Dinosaurs on a spaceship. A mysterious alien prison. Queen Nefertiti. And Daleks. Put them together and what do you get? Doctor Who of course! The show bounded back onto television screens with its normal flair and effervescence, and exploded with a bang, literally as the secret ‘asylum of the Daleks’ is blown up.
The first two episodes produced an interesting start to the new series, and continued to show the excellence of Matt’s Smith’s interpretation of the Doctor – his quirky characteristics are very endearing, and his dialogue is just as witty as ever. The return of Amy and Rory, companions to the Doctor for the last two series bought a smile to my face as I feel that they have been the strongest and most engaging companions in the recent reboot of Doctor Who. The first episode also showed the first glimpse of the newest companion in action, a surprise which was probably one of the best kept secrets of the seventh series, and has me questioning how the writers are going to move the character on from here. The first episode showed the return of the Doctor’s biggest foes – the Daleks – and put a twist on the adversarial relationship which I did not see coming at all. The second episode did not necessarily further any longer plot, but was enjoyable, particularly with the introduction of Rory’s father Mark, and the cranky robots voiced by David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
I’m excited to see how the show develops over this series, but I do have some reservations. Last series had some impressive highs, but also some very disappointing lows, after Russell T Davies stepped down from running and writing for the show. I can’t help but feel that Steven Moffatt doesn’t make completely cohesive larger storylines that span the whole series – there are plot holes that distract from the very engaging characters and interesting premises. So while I will eagerly sit down each Saturday to see what the Doctor and his companions fight next, in the back of my mind there will be doubts – Will the exit of the Ponds be handled well? Will the new companion’s interactions with the Doctor match up to the banter between him and Amy Pond?
The show has got off to a good start, and I hopeful it will continue along this vein, and am also very intrigued as to how Oswin will be bought back into the series as a companion.
