Coming Attractions: 11th Doctor

The next Doctor

Updated for Whovians in the USA!

To quote someone we all know, “It is the end, but the moment has been prepared for.” After the shocking events of “The Pandorica Opens,” Matt Smith‘s brilliant initial season in the TARDIS wraps up this week with “The Big Bang.” Can the Doctor overcome the odds and save not only the entire universe, but himself? Check out the official preview page at BBC America.

It’s all been leading up to this: “The Pandorica Opens” kicks off the two-part finale of Matt Smith‘s debut season as the 11th Doctor. What is a Pandorica and why is it opening? How did Prisoner Zero know this would happen? And what did he/she/it mean when he/she/it said, “Silence will fall”? Check out the BBC America official preview page, then watch on June 17.

“The Lodger” is the next episode to be seen in America, on July 10 (after the break for July 4 weekend). From all indications, it’s a sort of deep breath before the events of the big finale. Get prepared by checking out BBC America’s preview page.

After the shocking finale of “Cold Blood,” Whovians in the USA will see “Vincent and the Doctor” this Saturday. Check out the previews at the official BBC site, as well as BBC America’s page.

Next up in the USA is “Cold Blood,” on June 19. Check out a link to BBC America’s preview page.

Next up in the USA is “The Hungry Earth,” on June 12. BBC America has a preview here.

USA fans will see “The Vampires of Venice” on May 22. Click here for a preview post.

The next episode Yanks will see, on May 1, is “Victory of the Daleks,” by Mark Gatiss. Here is a link to find the preview package.

Original post follows…
Now that “The End of Time” has…er, ended, it’s…well, time… to let David Tennant take his place in the pantheon of the past while we look forward to Matt Smith taking up the mantle of the renegade Time Lord called the Doctor. Smith is the 11th incarnation of the Doctor, and we got only the barest hint of him at the end of EoT. But we were treated to a new series trailer, and based on what I have been able to discern, I’m going to take a look at what new show-runner Steven Moffatt has in store for us…

-The 11th Doctor continues to wear his 10th incarnation’s clothes for a while. This is nothing new. The selection of the Doctor’s new costume is always an important part of establishing his new persona.

-The sonic screwdriver blows up. Good riddance. I think the 10th Doctor relied on that device way, way too much. It became a ridiculous deus ex machina that allowed the Doctor to “analyze” things and reprogram everything from mobile phones to a robot to an ATM. Believe it or not, the sonic screwdriver (first introduced waaay back in the Second Doctor story “Fury From the Deep”) was once treated like a mere tool instead of the Doctor’s lifeline. After producers thought the Fourth Doctor had been using it a bit too much, it was destroyed in the Fifth Doctor story “The Visitation,” and was not seen again until “Rose.” However, while it is not glimpsed in this trailer, the 11th Doctor does get a redesigned sonic.

-The Doctor punches out a man in a white lab coat. So, in addition to madly running about, this Doctor is not afraid to get really physical!

-The Weeping Angels are back! (I’m going to start looking for a place to hide right now…) Moffat created the scary statues for his classic “Blink,” so who better to bring them back?

-Professor River Song comes back! Alex Kingston returns to the role she created in Moffat’s “Silence in the Library/The Forest of the Dead,” as someone who is very, very…special to the Doctor. Knowing Moffat, this tale will spin off something from her previous appearance. Could it be their “first” meeting?

-The Daleks are back. I’m a little less than thrilled by this, but I cannot blame Moffat for seizing the opportunity to use the Doctor’s most enduring, iconic enemies. We haven’t seen them since “Journey’s End,” and this story is rumored to take place during World War II. They also appear to be different colors, but that may be due to the lighting. I think I see not only the classic gray-and-blue livery but also white – last seen worn by the white-and-gold “Imperial” Daleks in the Seventh Doctor’s “Remembrance of the Daleks.” (Note: In that story, the Imperials were loyal to Davros, not the Dalek Supreme, so…a Davros return, anyone?)

-The Sea Devils are back? Um… maybe? Possibly? That shot of the lizard-like creatures (one holding a gun) could be a completely new species, but I have heard rumors that the Silurians will be returning. This would be a radical redesign for the Silurians, but not so much of a stretch if they were reimagined Sea Devils, who are related to the Silurians. Another reason to suspect these are returning monsters: Moffat loves the Peter Davison era, and both Silurians and Sea Devils were last seen in the Fifth Doctor’s darkest story, “Warriors of the Deep.”

-The Doctor will battle vampires when he visits 16th-century Venice. Why not? Vampires were central to the Fourth Doctor story “State of Decay,” and we saw mummies in “Pyramids of Mars” and werewolves in “Tooth and Claw.” Horror and the Doctor go together.

Ginger companion Amy

–Karen Gillan‘s Amy Pond may be the most beautiful, sexiest companion yet. And that’s really saying something. Oh, and she kisses the Doctor, of course.

-The Doctor repeats his cry of “Geronimo!” which I desperately hope does not become his new catchphrase. Use it a few times, and then move on to something else. On the plus side, that one shot of the Doctor glaring as he struts along proves that Smith just might be able to pull off a badass Doctor, as well.

-The Doctor fires a gun. Again. But is he really shooting in the air, at someone, or at something?

-The trailer wraps with the Doctor telling Amy, “Trust me. I’m the Doctor.” Okay, Doctor, I’m with you…