Doctor Who : A Good Man Goes To War

This is an exceptional season finale.
Last year's didn't stick the landing but, yeah, this delivers.
And going from some friends, it can be enjoyed without having seen much of this season.

And now we delve into

spoilers

Looking back it was obvious that River would be Rory and Amy's daughter.
I had kinda suspected for a while.
But the reveal was still enjoyable. (Sure, some people twigged as soon as we learnt the baby was called Melody. But I was too caught up to notice.)

Yeah, there wasn't much to the villains as yet. Evil Christian fanatics in the future has been done before (even in Doctor Who - Mark Gatiss's St. Anthony's Fire ).
And there wasn't anything distinguishing about this mob.
However the temporary supporting cast more than made up for it. I loved the idea of the Doctor calling in his debts. And the Silurian adventuress and her housekeeper girlfriend were wonderful. Even if they don't reappear on the show, they'll be in the spin-off books and audios. A lot.
Also this was the best use of the Sontarans since that mid 90s Doctor Who Magazine story Pureblood (it had an ideologically flamed war between cloned Sontarans and pure ones - very awesome).

And "Let's kill Hitler" is the best episode title ever. I assume it'll be about time loops rather than actual Nazis but, hey, that title had me in hysterics.

Yes, some of the red herrings regarding Melody's parentage and River's origins didn't make an awful lot of sense.
But this episode had to put a cap on this half of the season, answer mysteries and whet the appetite for the autumn, as well as entertain.
And it did all of that.

Doctor Who - The Almost People (spoilers)

Well, that was a lot stronger than the first episode.

It went darker places.
Solid acting all-round help finally bring this to life, a minor miracle given how unimpressed I was by the first part.
And also, in retrospect, last week's offering had a lot of water-treading to do to conclude with that cliffhanger.
So, free of that burden, this installment explored the dilemmas of having clones wandering about and the inherent questions of identity and what it means to be human.

Mucho spoilers

And this whole storyline was clearly foreshadowing for THAT cliffhanger.
Amy, trapped in a booth, about to give birth whilst watched over by the eyepatch-sporting woman.
Easily the best cliffhanger of the Matt Smith era.
And I love how it calls back to all the deaths of Rory we've seen. He's kept on dying but coming back alongside (for this season at least) a fake Amy Pond. And the Tardis was right. The only water in the forest is a River.

I still think we'll have a Ganger get-out for the dead Doctor mystery.
But now the Doctor knows he's going to die so maybe he'll be able to cook up a better plan than that.
The twist as to which Doctor was real was unexpected. To be honest, that question hadn't crossed my mind. And it was such a wonderful and in character way for Amy to spill the beans to the Doctor.

On the whole Ganger question, yes, it slightly devolved into a monster-of-the-week but at least we saw that one Ganger lived and we saw that Gangers weren't as monstrous as the humans. It would have been more fun (and messier) if both an original and their Ganger survived. (Didn't think that would be my sole criticism before I started watching this part)
And, so after all we weren't seeing the beginning of the Autons or the Sontarans or even a breakdown in Amy and Rory's marriage. But I somewhat suspect we're leading up to the Ponds' exits.

God knows what's going to happen next week. I hope we'll get a final answer as to whether River is Amy or Amy's daughter or none of the above.

Doctor Who - Rebel Flesh (spoilers)

Two part stories can be a risk.
If the first episode's weak, then you're probably not looking forward to the next installment.
This is particularly true when this story is going to be the penultimate taste of new TV Dr Who until the autumn.

As with The Curse Of The Black Spot, the supporting cast are unlikeable.
Yes, there's a knotty moral dilemma that it looks like the show will deal with head-on. In that way it reminds me very much of Malcolm Hulke's Silurian stories from Pertwee's era.
Unfortunately the plot hasn't caught alight and instead feels like an ethical debate over 90 minutes.

So, yeah, I'm hoping that next week's will be somewhat better.

Spoilery thoughts and speculation follow this photo of Rory and Amy

I genuinely can't see how we can get another episode out of this.
So is something going to come in from left-field?
Like the eye-patch lady making more than a fleeting appearance...

I also hope that the Ganger Doctor won't end up being the one we see get killed in The Impossible Astronaut. This must be a red herring, surely?
Discounting Tennant's hand-Doctor, it's been a very long time since we've had a character resemble the Doctor. (Which seemed to happen with such frequency in the 60s and 70s that the companions must have established safety words)

Also, is this the start of the Nestene Consciousness or at least their Auton-ising process?
Might we get final resolution as to whether Rory is still an Auton?
And is his friendship with Jennifer going to cause a rift between him and Amy? Methinks yes, even if it's just temporary.

