The speech also explains 12ths aversion to soldiers. It's not that he hated soldiers, he hated the reminder of the War. The Doctor wished someone would have questioned him. 12th is the first Doctor who fully accepted his role in the Time War and Capaldi brought the weight to that role.
All Things Paper- How is understanding why he feels and says the things he does a bad thing for her? Being a Military family member my whole life this explanation makes me feel better. Ignorance isn't always bliss.
Like you said you can't read her mind but you've decided what's best for her. Now after talking to someone in a similar situation who it did help you're still resolved in feeling it won't help her??? WHAT?
OK, you guys, I finally figured some stuff out: When the Doctor said "You said that the last 15 times" it was obviously like a joke..... to the audience .......So, what if..... when Bonnie said "It´s empty, isn´t it? Both boxes... There´s nothing in them.... just buttons..........." When the Doctor replied "Of course...." HE WAS LYING, TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG............ Rule #1 : The Doctor lies!!! OMG, this theory just came to my mind and it also instantly blew it...........
Yeah, this is very important to remember: Just because the Doctor found a way to not destroy Gallifrey at the end of the Time War doesn't change the fact that he lived through this horrible war for two whole Timelord-lifetimes. He may have erased his final sin, but that doesn't change what he did during the rest of all that time.
Timeturner also he remembers pushing the button and not pushing the button. Just because he changed the reality doesn’t stop him from being haunted by the memory of pushing and killing all those people
malkavian2 I hadn't actually thought of that but it's a good point - if War, 9 and 10 all still think they pressed the button then 12, even though he knows they didn't, will still _remember_ doing it. For him it's not just that he _almost_ did it, it's that he _also_ didn't. Nice insight.
@@anonymes2884 Day of the Doctor confirms that although he changed his own past he did indeed in one timeline press that button. 11 - "because the alternative is burning" 10 - "and I've seen that" 11 - "and I never want to see it again" Rory has a similar experience, he remembers being Roman even though the Big Bang 2 happened.
@@rycloud_1 Kinda sorta but not really i'd say :). It's ambiguous at least and depends what you mean by "timeline". Who _mostly_ doesn't have timelines in the MCU sense of alternate realities that _also_ occurred and can even be travelled to (though it has in the past and i'm also mostly talking about onscreen since other media - the novels, Big Finish etc. - feature alternate timelines a fair bit). Everything in Who pretty much happens in one timeline (aside from anomalies that are usually resolved in the story), just one that can and does change. There's no other War Doctor "out there" somewhere in spacetime that "did indeed...press that button", no adventurer in space and time could _ever_ travel to watch him do it (even ignoring things like timelocks etc.) because after the change he _never_ pressed it. That said, we know time travellers can retain memories of different versions of events (which is why e.g. Amy remembers and feels guilty about killing Madam Kovarian in 6x13, even though that never happened). How does that work ? In fairly typical Who fashion, it works by Handwavium :) - it just does in other words. Does it mean that in some sense both versions "really" happened ? Kind of depends how you define "really" and "happened" IMO (i'd say no because the memory no longer corresponds to an actual spacetime event so that retaining different versions is more like a strange 4 dimensional way of _misremembering_ what _actually_ happened).
@RYCloud I always took it as he NEVER pressed the button but assumed he did because he remembers Gallifrey vanishing and immediately after, he regenerated.
When I initially watched The Zygon Inversion, I was blown away by Peter Capaldi's acting when he delivered that speech. Never before I have seen him be so emotionally raw as the Doctor. I wish Osgood could have been a companion. It's interesting seeing the Doctor interact with someone as enigmatic as he is.
On my opinion, second best speech from Capaldi in the role of the Doctor. He seems to carry two thousand years of history over his shoulders while delivering that speech. Many people have pointed out that when a show or a movie wan to make you cry, they insert very emotional music behind this type of speech, but most or this scene goes without music, only a little at the end. Almost all the scene is carried by Capaldi's acting.
The thing is, the Doctor _needs_ a "normal" companion. If both Doctor and Companion are enigmatic and secretive, the audience is the only one being kept in the dark, and that stops being fun. When the "normal every-day person" joins the Doctor, we experience the same things they do. The Companion is the vessel through which the audience views the universe.
@@HunhowsShadowStalker Which is frankly the primary reason that Who rarely kills off a companion. They effectively fill the role of avatar for each member of the audience. It is our viewpoint that they represent (even if, as in New Who, they take a more proactive role)
And to think....Capaldi nailed this in ONE TAKE!!!!! I mean seriously....the raw emotion he gives during this absolutely cemented Capaldi as one of the GREATEST doctors of all time, one of the greatest Doctor's performances ever! And I am a lifelong Baker fan! None of the previous Doctor's could have given this level of depth needed to make people tear up many many times during it!
