Doctor Who 3 "The Giggle"

Soho 1925 as John Logie Baird's (John Mackay) assistant Charles Bannerjee (Charlie de Melo) comes into a toy shop to buy a toy.  But he only wants the one Stooky Bill and not his entire family.  The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) with his crummy German accent (!) converses with him and accuses him of not being British, to which he replies he was born in Cheltenham.  A rather topical, bigoted remark on his part, we modern audiences can easily equate with. He takes the doll to Logie Baird as he uses it to send out the first TV pictures as the doll burns, as it would be too hot for any human to handle such temperatures.  As the puppet giggles, we enter back to today and how the crowd on the streets have gone "proper mental."  With The Doctor (David Tennent) stopping one man from getting run over, he tells the Doctor he's right and he knows he's right that's why he's in front of the car.  The Doctor glimpses a man in a bow tie dancing and obviously he stands out.  However, UNIT arrives and takes them all away, Donna (Catherine Tate) specifically requesting for Wilf (Bernard Cribbens) to be taken care of.

At UNIT HQ the Doctor meets up with Kate (Jemma Redgrave) again and Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) who he's overjoyed to see again.  With Donna's comment on how she wasn't the first red headed companion.  There's a spike in the human brain which is causing them to "act" out.  They wear arm bracelets to stop themselves from being affected and even Kate has hers removed to show the full effect of the madness.  Donna meanwhile draws up a musical scale and Melanie hums it.  They've heard it before but can't recall where.  Shirley (Ruth Madeley) pulls up Stooky Bill and his giggle, which the Doctor recalls and his known location was in Soho not far from the residence of Logie Baird, and his first transmission in 1925.  The Doctor gives one of his speeches about humanity and how they're brilliant and intelligent and at the same time can be so violent, destructive and crave the suffering.

Donna mentions how the Doctor can't cope with his companions and what's happened to them.  He says he doesn't feel himself anymore especially with what was endured with the Flux in particular.  However he doesn't have an easy task this week as he's forced to encounter The Toymaker again.  Especially when his superstition over spilling the salt has come true and he says that's the reason he came back, the Doctor opened the way back for him to return.  So for Fourteen, this will be another burden on him having opened that portal and memory, of sorts.  As I said in the previous ep review, his dark foreboding has been realized. 

As the Toymaker "toys" with them, Donna doesn't take the Doctor's advice and return to the TARDIS, as he throws balls at them since it was the first game caveman played, by throwing rocks at others and killing them.  He then vanishes with the two in hot pursuit in a never ending corridor.  They are soon parted once more and the Doctor meets Baird's assistant, who needs his help to return to normal.  But the Toymaker is pulling his strings and he's unable to help him.  Unlike Donna who gets the better of Stooky Sue as she tries to torment her, knocking her head off and warning the babies against attacking her.

In their next encounter the Toymaker runs through the fates of his companions, mentioning Amy and particularly the ones that have passed, such as Bill.  As well as the Flux, causing the Doctor to challenge him to a game.  Playing cards, the Doctor reminds him it's one-all and it's best of three according to his own rules.  As the Toymaker reminds him how he got the better of the (current) Master and sealed him in his gold tooth, now in his mouth.  There's also someone more scary yet to be seen, but he doesn't expand on that.  Donna says she's "already running."  Outside the Toymaker dismantles his toy store and places it in a toybox which the Doctor takes with him to the present.

Back in the present day, the Toymaker gets hold of the Galvanic beam that Kate needed permission to use and got from the Doctor.  As he tries to destroy him and his companions.  But he does get to use the Galvanic beam on the Doctor who begins a regeneration.  So we're sat here thinking it's all over right now and that's it for Doc Fourteen.  Surprise, surprise he recovers and enters into a "Bi-Generation."  The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) appears and they have to pull away from each other.  Apparently in the Whoniverse, two Doctors are now viable.  So one can go his own way, to a life he deserves and the new one continues in his place.  As he says to Fourteen, "don't worry, I've got this."  At the end.

As they challenge the Toymaker to a game of balls and he finally is defeated, and boxed away in his Toybox, as well as Kate picking up his gold tooth (potential for a future ep with the Master perhaps.) With Fourteen losing his shoes along the way.  Fifteen also musters up another TARDIS so they can have one each.  

So Fourteen becomes part of the Noble-Temple family and has already had secret trips into the TARDIS with Rose and Auntie Mel is also welcomed.  A time for him to relax and maybe have some adventures of his own.  I couldn't help but think of the War Doctor and those eps with Ten when he had that family life and went off to World War One and the loss of the Time Lords.  Everything bad coming for him.  Now he gets to lay his weary head in a caring family and to use his words, he doesn't have to go anymore...all teary eyed here for some reason!!

I feel Doctor Ten bore the brunt of the human suffering, the fall out of his travels and wars, constant battles and was tired of it all.  Still recalling his regeneration into Eleven, uttering he didn't want to go and well, now he was brought back.  Back for good too.  Even though Eleven (Matt Smith) was my fave, it was great to have Ten/Fourteen back to stay, who knows the possibilities of a future return and jumping into that TARDIS for old times sake!!  Two hearts crossed!  Ha.