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'Doctor Who' - 'The Eleventh Hour' Recap (Season Premiere)
by Brad Trechak, posted Apr 17th 2010 11:29PM
(S05E01) You've read the interview, and now we have the review of the new 'Who.'Eleventh Hour. Eleventh Doctor. Ha ha. We get it.
Matt Smith comes out of the gate running. Literally. In his new regeneration, the Doctor doesn't even get time to catch his breath since he's dealing with his new companion Amy Pond as well as yet another alien that wants to destroy the Earth.
This was one of the best introductions to the Doctor ever and a strong start for the newest version of the program. I liked how Steven Moffat didn't use the old trope of post-regenerative trauma (which was used in the last regeneration to David Tennant) and simply presented Matt Smith's Doctor as a bit of a scatterbrain.
The monster was legitimately frightening, an ability that Steven Moffat excels at. He's good at finding imagery that can scare both children and adults (the Vashta Narada still give me nightmares). Amy Pond herself seems like a far more interesting companion that the others we have met traveling with the Doctor. The impending marriage (presumably to Rory Williams, the guy that works at the hospital) adds an interesting twist to the relationship. The Doctor never gets people where they want to go on time.
We also get an idea of the storyline for the season involving those cracks in reality such as the one that brought Prisoner Zero to Earth. I've heard the theory that the TARDIS tends to find trouble spots in time and space because those are the moments that potentially radically change history and they shine like a beacon in the Vortex. The cracks are just another example of this.
Here's how nerdy I am for British television. The actress that Prisoner Zero disguised itself as near the end was Olivia Colman who plays Sophie in the series 'Peep Show.' It's another good series to watch if you can track it down. She's a pretty recognizable face in British television circles. Maybe she's the Big Bad of this season.
The entire meeting between the Doctor and Amy was very original. I'm sure there will be more to Amy as the season progresses. Knowing Moffat, she's the source of the crack in time and space. After all, we never meet anybody who was supposed to be taking care of her, such as her parents or her aunt). Perhaps she's not who she says she is.
For those who watch the show on British time, please keep in mind that BBC America is two weeks behind. No forthcoming spoilers in the comments, please.
I like the new outfit (reminiscent of Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor). I like the new TARDIS design (it's about time it had stairs going to other sections). I even like the new sonic screwdriver (which looks like it has a grappling hook at the end). The only negative I have about this new incarnation is the theme music, which seems too synthetic for my tastes.
In the end, 'Doctor Who' boils down to the writing and Matt Smith is lucky enough to have the best modern writer of the series running the show.
Welcome to the Whoniverse, Matt Smith. I'm looking forward to the ride.
What are your thoughts on the premiere?
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