Doctor Who - The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood

Written by Chris Chibnell
Directed by Ashley Way

Plot: It's the year 2020, a force beneath the Earth's crust isn't too pleased with the humans drilling into their territory and are forced to retaliate.

(S05E08/S05E09) As the fifth season of Doctor Who heads towards its final stretch, we're treated to a two-parter that brings back old villains from The Doctor's past and makes for some pretty decent - if a little underwhelming - entertainment. As a combined story, these two episodes will be looked back with respect for the story they were trying to tell, but I doubt they'll be much rewatch value warranted to 'em.

The Silurians (who made their screen debut back in 1970 with the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee) return to the Whoverse as a consequence of mankind. Granted, not like the humans were intentionally egging them on, but they get the blame anyway. Turns out that this giant drilling thingy Nasreen (guest star Meera Syal) and Tonys (guest star Robert Pugh) has been hitting the oxygen pockets for the Silurians downstairs home, and they aren't taken too kindly to that. So they come up, one abducting a child, Elliot, and bringing it below the earth (where Amy is, havin' been taken hostage relatively early on in the first episode). One Silurian is captured and used as leverage by the humans. From the Silurians point of view, they were the original owners of the earth, and mankind basically kicked them out of the way and took it from them - so, I can get behind their reasoning for not liking humanity. Frankly, I'm surprised we were introduced to some Silurians who were actually intrigued by mankind, and wished to broker some sort of peaceful agreement between the two races.

"The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" rather show the worst of humanity, in a way, and The Doctor makes quick note of that. In the first segment, the captured Silurian Alaya declares she already knows the identity of the one who will inevitably kill her, and doesn't show the slightest bit of surprise when the driven-to-the-edge Ambrose (guest star Nia Roberst) shows up to do the deed. It's sad and unfortunate to realize the possibilities the peace agreement could bring, but it's even more disheartening to see The Doctor's faith in humanity unmet, which I'm sure pissed him off internally (he chose not to show it visibly). The very fact that it's the humans destroying the possibility for peace and now the aliens this time around makes this two-parter stand out amongst the rest.

But then again, the type of characters The Doctor was left with weren't exactly the ideal candidates for a situation like this. Although, perhaps that's the point...

As for the Silurians, I liked them, although I wish their storyline and culture had more time to develop and/or be explained. For two episodes with such titles that instill fear and promise of something spooky, powerful, and big, I was hoping the Silurians would be a bit more animalistic or, ahem, cold-blooded.

Nine episodes in, Matt Smith seemed to be getting the hang of being The Doctor, especially after his magnificent work in "Amy's Choice." Perhaps it's just me, but his performance seemed a little shaken in these installment,, a bit of out sync with what he has thus far established. It was like a small cold that quickly went bye-bye, seeing as how Smith's back with a vengeance in the upcoming episode. Eh, whatev. I still enjoy Smith's Eleventh Doctor, and I did enjoy his work in "Cold Blood" during the moment when he realized a peace agreement wasn't in the cards for right now. After being the focal point of the last episode, Amy gets sidelined in this two-parter, not really playing a integral part of the narrative. She gets captured early on in "Hungry Earth", and gets re-captured in the middle portion of "Cold Blood." However, those last five minutes or so nearly makes up for her lack of screentime - Karen does some magnificent work inside the TARDIS as The Doctor pleads for her to remember Rory and keep those memories. It's chilling but yet beautiful to watch.

Speaking about Rory, poor bloke. Arthur Davil had plenty to do the last two episodes, and similar to Karen, gets sidelined for the most part in this two-parter. I mean, Rory does have a potential moment of a cool storyline - what with being mistaken for a police officer - but that quickly gets thrown away as the story focuses primarily on The Doctor and the Silurians. It rather seemed like his Companions were more or less a burden on the writer than a complimenting factor.

In the end, "The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" were pretty decent episodes, but out of the entire series thus far, it definitely ranks as the last in the 'awesome' category. I guess the premise for "Hungry Earth", in which some sinister force is rising up from the ground, just held with it plenty of super terrifying possibilities, which I wish was delved into more. But the performances were solid, and the conclusion to the storyline satisfactory with a nice hint at what's to come, so overall, I can't complain all that much because they were absolutely two entertaining hours of awesomeness.

