Deep Breath by Steven Moffat

THE DOCTOR HAS CHANGED. IT'S TIME YOU KNEW HIM!

While I know this is late for the start of the Series Eight, I wanted to get my thoughts out there for the series and my thoughts on the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi. With the advent of a new Doctor, both Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman embarked on a World Tour to promote and introduce the new series. It was enormous success leading to an increased interest in the new series and the new Doctor. I went to the Sydney event and Oh Boy! was it great. The atmosphere was fantastic and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The world tour gave us a sneak preview into the new series and the new Doctor but what is he like now that everyone has seen him in action.

So what does the world think of Doctor No. 12?

Personally, I was rooting for Capaldi in the role since it was announced that Matt Smith would be departing at the 2013 Christmas Special. But I have been a fan of him since he starred as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It from 2005-2012. So the announcement of Peter as the Twelfth Doctor was a dream come true for me, but what did I think of his official debut in Deep Breath.

Overall, Deep Breath is a fantastic introduction to a new dynamic between Clara and the Doctor. It feels like Clara has become more of a friend/companion to the Doctor than a plot device, she has grown into a more well-rounded character and one that seems to fit better with the Twelfth Doctor than the Eleventh Doctor. The chemistry is fantastic and allows the audience to see a side of Clara that has not yet been glimpsed. Clara actively participates in the plot of this episode rather than being a plot point or the impossible girl which bogged down so much of Series Seven. I can see where Moffat is going with her characterisation and I am looking forward to meeting this new Clara.

The Paternoster Gang returns to see the Doctor through this transition. Vastra, Jenny and Strax provide a familiar element for the episode and are at their most enjoyable in this episode. It feels like they genuinely care about the Doctor's well-being and are not just not there for comic relief like previous outings. All three receive sonic devices with Strax's providing a humorous scene between Clara and himself. All in all, while their presence in previous episodes got on my nerves sometimes; here the Paternoster Gang feel like well-rounded and well used characters who don't just exist for comic relief anymore.

Both Clara and the Paternoster Gang help the Doctor through his tough transition (of breaking the regeneration limit) which starts the episode with a bang. SHUSH! the Doctor tells Strax as he bangs at the TARDIS door. The TARDIS has just been vomited up by a T-Rex in the Thames and the Paternoster Gang investigates. The Doctor exits trying to ascertain who Strax, Vastra and Jenny are saying "I mustn't prejudge, Oh you remember...." pointing towards the TARDIS doors as Clara exits. "uh … thingie. The uh, the “not me” one, the “asking questions” one. Names … not my area", before dismissing Clara's attempts to correct him. He notices the Dinosaur and corrects it to "Big Woman, I'm not flirting by the way!" signalling a transition in the Doctor's romantic tendencies. He continues to mistake Clara this time calling her Handles before telling everyone to "take five" and collapsing on the river bed. Clara informs the gang "That's him. That's the Doctor" before Vastra and co look befuddled with a cry of "Here we go again!"

This introduction scene sets up the Doctor's character for the series as well as the journey that we will be travelling on in this episode. The Doctor has become more fierce, determined and is less likely to take prisoners. This mores the character into more of the classic series with the Doctor being less emotionally attached and allowing the characters around him to breath a little. More on the Doctor a little bit later now, onto the plot.

The episode has a rather simple plot with it being exactly similar to a previous Steven Moffat script, The Girl in the Fireplace. This doesn't let it down at all, it shows that the Doctor is having trouble connect the dots as this is similar to a previous adventure. The Half-Face Man makes a creepy and imposing villain for the Doctor to face off against. The simple plot allows the characters to fill the story and makes them more believable and relatable to the audience .

The Doctor has become a man who gives no second chances telling the Half-Face Man that Murder is against his basic programming but we are left ambiguous as to if the Doctor pushed him or not. He is a man unsure of himself and his place in the universe, but is striving to do what he feels is right. The Doctor's questioning of himself will form a key point of this series and I'm looking forward to see how it plays out. The Doctor has changed and we have gotten to know him, but he isn't the same man as we remember. He's changed but is it for the better?

Personally, I throughly enjoyed this episode maybe not as much as The Eleventh Hour but it was a throughly enjoyable start to a new era of Doctor Who and gets a 9.5 out of 10.
The Doctor and Clara have returned and the series is just getting interesting!

NEXT TIME: INTO THE DALEK

by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat