“I Am Not A Good Dalek. You Are A Good Dalek.”
The Doctor: As bummed as I am to lose him as Richelieu (especially after the season finale set up of Aramis-baby-daddy-gate), and as aware as I am that it’s only been two episodes, I am hooked on Twelve. I enjoyed Matt Smith’s run as the Doctor very much, and I thought that an impossibility after losing Ten, but the majority of last season was total snoresville and I was actually considering not coming back to Who for Series 8. This has to do with the episodes, and the writing and spacing thereof, rather than Smith’s performance in them, admittedly, and the fact that Clara never has been, and never will be, a Donna Noble no matter how hard she snarks.
I am so very glad I have come back. Capaldi is a much darker Doctor, one who, at least so far, appears to see the universe in black and white rather than shades of gray, always a dangerous thing for a man of his intellect and faith in his own morality. He is angry and jaded and self-righteous. And yet. And yet. He still loves humanity. Still wants to BE human in so many ways. The last three doctors have been men at war with their past but Twelve is a man at war with himself. A man so at war with himself that he has already asked two people to sacrifice themselves for his larger aims; and while his aim has, both times, been the salvation of humanity, he is asking those people, the humans he has always done everything he could to protect, to give their lives for his ideals because they are “pudding brains” and he is the Last Time Lord. Twelve is a man who professes to hold Ten’s hatred of soldiers but is becoming quite the general. Let us hope this causes a crisis of conscience down the line. A really big one with explosions and stuff.
“Am I a good man?” he asked Clara, to which she replied, “I don’t know.”
Man, that crisis of conscience is going to be a thing to behold.
Capaldi has, in the first two episodes, nailed it, stuck the landing, etc etc etc. I have no doubt hat he will continue to do so, which is great news for Whovians everywhere.
Also, no flirting. HOORAY!
Clara: Still not sorry to see her go, but I do like her much better now in the roles of teacher and conscience than I did as wishy-washy, crushing-on-Eleven school girl. She’s far more interesting when her snark is believably aimed and let fly and not followed up by a hiding-face-behind-feather-fan giggle. I doubt she’ll truly grow on me after eighteen months, and sort to say, she is no Donna and never well be (who come on, admit it, would have been fantastic with Twelve), but she is now slightly more than tolerable.
Danny Pink: May end up being the more interesting of the companions this series and has a lot to bring to the TARDIS. When that moral crisis does come for the Doctor, I think Danny is going to be at the heart of it and it will be a thing terrifying in its majesty (what, a girl can hope). The Doctor hates soldiers because he was one; Danny is proud (justly) of his service but hates some of the acts he was forced to commit in that role. And they’re going to be stuck together in the blue box. Conflict always goes better when paired with kinship, especially within the TARDIS.
Missy: Can’t wait to see what she does with all of those who have sacrificed themselves for what the Doctor thinks is right (seasons ongoing theme I imagine). I’m pleased with the way she’s showing up in every episode but they aren’t spending a huge amount of time on her. A proper building of suspense without showing her hand too early.
In all, a very successful first sixth of a run. I’m looking forward to watching again instead of feeling an obligation to do so. Moffat can shove his Moffsplaining up his ass, but I’ll give the man this: he knows how to cast a Doctor.
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