Heaven Sent: Doctor Who's Ultimate Masterpiece 

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Habo explaining how and why only the doctor could pull off monologuing for an hour straight in Habo's hour long monologue.

I fully believe that no other Doctor could have done this episode, at least not in the same way. And I’d say Peter Capaldi might actually be the best actor to play the Doctor outside of John Hurt (that’s no slight on anyone, they’re all wonderful, and Capaldi isn’t even my favourite, but I just think he is just that good an actor). This definitely one of the greatest episodes in all of Doctor Who’s history. I also feel like any other Doctor would have had some other clever way out, but 12? He’s just such a stubborn Scottish bastard that he’s going to punch through it for billions of years.

For me, Capaldi treated his run as the Doctor as a play. His inflections and acting show a great arc for the doctor. My favorite Doctor so far!

And to think that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’s *The Cutie Map* was nominated alongside Heaven Sent for the Hugo Award of Best Dramatic Presentation in 2016. *That’s no joke!* 😅

i think you got the skull part wrong but otherwise a great review. the doctor never died from the impact on the water because he couldnt have restarted the loop if that was the case. his final breath is always in the teleporter room starting it all over again before turning to bones and ash.

I never thought it was the Doctor who painted the portrait of Clara in the Castle, I just assumed it was the Timelords that put it there to tease him of what he had lost. And the the fact that The Sheppard's Boy is based on a Brother's Grimm story also blew my mind in terms of how much the show takes from outside sources to get inspiration for some of its best work. Heaven Sent is a masterpiece. The Doctor going through everything he does to escape, on his own terms, never giving in either to his grief, or to the Timelords. I like to think that it could only have been Clara that he would have gone through that hell for 4½ billion years for because he loved her so much. She was always there to save his past selves when she splintered herself into his timestream, and she was there again to inspire and help save him again in his mind even after her death. She truly was the Impossible Girl because she did it here and because they cared so much for each other that not even death could totally seperate them, at least until the next episode. One last thing, you don't make stupid videos Harbo, they are great, detailed, informative and entertaining to watch! Only you can go into these super deep dives into Doctor Who and make all of us so much wiser and appreciate it that much more. I am really intrigued how you will analyze and critique Hell Bent next. That will truly be fascinating. Excellent work! 👍👏👍👏👍👏💐

So glad to see it voted most popular episode of all time by DWM readers. By a long way too, over 30% of the vote

honestly the it's all the days they stay dead thing really got to me when my grandparents died. the day they died (and the next 2 or so) were very eventful. we had to make arrangements and call people and set everything in order. and then it was suddenly all over. and there's nothing left to do apart from just. to be sad. it's genuinely such a good episode because it deals with grief in a very REAL way

My favourite Doctor in the best episode of Doctor Who in its entire 60 years. A genuine contender for the best hour of television ever made. I couldn't believe how good it was first time I saw it, and it hasn't diminished one bit with age or foreknowledge. Just sublime.

Not sure how you came to the conclusion that The Doctor sometimes died in the water, because another version is only teleported to the castle by The Doctor himself. The events are the same each time, until he gets to the last room - and save for the first times he was leaving all the clues (and one of them had to leave their clothes). Regardless, you summed up the episode so well.

That image of Capaldi is not only his most iconic image but might be one of the definitive iconic images in the shows history.

I think the real reason this episode is so popular is because of the structure. It all just progresses smoothly from one plot point to the next without feeling rushed or dragging. It's constructed in such a way that there is no wasted dialogue, everything is focused and relevant, and due to the way the information is dispensed to the viewer it's actually better on a second watch. The diamond wall is not just a metaphor for grief, but for overcoming any obstacle.

