Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi Brings a Fresh Face to an Old Legend with Deep Breath.


Peter Capaldi's official debut as The Doctor in Deep Breath brings with it a breath of fresh air.
"It's covered in lines, but I didn't do the frowning.  Who frowned me this face?" - The Doctor - Doctor Who, S08E01 Deep Breath.




Series 8b of Doctor Who had some great aspects to it.  Standout episodes, and shocking moments were scattered across the eight episode arc.  It was, unfortunately, effected by two glaring issues: plotting and character development.  The former perhaps even causing the latter.  Much of the season revolved around the Doctor's death, and how Clara factored into this.  Each episode nodded at the questions to keep us reminded that there was in fact a semblance of serialization.  I'm making it out to be worse than it actually was, but regardless the end product relied heavily on Deus Ex Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) without truly developing her as a character.  Clara Oswin Oswald, the Impossible Girl, the walking question mark.  The show's writing staff decided to focus on who she might be rather than who she actually was.  And without any blame belonging to Jenna Coleman the character seemed to weigh down the show.

With series eight, however, Moffat and Co seem to have made a conscious decision to advert the doctor's old sins.  It all could have happened a bit more in the background, but the change is welcome.  This writing change seems to be directly linked to who Peter Capaldi is as an actor.  On screen we see Capaldi warm to the role, as the Doctor warms to his new face.  With the choosing of a doubly "old face", which nods to both the actor's age and his previous roles in the Doctor Who Universe, the Doctor must come to terms with the fact that he cannot pretend to be a dashing young man any more.  His hair is gray, his face wrinkled, and his voice distinctly Scottish. Initially, the Doctor has difficulty making sense of his surroundings, both living and inanimate.  Humorously, he confuses Clara and Strax before working a plan to handle the dinosaur causing havoc.  Before he can do anything about it the T-Rex is incinerated by a clockwork man.  That part isn't all too important, and I won't spoil all the episode's plot.

As the Doctor comes into his senses, Peter Capaldi truly comes into his own and begins to shape his doctor's personality.  Leaving no assumptions to be made, he tells Clara he isn't her boyfriend, he is not a young dashing fellow, and he is finally going to admit he has done horrible things in his time.  Comparing this to Matt Smith's 50th anniversary title as "the man who forgets", it is a welcome change.  The main villain of the episode, a variation on the clockwork androids from The Girl in the Fireplace, is skillfully used to raise a moral dilemma.  The Doctor realizes that the cyborg must die, and he accepts that he may have to do it himself.  The droid keeps referencing the desire to see a "promise land", and it is largely implied dying will get him there.  Yet he declares, "Suicide is against my basic programming."  The Doctor, knowing what he must do, says, "murder is against mine."

The true weight of this dilemma stems from the audience's limited perspective.  The viewer never finds out if the robot is killed or if he committed suicide, and we begin to question how far this new doctor will go.  Much credit belongs to Capaldi, who shows off some some serious acting chops.  The viewer is convinced that he both abhors the act of killing, yet that he is willing to do it for the greater good.  It has only been one episode, and it is far too early to call anything, but number twelve could bring a great moral conflict into center stage.  Not that the Doctor hasn't done dark deeds in recent memory, merely that they paired with the energy of Smith and Tennant.

Vastra, Jenny, and Strax are all present in Deep Breath providing mainly comic relief.  In a few scenes they serve as a decent foil for Clara, and perhaps are part of the reason she is developed so much.  All the other eccentricities from past doctor's are present, and the whole affair is played with a smile.  For now, it seems the show has kept what works - cool monsters, fast dialog, and a light heated mood - but has dropped the romantic sub plots, and flirting, for a more honest depiction of a two thousand year old man.  A step in the right direction by all accounts.  Here's hoping we don't fall into murky water and run back the other way.

Labels: , , , ,