The Giggle - Doctor Who review

[@CouncilofGeeks]

My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3-XppZmfb-ljac My video on the BBC's response to complaints of its reporting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZzLaWSEatGWj7s My short on why I'll continue to put up the note at the front of these: kzbin.infoHpwwzjzFXiE Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGXFpn2Dgs6qmck Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5fNhXpsiLudo7M Shaun’s 3rd video, following him escalating his complaints: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIPRYoiQacubmqc Shaun's 4th video, covering the BBC's response: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXeaeIpth9RnhbM Laura Kate Dale's protest speech outside the BBC offices: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnPNeKGNoNx0oKs

[@leonbell5141]

I just wanna watch good shows the messaging gets in the way sometimes 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@KateIvyFriesen]

@@leonbell5141 thats the point

[@erikburzinski8248]

I think he could ask 14 for help with some minor things like tardis repairs so we can check in with 14 occasionally without affecting his happy ending.

[@TerporFIN]

Hey. Loved your review and i'm also fine with the bi-generation as well and it's good to see the Doctor having a good "ending" and the other one going for adventures. But what if the 14th Doctor becomes the humble curator that we met in the 50th Anniversary? Since the Curator revisited old favorite faces and that's something i could see the 14th Doctor do down the line.

[@JoeLawson-po8zp]

The fan who contacted Russell about the ramp is actually a Doctor Who KZbinr called Tharries. I think you might like his content.

[@stampede274]

To quote a Tumblr user, ""Mom's gay friend from her 30s had a mental breakdown so he's living in our backyard until his antidepressants start working,' is the funniest ending any of us could've hoped for."

[@BlazeMakesGames]

I watched one of the few surviving clips from the old toymaker episode and at the end of the episode, the main reason the Doctor wins is because from what I understand the game pieces were moved by the Toymaker's vocie, and the doctor was able to imitate the Toymaker's voice in order to move a piece and finish the game from the safety of his own Tardis. So maybe he's changing his voice all the time now so that the Doctor can't possibly imitate him anymore lol

[@nailinthefashion]

That would be such insane attention to detail on behalf of the writers, I wouldn't be surprised since we'll see him again one day

[@dcsoda1]

I really really like that idea and it makes perfect sense.

[@josephineparsons78]

its been confirmed by RTD that he sort of plays with accents so that its a address of the racist depiction of the original toymaker who was a mandarin for some inexplicable reason which was entirely done to envoke visions of the exotic as a danger, apparently davies wanted to still keep that aspect of the charater alive but more playfully use race and accents to attack his opponent. in that way i really like it

[@Brilchan]

@@josephineparsons78 That is what I call changing for the better and being creative

[@lewisthellama2569]

Ooo great catch

[@ShaneOMac135]

I love the idea that 15 brings up that he is better because 14 does therapy. So when 14 dies and regenerates to 15 he's pulled back to the battle with the toymaker.

[@kobeangelesdamelio]

Not sure if that’s exactly what’s gonna happen since 15 seemed just as surprised as 14

[@FallenGemini]

​@@kobeangelesdamelioit is what the leaks mentioned, but it doesn't make sense to me.

[@rogvortex58]

That’s the only thing that makes logical sense to me.

[@badwolf9956]

I think he could possibly be the curator. Either theory is pretty good imo.

[@Dras7]

​@@badwolf9956I kinda dislike the theory that he retires for good at this point in life tho, even if it could fit if they go with 2 branches forever.

[@13Failmaster]

While I agree you didn't NEED to have Mel in the story, I feel her small scene catching up with the Doctor helps better stablish his ending. By her own admittance, she was running away from going back to her reality, as she mentions having nothing, "[her] family all gone". Once Glitz passed, she was done travelling and managed to settle back in at UNIT, despite her fears. It is a way of showing to the Doctor and the audience that, despite his fears, stopping and settling in is possible, even when he's been running on this adventure for so long.

[@ftumschk]

It was good to see Mel using her computer skills, which almost never happened during her time on Classic Who.

[@cabdav]

I'd also suggest that Bonnie Langford has also really grown as an actor since her original days in the Tardis and she didn't perhaps get the best scripts back in the day. Good to see her back and able to give us a great performance in a better story than Trial of a Timelord gave us.

[@OldManFerdiad]

@@cabdav Lovely to see her back and I thought she was great. In one short scene we get more backstory / character development than she got in her whole time in the Classic series. It seems to hint that in whatever her first adventure meeting the Doctor was (which we never saw) her family died, perhaps like Tegan's Auntie Vanessa.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

In addition, Mel was introduced as a computer programmer and we finally got to see her do computer stuff!

[@kanton4108]

That is a wonderful way to put it. I'm going to add something OT: Did you notice that when Mel said to the regenerating Doctor "Every single one of you is fantastic", Nine's regeneration music played under it. That made me smile.

[@soundgal_sine_qua_non]

The unbuttoning of the shirt, undoing of the tie, and removal of the vest once you started talking about the bi-generation was a great touch. Well played!

[@jamesstewart7736]

Ah but were the trousers removed too ? I guess we'll never know. 🤭 ooh Vera mentioned it just after I posted this. Nice! 🤣

[@DaeZey]

Little detail, but looking at things through the lens of Fairy Tales, Donna rhyming back to the widow I think is why she wins. She added the verse which described her victory.

[@PsyrenXY]

Headcanon accepted!

[@mysticwhovian2734]

56:55 Actually, Ncuti comes directly after Tennant (14), they aren't seperate entities, they say so in the episode. 15 says hes better because 14 healed and got to his mental health to a good place. Also, when 15 calls 14 an old man, Donna corrects him because he comes after, so he's actually the older one. The bigeneration just pulled 15 back through time (and 15 brought his TARDIS back through time using the mallet)

[@adelucas4824]

That was my take on it as well. Ncuti stated that Time Lords do therapy out of order. At some point 14 will be happy in himself and let go of all the baggage then quietly regenerate into 15. Time Lords can trigger regenerations themselves, they just prefer not to. My head canon is that the bi-generation 15 was pulled to that point in time shortly after his regeneration. I don't think it was the creation of 2 separate entities so much as a time loop.

[@mysticwhovian2734]

@@adelucas4824 I completely agree

[@EmeralBookwise]

@@adelucas4824: I like this take. Especially with how the edge was presented with Whittaker, I felt like the setup for why Tennant's Doctor also came back was tied to his original final line, _"I Don't want to go,"_ and so unlike every other regeneration he never moved on. To me that made the obvious resolution to this return being that his new final line would be him coming to terms with himself and deciding that he's finally ready go. So, yeah, with this interpretation in mind, I like to imagine that after a few decades of living with Donna and her family, that still ends up happening and loops back around to the bi-generation.

[@emmanuelfernandes5610]

this is so cool!

[@xxSandt21xx]

Russel stated that the reason the toymaker’s accents kept changing was to give a nod to the fact that the Toymakers design and name in the 60s was pretty offensive. It’s a way to acknowledge it while also giving an in-universe explanation for it

[@Mrcool210]

I prefer the theory that he does it because the doctor beat him last time by mimicking his voice, so he keeps changing it up so the doctor can't do that again.

[@jadenbryant9283]

​@@Mrcool210wow villains not making the same mistake twice that's new!

[@alistairbuckle3450]

As a Britisher, I think it’s referencing WWII: Germany taunting when in power, America taunting when in power. Two very different intentions.

[@alim.9801]

​@@Mrcool210 oo I love that theory!

