The wait is finally over. The longest-running sci-fi show is back and it's all kinds of amazing. Even though I powered through the 8th season only because I'm completely loyal to my fandom, I've been going insane for season 9 as soon as I got to know the release date. Might I just add, the season premiere has lived up to all my expectations, may have even gone beyond it? The adventure through time and space hasn't been this exhilarating since, well, season 6. 

I was hooked as soon as the song of my people struck its perfect melody into my ears, the TARDIS flying through the time vortex and there it was in bold letters, the name of the person multiple fandoms fear, Steven Moffat, taking his first bow this season as the writer of the premiere.

The moment I saw desperate soldiers running through the battlefield followed by hundreds of creepy, clay hands with a single eye on each emerging from under the ground, I knew that The Magician's Apprentice was not going to disappoint me. It literally sent shivers down my spine as I realised what moral dilemma the last Time Lord of Gallifrey was going to face. I kept wondering whether he should have made a rational choice and stopped the Time War from ever happening by destroying his archenemy Davros when he was a child, before he could have turned into an ancient murderer and created Daleks. 

I'd be lying if I said that this episode is anything less than a full-package. Apart from its scary bits, and vaguely-questioning-my-morality bits, there were moments when I fell in love with the Twelfth Doctor all over again. Honestly, Peter Capaldi had me at "kidneys!" in the 7th season finale, but I couldn't love season 8 per se. This time, I'm way past denial. I have familiarised myself with the strange ways this Doctor reacts and love the ancient humanoid Time Lord to the moon and back, especially when he decides to play electric guitar in an axe-fight in 1138 AD and thinks that teaching people the word "dude" a few hundred years earlier would be fun. Next in the list of my favourite things in this episode has to be a tie between the Doctor's frenemy Missy's coming back to life and her nonchalant murdering instincts.

The Doctor's companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) will be leaving after this season, which is why Moffat decided to run a practice see-off on the Whovians by giving us a nail-biting cliff-hanger, because why not play with our feelings? We know Maisie Williams will be joining our cult this season. Can we expect her to become the next companion? Only time will tell. 

After a long time this fandom is in trance, that too proudly. The news of Doctor Who fandom being mesmerized by a long-awaited, perfect kick-off is resonating in all of time and space. So where is the Doctor going to take us next? Answer: Everywhere. 

Anupoma Joyeeta Joyee is a perpetually sleepy Law student who emotionally identifies with ducks and occasionally sets out on writing spree. Find more of her needless banters on https://www.facebook.com/joyee.
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