Doctor Who 5/31.12 + 13
Jun. 27th, 2010 10:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakAll in all: an excellent finale for an enjoyable season. (I'll probably do an overview of the entire season, strengths and flaws, at a later point, but right now, time presses, even if the entire universe isn't about to collapse. *g*)
The "season's greatest hits" teaser for The Pandorica Opens was a great introduction, even if along with much beloved guest stars like Vincent, Liz Ten and River, it also brought back Cartoon!Churchill of what was easily my least favourite episode of the season (yes, even including Vampires, aka The Other One I Didn't Like - fish vampires easily trump iPod Daleks. Was v. amused that between 5.12 and 5.13, Liz/River slash was already posted. This usually only happens to male guest stars and thus was very satisfying to behold.
As briefly mentioned, The Pandorica Opens was one huge (and good) set up for a story, more than a story of itself, which is why I didn't want to review it on its own. That the much talked about menace inside the Pandorica would be the Doctor himself was clear from the moment we got the "trickster/wizard/blood/most feared" description, but what caught me by surprise along with pretty much everyone else, if reviews are anything to go by, was that it would be empty and a trap waiting for the Doctor rather than already containing him. Seven would be pleased, in a perverse way. Mind you, the grand alliance of foes doesn't bear much logical thinking about, especially the Daleks, but the concept of everyone teaming up against the Doctor to save the universe from non-existence was brilliant. (Sidenote: this season's Daleks really were suffering from a constant strain of oocness and lack of necessity, down to "mercy", but more about that later.)
The other zomg!moment in the first part of the season finale was the revelation of TotallyExpectedBack!Rory as an Auton, which was heartrendering. I wonder whether or not we should count him as a seperate character, btw, who stopped existing when the second Big Bang recreated the universe, or if we're to assume Auton!Rory's consciousness transfered to Human!Rory when he accessed his other memories, and basically there is just one Rory, no matter which body he's in. Either way: Jack Harkness, your century of Doctor waiting has been trumped by two thousand years of Amy guarding. (Let us not speak of Jack's two millennia under Cardiff, because that's one things about Exit Wounds I never could take seriously, mostly because of Jack's state afterwards. Oddly enough, Auton!Rory being compos mentis two thousand years later was not a problem for me.) (Both Auton!Rory and Jack get trumped by the TARDIS, though. 2000 years of burning to keep the Earth safe!) Also the scene between Amy and Rory with her starting to remember was very affecting, and beautifully mirrored in The Big Bang when Amy starts to remember the Doctor.
Which brings me to the way the overall season theme of fairy tales, children and remembering played out, which was very satisfying indeed. Amy bringing back the Doctor via the power of memory, imagination and human connection was a fairy tale solution, which I don't mean critical but applauding, because it entirely fit the overall narrative, and the various elements were planted throughout the season - Patient Zero modelling itself on Amy's memories, early hints that Amy is missing memories, River's "aren't we all?" about fairy tales, the Angels telling the Doctor that if they fed him to the crack it would stop, Vincent observing that Amy is crying, etc. Ditto with Amy's Choice foreshadowing the very end in that instead of the false dichotymy of life with Rory in Leadworth or life with the Doctor in the TARDIS, Amy chooses life in the TARDIS with Rory. Speaking of: I was all prepared to write in my season overview that the three eps with Rory as a companion were a reminder of how enjoyable a multi companion Team TARDIS can be and it would be nice that if for the first time since Five's day we'd get a plural companions in the TARDIS for longer than three episodes in a row when the Moff surprised me by setting up just that, with both Rory and Amy taking off with the Doctor by mutual decision. (Nice smackdown of the "marriage = end of adventure" assumption by fandom, btw.) Now I'm looking more forward to s6 than ever. Go you, Mrs and Mr. Pond!
Everyone who spotted the continuity break with Jacket!Doctor in Flesh and Stone the first time around, which I didn't until reading about it in reviews, and realised the possible implication: kudos. That tour-through-the-cracks sequence also highlighted what I think is Matt Smith's greatest contribution to playing the Doctor (so far), the thing that makes him uniquely Eleven in addition to general shared Doctor traits - the ability to convey real and immense age in a youthful body. Excellent casting, Moffat!
While we're at excellent casting: little Amelia was as endearing as ever, and bringing her back for the finale was a great way to conclude the season. Mind you, her scenes with the Doctor also underlined for me why I can't ship Doctor/Amy romantically (beyond general "Doctor and current companion sex = do not want! feeling; ex companions are another matter); Eleven really brings on the (grand)fatherly manner with her, and I think in some ways he does think of her as a granddaughter replacement the way the Doctor did with early post-Susan companions like Vicky. Going from the kiss to her forehead in "Flesh and Stone" to carrying little Amelia and taking care of her heightened that even more.
