5 Things Learned Revisiting DAY OF THE DOCTOR With Mom (SPOILERS)

Thanks to BBC Home Entertainment, I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor on DVD and Blu-Ray. Fortunate because although I organized a live view, well....I don't know if I had really watched the episode. So I decided to share the viewing with Mom, who's celebrating one year in her new apartment. (Plus, she has a large TV, which helped matters).

So in that spirit - and yes, there are spoilers - some thoughts about watching Day of the Doctor a second time:

1. As I had mentioned in my initial review, fandom is a phenomenon which is best shared, and with an open heart. I am fortunate enough that I was able to enjoy the episode despite first seeing it in a specific context (with people making requests on time, complaining about parking on the north side of Chicago, etc). Enjoying it in much more sedate surroundings was a plus. On that note....
2. Yes, there is fan service, but what do you expect for a 50th anniversary? Moffatt managed to both provide the necessary fan service as well as reshift the narrative - yes, there are plot holes a-plenty, but at the very least, we now have a slightly different focus for the show.
3. Not since Jon Pertwee in Spearhead from Space has a Doctor's eyebrows
   
   played a significant role. Mark my words - Capaldi's eyebrows will be Series 8's "Bad Wolf"
4. If Tom Baker's cameo didn't choke you up (like it did pal JB and, on this second viewing me)....you are truly heartless and cynical. And probably need to start watching something a little more mechanical like CSI.
5. In retrospect, I think John Hurt as a "missing" Doctor works better than Christopher Eccleston would have - it works better thematically, provides a great context and, quite honestly, provides a more emotionally satisfying conclusion. Now, Eccleston's Doctor isn't just the lone survivor of the Time War; he was an unwilling victim who had to carry the guilt of his predecessor.

And yes, Mom enjoyed the episode...and before you dismiss that, consider this: Mom had a liver transplant several years ago. Not only did she have a major organ replaced, she managed to live longer with her new liver than Lou Reed did with his.

And that's the only cheap shot I'm going to take -Day of the Doctor was an absolute joy to watch, and a great start to Doctor Who's 51st year.