Series 10: The Pilot Advance Review
Note: Doctor Who TV’s pre-air reviews aim to be as detail-free as we reasonably can while still offering a critique, but as everyone’s spoiler sensibilities are different, we advise you read on at your own discretion.
With a dip in the ratings in 2015 and the show almost entirely absent from screens in 2016, it’s crucial now more than ever that Doctor Who picks up an audience made up of more than just its core fan base. So how does Steven Moffat tackle this for the beginning of Series 10’s run? Answer: a soft reboot.
Don’t fret. As dramatic as that sounds, The Pilot (yes, it’s a title of intent as well as a key plot point) obviously doesn’t reset the clock on the show entirely. After all, while Peter Capaldi is still the Doctor and Moffat is still showrunning, there’s only so far you can really go with it.
Merely the episode attempts to act as an appetiser for new fans in the making, and it largely succeeds. Yes, there are a handful of continuity scenes throughout and several nods and winks to the past, but you can quite happily recommend the episode to anyone, whether or not they know what a Movellan is.
The newest element here is the formal introduction of Bill Potts. As you would expect, the majority of the episode is focused on the Doctor’s new companion. Largely told through Bill’s eyes, it relays her journey from first discovering our favourite Time Lord, to how she ultimately ends up joining him in the TARDIS. Naturally, there’s a monster also chasing them across time and space for good measure. And really that’s about as complicated as the plot structure ever gets.
Relative newcomer Pearl Mackie is a promising addition. When Bill was first glimpsed in a clip a year ago, reaction was decidedly mixed. For those who weren’t quite so keen, Bill is definitely more likable here. She still fires off plenty of questions and makes the occasional silly observation, but there’s a simple Earthly quality that has been missing for a while now, alongside a sympathetic backstory that will have you rooting for her by the end when a couple of crucial decisions have to be made.
With so much companion attention, this perhaps unsurprisingly isn’t a huge showpiece episode for Capaldi, as good as he is. The Doctor’s new role as a professor at a Bristol University is a fun diversion (and something we’ll likely revisit due to a certain plot element.) In terms of the crucial Doctor/companion dynamic, the duo even at this early stage, show plenty of spark. As pointed out by Nardole, there’s some good “banter”.
Ah yes, Nardole, the infamous other member of the TARDIS team. Plenty of fans have questioned Matt Lucas promotion to cast regular. While there’s not much here that sees him breaking out of being more than just a ‘comedy butler’ (something Lucas admittedly does play well), there are hints of something more. Lucas is wisely kept out of a fair chunk of the story to allow Mackie some room to breathe.
There’s only a couple of names on the guest roster. Jennifer Hennessy has little to do as Bill’s foster mum. Stephanie Hyam is a much bigger highlight as Bill’s friend Heather. Thanks to promotional material, many will already know the role she begins with, and latterly ends up playing. Both contrasting elements of her character are performed admirably.
The publicised Daleks are barely worth mentioning. Regardless of whether or not there is a contractual reason each year (and Moffat has denied as such), there’s a niggling sense their appearance here is an obligation, rather than a requirement of the story. It doesn’t harm the narrative in the grand scheme of things though. And fans will at least get a kick out of seeing a Dalek meet its match and a cameo of an old conflict.
Thankfully the real threat of the episode is classic Moffat material, even if there are a couple of overly familiar elements. Moffat once again relies on his tendency to turn everyday things into something scary. This time you can add puddles to the list! Despite sounding stupid, it’s not quite that simple and the realisation works surprising well. Children and those of a nervous disposition best watch out for bath time.
New director Lawrence Gough mines plenty of effective scares (horror film fans may be reminded of “It Follows”), and there’s an energetic flair to keep everything else moving along. The CGI is generally pretty strong, with only a couple of moments that stick out for the wrong reasons. Music wise, while a few old favourites are called into action at predictable moments, Murray Gold also delivers some memorable new arrangements.
The Pilot then, is a good, encouraging start to Series 10. It might disappoint those hoping for something grander in scale like with Series 9’s opener, but as a simple companion introduction and a stepping-on point, it does a perfectly fine job.