[@PsyrenXY]

​@Mrcool210 I'd say its both, hes petty like that 😂

[@212mochaman]

Well, I have been hearing people say they should do something earth shattering for the 60th anniversary. Guess they nailed that mission statement

[@lewisrobertson4413]

The earth shattering was in the star beast actually

[@joeyhelpish]

@@lewisrobertson4413I laughed way too long at this 😂😂😂 good job.

[@212mochaman]

​@@lewisrobertson4413😅😅😅😅

[@jadenbryant9283]

and hey we kinda got a multi-doctor story this aniversary

[@nailinthefashion]

​@@lewisrobertson4413it's a shame thst got perfectly reversed. I'd love to see how humanity deals with a gaping maw hellmouth in the suburbs

[@jay1603]

Re: the bigenration, here are my thoughts 1) I buy into the idea that myths become possible because of the toymaker 2) I like that Ncuti's doctor is the one who said "I" bigenerated, I feel like keeping 14 alive to get some processing time is his gift to 14, and that sort of 'not killing' 14 was his choice and not because 14 wasn't ready to go 3) I think it was really really sweet how gently Ncuti's doctor treats 14, and I think it kept up with the theme of 14 needing to really sit with his trauma and it also provides an opportunity for 15 to be more of a clean slate doctor & a jumping on point for new fans without existing fans feeling like all the stuff up to now had no consequences for the doctor, since we can see that it did and does, but 15 can move on 4) I have faith that they won't abuse the fact that another Tennant clone exists, because they didn't do it when we got Rose's DoctorDonna clone, and I'd like to have a little trust in the fanbase. Ncuti already has the energy of the doctor immediately, I love his vibe and I think it'll be easy to give him a chance the way people seemed to rock with Matt Smith.

[@kellygingrich4302]

^ Yes to all of this

[@uncreativename4249]

I have faith that we're not going to abuse having a Tennant clone for the same reason we didn't abuse it with the Metacrisis Doctor. _He got the happy ending._ We fought for Ten back because when he regenerated, he didn't get peace. Every other New Who Doctor before and after him got _peace_ and the more they got peace, the more upset we got that _he didn't._ When he left, he left sad, and scared, and alone. And now, thanks to the bigeneration, not only does he get peace, he gets _home._ He gets _family._ He gets his days lounging in the sun, laughing with his best friend, his sister in every important sense of the word, and he gets _time to heal._ We're not going to demand that they throw him into the fire again. He's earned his peace ten times over.

[@miss1of2]

As a fan of the tenth Doctor who fell off the wagon after Smith... (I found Capaldi's Doctor too angry...) Those 4 specials were a great way to get back on track! Donna was always my favourite companion. I legit screamed when I learned about the specials!! So, yeah I like that it is a cleaner slate!

[@DavidRYates-tk2tq]

​@@miss1of2 shame, because Capaldi really was an amazing Doctor.

[@ColzoArt]

24:30 I *loved* this interaction with Shirley. There’s a lot of stuff currently coming from our UK gov which is adding to the fuel of suspicion of Disabled people, how we are benefit scroungers or faking it. I loved how RTD added this part in. I use a walking stick & sometimes I don’t but get the fear when I’m public if I dare to be “caught out faking it” because of the current government.

[@ramcams]

especially since there were literally trolls on twitter getting on Shirley's case for crossing her legs in The Star Beast, saying that she was faking it

[@alim.9801]

​@@ramcams I hate that those people prove much of the point that was made with her character but I guess that's why that point with Shirley was needed. She was a badass anyway but I hope she showed some people that some wheelchair users are ambulatory and you should never be the disability police. Those people seem to do much more harm than good, the people that accuse others of "faking it" and it makes me angry honestly

[@TheIndieOcean]

I really like the way Shirley's wheelchair use has been depicted. I first noticed it in The Star Beast - when she first bumps into the Doctor and they're talking, Shirley crosses her legs. It stood out to me because you just never see that kind of thing in media.

[@craigcharlesworth1538]

Ruth Madely has spinobifida, she's not paralysed. There are lots of conditions where someone might need a wheelchair but still be able to move their legs or even walk unaided for short distances.

[@TheIndieOcean]

@@craigcharlesworth1538 Yes, which is why I'm pleased to see that kind of reality depicted

[@voltijuice8576]

I love that the story drew attention to this via Kate's compromised outburst. Because after WBY I did indeed encounter commenters grousing that Shirley and/or Ruth were "faking disability" on the basis that she's able to move her legs. It amazes me that some people would assume that only paralyzed people or amputees would use a wheelchair.

[@pokelolmc6826]

​@@TheIndieOcean and let's not forget the unfortunate, but absolutely realistic scene where Kate falls under the influence of the Giggle and accusingly attacks Shirley that she's "seen her walk!". That's unfortunately something people who use wheelchairs but aren't paralysed get due to the stereotype of wheelchair users not being able to walk at all. The devastated apology afterwards and Shirley solemnly accepting it because she knew Kate wasn't of sound mind...damn!

[@alim.9801]

I'm so with you, I'm surprised they did that actually but really happy they did

[@Concreteowl]

12 settled down and sort of stayed put as the Lecturer in his final series. He even had Missy to chat with. His intellectual equal, while teaching humans for decades.

[@jay15951]

And 11 was in a town called Christmas until he died of old age though he was at war the whole time

[@xxXepicdeath53Xxx]

12 still had a duty of guarding the vault tho

[@Fff99901]

He also spent 24 years living with River Song

[@xxXepicdeath53Xxx]

@@Fff99901 with the idea it’s going to end and she’ll die

[@jackwarren5608]

Yes doctors have settled but still with something to do. 11 protected trenselore, 12 rested with River but then had to deal with the loss, 12 guarded Missy’s vault, 13 was in prison. They were all busy doing stuff. 14’s ending is the first time the doctor has ever stopped and just… enjoyed life. Day to day. No countdown, no duty, just rest, therapy and love

[@RoseNoir90]

All my issues aside, Fourteen retiring to become Donna's house cat is a hilarious ending.

[@MarkFaamaoni]

There was another nod-to-accessibility that was acknowledged here that was subtle, but much appreciated. I noted that when the new TARDIS control room was revealed that the size of the room, the gradient of the ramps and the handrails meant that the new control room was accessible. It was just missing two things: firstly, the ramp. But secondly, some chairs. I don't use a wheelchair, but my mobility is limited, and I absolutely am always looking for somewhere to sit down. And I said to myself, "it's nearly perfect, but needs seating." And when Ncuti said "one thing this place needed was a chair", the phrase "I felt seen" is cliché but..."I FELT SEEN."

[@gaymooshroom371]

The ramps are WAY too steep for a wheelchair user to use safely :(

[@c17sam90]

My only question was how did K9 get in and out of the TARDIS without a ramp of some sort of sci fi magic

[@Stephen-Fox]

@@c17sam90 It was one of those 'the dog is meant to be more mobile than the prop actually is' things, so they... Mostly did it with camera trickery.

[@c17sam90]

@@Stephen-Fox at the same time we have seen things wheel into the tardis with no problem I just thought it automatically got things in

[@Stephen-Fox]

@@kirishima2370 Because the show is a children's show and the target demographic should be able to imagine themselves in the role of the companion.

[@heathenwench]

I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user, and I can't tell you how much it meant to me that they showed Shirley standing, and addressed it, but also the wheelchair ramp in the tardis!!

