Doctor Who – Time flies when we’re having fun

I have a soft spot for Doctor Who. There’s just no other show that so uniquely combines epic adventure and boisterous fun, and is a show I can watch with my entire family. I especially love that it airs on Saturdays, as a ride in the TARDIS is a perfect diversion after a long work week. While it wasn’t the most whiz-bang episode ever, “The Impossible Astronaut” proved there’s nothing like time spent with The Doctor.

Being the first part of a two-part story set in 1969 America (at least for now), there was more exposition — and there were less genuine scares and surprises — in this episode than I was hoping for. There wasn’t that fantastic moment or visual that will stick in my head. But I can understand why. Not only did this episode have to set up its own story, it also introduced what I expect will be the ongoing thread for season six: the death of The Doctor. Eleven is fatally wounded by a mysterious astronaut (hence the title) mid-regeneration, and is pronounced permanently dead. Though he quickly rejoins us as a younger version of himself, setting up all sorts of fun Terminator-like paradox issues, one has to wonder how the show will address this fact in the future. I don’t see them saying that Matt Smith will be the last Doctor, so I’m curious how they’ll resolve the whole thing without royally cocking up time as we know it. Or maybe they will. Who knows? That’ll be the fun.

But that’s all for another time far, far away (hopefully) and this is now. The Doctor brings Amy, Rory and River Song along as he lands in 1969 Washington, D.C. and offers to help Richard Nixon with the mysterious phone calls he’s been receiving from a little girl about a — you guessed it — spaceman. Seeing earlier America so faithfully recreated and with aliens involved made me think of Dark Skies with love. We meet ex-FBI agent Canton Delaware, who is played by Leverage, Supernatural and BSG alumnus Mark Sheppard (who also narrates the Doctor Who commercials and bumpers). Sheppard is one of those actors who gives a great performance in any role, no matter what the size. He takes a character who could easily be the “clueless wonder” and infuses his trademark deadpan wit to make him memorable. I’m already hoping we see more of him beyond just next week.

We’re introduced to some tricky (and ugly, but aren’t they usually?) new villains who not only can suggest things to you, but can make you forget that they exist. That’s going to be one heck of a problem for Team TARDIS to deal with, as it can essentially make us all minions without a clue, and I look forward to seeing how they’re going to be handled.

What’s not as big a surprise are the two revelations at the end of the episode. Amy’s pregnant, which I suspected would happen from the end of the fifth series onward. The murderous astronaut and the little girl are also revealed to be one and the same. It’s probably because I still remember “The Empty Child” so well, but I had that one figured out by the middle of the episode. It’s not a bad ending — Amy shooting the kid in hopes of saving The Doctor is perfectly understandable — but I was hoping for something that would genuinely shock me.

More than the writing, what makes this episode come alive with that Doctor Who wonderment is the cast. Can we finally admit that Matt Smith is out from under David Tennant‘s long shadow now? Not to disparage Tennant fans, as he was fabulous as the Tenth Doctor, but I’ve really enjoyed watching Smith chew the scenery and be surprisingly intense in equal measure. He’s having great fun,  but his Eleven really conveys how mature The Doctor is. (Just watch his scenes with Michael Gambon in last year’s Christmas special.) I love Tennant, but Smith is right behind him in my book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Alex Kingston as River Song last series; I found her to be a little too theatrical. That seemed to be toned down this episode and as a result, she really grew on me. It’s a testament to Kingston’s acting ability that I watch her here and have a hard time believing that’s the same actress who was a regular of ER. Karen Gillan likewise continues to grow on me and she plays well off Smith. I have a soft spot for Arthur Darvill, because his Rory isn’t just Amy’s accessory, he’s a full part of the story himself. That brings back fond memories of Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith. And I’ve already gushed about Mark Sheppard…but he’s fantastic, isn’t he?

There were a few little things that I didn’t like, but not enough to really be bothered by them. I’m not sure how sold I am on Amy’s opening narration; it’s obviously designed to make this long-running show more accessible to a new audience, which is perfectly understandable, but I’m so used to not having it that it feels jarring. The opening minutes, with the Doctor moving through time, were cute but they felt almost too cute.

BBC America also made a few questionable choices. Did they really need to include a #DoctorWho hashtag reminder on screen? And while I nerd out over the “inside look” clips that the network peppers commercial breaks with, it’s a bit weird to see behind-the-scenes glimpses of segments that the episode hasn’t gotten to yet.

Also, were there any other Futurama fans who had to get used to seeing Nixon as something other than a head in a jar?

This episode reminds me of the fundamental reason why I love Doctor Who. It’s just good fun. I don’t have to think a lot about it, though it can be thought-provoking. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s not too dark (I’m a Torchwood fan as well, but with Children of Earth, that series went from ‘adult-oriented’ to ‘seriously depressing’ for me). How much fun everyone involved is having making the show comes across on screen, and that lends it a certain infectious personality. I might get surprised or even scared along the way (did I mention “The Empty Child” yet?) but I always leave with a smile on my face.

“The Impossible Astronaut” won’t go down as my favorite Who series opener, or one of my favorite Who episodes. But what it did was re-establish to me that between Steven Moffat behind the camera, and this cast in front of it, the franchise is in good hands. I can’t wait to see where we go next.

Clacked by Brittany Frederick
on Apr 24, 2011 @ 21:29 EST5EDT