~by Korama Danquah
Doctor Who Season 9 Episode 1 Recap
“The Magician’s Apprentice”
Written by Steven Moffat
What Happened
We start the series nine premiere during a war on an undisclosed planet at an undisclosed time. There is a child running through all the carnage. He is almost saved by a soldier, but the soldier is taken by a hand mine (it’s like a land mine, but instead of exploding, a hand sucks you into the earth). The child is alone and afraid in a field of hand mines calling out for help, which arrives in the form of the Doctor (Peter Capaldi). The Doctor, always great with children, tells the kid that survival is a choice he needs to make now. He then encourages the kid to introduce himself, to tell the Doctor the name of the boy who isn’t going to die today. His name is Davros.
Across the universe in the current time, a mysterious hooded floating slimy guy who goes by the name of Colony Saarf is looking for the Doctor. It is revealed that he works for Davros and that Davros is dying. “Davros knows. Davros remembers. He [The Doctor] must face Davros one last time” he tells the Shadow Proclamation.
Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), still a school teacher (who we learn in this episode has had the opportunity to kiss Jane Austen?) is called into UNIT to help locate the Doctor after some 4,000 planes freeze in midair across the globe. It turns out that Missy (Michelle Gomez) – who is, in her own words, “not dead. Back. Big Surprise” – is controlling the planes. She also wants to locate the Doctor after receiving his Confession Dial (a Gallifreyan last will and testament sent on the eve of a Time Lord/Lady’s death). We establish that she is still evil, but cares deeply for the Doctor and considers herself his best friend (in her eyes, Clara is no more than a pet) and wants to save him from his imminent death.
Eventually everyone who is looking for the Doctor (including Colony Saarf who is, as it turns out, a large number of large snakes in a robe) eventually finds him in medieval Europe having a party and introducing the word “dude” much earlier than anticipated. Colony Saarf takes them all to see Davros and it is revealed that we are on Skaro, the planet of the Daleks and that the Doctor left Davros alone all those years ago during the war.
The Doctor and Davros talk about shame and regret as the TARDIS is destroyed and Missy and Clara get exterminated (!!!) by Daleks. The episode concludes with the young Davros in a hand mine field facing the Doctor, returned from the future, holding a Dalek ray gun and shouting “Exterminate!”
What Does This Mean
Moffat is known for shaking things up, but I can’t believe he would go so far as to completely eliminate the Daleks from the canon of Doctor Who. Of course if, in next week’s episode, the Doctor fires at Davros, that is exactly what will happen. I’m excited to see where exactly this is all going and the impact that all of this new information has on the series’ canon. I also know that Clara and especially Missy won’t stay dead for long. I think most whovians can agree that this episode was a strong start to what we all hope will be a fantastic season.
Notable Quote of the Episode
“Davros made the Daleks, but who made Davros?” – The Doctor
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If you didn’t see this week’s The Magician’s Apprentice, then watch it here for free!
Next week’s episode, ‘The Witch’s Familiar’ is Saturday, September 26 on BBC America.
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