MATT Smith’s first series at the helm of the Tardis is almost over and it seems as if head writer Steven Moffat has watched The Empire Strikes Back recently.
The first in a two-part finale The Pandorica Opens, shown on Saturday, the new Doctor’s enemies teamed up to lock him in a giant chamber in a bid to stop cracks in time seen throughout the series from destroying reality.
The Doctor and his foxy Caledonian companion, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), found themselves in Roman Britain on a mission to stop those pesky cracks from hovering up reality.
Cue much scene-setting and an entertaining battle between Amy and various parts of a rusty Cyberman.
The cracks threatened to suck up galaxies and spewed Rory The Third Wheel back from a merciful death.
I’m not sure which is worse.
The whole thing was a fiendish trap based on Amy’s childhood memories.
A gang of Cybermen, Playmobil Daleks and the ones that no one really cares about believed that the Doctor was the problem and locking him in a box was the only solution.
Fair enough.
Not the best episode in the series, then, but there was a lot of ground to be covered before next week’s inevitable action fest.
The episode could have done without slow motion scenes that were about as moving as Ledley King in a swamp.
Smith is a huge improvement on David Tennant’s mix of Richard Hammond’s voice and sub-Kenneth Williams gurning.
Karen Gillan is fantastic as Amy Pond and it is nice to have a companion who does not make me want to throw my TV through the window.
I am looking at you, Tate.
River Song, on the other hand, is still the same smug Pepsi Max version of Lara Croft from last series.
Russell T.Davies may have resurrected a much-maligned series, but Doctor Who was often a preachy mess under his stewardship.
Steven Moffat’s much more imaginative approach has been refreshing to watch and I am looking forward to seeing how the Doctor saves the day.