The Impossible Astronaut

"The Doctor's death doesn't frighten me."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 23 April 2011

Series: 6.01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis

Space 1969. The moon landing. And the Doctor is up to something. Sending four envelopes to those he holds closest, the receivers meet up in America. An impossible astronaut looms and the moment the universe has been avoiding occurs. The Doctor dies. Could it be possible?

Verdict

The Impossible Astronaut was an outstanding episode to kick off the sixth series of the modern era of Doctor Who! The rewatch continues with a bang as this is some way to kick off a series. I've obviously watched this episode quite a few times since it was broadcast some thirteen years ago now, but as I'm watching in order and going through again alongside my longtime girlfriend, this feels a bit more powerful as an opener. It does feel a bit like it did on broadcast as there really wasn't any time to breathe. It essentially starts the series with a finale and that's some way to go about things. Within the first fifteen minutes we see the Doctor shot, start to regenerate and is then shot again. Oh, and then as if the finality wasn't enough we see his corpse lit alight. The Time Lord's body was well and truly dead. So how would the Doctor be escaping this one? Watching in hindsight is great because all of the pieces are already put together as the envelopes are all sent and we know who the recipients are, but also the entire arc of the Silence, Amy announcing her pregnancy towards the cliffhanger finish and even River's foreshadowing of events to come in how she first met the Doctor. It really is good fun. The moment the older Doctor sees Amy and Rory again is magnificent and I am really impressed with how well Matt Smith plays the two differently aged versions of his Doctor. He's phenomenal and just cements his place as my favourite incarnation. River shooting his stetson off in the desert was fun stuff as well and every time she makes a return we can't help but proclaim what a woman she is. We're huge River fans on this sofa. I do think she knows a little too much about the TARDIS controls in how she helps the Doctor get it to be invisible, but the value of him walking into it when shielded was tremendous. It's just extremely funny. The Doctor parking the TARDIS inside the Oval Office of the White House is sublime and I liked that we got a little backstory on President Nixon before meeting him fully. His recruiting of Canton Everett Delaware III was nicely done and I'm a big fan of the little girl calling the President direct. The way the Doctor gained the trust of Canton was fantastic and I liked how he got his five minutes to find out where the girl was calling from. It was really clever and I liked the use of the maps. The emergence of the Silence in this episode is just superb. The concept of not remembering them when you look away is excellent in its own right, but the appearance is just a stellar design. Gemma thinks they are one of the scariest designs ever and it's hard to disagree really. It's iconic now but even back then it made such a big impact. The method of killing as demonstrated in the bathroom was also incredible. Their knowledge on the Doctor is intriguing and really sets things up moving forward, and I really like how annoyed the Doctor is by not knowing who sent River, Amy and Rory. He knows they know and he won't trust River, but he does trust Amy which is touching. The cliffhanger finish here after Amy announces the bombshell to the Doctor regarding his pregnancy is outstanding as she sees the emergence of the Astronaut that supposedly killed the Doctor and it's the girl from the phone. Amy doesn't hesitate if it means saving the Doctor's life and shoots straight at her. History unravels and she doesn't think much of the repercussions at all. It's pure drama and it's hard not to love it. Overall, an incredible opener! 

Rating: 10/10