Deep Breath

"It's covered in lines, but I didn't do the frowning."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 23 August 2014

Series: 8.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara, Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

Clara is alone in Victorian London with a man she's doesn't know, a dinosaur in the Thames, and a spate of deadly spontaneous combustions. The Doctor has changed. It's time you knew him.

Verdict

Deep Breath was an outstanding episode to kick off the Twelfth Doctor era! Calling it Series 8 feels like it is much longer ago than it actually is and I can't quite believe that it has been a decade since my last viewing of the episode. I have only watched it three times previously (and two of them were on the day of broadcast due to too many family members talking over dialogue the first time around) and I was pleasantly surprised at how much felt new or unseen. I don't think I really got that with any of the modern era rewatch I have been doing with my partner Gemma for the last couple of years intermittently on this blog. Not with the Doctor Who portion of it anyway! This really does serve as a strong opener for Peter Capaldi and it's incredible how different he is immediately as the new incarnation of the Doctor. He's a stark contrast from the youthful and buoyant Eleventh Doctor and that's something Clara really struggles with. I think I definitely benefited from watching in hindsight and far removed from this being current as I know what to expect from the Twelfth Doctor so a lot of what happens here doesn't seem as shocking. I think it's a good move to anchor the eras by having the Paternoster Gang return and I find it amazing that this is their last on screen appearance because they're so good. I love the trio dearly and the comedy they provide is just wonderful. Strax is undoubtedly the highlight with his remarks on how Clara still looked terrible (umm, what?!) after a trick of the light made him think otherwise and his entrance into the larder of the Droids was just amazing. Truly an incredible moment and one of my all time comic moments in the Whoniverse. So good. Vastra having Jenny pose in somewhat chivalrous attire while she was really piecing together the scenes of spontaneous combustion reports was also just delightful. The flirting Vastra was having with Clara was also good and completely understandable. I like how this episode deals with the trauma of regeneration from the perspective of the companion. Rose deals with it pretty well in The Christmas Invasion and the likes of Tegan, Nyssa and Adric are very understanding of the situation in Castrovalva, but Clara doesn't like that her best friend has changed. Might he have been growing into her boyfriend? I thought that was something really positive to explore as whilst there was obvious flirting between the youthful pair, did the Doctor genuinely see her as girlfriend material? The line about the Doctor referring to his previous self as her boyfriend and mentioning it not being her mistake to think of him that way is not something I think I noticed on my prior watches. I like that a lot and it's a touching moment. The vulnerability of the Twelfth Doctor on display here is brilliant. He really does need Clara and despite his aged appearance and greying hair, he is like a child looking for his companion's approval and that's such a dynamic twist. I loved it and I think it's so sweet that he just wants to be seen by the one closest to him. When she gives him a hug it's a lovely moment of validation. The flirting will surely stop and the relationship will change, but they'll still be together. The plot at the heart of the episode with the Droids and harvesting organs was excellent and I love the Half-Face Man. It's a striking design and the autonomous nature of his speech is fantastic. I think it's great fun to have a robot wanting to become a man in almost an opposite desire of the Cybermen. The parallels with The Girl in the Fireplace are great and the post-regeneration is a good way for the Doctor to not completely remember the significance even if some elements were familiar to him. The ambiguity at the end regarding the fate of the Half-Face Man and whether he jumped onto the spire or was pushed was a dark way to explore this new Doctor. Might it be possible for him to have done that? Even having Missy question it at the end was good too as we met her for the first time and she is glorious. Overall, a stunning opener! 

Rating: 10/10