[@CatherineX-ph3on]

I’m disabled and I found this all embarrassing. We have had Professor x and geordie laforge as two big time disabled heroes. Not side characters put there to make a point but actual heroes with specialist knowledge and abilities. Shirley has no specialist knowledge. She is supposed to be a science officer. Do we hear her speaking science? No. All we hear her or see her doing is something to do with her wheelchair. This is not good rep.

[@miss1of2]

​@@CatherineX-ph3onA character doesn't need to be the hero to be good representation and the fact that they actually put a ramp on the TARDIS indicate that her character is gonna have a bigger role... We've barely had 2 episodes with her, can we give her time? It could also be argued that since the visor fixed his blindness and let him interact with the world normally, that Geordie wasn't that great for representation by the way...

[@Xavier.living.life.]

A thing that I found pretty interesting is when the toymaker says to the doctor "I made a jigsaw out of your history, did you like it?". Is this RTD retroactively making it so the toymaker is responsible for retcons to the doctor's origin like them being half human or the timeless child?

[@evabright8735]

The widow and babies were definitely creepy. But i love how Donna handled them.

[@kuroiphox989]

"Hello Stooky. My name's Donna. Now I think that you're a goner."

[@HandofOmega]

Given these last two eps, I might have to move my couch so that I can hide behind it!

[@amandak.5967]

Never mess with Donna 😂

[@paulflint6254]

Lol@@kuroiphox989

[@zemoxian]

@@amandak.5967Donna Descended!

[@gamer3ed484]

Your interpretation of The Giggle and the way it operates is such a great way to look at it. I really didn’t put much thought into the mechanics when I first watched the episode, but I think the talk of dealing with these types of thoughts is something that resonates with me deeply. I have OCD, and as such I really struggle with thoughts that are all kinds of prejudiced in nature. Racist, sexist or indecent thoughts are common, and it’s so upsetting to constantly deal with thoughts that you don’t align with. At times the intrusive thoughts can be so overwhelming, that I’ve had anxiety attacks from the second guessing that comes as a result of the thoughts. It’s even worse to be put into a position of explaining it. People hear you say you constantly have upsetting intrusive thoughts and assume that just because you have those thoughts, you are a bad person. It’s not helpful, and it’s something I struggle with enough without their help. It honestly just makes me not want to talk about it most of the time. Your philosophy of focusing on action and betterment is something I’ve heard from my therapist, and it’s nice to hear such reaffirming words from a creator I have immense respect for. You’re amazing Vera. Even though this really has nothing to do with the episode, I appreciate your ability to weave other subjects into your discussions so seamlessly. Thank you for brightening up my day with that segment in the review.

[@christiegreenwood2642]

Intrusive OCD thoughts immediately came to mind to me, too.

[@ericnoble5194]

I go through the same troubles. You are not alone. :)

[@paulinemeinung8949]

I think that perhaps the deep interpretations come with a second viewing. After all, a scholar of Dickens doesn’t read him once. You know what I mean? The first time I just loved the story, the romp, the dear characters and the happy ending. At last everyone lives.

[@JulianDanzerHAL9001]

32:00 to be fair I loved the version of that in the impossible planet cause it wasn't as agrandizing, it wasn't about humans being purely amazing it was about humans trying their best and being curious despite being puny

[@theoncomingstorm7903]

They do imply in the episode itself that Fourteen will go on to eventually loop back around and become Fifteen once he's healed from the trauma of the past few incarnations, as Fifteen says he's better cause Fourteen got better.

[@swordbrotherulbrecht3286]

from what i've looked into/seen. the toymaker was originally defeated by his voice being mimicked, so it's theorized that the accent switching is actually just him finding a way to count how he was beat last time.

[@alim.9801]

I've heard the same and I really like that theory. Makes a lot of sense imo

[@SeanORaigh]

I do like Harris' portrayal of the toymaker, but whenever i hear his silly German accent all I can think is that somehow the Doctor has come up against Count Olaf in disguise.

[@MereQat]

51:49 "Just this once... everybody lives."

[@hypnoamber3248]

@Vera thank you a million times over for your discussion of disability inclusion in this video. I am disabled and use mobility aids, and I have many friends that do as well, and for those of us who deal with this exact same thing, I totally felt this moment in the episode. And you nailed it, absolutely nailed it and you are the only creator who has done this so far. Most just gloss over it.

[@pocketluna3607]

Absolutely. I don’t (yet, it’s very likely in the future) use mobility aids, but many of my friends do and this meant so much to them. Shirley is excellent ambulatory wheelchair user representation and she’s one of my favorite things that came out of this special.

[@addyvalencia]

As someone who was among a huge chunk of the target audience for the specials (an old fan who was interested in seeing the show revitalized), I love the bigeneration for the prime reason you mentioned: finally a happy ending. It all around feels like a huge win. We say farewell with a smile to 10/14 and enter a new era with 15 full of upbeat energy. I think it’s beautiful. ♥️ I was so shocked when I went online to see the mixed-negative reactions. Some even said they felt as though we were ripped off from another tragic goodbye, and that’s why they didn’t like the bigeneration. I honestly don’t understand how that would’ve been any better. As much as I love angst, I don’t watch Doctor Who to be miserable the whole time! LOL

[@gregorturner4753]

we got the tragic goodbye when he regenerated and said i don't want to go. so seeing him get a happy ending after all the suffering he underwent during and post the time war is carthatic.

[@Photons_Dont_Matter_Much]

My worries mostly stem from the detraction from being the doctor I've seen directed at Ncuti, while maybe a loud minorityI've seen even well meaning people say Ncuti isn't really the doctor, and that Tennant is, which is uncomfortable to me, that and the potential rewriting of the past doctors regenerations.

[@klop4228]

I'm just concerned about the fact that there's just another Doctor sitting about. I'm sure we won't, but it is now a possibility in the show that Tennant could show up whenever and wherever and it'd make sense.

[@keelanbarron928]

I think the problem is that it affects the previous regenerations and that it ultimately makes ncuti's doctor not THE doctor, but A doctor. (Since the previous one is here as well.)

[@DigiRangerScott]

LET’S GOOOOOO! I loved this episode! NCUTI HAS ALL THE ENERGY! And it’s incredible! Honestly it seems like Russell isn’t bothering with regeneration sickness anymore, but I could see him bringing it back in full force for 16 or 17.

[@CulturePhilter]

Ironically it looks like RTD is actually going to do something interesting with the Timeless Child idea… it looks like his relationship with Ruby is built kind of on that story, with them bonding over both not knowing where they come from.

[@Concreteowl]

I loved how Katie's ablism predicted the reaction to the character online.

[@Concreteowl]

Sorry I have lots of friends called Katie and autocorrect is my nemesis

[@SarcyBoi41]

For real, I remember seeing people reacting to The Star Beast with "SHE MOVED HER LEGS SLIGHTLY, CLEARLY NOT PARALYZED, RTD EPIC FAIL WOKE"

[@intergalactic92]

@@SarcyBoi41I saw someone claim that her inclusion as a disabled character was hypocritical because of the fuss RTD made about Davros being portrayed as a wheelchair user….. forgetting or ignoring what the reasons behind the Davros controversy actually was. And don’t get me started on those that think that Shirley standing up is a subtle clue that she’s secretly a villain. No really, people have been saying that as if they’re the only ones that noticed that she stood up.

[@gregcervantes9268]

​@@intergalactic92Shirley being my favorite character, how dare they?

[@JB-ys8ct]

@@SarcyBoi41 The fact that people were calling that "woke" just shows how much people don't know about disabilities and it's exactly why representation like this in media is so important.

