'Doctor Who' Series 6 - Review and Recap of New Series so Far

The British show "Doctor Who" ran for 26 years before going on "indefinite hiatus" in 1989. 2005 saw the resurrection of the series and it has become the go to show for quality and inventive science fiction ever since. The newest series (the British equivalent of a season) is being split into two halves. The first half, consisting of seven episodes, has been broadcast in both the UK and US. The second half will return at the end of the summer to wrap up the series, but in the meantime this is a general overview and critique of the series so far. Be warned, while there I try to keep this as spoiler free as possible there are minor spoilers due to having to describe the initial set-up of each episode.

"The Impossible Astronaut"/"The Day of the Moon"

The Doctor invites Amy, Rory and River Song to a picnic in Utah, seemingly as a simple reunion. However a being in an Apollo astronaut suit emerges from the lake and proceeds to gun down the Doctor, shooting him again mid-regeneration and killing him. The companions are left stunned but the Doctor himself seemed to be aware that it was coming. They then encounter the Doctor again only to realize it is a younger Doctor from the one they just saw killed, about 200 years younger. Unable to tell the Doctor of what they've seen they soon find themselves embroiled in the mystery of the Silence, a race of aliens which can only be remembered while the viewer is actually seeing them. To look away from this frightening race is to forget them entirely until they enter your view once again. How can they fight an enemy which they cannot even remember?

Having gotten the audience comfortable with the latest Doctor, head writer Stephen Moffat decided to pull the rug out from under them right from the start this time around. There's a ton going on in these first two episodes and the fact that it doesn't all fall apart is a testament to the strength of Moffat's writing. The Silence have a great look and a brilliant central conceit. Not only is the idea of a monster you forget as soon as you look away feed on that "something in the corner of your eye" kind of fear but it also lead to a masterfully conceived ending. How do you fight what you can't remember? The solution is simply perfect. There is an issue though with how much build up there was to these. The Silence was a race and a threat hinted at since the first episode of last season, and it was implied that they caused the Tardis explosion as well. However as scary as they are they also seem Earthbound and lacking in a master plan. As a result they don't quite live up to the anticipation created by all the hinting during the previous season. They may yet return in the second half of the series and get a little more fleshing out but right now they work in the episode wonderfully but not so well in the overall scheme of things. The groundwork laid for the characters for the rest of this series though is solid, with some things still to be resolved.

"The Black Spot"

The Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a pirate ship. Unfortunately they had the misfortune to pick a cursed pirate ship. A ghostly siren lures to it any man who is wounded and disintegrates them on the spot. To make matters worse a lack of wind has the pirate's ship stranded out at sea at the mercy of this frightening yet beautiful creature. Things get even more complicated at the realization of a young stowaway on board the ship. The Doctor must unravel the mystery behind this mysterious entity before one of his friends becomes the next victim.

This one was undoubtedly the weak entry in the series so far. While there's nothing hugely wrong with it the entire episode just feels like a throw away. There are two reasons for this, the first is that coming off of the intense two-parter that opened the season and set up so many questions and mysteries it's simply annoying to have an episode that addresses none of it. It's clear from the get go that this episode has no real bearing on the bigger story of the season. That wouldn't have been such a problem if the episode itself hadn't felt so generic. Doctor and companions enter historical setting, encounter historical/mythological event; it turns out to be aliens. It's the template that seems to be put in use when the writing team doesn't have any better ideas. It results in episodes that aren't bad, just largely forgettable.

"The Doctor's Wife"

The Doctor unexpectedly receives a distress beacon from another Tardis. Hoping to find other living Time Lords he takes Amy and Rory to a place that is actually outside of and separate from the normal universe. There they encounter a small group of misfits, doing the bidding of the sentient asteroid called House. But one of these misfits is more than she first appears to be. As his ship and friends are put in jeopardy the Doctor realizes that this strange woman is in fact housing the consciousness of his Tardis. For the first time the Doctor is able to directly speak and interact with the machine that has been the undisputed love of his life. The two must work frantically to save themselves as well as Amy and Rory before they are all destroyed.

This is a standalone episode done right. Like "The Black Spot" before it this doesn't connect directly to the major story arc of the season, but it's so good that it gets away with it without any trouble. Written by fantasy legend Neil Gaiman, this episode is both a triumphant celebration of the history of "Doctor Who" as well as a great story in and of itself. There are so many wonderful nods to past adventures but they're seamlessly integrated in the story so those who don't catch them won't feel left out. The idea of the Tardis being embodied in a human being could very easily have oversimplified or marginalized the wonderful machine. Thankfully that is not the case here and it gives a wonderful new flavor to the Doctor's interactions with his ship in later episodes.

"The Rebel Flesh"/"The Almost People"

In the future the Doctor and his companions find themselves at an old castle where a skeleton crew of contractors are extracting volatile yet valuable acid from the ground. Due to the extremely deadly nature of the acid the workers use "gangers," duplicates of themselves made of an amorphous material called "the flesh" which the workers control remotely. When a surge of solar energy brings the flesh to life the workers are suddenly confronted with duplicates that share their memories yet are not quite human. The Doctor attempts to keep things peaceful but the tension quickly mounts. Things become even more complicated when a duplicate of the Doctor himself emerges from the Flesh.

This two parter took a little while to get going. The first half had a rather familiar feeling set up and it was ultimately the second part that would make or break the story. Thankfully the second half pulled through, injecting some great ambiguity and character moments. Not to mention one heck of a shocking ending. In many ways this feels like a companion piece to the Silurian two parter of last series, only executed more successfully. Both featured a siege set up, an attempt at peace and a shocking conclusion. Thankfully though this two parter managed to be a more thrilling ride, thanks largely to Matt Smith pulling impressive double duty as the two versions of the Doctor.

"A Good Man Goes to War"

Amy is captured and has given birth to her and Rory's daughter in captivity. She's being held by an expansive army assembled for the sole purpose of defeating the Doctor once and for all, and they believe the newborn child can be the key to their success. However the Doctor and Rory are not about to stand by and do nothing. They assemble a small elite army of people and creatures who own the Doctor a favor and go to war against this previously unknown force. Added to the mix is the mysterious River Song, who for the first time refuses the opportunity to join the Doctor in an adventure. This is the adventure she's been fearing, the one where the Doctor finally uncovers who she truly is.

This episode had to balance everything very delicately. It had to not only be an exciting episode but it had to be a satisfying place to leave the first half of the series while still leaving enough things unresolved to make fans eager for the return of the show at the end of the summer. Against all odds this episode managed to do just that, with the triumphant rescue of Amy and the reveal of River Song's origins while still leaving the issue of Amy's child unresolved. Everybody is in top form in this one, including the rather extensive list of guest stars. One of the really fun things is that most of the members of the Doctor's "army" have never been seen by audiences before, yet clearly have extensive history with the Doctor. The new series has had issues with feeling rather insular at times, and this one touch expands the universe of the Doctor tremendously. It's a great reminder that his adventures are too big and too numerous to ever be fully covered by the TV series.

Final Thoughts

This series so far has been much more driven by the overarching plot than has been done previously on "Doctor Who." There's always been a thread running through any given series, such as "Bad Wolf," Torchwood or the cracks in the universe. However up until now they just served as a fun thread to follow that would eventually be tied up in the finale. This time the thread of the Doctor's fate and Amy's pregnancy really push the season forward as a whole. It's an interesting departure for the show, though hopefully one that will not become the new template for future series. One of the great things about "Doctor Who" was that new viewers could jump in at almost any point, with little to no knowledge of the series continuity and still get the story of an individual episode. That's less the case this series, but so far it's a change that's working at least this one time.