An impressive debut for Whittaker and Chibnall. Right off the bat, it's strikingly different in tone from Moffat's larger-than-life, bombastic fairy tales, more grounded even than Russell T. Davies's take -- but simultaneously visually stunning, with beautiful location work in the opening scenes. I felt it sometimes went a little too far in having the Doctor explain everything about herself, leaving little in the way of mystery for her companions or for new viewers, but I did like how it was more thoughtful and introspective than the Moffat era with its greater focus on emotion and showy cleverness. There were some interesting, novel insights into how it feels to go through regeneration -- and "novel" is a fitting word, because that kind of insight into the internal experience of a character is rather novelistic. This is definitely a new approach to
Doctor Who, and just the sort of contrast I was hoping for after the Moffat years. Moffat's stuff was a wild, fun ride, but it tended to repeat the same notes after a while, and a change of pace and tone is very much appreciated.
Whittaker was superb as the Doctor, capturing the essence of the character quite well while bringing her own voice and style to it. Just as Capaldi's Doctor (the first of the new regeneration cycle) resembled the First Doctor in some ways (as I mentioned this morning way back in post #13), there's an echo of the Second Doctor in Whittaker's slightly scattered, fallible, but inventive persona, a seemingly unassuming sort who ends up inevitably taking charge through sheer knowledge and nerve. But she's warmer and more outgoing, gathering a large group of friends around her in a way we've rarely seen before. We haven't seen a team of companions this large since the Fifth Doctor, but most of his companions were there by accident or necessity.
I think this is the seventh time a Doctor's post-regeneration adventure has taken place primarily or wholly on present-day Earth, after "Spearhead from Space," "Robot," the McGann movie, "Rose," "The Christmas Invasion," and "The Eleventh Hour" ("Castrovalva" started there but didn't stay long). "Deep Breath" is the only one set in Earth's past. "The Power of the Daleks," "Castrovalva," "The Twin Dilemma," and "Time and the Rani" all took place on other planets.
I'm going to miss Murray Gold's rich orchestral scores. The new music didn't bother me, but it didn't stand out for me either.
"It's been a long time since I bought women's clothes," huh? I guess maybe the Doctor previously bought clothes for Susan. Anyway, it's a good thing she didn't say she'd never
worn women's clothes, because the Second Doctor was known to disguise himself in drag on occasion.
I'm afraid I saw Grace's death coming a mile away, since she was the only one of the group of four locals that wasn't one of the announced regular companions.
Wonderful episode. The story was on the light side but it was a lovely introduction for The Thirteenth Doctor and her companions Yaz, Ryan, and Graham (I'm not sold on the whole "Let's call them friends instead!" thing).
"I'm calling you Yaz, because we're friends now." I loved that.
Considering how we didn't get the TARDIS and the episode ended on a cliffhanger without the companions actually committing to traveling with The Doctor, Chibnall didn't want to (re)introduce everything all at once.
Might be interesting if they echoed Baker's first season and had the characters chasing after the TARDIS for a few stories.
I also believe this is the first Doctor introductory episode not to carry immediately after the regeneration since The Third Doctor. Instead, the episode took its time presenting the story through the eyes of the three companions before introducing The Thirteenth Doctor ten minutes in, which was a refreshing take on the introductory episode.
"Rose" focused on its title character for the first several minutes before the Doctor showed up. "Deep Breath" opened on Vastra, Jenny, and Strax as they dealt with a situation that eventually turned out to have the Doctor involved.
Am I right in remembering that The Thirteenth Doctor telling Yaz that she carries her family with her wherever she goes echoes what The Second Doctor said to Victoria in Tomb of the Cybermen? Or am I thinking of a different Doctor in another story?
VICTORIA: You probably can't remember your family.
DOCTOR: Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that's the point, really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they sleep in my mind, and I forget.
The show seems like it's designed solely for a new generation and not for someone like me who was brought into the franchise in 2005 (Never mind fans of Classic Who).
I've been a fan since they started rerunning Tom Baker in the mid-'80s. Heck, in some ways, this felt more like Classic Who than anything in the Moffat era.
Anyone else notice Graham said Aliens aren't real? did they just retool the entire show and throw out the last 13 years
Hardly the first time
Doctor Who has done that. Moffat used the Cracks in Time to wipe out the public's knowledge of aliens from the Davies era. And in the Davies era and
Torchwood, most people dismissed the alien invasions as hoaxes or mass hysteria. Not to mention all the times that present-day characters in the classic series continued to disbelieve in aliens well after the spate of invasions during the UNIT era.
Hopefully it grows on me with time. It's kind of nice having her build the sonic on-screen, gives a little more ownership (or whatever the proper word would be...) to it. Companions are OK but like everything in this episode, I'm not sold yet.
