There's something of the Five about him
So I got to see The Eleventh Hour at some ridiculous time last night; internet connection is as slow as treacle up here in Barrie (it's wireless anyway, which is always going to be slower, but this was ridiculous). And...
Spoilers below cut!
The new theme isn't bad, though I did like the last version. Still hate the new logo, though. And the new font for the title credits - awful! But I suppose I'll get used to it. I do actually like the new TARDIS interior, though I'll miss the coral.
But the music! People used to complain about Murray Gold, though I always loved his scores and never found them intrusive. But this score? Mildly irritating at best, but when Eleven and Rory were on the village green and the alien ship was overhead it was awful. Far, far too loud and intrusive and completely over the top. I really hope this won't continue.
The episode itself was reasonably good; as a season opener it's not the best - that's still Rose - and it doesn't come up to the standard of Partners in Crime either. I liked Amy, and Amelia. Amy's going to be a good companion; I really like the way she doesn't put up with Eleven's shit and refuses to do something just because he's told her to. Especially because he can be quite a shit.
I liked Rory too, and did not like the way Eleven talked to him, every bit as insulting and belittling as Nine was with Mickey. Nine at least had an excuse for it - pure jealousy - but here it seems to be even more uncalled-for, especially as Rory was actually doing something pretty intelligent at the time and he helped Eleven to figure it out. I hope this doesn't continue.
The plot itself: standard creepy Moffat stuff, scary creatures behind doors, don't look behind you, coma victims animating and all that - so much regurgitation of previous Moffat episodes, which is a pity. We've seen monsters take over other people's bodies before, too, though I did like that this was Eleven's first sight of himself. I have to say that despite being without his TARDIS and sonic screwdriver, and still recovering from his regeneration, Eleven seemed to have far too easy a time of sorting out Prisoner Zero. Nice touch at the end showing all ten previous Doctors, though that's been done before as well, but it's a nice nod to continuity. Please no more snapping fingers to open the TARDIS door, though!
As for Matt Smith... well. I've been calling him Eleven throughout, not the Doctor, because so far he's not the Doctor for me. That's not an anti-Matt Smith perspective. I went into this episode fully expecting to see him as the Doctor by the end of it. It didn't happen. This feels like another Five for me so far, and that's disappointing. Years ago, I adored Jon Pertwee as Three, was devastated when he regenerated into Four, but by the end of Four's first episode he was already the Doctor, even if not my Doctor. The same happened when Christopher Eccleston handed over to David Tennant.
But when Four became Five the same didn't happen. Five never became the Doctor for me. Oh, if I watch a Five episode now he is a Doctor all right. But for the young me watching all those years ago Five just didn't seem to fit. I started watching sporadically, and by the time he became Six I'd stopped watching completely. Watching Matt Smith last night reminded me of that transition. Maybe it's his age; for me, he still seems to lack the gravitas for the role and it does feel a bit as if he's playacting in someone else's costume - and not just because he was wearing Tennant's outfit for most of the episode.
Give him time, though. He probably needs a few episodes to find his feet in the role, and maybe by then he'll become the Doctor for me. So far, though, the jury's still out.
Spoilers below cut!
The new theme isn't bad, though I did like the last version. Still hate the new logo, though. And the new font for the title credits - awful! But I suppose I'll get used to it. I do actually like the new TARDIS interior, though I'll miss the coral.
But the music! People used to complain about Murray Gold, though I always loved his scores and never found them intrusive. But this score? Mildly irritating at best, but when Eleven and Rory were on the village green and the alien ship was overhead it was awful. Far, far too loud and intrusive and completely over the top. I really hope this won't continue.
The episode itself was reasonably good; as a season opener it's not the best - that's still Rose - and it doesn't come up to the standard of Partners in Crime either. I liked Amy, and Amelia. Amy's going to be a good companion; I really like the way she doesn't put up with Eleven's shit and refuses to do something just because he's told her to. Especially because he can be quite a shit.
I liked Rory too, and did not like the way Eleven talked to him, every bit as insulting and belittling as Nine was with Mickey. Nine at least had an excuse for it - pure jealousy - but here it seems to be even more uncalled-for, especially as Rory was actually doing something pretty intelligent at the time and he helped Eleven to figure it out. I hope this doesn't continue.
The plot itself: standard creepy Moffat stuff, scary creatures behind doors, don't look behind you, coma victims animating and all that - so much regurgitation of previous Moffat episodes, which is a pity. We've seen monsters take over other people's bodies before, too, though I did like that this was Eleven's first sight of himself. I have to say that despite being without his TARDIS and sonic screwdriver, and still recovering from his regeneration, Eleven seemed to have far too easy a time of sorting out Prisoner Zero. Nice touch at the end showing all ten previous Doctors, though that's been done before as well, but it's a nice nod to continuity. Please no more snapping fingers to open the TARDIS door, though!
As for Matt Smith... well. I've been calling him Eleven throughout, not the Doctor, because so far he's not the Doctor for me. That's not an anti-Matt Smith perspective. I went into this episode fully expecting to see him as the Doctor by the end of it. It didn't happen. This feels like another Five for me so far, and that's disappointing. Years ago, I adored Jon Pertwee as Three, was devastated when he regenerated into Four, but by the end of Four's first episode he was already the Doctor, even if not my Doctor. The same happened when Christopher Eccleston handed over to David Tennant.
But when Four became Five the same didn't happen. Five never became the Doctor for me. Oh, if I watch a Five episode now he is a Doctor all right. But for the young me watching all those years ago Five just didn't seem to fit. I started watching sporadically, and by the time he became Six I'd stopped watching completely. Watching Matt Smith last night reminded me of that transition. Maybe it's his age; for me, he still seems to lack the gravitas for the role and it does feel a bit as if he's playacting in someone else's costume - and not just because he was wearing Tennant's outfit for most of the episode.
Give him time, though. He probably needs a few episodes to find his feet in the role, and maybe by then he'll become the Doctor for me. So far, though, the jury's still out.