"Capaldi's take on the heroic Time Lord was much darker in Season 8, and the finale of that season not only brought back the Cybermen for the umpteenth time, but also hastily introduced Michelle Gomez's new version of The Master, now known as "Missy." In short, for all of its strengths, Season 8 felt rushed, and so, when Doctor Who came back a year later on September 19, 2015, with Season 9, it did something extremely smart. It slowed down."
"Instead of trying to match the frenetic pace of the Matt Smith or David Tennant eras, Season 9 is the moment when then-showrunner Steven Moffat figured out how to make Capaldi's curmudgeonly take the Doctor the new default mode of the series, rather than a novelty that was simply in contrast with the previous incarnations. And the episode that set the tone for this methodical and nuanced storytelling approach was the Season 9 opener, a banger of an episode called "The Magician's Apprentice.""
Season 8 followed the jubilation of the 50th anniversary special but often felt like a comedown. Capaldi's Doctor presented a darker, curmudgeonly hero, and the Season 8 finale rushed plot points including the return of the Cybermen and the rapid introduction of Missy. Season 9 intentionally slowed the series' pace under Steven Moffat to normalize Capaldi's characterization. The season favored two-part episodes that allowed concepts to breathe and feel more believable. The Season 9 opener, "The Magician's Apprentice," established the methodical, nuanced storytelling approach and set the tone for the season.
Read at Inverse
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