written by Russell T. Davies; produced by Phil Collinson; directed by Keith Boak
Starting at the beginning � you�ve got to love that title sequence. Science-fiction is a primarily American thing these days, certainly in the populist sense, and many of those titles are simple montages of the lead characters set to a toe-curlingly cheesy score; the Doctor Who title sequence remains a statement of intent like no other. It�s slightly ironic that it should owe such a heavy debt to The Matrix though, when you consider the debt The Matrix owes to Doctor Who. The theme music is great as well, probably the best since the original; I don�t care what anybody says, Murray Gold really isn�t that bad.
The opening montage is a nice idea in practice since it�s the kind of thing that would never happen in the original series and therefore is a right kick from the programme�s desired sense of modernity � unfortunately, it is also our first introduction to the direction of Keith Boak, whose dizzying style seems to consist of nothing more than cutting to as many different angles as possible as quickly as he can. It makes ordinary dialogue scenes seem pretentious (and Russell T. Davies�s dialogue is often quite realistic), and action scenes induce motion sickness. Atmosphere is also a problem; the opening scene in the basement is very nearly good, but it could have been improved if the Auton had been in the background rather than the foreground. It would also have been better if they had moved naturally like in their original series stories, as their constant robot dancing becomes tiresome even in a short forty-five minute episode.
Billie Piper is introduced first; the �best companion ever� school of snap judgements is something I find interminable, but in this case I have to admit she�s not far off even if in the end I prefer Sarah Jane Smith. The quality of the character is based largely on Piper�s natural charisma, although her estuary-English accent has drawn some criticism, as has the fact that her boyfriend is (initially at least) the Token Non-threatening Black Guy. Firstly, although she does smack a bit of the BBC�s recent terror of acknowledging the existence of the middle class, she does develop over the course of the series; hearing her say �dere�s a match on, ain�t dere?� to Mickey seems at odds with the resourceful woman who closes the series. I�m not going to complain about Mickey because Noel Clarke is fantastic, but the question of whether black viewers are offended by black actors being cast simply to make up the statistics is a fair one.
The introduction of the Doctor is nicely handled, although it�s so speedy that at this stage it�s hard to tell much about Christopher Eccleston (I know I�ve seen the whole series but I try to keep things consistent by reviewing recurring elements on their first appearance). It is notable though for being the first example of Davies using junk food (beans on toast in this case, although it�s normally chips) as shorthand for the general behaviour of ordinary people. Why, though, does the Doctor give the arm to Rose if it�s dangerous and he needs it? Narratively it�s so they can meet again, but this is the first of many, many plot holes from Davies; later episodes that introduce psychic paper (not to mention the sonic �used for everything� screwdriver) have given him a reputation for cutting corners in his plots. Keeping up the critical tone (the episode�s still going to scrape an average rating), but the �run for your life� scene seems a bit over-dramatic, as if it was made specifically for trailers. And the explosion looks rubbish. I love the new series�s effects generally, but I also love it when they�re bad because of how it undermines critics� sniffiness about the original series.
Okay, onto the first introduction of Jackie and Mickey. The motor-mouthed Camille Corduri is intensely irritating, a cartoonish caricature that reminds me of late-period Friends characters, after it became really dreadful at around series six. Mickey though�how can you not love him?
Eccleston is a good actor, but he�s clearly not particularly enthusiastic compared with Piper. The scene with him mucking about in the background is pretty poor, with Davies�s comedy deflating badly. Look at The Doctor Dances � a brilliantly funny episode because it�s written by someone who knows when it isn�t appropriate to be funny, and also writes good jokes as opposed to pot shots at nothing and silly one-liners that just seem facetious. The action scene with the Auton arm is great in principal, although spoiled a bit by Eccleston hamming it up (first Revenge Of The Cybermen cliffhanger, anyone?) and Boak�s crazy direction.
