After so many months of a New Who drought, Asylum of the Daleks helps return the brilliant show to TVs once again. This episode has been watched and re-watched by fans and critiqued to no end at this point. What can I add to the ever-growing flame of "Asylum of the Daleks"?
-Spoilers Ahead!-
Personally, I enjoyed the episode. It was certainly not the whiz-bang game-changer that so many people expected, but I am actually okay with that. One merely has to look at the previous episodes that have opened new series' to see that this opener was... well, pretty much par for the course.
-"Rose" was highly anticipated for the Doctor's triumphant return to television. Who was the antagonist? Mannequins.
-"New Earth" was the brand-new series opener starring the new Doctor, David Tennant. Who was the villain? That Cassandra lady from a previous episode.
-"Smith and Jones" heralded a new companion, the first since Rose joined in the first series... and the villain was some alien lady who sucked blood and sent a hospital to the moon.
-"Partners in Crime" re-introduced a fan-favorite one-time companion, Donna Noble, to the show. The antagonist? Some lady who was making babies for alien species out of human fat.
-"Eleventh Hour" was the big introduction of Matt Smith as the Doctor, and to the episode's credit, it did in a very grand way.
-"The Impossible Astronaut" was the much-hyped death of the Doctor episode, and the first two-part opener since the new series started.
Not that I have a problem with the above episodes. I really do enjoy each of them, and think they are perfectly fine series openers. I am of the mindset that a series like Doctor Who needs to open up innocuously and subtly, and then gradually build up to the climax that makes everything that happened in the series suddenly make perfect sense. "Bad Wolf, "Vote Saxon," the bees leaving earth, the Silence, etc... All of these are introduced early and are built up during their respective seasons. I find that to be the most clever way to make a grand story.
Given Steven Moffat's track record with the Eleventh Doctor openers, it is clear that he likes them to be very huge and explosive. But really, how could he top what he did last series? Once you show the death of a main character, there are only so many places you can go.
So he decided to show the death of a character played by the same actress who is supposed to become a new companion later in the seventh series. That, to me, seemed like a pretty big way to start the series. I did not even recognize her until my wife pointed it out, and then it felt like the stakes escalated dramatically for me. It was very clever on his part, and I am looking forward to seeing how Oswin is related to Clara.
To be honest, though: I hated what they introduced with Rory and Amy. The divorce subplot was entirely unnecessary and detracted from the main story completely. I understand the emotional impact of it, but it seemed like nothing more than a ratings grab. Amy would really divorce the man who spent 2,000 years waiting for her? Really? Because she wasn't able to give him children? I am sorry, but I don't buy it. Like I said, I understand the emotion behind it, but it really does not make much sense. Amy can be emotionally rocky at times, but not like this. Not to this extent. I do not feel that the characters were really done justice by this episode, and I am very happy that it was resolved quickly. I really hope that this does not become a running problem throughout this season.
All in all, I enjoyed this episode for what it was, niggling plot points aside. It was a good series opener to me, and I felt that it hit the right notes it needed to kick-start a new series of Doctor Who. I spent the last ten months binging on Old Who and the Big Finish audio dramas and enjoyed those very much, but I definitely needed this new episode to satisfy my desire to see the Eleventh Doctor on-screen once again.
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