Such a beautiful and sad story. Capaldi was already in my top 3 Doctors before this episode, but Heaven Sent put him firmly in the #1 spot. This isn’t just one of the best Doctor Who episodes, it’s some of the best television ever produced in my opinion

This episode has a very unique place in my heart. I absolutely LOVE the 12th doctor, but this is just peak television in general. It truly desrrves the apreciation it has from people inside and even outside the fandom

Best choice to release this on Doctor who day. The story that cemented Capaldi as my favourite incarnation ever! 🎉

This episode has such a special meaning to me. It aired quite literally the day my grandmother died, and I've often revisited it as a way of processing various griefs. It is a true collaborative work. Great video breaking it down. It's a testament that even with an hour long video about an hour long TV episode, there are still things that I could've added on.

By far my fave Capaldi era episode alongside The Doctor Falls and one of my all time fave episodes of TV The writing and directing are just absolutely spot on and fires on all cylinders, it explores grief so masterfully and Peter Capaldi of course puts in an amazing performance as always, as usual he can say so much just by his face alone and him talking to himself is always great to see. He really can carry an episode on his own and this episode utilises his acting expertly Plus yeah, Rachel really is probably my fave Doctor Who directors, her work on this episode is just perfect and so many beautiful shots And the twist is so well done too and all the hints and bread crumbs spread throughout makes it really cool on a rewatch, and it just really shows how strong the doctor is mentally and his never give up attitude despite the odds

Capaldi is such an excellent actor, he was definitely the perfect doctor to be placed in this story

I heard something about the first face a regeneration sees being precious to them. Clara was the 12th Doctor's first face. Much like Amelia Pond was the 11th's.

Ever since I was a Film Student I always wanted to make a movie that was disguised as a horror film, but was actually a symbolism-filled journey that explored intense despair and misery. Watching Heaven Sent, I actually felt like Steven Moffat had turned the movie I always wanted to make into a Doctor Who episode, and did it better than I ever could have myself. I absolutely love it! A few things I particularly loved -- When The Doctor sees the closed Room 12, and sees the light on inside, and begins to talk into it, not only asking if someone is there, but almost hopelessly pleading for someone to be there. The line: "Or maybe I'm in Hell -- That's okay, Hell doesn't scare me. It's just Heaven for bad people." When Clara's shadow writes on the board, asking him how he is going to win, only for him to break down and plead to, just once, have it be okay for him to lose. The moment of music where Capaldi looks at the painting, as it sounds like music from the very late Tom Baker era. And I absolutely love when we see him burn himself, and then we cut back to him, one last time, on the TARDIS floor, beginning to cry, saying "How much longer can I do this Clara?! Burning the old me.. to try again.."

Honesty this is one od the best reviews youve ever put up for doctor who especially to a unique story like this Great job

Hey Harbo, Only recently discovered your channel. I was a doctor who fan growing up and it was my entire childhood, and i've recently become addicted again. Over the past roughly 4 weeks i have watched every single episode review that you've put out to revisit all my favourite stories. They are all marvellous and i was disappointed to see that many of the recent ones have less views, so i thought i'd leave a comment to let you know how much they're appreciated. I hope my compliment is made as clear as possible when i say that you have reinvigorated my love for a show that I had moved on from and that i'm going to be a little bit lost having to wait for your new uploads instead of just having an entire season already there. I think you are a great creator and i wish you the best - thanks for entertaining me the past few weeks - what a perfect episode for me to finally catch up on.

It's not mocking him; it's restoring and raising the stakes. It's reminding us that the Doctor does have limits, and it gives us back the drama that the show tends to lose when our hero seems too superhuman.

3:44 'and no, that doesn't mean it's a River Song episode.' I... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

For me, 12 is The Doctor, my Doctor. And this episode is absolute gold. Pure Capaldi gold for neigh on an hour.

I wonder if after all those years the Veil was even paying attention or if it was just another Tuesday. Like, it's zoning out and just trudging along 😂

Just watched this yesterday for the first time in years. Blew me away again, more than the initial watch. How interesting that you posted this since it’s so fresh in my mind now. Thank you!

