This was a decent first episode of the season.
First of all, I was very happy that it was a much more down-to-earth simple reboot, akin to "Rose", rather than a big mess like like season's premiere. This episode's main job is to introduce Bill Potts to the audience, and this is where the episode succeeds the most. I was worried that I wouldn't like Bill (based on the trailers), but I liked her a lot, especially her happy personality and humour. In fact, I'll say that this introduction is better than the one Clara got.
The episode is fun overall, with a threat that is occasionally creepy, and a story which involves traveling around the galaxy in the TARDIS. The pacing was a bit uneven, and it takes a while for the story to get going, but once it does, it's good fun. Peter Capaldi as the doctor is still great, who still has that darker edge, but also has a good balance with being fun as well. I thought some of the romance between Bill and the girl was a bit corny, and it seemed to try too hard to make it 'emotional'. I wasn't particularly impressed with the resolution, and the way the monster was defeated, but this is typical in the Moffat era, so I wasn't that surprised. But, for a Moffat episode, "The Pilot" was actually quite simple, and it got the job done decently - of course, my low expectations helped.
In terms of a season-long arc, the only thing I picked up on was the 'vault', and whatever was behind it. My guess is that it's going to have something to do with The Master (John Simms!), so I'm looking forward to seeing how that will develop. I'm also just relieved that this season's story arc doesn't look like season 6's ridiculously over-complicated mess, so thank you Moffat for that. This is Moffat's last season, so I'm hoping that he leaves on a positive note, and this first episode is a (mostly) positive start.
I'll give this an episode a 6.5/10 rounded up to a 7 because it exceeded my expectations. A generally solid episode, but nothing particularly special. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.
First of all, I was very happy that it was a much more down-to-earth simple reboot, akin to "Rose", rather than a big mess like like season's premiere. This episode's main job is to introduce Bill Potts to the audience, and this is where the episode succeeds the most. I was worried that I wouldn't like Bill (based on the trailers), but I liked her a lot, especially her happy personality and humour. In fact, I'll say that this introduction is better than the one Clara got.
The episode is fun overall, with a threat that is occasionally creepy, and a story which involves traveling around the galaxy in the TARDIS. The pacing was a bit uneven, and it takes a while for the story to get going, but once it does, it's good fun. Peter Capaldi as the doctor is still great, who still has that darker edge, but also has a good balance with being fun as well. I thought some of the romance between Bill and the girl was a bit corny, and it seemed to try too hard to make it 'emotional'. I wasn't particularly impressed with the resolution, and the way the monster was defeated, but this is typical in the Moffat era, so I wasn't that surprised. But, for a Moffat episode, "The Pilot" was actually quite simple, and it got the job done decently - of course, my low expectations helped.
In terms of a season-long arc, the only thing I picked up on was the 'vault', and whatever was behind it. My guess is that it's going to have something to do with The Master (John Simms!), so I'm looking forward to seeing how that will develop. I'm also just relieved that this season's story arc doesn't look like season 6's ridiculously over-complicated mess, so thank you Moffat for that. This is Moffat's last season, so I'm hoping that he leaves on a positive note, and this first episode is a (mostly) positive start.
I'll give this an episode a 6.5/10 rounded up to a 7 because it exceeded my expectations. A generally solid episode, but nothing particularly special. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.