It would be, I think, prudent to attempt to set down my thoughts on the new Doctor Who before I read too many reviews by other people and get my brain all coloured by other peoples opinions. Or at least so that I can discuss it without knowing I'm repeating what everyone else is saying.
So, new series, new doctor, new production staff, new everything. Where do you start? Well, the beginning would be a logical place. The precredit scene with the TARDIS hurling down towards the earth is very nice and all, but when you contrast it to the rest of the episode it actually feels curiously old school. It's like a last gasp of RTD style spectacle and thunder before we crash down into the new series proper. I can't help but want to use the word anachronistic, which I realize full well is stupid, but there you go.
It's of course not until after the crash and the newly regenerated Doctor clambers up out of the depths of the TARDIS that you really start to appreciate the difference. It's a strange thing about Doctor Who, that the various eras can be so completely different and yet so entirely the same show. And it's difficult to compare or contrast these differences without sounding like you're writing one of in favour of the other. Which is silly. Because X isn't better or worse than Y. It's just different.
And that's what we have here, a different take on the whole show. The whole feel has changed subtely, we're clearly moving in a new direction. And it's looking like it's going to be a rather brilliant one.
The obvious question that I need to address of course is the new boy. BOY. Because he's YOUNG. I mean, whats that all about?
I'm being fecetious of course. Matt Smith bursts out of the TARDIS and is immediatly pure DOCTOR. You can see why it was he got the part like he did, despite the purported plans for an older Doctor. As the invariable comparisons to Tom Baker will show, the guy simply IS the Doctor. Obviously this story is very much about the Doctor settling into his new regeneration, but you get a pretty clear picture of what the character is like now. He's the Doctor. A rather tautological description perhaps, but we have such a full on performance of sheer Doctorishness hat it's rather hard not to be.
Moving on, let us next address the very short skirt. I mean companion. Yes, it's a girl in a short skirt, but there's obviously a bit more to it than that. And it's not like it's nearly as distracting as Katy Manning in The Claws Of Axos. THAT was a short skirt to remember. So yeah, desperatly trying to focus on character here. It's going to be difficult to really discuss her without trotting out all those ghastly cliched superlatives that they always do when introducing a new companion. Particularly the word "feisty". Why are they always "feisty"? But yeah, she kind of is. Certainly got some balls to her, and we're clearly going to be getting a rather different dynamic to the companion relationship than previously. Which is all good. I also have to say I actually really liked young Amy. I can't help but think it would have been fun for her to actually get a trip or two, purely because it would be so WRONG. The Doctor sweeps up this little girl and goes of for an adventure, only to then calm down from his post regenerative euphoria and realise he's dragging a 12 year old girl into mortal danger. But then of course we wouldn't get the character as she is now. So never mind.
I'm not going to go into great detail about the plot, because that would be spoilery. Suffice to say that it does the job of introducing a new Doctor, companion and indeed ethos rather well. There's scary touches and lighthearted moments, interesting ideas and a cool monster or two. It's very Moffat. Shockingly enough, what with him writing it. It's a very good start, and shows much promise for the series to come.
And finally I should mention the new TARDIS interior. Because it's really awesome. Like the TARDIS, only more so. A TARDISier TARDIS as it were.
In fact I suppose thats the general vibe here. It's Doctor Who, only slightly moreso.
One could perhaps say it's been turned up to eleven?
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