This episode needs a S+ rank it's that good

The best possible review you could have released on the 60th anniversary

one of my favorite things about this episode is showing how after death how much we can keep our loved ones alive by remembering what they taught us, thinking about what they’d say. it’s the best way to honor them. and you’re absolutely right clara made 12 better and seeing him “keep her alive” in that sense was so powerful. that’s how we ensure the ones we’ve lost mattered, by living as if they’re still there. this episode makes me sob it’s absolutely beautifully done

This is the episode that rekindled my love for doctor who. I stopped watching after Capaldi thinking the show had just gone too big budget Hollywood sensibilities, but oh my God this episode reminded me why I liked the show to start with and encouraged me to watch the classic series from the very start. This episode is a culmination of decades of art.

I never understand why people assume the Doctor would have had to run around naked at least once because he wouldn't have a set of clothes prepared for him. The episode explains that every room gets reset after a while, so even if he left his own clothes, when the room resets, they would be gone. Unless of course, the default configuration of the room contains a set of clothes, which makes sense since it is a personalized prison. Why would his clothes be the only thing that isn't affected by the room reset?

I just rewatched the episode for the first time in years, it was a masterpiece, best episode of the show hands down

I went through a BIG breakup & lost my father this summer, I re watched heaven sent and connected with the doctor on a totally different level, (im doing better but still havent broken through the wall) this is such a special one. Thanks for another great review harbo ♡

This will always be my absolute favourite episode of Doctor Who. I've watched a lot of episodes multiple times but this episode tops the list for the amount of rewatches I've done. There's just something so special and so unique about it that makes me gravitate to it so heavily. Absolutely phenomenally good episode.

I want to believe that one day I will be surprised, but deep down I know, there is never going to be an episode as good as this one. Everything that comes after is just fighting for second place. It's not just because the script, direction, acting and oh god that music is all perfect. It came at a very crucial point in my life, I never look to see myself represented on screen, but it did represent all the feelings I was going through at the time. The only difference being I am still punching that wall inside my very own prison from hell, and I know I won't have the time to break through it. So it was cathartic to see someone get out.

I feel Capaldi didn’t really get the material to work with most of the time, but the occasions he did were brilliant. Other example being World Enough and Time, also directed by Rachel Talalay. You need a sense of real risk. This is without doubt my favourite episode of Doctor Who.

I actually talked to Peter about this episode at awesome con in DC about 7 or 8 years ago. I told him by far I believe that heaven scent is some of your best work on Doctor who and a superbly written episode. I asked him how it was for the most part acting completely by yourself and monologuing for the most part the entire episode. He agreed with me that he thinks that this is one of the best episodes in his run. And he said that it came down to the writing and how well it was written that it was so much fun to do if he said even though I was by myself. It was great talking to him about the episode and hearing how much he loved it and it was really nice to sit and talk to Peter capaldi he was very kind and just a wonderful person.

I’ve really loved returning to the Capaldi era alongside your reviews! Revisiting such great episodes can only be improved by following them up with a solid review each time!

Idk if anyone else has noticed this but there's a VFX spoof on the DVD idk if it's in other versions but in a scene where Capaldi is talking to the veil on the tower there's a scene where the veil's hand looks like someone made a mistake in the greenscreen editing, it's slightly see through on the edge

Great review of Heaven Sent! This is the best story out of Post High School and this is my favorite story out of the Peter Capaldi Era. I will admit I think this story deserved an Emmy back then. I have to say I think this story does a great job exploring grief and having no other actors in this story makes this an interesting watch. I will admit I was really surprised to see Gallifrey and I was like no way. I really love the soundtrack by Murray Gold, and it is outstanding and the direction by Rachel Talalay is amazing and outstanding.

When I first watched this episode I hated it, didn't understand it whatsoever and thought it was dull and boring. But then on the first ever rewatch it hit me how amazing and thought provoking the episode was. I think going through loss between the first and second viewings really made it that much more relatable and so beautiful, truly a perfectly crafted episode

It will always be a timeless masterpiece .It can not be matched .

