Instant Reaction: Doctor Who Series 9 Trailer

At long last, a sneak peak into what will follow arguably the worst season of the revived series of the show has made its long-awaited debut during the Doctor Who panel at this weekend's San Diego Comic Con. And while anything looks better than the absolute travesty we fans had the unfortunate pleasure of viewing last year, what little is shown as part of the teaser does show both improvement and regression.

Naturally, the trailer is very well put together, as has been an ongoing bonus to every teaser since the later years of the Russell T. Davies era, but what pushes this one forward is just how aesthetically pleasing it all is. Last year had the pleasure of Ben Wheatley joining the crew, but whoever is on directing duty this year is doing a superb job at surpassing the aforementioned film director - although a drawback could be that it only looks this good solely because of the letterbox aspect ration present as opposed to the standard appraoch the trailers take. Also worthy noting is that the special effects seem to be a massive jump in the right direction - IF these are shots which aren't fully rendered. It's still an improvement over last year, but there's plenty of time to perfect it.

Whilst no notes can be made on the actual performances from this teaser, it does shine a light on many of the new villains and returnees that are coming to play. A number of the newer creations look interesting but aren't entirely creative, while we have a quick glimpse of a Zygon carrying a small child - which makes me worried that we'll have another terrible child actor this year - a number of Daleks from various eras (please don't be another Asylum of the Daleks scenario!), and of course extended looks at Missy (Michelle Gomez), a character who I upmost despise. Sadly, it looks like we're going to get a lot more of her this year, so I best start finding a way to tolerate her. Lord knows it'll be impossible, but word from the panel is that there'll be a new dynamic introduced for her. A less flirtatious one please.

Finally, we have to mention the appearance of Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams at the end, as a character who knows the Doctor in some shape or form...yep, we have another one! Another mysterious girl from the Doctor's past who have some form of history together. Weren't we sick and tired of this motiff when River Song was still kicking about on the actual show? This is a possibly step back for what could be a major improvement on last year.

So yeah - some improvements present, but still plenty of setbacks from last year's mess. Will Series 9 be better? Too early to tell, but at least I can be a little excited for it now instead of dreading it. Plus, we have an official date for when those reviews can return...untill the next bit of Doctor Who news inevitably crops up, be sure to return September 19th for the return of the Who reviews!