And so we're back. The blog and, more importantly (yes we're humble), the Doctor.
Matt Smith's incarnation made a much heralded return to the screens on Saturday night and this time showrunner Steven Moffat embraces the good ol' US of A for a two part opener which, I suspect, has more than a nod toward breaking the American market.
In fact the 'getting the gang back together' beginning seems perfect for those across the pond (not Amy and Rory Pond...!) to jump on board. Sadly much of the start is a cheesy throwaway and the website prequel, where President Nixon takes a call from the creepy child spooked by the 'spaceman', would serve as a much more chilling window into the story.
That aside, there's no room for the viewer to warm up because we're straight into the Doctor dying. As in proper dying. Shot by an unseen spacesuited figure mid regeneration.
Moffat and his crew had warned us they wanted to start with a death and a shock to get things going and this certainly delivered. I've a feeling we'll have great fun working back to this moment at some point further on in this story/series.
The death is set against the gloriously photogenic skyline of the American countryside. Presumably as comfortingly familiar to the Stateside viewer as ex-ER girl Alex Kingston (River Song) and a few others in this story.
Still, whatever the reason, it was a suitably dramatic backdrop for a suitably dramatic moment.
Then, once the Doctor (200 or so years younger than the one who just died) returns to the action, we get into the alien plot. The Silence tick the boxes in being menacing enough to frighten the kids and with a clever enough concept (that they are forgotten as soon as you turn away from them) to make them a fantastic foe to start this run off with.
Post-05 Doctor Who has struggled with its lack of memorable new 'baddies' (the exception being Moffat's own Weeping Angels) and the villainous Silence could turn out to be one of the better additions to the Doctor's enemy list at this rate.
You feel we haven't really got all that far when we reach the cliffhanger - but Amy shooting the child in the spacesuit is still pretty hardhitting for 6.45pm on a Saturday night and leaves us another puzzle to be solved - coming straight after the revelation of her pregnancy.
The regulars all pretty much slot back into place as before, with a noticeable edge to their dynamic added by the fact that River, Amy and Rory have all seen the Doctor die, but don't want to let on. Hopefully that'll avoid the series slipping into the cosy love-in of the later Tennant years.
The team were joined by the fantastically titled Canton Everett Delaware III (played by another US-pleaser Mark Sheppard) who, name aside made little impact in this part.
Like Canton the episode is difficult to rate. It contained much to enjoy and set out a host of new questions to be answered. Let's hope the next fulfills its promise.
7.5/10
Ps: Please follow us on our new Twitter page @phantom_piper
Pps: Like the main series we're embracing America with a new look to the blog, enjoy!
Monday, 25 April 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
The Impossible Astronaut
So were back with a bang and a dead Doctor. Ohh should have mentioned this blog will contain a lot of spoilers. Last night, Doctor Who returned with the first installment of the sixth season. A season that will, if the first episode is anything to go by, be fantastic. Even if it is split in half with an agonizing wait to suffer over the warm summer months.
But we have six more episodes before that wait starts so let us enjoy ourselves. So in the first episode the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song are all called together, seemingly by the Doctor, to defeat the menace of the mysterious Silence.
The Doctor is soon killed off, mid regeneration, by a mysterious astronaut. Before he walks on the grieving trio, earning a slap from River. They are soon headed back to 1969 and the Oval Office and are soon tracking down the mysterious voice on the end of President Nixon’s phone. Were left with a terrific cliffhanger. Rory and River under attack in the new Tardis, first seen in the Lodger, and Amy shooting at something, just after her own shocking revelation.
Toby Haynes, the director, has assembled an excellent cast for this story and really bring Steven Moffat’ script to live. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvil, and Alex Kingston were, as usual, all on fine form. Arthur, playing Rory Pond, is growing as a Doctor’s companion. The ‘not quite so sure’ interplay between River and the Doctor was expertly acted by Matt Smith and Alex Kingston. Toby Hayes has to be praised for the ability to being able to get the best performance out of his lead actors. The locations were expertly chosen to give us a sense of America. The sets were also well produced. The Oval Office, a set I know well from watching the West Wing, was beautifully produced. Even the rundown factory was well lit.
The story was Mr. Moffat on fine form. Since taking the reigns as the showrunner on Doctor Who he has only produced, in this reviewers opinion, one notably poor script, which was the Beast Beneath. It moved the story on at a quick pace and had lots little touches for the hardcore Doctor Who fan like the invisible Tardis, (first seen in the 1968 eight part Serial, The Invasion), several mentions of Fez (the Eleventh Doctor’s headwear of choice, first seen in the 2010 story Big Bang) and even the more obscure use of the term Braveheart (notably used by the Fifth Doctor to his then companion, Tegan) and these are just a few that I have pointed out.
