SPOILERS– DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T YET WATCHED “DEEP BREATH”!!!
Last Saturday premiered to us the 12th Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi. One could argue he’s the 13th, after meeting the War Doctor in the 50th Anniversary special, but we’re not here to quibble over that. That just confuses me anyway.
I’m not going to recap the entire episode, because that’s not really what I feel like doing, nor do I remember all the minute details. I just wanted to touch on how GLAD I am to have DW back again and how eager I am to see where it goes.
Before the show even started, I was a bundle of nerves. I go through this every time a Doctor regenerates. You get so attached to one Doctor and then they’re just gone and replaced with this stranger. I don’t know about you, but each time I say, “but number (whatever) was my favorite!”. Then you watch a bit and you fall in love all over again. I thought I could never like David Tennant after Christopher Eccleston, but I did. I thought I could never like Matt Smith after David, but I did. I hope the same follows for Peter Capaldi.
Right away, we’re tossed into the newness of the show. They revamped the look of the intro as well as the song. Not a drastic change, but noticeable enough. And speaking of revamps, the TARDIS was also re-done a bit. I enjoyed the familiar faces of Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax at the beginning to kind of shepherd us in. The dinosaur in the Thames was new, but our setting of Victorian London was not.
The Doctor and Clara joined us after being spit out by the dinosaur and it was a hot mess for a few minutes. He seemed to have trouble processing people and memories and he talked so fast it was a bit confusing to follow, but funny nonetheless. When he meets up with the homeless man in the alley later, it’s the funniest part of the show as he “discovers” himself. The eyebrows! He’s Scottish!
Clara, on the other hand, was a bit taken aback by this “new” Doctor. Now, Clara has never been one of my top favorite companions, but I have to say that she held her own in this episode. As a lot of people have mentioned online, and I agree, the companion is sort of the voice of the audience. We were all wondering, right along with her, what this new “madman with a box” would be like. Clara certainly stood up for herself a lot and I respected that about her in this episode. It was also heart-wrenching watching her talk to “her” Doctor, Matt Smith, in his cameo at the end of the episode.
The thing I liked about this episode was the return of the Clockwork Robots from The Girl In The Fireplace. This time, they were luring humans into a restaurant to steal their parts/skin. And who the hell left the message in the newspaper for Clara and the Doctor?? That scene in the restaurant was completely creepy when they realize all the “people” in there are actually the robots. So scary! Can you say skin balloon? Ewww. And let’s not even get into whether or not the Doctor pushed the robot out of the skin balloon or if he jumped.
This takes us into the end of the episode, the creepiest part of all: meeting Missy. I don’t know what to make of this woman who claims the Doctor is her boyfriend. Is she “the woman in the shop” from Bells of Saint John? Tara and I thought maybe she was the TARDIS, but the woman that played the TARDIS before was different…but you never know. Is she a villain? Is she good? I guess we’ll eventually find out but that was huge cliffhanger thing for me. I can’t wait to see what goes on with her and the Nethersphere.
Evil Mary Poppins?
I was really happy with the direction this episode took us and I hope it continues on the right path. I’m excited to get to know #12 better and see what happens with Clara. I don’t know if she’s really leaving the show after the Christmas special or not, but if she continues on this new braver, stronger front then it could be a big loss so soon into the new Doctor’s tenure.
Don't blink. Just run. 
Did you notice that the “garden” area in the end also looks EXACTLY like where Old/Young Amy Pond was in the episode “The Girl Who Waited”.
All in all I’m pleased with this ep. but if I had one negative to say about it, it was that I felt that were kinda beating a dead horse with the whole theme of “get over it, it’s a new doctor”. Dunno that just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Just rip the ole bandaid off and let us get into the Doctor awesome action and not spend 2/3 of the episode explaining that this is a new doctor and we need to get over it. Grr. Ok vent over.
I will say this. I think Capaldi will do a great job.
Yes I did, and I thought I remembered reading somewhere it WAS the same “garden”!
They did kind of harp on the new Doctor bit for an extraordinary amount of time, I agree. I felt like, of the 3 (4) regenerations I’ve witnessed, they stuck on that the longest with him.
You lost me on this post – have never watched a single episode! Hope you are having a great week though! 😀
Well, I felt it only right I come back to the fandom that partially gave my blog it’s name from time to time! LOL
You don’t know what you’re missing!
I can read this because I have never seen the show either. Spoilers had no affect on me! Ha!
Tsk tsk…you’re missing out!
I am reserving judgment right now. But then I usually think the regeneration episodes are a little wonky. It did seem a little preachy like that other comment said. It was still a good episode and I am looking forward to the next ones. All I can say about creepy Missy is that she better not be River!
OMG I’ll be pissed if Missy is River. There were hints that River would reappear in Series 8, but I don’t want it to be involving her. She seems like an uber creep right now.