LogFAQs > #910141256

So, I just watched to new episode of Doctor Who. I approve of it, overall.

The pacing, to me, is reminiscent of the first two seasons of Torchwood. The tone is also somewhere between those seasons versus First Fourth and Fifth Series of Doctor Who, while still holding on to what Doctor Who is supposed to be about.

We all had worries about how much they'd make the show about the Doctor being a woman now, right? Well, this one episode addressed the gender change in two peripheral fashions, beginning and end, that made just the right amount of sense, and it chose instead to dwell on change in general (Oh, my legs were definitely longer," after she tries a running jump to save the day). The first of two instances amounted to "Oh, I'm a woman now? Does it suit me?" before moving on immediately, and the second was when someone suggested a change of clothes and she joked it had been so long since she ever bought women's clothing; even the outfit selection was quick and painless.

The new companions aren't special. No weird title or prophecy, none of that. The Doctor didn't stand outside her box and say "Hey, I'm a time traveler. Why don't you come with me?" They, plus one, worked together during the first episode because of a common goal or interest. One died, kind of predictably, and the show's length and pacing allowed for the death to have some meaning and impact on the other characters. Note also that I said "kind of" as you don't really know HOW it will happen until half a moment before it does. Comically, the Doctor accidentally pulls the trio along with her by accident as she tries seeking out her TARDIS, and it's amusing even knowing that that much is going to happen ahead of time. Additionally, this first episode put a fair amount of focus on the companions as people, characters, before the Doctor shows up.

The new threat faced this episode got a pass. Think Predator movies meets the Prisoner Zero story of Fifth Series, give the antagonist a somewhat questionable design choice that at least doesn't take away from the story, and then pull an off-screen save from the Doctor that beats this bad guy a smidge too quickly. Another warrior race beaten with a sonic screwdriver, this tool being handcrafted with items lying around in a garage. And yet, Moffat-isms are nowhere to be found here. This is more of a case of "We need to wrap this up and beat the bad guy. Here's the Doctor being clever without even hinting at what she had up her sleeve."

With the severe lack of Moffat, the emergence of valuable storytelling and pacing, and the Doctor actually finding what she's about in an organic manner, I'm giving this episode an 8/10. It's not as strong of a first outing as a few other Doctors, but it works very well and shows promise for where the rest of the series will go.

Now we wait and see if enough of the fanbase gives it a chance that the show can live off the resulting ratings. That part alone will be rough given the previous showrunner.
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