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Shoutout the elderly couple walking their dog through the evacuated, UNIT-secured street during the Clara and Missy scene

The ending doesn't create a paradox, it's a great little bit of crossed wires. The Doctor thinks Davros is remembering shamefully being left to die as a little kid. In actuality, Davros thinks the Doctor is shameful for saving him as a kid because killing him then would have meant defeating one of his greatest enemies. It show's the stark difference in mindset between the two- one would regret leaving a monster to die, the other would regret not killing a kid for the greater good.

The thing about the Dalek begging for mercy in The Big Bang is that the Doctor didn't hear that line, so of course he still wouldn't know that the Daleks knew the word.

Davros and The Doctor’s dynamic is the best it’s ever been. Michelle Gomez got to do so much more and some of her best material as a villainy protagonist here.

personally i really love this 2 parter because of the dynamics between missy, clara and 12, one thing I wish they touched on was the fact that being put in a dalek surely would've brought up memories of oswin for clara but i get they didn't cause of time

tbh i forgive anything shit in this 2 parter for the simple reason of the chaotic duo that is missy and clara

Two of the finest episodes in my opinion. Every narrative beat hits me like it's supposed to, even the nonsensical ones. Clara inside a dalek shakes me deep in my brain and in my bones. Missy's so naughty!

"Admit it, you've all had this exact nightmare" I do love that bit 😂

Capaldi is deffo an actors actor. Even in episodes with weaker plots like this one if you have moments in there where Capaldi can just do his think and command the room and you allow him to act then you have created magic. He is one of those actors that when he is in thoe moments you cannot take your eyes off him and you don't want to.

The Dalek casing saying mercy in front of The Doctor actually does makes sense character wise. Yes, we did hear it in a previous finale, but that was in front of River, the Daleks have never once said mercy outside of those two instances, so it makes sense why the Doctor is shocked about that over us being shocked about it.

I think the Dalek mercy thing works here, because while we have seen Daleks say mercy before, the Doctor hasn’t, so him hearing it for the first time (to my knowledge) is an element that I liked.

I love that Missy's ultimate ambition in this story is that she thinks of herself as the Doctor's greatest adversary and wants to prove herself superior to all the Doctor's other enemies. Ultimately amounting to her poking Davros in the eye in the most hilariously petty way possible.

I personally quite enjoy this story it brought back davros and also the 12th doctor and davros dynamic is amazing

I love this story, it has an amazing dynamic story between Davros and The Doctor. I think the issue is that people call it a Dalek Story. It isn't one, it is a Davarous story.

As a Dalek story it’s kinda bland but not bad but yh as a story to deepen the relationship between davros and the doctor it’s quite good the dialogue between the 2 characters is realy heartfelt at moments showing they were once friends and even know they are enemies the doctor still cares that davros is dying

"you've all had this exact nightmare" is a hilarious line XD

On “Mercy”, the Doctor wasn’t there to witness the Dalek beg for mercy in the Big Bang so his shock is acceptable at seeing it here, and the Dalek saying it in the Big Bang is retroactively only possible because Twelve saves young Davros and instills that concept, so it’s internally consistent on that point

I personally loved this two part story for what it did, especially Davros and the doctor's banter, and I also don't feel that the fact we are shown Davros is scheming takes away from it. In fact the way I see it, it rather enhanced it, as this is Davros's last ditched plan, so he is still being genuine and honest when he speaks to the doctor. As... if his plan fails, then he is going to die, so he may as well lay everything out now so that theres something left behind of him for the man he respects most of all to remember.

Even the way the doctor knew he was being tricked adds ti this, they've been enemies for so long, that they know eachother just that well. It reads less as them really hating eachother, and more a almost mutual respect and understanding of eachother. So, I have to disagree with your point about the whole, being spoiled to Davros's plan as... well, if anything knowing he was still scheming just shows how he really was dying.

(edit)

I do agree however, that the idea of the Daleks being the real villain, once again, would have been just as compelling. It fits with their problem of constantly betraying their creator before then bringing him back out of a nescessity.

But remember, Davros made the daleks in order to save his people, so of course he'll do anything to ensure they survive.

With regard to The Daleks being able to say "mercy," even though this was established during Matt Smith's first season finale, The Doctor wasn't there to witness it. It was just River and The Dalek, so this story is literally the first time The Doctor hears a "Dalek" beg for mercy.

My ADHD brain loves this episode because there's so much to focus on