Doctor Who Finale Part 3 Recap: “Journey’s End”

Rather than doing what any sensible person would do and running for cover before everything gets unfrozen and the bullets start flying again, Gwen marches closer and reaches toward the bullets. There’s some kind of invisible wall there that dimples at her touch, and she’s all giddy about this, like she’s a bored housewife who’s figured out how much fun it is to spend her days fingering the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor explains that he only used enough regeneration energy to heal himself. Then, like you do with leftover bacon grease and an old coffee can, he decided to siphon off the remaining energy into a “handy bio-matching receptacle,” namely his severed hand. Got to hand it to the guy, he’s handy in a crisis.

The Doctor: I didn’t need to change. I didn’t want to. Why would I? Look at me.

Rose, thrilled to realize she’s still got a chance to tousle that robust head of hair, proceeds to throw herself at him. As they embrace, Jack watches with great interest, no doubt trying to figure out the best time to interrupt and propose a threeway.

Donna’s got other ideas, telling Jack he can go ahead and hug her. He laughs, and when she says it again more seriously, he politely but noticeably doesn’t take her up on the offer. Which has got to hurt, given he pretty much doesn’t pass up on anything remotely sexual with anyone ever, including sub-humanoids.

Back in the Hub, Ianto types away at a computer and from this somehow deduces that Tosh had instituted a time-lock on the Hub as a safety measure. So even from beyond the grave, it’s up to Tosh to bail out their sorry asses. And she still gets no respect. Anyway, the time-lock has basically transformed the Hub into a roach motel — meaning nothing can get in and nothing can get out, not without risking unfreezing the Dalek.

Ianto: We’re trapped inside. It’s all up to Jack now.

What a bunch of loafers! They’ve got an entire Hub filled with alien artifacts and technology that, who knows, just might help out in a situation like this. But they decide there’s nothing to do but sit around and wait to be saved. By someone who, if memory serves, pretty much abandoned them for months the last time something like this happened. I hope the Hub vending machine is fully stocked with Cheetos. They’re gonna need them.

Meanwhile, the Daleks have located the TARDIS. Following orders from the Supreme Dalek, a group of them surround it, put it in some kind of temporal lockdown, and start transporting it to “the Crucible,” whatever that is.