Series 7 Mini Review
From Pond Life to "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"...
~ POND LIFE ~
After all the trailers & hints about Series 7, we were treated with five mini-mini-episodes leading up to "Asylum of the Daleks."
Impressions: For the most part, fun little peeks into Amy & Rory's life and the Doctor's part in it from April to August. It was definitely worth it to see the Doctor recording some "backing vocals" in a blue backwards cap. "May" (Part 2) had brilliant comedic timing along with a little tie into "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship." I was quite impressed & moved as well by Matt Smith's acting, as per usual. I'm always surprised by his ability to embody the persona of a 5 year old one minute then put on the worried expression of an over 900 year old Time Lord the next. The innocent nature of his arrival & tone of voice as he left the message on Amy's answering machine about stopping by their house while they were out and asking if everything was all right, melted my heart.
In the end: What I took away from this little pre-series was an intriguing introduction into what was to come in Series 7 and the premiere episode, "Asylum of the Daleks." Also, it gave me hope for what was to come from the direction of Saul Metzstein and writing of Chris Chibnall. It was a cute little pre-series that further revealed the Doctor's relationship with the Ponds and his deep love for them.
~ ASYLUM OF THE DALEKS ~
The long-awaited & hyped Series 7 Premiere episode of Doctor Who finally hits our television screens (or for me, my laptop screen).
Impressions: I'm in the minority as I was quite underwhelmed by "Asylum of the Daleks." I'm normally a huge fan of Moffat's work, but for some reason, this episode left me feeling a bit "meh" for the most part. This episode was not without its merits, however. In his attempt to make the Daleks scary again, he created the creepy Dalek human puppets, a smart addition to the longstanding Daleks. I've never been a Dalek fan, but I can see that this not only contributed well to the Dalek stories and was a significant improvement since "Victory to the Daleks," but it also hearkened back to the classics as well. Although I was not completely surprised by the unannounced appearance of Jenna-Louise Coleman (someone posted about it before I got to watch it), I was surprised by her performance. It was a smart move by Moffat to include her in this first episode and she played the character smartly. I caught on to the "Where'd you get the milk?" indication quite early on was not surprised when they revealed where & who Oswin truly wfeeling a bit "meh" for the most part. This episode was not without its merits, however. In his attempt to make the Daleks scary again, he created the creepy Dalek human puppets, a smart addition to the longstanding Daleks. I've never been a Dalek fan, but I can see that this not only contributed well to the Dalek stories and was a significant improvement since "Victory to the Daleks," but it also hearkened back to the classics as well. Although I was not completely surprised by the unannounced appearance of Jenna-Louise Coleman (someone posted about it before I got to watch it), I was surprised by her performance. It was a smart move by Moffat to include her in this first as. The ending relied so much on being surprised by her reveal, being scared of the Daleks, and/or the deliverance of the scene, but none of those conditions worked with me. The deliverance (editing & cinematography) was decent enough but I think there might have been more impact if we could have seen Oswin's physical Dalek form within some of the shots. The operation/puppetry and some of the vocalization of the Daleks still make them appear a bit silly to me as well. (Listen, if you want to instill the idea that these are horrible aliens within deadly tanks, stop making their eye stalks hop up and down or totter their bodies around side to side when they talk. The fact that they can't efficiently control their own machines lowers the "scary" factor. Also, the voice is getting a bit stereotypically predictable. Give it meaning & purpose again please, otherwise it just sounds silly. *end side rant*) Karen Gillan & Arthur Darvill gave an impressively emotive performance during the scene where Amy was confronted to reveal she couldn't have children. That scene might have been the one that worked wholly the best, through the acting, reveal, to the indication of the Doctor's role to Amy and Rory. I was quite jarred (in the good sense) by Matt's acting as the Doctor screamed for help whilst being cornered by the intensive care Daleks. It's definitely a stand-out moment throughout Matt's entire reign as the Doctor so far for me. Matt's acting carried that scene, because the Daleks in the intensive care unit alone were not scary. I'd have liked if you could see more of how battle-scarred and mentally damaged they were especially in the Intensive Care section. (Plus, props/effects need to figure out how to make chains look like they're snapping under strong pressure.) I also didn't think the Rory "Eggs" scene was necessary for the ending scene because it seemed quite apparent that the malfunctioning Dalek was trying to say "exterminate." It just made it more obvious for the ending. A lot of people liked it though, so maybe that's just me. I suppose that's a bit of an insignificant detail, but there was a culmination of little details that bothered me because they were left too exposed for me to notice.
