Re-watched this recently with a friend to introduce her to DW. Her boyfriend and I are on a mission here.

Man, this was my first episode all those years ago! My Doctor! I’ll try to be critical, but honestly, how can I when this is why I’m even here in the first place? 

This is such a good intro episode to the show. The plot is quite simple, but already plays with the key elements of the show, aliens and time travel (of course). Prisoner Zero is not really menacing as a villain (does it even do anything harmful to anyone?), but the Atraxi threat is clear and appropriately high stakes. But that’s not really the important thing here, is it?

Matt Smith (and Steven Moffat, the new showrunner) had gigantic, immense shoes to fill. David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor was an icon, there’s no way to deny it. His last episodes were a big, emotional farewell not only to Ten, but to the whole RTD era. Looking back, I can help but feel like they overdid it with the drama of Ten’s regeneration. I mean, he goes through the stages of grief for like half an hour of television, and his “I don’t wanna go” tells us he doesn’t quite reach acceptance. That probably made Matt’s and Moffat’s work here harder than it had to be, as the new men who were “sauntering away” with the Doctor and the show. But yeah, DT was a tough act to follow: a fantastic actor with huge charisma. Matt Smith does not have huge charisma. He is, and I believe this can be scientifically proven, the source of all charisma in the universe. I really think it’s impossible to not like this guy within 30 seconds of seeing him. And he’s also a fantastic actor. Eleven, much like Ten, has a motormouth, but his performance still manages to keep the dialogue grounded and interesting. The whole way he moves is just fascinating to watch. He talks with his hands, he’s never still. I’ve seen it pointed out that he never just turns left or right, he spins 270 degrees, and that’s true! Oh, and he can deliver badass Doctor veeeery well. Ten was usually either silent, cold fury or yelling outrage; Eleven is more boastful, more prone to big speeches, to open-armed “come and get me” stances. His speech to the Atraxi in this episode already shows it. I remember when I first watched it. The combination of the outfit reveal (another hit), Murray’s ICONIC “I’m the Doctor” (best Doctor theme, no contest), and his delivery of “I am the Doctor. Basically, run” gave me honest to God goosebumps. And didn’t even properly grasp the context of what was happening there, because it was my first ever episode! Apart from the ditzyness, motormouth, “uncoolness”, and unexpected authority, the rest of Eleven’s main traits don’t show up yet, but that’s fine. It is only a 45min episode after all, and he has a whole series ahead of him.

Getting the companion right on the first episode was also important. Our last companion was powerhouse Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, after all. But Amy was also an instant hit. A little girl praying to Santa to help her with the crack in her wall? Loved that. From the start we see that she’s clever, resourceful, rebellious, and brave. And then comes Karen Gillan, and gives us a perfect grown up version of her who is still all those things, but also without purpose or prospects, seemingly settling for the uncomplicated childhood friend Rory more due to inertia than true love (at this point in time, of course!). So when adventure presents itself in the form of her long lost “imaginary friend”, she confronts him for abandoning her, yes, but of course she goes with him. As another reviewer said, we could have done without the kissogram aspect, although Amy is consistently a very flirty character.

Okay, Doctor is check, Amy is check. The last thing they had to nail is their chemistry. Tennant and Tate worked so well together that they’re friends to this day. Could Matt and Karen match that energy? Yes. Yes, they could, and they did.

I wrote too much already, but yeah, in the end, this episode and everything it represents have a very special place in my heart, and I don’t think it’s nostalgia talking. Hat’s off to Moffat. He really hit a homerun on the start of his reign as showrunner by showing solid and fun characters with a solid and fun story, with a great cast to back it up.