The crack in your wall... is ... a... crack.
It hasn't taken me four viewings of Matt Smith's first outing as Doctor Who to form an opinion about the return of everyone's favourite Doctor on April 3rd.
I'd barely got halfway through the first viewing when I had formed two very deep opinions about it.
1 That I don't like the new intro music. It's not loud, or beaty enough.
2 I love, love, love, love, Matt's interpretation of the Doctor.
The casting of him is an absolutely brilliant stroke of genius. The energy, quirkyness and well.. sheer madness and otherworldly quality he brings to the role are just.. er... what the Doctor ordered. David Tennant's first outing didn't actually involve him all that much, he spent most of 'The Christmas Invasion' recovering from his regeneration in Rose's bed. (a place lesser mortals have dreamt of being). It was essentially more of the same, but with someone younger, and sexier (sorry Chris) at the controls in the Tardis.
He just has SOMETHING about him that makes him the Doctor. Even his voice has different cadences to it that give an impression of youth, and wisdom, and age at the same time. The outfit does SO work for him. Having seen it in the pictures and the trailers, and thinking...'ooooookay.... going for the Cushing look are we...'.. and it is, a more 'mad professor, geeky genius' kind of look. But it suits the role. Work it work it !
You watch sales of braces and bow ties go through the roof now.
Steven Moffat's script is scorchingly brilliant. So tight, you couldn't get a sheet of paper between the pages. So many iconic lines from it. 'it's not my fault you can't give me any decent food, you're Scottish, fry something'.... 'I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everyone's Aunt.. and that is not how I'm introducing myself'.... I could go on.. it's packed with beautifully crafted dialogue.
Wondered if we hadn't thrown a bit of Douglas Adams into the mix, with the Atraxi, and their great big eyes, and very, very deep voices telling us they are going to incinerate the planet. (not, as it seems for a hyperspace express-way). Nobody really does monsters like Moffat. He's a bloody genius. How can one man be so good at witty dialogue, sassy characterisations AND be good at coming up with new, but simple and ancient ways to scare the hell out of kids ? It's just not fair.
When I watched it for the 4th time with my friend Helen, I did spot two errors in the editing.. I'm not going to ruin it by telling you... but if it took me 4 viewings to pick them up... I would agree with her assessment that the camera work was entirely different and the show had a crisper feel, much, much more cinematic. (the words she used were 'last series looked amateur... this looks professional - ouch !)
I've seen it four times in three days, and I'm not tired of it. I was tempted to watch it again, and can't wait for this Saturday.
So there is life after David ? Yes, but I guess that's the point with such a wonderful plot device like regeneration... there always is life after... and it's always different from what came before.
I think in a very short space of time we'll be asking ourselves 'David who ?'. Poor Matt Smith though, go from being greeted with 'who is Matt Smith' from the press when it was announced that he had the role, to 'Matt Smith is the best Doctor we've ever had'... I mean, don't make it easy for the guy !
The key test, was that when I changed the poster over on the door to Chloe's room, from showing a picture of David Tennant, to the one of Matt Smith, she didn't say a word. When I suggested it a couple of months ago the response was 'no, don't turn it over.. he's weird'. We all know that weird is not a bad thing in this house.
I am surprised that the Daily Mail hasn't lead a campaign to assault the BBC for encouraging lonely orphaned girls to invite strange men into their bedrooms to help them with the strange cracks in their walls.... would it be too much to ask that they have realised that parents, and children do have the sense to know what's real and what's fantasy ? God no, they probably just figured that they'd be seen for the party poopers they are.
'There's one thing you should understand Amelia Pond, because one day your very life may depend upon it, I am most definitely a mad man with a box'.
And actually, yoghurt is just 'stuff with bits in' and I'm rather tempted by the idea of fish fingers in custard. A quick trip to Iceland in the morning will sort that...
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