I tend to pace when I am frustrated, angry, or emotional. Today, after watching Deep Breath I was all three.

 

 

This episode really doesn't go together right. The first half is hilarious, with the Doctor acting practically senile, but the second half is so dark it doesn't contrast right with it.

 

I also didn't actually care for Capaldi until halfway through. His Doctor was acting far too much like Matt Smith or David Tennant's and that really worried me. If this Doctor was too similar to the previous two I would lose interest rather quickly. But he pulled through come that second half, even though I am not entirely familiar with him. You see, even though Capaldi's doctor is flung across the screen in front of us we still only vaguely know him. You may think I sound stupid since it is only the first episode with him, and it would be impossible to truly understand him yet, but we still don't even understand him enough after a first episode.

 

Some other fans, including a friend of mine who wouldn't stop texting me during the show (grrr) remarked that they couldn't understand him. I couldn't either. He seemed to mumble his lines and I didn't like that.

 

But for once Clara was the best thing about the episode. I absolutely adored her scenes and she showed a strength I had not yet seen. I loved her and if Jenna Louis-Coleman keeps delivering performance like this, I will be sad to see her go. 

 

The villains were boring and reminded me both of The Girl In The Fireplace episode and the classic Talons of Weng Chiang serial, which was sad considering that those were both brilliant stories. 

 

I liked the appearance from the Paternoster Gang but didn't find them necessary. Strax was quite funny though, especially when he knocked Clara in the face with a newspaper (which really needs to be a gif). 

 

I do think Moffat chose wisely to make the Daleks be this Doctor's second villains. He needs a familiar face(s) to complain about. 

 

Ahh, this episode was good but I want my Eleventh Doctor back, which wasn't helped at all by giving Matt Smith a cameo at the end of the episode, which I thought was a stupid move and was just Moffat trying to be a tearjerker. He should be distancing the audience from the last Doctor not giving him cameos, and making him the real hero of the story.

 

3.5 Stars

 

This episode was extremely dark and good in that respect, but if this season is going to work, some things are going to have to change.

 

I might update this with more thoughts on the episode once I rewatch it.