Happy Doctor Who Day!!
Alright so that time has come again and while I am not happy with the writing, I could not keep myself from watching the first episode of Capaldi as the Doctor.
This episode takes us back to Victorian England, where Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax help the doctor cope with his brand new vintage looking face.
First impression of this regeneration is the it started a bit on the the doctor may be really old and has to perhaps take a time to not appears as though he has Alzheimer.
But every regeneration is different and the recuperation time has varied from doctor to doctor. It was just a bit harder on Clara as compared to other companions that have seen the doctor regenerate. To a point Clara sort seemed more thrown off than most and granted Rose did get David Tennant as Her doctor (Who doesn’t want that?). But even though she was thrown off she managed to just keep calm and well carry on with the crisis at hand. Clara on the other hand just dangle on the possibility that the doctor will be young again. Part of it could be because of the back and forth flirting before the regeneration (could you imagine flirting with Someone and then having them turn a bit older than the appropriate relationship age gap?). Well that has actually happened in Misfits (another British show about people with mutant powers, watch it!).
Anyway, Clara has been through a lot (the doctor was even trying to teach her how to fly the TARDIS and it seems strange that regeneration never did come up). Props to her she did manage to get a grip of the situation and be smart but I would like to not see so much a of a lost puppy face a;l the time. Companions have to be strong and while she has all of the potential to super awesome she is stuck just hoping the doctor comes through. And as we have seen time and time again yeah he does but all companions should know ‘The doctor always lies’ and sometimes he can flake out on you. (But this is Moffat’s writing and he has give Clara this role all we can hope for is for her to reach that hight of character development).
Back to the Doctor, those eyebrows are ready to kill (also I do not mind the fourth wall breaking stare, it is somewhat comforting).
I feel (and this is only my mind at work here) that somehow, referencing ‘The Fires of Pompeii’. He has seen that face before and it would be (I believe) the second time the doctor reincarnation has appeared in an episode of the doctor before so (as a principal theory) the faces of the doctor are not random. They may actually be faces of people the doctor has encountered before and may have liked.
So he is simply trying to remember where he had seen that face before? (well two reincarnations ago…). It makes sense in my head, and the doctor does meet a lot of people so remembering everyone (like any of us who has had the horrible experience of not remembering the name of a person we’ve met before, yet they always remember us, may have just forgotten that person but sort of remembered the face vaguely).
It may also be a large shock to be significantly older, since part regenerations’ age reduction happened more or less gradually.
As we all know the doctor will always need a companion, so it is rather hard to change so much and then have the person you rely on for emotional suport and human interaction to just miss the “old you”. It is heart braking (to me in part because I like the doctor, in all reincarnations, sure I have favorites like anyone else does but you always try to at least like them equally).
The TARDIS has also changed ( and I like the home-feel to it, notice the book shelves).
And to add to the grumpy old man feel, the doctor got himself a comfy chair (I think it makes him seem like a wise old mentor of the likes of Merlin).
And to top off the old-man feel to it he has this awkward reaction to hugs.
Nothing I continue to watch Doctor Who until there is no more, because I want to know where this goes. Specially now that we have someone who seems to be pulling strings (a mysterious woman with an awesome sense of fashion).
I like how they went more in depth with the relationship between Madame Vastra and Jenny. They are adorable yet a serious badass couple (the kind of people you are glad to have on your side).
So enjoy the new season and the new Doctor!
Let me know what you think!
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