Doctor Who – Season 7 – Episode 1 ‘Asylum of the Daleks'(one minor spoiler)

Doctor Who is back and what better way to kick off a new year than with an age old enemy:  the Daleks.

Only this time they aren’t out to kill him at first sight.

This time they need his help.

You know it has to be pretty bad when the Daleks call on the ‘Predator of the Daleks’ for help.

Turns out the Daleks have a form of compassion or appreciation for the truly terrible and a disdain for destroying it.  Enter the Asylum.  A planetary prison for those Daleks that have borne the scars of war or the time stream or whatever else and are essentially insane.  No one gets it without the Daleks putting them there, no one gets out.  Except someone has gotten in.  A broadcast from the entertainment director of a crashed space liner has confounded the Daleks.

So they kidnap the Doctor using new and improved human skinned models.

And since the Doctor needs his companions, they kidnap Rory and Amy as well, though separately as we find out they are no longer living in marital bliss.

So the Doctor has his mission, bring down the asylum’s force field so the Daleks can destroy the planet and prevent anyone from escaping, rescue the mysterious, souffle making girl trapped inside the planet,  get everyone off the planet before it is destroyed, save the Pond’s marriage, and do it all before Humperdink can marry the princess in little over half an hour . . .sorry.

The episode was pretty tight moving the plot along with bursts of action, plot exposition, and the requisite one-liners.  The twist at the end was a bit predictable, well the knowing there would be a twist was predictable there were several variations in my head including the one that actually happens.  The setup for the rest of the season was right in line with the ‘Impossible Astronaut’ of season six.

Minor spoiler warning.

The girl in the crashed ship is non other than Oswin Oswald, the reported next companion for the Doctor.  As someone pointed out:  “Every story has a beginning, middle, and end, but not necessarily in that order” is very apt for what has happened.  Based on this episode I’m looking forward to seeing more of her character and I’m excited for the possibilities and directions the stories can go it once she is properly introduced.

All in all this is a great kick off to the new season.

Next week:  ‘Dinosaurs. . .on a SPACESHIP’