Little Notes:

• I know some didn't like it, but I thought it was a cool move to have future Rory & Amy on the opposite hilltop when Current Doctor, Rory & Amy arrived in the first few minutes. Time is perhaps a bigger component of this series of Doctor Who than any other, and I thought that was a neat logical (and of course 'cute') moment. The significance it held later was surprising, and made that moment even more cool.
• If being touched or in close proximity of the 'cracks in space and time' eliminate a person from existence, why doesn't that happen to The Doctor who puts his entire arm into the crack, crouching right next to it in close proximity? Is it a Time Lord thing, as I'm assuming? Whatever, it leads to some entertaining television.
  
• "Cold Blood" could easily do without the voice over narration; it doesn't add anything, really. But from what I can suss out, the voice over takes place near the end of those 1,000 years, and the Head Silurian dude is reminiscing about meeting The Doctor. I think.
• It was interesting that even Ambrose's son Elliot was displeased with her actions, as was her husband.
  

Doctor Who - The Pandorica Opens

Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Toby Haynes

Plot: The Doctor, Amy, and River Song find themselves face to face with the mythological Pandorica, a prison in the form of a box that houses the most dangerous trickster in all of history, and every villain The Doctor's ever faced want to get their hands on it.

"Hello Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news everyone, 'cos guess who?! Ha! Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about. It's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because I'm talking! Now the question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica? Answer - I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me, no plan, no back-up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else, I don't have anything to lose! So! If you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you. And then, and then, do the smart thing. Let somebody else try first."

(S05E12) Beautiful, quick, brilliant, stunning, and frakken awesome are pretty good sentiments to summarize "The Pandorica Opens", the first part of the two-part Series 5 finale. Everything that has proceeded this episode, even the seemingly insignificant stand alone installments, find their place in this mega mind-frak of a stellar episode. Thinking back on the episode days after viewing, it's simply gorgeous how perfectly everything ties together and fits. Of course, I have to wait until this Saturday's finale, "The Big Bang" to see how well everything is weaved as a final product, but if this episode is any indication, I'd say this is perhaps the most well thought out season yet.

Let the "Pandorica Opens" accolades begin!

Steve Moffat is a gifted writer, no doubt. His strength with every facet of a script - words, pacing, characters, originality - has made him one of the most respected writers in the Whoverse, if not in the television landscape in general. Before the season began, he described it as a "dark fairy tale." That description has never been more appropriate than here (with the possible exception of the Weeping Angel storyline), as we have a fairy tale box that contains one of the strongest most ruthless beings in all existence, and a woman who is by all appearances just your ordinary run-of-the-mill Scottish redhead, but may actually be one of the most pivotal women in all of the universe. And where this story has gone and is going, that definitely fits the bill of "dark."

All 45 minutes of this episode is jam-packed with information and plot details. It opens with Vincent Van Gogh painting a vision of a exploding TARDIS, which then we flashforward to Winston Churchill (seen in "Victory of the Daleks") retrieving the painting and subsequently contacting River Song in the future (although this is the third time we get to see her in the series, this is the earliest River we've seen yet in her timeline) who breaks out of prison to locate The Doctor. Oh, and River meets up with Liz 10 in the process (from "The Beast Below" in a awesome cameo).

When The Doctor and Amy finally meet up with River Song at a Roman camp, it turns out she's impersonating Cleopatra! The River character has always been a blast to watch, thanks to actress Alex Kingston and writer Moffat (who has penned all her episodes), and this instance is no exception. Turns out there's some serious stuff about to go down at Stonehenge where the Pandorica is getting ready to open, and all the aliens in the galaxy want in.

