I'll give it 2/10
The Doctor Who Series 8 Scoresheet Thread
2 of 16
Deep Breath 9/10
Enjoyed it way more than I expected. Clara wasn't the only one who needed to get used to the new face, very cleverly done. Vastra and Jenny are the best supporting characters of nuWho for me, but I am sick of the Victorian plotlines. Kudos to Moffat for giving more depth to Clara's character, more than the last few companions really got. Brownie points for getting Matt back. The CGI dinosaur was too massive.
Enjoyed it way more than I expected. Clara wasn't the only one who needed to get used to the new face, very cleverly done. Vastra and Jenny are the best supporting characters of nuWho for me, but I am sick of the Victorian plotlines. Kudos to Moffat for giving more depth to Clara's character, more than the last few companions really got. Brownie points for getting Matt back. The CGI dinosaur was too massive.
Deep Breath 6/10
Might be revised on later viewings, Capaldi was certainly different, in particular his delivery of the lines, very matter of fact and flat in tone compared to his predecessor's more expressive way of communicating. The episode felt a little clunky in places, though the overall tone was a nice change from the zany Matt Smith era (which, when it worked, it worked well)
Capaldi will take some getting used to. Let's see what the next episode does.
Might be revised on later viewings, Capaldi was certainly different, in particular his delivery of the lines, very matter of fact and flat in tone compared to his predecessor's more expressive way of communicating. The episode felt a little clunky in places, though the overall tone was a nice change from the zany Matt Smith era (which, when it worked, it worked well)
Capaldi will take some getting used to. Let's see what the next episode does.
Deep Breath: 8/10
An good opener which introduced Capaldi's Doctor reasonably well.
To start off with, I thought it was a bit slow and I could have done without the Doctor's babbling, but once Clara and the Doctor met up in the Café the plot really started to take off and it became much more enjoyable.
Capaldi's Doctor is promising, but there was no scene which impressed me as much as the "Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically... run." scene in The Eleventh Hour and which really made me think "Oh God, yes. He's the Doctor". Capaldi still feels more distant; more enigmatic. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but I still think we have yet to see Twelve's defining scene.
I'm not sure what I think about the beginnings of the arc. It will be interesting to see how this whole "heaven" thing will pan out.
At the moment, Deep Breath is a solid 8/10, but my opinions have a habit of changing with time and with some rewatches.
An good opener which introduced Capaldi's Doctor reasonably well.
To start off with, I thought it was a bit slow and I could have done without the Doctor's babbling, but once Clara and the Doctor met up in the Café the plot really started to take off and it became much more enjoyable.
Capaldi's Doctor is promising, but there was no scene which impressed me as much as the "Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically... run." scene in The Eleventh Hour and which really made me think "Oh God, yes. He's the Doctor". Capaldi still feels more distant; more enigmatic. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but I still think we have yet to see Twelve's defining scene.
I'm not sure what I think about the beginnings of the arc. It will be interesting to see how this whole "heaven" thing will pan out.
At the moment, Deep Breath is a solid 8/10, but my opinions have a habit of changing with time and with some rewatches.
Deep Breath: 8/10 (on 2nd viewing)
There are a number of complaints about pacing and audibility of Capaldi's accent which I can't agree with. Definitely not going to complain about spending a larger than average amount of time with character interactions than the norm for the past few years, either. Happy to see things slowed down - but we'll have to see what becomes of the 45 minute format.
Paternoster got in the way more than I would have liked and did you hear that Vastra and Jenny are married? Just mentioning it in case you forgot. Titles and theme don't affect Deep Breath itself - but I'm good with the visuals and I'm sure I'll become accustomed to the theme as we go forward.
Capaldi is solid. A gradual transition from TToD 12 to "lying about our programming" 12. Coleman is also on the up and up. Perhaps we didn't need a 75 minute introductory story - but I for one was happy to see DW a bit more fleshed out for the first time in a long time.
I heard a story about Wheatley running off to another project unusually soon after principal photography. Perhaps it affected direction in post.
Daleks ahead! Seek! Locate! Destroy!
