Well that's it - Doctor Who is back and back with a bang! Peter Capaldi's 80 minute long debut episode Deep Breath hit our screens tonight, and although this new Doctor and new age Doctor Who has only just begun, from what I have seen I am mostly encouraged.
The masses of hype building up to this new Who series heavily mentioned the fact that straight away we will see a radical change in direction from recent years, and that is abundantly clear. It is by no means slow and meandering as opposed to the fast-paced stylized action of days gone by (which the likes of Matt Smith excelled at). Instead we get a more focused, energized and retrospective feel to Doctor Who. Just in the series opener we got a shed load of emotive, tangible and intruiging concepts and ideas flowing through the usual amounts of Who adventure. On that subject though, I am sad in saying that I have to level this at Steven Moffat in terms of the plot (apologies in advance) - what the f**k are you playing at? We had a brand new Doctor, which meant a brand new feel to the show along with the potential for brand new exciting directions and still Steven Moffat came horribly close to turning the opening episode into a farcical idiotic pile of broken dirge on the floor. In a lot of ways the plot really was a batty mess. Without wishing to give too much away, a lot of random elements, which can be good on Who, were sadly sporadically thrown together resulting in a cacophony of rogue elements with no subtlety at all. It was just about follow-able; if you are a relative Who fan and are used to what infuriating gobbledygook Steven Moffat can sometimes come out with.
Happily however, this is where Peter Capaldi and his 12th Doctor came in, for he was able to masterfully harness any positive elements of the episode and galvanize them together to salvage a promising debut for the series and for the new Doctor. Again I was a tad worried that (like his predecessor) Capaldi and his considerable talent might get lost in the Moffat maze, but joyfully he was brilliant to watch from start to finish. His Doctor, whilst being relatively restrained and focused, nevertheless bombarded viewers with some superb moments, from his opening tirades, to some fleeting but resonating Doctor Who homages and references, to wonderfully timed comedic elements to incredibly raw and powerful drama. Again one could say it was due to the unclear direction of the episode plot, but I think Capaldi's distinct lack of direction at times was due to his own design. In doing so he did not leap out of the TARDIS fully formed and straight into action, but slowly and surely permeated into the episode and allowed the audience to find and appreciate him for what he is, and hopefully for what he will go on to bring to Who.
He was supported by some sterling familiar faces (as well as a dimwitted and partially recycled villain - again blame Moffat) including the ever wonderful Sontaran Strax, some very cheeky and sizzling Jenny and Vastra moments, and of course the ever-evolving and now equally promising Jenna Coleman as returning companion Clara. She too promises to have a lot more to do with this new Doctor, and the ensuing chemistry should hopefully be something to watch out for. It sounds by the way, like I'm having a big go at Steven Moffat, but I still praise him highly as a writer and at times even as a show head. He has got us this far, but when he starts tangling and interweaving, then bombarding us with plot after fragmented plot, I do start to despair a tad.
Regardless, I think Peter Capaldi has a lot to be pleased about with regards to his first outing as the Doctor, as do we the fans. The Doctor and the show itself have certainly re-emerged very differently and, whilst it may take a wee bit of getting used to, as long as we get more of the same (and as long as Moffat doesn't get too swarmy and too big for his boots) I think that series 8 and beyond will be magnificent for Whovians to behold. These are changing times folks, but for now I say embrace it and enjoy the ride, now led by the 12th Doctor - the great Peter Capaldi.
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