Doctor Who 10x1 “The Pilot” FULL REACTION

Finally! I can praise Doctor Who again after a long time. I'm now looking forward to your reactions again. As you already know, I'm not the biggest fan of the Moffat era and I really struggled to enjoy the past few series of Doctor Who. Series 7-9 is where my interest really disappeared because I was really drained and upset with the writing quality. I was ready for a new showrunner to take over at this point because I was completely done with Moffat. I really didn't like 12 and Clara together, wasn't a fan of Clara and Danny either and most of the episodes didn't really standout to me. The substance in the writing was absent for me. Plus I felt that Clara overstayed her welcome. But oh my god. Series 10 is such a breath of fresh air! With the introduction of a new companion and a new scenario of the Doctor being a professor, the series suddenly feels reborn and rejuvenated. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is definitely Moffat's best work in a long time. Because this is his last series, I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it but he surprisingly outputs decent and good quality stories for his last series as Chibnall doesn't take over until Series 11. This is also Capaldi's best series by far. This is when his Doctor starts to really shine to me. Like you, I also loved the moment where he went back in time to see Bill's mother which allows Bill to find new memories of her late mother. Speaking of Bill... BILL! I absolutely love her! She's a real breath of fresh air! Out of all the companions we've had in the Moffat era, Bill is by far my favourite! I know you've just been introduced to her but I love her. Fair warning, I won't stop praising her as you continue to progress with this series. I immediately like her so much more than Amy and especially Clara. She's just so likeable, smart, perceptive and such a joy of an individual. It feels good to have a new companion and the dynamic she has with 12 is great. Something about this opener is so fun and refreshing. The fact that it's called The Pilot is a nice reference to both the Pilot creature and the fact that this feels like a good introduction story for newcomers. Glad you noticed the similarities of the Pilot and the Midnight creature. It actually feels like a hybrid of both the Midnight Entity and the Flood creatures from The Water of Mars but less scarier. The way this opener is primarily focused on Bill reminds me of how the first episode of New Who was primarily focused on Rose. I really like the chase sequence with them running away from The Pilot through the Tardis. This also gave Bill the opportunity to travel through different locations as her first trip and adventure which was fun. It provides a mixture of danger and excitement. But I also like how Bill gets a moment to breathe and process things when they land in Australia amidst the danger and excitement. Nardole is good too. It's nice to see him stick around with the Doctor after the last two specials. There's also a nice bittersweet moment with Bill saying goodbye to Heather. My only criticism is that I really wanted to see more of Bill and Heather together. Just like you, I also wanted to know what happened between them during that club sequence but because of the time skips and monthly time jumps, we didn't get to see more of them onscreen together. Perhaps they had to cut certain scenes out for time. But If I'm being honest, Moffat doesn't always write LGBT characters and romance in the best way (See series 6 with A Good Man Goes To War for example with the gay soldiers where one of them gets killed off quickly after introduction and the way they were portrayed was done for laughs which wasn't really good representation. It went something among the lines like this - "He's the thin one, I'm the fat one, why would we need names". Bill is genuinely written well though. My other favourite moment is the ending with Bill calling out The Doctor for attempting to mind wipe her and then she brings out some home truths about whether the role would be reversed with him. Even though The Doctor doesn't remember Clara anymore, this can still remind him of what he did to Donna too. The ending sequence with 12 saying "What the hell" and changing his mind to invite Bill is also brilliant. I love that sequence with Bill running into the Tardis as that happy music plays to cue the ending. Absolutely brilliant. I'm really excited to see your journey with Bill. I'm glad she's already making a good impression of you especially as the first openly gay companion and the second black companion after Martha.

JY

It's so affirming to hear such love for Bill in the comments. Probably my Fav I think. Pearl is a marvelous addition to the show and such a strong opener from her. It was very enjoyable to see you so moved by The Doctor's beautiful act of kindness. A lovely piece of writing that fills the heart right up.

Daryl

Yep for me Season 10 is a step up again from a patchy Season 9, overall. And it was great having a fresh new companion - nice to have a black, gay (first proper openly gay) companion, with so much life and energy - Pearl Mackie is a breath of fresh air. For me, Bill brings more empathy than any other New Who companion, apart from maybe Donna. Really glad you enjoyed it.

Mark Ward

Watching this back with you it’s a proper comfort episode and I’ve realised a highly underrated opener - definitely a perfect jumping on point for someone looking to start the show

Daniel Reynolds

He did say “maybe one day we’ll find her”🤔

Other Boy Reactions

This is such a lovely and wholesome story!! It’s been so long since I’ve seen this.

S

"what changed your mind" the Doctors said "Time and relative diminsions in space. It means, wth" He didn't just say "time". He didn't say they were going to find Heather, he said "it's a big universe", I took that to mean anything is possible. He remembers his memory was wiped by his companion Clara, he remembers her name, adventures ect, he just doesn't remember *her*. The Clara he remembers might as well have been a faceless mannequin he was dragging along with him.

Belinda

I’m so confused😂 It says showrunner Chris Chibnall on IMDb for this season

Other Boy Reactions

This ep is a really sweet story and i love Bill. Moffat said its supposed to serve as an 'intro point' for new who; someone could watch this episode who wanted to get into Doctor Who, the last one of these being Series 5. The characters Bill and Heather were named after the 1st doctor, William (Bill) Hartnell and his wife Heather. Moffatt is still showrunner, Chibnall takes over 11x1.

DeathSwitch

What I love about this is that Moffat deliberately starts from scratch. Another companion but a total departure from the complexity of Clara. Throughout his showrunning he gives himself challenges to write himself into a corner then work it out from there, he's spoken about it many times since. His farewell interviews with Cristel on Doctor Who The Fan show are well worth watching after S10 is up but it does include 13th Doctor In costume briefly but it's a facinating look at his time on Who. I love Bill as a companion and the relationship she has with Peter's Doctor throughout S10. For those who have never seen the farewell interviews here's the links, your welcome - Part 1: Steven Moffat On Writing, Weeping Angels, and More - https://youtu.be/iBwBlwGbVaA 21Mins 58Secs Part 2: Steven Moffat On Matt Smith's Era, Writing The 50th Anniversary & MORE! - https://youtu.be/ZOfIIqb8Uhg 24mins 41 Secs The Steven Moffat Interview: Part 3 on 12th Doctor, Bill & Nardole - https://youtu.be/styqnGNTffM 24mins 30 secs

Jason

I'm sure you picked up on it, but Steven Moffat's still in charge! Chibnall comes in from Season 11, so you've still got him for a chunk

WhoviVortex

Bill Potts is my absolute favourite NewWho companion. I think she's delightful! The BBC,in their wisdom,filled the official Series 10 trailer with MAJOR spoilers; which neutered the impact of certain stories. It will be enjoyable to watch you react to this series the way it should have been for the rest of us - with absolutely NO prior knowledge.

Ian Smith

I believe the doctor can still remember the holes that were left by Clara as he said so in last seasons finale. So maybe he can't remember exactly what she did that made him more compassionate but he still remembers how that made him feel which is probably why he still values Clara in his head even though he has no memory of her