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What did you think of The Impossible Astronaut? Let us know in the comments section below.

The new TARDIS File for the episode is now up! Enjoy!

29 Comments...

It. Was. Insane! I was laughing, gasping and hugging my pillow for the entire episode. Then I was mad because it was a cliffhanger. Grrrr!

Posted by Vanilla  on  04/23  at  06:16 PM

Wow. I have a strange theory with lots of holes in it regarding the little girl, Amy, and River. Is River Amy’s unborn daughter? Is Amy’s unborn daughter the little girl? This may be a stretch. What do you think?

Posted by Demosthenes  on  04/23  at  06:19 PM

The first ten minutes definitely got my attention!

Posted by Bytowner  on  04/24  at  02:55 AM

I’m not convinced Amy is pregnant. Yes, she keeps feeling sick, and yes, she /might/ be, but consider: Every time we’ve seen her feel ill, it’s after seeing and forgetting the creepies. The more often she sees them, the iller she feels after forgetting. It also seems to happen when she’s reacting to something she’s consciously forgotten.

And finally, please note, River seems to be having the exact same reaction in the tunnels when Rory joins her, presumbaly after she’s seen and forgotten the creepies for a second time. Is anyone going to suggest River is pregnant?

I’m probably wrong, but I thought I’d mention it in my official capacity as devil’s advocate. 

Looking forward to next week, regardless!

Posted by cct  on  04/24  at  03:14 AM

Great start to new season, Buckle up going to be a wild ride

Posted by alliedcaf  on  04/24  at  03:52 AM

The ship that Rory and River walk into at the end is the same as the one in The Lodger isn’t it?  Check out the pic at http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2010/07/doctor-who-season-5-episode-11-the-lodger/
and then see the show at 39mins 18seconds in…or is that just me?

Posted by willspireite  on  04/24  at  11:25 AM

Wow… first 10 minutes…
...So persumingly the two months Amy and Rory hadn’t been with the Doctor is in the lead-up to the episode, say since Christmas? Nice to see that the companions have some time away from the TARDIS.
Didn’t see the Doctor getting shot. Didn’t think for one minute it would be the Doctor we would see, but then I didn’t see how it would be plausible for someone else to be ‘killed’ off within the first ten minutes. I bet there was someone expecting the Doctor to regenerate… and you scoff when I suggested this would be how David Tennant would go!
I hope that Amy’s narrative to the opening isn’t kept. It doesn’t feel right. I guess because it wasn’t something that anyone else did that it feels really out of the norm.  We’ve had 47 years of openings with superb music and no talking, why change it now?
We were told that River would meet the Doctor three times. Is this it? Is this their last meeting/adventure together? I can’t imagine that we’re going to get all the answers that we want from her, or that the Doctor will get his answers. There’s too many questions I want answered!

Posted by Rachel  on  04/24  at  11:34 AM

Rachel, I’m confused about what you mean regarding Amy’s narrative (narration?). And where was it stated that River would only meet the Doctor 3 times? I believe they’ve already met 3 times, regardless (the library, the weeping angels, the pandorica).

Am I suffering blackouts? Or are you doing some seriously good drugs, and if so can you share wink

Posted by Connie  on  04/24  at  03:46 PM

yes, it is the same ship as in the lodger .. at least the same design (maybe a different ship, same race).

baby theory is interesting, but I also thought this ‘sickness’ is just a result of the aliens (and I’m not calling them the “The Silence” yet, as I’m not sure that is who they really are ) making them forget, as like you said this same reaction was seen coming from River .. maybe the fact that they have both travelled through time with the Doctor has some affect on the aliens ability to make them forget, leaving a side effect of sickness (like motion sickness).

And why did that alien explode the woman in the bathroom?  By accident?  If it was intentional, why not Amy? 

Many questions .. I’m hooked .. can’t wait till next Sat. 

by the way “Being Human” UK Season 3 has just started on Space, Monday nights .. stars Russell Tovey (Midshipman Frame - Doctor Who) .. check it out ..  its really awesome too!

Posted by Ian  on  04/24  at  05:04 PM

In regards to The Impossible Astronaut, I found the whole episode to be without comparison. Overall it is like nothing else I have seen in any of the Dr. Who’s series.

