Review: Doctor Who – Asylum of the Daleks

BY STACEY PASTERNAK

Doctor Who, a science fiction (sci-fi) show on BBC, is a science nerd’s dream. This show has been around in Britain since the 1960s and has formed quite a following since then. Doctor Who is about a 900-year-old alien that takes the form of a human and travels through time and space in a blue telephone box called a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). The series seven premiere, “Asylum of the Daleks”, aired on Saturday, September 1st. The new season will air a new episode on BBC America every Saturday at 9:00 pm and I highly recommend everyone start watching.

In the series premiere, The Doctor (Matt Smith) called upon his faithful assistant Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Rory (Arthur Darvill), once more for a new mission. This time, The Doctor is on planet Skaro, which iron-clad robotic creatures call home. These creatures are called Daleks, and they just so happen to be The Doctor’s sworn mortal enemies. In the Daleks’ Parliament meeting, the Daleks surprise The Doctor by asking him to destroy the Asylum in which they keep all of their fellow Daleks that went insane from battle. Fearing that the Alaska (the ship full of humans that accidentally crashed into the Asylum) would set all the delusional Daleks free, the Daleks in Parliament entrusted their worst enemy, The Doctor, with the task of destroying the Asylum and possibly rescuing some stranded members of the Alaska ship along the way.

The episode is enthralling & captures the audience’s attention from the very first scene to the last. One particular scene towards the end was the epitome of a surprise plot twist which is just one of the things that makes Doctor Who brilliant. The plot twist at the end was genuinely shocking, and they did a great job at keeping the surprise in the shadows until the very last second. Also, the characters are quite relatable, as if you know them. The acting is great although exaggerated at times and the special effects aren’t incredible, but they don’t have to be to make this show amazing. It’s the acting that lures in the audience.

The main characters of this sci-fi phenomenon have been together as a cast for three series (seasons in American vernacular) and they still continue to have great on-screen chemistry with one another. Most of the time the Doctor is portrayed as a calm and quirky man with many lovable qualities, and Matt Smith continues to impress with his performance. Karen Gillian is a fan favorite in Britain because she’s not only gorgeous and unique, but a great actress as well. The show is picking up at a point not far off from the last season, with the same cast from series six returning. Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) confirmed she will continue to be The Doctor’s “companion” for series seven, so at least for the next fourteen episodes or so of it, we will surely be seeing more from Amy and Rory.

The surprise plot twists, quirky acting, and overall tone of the episode made it sublime. Sci-fi junkies, time travel buffs, science nerds, and lovers of cult-classic shows would enjoy Doctor Who best.  The show is timeless, unique in the fact that, because The Doctor “regenerates” and gets a new face and body every so often, many different actors can come in and play him, meaning that the show could essentially last forever. This show has been around for about fifty years and still impresses. If the premiere, with its shocking twist and great acting, is any indication to what the show will hold, it looks like this will be yet another great season of Dr. Who.