In short: I didn't like everything that this special did. But I liked the way they did it.
Before now, every fan had their ideal version of the 50th anniversary special in their head, so Steven Moffat could never have satisfied everyone. He appears to have gone for a version based on The Three Doctors. In that story, three Doctors are brought together to solve a common problem involving Time Lord history, and there was an end to the story arc of the past years. In this tale, three Doctors are drawn together from different timeas a by the Moment, a weapon from Time Lord history. These are the Eleventh, Tenth and the War Doctor played by John Hurt. After solving the problem of a Zygon invasion of Earth they unite with their other selves to save Gallifrey.
I have to admit, I don't like the idea of the Doctor undoing the destruction of Gallifrey. It feels like a cop out. I wouldn't have minded if a colony of Time Lords had survived and hidden away without the Doctor knowing about it, but the idea that the Doctor’s difficult decisions can be erased through a bit of time travel is weak. There are loads of other planets and civilisations that suffered during the time war, why didn't the Doctor save them as well?Although Steven Moffat has said that he tried to make sure that his work did not undo the Russell T Davies stories, it still undermines them when you know that all the Doctor's talk about killing his people is not true. The drama of the Doctor destroying Pompeii to save the world in Fires of Pompeii is diminished . His actions in the past eight years of the new series have been influenced by an event which now never happened.
There are still good things about this story though. The three main Doctors are fun to watch. Matt Smith is at the top of his game as the Eleventh Doctor, continuing to excel in the role of an old man in a body of a young one. For all the excitement over Peter Capaldi, who also makes a teasing cameo appearance here, this story serves as a good reminder of how lucky we fans are to have had Matt Smith as the lead in the show for four years. He will be sorely missed when he goes. David Tennant has not changed a bit in the role of the Tenth Doctor. It's like he's been preserved since The End of Time and they got him out of the cupboard. We see his more romantic side and his arrogance and coolness. I particularly liked his outrage when he realised that the Eleven had forgotten the number of children who died on Gallifrey. John Hurt does a good job as the new incarnation, the War Doctor. He gives a Doctorish twinkle and getting to say all the things that the old school fans like to complain about, like the "wavy hands" and phrases like "timey wimey". While its easy to see how this role could have worked for Eccleston, Hurt brings an old man's weariness to the part which the Ninth Doctor could not have done.
Thanks to Jenna Louise Coleman, Clara still comes across as a likable companion, even if she is not a particularly well developed one. Since we last saw her, she has moved on from being a nanny to being a teacher at Coal Hill School. While it makes sense that she is still in a role involving children, it seems like a bit of a jolt to find out that time has passed. Like many companions before her, she acts as the conscience for the Three Doctors, which is as it should be. She is also completely comfortable with the Eleventh Doctor. It is understandable that she is not dominating this story. Viewers will have to wait until Series 8 to see if the Clara is going to develop.
Billie Piper was also good at playing the Moment, in the form of Rose Tyler. The idea of a weapon gaining its own sentience was interesting and character has elements of Idris in it, a complex event compressed into a human body. Steven Moffat may have diminished the end of the Time War, but he was wise not ruin Rose Tyler's character arc. The Tenth Doctor and Rose have had enough re-introductions and goodbyes already.
The other characters were less developed. It was great to see Jemma Redgrave back as Kate Stewart. The fangirl scientific advisor, Osgood, was also a nice touch. She was like a female version of Malcolm from Planet of the Dead. The weakest link was Queen Elizabeth I, who came across as too much of a caricature.
The redesign of the Zygons was a success, and their transformation is definite improvement on the one used in Terror of the Zygons. While the Zygon plan to invade Earth by hiding in paintings could could seem like a minor event in an anniversary special, it dovetailed nicely with the main one. Humans having to deal with their Zygon copies reflects the Doctor having to deal with other versions of himself. The Doctors plan to make the humans and Zygons form a peace treaty is inspired and shows their determination to find a third option, as they will when they bring Gallifrey back. Even the stasis cubes used to freeze the Zygons are deployed later as a means to freeze Gallifrey.
As an anniversary story, this managed to include plenty of Easter eggs, large and small, that referenced the past fifty years, from Coal Hill School to the Space/Time Telegraph. Seeing all of the Doctors in their Tardises, uniting to save Gallifrey was a nice touch, even if I didn't like what they were trying to accomplish.
I only wish William Russell could have made a cameo as Ian Chesterton. This includes Tom Baker's scarf, and finally Tom Baker himself.
Tom Baker may have failed to appear in the 20th anniversary special but at least he is here for the 50th. The Curator is clearly meant to be a future Doctor. It was a great surprise for those of us, like myself, who were fortunate enough to successfully avoid the spoilers about his appearance.
All in all, this is a mixed bag. It has more plot than The Five Doctors but The Three Doctors did not undo its exile.
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