"Secrets and shadows, lives lead in fear," the Doctor warns in the second episode of new Doctor Who series. Written by executive producer Steven Moffat, "The Beast Below" finds the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) investigating the mysteries of Starship U.K., a spaceship carrying all of the United Kingdom (except Scotland, who wanted their own ship). But the ship has no engines, and every five years, every citizen of Starship U.K. is told its secret - and given the choice to protest, or forget what they've learned.

It begs a question - if everyone always makes the same choice, is it really a choice?

In the lead-up to this new series, Steven Moffat often spoke of Matt Smith's unique ability to project the aura of someone incredibly old - ancient, even - while still being twenty-seven years of age. In "The Beast Below", that quality comes to life: whether it's the Doctor dodging Amy's question of whether he's a parent, or his disappointment at Amy for trying to think for him, Smith eyes and the silence in his sentences genuinely evoke the feeling that he's carrying the weight of thousands of years and ten previous incarnations inside him. As good an introduction as "The Eleventh Hour" was, it's "The Beast Below" that brings the more subtle elements of the Doctor's character, and Smith's portrayal of the Doctor, to the fore.

Given the ambiguous nature of the villains, Smith and Gillan (as Amy) are at the heart of this episode. The moments they share, whether it's arguing with one another, or Amy seeing what the Doctor couldn't (and the look in the Doctor's eye when she explains her risky leap of faith that resolves the episode) bode well for the partnership between these two. It doesn't feel manufactured in the slightest, and Amy's Scottish spunk whips her character along, ensuring that she isn't trapped in the Doctor's shadow. 

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