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'Doctor Who' Season 12 Episode 8: Doctor's 'Save the Poet' speech has fans calling it her best moment so far

When Ryan tells her that a billion lives matter more than Percy Shelley's, the Doctor launches into a speech that many loved

Spoiler alert for Season 12 Episode 8

This week's episode of 'Doctor Who' saw the Doctor and her companions traveling to Lake Geneva in 1816 to spend a night with Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Claire Claremont and John Polidori. This is the same night that inspired Mary to come up with what many considered to be the first science-fiction novel — 'Frankenstein'.

The episode also sparked a chicken-and-egg situation with Frankenstein and the Cyberman. The Cyberman came looking for the Cyberium which was inside Percy Shelley. However, Jack Harkness had sent a warning to the Doctor in a previous episode telling her not to give the lone Cyberman what it wants.

So, Yaz, Ryan and Graham repeat the warning to the Doctor as she considers taking the Cyberium out and giving it to the Cyberman. Ryan warns her that if she does give it, billions of lives will be lost, but if she decides otherwise, then only one life is in danger.

To this, the Doctor starts a speech that many viewers are now calling defining. She tells her companions that Percy's life matters, saying, "His thoughts, his words influenced thousands for centuries. If he dies now, who knows what damage that will have on future history? Words matter. One death, one ripple, and history will change in a blink."

She goes on to tell them how she is in fact at the top of their foursome, telling them, "It's not just his life at stake, it's yours. You want to sacrifice yourself for this? You want me to sacrifice you?"

She then says, "Sometimes this team structure isn't flat. It's mountainous, with me at the summit in the stratosphere, alone — left to choose." She tells them, "Save the poet, save the universe," and admits that even she can't win sometimes.

Fans lauded the 13th Doctor's speech and the scene. One fan tweeted, "That is such an impossible choice. I am loving seeing Thirteen pressed into an impossible corner," while another wrote, "That speech will go down as Jodie Whittaker's Doctor's speech."

Some fans felt that the speech was quite reminiscent of the 10th Doctor, saying, "Oh s**t, there's a bit of that Lonely God." Another said, "When she's mad, reminds me of (David) Tennant." 

However, not everyone appreciated the talk. One viewer wrote, "Jesus, the Doctor got a little unnecessarily vicious there. No reason to be an asshole to your friends when they’re trying to make you follow Captain Jack’s warning."

'Doctor Who' airs on BBC America on Sunday nights at 8/7c.