Matt Smith totally rocks this episode, showing his confusion, intrigue, and admiration towards the Pandorica splendidly. And when the reveal of what the Pandorica is, Smith's work is absolutely superb. Same goes with Karen Gilllan, who is finally given some utterly FANTASTIC stuff to work with. Her final, jaw-dropping, super intense scene with Rory outside is amazing, and her eyes alone convey all the emotion necessary. Truly some of Karen's best work, possibly since "The Eleventh Hour." Alex Kingston gets to play River a bit more jovial since her last appearance, happy and having fun just being around The Doctor. I hope Kingston can guest star in Series 6.

Now about the final 9 minutes: amazing and simply jaw-dropping. And let's not forget BRILLIANT! Now I'm not a Doctor Who database, but as far as I know, nothing like this has ever been written before, and why not? It's such a simple, brilliant, logical, ingenious idea! Of course all The Doctor's past and most nefarious villains would unite to bring him down. And if you can't kill him, what's the next best thing? Imprisoning your enemy under layers upon layers upon layers of security systems! Locking The Doctor up inside the Pandorica is nothing short of a stroke of sheer brilliance, and it definitely sets up high stakes for the finale.

And what's up with River and what's up with the TARDIS? So from my understanding, there's a invisible external force actually controlling the TARDIS and making it go kablooey? Um, what? Well, never to fear, all things will no doubt be explained in some logical way in the finale...

COMING UP: Saturday brings the Series 5 finale, "The Big Bang." With so many plotlines, elements, and questions that need to be addressed and answered, I can't imagine how everything can be wrapped up in one sturdy little 45-minute episode. So here's hoping that Moffat takes a serialized approach and makes this storyline bleed into Series 6, which would be quite nifty.

Little Notes:

• "Look at me! I'm a target!" Best Doctor Who quote ever?
• Small little question about Rory in this episode: With the revelation that Roman Rory is actually one of the strategically placed robots [unless there's more to Rory's being there, which is quite realistically possible], why would he have memories of his dying? Considering that Rory was then immediately erased from existence would make it difficult for one of the villains to, like mind-wipe Rory or something like that. Or am I missing something?
• Was it not the coolest thing you've ever seen to have all those enemies of The Doctor all housed in one room, watching him get dragged off? AWESOME!

V - The First 6 Episodes

V
Developed by Scott Peters
Based on the 1983 series "V" created by Kenneth Johnson
Starring Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman, Laura Vandervoot, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf
ABC Studios, 42 mins., 12 episode first season

The very idea of a alien invasion story is immediately very enticing. Basically, you announce it, I'm gonna watch it. I love them, and I can't wait to see how the Powers That Be execute the concept. However, with the inception of an alien invasion story, you really gotta have a lot of plot. Your main plot, subplots, subplots under those subplots, and some truly rich and three-dimensional characters. In order to survive cancellation and boast some sort of longevity, a series about aliens really, super-duper need those two big things: 1) lots and lots of stories, and 2) really, really interesting characters. Otherwise, the show is screwed right from the get-go.

I'm not quite sure where the newly re-imagined V series fits yet.

There's definitely room for plenty to develop, and there are hints of strong characters, but I'm not sure if it's enough, and I'm quite worried that with the remaining six episodes they might not be able to pull off the extraordinary. By that, I mean present us with something so amazing, so intriguing I have no choice but to return the next week, or at least mourn its (probable) cancellation like I did for Invasion several years back. (Threshold, not so much; though, I do need to give it another try) As it stands, V boasts some impressive performances, and just enough hints of something pretty damn good to keep me channeling it.

"Pilot" (original airdate: 11/03/09) starts the show off with the goods: the arrival of the 29 Visitor ships at different locations around the world - New York, Egypt, China, Japan, France, etc., etc. And the beautiful face of Anna (Baccarin) announcing herself to the entire world, and their declarations of 'peace'. The big characters of the show are introduced: the blond FBI Agent (Erica), the doubting pastor (Jack), the suit man with mysterious phone calls (Ryan), the rebellious teenager (Tyler), and the ambitious newscaster (Chad). Immediately, the show hits the ground running, and for that, it's a very strong, very plot-driven pilot that nicely sets up the characters and conflicts. My only real disagreement with the episode was it's normal 40 minute running time - a pilot with this grand of scale quite required a longer episode.

