What did you think of these episodes?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
I was starting to worry, but Matt Smith, some Weeping Angels and River Song step in to ease my fears. This was a great two parter.
Tension, horror, action, Weeping Angels, River Song, a Maze of the Dead, the church army, this had a lot going on. It felt so different to the RTD era before, and I loved it for it. The cliffhanger at the end of Time of Angels felt completely different, I don't think I can even put my finger on it - it just did. Seeing the series arc play such a prominent part when we weren't even in the middle of the series seemed like a massive change as well.
"Wrong. Wrong. Bit right, mostly wrong. I love museums!"
We had a lot of Moffatness going on as well. We had monsters using human voices, we had a clever trick with the Doctors jacket (this didn't pay off until the finale of course), we had some horror, we had some iconic lines for the Doctor.
This felt more like Eleven now - strange as it was the first episode they shot - but you can definitely see the anger, clumsiness, humour and everything in-between. Matt Smith shines in his portrayal of the Doctor, bringing a blend of youthful energy, fierce intelligence, and a sense of ancient wisdom to the role. His Doctor is unpredictable, quirky, and brave, yet there’s an edge of danger in how he confronts the Angels, willing to gamble lives to save the day.
Matt Smith and Alex Kingston have such a great chemistry as well, they truly were a great pairing.
"Yes...You’re right. I am definitely Mr. Grumpy Face today."
This was also more of the companion I want to see and Karen Gillan had some of her stronger moments of the series in these episodes. We got to see her vulnerability, we got to see that the Doctor had messed her up a bit, we got to see a lot more of her in general here. I love Karen's delivery as she counted down towards her death.
Were the Weeping Angels as scary as they were in Blink here? No, I don't think so. I think we can all agree that seeing them move was a mistake right? What I did love about Moffat's iconic villains in this though was a deepening of their lore and horror, introducing the concept that they snap people's necks without telling us too much to keep those stone fuckers as enigmatic as ever.
The Maze of the Dead and the forest both looked amazing and were great settings for the Weeping Angels. I loved how different the show looked to its predecessor in this era, Moffat might deny it, but it definitely gave off those fairy tale vibes.
"I think, sir, you know me at my best."
The pacing of the episodes are so different as well, it seemed just that little bit slower than the RTD era. It was still gripping though. The scene where the Doctor is working out how time can be unwritten is pure Matt Smith brilliance, the extravagant hands, the mad professor, the childish imp, all blended into one.
One thing ever so slightly annoyed me, River calling the genius at the end when he told them to hang on to something, I think he was more lucky than genius in this situation. I will let it slide though, as I still love how much the arc of the series is included in these episodes.
"Amy Pond. Mad, impossible Amy Pond. I don’t know why...I have no idea...but quite possibly the single most important thing in the history of the universe is that I get you sorted out right now."
I cannot talk about these episodes without mentioning the very end. I don't hate it like a lot of people do, for one, it is always a bonus to see Karen Gillan being hot. But if I put the dirty old man thoughts to one side and think about it, it really makes Amy unlikeable. Do I think it was too "raunchy" for Doctor Who? Nah, it wasn't that bad. But is Amy really offering to drop her knickers one minute before her wedding day? That is being a dick!!!!
Flawed characters are way more interesting of course, and we already had Rose being a nob to Mickey so we were pretty used to it by this point.
All in all though, this was bloody brilliant!!
RATING: Exterminate!
BEST LINE: "Yeah. Well, just boring now, isn’t it? They’re boringers. They’re blue boringers."
Comments