Summary:
It is Victorian Era London, and there is a strange sight: A confused Tyrannosaurus Rex walking around the city. To compound matters, the T-Rex coughs up a 1960's era london Police telephone box. When some denizens, consisting of two aliens and a young lady, investigate the box, who should it be but the frequent savior of the universe, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), but with a new, much older face?
-------------------------------------
So I think it's time (Pun intended) for a different kind of review. This is going to be a review of a specific episode of an ongoing TV show, one that has just started recently. If the crazy-sounding summary is any indication, expect tons of weirdness for this one, especially if you are not a fan of this show. This, readers, is my review of "Deep Breath": the first episode of the New 8th season/Overall 34th season of the long-running series Doctor Who.
The original 1963 logo
For those who are not aware, Doctor Who is a British science fiction/drama series that premiered in November 1963. The basic premise of the show is that it stars a time-travelling human-looking alien simply called "The Doctor" and using his time machine called "The TARDIS", he and his companions travel throughout time, space and the universe to go on adventures. While there are sometimes ongoing storylines and recurring enemies, it usually boils down to The Doctor and his friends touching down at a certain place, solving a mystery or resolving the conflict and saving the day.
The original 1963 intro theme
Because of its varied stories, Doctor Who is regarded as one of the greatest Science Fiction stories ever made. Its popularity in the UK during the 60's, 70's and 80's ensured that generations from then on would remember this show fondly. It later got brought over to the United States and other countries, and gained wider acclaim. After the show was cancelled in 1989 due to low ratings, the franchise as a TV series stayed dormant for many years. But its revival in 2005 gave the show renewed life and made it even more popular. With that, Doctor Who has effectively lasted for 50 years, and is definitely not going anywhere soon.
The current 2014 logo
To my annoyance, Doctor Who is not all that big here in the Philippines. From what I looked up, some of the old Filipino TV stations during the 1970's aired it, as well as Studio 23 during the 2000's, but it hasn't gained that big an appeal compared to other shows. While I can see why, as this show can get rather complicated at times, it's just a shame that the stations here don't want to even try. The show may be sci-fi oriented, but it also works great as a drama. I'm happy to at least see some progress, as the Fully Booked book chain started stocking Doctor Who books, some hobby shops started stocking Doctor Who merchandise, and there is a small but steady fanbase in Manila and Davao. From my own experience with the franchise I just recently became a fan, so to say I was hyped for this new season is an understatement. A fan of Doctor Who, known as a Whovian, would usually have their "First Doctor" and first series, and for me my first Doctor and first series is the 12th Doctor and New Series 8/Season 34. With this review I hope to introduce Doctor Who to many other newcomers and fans, and I really think this show deserves another shot and chance here in the Philippines. It's the least that could be done considering the Philippines has had a few mentions in Doctor Who in previous seasons.
The current 2014 intro theme
All in all this 1 hour 20 minute premiere episode was worth the wait and is a great start to the new season. It sets up the new Doctor perfectly, has an interesting and kind of creepy conflict to resolve, and paves way for things to come in the show. The episode drags a bit, but for me it was easy to follow. But as I am a fan, it's easy to follow. For newcomers...that depends. A newcomer to Doctor Who really must be the kind who is willing to get invested into the characters and the story. You can't just jump into any episode and expect to be caught up. Like any good TV show, you need to watch from the very beginning of a new series.
As always, what follows next is spoilers. So if you want to wait, or if you don't want to get bombarded with all the nerdy complications in the franchise, stay away.
The first thing to talk about is the aspect of regeneration. For those brave souls who've decided to read on and be exposed to the nerdiness, here's the low down:
Regeneration is an integral element to the show introduced when the original actor of The Doctor, William Hartnell, left the show. Rather than letting the show end then and there, the producers introduced this concept where, when the Doctor dies, his body reshapes, changes, and rejuvenates itself, complete with a new body structure, new face, and new personality. This is done to give a new actor who plays The Doctor new stories, and ensures the show continues even after another actor who plays The Doctor leaves. While he is technically the same character The Doctor, each personality is different and allows for a fresh take on the character. For example, the original Doctor is strict, taciturn and crotchety. The 2nd Doctor by contrast is eccentric and friendly, but has some darker depths to him. Then the 3rd Doctor is a suave, sophisticated scientist, the 4th Doctor a wandering bohemian loner, etc. And once again we have a new Doctor, the 12th, played by Peter Capaldi.