In the end: I'm still not afraid of the Daleks. Perhaps children are, and that's considered a success, but I really wanted to like the Daleks as much as others and truly understand their frightening aspects. I wanted, at least, to enjoy some intriguing aspect about the mindset of the Daleks or be chilled by the madness of the Asylum Daleks but wasn't. As much as how emotionally this episode should have triggered a response in me as an audience and a fan, I couldn't really be moved much. The acting made a lot of it work out, but it needed more to give it its proper effect & impact. Perhaps I was spoiled too much by the trailers, promotional photos, & official announcements, or maybe not watching it from my living room sofa on the television set affected the proper ambiance a bit. Whatever the case, even re-watching the episode several times has produced little improvement on my opinion of "Asylum of the Daleks." Although I still cannot fully appreciate this episode as I'd like to, I look forward to what the seeds that have been sown in this episode will produce in future episodes and the development between Matt Smith's Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman's character.
~ "Asylum of the Daleks" PREQUEL ~
AFTER "Asylum of the Daleks" aired, iTunes & Amazon Instant Video provided a 2-3 minute prequel to the first episode.
Impressions: Why was this not aired before "Asylum of the Daleks"? And why did I like this so much more than the actual episode? At first, I was expecting a more lighthearted prequel, like "Pond Life" had been, but I was gratifyingly surprised. The tone changed in a heartbeat from a bit of humour to tension & suspicion. Then it became eerie at the prospect of the Doctor not having control within his own dreams to being driven to unwillingly utter the name, "Skaro." The writing was perfect for Matt through & through. The smile he gave when the hooded messenger waved all the other customers away just shouted, "Who the @(*#& are you?" It seems there was something quite clever hidden in the dialogue as well.
In the end: I think this might have made a better introduction to "Asylum of the Daleks." It gave me chills, as it ought to have. I'm curious as to the place where the hooded figure took the Doctor after the tea room and what that might bring in the future. This prequel also makes me think that perhaps this might have been one of the many scenes that were taken out of "Asylum of the Daleks" in order for it to be one 50 minute episode. This prequel also stands brilliantly alone and I look forward to more eeriness on this level in the future.
~ DINOSAURS ON A SPACESHIP ~
The title and concept are sure to bring a smile to your face, it's the second episode that promises a romp.
Impressions: Laughs throughout. This episode delivered what we (or rather I) desperately needed from this new series of Doctor Who. I was surprised at the brilliance & cohesion of the cast & characters of this episode. They introduced around 4 key characters quite successfully, in my opinion. Out of the four, Riann Steele, playing Queen Nefertiti, might have been the weakest of the cast, but not so much that it merited a lot of bother over. I've only seen Rupert Graves in Sherlock, so I wasn't sure how he'd play other types of characters but I quite enjoyed his John Riddell. He didn't over-play it into a cheesy caricature but at the same time, he stood out as a distinct & likable character. Mark Williams, playing Rory's dad, Brian, eased his way so seamlessly into the Amy & Rory's lives. You got the sense that he was always there, the father of Rory, it just made sense. There was comedic gold in the chemistry between Brian, Rory, and the Doctor. Moments like when they teleported randomly on the beach, Brian's breakdown then dashing out a trowel was just one of those fantastic moments. Practically every scene they had was quite wonderful. Solomon, as played by David Bradley, was properly sinister, cruel, and nasty in a somewhat undertone way. There's so many things I love about this episode, I don't think there was a scene I didn't like. I was also happy to see the "sort of" return of the Silurians. Some select things that intrigued me into future episodes were the Doctor's decision to leave Solomon to the missiles, the Doctor's visiting situation with the Ponds, and that moment Amy said "Or visa versa" and the Doctor gave her this look as if to say, "Don't you ever say that."
In the end: It was like "Who gives a @#(*&! IT'S DINOSAURS ON A SPACESHIP!" Which I love. People can complain about this and that about this episode, but this is one of the things I absolutely love about Doctor Who. Whatever ridiculousness the concept of this show and the situation may be, it can make sense & be absolutely wonderful. About the dark undertones that some critics have been saying were too dark/disturbing, although it may have been a little bit surprising, I think it brought us "down to earth." And why not? The Doctor has been dark before (look at Ten's era), and these were legitimate issues to be brought up, from the Doctor letting Solomon die to the issue of slave trade. For such an episode of Doctor Who to give me so much laughter then heartbreak for the death of Tricey then warmth as Brian looked down upon Earth whilst having a snack from the TARDIS, I give this episode top marks. Whatever little inconsistencies there may be in this episode, the overall greatness of the episode supersedes them. For the majority of the issues brought up by critics so far, though, I have been able to debunk them or dismiss them as unimportant/inconsequential. By the evidence of this episode, I'm impressed & look forward to more Doctor Who directed by Saul Metzstein. Also, way to go Chris Chibnall & Steven Moffat!