WARNING: Due to the nature of this episode, this review will contain spoilers - I recommend reading it after you watch the episode if you do not wish to be spoiled from any of the major plotlines present in this episode.
Following a season of twists and turns, we've finally reached the end of the revived show's ninth run, and coming into Hell Bent did of course come with trepidation. You see, unlike the majority of fans (especially those who tweeted to me), I wasn't a big fan of Heaven Sent last week – it wasn't bad, but consistent with some of the problems that head writer Steven Moffat has had in more recent years. So with this finale comes the deciding question of whether this season has been an improvement over the lacklustre Series 8 we had last year, or a satisfying conclusion to the Gallifrey storyline...although with a plotline like having the Doctor being some form of prophecy about his home planet's destruction straight after saving it.
After going through a test of sorts set by former ally Ashildr (Maisie Williams), Peter Capaldi's Doctor has made it back to the once-missing home of his race and immediately settles for obtaining the designation of Lord President and seizing control of the planet – after he has some soup and a little strop. And once he gets everything back the way he wants it, with recently departed companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) whisked away from her moment of death in a form where she doesn't exactly live (think of it as being a similar situation as Owen Harper from Torchwood, except I doubt she's in a state of remaining unharmed) and do the classic approach of running away from his people. But when in the face of death and a familiar friend, things do tend to go your way, as the Doctor soon discovers.
Despite being approximately 65 minutes long, this episode is overly crowded with numerous plot points, countless references and characters which come and go in a flash, and no sooner that you're greeted with a character like Ohilia (Claire Higgens) does she disappear off again. Characters who's identities are drawn out for the sake of tension? Gone as soon as it's revealed. The waves of happiness that Doctor Who had its first great non-anniversary episode in years with Face the Raven? Undermined with the 'rug pulled from under you' ploy which feels like it was done only so that Moffat can take control of yet another big moment in Doctor Who history. But because of how overcrowded this episode is, the pacing becomes so topsy-turvy that at times you can barely keep up, and with so many throwaway lines in a very dialogue-heavy episode does only lead to confusion from both die-hard fans and the casual viewer. But when things do go in the right direction – which sadly isn't very often – it does work. While the sequence of the Time Lords gaining the Doctor's attention does eventually get a bit tedious, it does in actuality really work; especially how the locals are willing to stand in the way of his death. The somewhat forced inclusion of the classic TARDIS console room? Fan-service maybe, but still a gorgeous inclusion that was expertly recreated.
Perhaps because of how this is meant to be a grand finale for both the ninth season and the Gallifrey storyline I'm being harsher on it, but when it feels like a large mess, intertwined with recurring transitions of the Doctor talking to pseudo-Clara/real Clara which – while ending up being something of an enforced sweet moment for fans of Clara and lending to some form of speculation as to whether it was a splinter Clara or not – do take you out of the action with something that would be better suited if all of those areas were placed at the very end of the episode. At least it doesn't have forced comedy beats (instead it has forced moments of scares with Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels) that had lost some of its edge from earlier seasons.
On the plus side though, we do get good performances all around, in particular with Capaldi's Doctor, who despite being back to only being Doctor-ish still gives off a good performance, and allows such contrivances as the interchanging "who's the hybrid?" discussion and the fourth wall-breaking of his guitar playing of Clara's theme to be overlooked for the sake of his good work. And despite how forced and unnecessary she is – especially after such a good conclusion two weeks ago - Coleman still hands in a good performance, even if she REALLY doesn't need to be there. Maisie Williams is perhaps at her weakest so far, but hands in a good rapport with her co-stars; and the rest of the cast aren't notable save for when they become required, such as the General turning into a woman of a different race or that the President is Rassilon still (surprise! Except it's obvious in the wardrobe department).
Hell Bent is once again a standard Steven Moffat finale episode, borrowing multiple elements from the past for the sake of it and bringing people back to life for no reason. As an overall glimpse, it's an episode which could have stopped before Clara's return and being really good, but quickly decides that it deserves to have some enforced emotional tugging because tumblr gifsets need to be made. Aesthetically pleasing, and with some good elements, but little else but standard Moffat fodder. 5/10.
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