Whatever happens next week, it needs to be more interesting than the first part and also not resolve the dead Doctor story-thread (because if it does, that will be the biggest disappointment in the show since the revelation of what Bad Wolf was all about)

Doctor Who : The Doctor's Wife

After last week's undercooked Pirates of the Caribbean riff, this was an absolute treat.
A Neil Gaiman-penned script was always going to be highly anticipated.
Fortunately this delivered in spades. The Moffat era has become increasingly like a fairy tale, especially when you think of the original aliens we've encountered.
This episode was like something from the darker reaches of the Brothers Grimm, equal measures terrifying and hilarious. The cast is top notch, especially Suranne Jones.
And crucially the plot just couldn't have happened in any other series, unlike last year's megastar-written episode from Richard Curtis.
It is dripping in the show's mythology but has a strong story to tell in it's own right. The show is at its best when it is a feast for the imagination and, yup, this episode is up there.
It's clearly an act of love by Gaiman and it is probably Matt Smith's best episode to date.

Doctor Who - The Curse of The Black Spot (mild spoilers)

When I was a kid, I wrote a Lego Pirate-inspired Doctor Who story in which Ace and the seventh Doctor found themselves on a 17th century Caribbean island attacked by pirates and, erm, robots.
So, I had some preconceptions going into tonight's offering.

Also it's brave steering the TARDIS into Pirates of The Caribbean territory and, well, this episode's not the weakest but certainly not the strongest.
Lily Cole is remarkably creepy as a siren preying on the ship's crew. Then again she's a model so looking menacing and ethereal isn't too huge a leap for her.
But the main issue is the characterisation, particularly of the pirates. It's just flat. There's an attempt to add human interest to Hugh Bonneville's captain but it's just too contrived.

<< Seriously.... >>

how dense is the captain not to have noticed his kid having stowed away for what appears to have been quite some time

This episode just feels like a first draft and the plot holes are gaping, particularly in the reveal.
A supernatural pirate piece will risk comparisons with PoTC and, yeah, there's no contest.

Next week is the Neil Gaiman episode so hopefully the show will return to awesomeness.

<< And here's some arc points >>

OK. We knew it wouldn't be arc-heavy as there was no "Previously", which also made me switch off a bit.
But who is it that keeps on intruding on Amy's dreams? And the pregnancy question is being rammed home again.
Is it not just Amy's baby phasing in and out but her as well? Yeah, it's a stretch.
Hopefully next week's instalment will start to answer some of the arc questions.

Easter-y musings on the new Doctor Who season

Dear Easter bunny,

I am not sure how much I will be able to post over the next week.

So, just in case, please make sure that Doctor Who this year is solid.
There seems to have been concern that ratings last year were down.
Whisper to the BBC that this often happens in the aftermath of a regeneration, especially when an uber popular Doctor leaves like David Tennant. But Matt Smith will find an audience given time.

In previous eras, we have had random meet-ups with previous Doctors in an apparent attempt to drive ratings (hello The Two Doctors).
Or ferocious pandering to fans with impenetrable continuity-heavy glop.
We seem to know from that press conference that Mr Moffat has summat up his sleeve.
Please let it feel organic and not be an event for the sake of it.

If we have to have a Dalek story, make it an experimental one. Last year showed that treating them with humour pays dividends. And how about some Zygons if there is to be a classic monster. (We will try to forget the Silurians if you do)

And don't be afraid to be mature. Or angry. Yes it might scare off the ickles but it will open new doors.


I know it's all made now ( or at least the spring episodes are) but go do some bunny magic.

That slightly spoilery Dr Who press conference

There was a bit of spoilery coverage of the upcoming Dr Who series, even reaching The Guardian.
So erm here be

» spoilers. «

Stephen Moffatt's taking the approach Marvel did with the Fantastic Four, namely announcing a death but not saying who's going to be taking a dirt nap.
Whilst it does spoil, these tactics deliver as sales of Fantastic Four show.
But remember that magical cliffhanger in Tennant's last season?
The one in which he looked like he was regenerating.
Wasn't the shock and surprise exhilarating?
And that painful wait until the next episode....

So to business. Who is going to die?
I assume not Rory as we have been this way before.
Also, whoever it is, there better not be a quick resurrection unless it's the Doctor.
And Matt Smith is too new to be leaving though I am sure we will be led to believe it's the Doctor for the chop.
Smart money is on Amy, especially as we have seen River die in her future.
Which makes me more convinced it will be River as her demise would show something is wrong with time.
But what do I know? I thought Bad Wolf would be Rose...