4) Lots Of Treats For The Fans
It wouldn’t be Doctor Who if the show didn’t reward those of us who know the series upside down with a few exciting callbacks to the past. It seems that there have been more nods to days gone by than normal this year, however. Maybe Steven Moffat had a checklist of things he wanted to get back into the show before he vacates the showrunner chair?
In “The Pilot,” we caught a glimpse at the war between the Daleks and the Disco-headed Movellans – which was the focus of 1979’s “Destiny of the Daleks.” “The Empress of Mars,” meanwhile, not only brought back classic monsters the Ice Warriors but also featured a cameo from cyclopean alien Alpha Centuari, a fairly obscure but fondly remembered character who made a couple of appearances in the Third Doctor’s era. It’s fair to say no fan ever thought they would make a return, which made it such an unexpected pleasure when they did.
The biggest example of the show treating the fans, though, has to be the penultimate episode, as it featured the fan-favourite original 1960s models of the Cybermen and also the return of John Simm’s version of the Master, after seven years away. Obviously fans aren’t averse to completely new material, but Doctor Who is arguably at its most exciting when it marries the new with the old.
Published: Jun 30, 2017 09:45 am