The Magician's Apprentice

"Davros knows. Davros remembers."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19th September 2015

Series: 9.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

When the skies of Earth are frozen by a mysterious alien force, Clara needs her friend. But where is the Doctor, and what is he hiding from? As past deeds come back to haunt him, old enemies will come face-to-face, and for the Doctor and Clara survival seems impossible... 

Verdict 

The Magician's Apprentice was a simply phenomenal series opener! I was left in shock more than once and I must say that Steven Moffat has treated us all wonderfully with this episode! How audacious was he to throw in Davros as a child before his disfigurement before the opening titles even hit! That moment was worthy of a series finale cliffhanger but he used it to kick off the series with an incredible bang. Just the thought of a Davros origin story is wonderful but now we're getting it! How they managed to keep the surprise return of Davros secret I'm not sure but I'm incredibly glad they did because that moment was simply divine. The continuity from The Stolen Earth/Journey's End was very good in regards to the appearance though I do hope that in the second part we get an explanation as to how he survived. Speaking of survival, the return of Missy was marvellous. Michelle Gomez is absolutely magnificent! I do adore her and I hope the Master stays female for as long as she's willing to play the part. She's so raunchy, bonkers and evil - it's great! The way she revealed her return was excellent with her catchy song playing once again. The reference to Death in Heaven was good and I loved how heartless she was in talking about Danny's death. She'd also made the planes stop which was a bit random. A simple time stop as she dubbed it. It was lovely to see Jenna Coleman once again as Clara and I'm so glad that she stayed on for another series, which of course will now be her last. I'll be sad to see her go but she'll have done three series by the end of this one so I can't complain with that for a run! The story of the Doctor in this episode was very intriguing especially after the prologue and The Doctor's Meditation. For whatever reason, in the first incarnation of his new regeneration cycle, the Doctor had accepted that tomorrow would be his last day. Colony Sarff hunting across time and space to deliver a message to the Doctor from Davros was very interesting. The man was quite awful to look at and his true snake format was quite disturbing but now, after all these years and on his deathbed, Davros knew and Davros remembered. He'd kept the sonic screwdriver all this time from when he was just a child on the battlefront. The hand mines were good and I think they'll have some part to play in the reasoning for Davros having one eye but where we would assume his eyes should be are still visible. The Doctor's reaction to having been brought to Skaro was superb and I loved how Missy realised that the ship was not in space at all. I really loved Clara and Missy's relationship in this story. The former stood up to the latter which was lovely but they somehow seemed to get along. Clara genuinely seemed gutted when she realised that the friend the Doctor had sent his confession dial to wasn't her but the woman who constantly tries to kill him. It was a brilliant stance to think from Missy's perspective when she said that the Doctor's always trying to kill her! Was it really as simple as being their texting though? I feel there's something more to that friendship. Missy's reaction to the Doctor saying Davros was his arch enemy was beautiful. A really great moment. The return of the Dalek puppets in the shape of Bors was very good and despite their criticism since debuting in Asylum of the Daleks, I really like the concept. I loved the way Kate was looking for the Doctor and the references to The Masque of Mandragora and the trio of Atlantis stories were bliss. The appearances of many alien species was fantastic with the Sycorax, Hath, Ood and even a Blowfish seen! The return to the Shadow Proclamation was outstanding and I loved how it didn't seem to have altered much at all since The Stolen Earth. The moment the 1960s Dalek emerged on Skaro was a magnificent throwback to The Daleks and it was marvellous to see numerous designs from over the years. I'm sure they'll be more prominent in the next episode. The use of the dialogue from Genesis of the Daleks was simply sensational from Moffat. It's beyond genius and poses the Twelfth Doctor a very difficult question that lead into the cliffhanger. Could he really kill Davros as a child? He just watched the Daleks extermimate Missy and Clara. So would he do it? I can't wait to find out! This was simply sublime. Bring on The Witch's Familiar, which is of course where the rating will feature.