Regeneration scenes and finality
I was watching The End Of Time recently, and was loving every second (I know some people hate it, don’t judge me 😭)
Everything felt final and conclusive, and the story was coming to a perfect close... and then the regeneration happens. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but having the last scenes of the regeneration episodes be a new Doctor acting weird and crashing the Tardis is getting a little bit repetitive.
I feel like it kinda works in Parting of the Ways and Time of the Doctor, since you’ve still got Rose and Clara to experience the scene. But with End Of Time and Twice Upon a Time, it’s kind of a mood killer.
Is there any way around this? I’m thinking maybe it shouldn’t be the last scene of the episode, and maybe instead giving that to whatever companion may be having a send off.
Posted Feb 17, 2019, 4:51 PM UTC
Well if you want a regeneration scene at the start of an episode, just watch Time and the Rani. But you probably won't like it as much as you think....
The regeneration is likely always going to happen (unless they fired the last Doctor during the off-season and he doesn't want to come back and film another episode) as the climax of a story. It generally involved the Doctor sacrificing his life (well, sorta) to save the day. It's an emotional climax. To put it anywhere but at or near the end of the story betrays the basic tenets of storytelling.
Plus, as others have noted, showing the new Doctor serves as a teaser for the next season (again, usually -- they didn't show the new Doctor at the end of 2's run, and they plopped a full Colin Baker story at the end of Peter Davison's final season). It gets people excited for what happens next.