He Is The Doctor.
Hello Everyone,
Welcome back to the Lab,
Now when I first started The Review Lab, I started a series called ‘Through The Vortex’. This is a series going through each series of New Who retrospectively, looking at the stories, the actors, its strongest moments and ones that didn't work so well. Now our last post was a year ago for this series. I think it's about time we brought it back.
Let's go through the Vortex with Doctor Who Series 5.
After the departure of both Head Writer Russell T Davies and The Doctor himself David Tennant the show was in need of their replacements! This came in the form of writer Steven Moffat and then casting Matt Smith as the 11th Incarnation of the Time-Lord. He was the youngest actor to be cast as the Time-Lord and people were a little nervous. However, from the moment he first graced our screen it was a no-brainer. He was The Doctor.
Now, alongside David Tennant. Matt Smith is my favorite doctor. I genuinely think it's the strongest casting the show ever made, he is able to portray a young side to this character in the form of his buffoonery and vulnerability and yet his performance also portrays that of an alien that has lived for hundreds of years. People found him endlessly endearing and wonderfully alien in his performance, to this day he is still regarded as an amazing incarnation of the TimeLord.
Alongside Matt Smith was Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams. They joined The Doctor on his travels across time and space and the chemistry between them was electric. People loved the dynamic they had together. It also played heavily into the season's story arc.
Series 5’s arc was split in two, one of which regarding Amy Pond. When the doctor first meets her, she's only a kid, he then disappears for 12 years and when he returns (Mere seconds for him) Amy has grown up. We then find out it is the night before her wedding day. This then plays into how Rory is introduced into the series. The other Story Arc regards Cracks in time. These cracks were fabrics in time and space that, if consumed by it, meant you ceased to exist. This unfortunately happened to Rory but then he was brought back to life (Horrah!).
During the series we find out The Silence places the cracks throughout time and space by destroying the TARDIS in 2010. Yet we have to wait for Series 6 & 7 to find out more information on that. It was a very clever move by Steven Moffatt. It meant that we got invested and had to stay invested through his era to find out more information on this story. It certainly pulled in the viewers and opinions alike. More on this in the lookback to series 6 and 7!
Series 5 is often considered one of the strongest series of the entire run thus far. Each week was a magical whimsical adventure that people still love to rewatch today. I love this series, every episode stands out for one reason or another, but i think its strongest episode is easily the first. The Eleventh Hour. In this 65 minute episode, we are thrown into our new era with a bang. We meet Amy and Rory, we get a glimpse at the cracks in time and the silence whilst also introducing us to our brand new doctor. It’s a jam-packed episode and yet its pacing is remarkable. It flows really well and no part of the episode feels unneeded or unfinished. For an episode that is taking over from David Tennant's Era of the show, it had a lot to live up-to and for me, it did just that and more.
On a personal note, Matt Smith's incarnation of the Time-Lord came at a time I found quite difficult. I had just left primary school and started secondary school. (Or high school as some may call it). It's safe to say, I found it rough. Growing up, I was never sporty, or physically very fit. I was a nerd. I loved Star Wars; Marvel; Harry Potter, you name it but more than anything I loved (And still do love) Doctor Who.
School Bullies saw me and thought “Yeah, we’ll make his life a misery” and they sure did that. I would not have gotten through it without my core group of friends (You know who you are), and Matt Smith's incarnation and era of Doctor Who. It saved my life in many ways. Nowadays I am very lucky, I have a great support system around me, a great job and a great life. Yet looking back I can see that time was extremely tough. Every Week I would turn on the TV during series 5 and have 45 minutes of pure escapism, it was wonderful. It often reminded me that life was full of mystery and hope.
As much as the previous era did this, there was something about this era that was different for me. I was able to tackle each day with the knowledge I could go home and stick on a favourite episode or two and be lost in the hopefulness and adventure and I think that's what people should take, not just from this series, but the show in general. No matter how hard things are it's good to have hope, whether that be in someone, something, or a TV show about a madman in a box.
Overall Series 5 was an outstanding series considered by many to be one of its strongest. Its series was full of mystery, intrigue and adventures in time and space. What an adventure it was.
What did you think of Series 5?! Let us know!
It got a little personal towards the end there didn't it?! Well if you’re still reading, thank you and thank you for all the support.
Until next time,
Stay Safe,
Look after each other.
Harry