Story: The Magician's Apprentice
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2015
Moffat begins his 5th full season off with a pretty exciting episode. It starts on a war torn planet, that looks sort of like World War 1, but with lasers. Then a boy wanders into a Hand-mine field, and the Doctor is there to rescue as always...that is until he hears the name of the boy...Davros! I loved that reveal, so great and unexpected. I am so glad I avoided all spoilers for this season, I really have no clue what is coming at all, and I am genuinely pleased with that decision, because not knowing a classic villain was returning was a great surprise and really heightened my enjoyment of the episode.
We are then taken to many worlds as a creepy guy in a cloak slides around looking for the Doctor, with little luck. We get to revisit that Maldovarium place that Dorian was from, and the Shadow Proclamation, as well as Karn. Then we are taken to Earth where all the planes have stopped, and Clara and UNIT soon learn that the Master is behind it all. I will continue to refer to her as the Master, because Missy seems so frustratingly silly to me. The Master demands a meeting with Clara, and she explains that the Doctor is probably dying somewhere, because he made sure she got his Time Lord Will, but no one can find him. She and Clara figure out where he might be, and head to Medieval times to find an Electric Guitar playing Doctor on a tank...hiding out and being anachronistic so his friends can find him I suppose. The Doctor knows he is in for it with Davros, because he didn't actually help him as a child...he just left him.
They are soon captured by the creepy guy in a cloak, who is actually some kind of snake alien monster man, and they are taken to Davros...on Skaro! The Daleks then "kill" the Master and Clara and destroy the TARDIS even though we know that is all most likely absolutely not the case (I assume the Master has some teleport device, which is how she survived her previous "demise" at the end of Series 8). This somehow leads to the Doctor heading back to the handmine field where he had left the child Davros, exclaims he will exterminate to save his friends, and the episode leaves us wondering whether or not the Doctor will actually kill the child Davros.
It is a fine opener to the season, but I can't help but notice now that I am writing about it how little plot there actually was here. It was a fun ride, but clearly it was mostly set up for what will come in the next episode. That said, I had a good time watching it, it traveled the universe, surprised me with Davros' return, had some fun references to classic Davros/Doctor meetings, and had some neat ideas scattered throughout. The hand-mines were a wonderfully creepy invention and probably my favorite element of the episode.
As for complaints, I am not sure I totally buy Moffat's idea of what the Doctor is. He tends to write the Doctor as the Universe's ultimate badass...but that's not really the Doctor to me. I think of him as the Universe ultimate intellect, who saves the day by using his brain. Moffat tends to see the heroic side, the cool guy he believes the Doctor to be. But the Doctor should be an oddball and a bit of a geek. A misfit who saves the universe purely because that is who he is. I think Moffat has continued to write the Doctor this way since he took over..but it was slightly subverted but Matt Smith's totally awkward and geeky performance. I think Capaldi is great in the role, but entering the scene on a talk playing rock and roll guitar, wearing a bit of a punk outfit and sunglasses...is that really the Doctor? Capaldi is good Doctor, it is more just little moments like this that never land for me, not whole episodes.
I think I have similar issues with the portrayal of the Master, who is now Missy because a lady couldn't be called the Master. I don't know why she can't be the Master. She is also a little too flirty for who I think the Master is. Moffat has often been accused of being a tad sexist...and I think it is often a little off...but something about the way the Master is written, just doesn't seem terrible progressive to me. Like Capaldi, Gomez is great in the role, she gives it her all. I just don't see why she can't just play the character the same as any male has, without any flirty winking and whatnot. Maybe I am seeing things, but she comes off more like an evil River Song than the Master to me. Maybe Moffat only has a couple of character types in his arsenal. I mean if I'm being honest, what's the difference between the character types of Amy and Clara?
Complaints over...I enjoyed the episode! I genuinely did. It was a fine start to what I hope (as always) will be a fine season. Doctor Who is back yet again, let us rejoice.
NEXT TIME: The Heartbeat of Every Dalek
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2015
Moffat begins his 5th full season off with a pretty exciting episode. It starts on a war torn planet, that looks sort of like World War 1, but with lasers. Then a boy wanders into a Hand-mine field, and the Doctor is there to rescue as always...that is until he hears the name of the boy...Davros! I loved that reveal, so great and unexpected. I am so glad I avoided all spoilers for this season, I really have no clue what is coming at all, and I am genuinely pleased with that decision, because not knowing a classic villain was returning was a great surprise and really heightened my enjoyment of the episode.
They are soon captured by the creepy guy in a cloak, who is actually some kind of snake alien monster man, and they are taken to Davros...on Skaro! The Daleks then "kill" the Master and Clara and destroy the TARDIS even though we know that is all most likely absolutely not the case (I assume the Master has some teleport device, which is how she survived her previous "demise" at the end of Series 8). This somehow leads to the Doctor heading back to the handmine field where he had left the child Davros, exclaims he will exterminate to save his friends, and the episode leaves us wondering whether or not the Doctor will actually kill the child Davros.
It is a fine opener to the season, but I can't help but notice now that I am writing about it how little plot there actually was here. It was a fun ride, but clearly it was mostly set up for what will come in the next episode. That said, I had a good time watching it, it traveled the universe, surprised me with Davros' return, had some fun references to classic Davros/Doctor meetings, and had some neat ideas scattered throughout. The hand-mines were a wonderfully creepy invention and probably my favorite element of the episode.
As for complaints, I am not sure I totally buy Moffat's idea of what the Doctor is. He tends to write the Doctor as the Universe's ultimate badass...but that's not really the Doctor to me. I think of him as the Universe ultimate intellect, who saves the day by using his brain. Moffat tends to see the heroic side, the cool guy he believes the Doctor to be. But the Doctor should be an oddball and a bit of a geek. A misfit who saves the universe purely because that is who he is. I think Moffat has continued to write the Doctor this way since he took over..but it was slightly subverted but Matt Smith's totally awkward and geeky performance. I think Capaldi is great in the role, but entering the scene on a talk playing rock and roll guitar, wearing a bit of a punk outfit and sunglasses...is that really the Doctor? Capaldi is good Doctor, it is more just little moments like this that never land for me, not whole episodes.
I think I have similar issues with the portrayal of the Master, who is now Missy because a lady couldn't be called the Master. I don't know why she can't be the Master. She is also a little too flirty for who I think the Master is. Moffat has often been accused of being a tad sexist...and I think it is often a little off...but something about the way the Master is written, just doesn't seem terrible progressive to me. Like Capaldi, Gomez is great in the role, she gives it her all. I just don't see why she can't just play the character the same as any male has, without any flirty winking and whatnot. Maybe I am seeing things, but she comes off more like an evil River Song than the Master to me. Maybe Moffat only has a couple of character types in his arsenal. I mean if I'm being honest, what's the difference between the character types of Amy and Clara?
Complaints over...I enjoyed the episode! I genuinely did. It was a fine start to what I hope (as always) will be a fine season. Doctor Who is back yet again, let us rejoice.
NEXT TIME: The Heartbeat of Every Dalek
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