(Very Minor Spoilers – so turn away now if you absolutely want to know nothing at all). 

So yes, I viewed that preliminary copy that leaked online of the Season 8 premiere of “Doctor Who” which officially airs next month on August 23rd. It had unfinished effects, a temp music track, and was in B&W. It was not meant to be viewed by the general public.

So why am I reviewing the damn thing when it’s really in no shape to be reviewed? Because I had the strong urge to tell you that even in this rough version, it turned out to be an excellent episode. And to be fair, if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have even considered reviewing it until I viewed the finish version.

All I’m going to do here is give my impressions and keep the hardcore details to a bare minimum. I try and make it a habit in my reviews to never spoil anything big. And I’m not about to start now, especially since most Whovians don’t want to be spoiled, but just teased. So let the teasing begin.

Peter Capaldi knocks this thing out of the ballpark. He gives us a Doctor whom we haven’t seen since the old series. Gone is the youthful look of the Doctor (for which age is brought up many times in the episode), but along comes a whole new feel and dimension to the program.

It took me a while to warm up to Matt Smith. I found his ADD manic energy to be annoying. Every scene moved too fast and was always too loud. And most of the time I had no idea what was going on. And that hipster look just killed me. But slowly I came around and really enjoyed his Doctor. As Smith grew into the role, the character grew on me. It was very sad to see him go.

In this new version, it seems as though they stripped away some of the chaotic flow and slowed the pace a bit so that things move at a more normal rate. I found Capaldi’s Doctor easier to follow and the story made better sense.  It’s back to a Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant pace. What can I say… I’m just not a fan of ADD television.

I found one of the more pleasant changes was to the character of Clara. They finally gave her a personality. I like the actress (Jenna Coleman) but hated the blandness of her character last year. With Amy and Rory, you got a feeling of who they really were. But with Clara, there just wasn’t much there. I do realize that they had to keep the mystery of Clara a secret for most the run. And because of that, her character was very difficult to embrace. But now that the “Impossible Girl” nonsense is behind us, we finally get someone with real personality and therefore should mesh better with this new Doctor.

Now it’s time for those very minor spoilers that I mentioned above. And I only mention these because elements of them were in the new BBC trailer that was just recently released. So if you haven’t seen the trailer, then turn away now.

Last Chance…. Going… Going… Gone!!!

There be dinosaurs in this episode. Okay, to be precise, there is only one dinosaur. But it’s a very big one. And that’s all I’ll say on that subject.

Next, and to my very welcomed surprise, Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax return for this episode. I was afraid that Steven Moffat was going to retire these characters at the end of Matt Smith’s tenure, but I’m very glad to see that he is carrying over elements from Smith’s “Who” to Capaldi’s “Who.” I’ve always loved these characters and would gladly watch a spin-off for which they very much deserve. This trio of characters is great.

There are also references to previous characters and events throughout. By doing this, Steven Moffat is wisely letting us know that he isn’t throwing away everything that came before. He’s embracing “Who’s” past while moving forward with the story.

By episode’s end, we are introduced to elements that seem to be the beginnings of a season’s long arc. And finally, we get a nice little surprise cameo.

“Deep Breath” is probably one of the strongest and best episodes yet for a new and incoming Doctor. Capaldi, not surprisingly, fits perfectly into the role and I can’t wait to watch the finished product in another month and every episode that follows.

It’s going to be a great season!

Side Note * At the risk of being a hypocrite (it does happen), I strongly suggest you avoid viewing this unfinished copy that’s floating around online and wait to watch the finished version in all it’s glory on August 23rd.  I know I’ll be there.