The very idea that DW2 was invited by DW1 to the diner is remarkable in and of itself.  Nothing like foreshadowing ones’ own future. Then of course the entire America angle of the show. From a lake side viking funeral somewhere in the mid west to the POTUS office, then on to an abandon warehouse full of space junk in Florida.

The writers never missed a beat.

The confused 200 year younger Dr. (as River explained it) is disconcerting in itself. Why 200 years? 

The Silencer, and Amy’s mysterious pregnancy interwoven to cast doubt on it all.

Then the final scenes, Amy shooting her “own child” in the year 1969, again a riddle. This episode has it all, dark humor, wisecracking Dr. and dumbfounded authority figures.

Classic I say, and yet very familiar.  When the writers are putting though to paper, and the actual camera work exceeds the actors and the script limitation, something should give, like maybe the writers should give up.

Matt and Karen did the best they could with the script, as foreigners in a strange land.  Dr. Whos characters have never seemed to work well and so sporadically. 

But Alex Kingston, she was for several years on one of North America top rated shows, as an ensemble cast member. She was on ER for 6 years, and they threw her a very small bone for a part that could have been great.

She and Matt have a chemistry, much different from the other Dr’s friends. She is wild and unnerving to the 902 year old doctor, and at the exact same time she is his equal. River and the Dr. should have taken a much larger portion of the first half of the episode.

Karen and Matt have a great relationship, but that has always been weighted down by the character of Rory. He is the third wheel, and as Amy says “the newbie”, better days and times were had when the Dr. used to have 2 female companions. There was never the “I love her but can’t love her” crap that exists with the Dr., Amy and Rory.  With River the Dr. is allowed to let his emotions run wild if the writers just followed the logic of it all. A 23 year old girl, even the indominable Amy, is no match for the fabled Dr., Rose from series was more of the combination of River and Amy, thus being the true love the Doctors Life.

I hope they (the writers) sort this out before the show suffers because of it.

River is evil, no she is in love with the Dr. no she is a prisoner, no shes good, too much confusion for a 44 minute episode.

Then of course Amy is pregnant, if that is so either Rory is the father as everyone expects, or the Dr. and Amy knocked boots somewhere. Not at all unimaginable for the true believer. Thrown in at the warehouse while in desperate times, it does not thicken the plot, but waters down the Doctors ability to react.

Then of course it could be the Time Lords child that Amy shoots. Why else would it matter so much at this juncture in time. Again to much to soon.

Veteran Dr. Who fans can muddle through this all, and just go along for the ride, knowing that this is what makes great science fiction, the suspension of reality.

But I am fear full that the newer audience members, especially the younger ones will get lost and stop watching because of that. Some times explosions and aliens are all that are needed to hook the fan base. At other times being lost in the soup (or the fogs of London) is not a good place to be and can turn a fun sci-fi show to a muddled work of fiction.

I know its a lot for my first post but it was at times a great ride and a so so episode. Lets hope the next half makes it better.

One point, if the series opener, had been a two hour premier, it would have worked better in North America, we are use to that kind of timelines. Also the new and younger audience may have been able to see how it wraps up without the weeks wait.

Posted by jabbey  on  04/24  at  07:49 PM

I thought the first episode was brilliant, as did the group who watched it with me. There were a number of jaw-dropping moments, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a lot of stuff to discuss. I punched the air when William Morgan Shepard - one of my all-time favorite actors (Blank Reg, for heaven’s sake!) made his cameo. I had no idea he was going to appear.

Similarly jaw-dropping was the reaction from one reviewer, writing for a Chicago newspaper (and quoted on the Doctor Who News Page press roundup) calling for Doctor Who to be cancelled! What was that man smoking when he watched it?

Hell, I even liked the addition of the “what this show is about” narration to the opening credits. I’ve been saying for a while they needed something like that for the benefit of newcomers. I hope they keep it (hey, as long as the music is still front and centre, I’m happy).

Right now, The Impossible Astronaut ranks as the best season premiere I’ve seen of Doctor Who since the series came back. Though being the very first revival-era two-parter to start a season, it’s unfair to pass judgement on it totally since we still have a second half to go.

