Series 7 of Doctor Who concluded with “The Name of the Doctor,” and while the season as a whole presented a somewhat uneven narrative, the finale itself stands out as one of Steven Moffat’s more compelling season endings. Despite the disjointed feel of the preceding episodes, “The Name of the Doctor” delivered a powerful and intriguing conclusion.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
The episode opens with a captivating flashback sequence set on Gallifrey, depicting the Doctor and Susan’s initial theft of the TARDIS. Clara’s presence in this historical moment adds an immediate layer of intrigue, as she subtly warns the Doctor about an impending mistake. Shifting to the present, the Doctor, guided by prophecy, arrives at Trenzalore, a planet shrouded in mystery and destined to become a pivotal location in his long and complex life. Simultaneously, Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax find themselves captured by the sinister Great Intelligence and his eerie Whisper Men, also brought to Trenzalore, setting the stage for a confrontation with far-reaching consequences. The Doctor reveals to Clara the ominous nature of Trenzalore: it is a place no time traveler should ever venture – his own grave.
The Great Intelligence’s scheme is unveiled: to infiltrate the Doctor’s tomb, which is revealed to be the decaying husk of his TARDIS, and rewrite the Doctor’s history. The key to unlocking this tomb lies in the Doctor’s true name, a secret held close for centuries. In a surprising return, River Song reappears, seemingly aged beyond any previous encounter. Through a somewhat convoluted explanation involving techno-babble, Moffat clarifies that River’s digital consciousness, preserved within the Library’s Data Core after her sacrifice in “Forest of the Dead,” has found a way to project herself to Trenzalore. It is River who utters the Doctor’s name, unlocking the tomb’s entrance, though the audience is never privy to the name itself. This scene, while slightly awkward in its execution, is effective in maintaining the mystery surrounding the Doctor’s true identity. River’s dialogue hints at a significant passage of time for her within the databanks since her Library adventure, suggesting she might have foreseen and prepared for this very moment. Her willingness to seemingly aid the Great Intelligence raises questions, implying a deeper, yet-to-be-revealed purpose behind these events.
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman as Clara Oswald face the mysteries of Trenzalore in 'Doctor Who' Series 7 finale, 'The Name of the Doctor'.
Upon entering the tomb, the interior reveals itself to be the TARDIS control room. Here, a slight suspension of disbelief is required. Despite being the Doctor’s future TARDIS, the set design inexplicably mirrors the current interior. One might assume the Doctor never changes his desktop theme again, or it inexplicably reverted to a familiar setting. While a minor detail, it does momentarily detract from the immersive experience. Instead of the central console, a pillar of interwoven, luminous strands dominates the space.
The Doctor elucidates that this column represents “the scar tissue of [his] journey through the universe,” his personal timeline manifested physically through his time travels. This explanation raises some canonical questions. Previous deceased Time Lords have been depicted differently – Rassilon as a holographic ghost, Borusa turned to stone, and the Master’s ashes contained within an urn. The formidable security surrounding the Doctor’s tomb also contrasts with the relative ease with which five Doctors (or four and a half) were abducted and placed in Rassilon’s tomb in “The Five Doctors.”
The episode dedicates a significant portion to exposition, building towards the climax where the majority of the action unfolds. The Great Intelligence, driven by his malevolent intent, plunges into the timestream, aiming to systematically undo the Doctor’s victories and inflict defeats throughout his entire existence, akin to a twisted, antagonistic Dr. Samuel Beckett figure. As the Doctor succumbs to the Great Intelligence’s assault and begins to fade, Clara makes a daring decision: she leaps into the timestream to rescue him. This act scatters echoes of herself across the Doctor’s timeline, enabling her to intervene and save him at crucial moments throughout his various regenerations. This narrative device cleverly incorporates glimpses of previous Doctors, with Clara’s echoes appearing to assist them in past adventures. Curiously, the Eighth and Tenth Doctors are notably absent from these sequences. While rumors circulated online about a deleted scene featuring the Tenth Doctor in the American broadcast (which proved unfounded), the omission of both the Eighth and Tenth Doctors remains unexplained. Perhaps these absences are intentional, hinting at future appearances by actors portraying these Doctors, or maybe another explanation lies hidden beneath the surface.
