The End of Time (2)

Season 4, Episode 18, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

Location: Earth''Date: Christmas 2009''Enemies: The Master, the Time Lords''''In the Tenth Doctor's final episode, an ancient trap decends upon the Earth and the Doctor and Wilf must fight alone, even as the prophecy states "he will knock four times". With the Time Lords returning, how does this Doctor's story end?moreless
8.8
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
373 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Watch Online

Netflix
Subscription
Amazon
Buy
Amazon Prime
Free Trial/Subsc...

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (21)

See All

  • An ending to a well-loved Doctor.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By vehlr, May 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    Once upon a time, there was an episode that waved away all credibility by essentially saying 'a wizard did it', which was a shame, because it completely undermined some fantastic performances from John Simm, David Tennant and Freema Agyeman. That's right, I'm talking about 'Last of the Time Lords'. So as I watched part one of The End of Time, you'll forgive me for being a little sceptical, given that the Master was back, and bigger factors of fan-pride were at stake here - DT's final episode, the Master's 'Master race' (literally groaned at that pun, thanks RTD) and the return of the Time Lords - the TIME LORDS, of all people! To say I was worried for an anti-climax is putting it lightly.

    Needless worry.

    This episode is as close to a perfect ending as I would have wanted it. Poignant, breath-taking and heartbreaking all at the same time.
    Bernard Cribbins is phenomenal as Wilf, the totally human element in the madness that ensues, and ultimately the wonderfully terrifying (and terrified) destroyer of the Tenth Doctor. Im my mind's eye, I wonder if RTD meant him to represent the best of us, that part of all of us that would have saved the scientist in the box, that would have tried to give the Doctor a way out, that would have not left him on his own to die.
    John Simm's turn as the Master (now with added crazy!) is stunning - the mind boggles slightly at how long it must have taken to film all those costume changes. And the look of sheer heartbreak on his face when the Doctor points that gun at him.. oh, that will keep slash writers going for years. Between him and DT, the deep twisted relationship that the Doctor and the Master as enemies-once-friends has been brought to life with magnificent colour and depth for the 21st century. Unforgettable.
    Timothy Dalton, of course, was brilliant. He rarely isn't. But the incarnation of Rassilon, the true Time Lord Victorious, with his presence and his ruthless ambition to stay alive, is nothing short of powerful and alienating. His cold cut-throat attitude to the rest of the universe is all the more horrifying for the fact that the man on the floor at his feet is the man who has shown us time again how merciful he is to the peoples of the universe - the Doctor. Simply stunning showmanship from Dalton.

    Of course, Russell T Davis is also leaving the show, and as final episodes go, he has done himself proud. With brilliantly crafted moments such as Wilf and the Doctor's heart-to-heart, the passion with which the Doctor tries to sway the Master, the triumphant return of the Time Lords, and the heartbreaking moment when those tiny four knocks shatter all hope, it would be easy to just string them all together and claim it as an episode. Indeed, if this were in the middle of a series, I would be hard pressed to blame them for doing it. But this is not just any pivotal moment, this is the last great pivotal moment that RTD will pen for this show, and there is hardly any weak spot in sight. Each connecting scene has purpose, from the Master's millions of faces listening for the signal to the Vinvocci's rescue sequence. RTD has often been heralded as a patchy writer, giving us some brilliant moments but also other times when we have been left disappointed (*cough*lastofthetimelords*cough*). This.. is a brilliant moment. Truly one of the most emotive episodes, playing on the most basic fear that we all at some stage share - death.

    Finally, dear David Tennant. For three seasons and a total of eight specials, he has been the Doctor, and for a lot people, he always will be. Everyone has a favourite, and he will be an outstanding representative, even in the eyes of the people who called him ferret-like when he was announced as Ecclestone's replacement. But few can deny that this episode, his swansong as the Tenth Doctor, was one of his finest moments. From the fury at what the Master had unleashed, to the gutwrenching choice with the gun, to the sheer agony of the Wilf situation, and his eventual return to form. You have inspired us and delighted us, made us weep with your final words and had us giggling as you licked inanimate objects. A better exit, you could not have given us. Thank you, Doctor.

    Addendum: Matt Smith.
    Two minutes of screentime is precious little time at all, but even in the wake of the regeneration, I am interested. You have my rapt attention, sir..moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    7 2

  • A climactic battle against his own species and the end of his incarnation drawing near, the Tenth Doctor faces the prophecy fortold to him in Planet of the Dead as 'he will knock 4 times'.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By 10thdoctorfan, May 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    Saddening and amazing.
    I absolutely loved this incarnation of the Doctor! I grew up watching his adventures from the Parting of Ways- till now. His manic personality and habit of getting mixed up always made me laugh. Unfortunately, David didnlt want to keep going as the Tenth Doctor; a bit saddening, but the show must go on. When he says "I don't want to go." i was thinking "Neither do a lot of fans." I really didn't know what to expect for the Eleventh Doctor, but the scene at the end where he's hysterical and loving his Tardis crashing is absolutely funny.
    I almost cried when i saw him regenerate; could anyone else feeling such a sadness for one of the most beloved incarnations of the doctor? I mean his seventh life is what end the original seriesmoreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 1

