Extremis (Doctor Who)
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"Extremis" is the sixth episode of the tenth series of the British
science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. It was written by
Steven Moffat Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
and broadcast on 20 May 2017 on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
. "Extremis" received extremely positive reviews from television critics, with many praising Peter Capaldi's performance and Steven Moffat's script, though some commented on the complexity of the script. The Vatican calls upon the
Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...
(
Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in ' ...
) to investigate the ''Veritas'', a book whose readers typically kill themselves after reading it. When the ''Veritas'' is translated and leaked online, the Doctor must uncover the dark secret that the book holds. It is the first of three loosely connected episodes called "The Monks Trilogy".


Plot

The
Twelfth Doctor The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi in three series as well as four specials. As with previous incar ...
remains blind following the events of "
Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
" and wears his sonic sunglasses to provide a limited form of sight while hiding his condition from
Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...
. He receives an
email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
entitled ''Extremis'' that he views through his glasses. The Doctor is met by the
Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
and members of the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
to help deal with a recently translated text called the ''Veritas'', that causes readers to end their own lives. The Doctor takes Bill and
Nardole Nardole is a fictional character created by Steven Moffat and portrayed by Matt Lucas in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is a companion of the Twelfth Doctor, an incarnation of the alien time tra ...
to a secret library inside the Vatican. They find that a translation of the ''Veritas'' has been emailed to
CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...
. Bill and Nardole discover a portal leading to a hub of other portals, linked to CERN and the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
, among other places. Meanwhile, the Doctor temporarily regains his sight using
Time Lord The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...
technology and tries to read ''Veritas'', but is forced to flee into a second portal with the translation when the skeletal, corpse-like Monks appear. He is unable to read the ''Veritas'' before again losing his sight. Bill and Nardole enter the portal to CERN, finding all the scientists are prepared to kill themselves. A scientist demonstrates that every time he asks them for a random number, they, along with the other scientists, all say the same one. The two flee back to the hub. Nardole realises the portals are actually computer projections, and when he steps out of the projections, he disappears. A distraught Bill follows a trail of blood through a portal, finding herself in the
Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...
of the White House, where the Doctor is waiting. The Doctor explains that ''Veritas'' describes a "demon" planning to invade Earth by creating detailed simulations of it to practice invasion. Simulacra within these "shadow worlds" can discover the false reality as they can only come up with
pseudo-random numbers A pseudorandom sequence of numbers is one that appears to be statistically random, despite having been produced by a completely deterministic and repeatable process. Background The generation of random numbers has many uses, such as for random ...
due to the nature of computers, leading them to commit suicide to escape the simulation. He reveals that he, Bill, Nardole and everybody else are simply simulacra within a simulation. A Monk appears, and Bill disintegrates the same way Nardole did. The Doctor, aware he is a simulation, tells the alien that the Earth will be ready as he has been recording everything through his sonic glasses and emails the recording, titled ''Extremis'', to his real-world self. The real Doctor finishes ''Extremis'', and turns to the Vault behind him, revealed in flashbacks to hold Missy whom he had spared from execution but vowed to keep locked away for one thousand years. Through the Vault doors, he asks Missy for her help to fight the upcoming invasion.


Continuity

Nardole's presence with the Doctor throughout series 10 is explained as a continuation from "
The Husbands of River Song "The Husbands of River Song" is an episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2015, it is the eleventh Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by St ...
", with River Song having ordered Nardole to prevent the Doctor from taking extreme actions after her death (going ''in extremis''). Nardole is shown reading from River Song's
TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ap ...
-styled diary, first seen in the
Tenth Doctor The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the BBC science fiction television franchise ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of the ...
story "
Silence in the Library "Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story; the second part, ...
"/"
Forest of the Dead "Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008. It is the second of a two-part story; the first part, "Silence in ...
", River Song's 'final' adventure. Missy alludes to the Doctor's 'retirement' on Darillium with River ("The Husbands of River Song") and offers her condolences regarding River's death.


Outside references

Upon entering the Vatican's secret library, Bill utters "
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
", for which the Doctor scolds her. He later refers disparagingly to the lengthiness of ''
Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler, whaling ship ''Pequod (Moby- ...
'', saying: "Honestly, shut up and get to the whale!" The lead scientist from CERN tells Bill and Nardole "We will all go together when we go," which is an apocalyptic-themed song by
Tom Lehrer Thomas Andrew Lehrer (; born April 9, 1928) is an American former musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, having lectured on mathematics and musical theater. He is best known for the pithy and humorous songs that he recorded in ...
and the final track on the LP ''
An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer ''An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer'' is an album recorded by Tom Lehrer, the well-known satirist and Harvard lecturer. The recording was made on March 20–21, 1959 in Sanders Theater at Harvard. In 2020, Lehrer donated all of his lyrics and mus ...
''. Nardole compares the simulated worlds to the
holodeck The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise ''Star Trek'' which uses "holograms" (projected light and electromagnetic energy which create the illusion of solid objects) to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imag ...
s of ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' and the Doctor compares them to the
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
worlds of ''
Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones (video game developer), David Jones and Mike Dailly (game designer), Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan Hous ...
'' and ''
Super Mario (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...
''.


