Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 1 Review: Deep Breath - Peter Capaldi is Bringing the Peak
- SimplyWho
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 21
What did you think of this episode?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
Oh boy, I've been excited to get to this series. Every review is going to be so biased! I'm sorry, but I love Peter Capaldi. Ever since Frobisher broke my heart on Torchwood I have been a huge fan, and here we are, the start of the Twelfth Doctor.
Peak, peak, peak!
"So you’ve got a whole room for not being awake in? But what’s the point? You’re just missing the room. And don’t look in that mirror. It’s absolutely furious!"
I feel like I may say this a lot as I go through this era of Twelve, but I don't buy the great Doctor shit writing flung about, this is peak Doctor and some damn fine writing. I feel like Moffat writes for Capaldi better than he did for Smith, I think we lose a few of the arc problems of the Eleventh Doctor’s era, I think Clara Oswald works so much better with Twelve than she does Eleven, and it shines through straight away in Deep Breath.
Deep Breath Sets the Tone
From the off we see that Twelve is going to be completely different to Eleven, and there is one thing that doesn’t get said enough in my opinion, Twelve is hilarious. He is always known as the grumpy old one, but honestly, I think he is the funniest Doctor we have had.
The longer Capaldi’s hair gets the better he becomes, but Deep Breath is a very strong start to the peak incoming.
Clara Oswald Shines in the Spotlight
There really is something iconic about Jenna Coleman in the Victorian era and I would pay good money for a series of her solving crimes with Vastra, Jenny and Strax. Clara and Vastra’s little talk is an amazing scene, I was like Jenny, and having a little clap of my own.
Giving Clara some doubt about the Doctor injects some much needed impetus into the show, and I think this is why I enjoy this series so much. Clara isn’t sure who the Doctor is, isn’t quite so cock sure about being able to look into his eyes and know he is sad, he is keeping Clara on her toes and Jenna Coleman plays it well.
"I am not sure who you think you’re talking to right now, Madame Vastra, but I have never had the slightest interest in pretty young men. And for the record if there was anybody who could flirt with a mountain range she’s probably standing in front of you right now! Just because my pretty face has turned your head do not assume that I am so easily distracted."
Another scene where Jenna Coleman shines is when she has a face off with the droid. Well, the Doctor is the one with the face off, but that is at the end of the scene. The way Jenna Coleman looks terrified and confident all at the same time is an amazing piece of acting, I really enjoyed it.
It isn’t only really Clara who is doubting the Doctor as well, it is us, the audience joining her. Did the Doctor really leave her in the shit? Did the Doctor chuck the droid to its death? So many more questions being asked. We cannot fully rely on the Doctor now, and this is how it should be. Who wants a perfect hero anyway? I think this is why some of the more recent women heroes have been rejected pretty quickly. A lot of them are written to have no flaws at all, and this is fucking boring! We need some angst, we need some woes. We need them to make mistakes. We want to know that we can be them, not never be them.
I'm Not Winding You Up - The Clockwork Droids Are Back
It was fun to see the clockwork droids back, they weren’t as creepy as they were in The Girl in the Fireplace, but this is an opening episode so that was never going to be the case anyway. I loved the Doctor not quite being able to work out who they were either.
Matt Smith popped up, and it was a pretty nice touch. I see what they were going for, to make us trust the Doctor, but as I said above, we don’t need to trust him. We just need to know that he is going to try and do the right thing, he might get it wrong now and again, but that’s fine.
Deep Breath is Just the Beginning - Doctor Who and Peter Capaldi are Going Peak
This has been more Clara heavy than I thought it would be, but let me say, Peter Capaldi is very much the Doctor now, he is funny, scary, heroic, and brilliant to watch. I am so excited to work my way through Twelve again, this is going to be fun!
RATING: Sonic!
BEST LINE: "Clara, honestly. I don’t want you to change. It was no bother, really. I saw your advert, I figured it out. Happy to play your game."
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