“It’s still him, it’s still the Doctor”
That line is aimed at the audience as well as the players in this new episode to kick off Peter Capaldi’s tenure as the Twelfth Doctor. At times overwrought, others uninspired (drawing on past stories and tropes) and yet still fascinating and positions the central character well for another fresh take on this 50 year old show.
Victorian London is the setting, the old Paternoster crew (Madam Vastra, Jenny and Strax) are alerted to a unusual visage, a T-Rex stomping down the River Thames, a victim of being dragged through time after swallowing the TARDIS. Soon, the regurgitated and newly regenerated Doctor and Clara are seperated, both trying to find themselves and their place in this new era as well as try to figure out why the aforementioned dinosaur spontaneously combusted and how it is connected to a cyborg that is harvesting body parts from the inhabitants of London.
I’ve summarized many Doctor Who plots in previous reviews but that one takes some beating. The episode is not quite as convoluted as it sounds. Things tie together pretty well, the episode imbues familiarity to counterbalance the arrival of a new and unpredictable Doctor. The Paternoster crew being as reliably entertaining as always, the title, Deep Breath, alluding to a mechanism by which the organ harvesters can be evaded, another play on the premise of Blink and the Weeping Angels. The menace here is suitably creepy (even if familiar) and aided by the accomplished direction of Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, A Field in England). The 80 minute runtime gives ample space (perhaps too much?) for the central plotline as well as developing the aftermath of the Doctor’s regeneration. The show looks better than ever, if its one thing the BBC can nail it’s a historical setting from England’s past. There is a new credits sequence (unsure if its really an improvement on the old one) and a slightly tweaked interior for the TARDIS (I agree, needs more round things) and overall there is a more mature tone, less panicked running around, more quiet deliberation, an intentional direction I hope and not just a consequence of the directing talents of Wheatley.
Moffat has kicked things off well and drops in an interesting teaser for the season long arc (who is this woman who is intent on keeping the Doctor and Clara together here and back in The Bells of Saint John). He also shows there are surprises in the character of the Doctor still, a moment when he breaks the fourth wall being particularly chilling.
So to the important part, what of Capaldi. It really is a Doctor very distinct from any seen since the revival of the show since 2005 (although an element of the grizzled, bluntness of Hurt’s War Doctor is there). Irritated, less patient, definitely hints of Malcom Tucker (Capaldi’s most famous role in The Thick of It) but fleeting enough, tempered by the quirky Doctor himself reasserting influence over this crackling new personality. Its been a while since the Doctor seemed as unstable as this, classic Who often took a while for new regenerations to sort themselves out, I think we may see more of the same here, those off-put by the new guy may want to hang around a couple of eps to see the character settle into his new guise. We have the dark, patient calculations drawing from Seven, and the outspoken baffled brashness of Four, this is a Doctor forged from the classic era harkening back to the early days of the show when crotchety, brilliant men with flashes of whimsey captivated audiences.
“I can blow this room if I see one thing I don’t like, and that includes karaoke and mime”
With the older Doctor there are changes in the show’s dynamic, none more so that that with companion Clara. There is no flirting (it is explicitly stated, “You might as well flirt with a mountain range”), his older appearance is addressed head on. The boyish swooning appeal of Tennant and Smith is gone, what we have instead is an enigma of a figure. In many ways this change has reaffirmed Clara’s strength, a character who initially impressed but became rather flat. This change in the Doctor does much to shake up her character, a suggestion her interest in the Doctor was superficial is responded to well. That scene essentially laying the gauntlet down for the audience, do you really know the Doctor? Are you going to stand by him during this change?
As ever, the companion works as a surrogate for the audience. Image is a theme throughout the episode: multiple times the Doctor gazes upon his reflection (a mention is made of having seen it before, “why this face?”, see The Fires of Pompeii), the central cyborg is accused of being unable to remember where his face came from, and the aforementioned conversation between Clara and Madam Vastra who makes effective use of her veil to make a point. The episode does make excellent use of a familiar face to placate both Clara and the audience, it is a testament to Capaldi that this appearance does not feel forced or to overshadow his own work in any way. In fact it enhances it, what was a darker, tense and frenzied Time Lord takes on a touch of heart and vulnerability. The Doctor and Clara are setup for a new and rather dysfunctional relationship. He is more harsh, expects greater things even in spite of her rising to the occasion better than ever before. These will be trying times and will be fascinating to watch.
Overall, Deep Breath as a episode is a little underwhelming, the use of rehashed plots are glossed over with some impressive visuals and directing. On balance, it is not as cohesive, accessible and fun as The Eleventh Hour, the introduction to Smith’s tenure. But the real gem here is the performance of Capaldi. It is a crackling, feisty introduction to the new Doctor and clear that our understanding of him (as well as Capaldi’s) is not yet settled. This is an episode that will be enhanced by those that follow. The development of this Twelfth incarnation as well as the dynamic with a newly revitalized Clara already promising much. The TARDIS is in safe hands for another jaunt through time and space.
Next Week: Into the Dalek — A Dalek fleet surrounds a lone rebel ship, and only the Doctor can help them now… with the Doctor facing his greatest enemy, he needs Clara by his side.
Confronted with a decision that could change the Daleks forever he is forced to examine his conscience. Will he find the answer to the question, am I a good man?