With the arrival of the Visitors, the plot fast-forwards three weeks as the outer spaceians are becoming a integrated part of our culture. The citizens have formed two groups - those against the V's and those for the V's. The government and religious centers are trying to come to terms with what this means, politically and spiritually. Chad is given the opportunity to interview Anna, basically the head of all Visitor operations; Tyler becomes aroused by Visitor Lisa who equally is aroused by him; Erica doesn't know what to think about them yet, but remains nonetheless reserved; Father Jack doesn't know what to make of the situation, as far as a alien race existing in God's universe; and Ryan has a secret past that seems to be knocking at his door again.

Right off the bat, within this first episode, lines are being made: there's a Resistance forming - small, but getting organized; and there's a V Peace Ambassador Program created for humans to help the V's. I'm not entirely sure if introducing these elements immediately was the best course of action - if I was the showrunner, there would be more ambiguity in the first few episodes, with no clear right and wrongs. Instead, by episodes end, a twist with a major character is revealed, one of the mains know somethings up and begins a journey to bring the V's down, and a rather prolific guest star receives the short end of the stick. That's a lot of stuff crammed into a 42 minute episode.

The good news is that it works quite well. To its detriment, though, I think the writers brought up too many elements of the overall story too soon. If the entire series run is going to be about the Visitors and their ulterior motives, the show cannot last. I can see this storyline - the Resistance versus Anna - lasting through the season, but a full-blown series? It needs more. But, again, the positives: pretty good casting - I love Scott Wolf as Chad, Baccarin is amazing as Anna, Alan Tudyk kicked major ass, and Laura Vandervoot is beautiful; tight writing, epic score, and ripe with potential. A great pilot.

The following episodes, "There Is No Normal Anymore" (original airdate: 11/10/09), "A Bright New Day" (original airdate: 11/17/09), and "It's Only the Beginning" (original airdate: 11/24/09) aren't amazing by any means, and don't match the "Pilot" in execution, but are still fine additions to a overall mythology. Now that the introduction is over, it's necessary to dedicate episodes to building up intrigue, to be all set-up for the big stuff. The Half-Blood Prince of TV land to the finale's Deathly Hallows, if you will. "There Is No Normal Anymore" doesn't really progress the plot, doesn't really feature a lot of momentum. There's Tyler and his ever increased desire to become the best V Peace Ambassador he can be so Lisa (Vandervoot) can fall in love with him and make little alien spawns of their own....OK, maybe not the spawn part, but the part that makes the spawn part happen. Chad begins to grow a little bit of a backbone, and it's here that he starts to become a interesting and favorable character.

Ryan's storyline doesn't seem to go anywhere. After the revelation of his true species, Ryan spends the second and third episode trying to locate other on-earth Visitors who have left their race behind them. He seeks new recruits for the Fifth Column, the Resistance fighters who oppose the Visitors and know all their dirty little secrets. Erica continues her distrust, Father Jack continues his doubtiness, and Ryan's friend Georgie still hangs around trying to be central to the plot, but really isn't.

"A Bright New Day" shows potential, though. The Visitors are given passports, becoming citizens of the world; Lisa continues her affair with Tyler, but seems to have ulterior motives and her own little cool revelation near the end; and a assassination threat on the Visitors concludes in a semi-predictable but nonetheless enjoyable manner. Oh, and there's a subplot about a grieving widow blaming the Visitors for her husbands death, which leads to a really cool short scene where Anna tries multiple consoling lines.

What the episode achieves is a intriguing plot that nicely meshes the Vs and humans together, the creation of a new also intriguing element to the Lisa/Tyler relationship, and the further advancement of the Visitors in our everyday lives that does create a new sort of jeopardy to the situation. So, not a bad episode overall, just could do with stronger writing and a faster pace.

