"You can't see me, can you? You look at me and you can't see me. Have you any idea what that's like?"

AKA: "Sweeney Todd without the pies."

If The Eleventh Hour was Nu Who's caffeinated answer to Spearhead from Space - right down to the post-regeneration Doctor stealing his outfit from a hospital - then perhaps it was inevitable that the influence of Robot would loom largest over Deep Breath. An earnest reevaluation rather than a ground-up reboot, with a manic new incumbent upending an adventure seemingly engineered for their predecessor. Just as Tom Baker was given licence to run rings around Jon Pertwee's UNIT co-stars, Peter Capaldi is able to bid farewell to the Paternoster guest cast of Matt Smith's era, and more specifically Series 7B. There's also a faint hint of Castrovalva here, as that dive into the Thames (having supposedly "taken up the case") proves to be a misdirect: in both midsections Peter Davison and Peter Capaldi wander off for a confused bout of introspection and self-discovery in lieu of solving the plot. Speaking of the Paternoster gang, Vastra and Jenny are hardly an obvious fit for an inaugural story, yet both contribute to Clara's metatextually resonant struggle of accepting this new Doctor, alleviating her and the audience's anxieties even before Smith's poignant torch passing cameo.

Naturally Clara provides the connective strand that facilitates the handover, and Steven Moffat seizes his opportunity to quietly reintroduce his companion in a post-Impossible Girl context. Deep Breath consequently jettisons the divisive baggage of Series 7B's mystery box arc, enabling Clara's characterisation to shine through afresh and allowing Jenna Coleman more room to, well, breathe as an actor. The sequence where Clara is apparently abandoned by the Doctor and tearfully stands up to the Half-Face Man - following an intense escape attempt where she almost asphyxiates herself - is the highlight of the episode, with Coleman delivering a performance that is simultaneously fiercely defiant and achingly vulnerable. Capaldi's return acts as triumphant punctuation to this, reaffirming the viewer's trust as he literally tears off a Smith-shaped mask to reveal a brand new hero. It's telling that this is the moment Murray Gold chooses to debut his Twelfth Doctor theme, a relentless composition of constant rising action that ranks among his best work.

To use a second tedious title reference, this all feels like a breath of fresh air. As much as I enjoyed the preceding three series of the Moffat era, it was clearly time for a change. Peter Capaldi's mere presence electrifies proceedings, and while he doesn't entirely define his incarnation here, there is a great deal of pleasure to be derived from observing him experiment with the part, wondering what kind of persona he will adopt. The Half-Face Man makes for an unnerving first foe, effectively coupling Peter Ferdinando's mannered physicality with some eery design. And the direction by Ben Wheatley (the British auteur behind Kill List, Sightseers, and A Field in England) is pleasingly cinematic with some subtle audiovisual flourishes. The chief criticism I can make here is Strax, whose comedy dialogue was already wearing a bit thin in prior appearances. But frankly, if that's my only noteworthy complaint then you're probably doing something right. Overall, Deep Breath is an impressive introduction to the Twelfth Doctor, not to mention an equally impactful reintroduction to Clara Oswald. Much like Series 8 as a whole, it's underrated as hell.

I hadn’t seen this story since around the time of transmission (~10 years) so was interested to see how my feelings had developed on this story in the meantime.

It’s a tale of two halves for me. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman’s performances anchor the episode with a commanding and reassuring presence. With Ben Wheatley on direction duties, the episode has a very cinematic and polished presentation. However, I’m not sure he fully controls the tone in the first half. There’s an apparent struggle—perhaps stemming from the script as well—to decide whether the episode is a comedy, a family-friendly bank holiday movie, or a searing, serious drama.

Some of the heightened drama, particularly Clara’s conversation with Vastra about the Doctor’s appearance and whether to accept him, hinges on the notion that Clara has always been romantically drawn to the Doctor. I struggle to believe this, as the short time she spent travelling with Matt Smith’s Doctor didn’t properly convey that kind of relationship, so this aspect of the story falls flat for me.

The portrayal of Jenny and Vastra feels one-note, with their scenes often reduced to flirting with each other or others. They come across as overly sexualised women in the typical Steven Moffat style. While Moffat is undeniably talented in many ways, this recurring issue in his writing of female characters is distracting and, frankly, off-putting.

I think they should have done away with The Paternoster Gang (as fun as they are) in this story and make everything brand new. Moffat said that he was doing  what was done with Robot and maintaining the vibe of the previous era in the first story, I think this missed an opportunity for a fresh start straight out of the gate.

However, from the restaurant scene onwards, the show blooms into a rollicking adventure, then effectively delivers some potent emotional beats as well as a well balanced showcase for Capaldi’s dramatic and comedic flare. By the end of the story I am fully invested and excited for more of the 12th Doctor’s era.

The element that undoubtedly has grown on me the most was the scene with Matt Smith’s Doctor on the phone and Capaldi’s Doctor talking to Clara on the other end - I found that to be a very impactful device. Whereas on transmission I found myself wishing that the 12th Doctor had his first episode fully to himself. I’m glad this has grown on me.

I really love this episode, and did from the first time I watched it in 2014. It's an immediately engaging episode, and Peter Capaldi gives a powerhouse performance as the Doctor cycles through several different emotions. Jenna Coleman matches him beat for beat the whole way, exemplified in the diner scene where the two snipe at each other. The return of the clockwork droids was a fantastic idea, and the Doctor's serious conversation with the Half-Face Man is a highlight of Capaldi's entire era. Finally, the end where the Doctor tells Clara 'you see me, but you don't see me' is heartbreaking. Don't know why people cite this episode as starting the era off on the wrong foot, I think it's a thrilling intro.

In hindsight, best first episode of any Doctor. First time I watched I felt like Clara, missing my raggedy man, so I didn't really like this episode. Then I fell in love with the 12th Doctor, so on a rewatch this is great, the meta narrative and underlying symbolism of what change means in this show is just amazing. How it confronts the viewer with this new and grumpy Doctor. It takes balls to do this for a first episode, I love it when risks are taken, and even more when they pay off like this.

I feel that Deep Breath is a very good and funny story. I really like its humour and found the majority of its jokes funny. The plot itself is interesting and engaging (although it did feel a bit directionless about a quarter of the way through, in my opinion) and I feel that the sets, costumes, prosthetics and CGI are good. I also like the music.