[@wolf1066]

My cousin has cerebral palsy; her ability to walk (and to perform many other mundane tasks that I take for granted) is highly variable. Sometimes she can walk unassisted, sometimes she can make short bursts from support to support, sometimes she needs a walking frame, sometimes she's restricted to a mobility scooter. I'm deaf in one ear, my ability to hear someone depends on what side of me they're standing on and how much noise/interference is going on in my functional ear. Both of us have had problems with people thinking we're faking because they've seen us apparently have no difficulty on *some* occasions and think we can function to that level or better all the time. I love how this episode tackled that, by showing it as the unreasonable behaviour it is and by depicting a person who has limited mobility rather than fostering the stereotype that all disabilities are "all-or-nothing" in nature.

[@GENERIC_CHANNEL_HANDLE]

My old man has _multiple_ "hidden" disabilities. You wouldn't know he had them if he didn't tell you, but he still needs to park in the handicapped stall because they take a heavy toll on him. We've only ever had one person leave a passive-aggressive note on the windshield once, but it still pissed us right off. The scene with Kate and Shirley... yeah, that hit home. Just glad we got Ncuti in his pants to brighten my day after.

[@banjododo]

My thoughts on bi-generation is that it was supposed to be the result of all the emotional trauma the Doctor has been ignoring since stealing the tardis in the first place. All the stress and trauma was clearly affecting him, he was snappy and rude, he looked ragged and disheveled, and prone to making mistakes. He was looking for an outlet to decompress, which is what brought him to Donna in the first place, he needed his best friend. He was in conflict internally about wanting to stop and slow down and heal, but couldn't because he knew the universe needed him to be a hero and reached a breaking point. So he split in two, the part of him that wanted to stop and slow down stayed behind and the part of him that wanted to continue went off to have new adventures.

[@bacul165]

You're right! I remember his desperate "I just want a mate" when he asked Donna to travel with him...

[@lucypreece7581]

I have a friend who is classed as legally blind. He has a condition called Nystagmus which is basically an involuntary uncontrollable movement of the eyes and it affects vision but in general he on the surface looks fine but legally he is classed as blind and I like the point you brought up about how the giggle affects Kate and what she says about Shirley in the moment and the ways certain disabilities are viewed within society and how my friend Rob is classed as legally blind but has some vision capacity. He works, he keeps bees, he does kayaking. He does many things fully sighted people do so you wouldn't think of him as blind but he is legally classed as blind because of having Nystagmus. and he has had it all his life. I have known Rob for years since high school like well over a decade at this point and as far back as I can remember he has had this so he has never been fully sighted. So just thanks for talking about this topic really. it's important to think about.

[@hypnoamber3248]

Agreed! I have a sight disability and I can't tell you the amount of PTSD I have from people who have been so rude about that. Vera totally nailed it. In fact I get less negativity from using a walker than I did using a sight cane because people are so demanding on what is an acceptable level of blindness for them. It's really horrible. And much love to your friend and to you for being a great advocate. We need more of you in this world.

[@TheLastSane1]

I have cerebral palsy. I am lucky in that I had what is called a minor case. I could not sit up on my own till I was 3, and could not walk till a few months before I was 5. I am 36 years old now. I can walk, I can stand, I can even run. But there is never not pain. I am pretty much always in pain to some level. Now thankfully on a day to day level I am at like a 2 or 3 in pain and because its been my baseline all my life I can ignore it. But I work a job that runs 12 hours and most of its standing. By the time my shift ends my legs are weak, I am hurting, and I struggle to walk I limb, shuffle, my legs do not want to operate. And given my research those with my condition and history become users of wheelchairs by the time they hit mid-40s into their 50s just due to the pain. They can stand, they can walk, etc but the pain becomes severe and quickly unbearable. So I have been aware that not all wheelchair users have been confined to a wheelchair, but a lot have with this condition. So when I saw her stand up out of the wheelchair I was glad they showed it, because within the next decades thats more then likely going to be me.

[@lucypreece7581]

@@hypnoamber3248 Thank you. Speaking to Rob about his condition and doing research on it and just learning more about it has really helped me to understand the challenges people with these kinds of disabilities face and the societal stereotypes about certain disabilities. I don't know the specific level of blindness Rob has with his condition because that's not my place to know but I know it affects him enough that he cannot legally drive a car but as I said he still works and keeps his bees and does kayaking and he recently completed a college course in business management so whatever limitations his conditions causes are unclear but I don't need to know this information. I just know my friend for who he is and that's all I care about. Also little known fact is that the musician Appl D Ap from the Black Eyed Peas has Nystagmus hence why he is always wearing tinted glasses. My friend also always wears slightly tinted glasses

[@lucypreece7581]

​@@TheLastSane1it is important to show that disability is not one size fits all and that it the same condition can affect people in different ways just like as Vera pointed out there are different levels of things like visual and hearing impairments such as my friend Rob who is classed as legally blind and legally cannot drive a car due to his condition but is able to still do many things that fully sighted people do like work and keep bees and go kayaking and he makes his own gin which is cool and he loves books and reading and he recently completed a college course in business management and went to university and did a degree is film and media studies. So like Rob faces in day to day life people not believing him when he states he is visually impaired but legally he is classed as that and his sight does have impairments and limitations. I think society and media portrayals of disability need to get better at understanding the nuances of disability and that people with disabilities are capable of more than we think and are not fully hampered by their disability. They still have many capabilities and often just need stuff like wheelchairs, mobility aids or just other tools just to help them in certain situations but not for every single thing in life.

[@TheLastSane1]

@@lucypreece7581 Just so my anxiety is not inflamed. I was not arguing with you, I was merely trying to show a different view from a physical disability that is only sometimes visible that is more in line with the show. I appreciated showing that not all people who need wheelchairs are only in wheelchairs. I have a hard time explaining my need to rest because people see me walking and moving around normally for the most part. But once my stamina runs out and the pain gets to bad I have to sit or I am just in horrible pain all day. And that can lead to muscles going spastic and locking in place and well imagine a muscle cramp that lasts hours.

[@MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

I think it's nice that 14 learned how to be in a family when 11 struggled so hard.

[@KOBMattYT]

I liked the bi-generation for the one reason of giving a timeline where the Curator can exist and the Doctor still has adventures, that is if that ends up being the reasoning for the bi-generation they seem to explain the mythbusting issues as you mentioned as it was slightly addessed with the toymaker's abilities

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

God bless you Vera! I have been cheering these Doctor Who specials since they showed Shirley cross her legs in the very first one. My husband has cerebral palsy, and while it does affect his balance and has prevented him from building up enough muscle mass in his legs to support himself walking independently, he can take a few steps as long as he's holding on to something. We have been confronted by people so many times wanting to say that he is faking being disabled so that we can park in wheelchair accessible spots when they see this. So kudos to RTD for not only casting a disabled actress to play a disabled character, but for also going the distance and pointing out that not everyone in a wheelchair is completely incapable of walking. Next I want to see him point out that not everyone who is hearing impaired is deaf. I still maintain a word recognition score in the 70 percentile. Usually if I'm in a quiet room with only a couple of people around me, I can hear just fine. Now if I'm trying to listen in a crowd, or if I'm trying to watch a movie where you not only have a soundtrack soaring in the background, but also explosions, background characters yapping, car horns, honking, etc, then I really do need my hearing aids and captioning. But no, I don't use sign language. I can speak just fine. I can hear relatively well. Maybe we'll get a companion like that sooner or later. I kind of hope if we do get a companion with hearing loss, it is somebody who's primary language is sign. I just want to see how the TARDIS translational matrix will act telling somebody who's used to sign that a Dalek is signing! But I do want to correct something a lot of able-bodied fans (possibly even the producers) have thought about the new tardis interior. In order for a ramp to be wheelchair accessible, you need to have one foot of length for every one inch of rise. The ramps and the tardis are a bit too steep. Someone trying to go up them in a wheelchair would probably tip over backwards, even with an anti-tipping wheel, and if they were trying to go forwards, they would probably end up going head over wheels down the ramp. This is something my husband pointed out as a wheelchair user. Personally, however, I would love to take those ramps in a pair of roller skates! They look like so much fun!

