Season 10 of the series continues telling the adventure a time-traveling alien and his human partner. In this season, he must team up with an investigative journalist and a superman to prevent alien's scheming which is to destroy New York.
What I enjoy most about this episode is that at its heart -- partly cloaked in intrigue and menace -- is a romance, an attraction that transcends space and time.
In place of the complex arc plotting and time-travel trickery characteristic of much of his previous work, Moffat presents a deliberately new viewer-friendly story that, as with "Rose," follows the point of view of a fresh companion.
This episode may not have pushed all the buttons, but it was a reminder of how good Doctor Who can be when it tugs at the heartstrings, and moves from pyrotechnics into a more thoughtful, psychologically ambitious orbit.
I know some fans would prefer Matt Lucas be nowhere near this show, but I still like the idea of having an alien companion, and he does get the episode's best lines; which aren't just jokes.
The task of bringing on a new companion is no easy feat, but Moffat made it work with some clever rearranging and editing of typical Doctor Who conventions. But really, "The Pilot" shined because of its focus on individual characters over plot.
To laud "The Pilot" as the perfect start to the season is an exercise in wishful thinking. The plot's pretty thin, revolving around a mysterious puddle that seemingly consumes some of those who look into it.
"The Pilot" felt like a few things. A soft reset of Doctor Who, an introduction for Bill, and the start of a new mystery for us, and for the Doctor... A good, solid launching point for a run, then.
The new companion, the charmingly eccentric Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), is ushered in by Nardole, who for some reason does not qualify as a companion himself ... despite the fact that he travels with the Doctor, is privy to his secrets, etc.