Posted by Alex  on  04/24  at  07:56 PM

Connie, the narration Rachel is speaking about is a “saga cell” about what the series is about, narrated by Amy, just before the opening credits in North America. It’s not on the British version.

It’s hugely annoying and I think is a capitulation in the hope for a bigger audience. (I’d probably find it less annoying if they put it on before the teaser, like the Sarah Jane Adventures). I hope to goodness it was only for episode 1.

Posted by Graeme  on  04/25  at  02:43 AM

@Graeme

Hmmm - first I’ve heard that the Amy intro was only on the US (and Canadian) version. Yet our version had the Sladen tribute too. I still don’t mind having the intro, as long as that’s the only difference between the UK and North America showings. I’d hate for them to start editing for content. That’ll make me stop watching and wait for the Blu-rays.

Posted by Alex  on  04/25  at  03:48 AM

I think having a brief narration at the start of this episode was a good idea as it does help bring a new or cassual viewer up to speed. (Well perhaps not a new viewer all that well now that I think of it) However it ONLY belongs at the start of a season. So far this episode looks good but will pass final judgement after next weeks episode.

Posted by Doug Grandy  on  04/25  at  06:32 AM

Connie: Graeme and Alex have summed up the intro/narration. Maybe if it had started in the last series it would have been different, but to start with it this series with the same doctor and companions… it seems like a last minute addition.  I wonder if we can all contact Space and get it changed?! I looked on YouTube and found someone who had uploaded the episode in the UK, and it had the series 5 opening.

Maybe I dreamed about River and the Doctor meeting three times. I want to watch a few of the fourth season episodes again, so I’ll make sure that I rewatch the Silence in the library/Forest of the dead episodes as well and see if I can gleam anything…or maybe it’s just that some of these episodes there’s just so much information that suddenly you don’t remember if what you think you know has been gleamed from what you’ve seen or if you’ve just dreamed them!

Posted by Rachel  on  04/25  at  07:22 AM

Really good episode! I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers, so there were plenty of surprises for me. I hope we eventually get answers for all of yesterday’s conundrums.

Moffat produced a fantastic season 5 last year, so it really is un-reasonable and far too early for critics (like the one cited by Alex) to write-off season 6 because of narrative complexity. Still I do worry (a little bit)that this season will be great for the die-hard fans, but borderline incomprehensible for the occasional viewer.
@Rachel: I believe it was “The Face of Boe” and not River Song who was supposed to meet the Doctor three times

Posted by Andrew B  on  04/25  at  07:59 AM

Graeme… turn away please.

Ah a new season of Doctor Who coming fresh off the triumph of A Christmas Carol the newly aired The Impossible Astronaut is a continuation of the bold super cliffhanger direction Moffat has for Doctor Who this season.

That is what I would have like to have written instead of course you might know I thought ACC was quite mediocre and I came out of that seeing Matt Smith doing a perfection impersonation of himself as the Doctor. He’s a character as opposed having a character. Lost it seems in his owns looks, quirks and mannerisms. Kind of like Tom at his worst with GW in S17 but only worse.

The thought that struck is me over and over as the episode started was “That was stupid, that was stupid, that was stupid, that was stupider, I’ve lost count at how many times I’ve thought this is stupid.” Kudos to RTD here as I never thought that about even one of his stories on first viewing.

Matt was not as bad as ACC but again I really found him just so desperate and craving to steal virtually every scene somehow. Erm… Matt you’re the Doctor you don’t need to steal scenes you are the star!

Other things are up in the air as obviously the River story will progress this year and whatever other threads will come. Last year I commented how for the most part MG’s music was somewhat better and passable at times but after ACC and this it looks like it’s back to the old sodding MG who has no idea how to create suspense in a scene. Everything is like a chase even when people are standing still!

Amy was well “my life in your hands.” Amy, River was fine but Rory was the best of the lot of them. Maybe it’s just me but I find him the most believable character of the bunch.

Another time-twister from Moffat? Good lord what a surprise! Maybe it’ll be good but I doubt it. Hey let’s hope so but as the for cliffhanger.

ROFL! I mean honestly easily one of the funniest goof moments in series history. I guess I should have seen it coming but man! The problem of course is that it wasn’t meant to be funny was it? In this very tonally challenged story which seemingly wanted to be a comedy I’m not 100% sure.