There are a number of complaints about pacing and audibility of Capaldi's accent which I can't agree with. Definitely not going to complain about spending a larger than average amount of time with character interactions than the norm for the past few years, either. Happy to see things slowed down - but we'll have to see what becomes of the 45 minute format.
Paternoster got in the way more than I would have liked and did you hear that Vastra and Jenny are married? Just mentioning it in case you forgot. Titles and theme don't affect Deep Breath itself - but I'm good with the visuals and I'm sure I'll become accustomed to the theme as we go forward.
Capaldi is solid. A gradual transition from TToD 12 to "lying about our programming" 12. Coleman is also on the up and up. Perhaps we didn't need a 75 minute introductory story - but I for one was happy to see DW a bit more fleshed out for the first time in a long time.
I heard a story about Wheatley running off to another project unusually soon after principal photography. Perhaps it affected direction in post.
Daleks ahead! Seek! Locate! Destroy!
Deep Breath - 7.5/10
A bit mixed with the first half quite slowly paced and poorly written/directed. Jenny and Vastra manage to mention that they're married about 5 times in 10 minutes! The pacing finally picks up from the restaurant scene onwards with some tense moments and funny dialogue. Not sure why Moffat decided to pointlessly reference Girl in the Fireplace. Clara really owned this episode whereas Capaldi mainly stood in the background and put in a good performance. Matt's appearance was rather lovely and nicely rounded off an acceptable debut for the new Doctor.
A bit mixed with the first half quite slowly paced and poorly written/directed. Jenny and Vastra manage to mention that they're married about 5 times in 10 minutes! The pacing finally picks up from the restaurant scene onwards with some tense moments and funny dialogue. Not sure why Moffat decided to pointlessly reference Girl in the Fireplace. Clara really owned this episode whereas Capaldi mainly stood in the background and put in a good performance. Matt's appearance was rather lovely and nicely rounded off an acceptable debut for the new Doctor.
SERIES 8
Deep Breath - 7/10
With the exception of last series' Asylum of the Daleks, opening episodes are seldom among the highlights of a series. That's probably for the best, as it'd be a shame to say you never did better than what you started with. In the case of Deep Breath, I really hope there's better to come. It's not that it's a particularly bad episode, but it's not anything to write home about on any front.
This was really Clara's episode (or Jenna Coleman's depending on how you look at it). The perspective has definitely shifted back to the companion here, which is a welcome revert after several series and an anniversary year that were so intrinsically oriented towards The Doctor himself. As a character of mystery, it's always best when he's observed from someone else's point of view rather than head-on, and it benefited Deep Breath to give Clara so much attention. It also benefited Clara too, who in the space of the past three episodes in which she has appeared has turned around from being an enigma into a pretty awesome companion.
Credit where credit is due to Peter Capaldi as well. He didn't get an awful amount of time to shine as The Doctor, and the episode spent too long with him as a 'Scot in pyjamas' but he has the signs of absolute greatness. The encounter with the robot guy at the end was particularly formidable, whilst the final scene with Clara was totally endearing - even as a non-hugger he's definitely capable of a warmer side, just one that you have to work a lot harder to glimpse. This is a Doctor with many sides to his persona, which again is a welcome change to Tennant and Smith who were Doctor's who were very open-hearted.
Outside of the lead characters though, the episode struggles to deliver anything else particularly well, and rather offers a wide load of things that feel a bit half-baked. It's nice to see so much there to mull over, but at the same time it all needs a bit of fine tuning. Similarly, Deep Breath struggles with pacing - an issue that has been present in the show since late on in Series 6. Only here, we ended up with the complete opposite of the usual issue, as this episode was too long. There was a lot of comedy padding, there was a lot of time spent meandering around the point and this was all the more impressive (and disappointing) because the villain wasn't particularly well fleshed out (pun not intended), the references to The Girl in the Fireplace felt a bit random, and the plot didn't get going for a good twenty minutes. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the series adjusts back to the 45 minute formula we haven't seen since the end of Series 7, and hopefully things have improved since the pacing nightmare there. Deep Breath is really no indication either way - it's nearly long enough to be two episodes, but feels like it has just about enough content for one.
