One of the defining moments for the Ninth Doctor comes at the end of this story. After two episodes of a relatively traumatic adventure, the Doctor is able to save the day through the power of love and nanogenes. And then, he actually gets a chance to properly save the day, spreading the nanogenes throughout all those who have been affected by the gas mask zombie 'plague', for want of a better word. "Everybody Lives!", he proclaims joyfully, as the episode comes to its conclusion.
And it's a truly joyful moment for this Doctor, because of the circumstances in which it comes. He's just been involved with a war that has destroyed his own people, and that has left him damaged. And a good portion of the stories that we've had since then have dealt with the ramifications of the war, be it through the desire to change history, or dealing with the fallout of the war to other species such as the Gelth. So for this Doctor to be given this opportunity to save everybody from dying is extraordinary, because it represents a moment for the Universe to finally give him a break, and allow him to have one legitimately happy moment.
And whilst it may not be the truly defining moment for this Doctor (we'll look at that on Sunday), it is an iconic moment for him that's part of an iconic story.
Plus, Jack Harkness.
ReplyDelete