The Impossible Astronaut

Anticipation is high as a new season has begun, where will the Time Lord take us on this 13 episode run. Our travels begin in Utah under hot and arid skies, where there's an incident that delivers one hell of an almighty surprise. Then it's off to see the President back in 1969, he has a few more years before the time comes to resign. There's an intro to the Silence, kind of men in black surveillance, but none of it makes perfect sense, there are things that will take time to condense, leaving us in a limbo suspense, alas not really that intense, and anticipation is fading, rapidly evaporating, lessening our expectation, being spent.

Season five helmed by Steven Moffat was a massive disappointment to me and there was a feeling Moff had done nothing to change the show . Instead he produced several Russell T Davies scripts that he found in the office . Certainly I was intrigued that season six was going to open with a two part episode which indicated he was about to stamp his own signature on the show . Could Steven Moffat finally break free of RTD's shadow ? Yes is the answer but he still has a major problem that I think that he's incapable of escaping . I'll come to that in a moment

First of all it's good to see a story set in America that was actually filmed in America and director Toby Haynes makes the best of the gorgeous Utah landscape . . In fact the photography used is beautiful as the early evening shade casts shadows upon the actors bodies . The sunset actually does resemble a sunset

Matt Smith also feels like he's stepping out of Tennant's shadow . . As much as I still miss Eccleston's brooding Byronic Doctor I do conceded that Smith has firmly nailing the part to a tee . Yes he's eccentric but he's convincingly eccentric , endearingly eccentric and you can believe he's an alien from another planet . The only downside to this is he show's up the rest of the cast which means Karen Gillan comes across as being a dreadful actress

The major problem with the episode is the writing . Moffat shows that he's a one trick pony and is relying too much on a formula . A timey wimey paradox , a child with a catchphrase " Are you my mummy , er I mean astronaut " we've all seen this before and one can't help thinking a dead horse has been well and truly flagellated . The great thing about DOCTOR WHO is the flexibility of the format , a format that isn't being used to its advantage under the Moff

Of course it's difficult to judge a two part story after seeing one episode but one can't help noticing there's a lack of ideas to Moffat's writing . In fact I shouldn't be writing " ideas " because the word should be " idea " singular since he keeps rewriting The Empty Child from season one . However I'll continually watch the show and praise it where praise is deserved

The plot seems just fine, and we know we're being set up for another season-long story arc. I'm excited to go along for the ride. My commentary is more about the BBC/BBCA joint venture. The scenery was, as you would expect from Utah at that time of day/year, beautiful.

What bothers me generally as an American, is we know when someone is faking the accent. Whether it's Charlie Hunnam on Sons of Anarchy, or Mr. Delaware here, we know it's put on - thick. I think if we're willing to suspend disbelief for the plot in the name of entertainment, we could do so for FBI agents with accents. Who knows, they could be part of some foreign-exchange program(me?).

Also, that diner they went to. A giant American flag and a Chevy poster montage? While I have no doubt that there are diners that look like this (in AmericaTowns all across the globe) I guess I was hoping that the Doctor's first extended foray into US culture would have been more representative of it's true nature. Our dining establishments are not furnished solely with red vinyl seats and chrome plating. That would be like assuming British folks only eat fish & chips - their version of our burger and fries, I suppose. But Morgan Spurlock showed us what happens if one tries to live on fish & chips alone...

So, next time, let's see the doctor choking down some Waffle House and driving around in a 75 Lincoln. He's got two hearts, it'd take a lot longer to clog his arteries or feel the effects of the smog his rolling TARDIS would create.

Otherwise, I'm really looking forward to the new season ("series"? no, you're in America now!) and all of the twists and turns that we've come to expect from this wonderfully produced series.

I quite like the opening episode to series 6 even though it has its fair share of flaws. It's a very visually appealing episode in terms of cinematography and the design of the monster. The opening segment in the desert is emotionally crushing - it feels like one of the biggest challenges the Doctor has had to deal with in a long time. The mysteries of River and the astronauts keep the story interesting and the Silence have a pretty unique mechanic as well. Unfortunately the first scene in which the audience were introduced to the Silence (set in the bathrooms of the white house) was the episode's biggest flaw as the scene was silly and could have been executed better. But this episode is still very enjoyable overall.

After the hype surrounding the commencement of the sixth series of NuWho, I like so many other waited with baited breath for the first episode to hit our screens which would herald the first two part story to actually open the series. "The Impossible Astronaut" written by current executive producer Steven Moffat, a gifted writer with a formidable imagination has had the odd story which to be fair I have found a bit underwhelming and sadly although not a bad opening episode I felt a bit cheated overall. 

It's premise is intriguing with current Doctor Matt Smith leaving messages for companions Amy and Rory as well as River Song to meet him in the Utah Dessert for some unbeknown reason. After they all meet something unexpected occurs involving what appears to be an Apollo mission Astronaut which further leads to the Doctor, Amy Rory and River Song to travel to the Whitehouse in 1969 where they meet Richard Nixon who is being plagued by mysterious phone calls from what sounds like a little girl. I can't give any more away than that as to say more would be to reveal too much and for considering this is a story that is is about It's surprises there are several of those. 

I'll start with saying that there are some things to credit the TIA with in that the production values as with the series in the past several years is very high with excellent recreations of the oval office and 1969 USA to the interior of as run-down alien spacecraft. The stories premise is interesting given what unfolds as events play out and for the most part the performances by all are first rate, with only Karen Gillan as Amy failing to convince slightly in one early scene. There is some great interplay with the characters and some of the usual banter before things shift in to darker territory. The problem however is that Moffat reveals too much too soon which means as the story progresses the pace is forced to wind down too soon leading to too many padded out scenes. Everything has been stretched out a little too thinly. One particular scene in the oval office involving one of President Nixon's Bodyguards itself feels a bit stilted. Add to this the whole conceit of the Doctor leaving his past self and his companions messages and messing around with the whole non-chronological nature of time travel, a all too convenient and over used plot device that was utilised back in 1989's "Battlefield" and further exploited by Moffat at first with fabulous ingenuity has now become a bit laboured and tiresome. Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing and It's beginning to show.

The alien menace without giving too much away are genuinely menacing and although much has been left unanswered so for I am fascinated with what they are and what there purpose within the context of the story will revealed to be. While there powers when displayed hint at a ominous and imposing threat everything culminates in a cliffhanger ended which while appropriately baffling seems a bit anti-climatic.

All in all TIA is a case of being filled with promising ideas but so-so execution but with a wonderfully played scene with Rory and River Song where the latter tells how every time she meets the Doctor he gradually knows her less and less due to their unusual non-chronological relationship to help bolster what is another wise mediocre script It just feels like something that could have been so much more than it actually is.