The Eleventh Hour

Hello, I'm the Doctor

When you look back over the history of Doctor Who and the story that follows a regeneration, it's decidedly a mixed bag. While a few stories are very good (The Power of the Daleks being an excellent example), many of the first stories are either odd or just plain not good. The Eleventh Hour is an example of a story that is very good and an excellent intro to a new Doctor.

Plot Summary

The Doctor crash lands the TARDIS outside a house in a small village shortly after regenerating. There he meets 7-year old Amelia Pond who is scared of a mysterious crack in her wall. The Doctor examines it, noting that a prisoner has used the crack to escape from it's cell. He is forced to leave due to a problem with the TARDIS but promises to be back in five minutes and that Amelia can come with him when he comes back.

The Doctor overshoots by twelve years. He breaks into Amelia's home and is knocked out by a woman in a police uniform. Amelia has grown up and calls herself Amy now. While restrained, the Doctor realizes that the escaped Prisoner Zero has created a little room for it to hide in Amy's house. Amy enters the room and sees the creature. It emerges using the form of a man in a coma in the local hospital. The Doctor gets free and he and Amy flee to the middle of the village. There they hear a voice over all media announcing that Prisoner Zero must be returned or the guards will destroy the Earth to ensure he doesn't escape.

They run into Amy's boyfriend Rory who is a nurse at the hospital. Using Rory's information, the Doctor realizes how Prisoner Zero is assuming his forms. The Doctor hacks into a political power conference and sets up a trap for Prisoner Zero. He then goes to the hospital to confront him. Prisoner Zero is cornered by the guards but assumes Amy's form to try and escape. The Doctor encourages Amy and she visualizes Prisoner Zero in his base form, causing him to revert back and be captured by the guards. The Doctor then confronts the guards to ensure they don't return to Earth.

The Doctor returns to the TARDIS and disappears, reappearing two years later and offering Amy a chance to travel with him. He is monitoring the crack but lies to her about it. Amy agrees if the Doctor promises to get her back before the following morning. They disappear leaving Amy's wedding dress hanging in her room.

Analysis

In many ways, this story could have not worked. Prisoner Zero isn't particularly threatening and the Atraxi fall into the standard template of threatening to incinerate the Earth. Young Amelia could also have fallen flat as many child actors do when faced with pivotal scenes. But instead, they all worked out. Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi were more of a device to move the story along which in reality was about the development of the relationship of the Doctor and Amy. The manic-ness of the Eleventh Doctor is given time to breathe and register, making a more acceptable transition from the Tenth to the Eleventh Doctor. Amy is also allowed to change from a worshipful child, to a cynical adult and then to a cautious yet hearty traveling companion.

There is an excellent banter between the Doctor and Amy as they feel each other out and develop. Rory is casually introduced as the lovable doofus that we will come to enjoy later, providing that little bit of awkward third party humor that he does so well. Despite having the town cast, it is a very intimate story with the first half being entirely between the Doctor and Amy. Even after that, the story stays mostly with the Doctor, Amy, Rory, Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi from afar. Only a few other bit characters enter in to the story and their role is minor.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable story to watch multiple times. There's not a whole lot to say about it because it is a thoroughly enjoyable story. It has slow parts, it has action, it has emotion, it has comedy. Very little more could be said about it.

Overall personal score: 5 out of 5