The last series of Doctor Who was undoubtedly a massive disappointment. Rather than embrace the humour that assimilated so well into both David Tennant's or Matt Smith's turns as the Time Lord, writer Steven Moffat clearly wanted to take a more "edgy" approach to the story. Unfortunately, that only meant that the Doctor only occasionally came across as unlikable while the roster of villains was abysmal apart from the addition of Missy. With only a few gems and no classics, fans were let down by Peter Capaldi's first run in the TARDIS. It makes me very happy then to report that series 9 is already a massive improvement on the average episode. Featuring a stellar cast and plot, with a few surprises along the way, "The Magician's Apprentice" is a great start to this new season. But be warned before I start:
Still here? Then let's begin. Steven Moffat clearly wanted to start the episode and series in a big way, quickly revealing the child Davros, the creator of the Daleks, who has been one of the best kept secrets of the premiere and the series as a whole. From there, the episode kicked into high gear, revealing that the Master/Missy had (somewhat unsurprisingly) survived after last season's finale, although the question of how still puzzles me. This is only the first of many twists that are introduced throughout the episode, with the writers revealing that not only had Skaro and Davros survived (again, I don't know how after he was left to die in a space station in David Tennant episode "Journey's End"), but then proceeded to kill Missy, Clara, and destroy the TARDIS. Let's face the facts though: we all know that they are not dead. Sure, it'll be interesting to see how this epic cliffhanger will be resolved come next week but some of the weight was taken off for me since I have both seen the trailer for the rest of the series and have noticed over the years that Dalek guns do not disintegrate people.
Not only has the plot already significantly improved over last year, but so have the performances and villains. Peter Capaldi seems to have settled into his role as the Doctor, finally having more fun with the role and enjoying the light-hearted moments that previous iterations have done so well. Jenna Coleman also does a great job as Clara, who thankfully has not wasted the brilliant character development she was given in the last series. Credit should also be given to Michelle Gomez's psychotic performance as Missy. All you need to do to understand her nature and how far she is willing to go to get what she wants is watch the sequence where she heartlessly murdered two innocent soldiers. However, I knew these characters would be appearing but, as soon as Davros was revealed, I began to hope that Julian Bleach would reprise the role from the character's last appearance. Thankfully, he did and the episode benefited massively from it. Bleach's distinctive voice fits the character of the evil genius so well and he is believable as the Time Lord's archenemy (much to Missy's dismay).
As a sci-fi show, visual effects are one of the most crucial sections that must be perfect. For the most part, the effects team have done quite well. While some animations are questionable, such as Missy's face coming out of the screen as if the audience are watching a 3D movie (which is never good), others are relatively well done. Stand outs for myself included the addition of the hand mines to the Doctor Who universe and the extermination effects of the Daleks (it was nice to see Daleks from throughout the history of the show on Skaro, by the way). I have to also mention the work of the make-up team, and in particular the work done on Davros and Colony Sarff (pictured below). The look of Davros is remarkable throughout the episode. The set design also deserves recognition, as always, for really immersing the audience in these historic or cosmic environments.
I wasn't in any way excited for this series of what had once been my favourite programme on TV after last year. However, this premiere has changed that. Despite the odd strange effect, this episode of Doctor Who proved to me that Steven Moffat can still write tense and exciting stories and his actors can still do great work. The fantastic ending has made me intrigued to see the follow-up "The Witch's Familiar" and how Capaldi's Doctor is going to escape his toughest situation yet.
Pros
- Great performances
- Killer cliffhanger
- More humour
Cons
- Some dodgy effects
Rating: 8/10
Original Air Date: 20th September, 2015
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez, Julian Bleach, Jemma Redgrave, Clare Higgins, Daniel Hoffmann-Gill
No comments:
Post a Comment