2nd Opinion: The Magician’s Apprentice
David Selby and Connor Johnston each give their verdict on the opening episode of Series 9.
David’s Verdict
The opener of Series Nine, The Magician’s Apprentice, could perhaps be best likened to Series Four’s penultimate episode, The Stolen Earth. On the one hand, the two are thematically tied together – tales of loss in a vanished, rather than deceased sense; about digging up the past, and drawing threads of different times together – of, with Harriet Jones’ demise in mind, the consequences of the Doctor’s actions, and contemplating on whether or not they were right. On the other, the two share literal similarities – the presence of the Shadow Proclamation, for instance; of Davros and the Daleks; and, briefly, of UNIT.
With this in mind, the best way to describe The Magician’s Apprentice’s flaws would be to draw from this comparison. Both are the opening halves of their respective two-parters, yet they differ in pacing. Whilst The Stolen Earth was a busy and eventful episode, its hurried pace felt appropriate for a story with such scale and scope, and its most important elements – such as the video call between the companions, or, again, Harriet Jones’s death – were fleshed out a little more than the rest, to do them the justice they deserved. Parts of The Magician’s Apprentice could have used more time, such as the visit to Karn; others dragged somewhat, and could have been left behind quicker than they were, such as the scenes after the Doctor’s entrance. And a final comparison which is an issue with both episodes: cliff-hangers which are obviously resolvable don’t have quite the impact of cliff-hangers which are not. By the time the TARDIS was destroyed, it was obvious that all of this would be undone, just as it was obvious, to me, that the Tenth Doctor would extrapolate the powers of his spare hand, which had been the bizarre focus of a few wandering camera shocks throughout the previous episodes. Of course, I appreciated, from The Magician’s Apprentice, that the impact came from the truly shocking second cliff-hanger, and from the reaction of the Doctor to the death of his friend. Still, I worry that each of these individual moments may undermine Clara’s eventual exit when it comes along.
With comparisons to other episodes aside, The Magician’s Apprentice brought back Michelle Gomez’s popular incarnation of the Master. This Master – or ‘Missy’ – is a love-or-hate character. Most, thankfully, love her, and while I can understand that her pantomime performance may feel jarring to some viewers, I’m also inclined to take a positive view. Missy’s best scene came when she turned against the Doctor and Clara and offered to show the Daleks how to work the TARDIS, in exchange for her life. This offer was fuelled by a traditional Master motive – to preserve her own life, and to survive whatever the cost. The chemistry between Gomez and Jenna Coleman was suitably tense, and it’s clear that Moffat is developing a more sophisticated sense of consequences, subtly reminding us of the events of previous episodes. In fact, subtlety is key to The Magician’s Apprentice. Last year, the Doctor sat down next to Clara and asked her if he was a good man. Series Nine has instead learnt the classic trick of showing and not telling, where the Doctor’s morality far more interestingly pivots around his actions within an episode.
Did anyone else feel that the promotional material had spoiled the episode? I’m not even talking about the Radio Times’ previews, but the more continuous promotion, which decided to push the return of Skaro. It seemed within the episode that Skaro’s return was meant to be a shock, so I’m baffled as to why they chose that of all things to reveal before the episode. Surely Missy’s return, and simply ‘a Dalek story’, would have been sufficient? The Mirror are also to blame, as based on their rumour I guessed the outcome of the opening sequence. However, in spite of that, it still landed with a phenomenal emotional punch, and stands as by far the best moment of the episode, at least based on my initial impressions.
Overall, The Magician’s Apprentice was good, but not quite excellent. It was an improvement on last series, and I look forward to seeing how it is resolved. Though I am dubious of whether or not Steven Moffat is capable of pulling off such a story based on recent years, the show is at a point where the bassline quality is the strongest it has been since the fourth series. Capaldi hands in a characteristically brilliant performance, and I continue to enjoy Clara, and her dynamic with the Doctor. At worst, Series Nine episodes will be slightly weak stories which happen to feature one of my favourite Doctor/companion duos to date.
Connor’s Verdict
What. An. Entrance.
No, not Capaldi’s bombastic entrance of beauty (guitar in hand and riding a tank – however magnificent it was) but rather the hysteric, heartbreaking and horrific commencement to Peter Capaldi’s much anticipated second series. With “The Magician’s Apprentice“, Moffat offers an episode with the potential to silence his harshest critics as well as please his most loyal of fans. It’s an opener that feels like a new, fresh direction for the show while still being drenched in nostalgia and history. With “The Magician’s Apprentice” Doctor Who wins big.
Fronting the success of the episode are a trio of flawless performances by Capaldi, Coleman and Gomez – who each give the audience a new side of their well-known and well-loved characters to digest. With the news of Coleman’s indefinite departure this series breaking last week, it’s no secret that any celebration of her performance seems somewhat bittersweet. Clara’s development over the last few series has seen her transform from an innocent live-in Nanny to a high school teacher that now doubles as a scouting UNIT agent, though it is somewhat refreshing to see the determined and loyal roots of the character remain. Missy’s return from the dead is served without explanation or justification – yet is just as rewarding as one would have hoped with Gomez’s menacing take on the character continuing to steal our affections. There are simply no words to capture the unequivocal genius that is Peter Capaldi. For anyone left unsure over his incarnation following last series, there is little doubt it my mind that this week’s episode will have left few still needing convincing. Peter’s Doctor is simultaneously thoughtful, playful and contagiously intimidating. It takes real depth and ability to achieve the level of grief and hopelessness haunting the Doctor this week- a challenge Capaldi met with ease.
The return of Davros and the re-emergence of Skaro are undoubtedly the most significant shock factors for the ninth series so far, with the Daleks having earned a plot that has completely rejuvenated their presence in the Whoniverse. The entire episode is coated with a sense of impending doom for our protagonists, which really is a testament to the impressively coherent work of both director Hettie MacDonald and returning composer Murray Gold to achieve such a dim tone. The debate over how the show values death and the indefinite nature of it will undoubtedly re-emerge depending on how Moffat handles the consequences of Missy and Clara’s deaths. While establishing the ruthlessness of the Daleks and further validating their ability as villains, it does present various continuity and timey-wimey hazards that have plagued Moffat’s resolutions in the past.
The crux of the episode, and quite possibly the most appealing aspect is the heavy weighted moral dilemma that the Doctor faces. To kill a child, under any circumstances and justification, just seems so far from the Doctor’s moral compass, and it goes without saying that for a family show Moffat risks treading on some seriously dangerous territory. Again it’s also possible that such a decision would mark an extremely drastic transition for the tone of the show – perhaps “The Witch’s Familiar” and the remainder of the series will seek to see Doctor Who depart from its own genre and enter a world of a darker, more mature drama that many believe it naturally has to do so to survive a modern audience – At this point it’s impossible to say. Perhaps however it’s that risk and uncertainty of how far the Doctor will be pushed and how strong a reaction the audience will have that builds the excitement and suspense around the 2 parter that is so crucial.
As has been pointed out by many people post-episode – the real struggle for “The Magician’s Apprentice” will be standing up against the test of time and in particular hoping that it won’t be let down by “The Witch’s Familiar” which always remains somewhat of a risk in Moffat 2 parters. What is for certain however is the pure joy and exhilaration in having Doctor Who back on our screens after what has felt like half a lifetime without it. Series 9 has commenced with a bang, and with a long line of episodes to follow sure to involve many more twists and turns for the Doctor and (possibly) Clara to come it seems we’re only getting started.
You can also check out John Hussey’s verdict over at Cult Fix.
