Day 651: The Trial of a Time Lord Part 12 - Terror of the Vervoids Part 4

The end of Terror of the Vervoids has the Doctor killing all of the Vervoids, mainly in self defense, for if any of them were to survive then they would destroy all animal life on Earth. It's an ending that doesn't feel that out of place, considering the generally darker tone that stories have been taking over the past few series, as well as the fact that the Doctor is able to immediately justify his actions. That said, it still feels out of place, and is quickly followed up on in the trial scenes.

Here, it is clearly pointed out that the Doctor has committed genocide, and that that is a bad thing. He's going to be punished for this, and it's quite clear that the trial will find the Doctor guilty of a number of offences. And, in a way, he deserves it. The series has been getting too focussed on action for its own good, and that's leading to all sorts of problems for various stories, as we see the Doctor act out of character time and time again. The series needs to desperately reinvent itself, and although we're beginning to see elements of that reinvention in The Trial of a Time Lord, it's perhaps going to be a little while before that reinvention finally takes place...