Again, there's nothing particularly wrong with this episode. It kind of meets the minimum expectations of an opening episode for a series, but feels so dragged out early on that it gives the impression that it's not as effective or impactful as it was trying to be. The scene involving Matt Smith was probably the best of the lot, but actually because it was Capaldi's best scene actually. There was the interesting tease for the story arc this year, and it feels so refreshingly welcome to have something new to ponder over after we've been led on the constant Silence/Oldest Question/Trenzalore quest for several years now. It feels like Deep Breath was setting a lot of new ideas into motion and I'm just hoping that following episodes will be able to execute them a little bit better. And hopefully we can rest Victorian London for a little while now as well, yes?
PROS AND CONS
+ Capaldi showed all the signs of being a great Doctor.
+ Clara has really developed into a superb companion.
+ The villain had an interesting concept behind it, kinda creepy.
+ Matt Smith's cameo was a welcome, touching scene.
+ Scenes in general were a bit longer, and more dialogue driven.
+ The restaurant scene was very creepy.
+ Strax had his Moment of the Week with "burn him with acid".
+ The story arc tease was interesting.
- The rooftop/horse chase scene looked cheap - I was worried about that for ages.
- The villain wasn't very well developed.
- The episode was actually too long...or it needed more story, either way.
- The size of the dinosaur was just ridiculous and poorly explained with Moffat logic.
DEEP BREATH COMPARED WITH OTHER OPENING EPISODES...
Rose: 7/10
New Earth: 7/10
Smith and Jones: 6/10
Partners in Crime: 8/10
The Eleventh Hour: 8/10
The Impossible Astronaut: 7/10
Asylum of the Daleks: 9/10
Deep Breath: 7/10
Deep Breath - 7/10
With the exception of last series' Asylum of the Daleks, opening episodes are seldom among the highlights of a series. That's probably for the best, as it'd be a shame to say you never did better than what you started with. In the case of Deep Breath, I really hope there's better to come. It's not that it's a particularly bad episode, but it's not anything to write home about on any front.
This was really Clara's episode (or Jenna Coleman's depending on how you look at it). The perspective has definitely shifted back to the companion here, which is a welcome revert after several series and an anniversary year that were so intrinsically oriented towards The Doctor himself. As a character of mystery, it's always best when he's observed from someone else's point of view rather than head-on, and it benefited Deep Breath to give Clara so much attention. It also benefited Clara too, who in the space of the past three episodes in which she has appeared has turned around from being an enigma into a pretty awesome companion.
Credit where credit is due to Peter Capaldi as well. He didn't get an awful amount of time to shine as The Doctor, and the episode spent too long with him as a 'Scot in pyjamas' but he has the signs of absolute greatness. The encounter with the robot guy at the end was particularly formidable, whilst the final scene with Clara was totally endearing - even as a non-hugger he's definitely capable of a warmer side, just one that you have to work a lot harder to glimpse. This is a Doctor with many sides to his persona, which again is a welcome change to Tennant and Smith who were Doctor's who were very open-hearted.
Outside of the lead characters though, the episode struggles to deliver anything else particularly well, and rather offers a wide load of things that feel a bit half-baked. It's nice to see so much there to mull over, but at the same time it all needs a bit of fine tuning. Similarly, Deep Breath struggles with pacing - an issue that has been present in the show since late on in Series 6. Only here, we ended up with the complete opposite of the usual issue, as this episode was too long. There was a lot of comedy padding, there was a lot of time spent meandering around the point and this was all the more impressive (and disappointing) because the villain wasn't particularly well fleshed out (pun not intended), the references to The Girl in the Fireplace felt a bit random, and the plot didn't get going for a good twenty minutes. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the series adjusts back to the 45 minute formula we haven't seen since the end of Series 7, and hopefully things have improved since the pacing nightmare there. Deep Breath is really no indication either way - it's nearly long enough to be two episodes, but feels like it has just about enough content for one.