  • My favourite episode

    10
    "Perfect"
    By RedErik, May 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    The one thing I believe David Tennant has brought to the Doctor character is a depth of emotion the likes of which, we've never before seen. Doctor Who has seemed to be always about the story more than the man (or time lord, what have you), and about the tech, sci-fi, era, or strange new world-of-the-week. David Tennant changed all that in his run as the Doctor. In the episode "The Girl in the Fireplace", Tennant gave a true sense of how powerfully lonely and sad the Doctor's mission is, a theme explored again in the poignant endings to "Doomsday" and "Last of the Time Lords". In this episode, however, Tennant lays bare the whole range of the Doctor's emotions, his enormous solitude, his desperate yearning for the companionship of another of his kind, even if it is his greatest enemy, his quirky sense of humour, and finally, his rage and eventual acceptance of his transformation. Of all the doctors, Tennant's has been - without a doubt - the most human.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 1

  • I didn't want him to go either.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cinos21, May 10, 2011 Report Abuse
    The drums have sounded, the four knocks heard and after a year of the Doctor knowing that his end was near; His song has finally ended.

    One word; Bravo. Russell T. Davis and David Tenant clearly both decided that if they were going to go out, they were going to make one hell of a bang in the process.

    This episode, carried by it's somewhat meadiocre 1st part, has delivered a performance which was compelling to the very last scene.

    Be it the hilarious (worst ever) rescue of the Doctor by the lovable Wilfred Mott and the two cacti.

    The intimidating performance of Timothy Dalton as the President of the Time Lords.

    Or even the moment of realisation between father and daughter as they realise that their Donna has just been given quite an exceptional wedding day present.

    The timing was perfect, the emotions spot on. It was a ride that you just didn't want to end, knowing all to well what would happen in the final curtain call.

    Now, with the mantel passed on to Steven Moffat and Matt Smith, only time will tell if they can take this show on to new heights. I however, am (after seeing a sneak preview of the 11th Doctor in action) quietly confident that they will do just fine.

    The ending will likely stay with me however, for quite a while. What better, final words could Mr Tennant have said? Not only to end the reign of the 10th Doctor and the series as we know it, but also to reflect how I'm sure most of us felt as his song finally came to an end.

    "I don't want to go."moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    6 1

  • David Tennant's emotional farewell.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By petef20, May 10, 2011 Report Abuse
    The second part of this holiday special had a lot to cover as well as a lot to live up to. It needed to be emotional and epic; and while I was sure it would be my main worry was the charm and humour of the show might be lost under the weight of the show's heavy mythology. Fortunately this wasn't the case.

    First it needs to be said that all the main actors in this episode were fantastic. Bernard Cribbins and John Simm were pretty much perfect. As was Timothy Dalton and getting an actor of his calibre was crucial to portray the head of the Time Lords. The level of cheese a sci-fi show like this can end up with meant that a brilliant cast was a must and they all delivered here.

    Story wise the Time Lords nicely fit into the story as did their return into the overall mythology of the show. Tying them into the noise in the Master's head worked nicely and made enough sense that it didn't seem tacked on. Unfortunately their story wasn't perfect. While they managed to genuinely feel like the most dangerous enemies the Doctor could face the fact they were defeated quite quickly was disappointing. At the end of the first part I was really hoping that the show's mythology could be completely mixed up and that the Time Lords could return properly, but unfortunately not. That said they weren't bad, and there defeat was epic enough that I didn't feel cheated; well not too much.

    So the Master almost played second string to the Lord President but thanks to Simm's great performance and his scenes with the Doctor he was still crucial at the heart of this episode. His over the top maniacal self was brilliant as usual and as cheesy as the world full of Masters was it was a joy to watch him play off himself; surely not an easy thing to do. And he did get a bit of a hero moment too when he attacked the President instead of the Doctor. It was a nice moment and despite my issues with how the Time Lords were treated it was still cool from the Master.

    Then there was the action, after all this is an action show. Like I said at the start the humour and charm was still present, and right from the beginning. The Doctor's rescue by the cactus people (forgot their names) was great fun. That during the epic finale the show could still be funny was brilliant. "Worst. Rescue. Ever" was just genius! The main action sequence was the ship flying towards the mansion and it was done very well. It looked great and the number of missiles coming was unlike anything they'd done before. While we knew the Doctor would never crash into the building I had a slight quibble about him jumping out of the ship. How did he survive that fall!? I know a Time Lord's body is stronger than a human, but come on!

    So with the main threat wrapped up it came to the moment we were all dreading: the death of David Tennant's Doctor. As emotional as it was I'm not happy that it was the exact same way as Christopher Eccleston died! He absorbed a whole lot of dangerous energy (in this case nuclear rather than the time vortex) to save his companion. It may have been more emotional than being shot by the Master but it still felt cheap. However it was worth it for what came afterwards. The Doctor seeing all his companions for (presumably) one last time did was pure fan service; however as a fan I loved it! The cynic in me wants to argue that it was a bit of a cheap trick to evoke an emotional response, rather than having a genuinely emotional ending, however it worked for me and there was a tear in my eye (a manly tear of course).

