Doctor Who - THE CARETAKER Review

The Twelfth Doctor goes undercover at Doctor Who's infamous Coal Hill School.  He's there to get rid of a killing machine called the Skovox Blitzer but that turns out to be the sideshow to a proper confrontation - the introduction of Danny Pink to the TARDIS.  

The Blitzer is truly an old school villain, more sophisticated than anything seen in the "classic" series but not a million miles away from it either.  It has mechanical spider legs but is clearly trundling about the place and like the impregnable bank from last week its mythical status is questionable.  Also it can be clearly outwitted if you do a bit of gymnastics.  Peter Capaldi's means of defeating the menace is straight out of the Matt Smith era, first deploying an invisibility watch, then a Ghostbusters-style backpack to lure the enemy.  

Gareth Roberts' and Steven Moffat's script is less about adventure and more to do with the evolution of the Doctor and Clara's relationship.  He is now the disapproving father zeroing in on Mr Pink, the man who could spring her from the nest.  Jenna Coleman (in full watt screwball comedy mode) sparks well off Capaldi and the light material that sometimes felt uneasy in Robot Of Sherwood works fine here. You'd think the ancient Time Lord would make mincemeat out of Danny but Samuel Anderson gives as good as he gets.  I found the Doctor's blanket souring over soldiers a bit odd at first, but this military theme is being nicely developed and it'll be interesting to see how this incarnation takes to UNIT.  Add to this an expansion of the series' "Missy" arc - a simple but compelling concept that I'm surprised hasn't been covered by the show before - and you have what is shaping up to be a consistent and mature run.

Ellis George appears to be joining the crew as disaffected schoolgirl Courtney.  I'm not sure what qualities she is going to bring to the programme, though her involvement is fairly crucial.  This looks to be Capaldi's first proper encounter with a child, Courtney representing a section of the audience that are maybe under-served by the current regeneration. In a canny move she is as lippy with the Doctor as everyone else.
  

Doctor Who - INTO THE DALEK Review

Peter Capaldi's Doctor gets another litmus test after the experiment of his debut episode, as he comes beak to stalk with the Daleks.  The challenge of any Dalek story is to put the show's most famous monsters in an interesting context and while this tale doesn't break new ground for long term fans it does provide an unusual angle on the trundling menace.  Crucially it uses the foe as a mirror for the Twelfth Time Lord and gives us an idea of how he's going to shape up over the coming weeks. 

I had little idea what was going to happen in this one aside from the obvious, so it was a pleasant surprise to see Into The Dalek is literally just that.  The innards of the machine are well-realized, a good combination of the functional and fantastical. Returning director Ben Wheatley has some fun with trippy slow motion and proper splattery explosions.  The opening sequence of an escaping ship is a dazzling spectacle, taking us light years away from Deep Breath's Gothic claustrophobia.

Wheatley brings his old collaborator Michael Smiley into proceedings but the standout guest star is Zawe Ashton, who uses her tough but vulnerable persona to strong effect.  Capaldi becomes a part of the action, rather than the swaggering presence guaranteed to yank something out of the hat.  Writers Phil Ford and Steven Moffat certainly serve up something to chew over as the Doctor saves a life then discards one within the space of the first half.  Having met Moffat's bold redefining of Clara head on last time, Jenna Coleman runs with it and proves a solid match for Capaldi's fractured hero.

The script also introduces us to Samuel Anderson's Danny Pink, a lucky chap who has Coleman throwing herself at him during his first morning.  This element couldn't hope to compete with the main action, though Anderson looks like he'll make a refreshingly low key addition to the cast.