Due to weird scheduling, ABC placed V on a four month hiatus after "It's Only the Beginning" for the Winter Olympics. So, there was a lot riding on its fourth episode, which could possibly had been its last if ABC just wanted to cancel it right then and there and be done with it. The conclusion is that it falls into "Brand New Day" territory - good, but not living up to its fullest potential. Erica, Ryan, and Father Jake - who've banded together to form their own little Resistance - take out a central property of the Visitors, which just might have some repercussions down the line (if there's any sort of continuity). Tyler is the right candidate for something that Anna and Lisa have brewing, but they remain irritably ambiguous as to what his function is. Chad gets some bad news from the Visitors while doing a story for the station, and that raises some questions for not only Chad, but also the audience.

The episode ends with a twist: unexpectedly - because Visitors can't procreate with humans (supposedly) - Ryan finds out his fiance is pregnant. And yes, with his child; not some random dude from a bar. Even if there was doubt, it's confirmed in the next episode. I can't say I'm exceptionally psyched for this new development, but I'll watch it evolve with interest. I'm sorta getting a Connor/Jasmine vibe from the fourth season of Angel. If you don't get my meaning, shame on you. Remedy this immediately.

V returned two weeks ago with "Welcome to the War" (original airdate: 03/30/10), which really was a episode of set-up. Anna's getting increasingly agitated by the Fifth Column and the Resistance, and her right hand man, Marcus, pleads for more soldiers. Anna concurs, and by episodes end, she assists with that (in one of the creepiest sex scenes I've seen on TV; however, her reptilian teeth were pretty cool). Fifth Column member Joshua gets a lot to work with in this episode, as Anna's crack down on the Resistance nearly costs him his life, but instead her wrath falls on one of his most trusted friends, concluding in quite the sad scene as Joshua must kill him (per Anna's orders). In regards to Erica, Ryan, Jake, Georgie, Tyler, and Lisa - yeah, nothing new, nothing interesting.

Er, scratch that. They do enlist the aid of a mercenary, Kyle Hobbs (Charles Mesure), in "Pound of Flesh" (original airdate: 04/06/10) to bring down the Visitors. Apparently Hobbs is on the FBI's most wanted list, like one of the top names, and the Visitors planted something on him and Erica uses that as leverage to entice Hobbs into joining the team. Reluctantly, he sorta signs on. I don't quite understand the sudden "Holy shit! We need to take this guy out, like, yesterday fast!" attitude the Vs have about this guy, thinking he'll reign hell-fire upon them, but whatever - I'll go with it. Alright, so we got a terrorist dude who wants to kick some V ass - finally, maybe this Resistance we've had forming and forming and forming the last five episodes will start to do some real damage!

Meanwhile, Ryan's fiance is getting really, really hungry, and not in your typical 'I need Burger King, stat!' type of way. So, naturally, Ryan's concerned, and has concluded the only way to save her without killing her is retrieving a very special something something that is only located on V ships. That so fortuitously coincides with the Resistance's need to promote a message that will interrupt Anna's global-wide video feed, a message to call all Resistance fighter to arms. Ryan boards the New York Visitor ship, and displays a bit too much humanistic qualities to get himself caught. Luck is on his side, though, and meets up with Joshua and another Fifth Column member onboard the ship - hope is starting to emerge.

Erica brings Tyler to his father's (?) house (Nicholas Lea, Kyle XY) to stay away from the Vs, but Lisa will have none of that. Georgie boards the Visitor ship to 'save' Ryan, and ends up getting captured and tortured. At night, after Valerie (Ryan's fiance) drinks that super special stuff Ryan stole, we get a rather freaky shot of her stomach as the alien hybrid swiggles around with its tail quite visibly outlined.

So, six episodes in, what's the verdict? Will V survive as a series? If it gets canceled, would it have worked? Is it strong enough? Overall, the answer I'd give is no. Sorry if I seem like I'm repeating myself, but as it stands, there's not enough elements in the plot to keep this baby going. If the intent was the entire time to be a singular season show, akin to the original '83 miniseries, than fine, continue ahead. But if they're thinking up to a season three or even five, I'd be intrigued what they would cook up, but as of right now, there's nothing to hint at a ongoing storyline other than 'we need to fight the Vs.' The best thing this show has going for it are the actors.