Again, there's nothing particularly wrong with this episode. It kind of meets the minimum expectations of an opening episode for a series, but feels so dragged out early on that it gives the impression that it's not as effective or impactful as it was trying to be. The scene involving Matt Smith was probably the best of the lot, but actually because it was Capaldi's best scene actually. There was the interesting tease for the story arc this year, and it feels so refreshingly welcome to have something new to ponder over after we've been led on the constant Silence/Oldest Question/Trenzalore quest for several years now. It feels like Deep Breath was setting a lot of new ideas into motion and I'm just hoping that following episodes will be able to execute them a little bit better. And hopefully we can rest Victorian London for a little while now as well, yes?
PROS AND CONS
+ Capaldi showed all the signs of being a great Doctor.
+ Clara has really developed into a superb companion.
+ The villain had an interesting concept behind it, kinda creepy.
+ Matt Smith's cameo was a welcome, touching scene.
+ Scenes in general were a bit longer, and more dialogue driven.
+ The restaurant scene was very creepy.
+ Strax had his Moment of the Week with "burn him with acid".
+ The story arc tease was interesting.
- The rooftop/horse chase scene looked cheap - I was worried about that for ages.
- The villain wasn't very well developed.
- The episode was actually too long...or it needed more story, either way.
- The size of the dinosaur was just ridiculous and poorly explained with Moffat logic.
DEEP BREATH COMPARED WITH OTHER OPENING EPISODES...
Rose: 7/10
New Earth: 7/10
Smith and Jones: 6/10
Partners in Crime: 8/10
The Eleventh Hour: 8/10
The Impossible Astronaut: 7/10
Asylum of the Daleks: 9/10
Deep Breath: 7/10
Deep Breath: 6/10
Capaldi's Doctor is promising. Episode was a bit flat, ponderous and too long for the content on offer. Enjoyed Matt's cameo, the scenes in the restaurant between Clara and the Doctor I enjoyed the most.
Capaldi's Doctor is promising. Episode was a bit flat, ponderous and too long for the content on offer. Enjoyed Matt's cameo, the scenes in the restaurant between Clara and the Doctor I enjoyed the most.
Deep Breath: 6/10
The real main problem for me is that whilst the Eleventh Hour made use of its extra time and crafted a longer story to capture the audiences attention. Deep Breath takes a long time to get going, some of the post regenerative symptoms or whatever you call them were interesting, but mostly it was a bit erratic and unsettling, slightly like Colin Baker. Especially the way that he abandoned Clara, that wasn't nice to see. My thoughts on Peter Capladi are reserved for the moment, I can't judge him yet as it's the first episode and the writers are trying the make the transition a harder one than before. Hopefully the erratic behaviour will end. The villain of the story was a bit wasted, they didn't attack anybody they just stayed in the same lair the whole episode, we only saw one of the times that they retrieved organs from a person and it wasn't enough. It feels slightly as if the monster plot was slightly tacked on to the story about regeneration which to be honest was the main focus of the episode and was the part that worked the best in it. I liked the part with Capaldi in action when he jumps on the Horse and rides to the. Bridge, that was when I actually had some hope for the episode having some decent monster action, but it was a let down unfortunatley. The music used for Capaldi is good, I enjoyed it and it was a nice change to the standard "I Am The Doctor" music from the Matt Smith era.
Full of some interesting concepts, "Deep Breath" is let down slightly as it pulls a "Castrovalva" on us as it uses a large chunk of the first half of its story to show the Doctor overcome his regeneration and adds a story at the end. It could work if they showed the companions and paternoster gang getting involved and investigating as The Doctor recovered, as they did in The Christmas Invasion, but it was a bit of a let down after all the waiting. Hopefully there are some better episodes in the series to come. And the best part of the episode was easily the Matt Smith cameo.
The real main problem for me is that whilst the Eleventh Hour made use of its extra time and crafted a longer story to capture the audiences attention. Deep Breath takes a long time to get going, some of the post regenerative symptoms or whatever you call them were interesting, but mostly it was a bit erratic and unsettling, slightly like Colin Baker. Especially the way that he abandoned Clara, that wasn't nice to see. My thoughts on Peter Capladi are reserved for the moment, I can't judge him yet as it's the first episode and the writers are trying the make the transition a harder one than before. Hopefully the erratic behaviour will end. The villain of the story was a bit wasted, they didn't attack anybody they just stayed in the same lair the whole episode, we only saw one of the times that they retrieved organs from a person and it wasn't enough. It feels slightly as if the monster plot was slightly tacked on to the story about regeneration which to be honest was the main focus of the episode and was the part that worked the best in it. I liked the part with Capaldi in action when he jumps on the Horse and rides to the. Bridge, that was when I actually had some hope for the episode having some decent monster action, but it was a let down unfortunatley. The music used for Capaldi is good, I enjoyed it and it was a nice change to the standard "I Am The Doctor" music from the Matt Smith era.
