SPOILERS beyond this point…you have been warned!
Written by Steven Moffatt
Directed by Adam Smith
“I thought…well…I started to think you were just a mad man with a box.”
“Amy Pond, there’s something you better understand about me, ‘cause it’s important and one day your life may depend on it. I am DEFINITELY a mad man with a box!”
An ultra-frentic, electrifying debut for a new Doctor - the entire episode takes place at a pace that can best be described as “barmy”. That said, the newly-regenerated Doctor is equally barmy, so what you’re really getting from The Eleventh Hour is a tale told from the perspective of a man who is slowly fitting all the pieces back together inside his head…and a young lady who slowly realizes that she actually didn’t imagine the magical events of her childhood.
Matt Smith will take some getting used to, but one thing is clear: he certainly isn’t David Tennant, and that’s the way it should be. Just as the iconic Tom Baker was followed by a completely-opposite character in Peter Davison, so Matt Smith takes off on his own path, without imitation, without caricature. Watching him is like watching a man listen to a thousand voices, and trying to focus on the one that he needs at that very moment. He’s unpredictable, slightly petulant, simultaneously innocent-yet-sly, outwardly brash, inwardly insecure, always dangerous. There’s a great deal here to work with, and Smith completely throws himself into the role. I expect great things from this man…
Karen Gillan is more mysterious & harder to figure out…no doubt on purpose. But from what I can gather after three viewings, she has a sense of humour as dry as quality gin, a biting & expressive manner, an air of weariness, and a seductive vulnerability…to say nothing of having the legs of a Radio City Rockette! I think the Doctor has no idea what he’s in for, in the company of a woman who posseses some interesting emotional baggage.
As for the plot…well, best not to think about it too hard. Like most regeneration stories, this is expediency ramped up to 11: the entire point of the story is to introduce the new regular characters, AND throw them up against their first alien menace, AND set the stage for what is to come down the line, later in the season. Even a genius like Steven Moffatt has to juggle the “to do” list, and its remarkable that the end product is as entertaining as it is…but I could have cut about 15 minutes out of the episode, and not lost anything. The food-tasting-and-spitting is cute filler, though you’ll never think of fish sticks & custard the same way again.
That said, the use of pre-teen Amy as a prologue is handled exceptionally well, and does a lot to set up the adult version without excessive exposition…and lets Karen Gillan shine by simply presenting the total package, warts and all, without the need for extra talk-therapy. What is especially wonderful about this set up is the reaction of everyone around Amy to the appearance of her imaginary childhood friend, the “raggedy Doctor”, complete with cartoons, dress up, and cut-out-dolls. Some might call it simple recycling of elements from The Girl in the Fireplace, but there’s a far darker spin at work in this episode.
If you need convincing, watch the scene where she reveals her identity to the Doctor with an impassioned cry of “WHY DID YOU SAY FIVE MINUTES?” So much unspoken pain is delivered in that emotional cry. Another moment comes when, questioned about the name change from Amelia to Amy, she simply mutters that it was “a bit fairy tale”, with just the right amount of wistfulness.
The visual look of the episode is a clash of styles, to put it mildly. From the adult perspective, it’s certainly full of new touches, as director Adam Smith manages to cut a story together with hundreds of lightning fast scenes - warp-speed action, great slapstick comedy, and lots of big bangs. In comparison, the moments of dark, shadowy stillness look & feel more seductive and more potent. This is the mark of a director in full command of his actors and his story.
On the other hand, the story is full of items that seem to have been shipped wholesale from a leftover episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. In particular, the fishy-worminess of Patient Zero & the crystal eye-ball ships of the Atraxi are pure CBBC territory (I half expected the Slitheen to show up). In general, the CGI seems to be skirting kiddie territory far more than usual, which puts it in quite the counterpoint to the rest of this episode. Especially egregious is the character of Rory, who stepped out of the dictionary page where the definition of “wet” can be found. The Sarah Jane gang would run circles around him.
Overall, this was Doctor Who with a case of A.D.D. - almost too much to do in so short a time, and some of the seams show. But it’s also a script plugged full of outstanding dialogue, directed within an inch of its life, and starring two leads who simply KEEP YOU LOOKING AT THEM at all times. Breathless, bonkers, and bananas…with a final ten minutes that opens the door to a new era with a great deal of love, care, and just the right amount of nostalgia. A new era of Doctor Who, possessing a magnificent, fairy tale grace. I believe the Doctor’s first words to his regenerated TARDIS suitably describe this messy triumph: “you sexy thing”.
8
(Really, it’s a 7…but with an added point for Matt Smith’s blazing, screen-filling debut)
