@Gemma Hill
I can see what you’re saying. As I say, for me personally, it wasn’t even a notable part of the episode. I was much more focused on Peter Capaldi’s performance, which we both agree was amazing.

I expected the doctor to take a bit of time to get his feet under him…regeneration is always a little traumatic, I guess. The comical bits were great and I do love that he is Scottish. It’s just always a hard transition. The appearance of #11 helped me a bit over the hurdle, but it will still take me some time to get used to Capaldi as the Doctor. Not that he wasn’t brilliant, because he was, but maybe I’m just sentimental. I didn’t see the story line as that important in this episode; it was the reforging of trust between Clara and the Doctor that was in the foreground. I am VERY interested in finding out just who or what Missy is.

Also, adding to my first comment, I have just realised why the new interior of the TARDIS console room looked so familiar. It is the one that appears in the Doctor’s grave in trensalore in episode 7:13 ‘The Time of the Doctor’. The same console that is the scar tissue of his life. The same console that Dr. Simeon enters to alter his timeline and Clara enters to save him again. Because she is his Impossible Girl.

Firstly having read most of the comments about this first episode a saying springs to mind you cant please all of the people all the time.The diversity of everyone’s published comments proves one thing one persons favourite is another persons poison .The key thing n regards to this story is to introduce a new actor as the Dr & as such storyline to a degree takes a back seat. Having seen various regeneration reboots there are very few opening stories for a new Dr where the story line is fantastic normally they start very low key and and season subsequently builds with each story getting progressively better .Peter Calpaldi & Jenna Coleman were both fantastic I thought the story was a good one enjoyable & remember this programme has to appeal to the general public nt just seasoned fans of the show .Steven moffat does a fantastic job as the showrunner & I remember when Russell T Davis was in the same position he had his critics saying that it was time for him to move on had lost the plot no doubt those same critics are calling for his return sometimes we clamour after what we had once it has gone . Maybe just enjoy the ride and be grateful the the good Dr is really popular with the majority plus the beeb remember 1987 when the series was cancelled

Worst.doctor.eva.
Clearly the writers also have doubts, they spent the whole ep trying to convince us a living corpse
would be a good doctor. I predict an abrupt change mid season.
Put Capaldi back in the coffin whence he came.

Capaldi was great. Jenna Coleman was terrific. The Half-Faced Robot guy was cool. The Gang was good, but I am getting a bit tired of them. The dinosaur was awesome, and it’s death by fire – even seen at a distance – was sad and horrifying. The TARDIS stuck in it’s throat seemed a bit off. The size ratio didn’t seem right. Unless the TARDIS had some how shrunk a bit, like in Logopolis. But this isn’t of any great concern.

The return of the clockwork droids from Paris was surprising. They were great. The story did seem a little bit slow, but that’s nothing bad. Had a little trouble understanding some lines.

The opening credits? BRILLIANT!!! A nice break from the time vortex and starfield. The opening credits music reminded me somewhat of the 7th Doctor’s credit music. Acceptable but not the best since the show returned.

Really looking forward to the days of 12th Doctor future!

I really liked the new episode of Doctor Who. I especially like the scene at the end of the episode with Matt Smith’s Doctor calling Clara. It really added a sense of closure, since the regeneration went passed to quickly, it is really great that the writers put that in. As for the Missy character, I’ve read a few theories, but only three sort of stick out to me. I think she might be a piece of the Tardis’s soul (because of the whole biting at the camera), a female version of the Master (Missy-Mistress-Master), or maybe death/gate-keeper of heaven. Some have been wilder theories, that she might be a version of River, but I don’t think that that is really plausible.

