So we are now a few episodes in what is already the Moffat era of the show. It shows the way Who fandom thinks that its the "Moffat" era and not the "Smith" era, but there we go. On the other hand there is no real consensus on what to call the new season with there being 4 distinct camps: 1) its season 1, 2) its season 5, 3) its season 31, 4) its season fnarg/it doesn't matter. 3 and 4 are bollocks. I tend to alternate in my thinking between 1 and 2. Key thing is, contrary to popular opinion, is season 31 is nonsense. You cannot have a season 27 after a 15 year gap! Not to mention all the ongoing books and audios in between. Season 27 is the Timewyrm quadrilogy by the way.
Anyway onto The Eleventh Hour. Matt's performance was arguably the best 1st appearance since Troughton. If the series ended at this point you could build an ongoing series of books and audios for Matt much more easily that McGann. Obviously all the stuff with Young Amy was totally fantastic. I particularly loved the bit which culminates in the Doctor realising/saying that the crack in the wall must be well scary. Next up, I also loved the "14 years" and "2 years" gags. The new TARDIS control room is gorgeous, I grew to accept the RTD Era one, but I was never more than luke warm on it. This one is so beautiful I don't even mind the fact it isn't futuristic-white as tradition dictates! Plus it's got proper roundals! And I really liked the tapping into the Doctor's thought processes with the weird snap shot photography.
On the downside; the plot is a complete retread of Smith and Jones. Timey wimey meeting of the companion, alien coppers chasing a prisoner who is hiding out on earth and using disproportionate force to do so; the Doctor tricking the alien into revealing its species; setting the thing in a hospital. Secondly, if your gonna make porn jokes then you really shouldn't be coy in making Amy a "kissogram". Thirdly the effects were not good (although that may be an issue of high def effects being downscaled to standard def). Fourthly adult Amy was rather bland and Rory was Moffats typical "useless bloke" character (see Coupling for many more examples!). "Have you counted the doors, really counted them", how about Fuck Off I am not buying that at all!
Another problem I have is the introduction of the "arc" with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball. Which brings me to a more general point. I think that the show needs to shit or get off the pot with respect to Arcs. Bad Wolf was not an arc, it was somewhere between foreshadowing and a story thread. Torchwood was foreshadowing. The lost moon of bloody Poosh was foreshadowing. I'm sorry but you cannot call repeating a buzz word (or special effect) an arc. Babylon 5 had an arc, Buffy and Angel had arcs, Blakes 7 had arcs, Dawson's Creek had arcs. The nearest New Who has come is season 3 with the buildup of Saxon intermingling with the Face of Boe and Human Nature/Watch stuff. Rant Over!
Next up we will have The Beast Below, which long story short was fucking brilliant.
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I think that Moffat wanted Amy to be more than a kissogram but the network wouldn't allow it.
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