I just want to say this episode was great and I love how if your paying attention you can predict where the doc is along side him. Sure he’s running thousands of calculations in his head at the same time but you can’t tell me as soon as he got to the teleportation room he knew it was galifreyan in orgin. It screams Timelord tech

This is the most beautiful episode of doctor who and maybe one of the most beautiful episodes of any show ever. I love this episode more than anything

Still my favorite episode of Doctor Who ever. I don't think it'll ever be surpassed.

Peter gave it all on this episode. He was the best when it comes to speeches, he puts so much emotion behind every word that it's stunning. I just love 12th.

One of my most fondly remembered 12 episodes. I think it's definitely one of the best of the show

I haven't ever really followed Doctor Who, but got wind of this episode the other day. I know it's part of a trilogy, but it's actually fantastic as a standalone. I've just been sitting here thinking of all the things I could say about it, it's just brilliant.

Perfect timing. Happy 60th birthday Doctor Who! The sixtieth second of eternity has passed! :D

Anytime I lose someone close to me I put on heaven sent. It somehow makes things easier

It's a funny joke about naked doctor but I don't think it's right , I think the point was the skull in the water are always the one that the doctor leaves on the battlement that falls . Which is why they show it a few times in the montage , every skull in there is from the doctors sacrifice to load a previous version of himself

I stopped watching Doctor Who after Matt Smith left but caught this episode purely by chance because nothing else was on, it blew my mind so hard I spent the next three days catching up on everything I'd missed

I don't comment on many video's but you definitely earmed a very well done from me, i can imagine this took a while for you to write/record/edit and I'm looking forward to the next 1. 👍

I always felt Dr Who opponent not only represented death ☠️ but an allegory for depression. When you are going through the thickness of the seven stages of grief that is the embodiment and weight of true depression. I loved your analysis 🎉on this episode it was well thought 💭 out and explained. Thought provoking as 🎉well

I don't think he would have given up and died in the water, as it was his body that provided the matter for his next iteration. If he died in the water, there would have never been a "Next" doctor.

As someone who lives in south Florida, I just wanted to say "Bravo" about your use of Florida as the image of the netherworld. You are NOT wrong.

Your timing is top-notch! This was the PERFECT episode to review on the PERFECT day!

On the note of people talking “to” their lost loved ones, post-bereavement stress hallucinations(PBSH - I think I got the terminology slightly wrong, someone please correct me) are actually quite common and can take a large variety of forms. Having moments where you genuinely think the person is there, that you really can talk to them - this happens in tons of people without any history of, and largely aren’t a sign of or dependent on, other underlying conditions. If you experience these - no, you’re not going crazy and you aren’t alone in having these experiences.

I remember when this aired. When the montage happened and we saw the cycle all sped up, I just sat there thinking "this is incredible".

Also the track shepherds boy which plays over the montage is one of my favourite musical pieces in general.

While I agree partially that Clara couldn't do what the Doctor did, testing and judging, evaluating and planning on the fly in so very many ways, due to her limitations in comparison. I believe I should also point out how the humans the Doctor travels with, that the Doctor is so superior to transcend him as well. How Clara transcended him. Within a very short time Clara discovered her mistake, her hubris... and accepted it. Like anyone who knows they have limitations, she might aspire to more. However, when confronted with the inevitability, it can be accepted. And dealt with it. Yes, we know the stages of grief. Many of us have had to deal with them, and for some far too often. For losses of many kinds, not just ones of mortality. The Doctor *rarely* does so, however. When faced with a no win scenario, he runs. Always. Whether it is to stall for enough time to find a winning strategy, a clever ploy to achieve victory from defeat, or to distance himself from grief, he *always* runs. Clara didn't. When push came to shove, she did what he never has. Achieved victory through sacrifice. Until now. The Doctor needed to learn how to fail. And fail. And fail and fail and fail and fail again. Humility. And then, to accept that failure, without breaking. All of his failures.

