Doctor Who Episode Recap, Christmas Special 2013: The Time of the Doctor

Episode Recap of Doctor Who Christmas Special 2013: The Time of the Doctor

A shielded planet has sent out an uninterpretable message to the universe, and attracted ships to investigate. As the Doctor is sent first to a Dalek ship, and then a Cybermen ship, Clara calls him and asks him to come to Christmas dinner and pose as her boyfriend. When they bring the turkey to the TARDIS to help cook it, the Doctor’s Cyberman head, Handles, tells him that he has identified the planet – Gallifrey.

The Church of the Papal Mainframe, the ship that shielded the planet, shows up, and the Doctor and Clara visit. While the head of the Church, Tasha Lem, and the Doctor go to another room to speak privately, the Silence approaches Clara, telling her to confess. She runs to the room where the Doctor is, and Tasha teleports the Doctor and Clara down to the planet.

As soon as they land, they are attacked by Weeping Angels buried in the snow, but the Doctor is able to summon the TARDIS with a special key. Then they take the TARDIS closer to the source of the message. When they enter the town, which is called Christmas, they discover that it has a truth field around it, which makes it so that no one can lie.

They find that the source of the message is a crack in the universe through which the Time Lords are trying to break through from Gallifrey in another universe. The Doctor conveniently has a device that he places on Handles, which translates the message to him and everyone else in the universe: “Doctor Who?”

Tasha projects an image of her face down to the Doctor, and tells him that if he speaks his name, the Time Lords will come through, and the Time War will begin anew. She also informs him that the name of the planet he is on is Trenzalore. Meanwhile, the Doctor has instructed Clara to go the the TARDIS and place something in the sonic charger – which ends up bringing her back home and she gets locked out of the TARDIS, which disappears.

As the years pass, the Doctor stays to protect Christmas, as his enemies find ways to enter the town. The Doctor grows older, and after 300 years, the TARDIS returns – with Clara still hanging onto it. They are angry with each other at first, but quickly get over it and have a happy reunion. The Doctor explains to her that it’s a stand off: his enemies can’t attack in case he unleashes the Time Lords, and he can’t leave, or else they’ll burn the planet to stop the Time Lords.

As Clara and the Doctor watch the sunrise, Handles dies. The Doctor tells Clara that he has already used up all 12 of his regenerations. A hologram of Tasha appears and asks the Doctor for a parlay, so he and Clara go up to the ship. We learn that the Silence are professional priests genetically engineered to make you forget everything you’ve told them.

Tasha tells the Doctor and Clara that Daleks attacked the mainframe ship a few days ago, and killed everyone. Daleks are hidden inside of everyone, including Tasha. Daleks come out and confront the Doctor, and threaten to kill Clara, as Dalek Tasha gets her in her clutches. The Doctor insults Tasha, and the real Tasha breaks through, shooting beams at the 3 Daleks in the room. Tasha sends them back, but warns them that the force field around the planet will soon decay.

Back in the TARDIS, the turkey is done, and Clara makes the Doctor promise he will never send her away again. After Clara goes down to retrieve the turkey and comes back upstairs, the Doctor is gone. She goes outside and finds she is back home, then the TARDIS disappears and goes back to Christmas, this time without Clara. The Doctor’s enemies proceed to attack Trenzalore, as the Silence joins forces with the Doctor to fight back.

Clara sadly goes back to her family’s Christmas dinner. She hears the TARDIS return outside, and runs to it. Inside is Tasha Lem, who brings Clara back to Trenzalore. She tells Clara that he shouldn’t die alone, and to go to him. She finds a very elderly Doctor. Outside, the Dalek ship demands the Doctor. He goes outside without a plan, knowing it’s the end, though Clara begs him to change the future. He asks her to stay inside.

Clara goes to the crack in the universe and asks the Time Lords to help the Doctor. The crack seals shut, then reopens in the sky, and sends the Doctor the power to regenerate again. His regeneration destroys the Dalek ship and the Daleks on the ground.

Clara searches for the Doctor in the wake of the destruction, and finds him in the TARDIS. He is young again, but explains this is just the reset before he completes the regeneration. He imagines that he sees Amy Pond, who tells him goodbye. Then suddenly, he is the Twelfth Doctor, and asks Clara, “Do you know how to fly this thing?”