“Death in Heaven” finds showrunner Steven Moffat channeling his inner Russell T. Davies. And I mean that in a good way. Whereas, as Nu-Who’s inaugural showrunner, Davies would sporadically fall prey to his own personal fanboyish indulgences, as well as a propensity for bombast, he also never failed in designing his stories for maximum emotional impact. If Davies wrote from the heart, it could be said that Moffat writes more from the brain, turning his focus to the cool and complex scenarios that come with being a traveler of time and space. That’s not to say Moffat’s tenure has been bereft of emotional bullet points, but they often end up going hand-in-hand with one of his mind bend-y, high concept gimmicks.
What makes “Death in Heaven” such a unique Moffat-penned finale lies partly in its relative simplicity. In spite of the worldwide implications of Cybermen rising from graves in every country, the focus of the episode is very much small in scope (though that’s probably also to do with budget reasons). Moreover, because the Cybermen are still adjusting to renewed life, they aren’t particularly active throughout the hour. What some might construe as underwhelming action, however, later proves to be set-up for some serious character-based emotional fireworks. In the end, the episode feels akin to something Davies would have concocted in his darker moments (i.e. the entirety of Torchwood).
And by dark, I do mean dark. After last week’s “Dark Water” set a new standard for the disturbing areas Doctor Who could venture into, “Death in Heaven” pushes things slightly further. It’s certainly the darkest series finale since the show’s revival, but this is not strictly because of the content. Of course, the idea of billions of dead bodies being resurrected as Cybermen is a horrific one, and the shocking murder of Kate Stewart’s assistant (and Doctor fangirl) Osgood is an especially harsh plot beat to witness. Beyond that, however, the episode is perhaps most notable for its lack of the typical upbeat Who conventions. Sure, the world is saved at the end, but it comes about without a rousing speech from The Doctor, an inspiring act of courage by his companion, or a fantastical cure-all solution that completely restores the status quo and brings Danny back to life. It’s a victory with no sense of triumph.
Picking up just after Missy reveals her true nature, both The Doctor and his nemesis find themselves captured by UNIT and taken aboard a government plane. In the wake of the Cybermen invasion, the world’s governments have elected to put an emergency procedure into place—namely, making The Doctor the official President of the Earth. Considering how active The Doctor has been with saving the day for all these years, it’s nice to see the world officially acknowledging his authority.
Back in the 3W Headquarters, Clara attempts to stave off an attack of Cybermen by pretending to be The Doctor (the opening credits even play along with the gag by including Jenna Coleman’s credit ahead of Capaldi’s). Just as Clara finds herself out of excuses, she’s suddenly recused by what appears to be a rogue Cyberman. The Cyberman transports her to a cemetery where it removes its mask, revealing itself to be the last remains of Danny Pink. While the general concept of The Cybermen as robotized humans stripped of emotion is a distressing one as is, the image of Danny’s rotting, distorted face behind the robot mask is an almost unbearably sad sight to behold. Danny promptly begs Clara to activate his inhibitor switch in an attempt to escape the emotional turmoil that he’s currently feeling.
Back on the plane, Missy manages to break free from captivity, disintegrating Osgood and sending Stewart flying out of the plane in the process. The Doctor manages to escape, and meets up with Clara just as she is about to switch on Danny’s inhibitor. The Doctor commands her to stop and explains that Danny will become a full-fledged Cyberman and murder her. The Doctor tries to convince Danny that his pain is what’s keeping him human and that he should help them by providing info on what the Cybermens’ plans are. It’s here that Danny presents The Doctor and Clara with a real Sophie’s Choice scenario. In order to learn and communicate the Cybermens’ plan, he will need to have his inhibitor turned on. Faced with an impossible decision, The Doctor has no choice but to be honest—he needs the information. Confronted with planet-wide destruction, Danny’s humanity is mere collateral. The Doctor tries to apologize to Clara, but she simply takes his screwdriver and performs the deed. As we soon see, this won’t be the only hard decision the two will be forced to make that day.
It’s then that Missy appears and explains her motivations. As it turns out, in her own twisted way, she put this Cybermen plan into place as a means of getting closer to The Doctor. She offers him control of the vast army (via a mechanical bracelet), pointing out that he can use it to properly police the Universe, essentially blurring the lines between a protector and a warlord. “I need you to know we’re not so different,” she says. “I need my friend back.” To sweeten the pot, she even offers him the coordinates to Gallifrey.