I remember watching "The Zygon Inversion" and thinking "Wow! This is an amazing monolog! Capaldi can really act!!!".....little did I know what was in store with this episode!

Been doing a rewatch of Doctor who since we got the 14th and 15th Doctor. So its good to see these breakdowns of where the character is at an emotional and story level. Since your caught up with a lot of expanded media, and are very well versed, more easter eggs please!!

Especially in the better Doctor Who stories by Moffat, the Doctor _is_ basically a fairytale character. Of course he can outwit and outthink his enemies and make psychic links with wooden doors, he’s the Doctor. The struggle for him lies in the mental and emotional damage he has to endure, the question of “Can he still keep going despite everything that’s happened to him?” Doctor Who is a show where main characters are almost guaranteed to make it through the day…9 times out of 10, So the stories _should_ revolve around the emotions and internal situations the characters are going through, represented as physical obstacles. Doctor who is really good at this sort of thing because of how versatile it is and stories like Heaven Sent will always be right up my alley.

I'm not a big fan of the way Moffatt handles season-long narratives (or female characters!), but when it comes to episodes like The Empty Child or Heaven Sent, I've really got to give it up to the man 👏🏼 He is a talent

You mention that some of the skulls must have been from Doctors who drowned, they can't be. The implication of the episode is that every sequence plays out pretty much exactly the same. Otherwise there wouldn't be another Doctor. He *must* end the sequence with burning himself to power up the teleporter to make a new version of him. He never dies anywhere other than right there by the teleporter.

Thank you for such an amazing review of my favourite new era Doctor Who story. Best review I've seen.

they filmed a lot of those scenes in Cardiff Castle and honestly actually being there gives you shivers, the episode doesn't do the architecture justice.

27:18. The Doctor had spent over 7000 years running this category, becoming unmatched at the loop, but his greatest achievement… was this run. *Summoning Salt Presents: History of The Confession Dial Speedrunning (Any%)*

It's nice to see that you can have the complete opposite of a Doctor Lite episode- a Doctor-Only episode- and still produce a gem.

Heaven Sent and Hell Bent are some of my top favorite Who episodes. It showed me how good of a actor he was.

Heaven Sent is, quite possibly, THE best episode of Doctor Who I've EVER seen! Aaaand it's near impossible to recommend to friends who aren't already Who fans because of how much context is kinda... required? Like, individual moments aren't what's needed. The ENTIRE Clara arc is practically required because otherwise you don't understand the Doctor's pain and grief!

Thank you, random short that made me curious enough to watch this

HAPPY WHO DAAAAAY

This episode hit me like a wall of azbamtium when I was randomly binging doctor who munching on some snacks one afternoon

24:20 it’s impossible that any version of twelve wouldn’t make it out of the water cause otherwise there would be no energy to produce the next version

You know its a good episode when the review is almost equally as long

The montage at the end is so great, but it only works with the slow buildup of the whole episode. The whole thing comes together to a spectacular finish

Eleven and Twelve are particularly special for me because in 2019 I had lost my gf to murder and both helped me heal. Twelve's grief was far too relatable for me. So Heaven Sent holds a very very special place in my heart for the lessons it taught me

I think that one of the most incredible things about this episode is that it had a total of THREE CHARACTERS, THREE and it still managed to be an absoloute masterpiece!

Always love your videos and break down. This is truly an S+ episode of Doctor Who.

@ 34:25 ‘Ah well everybody knows about the bird!’

23:56 I think another perspective could be him realizing how much work was put into this, and the need to maintain this suffering. I think that specific iteration of himself might have been the only one to lose motivation, lose the will to live. I think, untold to the audience, that the Doctor figures out what's going on fairly quickly. Maybe he doesn't understand _everything,_ but he knows enough to follow the line through to the end. I think him seeing the sea of his own skulls helps give him context. He jumps into the lake, sees the skulls, and likely knows they're his. That's a lot of skulls, how long has he been there? That night, he looks up at the sky, is astonished at how far in time he has traveled this way. He puts it all together by the time he reaches room 12, but every iteration of himself is more and more resolved to finish whatever it was the previous versions of himself started, because those bones just keep piling up, those stars keep moving apart. But the initial sight of the skulls, I think that's the reminder for him to not give up. Not because of a survival, "I don't want to die" instinct, but more of a, "I have died this many times, this is important." After that scene, I don't think, or at least I don't know, that the rest of his incarnations have that internal crisis anymore.