Initially, it was widely speculated that Clara’s temporal scattering was a consequence of her travels with the Doctor. “The Name of the Doctor” reveals the true cause: by sending out her echoes, Clara effectively destroys her original self. Now, the revived Doctor must reciprocate and venture into his own timestream to save her. Within the timestream, he locates Clara, only to be confronted by a mysterious figure unfamiliar to her (played by John Hurt). The Doctor reveals this figure to be a past iteration of himself, a version who broke his vows and operated under a different name.
The immediate on-screen text, “Introducing John Hurt as the Doctor,” adds further ambiguity and excitement. John Hurt’s casting is undeniably brilliant, and he embodies the gravitas and complexity expected of the Doctor. However, the placement of this regeneration within the established Doctor Who timeline remains perplexing. Several theories have emerged attempting to reconcile this new Doctor with existing canon. One possibility is that Hurt’s Doctor predates the First Doctor, representing the original incarnation before the Time Lord adopted the moniker “the Doctor.” This would imply that upon regenerating into William Hartnell, he embraced the name “Doctor.” Alternatively, Hurt’s Doctor could be positioned between the Eighth and Ninth Doctors, a prevalent fan theory. However, this theory encounters a potential conflict with established canon. In “Rose,” the Ninth Doctor’s appearance at the Titanic, wearing the Eighth Doctor’s costume, suggests a very recent regeneration. Furthermore, if Hurt’s Doctor is a distinct regeneration post-dating the adoption of the “Doctor” title, it raises questions about why no other races, known for their comprehensive knowledge of the Doctor (like the Cybermen in “The Next Doctor” or the Atraxi in “The Eleventh Hour”), ever acknowledge this incarnation. A plausible explanation is that Hurt’s Doctor existed solely within the confines of the Time War, an event effectively sealed off from the rest of the universe. Regarding the Time War context, if Hurt’s Doctor is indeed the Eighth or post-Eighth regeneration, his oath-breaking likely alludes to his actions during that devastating conflict. A final, more speculative theory proposes that Hurt’s Doctor is the Valeyard, a future, morally ambiguous regeneration mentioned in “The Trial of a Time Lord,” described as emerging between the Doctor’s twelfth and thirteenth incarnations. This Valeyard theory potentially aligns with the Great Intelligence’s cryptic reference to the Doctor as “Valeyard” within the episode.
Despite Series 7’s overall inconsistencies, “The Name of the Doctor” stands as Steven Moffat’s most successful finale. Moffat’s strength lies in crafting exceptional standalone episodes, while his series-long narrative arcs tend to become somewhat convoluted and lose cohesion. In contrast, Russell T. Davies, the previous head writer, excelled at seamlessly weaving seemingly disparate narrative threads into a unified and satisfying climax. Moffat has struggled to achieve the same level of interconnectedness in his finales, resulting in a sense of disjointedness. However, Series 7’s relative lack of overarching cohesion ironically benefited “The Name of the Doctor.” With fewer narrative threads to manage, the finale achieved a greater sense of focus and coherence.
The episode’s most compelling aspect is its capacity to encompass the Doctor’s entire life, prompting the audience to reflect on the character’s rich 50-year history as he revisits his past. The cliffhanger ending leaves viewers eagerly anticipating the 50th-anniversary special. The Doctor and Clara remain trapped within his timeline, raising intriguing possibilities for the anniversary celebration and beyond. One can hope that this temporal predicament extends beyond the special and into Series 8. Imagine a scenario where the Doctor remains tethered to his timeline throughout the next series, with each episode focusing on a past adventure from a different regeneration, perhaps with some new additions. Beyond revisiting adventures of the eleven preceding Doctors, episodes could explore the Doctor’s childhood on Gallifrey, pivotal battles from the Time War, or even glimpses into the Doctor’s far future, offering a truly expansive and celebratory narrative arc.
