Deep Breath Revisited

I know.  I'm a complete dinosaur.  Deep Breath by Steven Moffat was released in theatres and homes almost a year ago. And yes, I know in this day and age, sorry for using that expression, we love to receive information and opinions instantly.  There are some Whovians that tweet live commentary during the broadcast, which blows my mind.  When I'm watching Doctor Who, I don't want any talking and really no one around during the first viewing.  I can't imagine looking down from the television to write some quip about a plot hole or any other nonsense I wish to pontificate.  Well, my instant messages would be nothing but fan boy praising; I absolutely adored this season.  Let us save that for later.  Yes, we are darn near a year away since the release of Deep Breath.  I've watched the episode four times, but I believe the fresh viewing I gave yesterday has me ready and geared up for a review with context behind it.  Not just an instant knee jerk reaction.  Honestly, this review is late because I didn't have a Doctor Who blog at the time.  Isn't self awareness adorable?

When a Good Man Goes to War, the series 6 part one ender also by Steven Moffat blew me away because of all the spectacle.  This is when we first meet the Paternoster gang, Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax the Sontaran nurse.  Dividing fans into two categories,  debating on whether or not there should be more or less of them.  Many fans would like for the trio to have their own spin off, or at the very least, webisodes.  My backbone is always weak when divisive issues have people spinning out of control.  But when I did yet another viewing of the 11th Doctor's run, I really loved the Power of the 3 characters in the Crimson Horror.  I know this episode isn't highly regarded with fandom.  After several viewings I really quite enjoyed the Mark Gatiss' penned episode.  But the part I enjoyed most was the Paternoster Gang working with the Doctor.  This is when I realized how loyal they are to him, leading me to crave more team up action with the trio and the Doctor in the TARDIS.  In addition, the way Vastra and the gang looked out for the Doctor while he was mourning the lost of the Ponds in the Snowmen is just as enduring as when Tegan and Nissa took care of Davision's Doctor in Castravolva.  Down the road I will write about my love for Tegan and Nissa.  That's right!  My love for them.  

In Deep Breath, who do we see as the camera pans down during the opening sequence?  You guessed it.  Members of the Paternoster Gang.  Whoo Hoo! 

Madame Vastra the Horn Dog/Horn Frog/ Horn Lizard

Is Madame Vastra a womanizer?  Although marriage is a partnership, the union still consist of two individuals.  And in any type of duo, each member has her role.  Sometimes the roles change depending on the situation.  Most of the time we see Vastra as the experienced, dominant member. She is as old as the dinosaurs, and she does have her wife parade around as her servant.  That smells like on the surface domineering to me if I ever heard it - and I believe I have heard it.  The scene where Vastra is looking at a map, trying to figure out patterns to solve the case of the missing Doctor, Jenny believes that her wife is painting a portrait, which would have been a painting displaying some shoulder action and wavy hair.  Wowser!  Jenny discovers that her wife just had her posing for amusement purposes only.  Jenny calls Vastra out on this, and Vastra back tracks like a 90's American (U.S.) television dad.  Clara bust in the room and Vastra tells Miss Oswald to take her clothes off.  For art's sake, of course.  Wow.  Vastra is off the hook.  She wanted to unhook things off of Clara, no doubt.  All of this happened in front of "the wife."

Now the "Meta" scene where Vastra was giving Clara, excuse me, a tongue lashing about not accepting the Doctor because of his age, working up Jenna Coleman's character.  Clara returns the, excuse me, tongue lashing, and Vastra makes the comment about always wanting to know what Clara was like when she was riled up.  That's buckwild!  Once again, Vastra does this in front of her wife.  Jenny gives Vastra a not so playful smack, and Vasta hisses at Jenny.  These are awesome character moments.  These actions, as inappropriate, yet funny as they are, also give the audience the sense that these characters exist even when they are not on the page.  

The Half Face Man      

I thought the motivation of the Half Face Man was rather poignant.  A machine that is programmed to finish the mission, which is getting to the Promise Land, even if that means gathering Spare Parts from human beings.  Even after the creators are dead and gone, these machines must complete the mission for duty's sake.  Some how the Half Face Man slipped down the fabric of time, causing a slight detour.  We meet the clockwork figures in Victorian London, but based on Clara's deduction when she was "facing off" with the Half Face Man, these travelers were knocked off "the fabric of time" course all the way to the Jurassic Age.   The Half Face Man and his crew have seen the dinosaurs, Die Marquise Von Pompadour, and Victorian London, just to name a few.  I don't know when the end of time is, but The Half Face Man and crew are determined to get there.  

Even  after several viewings, the scene where the Half Faced Man was threatening Clara had me freaked out.  I thought Coleman did a wonderful job, solidifying Clara Prime as a worthy companion, brave, loyal, capable.  Even though Clara stood up for herself, explaining that threats mean nothing unless you're actually going to carry them out, at the end of the night, he was still going to blow torch Oswald.  One can be brave and still die.  

In the climax of the story when Peter Capaldi had the show down with the Half Face Man, offering him a drink, a lot of double entendres were thrown around between the Doctor and...really the Doctor.  The Doctor telling the worthy villain of the week that he has changed his Spare Parts so much, that he is not even who he originally used to be.  This leads the audience and perhaps the Doctor to wonder, "Wait a minute.  The Doctor has changed form so many times.  He has even gone through a full cycle of regenerations.  Is he the same Doctor?"

In the end the Half Face Man arrived in the Promise Land.  Mission Accomplished?


I capitalized Spare Parts in reference to the 5th Doctor adventure on Big Finish. 

Peter Capaldi as The Doctor 

Every day someone becomes a whovian.  This happened for me in the summer of 2012.  Each fan has her jumping on point.  If a person viewed Deep Breath just to see what all the hoopla was about, I believe the Doctor established himself as far as morality is concerned when he promised Sexy the Dinosaur that he would get her home safely.  Unfortunately, the Half Faced Man had Sexy incinerated, leading to the Doctor on the bridge in bed clothes. The scene really touched  me. I think some people view his pudding brain speech as an indictment on the human race, which it is; however, I viewed the sermon on the bridge as reminder that All Creatures Great and Small matter.  I know to some of you that this is a given, but there are a lot of viewers that see the death of Sexy as not a big deal.  The Doctor communicated the point and sought out justice. 

The Doctor steals a coat from a homeless man, which is played by Brian Miller, Elisabeth Sladen's husband. *silence*. He leaves Clara to fend for herself. Perhaps he pushed a "man" out of a hot air balloon made of skin. But guys, Peter Capaldi is wonderful. 

When he tells Clara to see him for him, that it hurts him inside that his best friend doesn't recognized him, how can you not have a heart for the guy?  The Doctor, hard shell yet vulnerable, is pleading to the audience, give me a chance, which is a radical departure from the 6th Doctor's, "I'm the Doctor whether you like it or not."