The Pilot

"This is the gateway to everything that ever was, or ever can be."

Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: TV
Broadcast: 15th April 2017
Series: 10.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill, Nardole

Synopsis

The Doctor agrees to tutor Bill, a would-be university student, but a strange puddle and the mysterious disappearance of Bill's friend interrupt the tuition. Will the Doctor, Bill and Nardole get to the bottom of things? Will the Doctor gain a new companion? And what is the Doctor hiding in the vault?

Verdict

The Pilot was a great start to the tenth series of modern Doctor Who but sadly it wasn't quite the phenomenal hit I remembered it being on broadcast. Don't get me wrong, it was still very good and I thoroughly enjoyed but I just couldn't give it the maximum rating I awarded last year on its original airing. With the arrival of the Thirteenth Doctor imminent, I thought I'd better be quick with my annual rewatching of the previous series and this time around I have company in the form of my girlfriend, Gemma. She's a huge fan of the show when Rose Tyler is around and Matt Smith is her favourite Doctor so we have that in common but she never quite got around to watching Peter Capaldi's run so I thought this was a good jumping on point for her. She did like what she watched but sadly she wasn't overly fussed but I do hope her opinion will change as the series unfolds. I think this is a very strong introduction for Bill and there's no messing about when it comes to her meeting the Doctor. They hit it off instantly and I loved the questions she was asking. I do think Moffat went a little overboard with the whole 'she asks questions nobody else ever has' thing but it was still good to see and it often injected a nice bit of humour which is always good. The mystery of the puddle was intriguing and I loved how the Doctor knew that Heather saw what was wrong instantly because of her eye. It was mimicking rather than reflecting. Whatever was inside took over Heather as its pilot but the last conscious thought of her promising not to go to Bill provided an emotional crush story. They weren't in love or anything, they just liked what they saw which was a refreshing take on things. Nardole was great and Matt Lucas really does work well in this story with his quirky and squeamish personality. He's a terrific addition to the TARDIS team. The cameo of the Movellans was superb although I do question the design of the Dalek with it not really being concurrent with Destiny of the Daleks. The idea of the Doctor having Heather and its pilot trawl through the deadliest fire in the universe was good but it was of no use really. It was the scene of where Bill understood what was happening and she had the offer of seeing the universe, but she couldn't accept it. She had found out everything there was to know about the Doctor though but she didn't discover what was in the mysterious vault. The Doctor, thanks to some mocking encouragement from photos of River Song and Susan, would show her the stars despite his duty and promises. He just couldn't resist which was brilliant. The pair worked well already and they were off on their own exploration of the universe. Overall, a very decent start to the series!

Rating: 8/10