Doctor Who: Series 13 Trailer Breakdown - 20 Things You Must See
The Master, the Timeless Child, AND the Weeping Angels? Doctor Who's latest is looking insane.
When the BBC told us that a Doctor Who: Series 13 trailer was coming on Friday, the assumption was that it'd drop during the day, or perhaps early in the evening. But instead, we had to wait until the bizarre time of 11pm, a strange move considering that the show's primarily British audience was off with the fairies by then.
So was it worth the wait? Well... yes. This is a really solid trailer, and though it contains a few of the wholly-expected warning signs - questionable Mandip Gill line delivery and some cringey, Chibnall-tastic dialogue - there's also a lot to like here.
For starters, it ticked the most important box that a trailer needs to tick: it raised tons of questions, but didn't give too much plot away. On top of that, the music was appropriately pulse-pounding and memorable, we got to see a boatload of returning villains, and oh, there was also a goddamn space dog. Space dogs make everything ten times better.
In short, we liked it, so now, there's only one thing left to do: pick apart the trailer with an over-analytical toothcomb. Let's dive in...
20. Sonic Screwdriver Blast - Signal Or Attack?
The trailer kicks off with a stunning shot of the Doctor firing off a blast with her sonic screwdriver.
We've seen the Doctor use the sonic in a manner like this before - for example, in The Eleventh Hour, when he points it into the sky to create a loud noise for the Atraxi to notice - but it's unclear what exactly Thirteen is doing here.
Since going on the offensive isn't really the Doctor's style, it's likely that she's doing something a bit more passive, like shooting out a signal to attract someone. Or maybe she's recalling the TARDIS? Or, considering that the sonic is basically a cure-all plot device at this point, it could be doing literally anything Chibnall wants it to.
Either way, this scene (especially the wide shot) gives us "Harry Potter in the forest yelling EXPECTO PATRONUM" vibes. Those sonic screwdriver effects have clearly been given an upgrade, and it almost looks like the Doctor is casting some sort of spell.