The Magician's Apprentice review

Warning! This post contains spoilers so if you haven’t yet seen the episode, do not read ahead until you’ve had a chance to see it.

Wow! This episode was so worth waiting for. I was hooked from the first minute to the last, I just could not take my eyes off it. So much happened and it has really got me excited about what the rest of the series holds.

I really enjoyed the typical wackiness of the Doctor, characterised this time by his arrival on board a tank playing an electric guitar – in the 12th century! Only in Doctor Who could this be acceptable and this is one of the many reasons why I still watch this show and continue to follow it in the dedicated way I do. One of the things the show also does incredibly well is to do the crazy events like this, but to have it interweaved with a much darker, much more serious main story which in this case was the return of Davros and the Daleks.

I love the intricate plotline set up by the Doctor saving Davros as a child, and then as he is dying, Davros sends a servant made of snakes on a universe-wide search to find the Doctor and inform him that Davros remembers what happened. This works so well and is a very appropriate way to kick off a series in style. Having thought about this dark plot, it raises so many questions for the future about what this could mean for the Doctor and for the universe as a whole.

Did the Doctor save Davros as a child?

Does this mean that he may have inadvertently caused the creation of the Daleks?

If he accidentally caused the creation of the Daleks, is everything they have done throughout the universe the fault of Davros or of the Doctor?

The end of the episode has left us with so many questions. The cliff-hanger has so many loose ends to tie up, especially regarding the fates of both Clara and Missy, who were “exterminated” by the Daleks. There is also the question of how the TARDIS was blown up and of how the Doctor got out of the hospital and managed to travel back to “kill” Davros which is where we left it.

So with so many things yet to be solved, I cannot wait for episode two and to find out the answers to all of the questions I have.

Overall, this episode bears all of the usual hallmarks of a Steven Moffat story. It has a lot packed into 50 minutes, with a complicated underlying plotline. However, I am so much more satisfied with this season opener than I have been with any of the previous openers by the current head writer. It feels like series 8 has started with a bang and I hope that this continues into the rest of the episodes.

Rating for “The Magician’s Apprentice”

9/10

Thank you for reading my first episode review this series and I look forward to continuing this throughout the next thirteen weeks. I apologise that it was later than planned, I have moved into my new place this week and so things have been hectic for the last few days. If you enjoyed this post or have any further comments about the episode, please put them in the comments below. You can also follow me on all of my social media to keep up with me and let me know your thoughts. I have put all of the links down below.

I will be putting up my next life update post on Friday, followed (hopefully) by my next episode review on Sunday so stay tuned for both of those. Until Friday, keep following, keep smiling and above all, keep believing.

TRENT

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