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Doctor Who

Well, this weeks episode was a bit... meh. The angels next week hold some promise, but overall this series has been somewhat lacking.

I know people complained about the story-archs getting too complicated, but this series could really use at least something underlying to tie them together, particularly as it'll be the last with Amy and Rory, and we still have many unanswered questions from the last two series'.
 
I thought it was really good actually... right up until the part where they wrapped up the episode in about 5 minutes, resetting everything by just reversing the main plot device, and leaving loads of stuff unanswered :(.

Seriously, if I had to name one good thing about Moffat's reign, it'd be the lack of rubbish 'big-red-reset-button' endings, and yet here was one. Almost as if they went "Shugar, we've only got 5 minutes of the episode left, we need to wrap this up guys...".

Disappointing, especially when the rest of the episode was actually rather good.
 
Me and a friend were saying just that about last weeks episode. If the aliens attacking earth were as scary to Time Lords as the Doctor said then surely they should have been harder to defeat?

It all seemed a bit simple and rushed in the end and really could of done with a second part.
 
Doctor Who

This episode had the setup for a 2-parter. The build up reminded me of the Sontaron Strategem, and the adipose (although I know that was 1 episode). It really could have been so much more, but the climax seemed an afterthought.

It's a shame that they are only investing 5 episodes in this series, with the next one at Christmas. It's starting to feel too much like the David Tennant series 5 only with less exciting episodes (bar the first one)
 
For me the real problem is that these half and half series are just too small. Apparently next week’s episode is the last already! No wonder there haven't been many two parters.

I hope they go back to normal 13 episode long series again (or at the very least do an old Who style one story series). I just feel like I'm being cheated of a proper series.
 
I have to agree, the last episode was definitely the worst. The way the Doctor spoke of his latest foe made me feel like we'd be in for a good fight, but then it was all done and dusted and we're on to the next episode. I don't expect them to revert to the old short episode lengths with more episodes being more frequent, but surely they could have made more of a struggle against this enemy and film just one more episode to save rushing things?

???
 
I say we go back to the type of episodes from the cristopher eccelston 2005 series. It had the classic doctor whocharm & gripping storylines (with the exception of boom town). The first 5 episodes were just amazing! That to me was Doctor Who, How it was & how it should always be.

Why has it been 10 years since the doctor & amy had the adventure in eleveth hour? It should be continuous. What are the writers playing at?

Half series, with only 5 episodes for the first half? If the episodes are "So Good" why are they not giving them much screen time?

Someon please save Doctor Who!

::)
 
I think it's mainly for the 50th birthday next year and they want more episodes for it,so this year was always going to suffer
 
Well next year there will be 9 episodes, a break, then the 50th Anniversay, a break, then the Christmas special. So we'll be spoilt next year with episodes. I'm concerned about the years following that though, I'd like to see them go back to one full series with 13 episodes consecutively - rather than doing this splitting rubbish which has somewhat been rather annoying. It doesn't allow for the viewer to get 'into it', which with a show like Doctor Who, you need viewers to get into the main storyline and character stories.
 
I'm not a big fan of this splitting series malarkey either. Just do the whole series from episode 1 to 13! I can't believe that this Saturday is the last episode till Christmas, time does fly by.
 
Absolutely fantastic episode tonight. Harrowing stuff. I'll post my full opinions later (and it wasn't without a few minor faults) but the past series has really brought the level back up. There hasn't been an episode that I haven't enjoyed, culminating in tonight's jewel of an episode.
 
I actually thought this was a very good episode, had many spooks, but felt it was too short. I think it should have been a two part episode. It wasnt explained enough and left me feeling... "Empty?"

The last episode before the christmas special was not streched to its full extent. I actually cant believe this was Amy's and Rory's last episode, I was left wondering: "was that it? Was that actually it? Really?" It was all so quick, there wasnt really a conclusion, just a rushed ending.

The weeping angels, to me, is one of the best villians the Doctor Who writers have invented, but in this episode, i wasnt as terrified as i could have been.

Very surprised not many people have given their views on this episode yet!

7/10
 
I'm not sure what I felt about this episode because of two big problems:

1) The Time Paradox and the Angels plan: I barely understood any of it. It felt way too convoluted and I’m sure with multiple viewings I’ll find some fairly glaring plot holes.
The Angels have become too complex as well. Back in Blink the reason why they worked so well was down to how simple a concept the Angels were. It’s a monster that can’t move when you are looking at it but comes to get you when you've turned away. Now that they’ve added all these complex motives it just doesn’t feel right anymore.

2) Given that this was the last episode for Amy and Rory I think the whole series should have been building up to this moment. I remember feeling really excited watching Doomsday (roses supposed last episode) because they'd been hinting at it every episode in the latter part of the series, so you knew when the trailer for the finale came along it was going to be something big. In this case I guess they were deliberative trying to do the opposite and have their departure as some sort of surprise but I just didn't feel that worked.


Despite the potential this series has shown I really haven’t gotten into it. Nearly every episode has been needlessly complicated and often resulted in a rushed conclusion or a glaring plot point that’s felt completely out of place.
But why! Only the other day I was watching one of the recent episodes of Sherlock which was beautifully paced and didn't feel overcomplicated at all. Admittedly it’s twice as long but we know these writers can do the same for a Doctor Who length episode because they have done so in the past.

On a plus note I notice that this is the first episode they actually stated that River is The Doctors Wife (normaly they don't directly say it) and that there is potential for her to come back later on :D
 
Time for a review. Please note this will not be spoiler free, so look away now, all those still to watch tonight's episode.

I thought this episode was stunning. Last week's episode admittedly felt dull but it was great prelude for tonight, showing how normal life intertwines with the adventures of the Doctor. For those who thought this needed two episodes worth of time, I initially agreed however, I think that one episode was good enough to secure a completely action-packed story with lots going on.