Twelve's most defining moment. Out of all the Doctors, I truly believe Twelve has the most profound speeches and lines, which really sees how torn apart he really is and yet he manages to have a such a love for everyone and it's honestly beautiful to watch and listen to. It's also amazing how very relevant and topical this is given our current climate; everyone always demands justice in this world, everyone wants to revolt against the corrupt establishment, but human history is an endless series of revolts against establishments, and those revolts create new establishments, which will, before long, be revolted against. By far one of this show's greatest moments and a great story in its own right, which is more than could be said of the next episode...
It's amazing how 12 goes from bitter and broken to essentially being reborn as a "good man". People say Capaldi was stuck with bad writing, but that's on a case-by-case basis only.
24:09 I remember one time a decade ago I encountered a Vietnam veteran in a karaoke bar of all places. He came over to the table where I was with my friend and some of the conversation turned towards the atrocities he was forced to commit during that war. No matter what we could do, he could not turn away from it. That pain. That loss of innocence. Maybe the loss of a part of his soul. Some years later when my anxiety disorder relapsed and I was plunged into mental hell, I experienced my own kind of war in my head. A six year ordeal. The mental scars are still there, but not as loud. I can completely understand the doctors point of view; the perspective of a war veteran was needed in the scene, so his experience in the time war is definitely an asset in the story. It needed that depth of feeling, that pain in his voice. Those deaths that are still haunting him. Excellent work by Peter and excellent writing.
10:16 - the beginning of possibly one of the greatest bits of dialogue ever written for this show, in either the Classic era or the NuWho era, hands down!
The speech is definitely one of the highlights of this season - and indeed the Twelfth Doctor's era as a whole! It's so relevant and important, and perfectly delivered by Capaldi! I was very impressed.
Another fun fact: Anyone remember the game show host Hughie Green? That's where the "and I mean that most sincerely" line is from. One of his insincere verbal habits.
Another fun fact: The 'Sullivan gas' is likely to be a reference to Harry Sullivan, played by the late Ian Marter in the 1970's story Terror of the Zygons. He travelled temporarily with Tom Baker & Liz Sladen during Baker's first season.
I liked 12 from the start, and he became one of my favourites by the end of series 8, but this is the episode where for me he levelled up to "What do you mean, there are other Doctors?"
This episode came out just a few days before the 2015 Paris attack. Suffice to say that speech really, really hit a chord with people. This is textbook of "right place, right time" for Doctor Who, and it shows just how topical it can be whilst still producing a great story.
I just remembered that he said Clara never leaves your head and how tragic that line was because (even though it maybe wasn't for long) he completely forgot her, all his memories of Clara were stolen from him till his last few minutes of his incarnation.
Eleven will always be my Doctor but this episode was the start of Twelve being my second favourite! And he just goes from strength to strength from here!
And this is why Capaldi is my Doctor. Each Doctor has had their own moments, definitely not limited to 11, but no moment in Whovian history both grabbed me and made me think about the perspective of humanity like that speech did. He absolutely nailed it, not simply speaking it but feeling it. I can't, can't, can't stress enough how golden this part of 12th legacy is.
I think the story of the Doctor through in the time war is a loop. In the first pass, he wiped out almost all other member of his species. In the second pass, he saved them, but he remembers both (similar to Amy remembering murdering Madam Kovarian in a timeline that never existed) and he carries all that pain and the relief at the same time. Capaldi's great acting nails the complexity and the intensity of those feelings in a masterful way.
I thought it was a cool connection between what you said about the Time War informing the Doctor's authority to make his pitch, and how Kate reacted to it. In the old days, Three was always pontificating about such things to Kate's dad, who was after all a professional soldier, but that was before the Time War. And that scene is also the first Kate is hearing anything about the Time War and you can see the shock in her face when she hears what the Doctor's been through since his UNIT days.
Probably my favorite Capaldi episode. His acting during his monologue is so good. And I agree Sesska that these issues are more complicated, but I think this show is rooted in the fact that it started as a Kid's show. And at its heart, sometimes it simplifies things for that reason. But I love that in this episode the "bad guy" earns redemption just because.
I love this story and I LOVE that speech, what makes it so remarkable is theres a rumour he DID IT IN ONE TAKE! And it and Kate, great reactions its like they forgot for a moment who he is. This IS the man who wiped out his own world. look at the horror on Kates face when he said "when I close my eyes" . Tom Baker will forever be my doctor and no one will ever compare, but not even he could pull this off. And he shouldnt 4th isnt old enough!!
I had to pause for a moment when he was giving his war speech because I couldn't handle the emotions and my tears were flowing without control. Such an amazing performance, and Peter did it all IN ONE TAKE.
I love the speech and the entire scene around it. Peter was fucking AMAZING in the way he did it, rhe way he sounded like he just wanted to BREAK, like he was just a broken man begging them not to make the same mistakes he did, and then the guilt and horror on Kate's face when she realized what the implications were, the amount of absolute respect she and the Doctor shared towards one another when she closed the box. All of it was SO. PERFECT. TT~TT
Easily one of the best two partners this season. Jenna Colemen did a great job of playing two characters. Capaldi's speech alone was one of the most emotionally charged moment in his run.
