Deep Breath-Opening Episode
The events of Saturday the 23rd of August, did not bode well for the start of the much awaited 8 series from Doctor Who. It begun with torrential rain, The Who store closing early, mater's shoes practically dissolving on a busy highstreet, before she was then asked by a total stranger, if she knew of any places that he might frequent, so that he could purchase a woman of the night, like she was some kind of East End pimp. True story. I'm just amazed that he escaped with certain parts of his anatomy intact.
Things begun to look up when on entering the cinema, we were met by two Cybermen along with the first and second Doctors, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton. Not the real ones of course. What was the giveaway? Well I don't think that Troughton was a cockney in real life an oh yes, they're both dead.
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| The New Doctor and Clara |
Finally, at 7:35 pm, the lights dimmed, the curtains drew back and we were treated to a 15 minute film of Commander Strax of the Sontaran Empire, Hilariously vlogging about the Doctor and his previous incarnations.By the time the programme started, not only did we find ourselves with a new Time Lord, but there was also a new opening title and a reworking of the theme tune.
Synopsis: Deep Breath- Series 8. Episode One
The opening sequence begins with a Tyrannosaurus Rex, stomping through the waters of the Thames... In Victorian London. But there appears to be something stuck in the dinosaur's throat. What could it be? Why the TARDIS of course. Ms Rex (yes, it's a female) finally spews out the TARDIS, along with a confused Doctor, who is still fighting the effects of his recent regeneration and an equally confused Clara.
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| Ms T. Rex |
Elsewhere, there is 'Half Face Man,' a Cyborg who has been harvesting the organs of humans, via a Zombie filled restaurant, in order so that he can become human and reach the 'Promise Land.'
The title 'Deep Breath', is taken from the fact that in order to evade the Cyborgs, Clara and eventually the rest of the Paternoster Gang, have to hold their breaths to avoid being detected.
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| Half-Face Man |
Review
Okay, I may have be a little hasty in my opinion of Peter Capaldi being the new Doctor. I wasn't entirely convinced by him for the first twenty minutes, but his manic performance and equally manic sense of humour, soon grew on me. I also felt that Clara played by Jenna Coleman, was given more of a character in this series then she had been previously. Gone was the happy happy girl and in it's place a more thoughtful Clara. The villain, as all good villains should be, was creepy and a little on the scary side. And his story line, using human parts to fix his ship, was strangely reminiscent of the 2006 episode 'The Girl In The Fireplace,' in which clockwork androids kill members of a crew and use their organs to repair their own ship, the SS Madame de Pompadour.
Although not as dark as someone of the Matt Smith episodes, there were some genuinely dark moments. But these were overridden by the humour that ran throughout. There were many nods back to previous Doctors, like Capaldi deciding on what clothes to wear and disregarding a long scarf, "It looked stupid." And mention of the Sottish Referendum, via his eyebrows becoming a separate state. The best part however, was the return of The Paternoster Gang made up of Strax, Madame Vastra, a reptilian female from the race of the Silurians and her companion and wife, Jenny. Though I have to say, that I wasn't prepared for the shot of Vastra 'sharing her air' with Jenny, which looked suspiciously like they were eating each others faces.
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| Jenny, Madam Vastra and Strax |
Finally, Matt Smith makes a small appearance from the future, where he implores Clara, to give the new and much older him, a chance after she decides that she can no longer be his companion as she feels that she doesn't know who he is since his renewal. It was a great way to say goodbye too Smith, (mater almost cried like a 3 year old) before handing the reigns over to Calpaldi.
Overall, it wasn't the best opening to a Doctor Who series and it felt a bit sluggish at times, but it was still a good way to spend 90 minutes. Looking forward to what else Mr Moffat has up his sleeve.
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