When a global event causes all the planes in the sky to inexplicably freeze in time, UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) enlists the help of Clara Oswald to track down The Doctor and avert the potential catastrophe. All the while, a far more sinister plot takes shape, forcing him to face the dark decisions of his past in order to preserve his future.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Following the controversial eighth season of Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi returns as the titular Timelord for the ninth season of the cult British phenomenon. The finale, Death in Heaven, left as many unanswered questions as resolutions, albeit true to form in the Whoniverse. Fortunately, The Magician's Apprentice gave us a courageously eclectic season opener that did not disappoint!
We get a glimpse of a mysterious war and a lost child in the midst of a field of ground traps known as "Hand Mines". As expected, The Doctor comes just in time to save the child… a child by the name of Davros! Upon realizing he was facing the would-be father of the Dalek race, he adds to his endless list of regrets and leaves the boy behind.
There's been one driving force behind the twelfth Doctor's motivation thus far: redemption. He's on a journey to delve into the darkness he's created for himself and rectify his past to ultimately answer the question, "Am I a good man?"
We've seen him have to face his mistakes before, but Capaldi's version seems to be systematically trying to erase his kharmic debt. As a result of him not necessarily failing to trust everyone around him, but moreso himself, the theme of "fear less, trust more" was a constant reminder throughout last season, which is predictably going to be tested to its limits from here on out. This episode forced The Doctor to deal with one of the grappling issues he's been thinking about since the classic Tom Baker era when he made the choice to refrain from obliterating the entire Dalek race, especially considering the massive role they would eventually play in making him the last of his species.
Realizing the current crisis of frozen plans in the sky was a ploy from The Doctor's arch nemesis, Missy (formerly The Master) garners an audience with Clara, and the two manage to track him down. What they find is The Doctor in a medieval pit fight making the most epic, John Cena-esque entrance to date: riding a tank and shredding on an electric guitar! The levity is quickly extinguished, however, when Colony Sarff (a being made entirely of sentient, venomous snakes and Davros' lead henchman) forces Team TARDIS onto the Dalek homeworld, Skaro. The most shocking turn came from the apparent execution of both Missy and Clara, forcing The Doctor's hand to return to the war and attempt to kill the boy before his rise to power. A true Whovian can only recite the mantra, "He never would," knowing he couldn't possibly murder anyone, especially a child, regardless of the circumstances. This episode is one of many two-parters this season, so the imminent conclusion is still a week away, but its hard to believe with all the work he's put into redeeming himself, he'll actually go dark in the most deplorable way possible.
We were treated to an emotional tug-of-war right off the bat. This episode was hilarious, bone-chilling, and visually enticing all at once. Being the first episode of the season, its pretty safe to assume Clara and Missy aren't really dead. We've already seen the "zapped to death" gag from Missy, so its entirely possible she and Clara worked something out ahead of time in order to trick the Daleks and regroup with The Doctor. Considering every decision he made led to nothing but loss and pain, we should expect that despite his best efforts, The Doctor will only create more misery for himself, as opposed to the prosperity and light he's been seeking. With the announcement of Jenna Coleman retiring her role as Clara this season, one can only hope her exit isn't so tragic as to push The Doctor over the edge and become something we've hoped never to see.