Full of some interesting concepts, "Deep Breath" is let down slightly as it pulls a "Castrovalva" on us as it uses a large chunk of the first half of its story to show the Doctor overcome his regeneration and adds a story at the end. It could work if they showed the companions and paternoster gang getting involved and investigating as The Doctor recovered, as they did in The Christmas Invasion, but it was a bit of a let down after all the waiting. Hopefully there are some better episodes in the series to come. And the best part of the episode was easily the Matt Smith cameo.
Deep Breath: 3/10
One of the lowest scores I've ever given for an initial watch of a Doctor Who episode...and it utterly pains me to give it. A slow opening half an hour in which Capaldi barely featured and there was too much focus on the irritating Paternoster Gang. When the plot did get going, it was alright at best...glimmers of brilliance buried in amongst a big pile of turd, which is sadly how I felt with most of Matt's stories too. Ironic that Matt's shock cameo was the bit of the episode I enjoyed the most!
Capaldi was good, just would've been nice to see a lot more of him given it was his debut. Hoping things can only get better from this ep onwards.
One of the lowest scores I've ever given for an initial watch of a Doctor Who episode...and it utterly pains me to give it. A slow opening half an hour in which Capaldi barely featured and there was too much focus on the irritating Paternoster Gang. When the plot did get going, it was alright at best...glimmers of brilliance buried in amongst a big pile of turd, which is sadly how I felt with most of Matt's stories too. Ironic that Matt's shock cameo was the bit of the episode I enjoyed the most!
Capaldi was good, just would've been nice to see a lot more of him given it was his debut. Hoping things can only get better from this ep onwards.
7/10
It took far too long for the doctor to feel like the doctor. When it got into it properly, it was great. The villain was pretty weak. But Clara & Gang were really brilliant. A promising start imo...
It took far too long for the doctor to feel like the doctor. When it got into it properly, it was great. The villain was pretty weak. But Clara & Gang were really brilliant. A promising start imo...
Originally Posted by dylanpartyon:
“It took far too long for the doctor to feel like the doctor. When it got into it properly, it was great. The villain was pretty weak. But Clara & Gang were really brilliant. A promising start imo...”
“It took far too long for the doctor to feel like the doctor. When it got into it properly, it was great. The villain was pretty weak. But Clara & Gang were really brilliant. A promising start imo...”
He still doesn't feel like the Doctor to me, but that doesn't take away from this being a pretty great opener. I found the villains very effective for a dialogue-heavy first episode, on point visual and sound effects. But then again we've had some pretty poor villains in recent years, I'll never get over the stupid giant headed dolls.
Deep Breath 8/10
Overall, it would probably have benefitted from just being an hour long - it did drag a little at times, but it's understandable when trying to gradually introduce a new Doctor, and his little quirks.
Loved Peter Capaldi, and that he appears to be moving away from the zanier Matt Smith portrayal (which I also loved, but it's good to see a fresh approach rather than just trying to copy Matt's version). The last ten minutes or so were probably the best part of it, particularly with Matt's brief but welcome cameo - a nice final touch for him (until the next anniversary...
).
As usual, Strax provides some light relief, and it's always great to see him appear. This Paternoster Gang - is that the name used in the show, or a DS thing? As others have said, it'd be nice to move away from Victorian Britain!
Jenna Coleman again stood out, and it would be a shame if she did leave the show soon - it would be interesting to see the relationship with PC develop.
So, a solid start overall, with the Daleks due an outing next week, it'll give a better idea of how Capaldi will fare as the Doctor...
Overall, it would probably have benefitted from just being an hour long - it did drag a little at times, but it's understandable when trying to gradually introduce a new Doctor, and his little quirks.
