Time is Running Out

Can’t you hear them? That incessant drumming – it won’t stop, but it’s bringing the harbinger of time. Don’t worry there’s comfort in them because right after they drive you insane, they’ll be the means to your death – or regeneration.

It’s not as gloomy as it sounds, but it is the end of David Tennant’s run as The Doctor.

Being that it’s Christmas Eve you know that London’s in for some sort of alien devastation. The Ood warn the Doctor of the Master’s arrival and of course something goes wrong. A cult devoted to the Master brings back the only woman who remembers his existence during season three when he took over the world, creating a paradox where “the future and the past collide.” Lucy Saxon interrupts the Master’s regeneration process – which causes him to cannibalize himself. The ever-hungry Master then proceeds to take over the world – again. From there its typical Doctor Who fare as the Doctor through an action packed adventure saves the world and experiences the “worst rescue ever.”

Now the Doctor’s faithful companion is Donna’s grandfather Wilfred (Bernard Cribbons) who has shown up at the most pivotal of times during Tennant’s run. We also must not forget that the Time Lords are no longer locked in the Time War but are also hurdling towards earth. They are even a greater threat than the Master.

The End of Time for fans of the long-running series sees a doctor who doesn’t want to let go, who rages against his regeneration. But all things must end and with the coming of Matt Smith brings an end to the series as we know it.

But don’t cry for the Doctor. He seeks out his former companions to get his “reward” and it’s a real tearjerker.

Disc two of this DVD set has bits of deleted scenes, special commentary and a plethora of extras that will satiate fans and bring their relationship with Tennant’s doctor closure. It’s also the end for Russell T. Davies, the man who breathed new life into the Doctor Who series. There had been books and radio programs long after the series officially ended. Still it was Davies who through his writing brought the wit, heart and bite back into the British program for television. Fear not fans he’ll still be executive producer as Steven Moffat takes over the writing reins.

For the eleventh doctor Moffat has reincarnated a Time lord pursuing new adventures with new companions. But we can’t help but remember the magic that Tennant and Davies made. Those were some good times.