The Doctor will see you now...
Premise
Doctor Who is a story of a time travelling alien who looks like a human, but has two hearts and can travel in time and space. His mode of transportation is a TARDIS. Short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. A time machine that looks like a ’50s blue police help box from the United Kingdom.
When you have the ability to do that, instead of wrecking havoc with that immense power, the Doctor chooses to be the guardian of planet Earth and in his spare time, solves the universe’s problems.
But an over 900-year-old being too gets lonely. This is why the Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi (this time), makes friends, companions, partners for the adventures.
That is the best part of the tenth season of the 2005 revival of over 50-year-old series. Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie, is one of the more curious ones. Because of her, the show went back to its original setting where the Doctor is actually a teacher and helps Bill understand the intricacies of the universe. This time, the Doctor also has a secondary companion. Nardole is a cyborg, played by Matt Lucas. He was employed by Dr River Song (The Doctor’s wife) and for now he is the Doctor’s only connection to her.
The premise is very simple. There is a time machine, the pilot is a time lord, and the human companion gets to explore the universe. What happens in between is what the Whovians (this is what fans of the show are called) live for.
Performances
Showrunner Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi have already announced that this is their last season with the time lord. Maybe that is why, the duo, two of the die-hard Doctor Who fanboys, decided to go where it all began. Teaching.
Capaldi’s version of the Doctor seems to have toned down on the acerbic remarks. Because as a teacher to Bill Potts, who BTW gives back as good as she gets, the Doctor cannot afford to lose calm. That acerbic trait seems to have been passed on to Matt Lucas’ Nardole.
Sometimes, one might get a sense of deja vu watching Sherlock when the Doctor is explaining the mysteries of the world to Bill. There are no texts flying in the air, but the dialogue-heavy scenes show Capaldi go off in Benedict Cumberbatch’s style of delivering a dialogue with the speed of a bullet. The pain of living all these years, having to move on from deaths of the people he saw dying, he killed, he saved, is more apparent than ever. Capaldi’s wrinkled face and silver head only add to that agony.
Pearl Mackie is phenomenal. In the three episodes that have been released so far, she steals the scenes from Capaldi and from the monsters they have come across so far. This is the first time the show has an openly gay companion. The scenes that reveal this fact have been done so beautifully, focusing on Mackie’s eyes, that your heart will break when she has to leave her crush behind. Mackie’s Bill is smart, learns quick, and at the moment seems like a perfect prodigy for the Doctor after Martha Jones.
The cinematography of the show is getting sleeker by the day and dialogues are whip-sharp. I won’t dare spoil it for you, but the questions Bill Potts has been asking the Doctor, are the ones all the Whovians discuss over and come up with theories. It is an absolute delight to see the Doctor attempt an answer.
Why Watch
One can begin at this season as the companion is new. Bill is learning her ‘How to be a companion 101’ course and new viewers will benefit from it too. For the casual viewers, it’s one more adventure in space and time. And Whovians, do we need a reason at all?
Why Avoid
Because you don’t like science fiction.
What to do
Watch it. The Doctor is in the teaching mode, you will learn something.
Rating: ***
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 "Television, Doctor Who, Episode Review, Bill Potts, Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas, Steven Moffat, Benedict Cumberbatch")
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