The episode harkens back to the Moffatt Doctor Who parody Curse of Fatal Death with the castle setting and thousands of year long escapes

I think you said early on the doctor probably drew the picture of clara but then later you talk about how the rooms reset and the doctor can't leave a mark, so how did he leave behind the picture? or the clothes and skulls for that matter? Somethings get left and some dont? Who or what decides what gets left behind and why those specific things?

Thank you for this video. I couldn't agree more that this is not merely (arguably) the best episode of Doctor Who, but possibly the best television episode that's ever been made. It was certainly the best I've ever seen. It was the reason I started watching Doctor Who--I'd seen little snippets from it in RU-vid videos, hunted down a sort of bootleg place I could watch it, visually reversed, and was completely blown away. I immediately went to Amazon and bought Series 1 and then when I finished that, Series 2, and then after that, Series 3, and then...well, you get the idea. And yesterday, I watched The Star Beast, so, I have not lost my interest in the slightest. And of all the people who discuss Doctor Who or react to episodes, your reviews and discussions are the most thorough and deep and thought-provoking and interesting that I have found. Even on those rare occasions when I disagree with your opinion on something, I deeply respect your thoughtfulness and care and knowledge. Bravo.

I’ll definitely have to watch both again, but after your review, “Heaven Sent” really reminds me of the Adventure Time episode “Hall Of Egress”

Lets not forget, capaldi is just amazing af

Heaven Sent is really one of the episodes that makes me really have to think if Twelve is actually my favorite of the New Doctors and not Ten. Just a really fantastic episode.

Capaldi is so underrated as the doctor, like damn

An absolutely beautiful episode and easily a Top 10. I also love how the title sequence has to hold on "Peter Capaldi" for like 15 seconds. Very jarring but badass

I was relatively disconnected with the opinions of the fandom when I first saw this episode and it has still remained my favorite ever episode of the series because it was just a great character study of The Doctor. Through talking to others, I only found more things to enjoy about it. Moffat has a lot of problems with his run as head writer (infinitely less than Chibnall did tho. It's just sad that he was the head writer for the first female doctor bc we deserved WAY better for that for the first woman to every play the role. Praying for the 2nd woman doctor to get an amazing run because the fans deserve that), but despite all that he wrote the episode I have revisited the most. Also this video was the first time I realized the monster was called "The Veil"

Great video and really well thought out

@ 27:35 The curse of fatal death was released on 12 March 1999, just 2 days before I was born!

I'd make an S+ rank just for this one. It's in a league of its own.

Like you said, I've been waiting for this one since you started the series. This was worth the wait, thanks for the content!

Towards the end of he original Dr. Who there were some hints that Time Lords, due to their unnatural origin and construction, have a fluid visualization of the paths into the future subsequent to any action. They *know* (as much as possible) what will happen from any action at a level that is not merely extrapolation as with us, but a kind of "seeing" of the future.

I really like heaven sent because it reminds me of one of my favourite episodes of the Magnus Archives, Momument. It likewise takes place in a huge, constantly shifting structure specifically designed to torment those trapped inside. Specifically, it's designed to punish people for thinking they're smart, maintaining enough of a structured facade to make them think they can 'solve' it and escape, before snatching that hope away by revealing itself to be truly unpredictable. The people are kept alive for eternity, but not in the same way, as opposed to the restart that Heaven Sent uses, Monument instead has people remaining agonisingly conscious as they're bodies pull themselves back together after an unexpected drop has them plummet hundreds of feet. It's great stuff and I fully recommend it.