The Doctor Who series 8 finale begins this Saturday. There are questions needing answers, plot holes needing to be filled, and loose ends that we hope won’t wait another season to wrap up.
But with Doctor Who series 8 being Moffat’s best yet, the finale has huge requirements to finish an amazing season. So can Moffat create an interesting and exciting finale without overly complicated plots and aborted timelines? I certainly think he can do it if he includes (most of) the things listed below.
1. Who is Missy?
Missy’s identity has been the main story arc of series 8. But what conclusion could be satisfying enough? We obviously don’t want any enigma wrapped in a plot hole, which changes the whole entire history of Doctor Who *see “The Name of the Doctor.” But we don’t want a complete let down of her big reveal being so anti-climactic that all of series 8 seems a big let down. We’ve all heard theories. She’s the Valeyard, the Master, Romana, the Doctor, the TARDIS, etc. My personal favorite is that she’s Clara who got trapped in the Doctor’s timeline and merged with the Great Intelligence. But let’s hope the real answer puts these theories to shame.
2. Clara’s Development
Clara’s character development this series has been a wonderful change from the Impossible Girl storyline. But with her finally calling the Doctor out, realizing she’s addicted to his lifestyle, and then lying to Danny, we need a better conclusion than the small one in last week’s episode. Let’s hope her character development is not completely stumped.
3. Gallifrey
Gallifrey was revealed to be alive in the conclusion to the 50th Anniversary. But will it return this series? With the many plots already being teased in the finale, there will be most likely no return of the Time Lord’s home. That is, unless, the whole Heaven plotline ties into Gallifrey. We can only hope.
4. Capaldi Who?
We were promised an answer to Peter Capaldi’s many appearances in Doctor Who, but lets hope the conclusion did not lay in the one line in this series’ premiere episode. With Moffat, you can only hope for a more complex solution.
5. The Woman in the Shop
The woman in the shop was first mentioned in series 7. Now, with its expansion this series, it finally has the potential to be answered. But was Missy the woman in the shop? More importantly, why is this relevant in the grand scheme of things? We can only hope for a thrilling answer.
6. The Cyberman’s Plot
In order for this episode to work, we need a grand plot from our villain. The rumor going around has been that the Cybermen are converting the dead. But how does this tie into Missy and Gallifrey and Heaven?
7. The Ponds
Now maybe I stand alone on this, but this episode would be the perfect chance for the Ponds’ return. Earlier filming in the graveyard where the Pond’s departure scene was filmed had reports saying that in the scene Clara was using a vortex manipulator. Props were seen such as the gravestones of Victorian-Clara, Ellie Oswald, and The Ponds. If these rumors are true, could Cybermen resurrect the Ponds? I think this would make for a great emotional and moving scene for the Doctor. If this subplot does occur, we need a great conclusion and execution.
8. Osgood and Kate
Osgood and Kate, from the 50th anniversary are set to return to Doctor Who in the finale. This may be just what the finale needs to succeed. But what do we specifically want from these characters? I would want Osgood to develop from the girl who believed the Doctor would save her, into the heroine who saves the Doctor. As for Kate, I feel she needs more high stakes and dark scenarios that were lacking in her previous appearances.
9. Emotional Storytelling
No, I’m not talking about feels. Okay…maybe a bit. But what I want to see this finale is the characters to really be affected by the battle. We want the Doctor to see the Ponds as Cybermen and be heartbroken. We want (as filming rumors have promised) Clara weeping over Danny’s cyber conversion. We want Kate and Osgood to be deeply affected by the cyber invasion, because the stakes are only high when something you love is being taken away.
10. Character Development
As stated above, character development is crucial to our characters. Clara’s character development has skyrocketed this last season. Kate and Osgood, being only in a couple episodes each, could rise away from their understandable lack of development. Danny, being a rather well developed character, would definitely become a fan-favorite with just a little bit of breaking in the finale. But who needs the most development? By a long shot it’s the very underdeveloped Twelfth Doctor. If we could see him not want to insult Clara when he thinks he might lose her, or hug her when all battle is done, his character could blossom from a cranky old man to a complex, wonderful Doctor.
And the one thing we don’t want to see… The Impossible Girl
Now with the Next Time promo after last week’s episode, we have all speculated if Clara is evil and why she said she never existed. Now, the reason I have not addressed the elephant in the room…because overall it is not something this finale needs. Though I too am intrigued and excited for this plotline, I can barely see it resulting in anything less than going back on all the great character development Clara has gone through and returning to the horrible Impossible Girl plotline that dehumanized Clara so much that she barely became a character until series 8. Now, if executed properly, this could be a great basis for a great finale. But we will all tune in to see how all these things are incorporated into the finale.