I've seen so many reactors watching this speech, and they're always invariably moved, sometimes to tears. But you're the only one I've seen who's so obviously moved by compassion for the Doctor himself.
I love that he’s referencing how by sacrificing the time lords to stop the daleks, he prevented a universal destruction considering their destructive capabilities. The weight of that guilt and pain is what he holds in his hand but no one else has to feel it bc it was his own decision
I've watched since no3 and caught up with one and two. The great one TB will forever be my doctor, but not even HE could pull this off, this was shear brilliance! (of course he doesnt have the age and experience to pull this off there was no time war for him that was at least 3 doctors later!) It was reputed Peter did this in one take, if it's true it makes it even more spectacular!
the thing that makes this speech just that little more powerful is the fact that when this episode aired, it was around the time when the conflicts in Syria were getting very serious, and the US and UK were planning to bomb the big city, and within a week of this episode airing, they cancelled it. Who knows, this may be the reason why.
The Zygon episodes are some of my favourites in the series. They're not about beating the bad guys, but rather, they focus on peaceful resolutions. They truly show the Doctor as a man who hates war and death.
The speech is the only big impact this episode has. And I'm SO GLAD you had a complete reaction to it on here!! SO HAPPY! And you basically reacted to it the way you were supposed to, the way the writers intended. Thank you!
Matt is my Doctor....but this speech hits so hard ....Capaldi was a fantastic Doctor...but he is also an amazing fanatic...he loved playing the Doctor and we loved him playing the Doctor
I have faith that this will be a far better reaction to this episode than another certain channels reaction recently *ahem* EDIT: It was - great video as always :)
Hey Jess. Just going through some my favorite reactions of yours. Instead of being asleep! I must say, when 12 says , "I let Clara Oswald inside my head." The War Doctor, 10 and 11 were about to press the button for the Moment which would have resulted in double genocide but Clara intervened which resulted in them saving Gallifrey at least.. I think he is correct in his statement. I love your reactions sweetie!
The Zygon Inversion was electrifying, and 12's speech was a defining moment and cemented Capaldi truly as The Doctor big time. The last time I saw The Zygon Invasion / Inversion was back on December 24th, 2017 on BBC America. I MUST get Doctor Who: The Complete Peter Capaldi Years ASAP, it's $74.99 at Best Buy AND Amazon... decisions decisions ( my belated birthday gift ) Anyway, you are on a hot streak Sesskasays with 12... keep it up! 😊.
I love this two parter so much! The speech hits me on an emotional level because of the stories my mum told me when I was young, she grew up in a war and she never understood it, she always taught me to be a pacifist
Everyone is like: "Doesn't matter if she shoots the plane, the doctor isn't going to die." But what about the pilots and other people on the plane? Only the Doctor and Osgood landed safely...
What I love about 12 is that his best and most badass speech was him in a room with some boxes, that's it, that's all he needs 10 was inside of an exploding ship getting ready to save the planet 11 was surrounded by all of his worst enemies and was waiting for whatever terrifying creature that was inside of the pandorica to come out
This episode came out the weekend before the first of the horrific Paris attacks in 2015, so this speech was INCREDIBLY relevant at the time and was shared about a lot the following weekend
And there he is. There's 12. This is the beginning of his - and our - journey to understanding who he really is. The man who finally, after all these years of war and struggle, after losing Gallifrey and then taking his last stand on Trenzalore, just wants peace, and understanding, and kindness. 12 is a phenomenal Doctor who completes his post-Time War journey perfectly. His speech in this episode is my favourite moment of his, and that's on top of all the fantastic stuff that he still has left to do by this point.
This was one of the very few stories where the 2nd part completely outshined the 1st part. The anti-war speech at the end should be required reading for kids everywhere.
There are 3 speeches in all of the new Who that I find chilling, that are truly powerful to me. And this was one of them. You can hear the raw emotions in his voice
I am...So happy you've seen this episode. I've been waiting for you to see this one since I discovered your channel. My own reaction to it was pretty much the same as your's lol. Looking forward to the rest of series 9 with you.
Peter Capaldi's speech in this episode is exactly why he's my favorite Doctor. I loved him already but that was the moment where 12 came into his own. Easily one of the best moments for his Doctor.
Although I love you and your reactions, I’m a tad surprised you didn’t specifically talk about Capaldi’s performance in the episode. He killed it, feel like he deserved particular praise
I think there needs to be a series arc exploring the doctors PTSD, in the UK there's a BIG drive to combat mental illinesses and this would be perfect for it
As someone who has been to war, I relate most to The War Doctor and 12. I've seen horrible things in my day. I've seen dead men, women and children. Non-combatants. Nothing breaks your heart more than a child who dies in front of you. For those unaware, even if you are against war, it's the Soldier and the victim of war who suffers the most. For those who want war and have never experienced it, you truly do not know who is going to die. Do you even care? War may be a necessary evil, but you had better be able to understand the consequences of war. It's a horrible thing to behold.
To be fair to season 7, Amy and Rory left at A finale. I mean, mid-season finale because after that, there was a big break, but still it kinda was a finale...