[@wolfgang8181]

I feel like your reaction to that part of the special is probably a bigger plot twist than that moment itself! This was a really excellent review and made me appreciate certain bits in the story more as you brought some thoughts I hadn't considered.

[@Frostylongcat]

The best youtube channel I've found talking about new doctor who! Love your takes and love how in depth you go with everything.

[@cassielipton7209]

I love when 14 says “it’s time” right before he allegedly retreates. It contrasts with 10 saying “I don’t want to go” and shows that he’s come to peace with himself

[@silverwind3766]

Regarding happy endings I think you're forgetting the Doctor and River on Darillium. "And they both lived happily -ever after-". While i don't dislike the concept of a bigeneration i think it's presentation in this episode was plain goofy. It's also unnecessary for a happy ending, 14 could just have stayed with Donna & family and they could have filmed a regeneration scene where a happy content 14 dies of old age, like 11, leading into a refreshed 15 ready for adventure again.

[@bacul165]

One of the first comments i read under a video showing Shirley was literally "but she can cross her legs, she's just faking disability" and it's good to see the creators cared enough to deal with this issue

[@CatherineX-ph3on]

I’m disabled. I have no idea why a science fiction adventure story is focussing on disability or pronouns or a Sikh in a turban. I get out and meet real people. I’m fine with all these issues. I just wanted a good adventure story, and Doctor Who is now failing on that.

[@bacul165]

@@CatherineX-ph3on You don't think the Giggle was a good adventure story? Huh. Well there's no accounting for taste i guess.

[@rogvortex58]

We all know the only reason bi-generation happened is because RTD always has to break the rules to give his characters special treatment. Every Doctor changes and every companion leaves. But noooo. Because it’s RTD’s personal faves they’re the ones who get to stay together because it has to be his way not the actual way Doctor Who is done. So typical. How does he expect the audience to move on to this new era of the show if he can’t even let go of his previous one? I think this is a disservice to Ncuti Gatwa. He should have been given a clean slate as the Doctor. Only now with Tennant sticking around he’s always going to be compared to him. I just hope they establish that 15 is still 14’s future incarnation. Because of what he said about being fine because he fixes himself and does “rehab out of order”.

[@maloujensen4917]

The result of the bigeneration; 14th healing himself also means that the 15th Doctor has a clean slate. He isn’t weight down by the guilt most new era Doctors were. But at the same time that guilt and hurt isn’t disregarded - the 14th did the work and brought peace to the 15th Doctor, so the show can reboot for a new audience without pissing of old fans to much. 😂

[@bobtheskutterbot]

This was entirely my read too! That the goal was to create a baggage-free Doctor without totally disregarding the baggage.

[@chaselondon4139]

I feel like the quote: "the first thing that pops into your head is what society tells you, your reaction tells you what you think" is really interesting to keep in mind while looking at the effects of the Giggle

[@jesterlavorre6417]

it feels both nostalgic and feelgood, perfect for an anniversary episode, while also allowing for essentially a full emotional reset. letting the full weight of all the consequences of the doctors actions and inactions over the years just get to separate from the current generation so it feels less like every regeneration is just ignoring all the trauma the previous one received

[@drperky17]

I really enjoyed the episode my thoughts are so similar to Vera's, I'll just say "ditto". I do have a couple of observations: 1. When Kate hands over the box holding the Toymaker, she says something like "Lock this away in the vault, buried in a mound of salt." A deliberate rhyme. And the Toymaker spoke in rhymes plenty. So that's something to watch, and maybe relates to whoever took the gold tooth. 2. This version of the Toymaker = a lethal Mr Mxyzptlk.

[@louisward6881]

The suspense of waiting for this review has been killing me! Your the only youtuber I can enjoy watching for doctor who cause you actually talk about the whole episode. Cheers vera

[@danielx7609]

If I had a nickel for every time the Doctor Who fandom correctly predicted a twist regeneration, I’d have 2 nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s crazy that it happened twice.

[@Nymwhen]

YOU GET IT!!!! JUST ONCE!! A HAPPY ENDING FOR A DOCTOR!!! (just this once rose, everybody lives) I needed this so so much. I was bracing myself for the grief of losing a doctor again and having to get used to the new one, and now I can just go into the next era with joy. In the world right now, with how sad everything is, with how hard it is to feel joy about things, it brought me so much peace and joy to watch Ten/14 be *happy* and to have a good ending. For once. And I am SO FFING EXCITED about Ncuti. He was *so* charming. I am so happy. I cried for the entire last 20 minutes of the episode, but like, in the best way. I do agree its a silly concept, bigeneration, and I don't want to see it again, but I agree that within the 'rules' of the Toymaker being here it works. I also hope Tennant doesn't come back for anything beyond the standard multi-doctor specials kinda things and audio dramas or something (and I'm saying that as someone who's favourite doctor was ten), I want him to have an ending, this ending. This is an ending, and it's a beautiful ending, and I want this to be the ending we get to keep. It feels like a final send-off and a more sweet and kind and loving one than I expected, one I really needed, right now. And I do think it will be an ending? I hope so, anyways. It feels like the closing of a book, in the best way. Now it's time for the next story, with the next doctor. I am so excited.

[@kellidawnholsopple]

Could not agree more!!!

[@meercatt]

Exactly! It was such a gift and I cried too. So so so lovely 😊❤

[@MrBANE1992]

I like the idea that 14 becomes the cruator a retired version of the Doctor who revisits old faces. Maybe in a few centuries he travels back in time and takes the job at the gallery when he changes his face to Tom again. But well who knows.

[@m.b.6402]

IMO the "mavity" time loop triggered in the second special is a marker for a loop in which "magic" is part of how the entire universe works. Thus leaving Davies room to move back to more fantastic, allegorical story telling--if you look back at Davies' early work, he likes his "not science, instead emotional logic" narratives, with at best a mere shrug and a light SF gloss to "explain" how things happen.

[@Parker8752]

The whole mavity thing irks me because the word gravity comes from the Latin word for "heavy"

[@squidgirl0413]

@@Parker8752 i recognize that it probably isnt a big deal to you but i would like to offer an explanation anyways; in that episode, isaac newton heard the word 'gravity' from the doctor and donna first and associated it immediately with the discovery he made; thus, he would come up with a soundalike based on his memory of the event, rather than researching a latin phrase to use, because it was already named (incorrectly) for him.

[@franzirijillo2384]

The bi-regeneration isn't actually a completely new concept, remember when the 10th doctor got his hand cut off and then made a clone out of it to later give it to Rose so they can live happy together. In a this story already happened. Didn't enjoy it as much, analyzing it more subjectively I can say is a bit better than how I felt it was, but if the main point of the show is to enjoy it this didn't do it that much for me.

