By Steven Moffatt. Original airdate on BBC1: April 3, 2010.
This post contains massive spoilers for the new episode of Doctor Who. Reader discretion is advised.
I have to admit, it started out poorly for me. Or at least highly variable. The bit over the skies of London was pure RTD spectacle, though it dawned on me that that was pretty much the point. Especially once we went to the quiet country village. It picked right up with Amelia praying to Santa about the crack in her wall. Just the right amount of cute, foreboding, and sense of wonder. And then the new Doctor lands, and we get regenerative crisis. Oh dear. The entire scene with trying the various foods grated on me, and if I was Amelia I’d have smacked him right about the bacon.
Oh, and like every other reviewer I’ve read, I too would like to note the new titles and theme remix were horrible.
However, right about the time the Doctor settles down with the fish fingers, the show takes off and never really lands again. “Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall.” Yes, thank you. The rest of the scene is filled with dread and anticipation, as we know there’s gonna be something creepy there. We chuckle with the Doctor at his “Everything’s gonna be fine.” We’re… not really all that scared by the big ol’ eye. (Scares were rather lacking this episode, but I won’t cry. I don’t like shocks.) And then that hideous feeling in the pit of the stomach when he says he’ll be back in five minutes, because we know the new companion is 22-year-old Karen Gillan, and the pieces click together.
This Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, is indeed “still cooking”, as he notes, but is a lot of fun. It’s a very physical performance, and he seems a little bit unhinged. There are moments when he reminded me of David Tennant, but not many. I liked his trying out various personality bits and then rejecting them. “I’m worse than anybody’s aunt.” and “Who da man!” are blissfully left by the wayside, and he finally seems to come together in the lovely final sequence with his past selves flickering past on the screen. Still getting used to his very square face – he’s more striking than handsome. I do like the professorial look, as well as his lack of body shame.
Then there’s Amy Pond, who I found fascinating. Part of this is Moffatt going back to a plot we saw in Girl in the Fireplace, with the Doctor’s time travel becoming a liability. The Doctor clearly has done a number on poor Amelia’s life. She makes light of it in her anger, but “four psychiatrists” implies a very unhappy childhood into teen years. And then, to top it off, he does it again at the end! Amy, if she’s realistic at all, should have hideous trust issues which I hope are explored more in future episodes. Amy is the “everyday” companion, but seems a little broken, and I love that. Check out the final shot, if nothing else, with the pictures of her and the Doctor scattered around her room, clearly more important than the wedding dress we also see.
There are other characters, but they’re mostly irrelevant to this episode, which is about the Doctor meeting Amy. I really didn’t care much about the escaped prisoner schtick, as it was basically just a plot for the Doctor to hang his hat on. It served that purpose well. Rory struck me as rather pathetic, but then I recalled feeling that way about Mickey 5 years ago, and realized he’s likely to be back so he can better himself. (Poor guy, his childhood friend dressed him up as her obsession. He even became a nurse…)
3rd favorite line: “You’re Scottish — fry something!”
2nd favorite lines: “Why did you say six months?” “Why did you say five minutes?!?!”
Favorite line: “Amy Pond, there’s something you better understand about me, ’cause it’s important and one day your life may depend on it. I am *definitely* a madman with a box!”
I had been suffering Who fatigue all last year, mostly due to the absolute thrashing RTD gave to Donna, who I adore. (The End of Time did not help – do not buy me off with lottery tickets.) But now it’s like when I saw Rose. Or back when I entered college, on seeing Remembrance of the Daleks. Or when I was 6 years old, seeing The Stones of Blood. Everyone has their favorite Doctor (mine is Sylv), but best of all, every Doctor gets a chance to take you by the scruff of the neck and make his case about why he should be your new favorite. Matt Smith made a great start. I’ll be looking forward to more. Can’t wait till next week.
To be fair, RTD had the basic concept of timeslip in NewWho from the beginning, although it was with the people left behind instead of the companion – look at the long skip Rose and 9 had to deal with coming back at the start of Aliens of London. But yes, Girl in the Fireplace is the obvious antecedent. And I honestly look forward to exploring this angle at somewhat greater length than GitF; it helps that both Renette and Amelia were delightful young girls, about the age of my niece. :)