Doctor Who Series 5 Episode 1 - The Eleventh Hour - Review

Starring: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill & Caitlin Blackwood

Written By: Steven Moffat

Directed By: Adam Smith

 

It's the start of another new series, and practically everything is new this time. There's a new Doctor, new companion, new TARDIS, new sonic screwdriver, new producers, new head writer, and not to mention a brand new title sequence. So, a lot of new stuff to look forward to, but have the production team kept the spirit of the show alive, and how do all these changes fare?

 

After the Doctor's regeneration severely damages the TARDIS, it crash-lands on Earth in 1996, in the back garden of little girl Amelia Pond. The still-recovering Doctor discovers an inter-dimensional crack in the wall of Amelia's bedroom, that leads to an Atraxi prison. With the TARDIS rebuilding itself, the Doctor has to leave Amelia, but promises he will be back in five minutes. When the Doctor returns, he finds Amelia has gone and the house now belongs to a mysterious policewoman.

 

The Eleventh Hour is Steven Moffat's first outing as the head writer for the show. This is a very solid start, especially considering the immense task of introducing a new Doctor and a new companion to the audience. The episode kicks of with a bang, thanks to a fantastic action sequence involving the newly regenerated eleventh Doctor, struggling to keep himself in the TARDIS as it hurtles out of control over London. This is the last we'll see of the old TARDIS interior as it gets absolutely wrecked. Following this, we get introduced to the new opening titles. Now this was a bit of a disappointment. Quite frankly, it's boring. In Series 4, the theme tune was sped up and really fast-paced, making you excited for the episode. However, this new one feels dull and washed out and pales in comparison to previous title sequences.

 

The new Doctor ... well his first words are "Can I have an apple?”. I'm not going to lie, that was a brilliant moment and this sequence was very Doctor-y while still feeling fresh. The following sequence of the Doctor trying different foods to satisfy his cravings was again brilliant and really fun to watch. Matt Smith makes a fantastic start here. I’ll be the first to admit, that I originally felt a prickle of resistance towards his casting, but it seems I was very wrong. The last time an actor slipped so well into the role of the Doctor was when Tom Baker took over, and Matt Smith has already secured his place as the Doctor thanks to his last scene with the Atraxi. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the writer take the new 11th Doctor over the course of the series.

 

Along with a new Doctor, we are also introduced to a new companion, and in quite a unique way. Instead of introducing us directly to Amy Pond, we first see her as a child. Caitlin Blackwood is really great as the young Amelia, and Amy's introduction feels like something from a fairytale. This is something that Doctor Who hasn’t really explored that much for the past few years, so it's nice to see a return to this kind of storytelling. Once we get to meet her, Karen Gillan also does a very good job at playing the adult Amy. But as a character, Amy doesn't really do that much. She is introduced, needs saving later on and does a couple of things to help the Doctor. Apart from her childhood years, we didn’t learn that much about the adult Amy Pond, and this really is a big shame. On the bright side, we'll likely learn more about Amy as the series progresses.

 

The Eleventh Hour doesn't just introduce us to the new Doctor and companion, and it does have a lot else going on. We have several villains at work here, namely Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi. The shapeshifting alien criminal Prisoner Zero has escaped custody of the Atraxi and the Doctor and Amy have twenty minutes to return him before the Atraxi incinerate the entire planet. Both Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi are quite forgettable, but here I don't mind as this episode quite rightly needs to establish other things. That being said, I personally felt that the Atraxi were essentially the Judoon. Think about it, their function is entirely the same - they both find alien criminals, and after a certain amount of time, if they haven't found them, they'll destroy a whole population. It could have been a smart move to use the Judoon instead as they're already an established part of the show, and could prove to sceptical viewers that the show hasn't changed entirely.

 

By the end of this episode, the Doctor returns to Amy’s life, a further two years later in 2010. In a nicely-written and acted scene, Amy officially becomes the Doctor’s new companion and agrees to travel with him in the TARDIS. It's at this point that we first see the new TARDIS interior. While there isn’t exactly anything wrong with it, I personally prefer the design that the 9th and 10th Doctors had. This incarnation of the TARDIS feels a lot more complex and artificial in comparison to the previous one, that had a simpler and more organic feeling to it. However, as I’ve said, it’s not bad and it might just have to grow on me. 

 

In conclusion, The Eleventh Hour is a fantastic introduction for the new Doctor, and easily the best series opener since Rose. Matt Smith is superb as the Doctor and Karen Gillan does a great job as Amy. The new Doctor had a brilliant chance to show off who he is, and his scene when confronting the Atraxi is one of Doctor Who's best. However, I’m still hoping that Amy will be given a lot more character development in future episodes. Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi aren't exactly memorable, but to be honest, they didn't need to be. Although I’m not the biggest fan of the new title sequence or the new TARDIS, I'm willing to give them a chance to grow on me. Overall, a very solid start from our new head writer.

 

 

The Eleventh Hour



8/10