However, this entire season has not only made me go from being intrigued by and liking River Song to loving her but to signing on the River/Doctor 'ship. Given that River and the identity of the voice at the end of "The Pandorica Opens" are the two threads not wrapped up with "The Big Bang", and that River said "very soon", I expect more River appearances in season 6, which is yet another reason to look forward to it, both for River's own sake and because by now the Doctor is flirting with her. ("Honey, I'm home" indeed.) (Also, that he realises he has just accidentally proposed when he wants to ask whether or not they are married cracked me up because it's so him, in any incarnation.) "Everything changes" - hmmm, at a guess, next time we'll find out what River is in prison for, and it will be a very early encounter with the Doctor from her pov, if not the first. At any rate pre-dating all the other River appearances so far. It's Moffat's penchant for timey-wimeyness at its best, and this non-linear relationship has won me over, yes indeed.
Nitpicks: as I said, the Daleks. Worst of all the Dalek with River. Look, I get that it's there to showcase River's ruthless side, but really. When has a Dalek ever asked for mercy? I don't think this season would have lost anything if it had been entirely Dalek-free and some other foe/monster had been the menace chasing the Doctor and friends through the British Museum; actually, that would have made a better point in regards to River's characterisation, because shooting Daleks was par the course for any old companions. (Though only Ace was allowed to go after them with a baseball bat. Oh, Ace.)
Back to praise: it will be a long while until Christmas. But as I said - we'll have the Sarah Jane Adventures until then!
The "season's greatest hits" teaser for The Pandorica Opens was a great introduction, even if along with much beloved guest stars like Vincent, Liz Ten and River, it also brought back Cartoon!Churchill of what was easily my least favourite episode of the season (yes, even including Vampires, aka The Other One I Didn't Like - fish vampires easily trump iPod Daleks. Was v. amused that between 5.12 and 5.13, Liz/River slash was already posted. This usually only happens to male guest stars and thus was very satisfying to behold.
As briefly mentioned, The Pandorica Opens was one huge (and good) set up for a story, more than a story of itself, which is why I didn't want to review it on its own. That the much talked about menace inside the Pandorica would be the Doctor himself was clear from the moment we got the "trickster/wizard/blood/most feared" description, but what caught me by surprise along with pretty much everyone else, if reviews are anything to go by, was that it would be empty and a trap waiting for the Doctor rather than already containing him. Seven would be pleased, in a perverse way. Mind you, the grand alliance of foes doesn't bear much logical thinking about, especially the Daleks, but the concept of everyone teaming up against the Doctor to save the universe from non-existence was brilliant. (Sidenote: this season's Daleks really were suffering from a constant strain of oocness and lack of necessity, down to "mercy", but more about that later.)
The other zomg!moment in the first part of the season finale was the revelation of TotallyExpectedBack!Rory as an Auton, which was heartrendering. I wonder whether or not we should count him as a seperate character, btw, who stopped existing when the second Big Bang recreated the universe, or if we're to assume Auton!Rory's consciousness transfered to Human!Rory when he accessed his other memories, and basically there is just one Rory, no matter which body he's in. Either way: Jack Harkness, your century of Doctor waiting has been trumped by two thousand years of Amy guarding. (Let us not speak of Jack's two millennia under Cardiff, because that's one things about Exit Wounds I never could take seriously, mostly because of Jack's state afterwards. Oddly enough, Auton!Rory being compos mentis two thousand years later was not a problem for me.) (Both Auton!Rory and Jack get trumped by the TARDIS, though. 2000 years of burning to keep the Earth safe!) Also the scene between Amy and Rory with her starting to remember was very affecting, and beautifully mirrored in The Big Bang when Amy starts to remember the Doctor.
Which brings me to the way the overall season theme of fairy tales, children and remembering played out, which was very satisfying indeed. Amy bringing back the Doctor via the power of memory, imagination and human connection was a fairy tale solution, which I don't mean critical but applauding, because it entirely fit the overall narrative, and the various elements were planted throughout the season - Patient Zero modelling itself on Amy's memories, early hints that Amy is missing memories, River's "aren't we all?" about fairy tales, the Angels telling the Doctor that if they fed him to the crack it would stop, Vincent observing that Amy is crying, etc. Ditto with Amy's Choice foreshadowing the very end in that instead of the false dichotymy of life with Rory in Leadworth or life with the Doctor in the TARDIS, Amy chooses life in the TARDIS with Rory. Speaking of: I was all prepared to write in my season overview that the three eps with Rory as a companion were a reminder of how enjoyable a multi companion Team TARDIS can be and it would be nice that if for the first time since Five's day we'd get a plural companions in the TARDIS for longer than three episodes in a row when the Moff surprised me by setting up just that, with both Rory and Amy taking off with the Doctor by mutual decision. (Nice smackdown of the "marriage = end of adventure" assumption by fandom, btw.) Now I'm looking more forward to s6 than ever. Go you, Mrs and Mr. Pond!
Everyone who spotted the continuity break with Jacket!Doctor in Flesh and Stone the first time around, which I didn't until reading about it in reviews, and realised the possible implication: kudos. That tour-through-the-cracks sequence also highlighted what I think is Matt Smith's greatest contribution to playing the Doctor (so far), the thing that makes him uniquely Eleven in addition to general shared Doctor traits - the ability to convey real and immense age in a youthful body. Excellent casting, Moffat!
While we're at excellent casting: little Amelia was as endearing as ever, and bringing her back for the finale was a great way to conclude the season. Mind you, her scenes with the Doctor also underlined for me why I can't ship Doctor/Amy romantically (beyond general "Doctor and current companion sex = do not want! feeling; ex companions are another matter); Eleven really brings on the (grand)fatherly manner with her, and I think in some ways he does think of her as a granddaughter replacement the way the Doctor did with early post-Susan companions like Vicky. Going from the kiss to her forehead in "Flesh and Stone" to carrying little Amelia and taking care of her heightened that even more.
However, this entire season has not only made me go from being intrigued by and liking River Song to loving her but to signing on the River/Doctor 'ship. Given that River and the identity of the voice at the end of "The Pandorica Opens" are the two threads not wrapped up with "The Big Bang", and that River said "very soon", I expect more River appearances in season 6, which is yet another reason to look forward to it, both for River's own sake and because by now the Doctor is flirting with her. ("Honey, I'm home" indeed.) (Also, that he realises he has just accidentally proposed when he wants to ask whether or not they are married cracked me up because it's so him, in any incarnation.) "Everything changes" - hmmm, at a guess, next time we'll find out what River is in prison for, and it will be a very early encounter with the Doctor from her pov, if not the first. At any rate pre-dating all the other River appearances so far. It's Moffat's penchant for timey-wimeyness at its best, and this non-linear relationship has won me over, yes indeed.
Nitpicks: as I said, the Daleks. Worst of all the Dalek with River. Look, I get that it's there to showcase River's ruthless side, but really. When has a Dalek ever asked for mercy? I don't think this season would have lost anything if it had been entirely Dalek-free and some other foe/monster had been the menace chasing the Doctor and friends through the British Museum; actually, that would have made a better point in regards to River's characterisation, because shooting Daleks was par the course for any old companions. (Though only Ace was allowed to go after them with a baseball bat. Oh, Ace.)
Back to praise: it will be a long while until Christmas. But as I said - we'll have the Sarah Jane Adventures until then!
no subject
Date: 2010-06-27 04:33 pm (UTC)I love this. It actually makes me want to go back and watch the few eps I missed (I've never watched the show before, and came to this season late and somewhat sporadically) to find the hints and pieces. Which is my favorite kind of TV! I love how wee Amelia was so very Amy in places (and yes, with the non-shipping of Amy and the Doctor, adorable though they are).
However, this entire season has not only made me go from being intrigued by and liking River Song to loving her but to signing on the River/Doctor 'ship.
Meeeee toooooo, which I definitely did not expect. I was independently taken with her pretty much from the first time I met her, but I was continually surprised how much I liked them *together*; I just find that I really like the Doctor a lot when she's around (not that I don't like him otherwise!). It's kind of making me want to write epic ship posts, which is not among my usual fannish endeavors. And I agree with your guess re: River in prison and I want to see it right now!
no subject
Date: 2010-06-27 05:42 pm (UTC)Trivia, in case no other fan told you already: wee Amelia is played by Karen Gillian's real life cousin. Like I said, great casting. :) Loved it when the Doctor called them both "Ponds". (And speaking of names, Amy's father being called "Augustus" was perfect. Very English children's books, Roald-Dahl-like, those names - Amelia Pond, Augustus Pond...
Re: River and the Doctor: it has occured to me that we are in a kind of linearity here so far, but in reverse. Each incarnation of River he's met has been younger than the former. Mind you, I think we won't get their very first meeting until Eleven regenerates, because for symmetry reasons (i.e. first meeting from the Doctor's pov is when River dies), I think the first meeting from River's pov will be when the Doctor dies, and Moffat will save that story for his endgame which is far ahead. HOWEVER, the reason why River's in prison is another matter, and I think that will be revealed next season.
Another guess: River is Professor Song in the library episodes, Doctor Song this season, so just for academic playfulness, I expect her to be still working on her degree next season. *g* Also, since River knows Amy already in both her appearances this season, we'll probably get their first encounter next season.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-28 03:34 am (UTC)As the Doctor is coming out of the Tardis at the wedding, you can hear Rory saying "...I was plastic!" So he seems to remember being Auton Rory. (Which I think is awesome.)
I suppose if it was Amy's memories that brought back the people who'd fallen through the cracks (like her parents) then it could have worked that way with Rory too-- she would have "remembered" human Rory and Auton Rory as the same person and brought them back that way? Hm.