s soft in the middle.“Given that “Twice Upon A Time” is a Christmas episode, this is not a surprising sentiment.Doctor Who’sChristmas specialswould not be as well-loved as they are if they contained darker plots, which can all be left for other types of episodes. Despite this, there have also been more wholesome and emotional regenerations around Christmastime.
Moffat did elaborate on his statement, saying that he thinks the ending of “Twice Upon A Time” is stronger than the middle. There certainly are worseDoctor Whoepisodes, but there also could have been better ways topay tribute to the Twelfth Doctorin his finale. With so much pressure to do the character justice, it would be easy to mess it up. There is significantly less pressure for regular episodes as they are not required to include such grand endings as regenerations do. Nevertheless,Moffat’s general dislike of “Twice Upon A Time” has some truth to it.
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There are significantly better episodes ofDoctor Who
Compared to previous final episodes,there is significantly less action in “Twice Upon A Time.“There is not a lot of activity that can be accomplished in an Arctic snowscape, but it is not impossible. Even something like a snowball fight between the First (David Bradley) and the Twelfth Doctor would have been hilarious and added significantly more excitement to the episode, which shows how little action there actually is. The lack of thrills calls for a betterfarewell inDoctor Whoregarding regenerations.
Unlike many actors who have portrayed the Doctor and have returned in special episodes ofDoctor Who, Capaldi has yet to appear again. Capaldi’s lack of return prevents him from adding a better end to his story as the Twelfth Doctor after “Twice Upon A Time.”
Along with the lack of action, “Twice Upon A Time” is a bit overly emotional. The episode’s emotional aspects do have some good qualities. For example, the First Doctor returning to team up with the Twelfth Doctor is a crucial nostalgic moment. However, because of the lack of action, the episode’s plot feels a bit too melodramatic.Heavy emotion is needed for any Doctor’s departure, butin “Twice Upon A Time,” poignant scenes are unnecessarily drawn out without anything to balance them.
Of course,the overwhelming softness of the episode does not reflect the whole of the Twelfth Doctor or Moffat’s work as showrunner.Their legacy does not end there, nor does the show’s.Doctor Whoseason 14’s finalerecently premiered on Disney+, and the series continues to create exciting stories. If Capaldi ever returns to the show, it would be interesting to see a continuation of his story, but until then, there is the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), to takeDoctor Whoviewers on adventures through space and time.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on July 23, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