Because of the shorter length of a TV episode, it's easier to divide the time in-between the five parts of Dramatic Structure: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement.
Typically, the first episode of a new Doctor starts with him trying to get used to his new form and going through post-regeneration stress, his memory scrambled, his personality and flux, and The Doctor in a state of delirium. As it should be, The Doctor is the strongest element in the episode across all five parts. His struggles as he comes to terms with who he is while solving the conflict of the episode come across as really natural. The Doctor really is the emotional core of this story, because he is newly regenerated and we the audience don't know what to make of it. The previous 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, came across as a giddy man-child that could be dark if necessary, but he was still young, fun and vibrant. The current 12th Doctor is much older but we don't know exactly who he is trying to be. Only by the end do we realize that the 12th Doctor is one who is not afraid to pull any punches, is willing to do whatever it takes, and will show no mercy. Yet you can sense that he is afraid of his own strength. While this type of behavior is not anything new when compared to the Classic series of 1963-1989, it certainly is different for the Revived series of 2005-present. And after consecutive young Doctors, I welcome this change of pace. Good stuff.
I mentioned previously that the audience doesn't know to make of this new situation. It is here where the Doctor's current companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), comes in. The companions are one of the most important parts of Doctor Who, as they serve as friends, support and possibly moral compasses to The Doctor, as well as act as the audience surrogate, ie, representing us the viewers. Clara again is strong throughout the episode. While she does help in resolving the conflict, her issue is coming to terms that the Doctor she is with is no longer the young man whom she had a possible infatuation with. She gets consoling and advice from the side characters, as well as a surprising cameo that I will get into detail later. Longtime viewers of the show may point how Clara acts really out of character because she met the previous Doctor's incarnations at various points and should know how to come to terms with it. I disagree there because while she may have seen the regenerations happen, it's completely different to experience it herself, especially after the Doctor she knew became such a radically different man. The companions are usually the characters that carry over from one Doctor to the next and they too went through what Clara experienced. Clara in this episode was great and I felt this to be a great continuation of her own struggles that started during the previous series with the 11th Doctor. Excellent job.
Here is where we get to what I think is the only problem with this episode and what knocks it down a few notches: The side characters. This episode includes three characters that were established in previous series: Madame Vastra, a female of the alien species The Silurians, Vastra's human "wife" Jenny, and their butler, a alien Sontarn by the name of Strax. They are allies of the Doctor and helped his previous incarnation when he traveled to Victorian London. Don't get me wrong they were good characters that had their own evolution, and a lot of the humor of this episode came from Strax, but they really made the Exposition and Rising Action portions drag when we were seeing their antics and having them console Clara. They would later do good in the climax when they help The Doctor and Clara (Even getting the first time where Vastra and Jenny, a lesbian couple, kiss!), but they just made the beginning drag. It's not a particularly bad drag, but it's something noticeable and is usually the point of criticism among those who watched the episode as well. I attribute this problem to the longer running time of this episode as it is a premiere. Typically, an average episode of Doctor Who runs for 45 minutes.
The 12 Doctors. From L-R:
William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker
Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann
Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi
Because of the shorter length of a TV episode, it's easier to divide the time in-between the five parts of Dramatic Structure: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement.
Typically, the first episode of a new Doctor starts with him trying to get used to his new form and going through post-regeneration stress, his memory scrambled, his personality and flux, and The Doctor in a state of delirium. As it should be, The Doctor is the strongest element in the episode across all five parts. His struggles as he comes to terms with who he is while solving the conflict of the episode come across as really natural. The Doctor really is the emotional core of this story, because he is newly regenerated and we the audience don't know what to make of it. The previous 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, came across as a giddy man-child that could be dark if necessary, but he was still young, fun and vibrant. The current 12th Doctor is much older but we don't know exactly who he is trying to be. Only by the end do we realize that the 12th Doctor is one who is not afraid to pull any punches, is willing to do whatever it takes, and will show no mercy. Yet you can sense that he is afraid of his own strength. While this type of behavior is not anything new when compared to the Classic series of 1963-1989, it certainly is different for the Revived series of 2005-present. And after consecutive young Doctors, I welcome this change of pace. Good stuff.
