\u201cThe Zygon Inversion\u201d\u00a0is an instant classic, one of those episodes that immediately adds itself to my list of all-time favorites\u00a0-and possibly my absolute favorite episode, just because of the speech the Doctor gives at the end, which you can watch in the video below. Spoilers ahead.<\/p>\n
This episode concludes the two-parter which brilliantly introduced a situation reminiscent of modern political tensions and the terrorism that they can give birth to, with their seemingly insoluble problems.\u00a0Can people actually step away from the brink of mutual annihilation? It takes a decision to forgive, to do what (as the Doctor says) will be necessary after all the bloodshed even as it was even beforehand \u2013 sitting down and talking to one another.<\/p>\n
I won\u2019t even try to convey\u00a0the moving speech the Doctor gives \u2013 you can watch it in the video below. But I will note that the emphasis on breaking the cycle of violence is one that has come to the fore in religiously-inspired ethics before coming to be embraced\u00a0more widely. And this episode featured not only what is arguably one of the Doctor\u2019s best speeches of all time, but also what is arguably one of his best quips for those of us interested in the intersection of religion and Doctor Who. He says at one point in the episode, \u201cI\u2019m over 2,000 years old. I\u2019m old enough to be your Messiah.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Doctor\u2019s words encapsulate a truth that many observers of revolutions promising a better life have seen. \u201cYou\u2019re not superior to people who are cruel to you. You\u2019re just new cruel people.\u201d But it is\u00a0the Doctor\u2019s repeated question to Osgood and her final response to it that really gets at the heart of the conflict between one\u2019s own group and the \u201cother,\u201d and how to get beyond it. Osgood says she will answer his question about whether she is the human Osgood or the Zygon one day, when her answer doesn\u2019t make a difference.<\/p>\n
When the questions \u201cAre you Israeli or Palestinian, are you Serbian Orthodox or Muslim, are you black of white, are you\u00a0a citizen or an immigrant?\u201d no longer have the significance they once had or currently have, then and only then can one answer such questions\u00a0freely and honestly. \u00a0And then and only then can we say that we have reached maturity, the ability to live with others and appreciate difference without feeling in any way threatened by it.<\/p>\n
Did you love \u201cThe Zygon Inversion\u201d as much as I did, and find the final speech by the Doctor as moving as I did?<\/p>\n