Really loving 12. Capaldi is amazing. Funny, scary, touching… loved him. And the eyebrows! Loved Clara in this episode. It is the first time I have felt that I know fully who she is, and the first time I have felt she really joined the ranks of the great companions. I enjoyed the fact that Moffat (evil genius with whom I, like many Whovians, have a love/hate relationship)took us through the journey of learning to love/trust the new doctor along with Clara… I have friends who are angry that 12 left Clara alone with the scary clockwork droids… I was angry when it happened, but I realized that it was a challenge by the writers for us (and Clara) to trust the Doctor… so I decided to and was not disappointed. he ALWAYS has his reasons, and comes through in the end. I loved that they addressed Clara’s relationship with 11 and the transition for her (and for us) in such touching ways. I cried.
As for the whole Jenny/Vashta thing… I guess to me it seems like Moffat’s pushing it too hard? The sharing oxygen thing was weird, like it was a kiss trying not to be a kiss, and they mentioned that they were married like eleventy-billion times… we all know what their relationship is. I was aware of it before, and it was NBD, but now he has made something weird out of it by TRYING to make it ok when it was already fine with most of us… just let it be, man. I did enjoy all the cheesy attempts to utter every DW catchphrase ever, though I recognize that they were, perhaps, weak writing. I was not crazy about the plot, but was ok with that, because this time it was only meant to be a vehicle for us getting know Capaldi. I remember feeling the same way about 10’s first episode. I hate that some people resent Peter the Great because he is older… did you not realize that the Doctor was old before, or what? He has always been old, at least as long as we have known him…I find it SO interesting to see him with a new hardness but a different kind of vulnerability… we see his strength, but also his need for Clara to accept him, to travel with him. I thought he did a beautiful job. The nature of the amazing storytelling of the Doctor’s life is that he will change, and we almost always have reservations about “the new guy,” which we usually discard a few episodes later. Give him a chance! He has already won me over.

Personally, I don’t really like the new Doctor, but then again, I absolutely HATED Matt Smith when he first started and when he regenerated, there are no words that describe the hatred I had in the depths of my heart, I just wanted to smash my tv! I will probably grow to like him, but right now… I’m still not over the regeneration.

I am new here and I find it amazing how many sites I’ve been to where what I am about to say is totally ignored. perhaps it’s falls under the NBD (not to be discussed?) rule that I never heard of on any DW sites.
I thought Caitlyn was going to mention it but she didn’t.
WHY is no one talking about Madame Vastra revealing Clara’s REAL face? The fact that I surmised back in Asylum of the Daleks that Clara Oswin Oswald is “gay”, a “lesbian”. After the appearance of Captain Jack Harkness as one of the Doctor’s Companions I never figured Doctor Who fans to be so afraid and prudish about sex in any of its forms. You seem very upset that they keep emphasizing that Vastra and Jenny are married.
Well, guess I’ll stop here. Oh, I am not “gay” although technically I might be a bi-sexual but have never acted on it. I do however find lesbians and lebianism fascinating. Surprised more women aren’t.

Matthew, just to clarify, my problem was not with the fact that anyone is gay…as you said, Jack has been bisexual (openly) all along. What I was saying was more than Moffat seems to be trying to prove he doesn’t have a problem with it by making a bigger deal about it than it is. Like..Moff, if you want them to kiss, if you’re really ok with it, why do YOU pretend it’s something else? Like, it didn’t advance the plot.. seemed like an excuse for a kiss…but they are married, right? So we don’t need the excuse. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they kissed, because they’re married. Duh. The sharing oxygen thing in order to force a kiss seemed weird. With Captain Jack, for example, he didn’t feel the need to go to such lengths…why the double standard? Like he has to test the waters with bringing on a lesbian couple when Jack has been swimming in ‘em for years. I don’t get it. Them being together was no news to me, or to any other DW fan, I should think. Sorry if I intended…not my intention. I hope that made sense.:)

*offended, not intended :)

And also NBD=No Big Deal…or at least, I thought it did. That’s how I meant it. Cheers.

Also, I thought Clara’s encounter with Vastra was brilliant. Vastra pushed her to examine herself, to get angry… Clara needed to think about and acknowledge some things about herself, and Vastra made her do it. Also enjoyed seeing her fight back that way, and the fact that Jenny cheered her on.

@Caitlyn
Thank you for your response(s). You are the first and only from any site.
“NBD” – oh, that I can deal with, just thought I was misunderstanding. No big deal.
Love your name by the way – Caitlyn.

A bit of a newbie Whovian here. I liked this episode. But how is it that Vastra and Strax are able to walk around in public Victorian London and no one bats an eye to them?

@Caitlyn He has already won me over too! Also did You know that they actually have a theory for him looking like the guy from the Fires of Pompeii? I’m actually pretty excited to see what they come up with!

It’s really ironic to see him go from hardly any eyebrows at all to those intense ones! “I can open a bottle with these things!” Also, I agree with you about the whole Vastra Jenny thing. Maybe they were voicing it more because they thought that more new Whovians were coming and probably don’t know that they are married, but they also didn’t have to say it a whole bunch of times because they already made it pretty clear in the beginning.

@Harsh critic
LOL