Production

Filming for "Extremis", as well as the following episode "
The Pyramid at the End of the World "The Pyramid at the End of the World" is the seventh episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Peter Harness and Steven Moffat and broadcast on 27 May 2017 on BBC One. "The Pyr ...
", took place from 23 November 2016 to 17 January 2017.


Cast notes

Joseph Long, who plays the Pope in this episode, previously appeared as Rocco Colasanto in the
series 4 Series 4 could refer to: * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4, the automobile model * BMW 4 Series, the automobile model line * GeForce 4 series, line of nVidia video cards * Scania 4-series, the truck model line * South African Class 6E1, Series 4, e ...
episode "
Turn Left "Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008. David Tennant on ...
".
Tim Bentinck Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg, (born 1 June 1953), commonly known as Tim Bentinck, is an English actor and writer, known for his long-running role as David Archer in the BBC ...
had previously played numerous roles in various ''Doctor Who'' audio productions.


Broadcast and reception

The episode was watched by 4.16 million overnight. The episode received 5.53 million views overall, and it received an
Appreciation Index The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is an indicator measured from 0 to 100 of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom. Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the B ...
score of 82.


Critical reception

"Extremis" received extremely positive reviews from television critics, with many praising Peter Capaldi's performance and Steven Moffat's script, while calling the episode's story "unique" and "ambitious", though some commented on the complicated script. The episode holds an approval score of 93% on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, with the site's consensus reading "'Extremis' expertly juggles several of Doctor Who's more thought-provoking themes, enlivened by a sharp-witted script and a fast-paced plot." Alasdair Wilkins of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' awarded an A to "Extremis", noting that the creativity and experimental aspect of the writing showcased Steven Moffat at his best. He compared the story's quality to some of Moffat's previous stories, such as "
Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Auditory system#Central auditory system, Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a Transm ...
" and " Heaven Sent", stating that the episode was an experimental success and that "the result is unlike anything else you're likely to find on television, and certainly unlike anything else Doctor Who has done before." Wilkins also went on to praise Capaldi's acting in the episode, and how the character of the Doctor relates to Bill when making the revelation of the episode. Zoe Delahunty-Light of ''GamesRadar'' awarded a perfect score of 5 stars to the episode, asserting that "Doctor Who doesn't get better than this". She complimented how the episode played with complicated themes in a sophisticated manner, commenting on how the idea of a simulated world has been done before, but how ''Doctor Who'' took it further. She also commended Michelle Gomez's portrayal of Missy, and how the character "is a far more complicated regeneration of the Master than we realised". Scott Collura of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave "Extremis" a rating of 8.6 out of 10, saying the timing of the episode within the series was perfect to elaborate on the secret of the vault, while also following a larger and more complex story. He also stated that the return of Michelle Gomez as Missy was long overdue and of a particular note to the episode. Patrick Mulkern of
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
also awarded a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars to the episode. The scenes with Missy were praised by him as "a gift for Michelle Gomez, a scene stealer", and the dynamic between the Doctor and Missy was also highlighted for being played with. The Monks were credited for being "bloody hideous", and were also compared to Moffat's previous creations such as the
Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...
for their worldwide silent invasion. They rounded up by labeling the episode "confident, breath-taking television from Steven Moffat". In contrast to the positive reviews, Daniel Jackson of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' felt that the problem with the episode wasn't the episode itself, but having to stop and think about the episode afterwards. He criticised the number of unnecessary twists in the episode and stated that the "reset" of the simulation undermined the events of the episode, and labelled the reveal of the vault "underwhelming", stating that "Extremis" was "two different half episodes that are really just setup for later". Despite this, Jackson complimented the theme of the Doctor's blindness and how it played into the episode, and how the scenes at CERN changed effortlessly between the comical and the horrified realisation, with certain parts of the episode being "outright creepy".


References


External links

* * * {{Master stories, selected=Television 2017 British television episodes Doctor Who stories set on Earth Television episodes written by Steven Moffat Television episodes about suicide Television episodes set in Vatican City Television episodes set in Washington, D.C. The Master (Doctor Who) television stories Twelfth Doctor episodes Television episodes about simulated reality