Loved Peter Capaldi, and that he appears to be moving away from the zanier Matt Smith portrayal (which I also loved, but it's good to see a fresh approach rather than just trying to copy Matt's version). The last ten minutes or so were probably the best part of it, particularly with Matt's brief but welcome cameo - a nice final touch for him (until the next anniversary...
).As usual, Strax provides some light relief, and it's always great to see him appear. This Paternoster Gang - is that the name used in the show, or a DS thing? As others have said, it'd be nice to move away from Victorian Britain!
Jenna Coleman again stood out, and it would be a shame if she did leave the show soon - it would be interesting to see the relationship with PC develop.
So, a solid start overall, with the Daleks due an outing next week, it'll give a better idea of how Capaldi will fare as the Doctor...
Originally Posted by sheff71:
“This Paternoster Gang - is that the name used in the show, or a DS thing?”
“This Paternoster Gang - is that the name used in the show, or a DS thing?”
It's in-show. I believe it originated from one of the prequel episodes where the narrator points out that they live on Paternoster Street or something. It's been used a couple of times since then, including in Deep Breath when Jenny mentions the name to Clara.
Okay so here we go!
Deep Breath 9/10
I went with 9 as my gut reaction after the Premier and despite being fairly certain it'll go down to an 8 on second viewing (which I will do shortly), I'm sticking with my initial judgment.
It was very funny, Peter was excellent as 12 and Jenna absolutely stole the show as Clara. Strax and Jenny were amazing and I have a vehement dislike of Vastra so it was good to see Clara call her out.
The plot was pretty low profile but there were plenty of exceptional moments and great scenes.
Deep Breath 9/10
I went with 9 as my gut reaction after the Premier and despite being fairly certain it'll go down to an 8 on second viewing (which I will do shortly), I'm sticking with my initial judgment.
It was very funny, Peter was excellent as 12 and Jenna absolutely stole the show as Clara. Strax and Jenny were amazing and I have a vehement dislike of Vastra so it was good to see Clara call her out.
The plot was pretty low profile but there were plenty of exceptional moments and great scenes.
Hmmm, this is a tricky one to score. There was a lot to like, but a fair amount that just didn't feel right, and some things that were surprisingly irritating.
The good:
Jenna Coleman - her performance was a marked step up from the previous series. This episode would have crashed and burned entirely if she hadn't delivered, but thankfully she did. Her speech to Vastra and the phone call with 11 at the end are some of her best scenes since Asylum of the Daleks.
Peter Capaldi - I'm not going to fully judge his Doctor so early - Matt was great in his first episode then took a while to fully find his rhythm - but I wasn't disheartened by what I saw. The zany personality in the initial sequence had hints of Smith and Tennant's Doctors, which for me is no bad thing, and didn't seem out of place at all. The Doctor abandoning Clara jarred at the time, but in the end fell on him trusting her as usual, creating some continuity. An interesting performance, and a Doctor who doesn't appear to have shown all his true colours yet. Will be interesting to watch.
The restaurant scene - Peter and Jenna were great in this, and it really made me feel like they will work as a Doctor/companion team.
The scene with the Doctor and the homeless man - probably the best part of Moffat's script, lots of nice nods to the past and poignant lines.
Matt Smith's cameo - really made for the perfect transition, and a reminder of just how good he was.
The bad:
The Paternoster gang - at first they were interesting and fun, now they're just a bit annoying. Far too many mentions of Jenny and Vastra's relationship (they're making an issue and hammering home a point that's already been well made and shouldn't be singled out), and a lot of superfluous stuff with Strax that used to be funny but is now wearing thin.
The villains - creepy idea, but not really particularly menacing in execution, and they didn't really seem to serve much of a purpose. The resolution of their story wasn't particularly climactic either.
The postscript - that woman who claims the Doctor is her boyfriend seems to be Madame Kovarian II - equally annoying from that brief glimpse, and signposting a mystery a bit too much. What has happened to the more subtle and intriguing signposting like Bad Wolf?
The ugly:
The new titles and theme tune - no, just no. Horrendous.
The sound balance - the background music drowned the actors at times.
