It’s been one hell of a long wait, but Doctor Who is back and, judging by the season premiere, “The Woman Who Fell to Earth,” it’s in fine form.
I got together with a bunch of friends at my apartment to watch it and everyone loved the episode – even people not that familiar with the series. Jodie Whittaker was convincing as the Doctor from minute one, new showrunner Chris Chibnall has slightly remixed the look and pace of the show, and I absolutely loved Segun Akinola’s new score (I’ll always have a soft spot for Murray Gold, but he’d gotten a bit same-y). Sure, the monster-of-the-week was slightly bland (it was basically a Predator, right?), but I guess that just helps keep the focus on the still-regenerating Doctor.
It’s not just my friends and I who dug it, though, as it’s looking like fans across the world thought it lived up to the high expectations. I’ve been rooting through Twitter all afternoon and here’s just a sample of what’s being said:
And Jodie is, in just one episode, 100% The Doctor. No question. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/otZ6n6dUpA
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) October 7, 2018
Favourite Parts of #DoctorWho :
The way the episode opened, with Ryan learning to ride a bike ❤️
The direction throughout the episode was like something out of a film 😍
The theme tune playing when Jodie first appeared! 👏
Making the Sonic👌
THAT CLIFFHANGER!Write yours below! pic.twitter.com/ZCvH5sUgEr
— Bad Wolf Archives (@BadWolfArchives) October 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/alicepleasancel/status/1049010713749012483
⭐️ lady doctor
⭐️ drunk northerner throwing kebab salad at an alien
⭐️ girls with balls
⭐️ boys with feelings
⭐️ “I’m going out there for you, nan.”
⭐️ the rainbow tee
⭐️ the promise of Alan Cumming in a fancy hatMarvellous.#DoctorWho
— Fiona Longmuir // Looking for Emily is out now! (@fionalongmuir) October 7, 2018
So yeah, pretty effusive stuff. Now, I know that nothing’s ever universally loved, so I’ve genuinely tried to find some less positive reactions, but I can’t find anything too venomous at all. In fact, even those who were skeptical about the very idea of a female Doctor seem to have been won over by Jodie Whittaker.
If the show carries on in this vein, it’s going to be one hell of a season. Plus, I can’t wait to see how they get out of the ‘stuck in outer space’ cliffhanger they ended the episode on. Of all these tweets, though, here’s the one I agreed with most:
The character I most identified with in the new #DoctorWho is the guy who picks salad out of his doner kebab.
— Mr Biffo 🦀🆙 (@mrbiffo) October 7, 2018
Tell us, what did you guys and gals think of the Doctor Who premiere? If you’d like to put a mini-review down in the comments, I’d love to know what the mood of the readership is.
