"The Magician's Apprentice"/"The Witch's Familiar"

If there has ever been a greater hook for the fans than the pre-titles sequence to "The Magician's Apprentice" I have yet to see it. As written, however, it serves to anchor the purpose of the story, for, before the main course, we are given a sweeping entrée through the known universe as we are used to from a Moffat two parterbefore two random amuse-bouches of Doctor Who story types - the UNIT story that reintroduces Missy and the wacky pseudo-historical that marks the Doctor's re-entry into the story. We are taken further 'into the Dalek' than we have ever been before - free will apparently means nothing inside a Dalek and the reason for the constant repetition of their most notorious chant is that it is the only vocalisation permitted towards any non Dalek - a good way to reload. We are expressly told what happens to senescent Daleks; immortal they may be, but not ageless (it is good, incidentally, that the more cloacal aspects of the Skarosian slime are addressed and the word 'sewer' used, as the intimations would have been there anyway).

However, this is the tale of the Doctor and Davros and the creator and the created. We are taken to earlier in Skaro's history than we have ever been before and to the apparent end of Davros's life. A goodly portion of "The Witch's Familiar" is taken up with a remarkable conversation between Davros and the Doctor. Davros's seeming deathbed repentance is one of the most shocking moments in the programme's history and only someone blindly subservient to the programme's past would deny that Julian Bleach exceeds Michael Wisher's high mark in his performance in the role. He is helped by the best make-up job for the character yet - recognisably the same, but utterly convincing as simply the face of an old man, so the opening of his Kaled eyes (helped by the framing of the shots) doesn't seem jarring. In addition, we finally find out just how much of Davros's Kaled body is left, as the Doctor literally unseats his arch enemy! Hettie Macdonald puts in stellar work and marshals an outstanding job from the production team, such as the retro, but utterly convincing Skaro and the trips to UNIT and mediaeval Essex, which are treated with as much care as if they had been the centre of the story.

It is testament to the skills of Moffat, Bleach and Michelle Gomez that the first story to feature both Davros and the Master doesn't have one swamping the other. Missy is brought back (the method of her survival, lovingly detailed in the pre-credits sequence in "The Witch's Familiar". Gomez's psychopathic flightiness makes Missy genuinely unpredictable and genuinely frightening, notwithstanding the fact that for the vast majority of their screen time together, the Doctor and Missy are allies. Indeed, Clara is pretty much Missy's companion in the story and Missy is quick to make Clara very much the fall guy in their double act. This makes her apparent betrayal of Clara both totally expected and incredibly powerful. Jenna Coleman effortlessly makes Clara noticeably more mature, as she should be, following the loss of Danny. Capaldi is on fire throughout, whether belting out 'Mickey' on his Yamaha SGV800 (with an invisible wah-wah pedal!) pleading for Clara's life or regenerating the Struldbrugs of Skaro.

The dénouement, brings all these strands together. Embodying a Dalek Empire that has literally been reborn, Davros is triumphant - yet he has forgotten that all his children have been renewed; including the abandoned elder ones. The sewers are, indeed, revolting. Most crucially the Doctor saves the young Davros, answering the question 'Who Made Davros?' with the only acceptable answer 'Skaro'. People who have kindness shown to them when they were younger sometimes still become monsters.

The ninth series opener is a storming piece of work that seems contemporary, retro and timeless at the same time thanks to sterling work on all aspects of creation and production. The Doctor and Clara are again free to wander time and space together. We are, however, left with the promise of a horror awaiting our heroes in the future...

NEXT: "Under the Lake"/"Before the Flood"

"Blink"

It’s time for the Doctor-lite episode and we see the highly anticipated return of Steven Moffat to Doctor Who. At its heart, "Blink" has one of the most frightening race of monsters that Doctor Who has ever presented- the Weeping Angels, who can only move when you are not looking at them. The frightening concept at the heart of "Fear Her" that was carelessly unexplored is allowed to reach its full potential here- something that shouldn’t move that does. The idea is striking because it appeals as both a fear that children can relate to and a conceptually fascinating one for adults. The Doctor and Martha have been touched by the Angels and are stuck in 1969- but the Doctor leaves a message in the form of a film that is distributed as a DVD Easter egg- a brilliant idea. However, this is only a part of the story’s effect. The Weeping Angels do not actually cause their victims physical harm, but transport them to another time. Moffatt’s script has a lot to say about the way people observe time. Cathy lives a full life, yet she is dead to Sally the moment the letter arrives, for it is a letter from a dead woman. Billy’s death is slightly different, because he actually gets to see Sally again. ‘Look at my hands; they’re old man’s hands’. Billy too, has lived a long and productive life- yet I’m sure many old people look at themselves and think ‘I was young, yesterday’. The Angels drive home the fact that death will get us in the end, no matter what we do. Moffat’s dialogue is as witty as we have come to expect, yet the emotional moments ring true- such as Sally noting that the rain that is outside Billy’s death bed is the same rain as when they met, when he was young. It is here, of course that we have the Doctor utter the best bit of technobabble ever- time is ‘a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey…stuff’. This is strangely reminiscent of a bit of technobabble from The Time Monster- but infinitely more effective.

Moffat’s talent for characterisation is as pronounced as ever. Sally Sparrow is wonderfully written and wonderfully played by Carey Mulligan, a typical Moffat heroine- smart, sexy and witty, but easy to relate to. She is given great support from Finlay Robertson as Larry (Laurence Nightingale? Parents can be cruel) a geeky character who does not conform to usual geeky stereotypes. Moffat makes this central relationship funny and believable. There is not one weak link in the cast. A special mention must be given to the Billys- Michael Obiora makes young Billy a supremely confident, yet still likeable young man and Louis Mahoney (making his third and best appearance in Doctor Who) makes him believable as an older version of the character, more subdued, yet still with the same spark.

Hettie MacDonald’s direction is sublime, making every appearance of the Angels chilling, helped by Murray Gold’s screeching score- the movement of the Angels with the flickering light is a real heart-stopper. Crucially, MacDonald is just as skilful at directing the more subdued scenes and is masterful at creating mood. The production values are also superb- it is hard to believe that the Angels are actually people in costume and you genuinely think that they made different statues for each pose. As with "Love & Monsters", the Doctor-lite story has a director who only made one contribution and I hope she returns.

"Blink" had to follow the unqualified triumph of "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood". At the time, it felt that Paul Cornell’s story would be impossible to match- yet "Blink" certainly does that, equally effective in a totally different way. A triumph for all concerned.

NEXT: "Utopia"