Sci-fi TV vet Morena Baccarin of Firefly and Stargate: SG-1 fame is truly chilling and amazing as Visitor Head Honcho Anna. It's her cold, calculating performance and personality that truly keeps me coming back week after week. Another Visitor, Joshua, played by voice actor Mark Hildreth, is mesmerizing onscreen. His character is quite rich with possibilities - a traitor working amongst the Visitors, needing to keep his facade until the battle commences - and his performance mirrors those interesting facets perfectly. When I write this, I'm thinking about his awesome moments in episodes five and six, where he's confronted with a truly emotionally driven sequence, but needs to withhold any and all personal attachments as to not give himself away - including skinning a best friend (if 'friend' is the right word to use in context of the Vs).

Alan Tudyk (also from Firefly) is featured in three episodes, and he was phenomenal in every frame. I just wish and hope he returns to grace V with his typical charming menace. And finally, Scott Wolf (Everwood), who begins the series as a jackass news reporter but ends up with quite the dimension to his character. As in, he's just not a one-note trash-head. He's morally torn, and it's interesting to watch his character make his decisions, and see the results of them. His arc seems to be catching up steam in the next episodes, so I'm quite excited.

As for the other actors, including Lost love Elizabeth Mitchell - less crazy about, although Laura Vandervoot (Smallville) gives a serviceable and childlike performance to her Lisa character.

One final thing - I was surfing the net looking for some good V posters, and came across one with Anna and Erica's faces with a the word 'us' on the left, a big V in the middle, and 'them' on the right. Actually, this poster nicely epitomizes what the storyline is right now, at least in the grander sense. Erica and Tyler seem to be two important people to the Visitors, and Anna and Lisa are two important people to Erica and Tyler, respectively. What the poster illustrates, is that the show is about, first and foremost, family. The Visitors in their emotionless lives who function for maximum efficiency; Erica and Tyler, a broken family who will possibly become united or separated by Anna and Lisa - at least, that's how it's being set up. I could be looking way too much into it, but I thought the poster works. Anyhow...

If the writers can regain the momentum and tight writing of "Pilot", and cultivate a story with multiple avenues to pursue in future seasons, than V just might have a shot at being something special, something that becomes 'can't miss TV'. The trouble is that, according to the ratings, people aren't tuning in, and this very well might be as inevitably canceled as Dollhouse. I will say that I'm intrigued - the show is pretty, there's some great actors, interesting enough storylines, and I didn't watch six episodes to not see the conclusion of this Fifth Column storyline, so I'm sticking with V. I recommend you Fancast the episodes, give it awhile to warm up to you. Just make a small effort to get into it, and if you find yourself not digging the program, fine - not harm, no foul. But I'm personally tired of sci-fi shows getting canceled, and V looks like it just might turn into something grand, so let's show some support. At the very least, boys, you got Morena Baccarin to look at. And an alien invasion story to boot! I'd say those are some pretty strong persuading factors, myself...

Images from VisitorSite.net. And it was simply coincidence two of the three photos has Morena Baccarin in them.

Doctor Who - The Eleventh Hour

Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Adam Smith

(S05E01) I'm a dumbie. I'm a fool. To have any doubts about Steve Moffat and his ability to direct this series, and in Matt Smith concerning his ability to be anything close to good as The Doctor after Tennant (who is my Doctor). Minutes into "The Eleventh Hour", I was already in love. Suffice it to say, I'm immensely happy, and I'm in good spirits. Series 5 of Doctor Who looks to be one of the best - and strongest - yet. And that's saying something, taking into account my high regard of the Davies years.

The episode begins immediately after The Doctor's regeneration inside the TARDIS after "The End of Time, Part Two", with the TARDIS crashing towards Earth. It lands - or rather crashes - on the backyard of a young girl's house. Amelia Pond here name is. The Doctor is a little woozy, still 'cooking' from his regeneration, and Amelia is definitely intrigued by this weird man. She invites him inside for some apples and yogurt, and reveals to The Doctor that there's been a strange noise emanating from a crack in her wall. Unfortunately, his inspection is cut short, as the TARDIS is about to overheat, and if that happens...well, not good things will result. Five minutes, he promises young Amelia.

