C+Q - The Magician's Apprentice (2015)

FUCK. YES.

The Magician's Apprentice is a phenomenal return for Doctor Who, and I have plenty of great things to say about it. However, I'm sure reading an entire page's worth of praise would feel very boring and one-sided, so just to play devil's advocate, and to show that the critical part of my brain is still functioning, I'm going to start with the bad stuff. Firstly, there are far too many innuendos for my liking. As entertaining as it is to see Roger Delgado's character fondle a Dalek's balls, it really isn't necessary for what was otherwise a serious scene. I also could've done without the description of gravity as "sexy". Secondly, Clara seems way too willing to work with Missy. When they first meet in the square, Clara is understandably pissed off with her, but as the episode goes on she seems to relax far too quickly. Thirdly, a few of the returning elements just didn't work. I'm presuming that Missy's apparent death at the end of the episode will be explained in The Witch's Familiar in such a way that will also explain how she survived at the end of Death in Heaven, but how the hell did Davros survive being blown up by Catherine Tate? And why is the Doctor so surprised to be back on Skaro considering he was there in Asylum of the Daleks? Speaking of Asylum, do the Daleks remember who the Doctor is or don't they? In Asylum, they forgot. In The Time of the Doctor, they remembered ("Information concerning the Doctor was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem."). In Into the Dalek, they forgot again ("How do you know who I am?" "He doesn't. We promised him medical assistance."). And in The Magician's Apprentice, they all seem to remember again. Steven. Babe. Make up your goddamn mind.

So yeah, some elements of The Magician's Apprentice are a little rough around the edges and could've done with some explanation. Now that we've got that out of the way, HOW FUCKING GREAT WERE THE DOCTOR AND DAVROS?! I'm so happy they got an established Davros actor back instead of recasting the part again, because seeing Julian Bleach play off Capaldi had a sense of historic weight to it that wouldn't have worked with a new actor. When the Doctor first comes face to face with Davros, you can sense Tom Baker, Peter Davison, David Tennant, and Colin Baker all bubbling away under the surface of Capaldi's performance (and that's before their faces actually show up on the screens along with Sylvester McCoy ("UNLIMITED RICE PUDDING, ETCETERA, ETCETERA!")). In one episode, Capaldi has gone from being the 'Twelfth' Doctor to actually being 'the' Doctor. He no longer feels like some new bloke trying to pass himself off as Matt Smith's successor. Here, he's the embodiment of all his past incarnations. He's THE definitive Doctor. Out of all the actors to take on the role since 2005, I think Peter Capaldi would be the most recognisable to 60s, 70s, or 80s audiences. He's also the first Doctor who's genuinely cool, as opposed to David Tennant's 'trendy nerd' version of cool or Matt Smith's hipster look. This is a Doctor who looks believable playing a shredding guitar solo while riding a tank. Capaldi clearly benefits from having a full series of adventures under his belt as he seems almost effortless in the role. As his much less formal costume would suggest, he's a lot more comfortable as the Doctor.

Jenna Coleman as Clara continues to be the most independent and resourceful companion we've ever had, once again standing in for the Doctor in his absence. It was great to see her work with Kate Stewart and face off against Missy on her own. Clearly the 2015 TARDIS team is an actual team; a union of two equally competent time travellers. As shocking as it would've been, there's no way I actually believe she was exterminated at the end of this episode, so I'm hoping at the very least her escape is explained in a way that doesn't seem like a total cop-out.

Oh, Missy. Missy, Missy, Missy. She's so fine. She blows my mind. While I'd definitely say that this is as wacky as the Master should/could ever be while still being recognisable as the original character, Michelle Gomez is obviously having such a ball playing this part. She knows when to be overtly Masterish, like when she's offering her services to the Daleks in exchange for her life, but mostly she's just mental. The version of the character she's the most comparable to is still John Simm, but she's also really channelling Anthony Ainley in her performance. Perhaps it's just the puffy shoulders on her outfit. Speaking of which, Missy's all-new, all-purpler costume looks stunning. I love the bright colours in this story, from Missy, to the TARDIS, to the Daleks. As well as the very vivid pallet of some scenes, the cinematography and subtle blue lighting in Davros' chamber is beautiful. Doctor Who has come so far since we first saw Skaro over 50 years ago. Anyway, back to Missy. Gomez has complete command over every scene she's in and is just mesmerising to watch. From her subtle facial expressions to her sudden changes in accent, she's able to find interesting ways to deliver every line. While Davros is the same sinister mastermind he's always been, Missy provides us with a villain who's a lot less grounded in reality and a lot more unpredictable. She flawlessly tightrope-walks between complete off-the-wall madness ("Woo hoo! Mummy, do it again!) and moments of restraint that remind you that she's still the same old Master ("Don’t be disgusting. We're Time Lords, not animals! Try, nano-brain, to rise above the reproductive frenzy of your noisy little food chain, and contemplate friendship. A friendship older than your civilisation and infinitely more complex").

Overall, this is a great first half. The script blasted along as such a fast pace that I was genuinely pissed off when it ended because it hadn't felt like 45 minutes had passed. The whole episode was dripping in continuity and imagery lifted straight out of the show's most iconic serials, but whenever it seemed too reliant on the past, Steven Moffat injected it with fresh ideas that we'd never seen before, like the hand mines, Colony Sarff, and a spacestation that was actually a building on an invisible planet. The set design and lighting, especially in Davros' chamber, were incredibly atmospheric, the music by Murray Gold was phenomenal as always, and the casual mention of past events and locations, including the use of Davros' name as the pre-intro cliffhanger, demonstrated a frankly amazing level of confidence that rewarded long-term viewers. Would it have been confusing to newcomers? Absolutely, but then again why the hell would you start watching a TV show on its ninth series? The Magician's Apprentice was just great. Really, really fucking great. I haven't enjoyed an opener this much since The Eleventh Hour. My only hope is that The Witch's Familiar doesn't let it down.