AFTER the thrilling introduction to a fresh new concept the week before, Doctor Who got back to what it does best, scaring the children back behind their sofas with The Beast Below, Steven Moffat’s tale of Great Britain among the stars and the mystery of what was behind the terrifying Smilers, who will keep small kids away from seaside amusements for this summer at least!
The Doctor takes new companion Amy on her first trip in the TARDIS, something she had dreamt about all her life, and she practically saves the Doctor from committing one of the most horrific acts in his long life, one which seems not to dissimilar to the choice he had to make when he ended the Time War, something which will forever haunt his waking moments.
The Beast Below is classic Doctor Who, it’s got all the elements that make the show tick, memorable scary monsters, funny moments – including the mad scene where the Doctor and Amy are nearly eaten by the space whale are quite literally thrown up and a strong storyline, which in turn brings out rich performances from the main protagonists, but for my money Karen Gillan steals the show.
Although Amy Pond is the latest in a long line of sexy, sassy and feisty (calm it!) female companions she brings something very new to the role, her eyes and experiences are the ones we follow as viewers, but she has known the Doctor since childhood and knows his new form better than he does and the character development is one I am excited to watch as it unravels throughout the series.
The shoes that Matt Smith is filling fit well, you wear them well sir!
On this early evidence, Smith is already fast becoming the most complete incarnation of the Doctor to date and he regularly displays characteristics of all his ten predecessors, the stern turn of Hartnell, the child like fun of Troughton, the dashing approach of Pertwee, the other world alien-ness of Tom Baker, the obvious youthful naivety of Davison, the brash rage of Colin Baker, the mysteriousness of McCoy, the mad professor persona of McGann, the lonely melancholy of Eccleston and manic larger than life streak of David Tennant whilst adding some new qualities to his Doctor. Someone’s been doing his homework.
Speaking of which, something tells me that Moffat has been brushing up on The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and drinking pan galactic gargle blasters as the Space Whale and the Starship UK setting is the kind of thing that was permanently in the minds eye of Douglas Adams.
The opening scene in which the young boy Timmy is plunged to Beast below (sic) just as the Smiler’s expression turns to one of evil menace could have been a fantastic cliffhanger and it wets the appetite for the rest of the episode as the screech greets the TARDIS and the opening credits.
The inclusion of Liz 10, brought to life in a blaze of cockney glory by Sophie Okonedo, was one that bought the story full circle, of course there had to be a ruler on board Starship UK, but one that was not in charge, or so we were made to think.
Children of the nineties were surely thrilled when they saw the Chief being played by The Demon Headmaster himself Terence Hardiman, and at the conclusion the creepiness of the swivel headed Smilers disguises the fact that nobody dies in this episode, a body count so low the NHS would be proud of it, yet it is becoming apart of the staple diet of Steven Moffat’s stories, everybody lives!
Overall first two episodes of Season 31, or Series 5, or is it Series 1 again (?) have definitely been a sturdy start to The Eleventh Doctor’s reign, one of fear and memorable moments which will serve well as the weeks progress, but the cracks are starting to show, only in Amy’s bedroom wall and on the Starship UK and could this have anything to do with Winston Churchill and the shadow of an old enemy looming? Only time will tell.
8/10
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