The direction and editing - very poor in general.
Overall, maybe 7 out of 10 on first viewing - a point knocked off for the theme music and titles, which were so bad they spoilt the first couple of minutes of the programme!
The good:
Jenna Coleman - her performance was a marked step up from the previous series. This episode would have crashed and burned entirely if she hadn't delivered, but thankfully she did. Her speech to Vastra and the phone call with 11 at the end are some of her best scenes since Asylum of the Daleks.
Peter Capaldi - I'm not going to fully judge his Doctor so early - Matt was great in his first episode then took a while to fully find his rhythm - but I wasn't disheartened by what I saw. The zany personality in the initial sequence had hints of Smith and Tennant's Doctors, which for me is no bad thing, and didn't seem out of place at all. The Doctor abandoning Clara jarred at the time, but in the end fell on him trusting her as usual, creating some continuity. An interesting performance, and a Doctor who doesn't appear to have shown all his true colours yet. Will be interesting to watch.
The restaurant scene - Peter and Jenna were great in this, and it really made me feel like they will work as a Doctor/companion team.
The scene with the Doctor and the homeless man - probably the best part of Moffat's script, lots of nice nods to the past and poignant lines.
Matt Smith's cameo - really made for the perfect transition, and a reminder of just how good he was.
The bad:
The Paternoster gang - at first they were interesting and fun, now they're just a bit annoying. Far too many mentions of Jenny and Vastra's relationship (they're making an issue and hammering home a point that's already been well made and shouldn't be singled out), and a lot of superfluous stuff with Strax that used to be funny but is now wearing thin.
The villains - creepy idea, but not really particularly menacing in execution, and they didn't really seem to serve much of a purpose. The resolution of their story wasn't particularly climactic either.
The postscript - that woman who claims the Doctor is her boyfriend seems to be Madame Kovarian II - equally annoying from that brief glimpse, and signposting a mystery a bit too much. What has happened to the more subtle and intriguing signposting like Bad Wolf?
The ugly:
The new titles and theme tune - no, just no. Horrendous.
The sound balance - the background music drowned the actors at times.
The direction and editing - very poor in general.
Overall, maybe 7 out of 10 on first viewing - a point knocked off for the theme music and titles, which were so bad they spoilt the first couple of minutes of the programme!
Only voted Good on the episode thread but after a 2nd viewing on a nice big HD TV rather than a computer screen I'd rate it higher.
So Deep Breath 9/10.
So Deep Breath 9/10.
Deep Breath: 8/10 (revised score)
Into The Dalek: 8/10
A very different episode which proves the Daleks don't have to be threatening the whole of existence all the time in order for them to show that they are a credible threat to it. The episode was well paced and I enjoyed the insight into the Daleks' inner workings. The impact of the small scale nature of this episode though did give me the impression that the episode was shorter than it was however, and I was left wondering "oh, is it over already?" at the end.
This is the only episode for which I actually read one of the scripts, and I am sure there is a scene in there where Rusty teleports on board the Dalek ship and self destructs, taking the ship with it. I wonder what happened to that scene, as without it Rusty's fate is left unresolved, much like the infamous Zygon sub plot in Day of the Doctor. I don't mind the unresolved plot thread all that much, but knowing an ending was thought of I wonder why it wasn't included.
An enjoyably different Dalek episode 8/10
Into The Dalek: 8/10
A very different episode which proves the Daleks don't have to be threatening the whole of existence all the time in order for them to show that they are a credible threat to it. The episode was well paced and I enjoyed the insight into the Daleks' inner workings. The impact of the small scale nature of this episode though did give me the impression that the episode was shorter than it was however, and I was left wondering "oh, is it over already?" at the end.
This is the only episode for which I actually read one of the scripts, and I am sure there is a scene in there where Rusty teleports on board the Dalek ship and self destructs, taking the ship with it. I wonder what happened to that scene, as without it Rusty's fate is left unresolved, much like the infamous Zygon sub plot in Day of the Doctor. I don't mind the unresolved plot thread all that much, but knowing an ending was thought of I wonder why it wasn't included.
An enjoyably different Dalek episode 8/10
2 of 16