For some reason or another, the TARDIS arrives back 12 years later. Amelia is now Amy Pond, a grown up 20-something attractive Scottish girl whose a kissogram. Some new revelations that The Doctor has pondered: the weird sounds calling for a 'Patient Zero', yeah, well it's a prison behind the wall and they're looking for this missing prisoner which musta got through this dimension and is currently residing at the house. Turns out The Doctor's right. And now the Atraxi, the alien species looking for Patient Zero, demand the prisoner's return in 20 minutes or the Earth will be incinerated. Fun times for a newly regenerated Doctor.

Writer Steve Moffat had quite a job ahead of him. In this one episode, he had to establish the new Doctor, the new universe, the new TARDIS, the new atmosphere, new direction, new characters, and a alien threat that ties everything together. A introduction to Moffat's Doctor Who, all in 60 minutes. And he did it splendidly. From the opening minutes of a out-of-control TARDIS zipping through London to The Doctor running around outside trying to find Patient Zero and then confronting the Atraxi on top of a hospital - it's a fast-paced episode with a lot crammed in (but doesn't feel like it). Basically, it's brilliant. The dialogue ("Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically...run."), the storyline, Moffat's ability to weave all these tasks into a coherent story without making it feel artificial or forced. One of the greatest DW scripts of the new series.

Well now, for the big decision - Matt Smith. Is he a worthy successor to David Tennant? Yes. Will he be as good as David Tennant? Too early to tell, but I can safely say Smith is my second favorite Doctor. The casting of Smith in the role was my biggest concern, and I needn't of worried. Matt fits this role perfectly, and it seems quite effortless for the actor - right off the bat, he is The Doctor. Karen Gillain as Amy Pond is equally fantastic. For the most part, her role was reactionary and didn't have many moments to shine, but I think she's going to a worthy addition to the list of Doctor companions. Plus she's hot - nothing bad in that.

Murray Gold returns to compose Series 5, and he seems to getting off with a good start. Hints of cues that have come before, with a refined Doctor theme that perfectly fits the mood and energy of this Doctor. Murray, I already want to own the CD; you're fantastic.

So what, if any, were the cons of the episode? The only thing in this basically perfect episode that I don't like, and I don't imagine me warming up to it, is the new opening theme by Murray Gold. The rest of his score is pure gold - I love the new Doctor's theme: it molds a little of the previous incarnations melodies and adds upon it. But this new theme - ugh. It's mysterious of sorts, yes; but it lacks the big 'A new episode of Doctor Who!' momentum the previous themes had. Perhaps, just perhaps, I'll begin to like it, but as of right now, I don't see that happening. However, I got no problems with the visuals: the lightning hitting the TARDIS, the bleak blue vortex of time changing to a orange-ish color, and then the appearance of the new logo - all really damn cool. Just...change the theme...

Doctor Who is back, and it's going to be a phenomenal season. If you haven't gotten on the DW bandwagon, this is a perfect time to do so - a clean slate, a new Doctor, new Companion, and new stories. I'm just giddy with excitement! And finally, I'll leave you with a phenomenal quote from the Series 5 previews:

"There's one thing you never put in a trap, if you're smart. If you have any plans about seeing tomorrow there's one thing you never ever put in a trap. Me."

- The Doctor

Little Notes:

• I love, love, loved the scene on top of the hospital, where The Doctor confronts the Atraxi on their whole 'incinerate the Earth' plan. When the Atraxi searches Earth databanks via hologram, and recorded footage of old Time Lord foes (I recognized the Cyberman and the Sycorax) to shots of all the previous Doctors, concluding with Matt Smith's face walking through the hologram and delivering his kick-ass line. Awesomeness!
• The Doctor opens the TARDIS doors with a snap of his finger, a reference to the two-part Series 4 adventure, "The Silence of the Library" and "Forest of the Dead." Additionally, there's a dialogue reference to "Blink", with The Doctor saying "wibbley wobbly".
• Amy is about to get married, a running motif with Doctor Who episodes. Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and all her wedding problems from Series 3 onwards. Martha and her relationship changes - the doctor (Tony was his name?), and then Mickey (?).