    The Doctor was clearly bending the rules a bit, by saving people that should've died and crossing his own time line a little. But like he said, it was his reward and it worked brilliantly. The moment that had me closest to tears was actually Jessica Hyne's book signing. That was the cameo I really never even thought of, and it really evoked the emotion from her previous episode (as was the intention) and was a superb moment. As well as David Tennant's goodbye it was also the end of Russell T Davies time on the show and so wrapping up the story for every one of his characters made sense and gave a great feeling of closure. Because of that finishing on Rose was the perfect way to end, giving a full circle feel to Davies version of Doctor Who.

    So after having our heartstrings severely played for the last portion of the episode there was one last tug to come: the regeneration itself. You may have noticed I haven't mentioned Tennant's performance throughout this review; it's because I was saving it for here. I mean what can you say? He was perfect. Fantastic, superb, there just aren't enough words to describe him. We know he can do hysterical and charming, and we have seen his emotional range as well, but nothing like this. I had goosebumps throughout as everything he did was mesmerising. And it was capped off by his final words "I don't want to go". That line almost killed me! Combined with the music, the effects and the scene was as good as you get on television or film. I knew the set was getting a redesign for the next series, so destroying the TARDIS worked to give a logical reason to do that, but so much more too. Continuity wise it doesn't make the most sense, this is his third regeneration in the TARDIS since the show was rebooted and it never destroyed it before. However it was needed to punctuate how devastating this ending was. And then in true Who form, emotion turned to comedy in an instant as Matt Smith's Doctor emerged.

    So was David Tennant's final episode a success? Hell yes it was! I can't remember the last time I had a TV experience like that. I've watched episodes before knowing it was a character's last, but never like this. And the fact that it didn't need to be kept a secret that he was leaving made the episode so much more than if it had been a surprise at the end. It may not have been perfect, but it's an exit any actor would be proud of. As for the new guy, well it's hard to judge him on 20 seconds at the end of someone else's episode. However he did make me laugh (his response to the size of his nose) so I have hopes that the end of David Tennant and Russell T Davies isn't the end of Doctor Who's quality.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 2
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Watch Abigail and Joshua Naismith when Rassilon reverses the transformation done to them by the Master. During the transformation back, Joshua is standing to the right of Abigail, but afterwards is standing to her left. Edit
    • The scene where The Doctor saves Luke Smith from being run over is a subtle injoke on the part of Russel T. Davies towards The Sarah Jane Adventures, as none of the show's characters ever look before crossing roads. Edit
    • Among the patrons in the space bar are several alien species previously featured in the series: *An Adipose *A Graske *A Hath *A Judoon *A Slitheen *A Sycorax There are also several new or unnamed species, such as the red skinned/white skinned humanoids featured in "New Earth" and "Gridlock". Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • In the scene where The Doctor is rotating back and forth trying to decide who or what to shoot, he is holding an empty (or mostly empty) gun. Every time he spins, he is pulling the trigger and re-cocking the gun. Edit
    • This is the first time since The War Games that both an incarnation of the Doctor and his companions have been written out in the same story. Edit
    • Before re-entering the TARDIS to finish his regeneration, the Doctor visits Rose on New Year's Eve 2005 and Sarah Jane Smith in the current day. As a result, they became the first companions to witness two regeneration periods. Rose's first one was during Parting of the Ways, while Sarah-Jane's was in Planet of the Spiders. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (after Donna calls on Wilf's cell phone) The Master: Who is she? Why didn't she change? Wilf: Well, it was this thing the Doctor did. He did it to her. Uh, the Meta-Crisis. The Master: Oh, he loves playing with Earth girls. Edit
    • Ood Sigma: We will sing to you Doctor. The Universe will sing you to your sleep. Edit
    • The Doctor: I'd be proud. Wilfred: Of what? The Doctor: If you were my dad. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Ood Sigma: Doctor, the universe shall sing you to your sleep. This is similar to a line in William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet': "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest" (Incidentally, David Tennant starred in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2008 production of Hamlet). Edit
    • "Worst. Rescue. Ever!": The Doctor is referencing Comic Book Guy, a character from The Simpsons. Comic Book Guy is known for saying the phrase "Worst. (noun). Ever." Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Doctor Who (2005) Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 4 Episodes

See All
Ep 18
The End of Time (2)
Ep 17
The End of Time (1)
Ep 16
The Waters of Mars
Ep 15
Planet of the Dead
Ep 14
The Next Doctor
Ep 13
Journey's End (2)
Ep 12
The Stolen Earth (1)
Ep 11
Turn Left
Ep 10
Midnight
Ep 9
Forest of the Dead (2)
Ep 8
Silence in the Library (1)
Ep 7
The Unicorn and the Wasp
Ep 6
The Doctor's Daughter
Ep 5
The Poison Sky (2)
Ep 4
The Sontaran Stratagem (1)
Ep 3
Planet of the Ood
Ep 2
The Fires of Pompeii
Ep 1
Partners in Crime
 
Voyage of the Damned
 
The David Tennant Special
 
Time Crash

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use