The new Doctor - Matt Smith

I just finished watching the newest episode of Doctor Who for the second time, with a third viewing coming soon. The episode, named "The Eleventh Hour," introduces Steven Moffat as head writer for the series and Matt Smith as the new Doctor - the 11th thus far.

The episode was beyond expectation. My greatest fear towards this major change in the series has been that its creators would try to carry on the patterns of the previous seasons, and that Matt Smith would try to be David Tennant. And hey, guess what? They didn't do that! Everything from the past 4 seasons was wrapped up in a neat little package in the last David Tennant episode, and it stayed as such. The history of the show is not forgotten, of course, as references are made to past events (quite epicly, in fact). But Matt Smith doesn't let that history overtly affect his performance, as he's really established his own new personality that fits Steven Moffat's writing style so very well. The quirk is there, but without that brooding sense of "WAR CHANGED ME," leaving just this really goofy hero whose excitement carries over to the audience quite wonderfully.

Steven Moffat has opened his tenure with a bang, introducing less of what's to come than his predecessor might have, but still giving us a great insight into this new world of Doctor Who. Some of the last 4 seasons' most memorable episodes were written by Moffat, from Captain Jack Harkness' debut in "The Doctor Dances," and "The Empty Child," to "Blink," where creepy statues did terrible things. "The Eleventh Hour," shows comparable quality as it introduces a myriad of new characters - notably Amy Pond, the new companion. So far, she's not annoying at all!

If you've been on the fence about a David Tennant-less Doctor Who, at least give it a shot.