DOCTOR WHO: DEEP BREATH is the first episode to fully feature the new Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and I have to say Capaldi’s Doctor has to be very bonkers.   If it wasn’t for Peter Capaldi as the new (Scottish) Doctor and his interaction with characters in the scenes, this episode would be an overlong so-so episode of DOCTOR WHO.   Having the Clockwork Men return is a nice touch of referring back to baddies from an earlier episode (THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE), but I do find myself a little disappointed with the end result of the conflict between the Doctor and the Clockwork Men (in addition to the Victorian gang of Lady Vastra, Jenny, and Strax being used the least effective to date).  However, this episode and the episodes after showcase how great Capaldi is as the Doctor (and he is a lifelong Doctor Who fan too).   His interactions with Clara and everyone else is a delight to watch, but I hope they really deliver some great episodes instead of episodes with great performances with Capaldi (who is the closest we have come to an old fashioned Doctor from the original classic series).

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Prequel Scene with Strax recaps the previous incarnations of the Doctor in Strax fashion to mixed results of humor.  This scene can be skipped if you don’t want to play it with the full length episode

 

DOCTOR WHO EXTRA featurette on DEEP BREATH which is all about Peter Capaldi’s first full appearance as the Doctor

 

DOCTOR WHO LIVE: THE NEXT DOCTOR- watch the special where Peter Capaldi is announced to the world as the next Doctor (which I think was the BBC’s move to announce it to prevent the rumors of his casting getting out before they announced it).

THE REAL HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION: TIME TRAVEL which focuses on time travel in science fiction such as THE TIME MACHINE, BACK TO THE FUTURE, and DOCTOR WHO along with a look at the gritty future of BLADE RUNNER

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:  DEEP BREATH is a good episode to watch for the performance of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.  Whenever he is on the screen sharing time with anyone, the scenes are a wonder to watch.  In the hands of a lesser actor, DEEP BREATH would be a so-so DOCTOR WHO episode.  This episode makes a good introduction for fans who want to check out the new Doctor and can’t wait to check for the Season 8 box set (if they don’t have BBC America or want to download it off Amazon or iTunes).

 

This review is ©9-16-2014 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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