[h2]4. The Eleventh Hour[/h2]
Written by Steven Moffat
“Hello. I’m the Doctor. Basically…run.”
The Steven Moffat/Matt Smith era could not have possibly gotten off to a better start than this, the single best Doctor-introduction episode in the show’s long history. “The Eleventh Hour” is a practically magical balancing act, introducing us not only to a new Doctor, but also a new companion in Karen Gillan’s Amy Pond, tying their fates together in the most compelling of ways while it simultaneously weaves a cracking good adventure for the Doctor and his new friend to tackle. Nothing gets the short straw, and everything works in perfect harmony as we are swept up in the crazy fairy-tale story of Amy and the Raggedy Man, with each beat perfectly paced to build to a stupendously satisfying conclusion.
Karen Gillan makes an immediate, lasting impression – that she would stick around for an abnormally long two-and-a-half seasons was solidified by the end of this one hour – but Matt Smith even more so. It takes no time at all for Smith – who faced severe cynicism from fans before his debut – to make clear his interpretation of the part. Perceptive to a fault, projecting an inhumanly old age in a young man’s body, and craving companionship after the isolation his previous incarnation faced, the Eleventh Doctor is immediately established as one of the most compelling regenerations of the character, and by the time Matt Smith walks through the projections of his former self at the end of the episode, in full, bowtie-adorned costume, he owns the role as fully and completely as any actor ever has. That composer Murray Gold wrote a completely new, continually gripping theme for the character introduced in this episode is just icing on the cake. “The Eleventh Hour” is one of the all-time great TV season premieres, Doctor Who or no, and easily one of my very favorite episodes of the modern series.
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