Fact: This is the first time since 1966 that the Doctor is (regularly) portrayed by an older fellow. Peter Capaldi is the same age as William Hartnell when he started out.
I mentioned previously that the audience doesn't know to make of this new situation. It is here where the Doctor's current companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), comes in. The companions are one of the most important parts of Doctor Who, as they serve as friends, support and possibly moral compasses to The Doctor, as well as act as the audience surrogate, ie, representing us the viewers. Clara again is strong throughout the episode. While she does help in resolving the conflict, her issue is coming to terms that the Doctor she is with is no longer the young man whom she had a possible infatuation with. She gets consoling and advice from the side characters, as well as a surprising cameo that I will get into detail later. Longtime viewers of the show may point how Clara acts really out of character because she met the previous Doctor's incarnations at various points and should know how to come to terms with it. I disagree there because while she may have seen the regenerations happen, it's completely different to experience it herself, especially after the Doctor she knew became such a radically different man. The companions are usually the characters that carry over from one Doctor to the next and they too went through what Clara experienced. Clara in this episode was great and I felt this to be a great continuation of her own struggles that started during the previous series with the 11th Doctor. Excellent job.
The first 11 Doctors and their many companions
Here is where we get to what I think is the only problem with this episode and what knocks it down a few notches: The side characters. This episode includes three characters that were established in previous series: Madame Vastra, a female of the alien species The Silurians, Vastra's human "wife" Jenny, and their butler, a alien Sontarn by the name of Strax. They are allies of the Doctor and helped his previous incarnation when he traveled to Victorian London. Don't get me wrong they were good characters that had their own evolution, and a lot of the humor of this episode came from Strax, but they really made the Exposition and Rising Action portions drag when we were seeing their antics and having them console Clara. They would later do good in the climax when they help The Doctor and Clara (Even getting the first time where Vastra and Jenny, a lesbian couple, kiss!), but they just made the beginning drag. It's not a particularly bad drag, but it's something noticeable and is usually the point of criticism among those who watched the episode as well. I attribute this problem to the longer running time of this episode as it is a premiere. Typically, an average episode of Doctor Who runs for 45 minutes.
From L-R: Madame Vastra, Strax, Jenny
The villains of this episode are pretty neat, and are definitely creepy. Other iconic elements of Doctor Who are the various villains he has fought across the franchise. Where Star Trek has the Klingons and Star Wars has the Stormtroopers, Doctor Who has the likes of the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and plenty of other weird creatures. In this episode we don't get any of them, but a lesser one, Clockwork Robots that first appeared in New Series 2 of the Revived show. They are robots that steal the flesh and body parts of humans to become whole again. Their leader, a robot with half a face, aims to get enough of these parts to find his paradise and create a ship that stays afloat by a balloon of human skin. *shudder*
Some of the iconic enemies in Doctor Who
The ending of this episode really makes you happy, sad, and puzzled. The Doctor and Clara eventually reunite in the TARDIS, once again redesigned to reflect the new Doctor. Clara and the The Doctor have a heartfelt talk where once again Clara doesn't know if she should trust him or not. Just then Clara receives a phone call from...The Doctor. Or, to be precise, the 11th Doctor. The 11th Doctor, right before his regeneration as seen in Time of the Doctor, calls Clara into the future to assure her that the 12th Doctor is just as afraid as she is and he needs a guiding hand to help him. I admit I teared up at this scene because it really felt like a passing of the torch. I also feel that this scene was put in to put those whining fangirls who are distraught at their "hot, younger sexy Doctor" becoming an older guy. One of the best parts of the episode for sure, and the 12th Doctor and Clara go off to have coffee.
The mystery deepens however when we see that the robot leader is revived in a fancy garden. See, earlier The Doctor and the robot leader fought in the sky, and we are unsure if the robot leader jumped to his death to be impaled onto the Big Ben spire, or if The Doctor pushed him off. But the robot leader has been revived and meets this woman, Missy who implies to know The Doctor as his boyfriend...the mystery and the new series begins.
Final thoughts:
All in all, this episode was just wonderful. As this is the first time I'm watching Doctor Who with everybody else in the world, I eagerly await what will happen. For my first new episode, it really was mysterious and action packed. The new Doctor really comes off like a new and darker person, and I couldn't be happier that this is my first Doctor. I await the next episode with great interest, and for those who also just became fans, welcome aboard.
My score: 4.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment