PHOTOS and VIDEOS: Doctor Who episode "The Witch's Familiar" Sneak Peek

The two-part season premiere of Doctor Who concludes tonight at 9/8c on BBC America with “The Witch’s Familiar”, the anticipated conclusion to last week’s episode, “The Magician’s Apprentice.” We have your photo and video sneak peeks, plus highlights from last week’s season premiere.

In the days leading up to the premiere of Doctor Who, audiences were teased about the return of the Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) enemy. But which enemy? Well, as we find out in the ninth season premiere episode, “The Magician’s Apprentice”, that enemy is Davros (Julian Bleach), and he is on the hunt for the Doctor. Tonight at 9/8c, BBC America will air part two, “The Witch’s Familiar”, which follows the Doctor as he chooses whether to let young Davros live… or die. Will the Doctor’s decision rewrite history and save Clara (Jenna Coleman) and Missy (Michelle Gomez) from death on the Dalek home planet of Skaro?

Since the beginning of his tenure as show runner for Doctor Who, head writer Steven Moffat has always written the first episode of the new season. Moffat typically uses the season premiere episode to introduce a new story arc or mystery that will reveal itself throughout the season. We plan on waiting until we watch tonight’s episode, “The Witch’s Familiar”, to get a better sense of this season’s story arc, but in the meantime, here’s a recap of last week’s episode, “The Magician’s Apprentice”.

In the final episode of Doctor Who’s fourth season, “Journey’s End”, Davros, the creator of the Daleks, was trapped on board a burning spaceship and refusing the Doctor’s offer to escape. It was presumed that Davros had died on board the spaceship, as it was his last appearance on Doctor Who until “The Magician’s Apprentice”, where we learned from his loyal servant, Colony Sarff, that Davros is alive but not so well. In fact, Davros is dying and he has sent Colony Sarff to search the universe for the Doctor and spread the message, “Davros knows, Davros remembers.” Later we learn that these words trigger a shameful memory for the Doctor. They remind him of a moment when he promised to save the life of a child begging for his help, until he learned that child was Davros, and left the child behind. The aftermath of the Doctor’s decision to abandon young Davros became a part of history and set the course for the Doctor and Davros to reunite years later. But it wasn’t just a reunion between old enemies; Davros lured the Doctor to Skaro, the planet where the Daleks were created. Missy and Clara were lured to Skaro, and by all appearances were exterminated by the Daleks in the episode ending cliffhanger.

Check out this clip of the Doctor and Davros’ epic meeting:

Last week’s episode was definitely heavy in tone, but it wasn’t without a fun moment or two. We especially loved the Rock ’N’ Roll Doctor shredding tunes on the guitar while standing on top of an army tank. And need we mention the Ray-Bans? Peter Capaldi was definitely sporting a new iconic look for the Doctor that we’re sure to see fans wearing at upcoming con events.

Here’s a clip of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman talking about the Doctor’s rockstar moment:

The preview for tonight’s episode, “The Witch’s Familiar”, shows Davros confronting the Doctor with his “truth”. Check out a sneak peek of the episode trailer sneak peek followed by a synopsis of what to expect this week:

“Where is the Doctor?” When the skies of Earth are frozen by a mysterious alien force, Clara needs her friend. But where is the Doctor, and what is he hiding from? As past deeds come back to haunt him, old enemies will come face-to-face, and for the Doctor and Clara survival seems impossible.

We’re looking forward to tonight’s episode to find out how the Doctor escapes Skaro. Take a look below for more preview photos from “The Witch’s Familiar”. Our Doctor Who live tweet begins tonight 9/8c ET. Follow us at @WeSoNerdy and join the fun!