I must admit that by the end of season 7 I really wasn't looking forward to any more Doctor Who, especially with Moffat still in charge of the show. The specials did little to assuage my doubts because they displayed the same problems that season 7 suffered from. But season 8, with Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor, is shaping up quite nicely and I have hope again. This is why I've decided to do episode by episode reviews from now on. So to catch up on the first two episodes:
SPOILERS AHEAD
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Episode 1: Deep Breath
The first episode of season 8 had it's problems. The main issue was the setting. I may be the only one, but I am getting very, very, very tired of seeing the Victorian England Trio... it's time they stopped making appearances. Yes, they're funny sometimes, but it's getting a little overused and to be honest they never worked for me in the first place. I see it as a sign of Moffat trying waaaay too hard. It wasn't just the setting that was rehashed - the villains are the same robots from Girl in the Fireplace... they worked back then, but a second time... not so much.
However, in this first episode we saw the beginnings of Peter Capaldi's excellent performance as the Doctor. He fits the role of the Doctor perfectly with just enough insanity, just enough of an alien vibe about him, to make it really a joy to watch. The new doctor has also improved Clara quite a bit. Instead of making cringe-worthy comments about her tight skirt this Doctor started off their adventures by telling her, in no uncertain terms, that he was not her boyfriend (and also that the fault may not have been hers in this matter). And now with the Impossible Girl nonsense out of the way Clara is really starting to feel like a proper companion.
The final moments of the episode, with "Missy" welcoming the dead robot guy into "paradise" was quite stupid and felt a little off - it didn't gel with the rest of the episode. With a name like that Missy is most likely the new reincarnation of The Master. As long as she's not River Song I'm good... *sigh*
Overall, a great episode that had a few weaknesses.
Episode 2: Into the Dalek
Again, the plot of this episode is highly derivative. We get Daleks again. We get the Doctor and his companions shrinking to get inside the mind of a Dalek. We get to see that the Doctor has just as much hatred for the Daleks as they do for the rest of the universe. The Dalek says that the Doctor is a "good Dalek". The companion has a humanizing influence over the Doctor, showing him that his hatred of the Dalek is ugly. Etc. Etc. Very old. Eccleston did it better in the 2005 episode "Dalek". They should find some new material already.
That being said, I loved this episode. Clara put in a great performance. The Doctor was great. There were other intriguing characters for The Doctor and Clara to interact with. Most importantly, with Clara settling in to her job at the school and making new friends unrelated to the Doctor it feels like she's a real character, a living breathing human being, not just an idea "the impossible girl". This is very exciting and I can't wait to see her further development into a proper companion.
So, this season is starting out good. I would, of course, prefer it if Moffat left and I am convinced that the show will improve dramatically when he does, but for now, it seems that things are improving as much as they can under the circumstances.
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