The long exposition scene outside is largely good � padded out, but this prevents the scene from being an over-efficient �what�s happening Doctor?� question-and-response dialogue. It does highlight the episode�s major flaw though: the fact that the plot is already half over by the start of the episode. The Doctor has been there for a while, and is ready to defeat the monsters. This is appropriate since the viewer is led in from Rose�s perspective and it does help speed things up from a narrative angle, but it completely removes any interest in the episode�s core idea; for all it�s posturing, this episode is one of the shallowest ever. Maybe it would have been better as a two parter, but it suffers the same problem as The Long Game in that it�s place in the narrative takes the wind out of the episode itself and therefore by judging it as a stand-alone piece it is at an instant disadvantage. It has a purpose though as an opener, and it does it well � but maybe they could have just taken an episode out to introduce everything properly and leave the high adventure to The End Of The World. The scene ends with the Doctor�s big moment of mystery, and unfortunately Davies�s attempts to be deep and meaningful come off exactly the opposite and at worst smack of sheer audience manipulation. I do love that TARDIS dematerialisation effect though.
Clive�s wife�s big in-joke moment is another part of the episode that takes on new significance � I laughed at the time, but after a while these metafictional moments just started to get on my nerves. I�m all for jokes, but they have to be funny and that kind of attention-seeking doesn�t cut it with me. Clive is a really interesting character, although his shed is lit like a film set rather than, well, a shed � I get the sense though that verisimilitude is not the order of the day so I won�t complain. In any case, Ernie Vinsce does a superb job on the whole. The reference to the Kennedy assassination is a better in-joke, since it doesn�t require the viewer to understand it and most importantly doesn�t demand that the viewer notices it. There has been some question about how these other trips have come about since there is an implication that he has only recently regenerated; maybe from his point of view they haven�t happened yet. That�s the thing about time travel.
The famous wheelie-bin scene is wrecked by the belch; it�s childish, it�s wearing in the light of the Slitheen, and like the fact that Rose doesn�t notice her boyfriend�s new sheen, it undermines the illusion a little too much. In short, it makes a mockery of the producers� constant assertions that modern audiences are sophisticated. The scene in the restaurant though I love, as it shows the Mill at their very best; it�s impressive that I could love a scene that mixes together the weirder moments of Terminator 2 and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Like the opening scene, the reveal of the TARDIS interior is spoiled by the fact that both Rose and the viewer get to see it before the big dramatic sweep-round. On that note, I like the TARDIS interior apart from the lighting; Piper�s an attractive girl, but I could do without the bright green face. Here�s a nice theory: we know from The Masque Of Mandragora that the TARDIS has more than one console room, so what�s to say the original isn�t still around somewhere?
The anti-plastic keeps up the traditional rubbish deus ex machina that resolves the Auton stories: the Doctor pulls what looks like a phial of mouthwash from his pocket. Hardly the stuff to make you take note, is it? The Doctor�s failure to spot the London Eye is about as broad as comedy can get, and the run over London Bridge with Big Ben and London buses in the background is a strange piece of hyper-realism.
The Nestene�s lair is a bit big and industrial to really believe it�s just under London, and the Consciousness itself looks rubbish: rubbery and fake, it�s CGI at its least effective. The Doctor�s plea and Rose�s �no A Levels� speech are quite cheesy, but I did read a very funny response from a thirteen year old who sniffed that �A Levels are quite important, actually.�
The Autons coming to life is a well-done moment, although the killing of Clive in front of his wife and child is an unnecessarily mean-spirited scene that�s totally at odds with the innocence that gives the programme its charm. That and they killed a very interesting character who could have been very good if they�d kept him on investigating the Doctor. The Auton brides are appallingly done- there�s a massive goof where you can see the third bride�s gun before its lowered, and of course the old �aim your weapons and wait to be defeated� look isn�t to hot these days. However, seeing their solid neck as a head falls off helps make them convincing monsters.
I do love the ending scene, which seems genuinely exciting even though Mickey is in full Shaggy mode � and the pulsating TARDIS dematerialisation effect is, as it were, fantastic.
Rose tries too hard. It�s so concerned with making an impression that it doesn�t leave itself the substance to hold up after a few viewings; it has a job to do and I won�t begrudge that since it pulled it off at the time. However, if they could make the first ever episode a piece of classic television in 1963, why can�t they do it now?
Overall: ***
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