Posted by Ryan  on  04/25  at  08:36 AM

Okay so I’ve seen it twice now and enjoyed it for the most part, but I am confused….which is probably what Moffat intended after Part 1.

A few thoughts - first, I don’t think Amy is pregnant, but obviously the fact she is telling The Doctor she is must have some importance.  Actually perhaps ‘this’ Amy is pregnant, but I’m not sure any of them are who they are (if that makes sense)...it just seemed sort of ‘off’.  I can’t see her shooting what appears to be a young girl at the end, I would more expect her to intend to shoot then drop the gun in shock when the visor is lifted.  And I’m not convinced that The Doctor (the 2nd one who says he’s 909) is the actual 909yr old Doctor after all…he’s being quite horrible to River as if he knows something he shouldn’t (yet), and was more pompous, distrustful and self-assured about what was going on (again as if he knew more than he was saying) than I would normally expect.  The 1st (1103yrs) Doctor seemed more ‘himself’.  Of course I could be totally out in left field here.  At least River and Rory (I love Rory) seemed themselves.

Speaking of River, something occurred to me that makes her time line (of going in the opposite direction to The Doctor) not make sense, as far as being in prison is concerned:  a comment is made by the guard that “she’s doing it again”, as if they have become completely used to her frequent escapes…and yet in her earlier prison appearances, her escapes seemed more of a surprise to her jailers…if she’s going the other way, it should have started off last series with them being very matter of fact about it.  Again I’m probably reading something into nothing.

Didn’t like the Nixon bits but am enjoying Canton Delaware.

Must admit I loathe the ‘what happened so far’ Amy bit before the main titles, seems like it’s being dumbed down, and very ‘80s.

Didn’t really see the point of the pre-titles mini-scenes of The Doctor throughout history, perhaps they’ll come back to actually mean something as the series progresses.

So we were (possibly) wrong in interpreting what was said last series as “the SILENCE will fall”...as we now know it’s actually “the SILENTS” (based on the credits).  So will they fall as a civilisation?  Does it mean they are falling from the sky to take over Earth? What is their connection to the Lodger-style spaceship…hmmmm.  I liked that bit.  Must admit, a monster you forget as soon as you look away is pretty clever.

If the 1103 Doctor was killed, where did he leave his TARDIS?

And my biggest question:  Is Rory still plastic?  Because if he is, one of the group should have commented on it (not to mention it would probably cause baby-fathering issues).  But if he isn’t plastic, then he should be dead.  He really died in Cold Blood last year, and wasn’t erased from time until after he died, so when time was restored he should have still been dead.  Obviously I’m missing something…or it goes in line with what I said above about them not being themselves!

Posted by Julie  on  04/25  at  03:31 PM

What I can’t stop thinking about is how the ‘modern’ space suits they found in the 1969 warehouse are the same ones River and her crew are wearing when the doctor first meets her in ‘The Library’- does it mean anything or am I reading too much into it.
Also I love the theory that River is Amy’s unborn child- Pond/River both water themed names.

Posted by Carla  on  04/30  at  10:49 PM

@ Carla:

Well, there was the whole bit about “I’m not married.” “Are you asking?”

And episode 4 is “The Doctor’s Wife”.  So maybe River and Smith get hitched and have sire a baby called Amy.

A bit messy and soap-opera for my liking.

As for the story, WOW, finally we get a darkly compelling and fantastically-frightening and thoroughly convincing alien.

Yes, the Weeping Angels are UBER cool but they don’t move ( when you’re watching them ).  These aliens were off-the scales scary, unnerving and they definitely raised the fear-factor, something Doctor Who has lost touch with since introducing cute little creatures called Adipose.

Keep it dark and scary Steven.  Bring back the glory days of Tom Baker’s gothic horror revival and your own stories of gas-mask creatures and facial bones breaking and being forced into different physiologies.

Without genuine horror, the expression “hiding behind the sofa” need never be applied to Doctor Who again.

Steven

Posted by Steven  on  05/02  at  07:32 AM

Wow. Family sitting around considering alternatives. The best we cam up with was:-
-Amy has a child to Rory
-Amy’s exposure to the crack means her child is “special”
-The child is the first Time Lord (and hence the Doctor’s great grand mother)

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