[@efrainlagunas]

I did have some dissatisfaction with the episode but for the bi-regeneration, I don't like the idea at all but I like your explanation. Personally I viewed it as RTD making 14 be the spiritual embodiment of the show so far. This doctor, more than any, really felt the weight and heaviness of the trauma the doctor must be feeling. By 15th's own words, Ncuti's doctor is happy because the 14th took time to heal. Making the bi-regeneration a metaphor for RTD leaving the trauma and consequences of the previous stories with 14, and letting 15 be... well whoever 15 will be.

[@jadenbryant9283]

And it also gives the show the chance to sorta soft reboot

[@Ladyvirgule]

You know what the giggle affecting Kate made me think of as a black trans woman ? The way you may sometimes be shocked as you hear people who you thought of as open and progressive and who supported you personally speak about people like you in a bigoted way when they think you are not around. It didn't happen to me often but enough to feel sad just rethinking about it.

[@MrFearDubh]

I hope Vera's right and they leave the 14th doctor with his happy ending and leave him alone like the Metacrisis-Doctor for us to imagine our own future. I hope hope hope that they didn't bigenerate as a kind of insurance policy so that if fans end up not liking Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor they can bring the 14th back. That would be very unfair to Ncuti.

[@cmmosher8035]

My current head cannon Is Tenant gets to live as the wacky Uncle to the Nobles and eventually it's him who regenerates into Tom Baker's Curator from the 50th anniversary. The line of Doctors who come from Gatwa are still out there when people need him.

[@Jedi_Spartan]

7:15 I love how people have been meming that scene with other characters and their scenarios (my favourite being one about the characters from Love and Monsters).

[@Giuliacucio]

The part when you talk about disabilities really got into me. I am deaf on one ear but I still can hear, I have difficulty in hearing in loud environments and noticing where sound comes from. A lot of people doesn’t understand and think I am lying and I am not “completely disable” specially because I don’t speak sign language. So in that scene, even not being mobility disabled, I felt it. In my heart. (Really like your content btw)

[@yourneighbourtodoro]

I loved the bigen pretty much immediately. I get some people want to obsess over the mechanics of it, but I can't help rolling my eyes at that for a few reasons. 1) People act like this breaks the whole show. It doesn't. It doesn't contradict nor decanonize anything that came before it, and it doesn't ask us to buy into anything all that insane. Sure, it's wacky, but let's not pretend Doctor Who has been stone-faced hard sci-fi until now. 2) In the classic series, many regenerations were handled differently and with different mechanics. So, even regeneration hasn't been consistent until RTD came back and codified the orange light. God forbid we get a fresh one-off take on regeneration without people losing their senses. It's especially brilliant because the bigeneration actually has something to say. It allows the Doctor to literally give himself the hug he's needed for so long. 3) The meta-interpretation of the bigeneration is that it's giving the show a chance to be reborn as something fresh while not retconning anything. 14 has time to reckon with the events of the show up until this point and rehabilitate from them, and 15 is the healed version of him that will go off without the baggage of the Timeless Child or the Time War or any of the dark, complicated lore nonsense that's been compounding and bogging the show down in recent years. 4) The idea that the bigen "delegitimizes" Ncuti because "Oh, now there's another Doctor flying around the place." Babes, it's a time travel show. Every Doctor is already flying all over the place! Also, it's pretty clear that 14 is just going to vibe with his family and work on himself. That's the whole point! He's NOT off flying around and having adventures. Sorry for the essay, but at the end of the day, I WANT Doctor Who to make bold artistic choices, to make the mechanics work for the story, not the other way around. The Timeless Child had nothing to say for itself AND it actively contradicted so much in the show in a way that was somehow both detrimental and uninteresting, whereas the bigen is just a new one-off concept that we're not meant to dwell on. In fact, the whole POINT is to not dwell. Let Doctor Who be artsy and emotionally impactful and FRESH, rather than so lashed to its pre-established mechanics that it isn't allowed to do anything new or weird.

[@amberhallson3563]

Regarding the tardis ramp. the fan is a youtuber called Tharries. He was invited by and spent some time with RTD at the premier of the start beast. RTD told him it’s known on set as the Tharries ramp. ❤

[@lauren-carder-fox]

Did you feel like they snubbed Jodi’s companions (Yasmin, Ryan and Graham) by not having the Toymaker mention them at all during the scene where he replayed the doctors history since Donna? He skipped right over them and went right to the flux. That’s how I felt and it really rubbed me the wrong way, because I feel like Jodi’s doctor is always getting the shaft. I think she was a fantastic doctor.

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

Yeah, I thought it was interesting that there was ZERO mention of not only Thirteen's companions, but Yaz specifically, who the Doctor was theoretically in love with...like a day ago.

[@Zozette27]

The fourth episode of The Celestial Toymaker exists. It was found in Australia in the 1980s. During the 60s and early 70s, Dr Who episodes were repeated during school holidays in Australia so I ended up seeing The Celestial Toymaker about three times and have very found memories of it. It was one of my favourite stories. Tardis hopscotch and dancing dolls 👍👍👍 I have been waiting decades hoping that the Toymaker would return.

[@TheBlackSaint]

Yep, it was also included in The William Hartnell Years collection, which I saw in the mid 1990s on VHS

[@HOTD108_]

It's still mostly missing. You can't say you've seen The Celestial Toymaker. You can say you've seen the fourth part of it, but you cannot say you've seen the story as a whole.

[@CritterKeeper01]

@@HOTD108_The original poster said they saw it when it first aired, before the episodes were lost. So no, they *can* say they saw the whole episode!

[@Stephen_The_Waxing_Lyricist]

I suspect the 14th Doctor gets a job in the secret vault, as a... no, _The_ Curator

[@letsgoooo9200]

I feel like that should be the next step

[@CometStar100]

I don't know if I like the bigeneration yet but at least it isn't as bad as the timeless child. That ruins the character but this just adds to the lore in a weird way. I just hope RTD isn't doing some sort of multiverse thing with this cause in his commentary of the episode he was kinda hinting at that

[@Jack-Peters99]

RTD is going to damage the show and sadly anyone that has an ounce of constructive criticism about it is met with the word "tough" or called a baby. The way he's has acted towards long term fans of the show on his IG is nothing short of embarrassing.

[@ColorOfSakura]

I also just love how within the text of the scene with Donna's family and Mel that you learn that Fourteen considers Donna and "Auntie" Mel his sisters now (Evidenced by him calling Shaun his brother-in-law, Sylvia his stepmother, and Rose his niece.)

[@ColorOfSakura]

Also I'm putting my hat in the ring for "The One Who Waits" to be Zagreus. It'll probably never happen but hey - there is the part in his nursery rhyme about "Zagreus waits at the end of the world / For Zagreus is the end of the world / His time is the end of time / and his moment Time's undoing"

[@michaeldavies3536]

The reasson the toymaker changes accents so frequently in this special is actually a homage to a previous audio drama featuring the toymaker (i forget the name) but basically he was defeated by the doctor managing to copy his voice as he was talking (akin to midnight), so his constantly changing accents was a mix of fun/taunting on the toymakers part, equal parts "im enjoying flipping accents while you struggle to keep up" and also "your not catching me with the same trick twice" which i found very amusing

[@al-a7x950]

Not an audio drama that's how he is defeated in the original hartnell story 👍

[@Frey12]

I think whats interesting about the happy ending is, Ncuti says that he has the experiences of that Doctor's happy ending. Which means when David dies, he will teleport to that point in time? Also Timeless Child allows infinite regeneration, so that is the one nice thing about it.