My main criticism is that some elements could have been missed out entirely and replaced with superior scenes. The whole Ming vase thing was a little unnecessary and I felt that the character (who's name escapes me) who collected the angel wasn't needed and added little to the story for the time it took to get into his role. I also think that the cherub laughter wasn't menacing enough (sing-song voices are better than just a weak giggle) and when the candle went out (before Rory got sent to the Angel's 'farm') it appeared to have been blown out by the cherub - this idea defeats the principle (and sole basis of their existence) of them being unable to move you are looking at them. Elements of paradoxes were really over-complicated and could have easily been watered down.

Despite those picky points, the episode was great. It had plenty of movement and scenes of edginess. I adored the use of the Statue of Liberty (specifically those frightening teeth) and the Angel chase sequences were really jumpy. The Angels didn't just look scary tonight, they had an evil air about them, and the idea of them owning a human 'battery farm' was even bordering on sinister.

As for Rory & Amy's demise, it was beautifully executed. If they had both had a dramatic monologue it would've been boring, but the combination of Amy's decision and the quick, unexpected attack on Rory was fantastic. Rory's character, tonight, had more dynamic than ever before and did not feel unnecessary. His demise was so shockingly quick and punchy that the emotional scene with Amy that followed worked really well. As usual River annoyed me, but the scene where she lied about her wrist was fantastic. Matt Smith, for the fifth episode this series, was brilliant in his acting and his character's depth really poured out tonight. The 'Afterword' was a heart-wrenching scene, and despite the tackiness of the sepia freeze-frame at the end, I felt that it tied everything up perfectly.

I have no choice to award it a convincing 9/10, as despite the imperfections, it brought a tear to my eye and was a fitting end to a great series and set of companions. :)
 
Tim said:
I'm not sure what I felt about this episode because of two big problems:

1) The Time Paradox and the Angels plan: I barely understood any of it. It felt way too convoluted and I’m sure with multiple viewings I’ll find some fairly glaring plot holes.
The Angels have become too complex as well. Back in Blink the reason why they worked so well was down to how simple a concept the Angels were. It’s a monster that can’t move when you are looking at it but comes to get you when you've turned away. Now that they’ve added all these complex motives it just doesn’t feel right anymore.
Click to expand...

The only thing I would say about this is they haven't complicated the Angels story too much, the angels always pushed people back in time to consume their time energy. The only complication was the idea of them farming people.
 
Dave said:
Tim said:
I'm not sure what I felt about this episode because of two big problems:

1) The Time Paradox and the Angels plan: I barely understood any of it. It felt way too convoluted and I’m sure with multiple viewings I’ll find some fairly glaring plot holes.
The Angels have become too complex as well. Back in Blink the reason why they worked so well was down to how simple a concept the Angels were. It’s a monster that can’t move when you are looking at it but comes to get you when you've turned away. Now that they’ve added all these complex motives it just doesn’t feel right anymore.
Click to expand...

The only thing I would say about this is they haven't complicated the Angels story too much, the angels always pushed people back in time to consume their time energy. The only complication was the idea of them farming people.
Click to expand...

That's true. I suppose I just feel that the plots surrounding the Angels have got so complex that the actual threat of the Angels no longer feels so threatening.

Back in Blink the mere presents of the Angels made everyone panic because they had to keep looking at them. In this episode they were either standing where everyone could clearly see them or in the case of the babies in complete darkness so that Rory was screwed anyway.

Also what worked back in Blink was the main characters lack of time travel. If they were caught that was it, no coming back. Now while that was true in this episode it was only because they came up with about 3 different excuses for why they couldn't just go back and pick them up. Either that or you just have the Angels kill them which again goes against the original idea.


All of the above was only a minor point anyway. My main concern is that this series of Doctor Who feels troubled, normally because they've tried to cram too much into too few episodes.
 
Would someone care to explain how the Statue of Liberty could possibly move without being seen? :p

As for Steven Moffat (and co.).....way far fetched storylines and too much "spacetrotting". I can appreciate that to enjoy Doctor Who you have to suspend your disbelief, but the last few series have just been ridiculous on the whole leaving a lot of viewers turned off. It was actually strangely refreshing to see Matt Smith's Doctor scared by a villain for once in the last epsode, instead of just p1$$ing about and being generally annoying upon confrontation.

And I wish they would tie up the whole River Song storyline already because it's annoying how she keeps popping up all the time. Please, get back to the 2005/6 (and even 07) style of episodes. They were far more engaging for the casual viewer...

:)
 
I found it a really disappointing episode, with such a hap hazard mish mash of familiar characters locations and enemies, with ridiculous clichés and paradoxes thrown in to create a scenario that 'locks away' Rory and Amy without a thought for how it all works in the grand canon of Doctor Who

So the Doctor can't go to New York in 1938 because of the, whatever they said... and Rory was sent back 50 odd years previous. So how did he manage to go back to 1920s New York with Martha? And yet again, the only answer was to hit a big reset button and create a paradox, regardless of the fact that Paradoxes don't exist in the universe of Doctor Who (pre solo-Moffat).

The idea was nice, although a much recycled theme of "harvesting" humans. But it was far from executed well.

The "end story" for Amy and Rory however - not convinced at all. They should have been brave enough to kill off at least one of them, would have saved the convoluted plot to attempt to separate them from the Doctor. Especially as there is nothing to stop him from landing 5 minutes outside of New York and walking in to find them! Or using River's personal time-vortex thingy. Or just creating another paradox to go back before the angels appeared in Manhattan and stop that event, seeing as they have opened the door to any reset switch is possible now (we saw Rory die, so that event DID happen in the Doctor Who universe)
 
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