The Silence have been mention at least three times in 2010’s fifth season. Firstly in The Eleventh Hour by patient zero, secondly in the Vampires of Venice by Lady Rosanna and finally in the Big Bang by the Doctor. Here, for the first time, we get to meet them. They are wonderful creatures, with a slight hint of the central character from Munich’s painting The Scream. Steven Moffat made them, potentially scarier than the Weeping Angels, a bad guy you forget as soon as you don’t see them. Brilliant.
Even the more comedic moments were well done. Humor is a hard thing to get right in Dr Who. The 1979 story City of Death is an excellent example of humor done well. I will never forget some of the lines that Douglas Adams wrote. However, humor has been badly done in Dr Who. The 2008 season opener, Partners in Crime, spent the first 20 minutes showing the Doctor and Donna missing each other. Here, the humor of the Doctor being caught digging the Great Escape tunnel, caught in the Nude, and dancing with Laurel and Hardy, were well done and quickly over. Leaving us to laugh and then move on with our heroes quickly reunited.
There is only one scene that I did not enjoy and though it may have importance for things to come, it did leave a lasting impression. This was the sequence between Amy and the Silence in the White House bathroom. Though seemingly important as it give us more info about the silence. I found it dragged on a little to long and could have been done better if it was shorter and didn't keep repeating itself. This was the only downside in the whole episode.
All in all, this episode was a fantastic return to form. Series Six looks like it will be fantastic. With the revelation of who the Silence are? and who is River Song is?. My money is on either her being the Doctor’s sister or an older version of Jenny, from the Doctor’s Daughter. I’m looking forward to next week second part. Day of the moon.
My score 9 out of 10.
P.S. Can we have Matt Smith in more hats please.
But we have six more episodes before that wait starts so let us enjoy ourselves. So in the first episode the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song are all called together, seemingly by the Doctor, to defeat the menace of the mysterious Silence.
The Doctor is soon killed off, mid regeneration, by a mysterious astronaut. Before he walks on the grieving trio, earning a slap from River. They are soon headed back to 1969 and the Oval Office and are soon tracking down the mysterious voice on the end of President Nixon’s phone. Were left with a terrific cliffhanger. Rory and River under attack in the new Tardis, first seen in the Lodger, and Amy shooting at something, just after her own shocking revelation.
Toby Haynes, the director, has assembled an excellent cast for this story and really bring Steven Moffat’ script to live. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvil, and Alex Kingston were, as usual, all on fine form. Arthur, playing Rory Pond, is growing as a Doctor’s companion. The ‘not quite so sure’ interplay between River and the Doctor was expertly acted by Matt Smith and Alex Kingston. Toby Hayes has to be praised for the ability to being able to get the best performance out of his lead actors. The locations were expertly chosen to give us a sense of America. The sets were also well produced. The Oval Office, a set I know well from watching the West Wing, was beautifully produced. Even the rundown factory was well lit.
The story was Mr. Moffat on fine form. Since taking the reigns as the showrunner on Doctor Who he has only produced, in this reviewers opinion, one notably poor script, which was the Beast Beneath. It moved the story on at a quick pace and had lots little touches for the hardcore Doctor Who fan like the invisible Tardis, (first seen in the 1968 eight part Serial, The Invasion), several mentions of Fez (the Eleventh Doctor’s headwear of choice, first seen in the 2010 story Big Bang) and even the more obscure use of the term Braveheart (notably used by the Fifth Doctor to his then companion, Tegan) and these are just a few that I have pointed out.
The Silence have been mention at least three times in 2010’s fifth season. Firstly in The Eleventh Hour by patient zero, secondly in the Vampires of Venice by Lady Rosanna and finally in the Big Bang by the Doctor. Here, for the first time, we get to meet them. They are wonderful creatures, with a slight hint of the central character from Munich’s painting The Scream. Steven Moffat made them, potentially scarier than the Weeping Angels, a bad guy you forget as soon as you don’t see them. Brilliant.
Even the more comedic moments were well done. Humor is a hard thing to get right in Dr Who. The 1979 story City of Death is an excellent example of humor done well. I will never forget some of the lines that Douglas Adams wrote. However, humor has been badly done in Dr Who. The 2008 season opener, Partners in Crime, spent the first 20 minutes showing the Doctor and Donna missing each other. Here, the humor of the Doctor being caught digging the Great Escape tunnel, caught in the Nude, and dancing with Laurel and Hardy, were well done and quickly over. Leaving us to laugh and then move on with our heroes quickly reunited.
There is only one scene that I did not enjoy and though it may have importance for things to come, it did leave a lasting impression. This was the sequence between Amy and the Silence in the White House bathroom. Though seemingly important as it give us more info about the silence. I found it dragged on a little to long and could have been done better if it was shorter and didn't keep repeating itself. This was the only downside in the whole episode.
All in all, this episode was a fantastic return to form. Series Six looks like it will be fantastic. With the revelation of who the Silence are? and who is River Song is?. My money is on either her being the Doctor’s sister or an older version of Jenny, from the Doctor’s Daughter. I’m looking forward to next week second part. Day of the moon.
My score 9 out of 10.
P.S. Can we have Matt Smith in more hats please.
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