[@thenamelessdragon]

I haven't fully gauged Ncuti's doctor, but what I did get was emotional intelligence, and I'm really hoping they continue with that angle where Ncuti is markedly more emotion-centric than most modern-era doctors. Apart from maybe 13, all the previous doctors have either been greater good over feelings or have been socially unaware (and even then, 13 was a mess). I'm looking forward to a doctor who will sympathise/empathise with people as a priority. Yes, the doctor will always be smart and always have to step on a few toes to get things done, but give me a doctor who, instead of smart-assing, would have been able to handle the midnight entity by making connections with the passengers and building a trust relationship and confidence with them.

[@kellygingrich4302]

^ The Doctor we need this decade

[@Unearthly_Child_]

Just a reminder that the fan that reached out to Russel about a TARDIS ramp is thhe brilliant KZbinr Tharries!

[@professorakiba434]

I think the Bi-Regen helps explain why there is a Curator in the 50th anniversary and this could even explain how the Valeyard originated.

[@HandofOmega]

Hm, what if the Valeyard is the one player the Toymaker fears playing against? Would make sense, he has all the skills of the Doctor, even more experience and none of the restraints...

[@jamiestevens3074]

What were your thoughts on Donna saying “do you come in a range of colours?” When Ncuti appeared? I’ve seen many people say how it’s a bit…iffy.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

It’s not great. But the show also moves away from it quickly and I could buy Donna would say that. That doesn’t make it ok really, but it’s why I didn’t feel the need to bring it up.

[@Latriise]

The tardis is sentient, so I also feel Fourteen's tardis won't take him to dangerous places (since he's healing). It knows Fifteen and his tardis are there to save the day.

[@HandofOmega]

I wonder if that's problematic from the other way around? Even leaving aside those who try to delegitimize 15 because of this sitch (nothing new, I remember fan theories about how the new 11th was going to be revealed to be "not the real Doctor"!), but from a meta perspective, fans knowing that 14 is around, with a TARDIS, arguably undercuts the stakes for 15 a bit, if we know that 14 is always around as a "safety net" to make a surprise appearance and help out saving the day...RTD has talked about doing more with Tennent, but I hope he doesn't inadvertently steal Ncuti's thunder...

[@davidbosankoe3759]

It's great that the Tardis interior is now Dalek accessible ;-)

[@Alovon]

I will say my two candidates if the "One Who Waits" is a returning character (Within the show itself), it's either Omega or the Valeyard? Valeyard would sort of fit in with the whole Bigeneration thing, The Doctor's baggage/history, the damage of the Flux.etc. And Omega is Omega. Note, those two are *if* it's a returning character.

[@JenniferFuss]

My issue with the bigeneration is not the "nonsense factor", but that the Doctor being with Donna who is now employed by Unit hasn't got an end but quite a big teaser for a new series. Which imho takes away from the Gatwa Doctor.

[@roborob4296]

one of the worst parts about watching this stuff now is its so hard to watch the show and hear lines and not think how these outrage channels are going to twist every damn word. oh BI-generation.... since when did BI = bisexual? bi is just a prefix to 2... bifurcate = to split in 2. bilingual = fluently speaking 2 languages etc etc..... but nope these clowns are going to harp on BI! sad thing too is how RTD responds to people on twitter even people wanting to make rational points and have a discussion about the whole davros and wheelchair thing his response is basically him being a dismissive troll. basically he just reads gleans a post, decides its criticism so he dismisses it as invalid "tough" "poor baby" etc

[@movieatrssmaker]

the toy maker is an eldritch horror working on scp logic and its awesome

[@harrietamidala1691]

I got to say, the giggle was legend-wait for it-dary! That was definitely a wild ride. I didn’t want to get off and it actually felt more like a true anniversary special with the callbacks to the past. I really like Mel’s re-introduction here because I feel like she got really shafted in her original run. There is one thing that is still bugging me - we still didn’t get an explanation why the 13’s costume changed As she regenerated into 14. We know the real world reason was so that bigoted newspapers wouldn’t make a lot of trans phobic and queer phobic jokes about David Tennant wearing women’s attire after regenerating (although the 13th doctor costume is not a very feminine costume), but I was hoping they would be in universe reason as well. Like it was part of the toy maker’s, manipulation to meddle with the doctors regeneration to give him a devil’s bargain to be this face forever, but The Doctor declines it and chooses to change into the 15th doctor.

[@Tejiknasten]

Always a joy to watch these reviews of yours. Lovely and thoughtful as always! Especially the thing about ones gut instinct and how to handle it. Very thoughtful. I liked this episode and thought it was a nice way to celebrate 60 years of Doctor Who 🌞

[@255ad]

Like I implied on the discord, they made the Toy maker into a doctor who equivalent of the Q, and I view that as a good choice

[@AngieDeAguirre]

Yeah, Q is great. He is just a big ball of fun. I loved him in TNG and I don't know if he ever appeared in the other series...

[@TheDarkVampire666]

So whatever he is so scared of he admits he ran away just how powerful is it

[@rebeccarobson4940]

About the German accent, there is a city I'm Germany called ausburg who is very famous for puppets. Inspiration may come from there

[@angelaskjeie3593]

I really like the bi-generation. Not just because I was not looking forward to seeing Tennant "die" again, but because of a theory I saw on Rich Hudson's channel. This could be the genesis of the Curator, whom we saw in the last anniversary special. Fourteen could take on the Curator moniker. Tend to the past, revisit old faces, revisit old companions. This makes sense to me, He would not stay 'Doctor'. But also, we need to have a genesis for the Valyard, remember him from Sixth Doctor era? At some point, that would mean another bi-generation of some sort, to create the version of the Doctor with self-hatred and anger. This is how bi-generation makes sense to me.

[@clairemckinley691]

I liked what you had to say about the bigeneration and for your consideration I would like to add some of my thoughts that build on it. Thinking about the lines where gatwa’s doctor says something to the effect of ‘I’m okay because you’re going to be okay. We’re timelords, doing rehab out of order’. What that makes me assume is that Gatwa’s doctor exists in their timeline totally ahead of the doctor, not concurrently. What I mean by that is I assume that gatwa has all the memories of tennants doctor, not just the ones he has has up until then, but all the ones he will have afterwards living with Donna’s family. This means that not only does the doctor get an opportunity to rest and process and reflect and heal and have a happy ending, but that all those things continue to be a part of him in the regeneration line that gatwas doctor will have come after him. I would hopefully imagine this would mean that when tennants doctor dies he would die a normal death and not regenerate, because he has already regenerated into the doctor that comes after him. If these thoughts here are what is implied from those lines in the episode, it makes me really like what they did here even more. To not only give a doctor an opportunity to rest and heal, but to have the doctor we follow to have benefitted from all that healing and resting without us having to spend a whole season with a doctor sitting down eating lunch and shooting moles (not saying I wouldn’t enjoy that though!). It makes me even more hopeful about what doctor who can bring us in the future and I am so ready and prepared for whatever comes next with gatwa

[@koivunen2489]

"Just this once: everybody lives!" I loved 15's enthusiasm at the bigen! He was thrilled to meet himself, and that was very sweet. I can't wait to see more from 15 (and his thick thighs).

[@lonewolf6884]

50:05 " The Doctor. The man who keeps running, never looking back because he dare not, out of shame." Davros (S4E13)

[@alim.9801]

I know it's the most minor point of this whole special, but I am so excited for 14. He seems both very cheeky, maybe the cheekiest doctor, and the most athletic since maybe 5!! He seems both old and renewed (assumedly since 14 finally took a break) and I'm actually so excited and impatient to see more of him!!

