The Doctor is back.
On November 25th of 2023, the first episode of the fourteenth season of the longest-running sci-fi show in the world aired. David Tennant returns to play The Doctor, but it’s not the only return, in fact he is accompanied by Catherine Tate in the role of Donna Noble and Russel T. David in the writing. A return to glory. A return that doesn’t stop at winking at the past, but takes possession of it and makes it its own. “The Star Beast” is in fact a modern adaptation of one of the most famous stories in the Doctor Who comic universe. The original story was written by Pat Mills and John Wagner, accompanied by the tales of Dave Gibbons with the fourth Doctor as the protagonist. A re-working that satisfies not only the viewer me, but also the cartoonist me. We know that adaptations rarely end well.
But let’s get back to the episode. Can we talk about a return to glory? If I have to judge the entire season by this first episode, my answer is yes!
I wasn’t the only one who had a bitter taste in the latest seasons, and like many, I had distanced myself a bit from a series that was one of the greatest influences in my life. Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I felt again this magical force that is Doctor Who. Visual effects used sparingly but well done, actors that give essence to their characters, and all this is wrapped up in a script and direction worthy of these names. As I said at the beginning, The Doctor is back. At least for me.
