Series 6, Episode 1
Title: "The Impossible Astronaut"
Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: Toby Haynes
So, this Saturday, Doctor Who's sixth series began with "The Impossible Astronaut," the first half of the two-part intro to the season. Right from the start, this episode seems quite aware of the show's growing American audience. There's a bit more "this-is-the-Doctor-and-this-is-what-he-does" exposition than we usually get in a season premier. Oh, and the episode is set and actually shot in America. So there's that.
I cannot emphasize enough how incredible the production values for this show have become since Steven Moffat took over as showrunner. Gone is the harsh, BBC lighting, which inexplicably loved making everything neon green or purple. Instead, we get lots and lots of location shooting, which is positively put on display here. The show journeyed to Utah to shoot these first two episodes and the stunning cinematography does not disappoint. I mean, look at that photo up there. Just... look at it. Gah.
As for the plot, "The Impossible Astronaut" throws a lot at us, leaving approximately eighty-thousand balls hanging in the air for this Saturday's episode to catch. It seems that a version of the Doctor from later on in his timeline has recruited Amy, Rory and River Song for some unseen purpose, bringing them together (along with the mysterious Canton Everett Delaware III) in the middle of America. Suddenly, an astronaut emerges from the lake (what?), shoots the Doctor (what?!) and then shoots him again mid-regeneration (WHAT?!), just to make sure that he's really most sincerely dead. And we've still got another half-hour to go.
Long story short, the Doctor that fits our current timeline shows up and doesn't understand why everyone is so distraught. After lots of hugging and crying, the gang marches off to the TARDIS and goes in search of Canton. The find themselves in the middle of Washington, D.C., materializing in the middle of Nixon's Oval Office. Turns out Tricky Dick has been receiving phone calls from a mysterious child every night and, after lots of gun-pointing and jokes, the Doctor agrees to investigate.
While goofy stuff is happening, however, Amy discovers something far more serious and frightening. After briefly seeing a dark figure in the desert, only to mysteriously forget about it a moment later, she is finally confronted by the figure, who turns out to be an incredibly creepy alien. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the Silence (or Silents, depending on how you want to interpret things).
Like many of Steven Moffat's alien threats, the fear they create comes more from psychology than actual creepiness. Like the Weeping Angels, the Silence need to be observed. However, this is because the minute you stop seeing them, you forget that you ever saw them. Also, they can apparently channel some kind of electricity/magic to make people explode, which Amy discovers when her alien menace combusts an unsuspecting woman in a White House bathroom. Combined with their eerie faces, elongated hands and some stellar sound editing, the Silence are truly creepy and disturbing group of antagonists.
The episode ends with the Doctor & Co. traveling to Florida, determined to track down the young girl who's been calling President Nixon. They find lots of stolen astronaut gear, some clearly alien technology and a spooky interface that seems to have been foreshadowed by last season's "The Lodger." Oh, and River and Rory discover a nest of Silence (Silents? Silences?) underground. Meanwhile, Canton (who's been tagging along) gets knocked out by an unknown foe and, in a moment of panic, Amy reveals to the Doctor that she's pregnant. The astronaut from the episode's beginning appears and Amy grabs Canton's gun and shoots, screaming to the Doctor "I'm saving your life!" All things considered, it's a gripping cliff-hanger to end on, meaning this Saturday cannot come soon enough.
Now, since I'm an avid reader of the A.V. Club, it's time for some...
Stray Observations:
-Great use of music throughout. I particularly liked the Ennio Morricone-ish guitar theme heard throughout the beginning. I guess they're trying to emphasize being in America...?
-There's far too much stuff concerning River to go into here. I've discussed the nature of who she is and how she relates to the Doctor with friends and the resulting conversations have taken hours. For now, I simply suggest going back to "Silence in the Library," when we first meet her, and paying close attention to Alex Kingston's performances. Trust me. You'll thank yourself for doing so.
-The sequence where we first meet present-day Doctor reveals odd similarities between his hairstyle and Elvis'.
-The Doctor has a special straw. It adds more fizz. Because of course it does.
-Rory poking the Doctor to make sure he's real is eight types of magical.
-Has the Moffat-era TARDIS always had chairs? Have I somehow not noticed this the entire time?
-"NASA is where the spacemen live." Hilarious.
-Evidently, TARDIS hazing means that, if you're the newest companion, you have to explain the whole "it's bigger on the inside thing." Also hilarious.
-When asked why he lost his job at the FBI, Canton says "I wanted to get married." Amy: "Is that illegal?" Canton: "...yes." Hmm, should we read this as Canton being gay and, if so, how will this effect the plot of the next episode?
-Finally, Amy, Rory and River are so very concerned with keeping the knowledge of the Doctor's future death away from him, but one of them is obviously meant to tell him, since he walked knowingly towards the astronaut. Time travel creates all sorts of problems.
(Photos courtesy of marishna)
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