Like the rest of geekdom, I watched the season premiere of Doctor Who Saturday night with bated breath, eager to see how new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, would do in the role. I wasn’t around either time when David Tennant and Matt Smith took over, I had to catch both of those regenerations in reruns online. So Saturday’s episode was my first real time experience with a new Doctor.

And it was great!

Independent State of Eyebrows!

The episode itself – Deep Breath – was pretty good. Not one of the best of all time, but that’s fine. I think I liked it more than any episode in Season 7. I love the Pasternoster Gang – Vastra, Jenny and Strax – so seeing them with the new Doctor was really fun. I hope they stick around, because it’s a hoot seeing a new Doctor interact with his former self’s supporting cast (though now that I think about it, Capaldi didn’t spend much time at all with Vastra and friends). I also really liked Clara in this episode. I think Season 8 is going to try to build her up a bit more – before she leaves around Christmas, of course.

Don’t make that face, you know what you’re doing

But the real draw of the new episode was Capaldi himself – and he absolutely nailed it! Oh man, that was an exciting performance. I knew to anticipate a lot with Capaldi, even if I haven’t seen any of his other shows, but he lived up to all the hype and hope. He was wickedly sharp in his performance, a touch more serious than Matt Smith. Once he gets his mind settled and emerges as the Doctor, Capaldi commands every scene he’s in. Whether he’s alarmed at his eyebrows or bantering with Clara, Capaldi fits perfectly as both the Doctor and his version of the Doctor.

In fact, I loved the banter the most. Whether they’re talking about the Sonic Screwdriver’s voice commands, or bickering about who is the bigger egomaniac in a booth at a family restaurant, Capaldi and Jenna Coleman worked great together.

He’s not a hugger

I’m now even more excited about the new season. The cameo at the end was nice, but I think I liked Capaldi’s response even more. He made a great first impression, and I’m confident he’s going to make a great Doctor.

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