[@peterthompson1989]

To me i feel like 10s already had their ending. Theres now 3 versions of Tennant going around even if one is a clone. I also feel uncomfortable that we introduced the first black doctor with Jo Martin's doctor who is a past secret doctor who we will probably never see again apart from expanded media which is a shame as she was brilliant. We then have Gatwa who has to share his regeneration with Tennant To me the show feels like its desperate to keep hold of Tennant when i feel like it should be looking more into the future

[@Sara_TheFatCultureCritic]

I kept thinking of 9 saying "Just this once, Everybody lives!" What I want most in story is an emotional journey that feels real and meaningful, get that right and I will accept the rest. The Doctor just really needed a cuddle from someone who understands him, that to me is the story of these specials. That explains the face and finding Donna and when that didn't work there was only one person. The happy ending was delightful and cathartic in just the right way, I hope 14 is fully retired now and that he'll meet a nice Welshman with curly blond hair. Oh and I just think humans are his special interest like people who are fascinated by weird bugs.

[@Sara_TheFatCultureCritic]

Oh my rule is 1st thoughts = social programing, we are the thoughts and actions that happen after that.

[@MaxHP1]

So I'm not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet, but one likely reason he's switching accents is because when he first fought the Doctor, the Doctor beat him by imitating his voice.

[@SarcyBoi41]

RTD said in the behind-the-scenes that it was a way of acknowledging the racism of the original character instead of burying it. He was originally called the Celestial Toymaker, "celestial" at the time being a derogatory term for "of Chinese origin" rather than meaning "from the stars" as it does now, and he wore Chinese garb despite being a white man. This is obviously problematic for a number of reasons. So RTD decided that a way to explain it in-universe would be to have the Toymaker himself play around with accents and casual racist remarks to make people uncomfortable.

[@MaxHP1]

@@SarcyBoi41 .....yeah I like my interpretation better.

[@SarcyBoi41]

​@@MaxHP1me too. It feels more like he's bringing back the racism rather than leaving it in the past where it belongs. Seems like good-intentioned but slightly off and misguided attempts to be socially conscious are going to be a theme in RTD2. Still better than most of Chibnall's stuff though. "CaPiTaLiSm Is GoOd AcTuAlLy" -Kerblam

[@joeskittlesman]

​@@SarcyBoi41 I actually like this, in factors well into the clear concept that The Toymaker has no respect for anyone that this episode presented. Sure, he's a murderer. But he's a much bigger monster than that. He invades personal space for fun. He psychologically terrorises his victims as a game. To The Toymaker anything that might upset, scare or offend us is amusing. He enjoys demolishing our boundaries with a sledgehammer. Him acting racist makes absolute sense to me in that respect, pushing our buttons, for a giggle.

[@marcelwannieck]

I've seen one interpretation of bigeneration that I like quite a bit. When 15 emerges, he is basically pulled back from the Doctor's own future. Meaning that 14 still is going to regenerate at some point into 15 and when that happens, timey-wimey shenanigans occured and he's sent back to UNIT Tower to play catch with the Toymaker. Now, do I actually want to see that "proper" regeneration happen? No, absolutely not. But there are some things that 15 says that allude to this theory possibly being correct. 15 talks about doing rehab out of order. "I'm fine because you fixed yourself." Meaning that 15 is the Doctor AFTER 14 has spent a lifetime healing on earth with the Noble family. Working through millennia of built up trauma. And being able to just wind down for whoever knows how long. I want to believe that 14 regenerates into 15 not because of being wounded in a battle but because he's dying of old age like 11 did. But again, I don't want them to actually give me that answer, just give me adventures with 15 and let 14 enjoy his family life. The rest is up to headcanon.

[@MrDiddyDee]

For the 14th Doctor to settle down his Tardis, being sentient, would also have to retire. It is as much a character in it's own right, the Tardis has always had a mind of it's own, and deserves a scene where the Doctor addresses the fact that their big adventures together are over.

[@evabright8735]

Regeneration was once a new concept to allow a new actor to take over the role. Due to the reality bending of the Toymaker, I'm okay with the Doctor going through a Bigeneration. The 14th Doctor could become the Curator, anything is possible for him. It was an ending and a beginning. I really liked that. But the bigeneration should be an extremely rare situation or just this one instance.

[@RJA]

The only problem with the Bigeneration i have is that surely UNIT would contact that doctor if they needed If a situation happens like in stolen earth it wouldnt make sense for them not to contact the Doctor that is on earth 100% of the time.

[@matygoo1644]

I liked the idea of Bi-generation (Assuming it's a one-off rare phenomenon like how occasionally someone can be born with extra limbs, 9th doctor said when regenerating he might have 2 heads) It feels like something fresh. And i hope this is the true end for 14 and they have the taste to leave it. Plus Toymaker was the GOAT Villain, I loved the dance. Great episode trying new things, It was just fun

[@Starsteam1]

It goes against canon.

[@tracyleay]

As a disabled person with a mobility aide I enjoyed so much the ambulatory wheelchair user. Another disabled creator from TikTok was not a fan of the ramp on the Tardis because they thought the Tardis would automatically adjust for them ALL ALONG if they ever had the opportunity and now felt dis-included from all previous adventures , so their head cannon was hurt. Honestly though I cheered, but I get their take because I kinda had the same thing in my head, in the way the Tardis is bigger on the inside surely it can adjust itself to ADA if need be? But I still felt welcomed by the ramp.

[@strangerde2709]

I think that the reason for the bi-generation as well is it's a soft reset of the Doctor and the story surrounding them. His own backstory was running over itself so many times that I think it was running the risk of collapsing in on itself, this way, it's almost like Ncuti Gatwa's is the new first doctor

[@bacul165]

That does make a lot of sense! Tragic sad emotionally unavailable WAS getting a bit old indeed. It sometimes seemed like a cheap way for big emotions, now writers will have to come up with something new!

[@jenniferedwards1752]

If The Doctor didn't think the human race was amazing, why does he keep coming back and choosing human companions? He obviously thinks we are great. That being said, humans can be awesome and awful at the same time. It's not binary.

[@logansmith2703]

The American accent gave me whiplash the first time he did it. By that point I was fully used to the others.

[@chrisblake4198]

I loved the bi-generation. Mainly because of Ncuti being so instantly engaging, stealing the scene from Tennant and Tate and Neil Patrick Harris, while in underwear! But for the Who nerd in me, because it instantly became the answer to the lingering bomb drop from the last Anniversary special. Where did the Curator come from? We initially thought later regenerations would just waste a few centuries in retirement from time to time, but now we know. One Doctor goes around having adventures, the other gets to revisit those old familiar faces and do this and that to bring himself peace. Once Donna and Shawn pass away and Rose has her life, he can regenerate into Hartnell and go see Susan, or Tom Baker and become the Curator, or Jodie to live with Yaz, anything they want. All the happy endings.

[@samuelbarber6177]

Personally I don’t really like that. For one thing I’ve never liked the interpretation that regeneration is like a death, but to go on and reveal that all the other Doctors are knocking about, just doesn’t sit with me. To me that’s worse than The Timeless Child.

[@MartinFWhite]

When my mom went to the Getty, she got a wheelchair because both she and my aunt would need it to get around. One would ride and the other would push. then they'd switch places. It was the best for both of them.