On November 23, 1963, BBC released the first episode of the popular science fiction show known as Doctor Who. The show is about a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey and his adventures through time and space. He travels in a time machine called a T.A.R.D.I.S., which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.

The “classic” episodes of Doctor Who ended around 1989, stopping with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. Doctor Who was taken up again in 2005, with the episode “Rose”, with Christopher Eccleston playing as the Ninth Doctor.

As time went on, Doctor Who became increasingly popular, gaining fans every day. Since the show started back up in 2005, the Doctor has “regenerated” – or changed form – twice, with David Tennant playing as the Tenth Doctor and Matt Smith as the Eleventh.

This year, on November 23, was the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Steven Moffat, one of the producers for Doctor Who, was set to write the script for the special episode that was to air at the same time that the first episode did, 50 years previously.

“It’s just if you’re going to celebrate Doctor Who, you’re celebrating the Doctor. Why not tell this story?” Moffat asked in an interview.

The episode for the 50th anniversary, The Day of the Doctor, took place different time frames of the Doctor’s life. However, the main event the episode focuses on is when the Doctor commits mass genocide, by killing his own species and the Dalek species.

Throughout the episode, the transitions from scene to scene is very smooth and doesn’t cut off at awkward places. The story line is, at times, confusing, but it is easier to follow than most of Moffat’s episodes.

As always, Doctor Who referenced itself many times, with one of the scientists wearing the Fourth Doctor’s scarf and the actor of the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, playing the Curator. Billie Piper came back, playing as the conscience of The Moment, which is the most powerful weapon in the universe. Full of spunk and almost nothing like Rose Tyler, Piper played the conscience beautifully.

As the plot of this episode thickened and twisted, fans wondered what would Doctor Who be like after this? Moffat confirms that season 8 will be very affected by this episode.

All in all, many are satisfied with the way The Day of the Doctor played out. Lots of hard work was put into the episode and that is clearly shown throughout it.

However, there were minor flaws with the episode. Many were left wondering what ever happened to the zygons (red rubbery aliens) and how could the Doctor be the Curator. Though these flaws are apparent, it didn’t take away from the special too much.

Through all the plot twists and flaws The Day of the Doctor presented, Steven Moffat managed to pull off a fantastic special, that has captivated Who fans everywhere.