Mr. and Mrs. Pond (and Doctor)
And it all ends here. Finally we can all talk about this season without worrying about Spoilers! Join in the free-for-all, er, discussion on The Big Bang and the 2010 Season in the comments section and check out The Big Bang‘s TARDIS file.
That’s it for this season. We’ll have a TARDIS file for Voyage of the Damned and the rest of Series One (and Two) up soon! In the meantime take a look at the latest issue of DWIN’s fanzine Enlightenment, which reviews the first half of the season. And keep coming by this blog—we’re open 24/7 for all your Doctor Who needs!
Posted by Graeme on Sunday, July 25 at 1:00 am
21 Comments...
Didn’t I tell you Matt Smith is awesome? His performance this season has peen pitch-perfect for Mr. Moffat’s emphasis on a largely light-hearted, whimsical tone. I feel this has been the best, most consistently well written, well acted season since Tennant and Piper.
I’m pleased to see Rory back, but I think River Song is the secret engine of Moffat’s vision. What a great character, and such perfect casting. I was pleased that, in contrast to the archaeologist of ‘Silence in the Library,’ this iteration of the character is a rogueish, more amoral version of the Doctor himself—quite like Captain Jack, when it comes to it.
As for unresolved plot threads, since fanboy speculation is not equal to spoilers, I’ll just ask: is there anyone who thinks the creepy voice intoning ‘darkness will fall’ in the Tardis is not Davros?
Posted by Jimmy on 07/25 at 12:02 PM
I loved this episode. The fast paced, rediculous beginning, the solemn and forboding middle, the reflective climax, and the joyous and exciting ending. Although after the Doctor died, I did feel somewhat bored after, that is my only complaint and a short-lived one too. I’m glad to see the “girl and boyfriend” companion idea is being used some more, hopefully it will last the entire season next time. Perhaps my favorite part of this episode was River song’s mysterious (of course) warnings of the future. I’m betting she will be the companion of the 13th Doctor, since Time Lords usually have 13 regenerations and River eventually kills the Doctor. I’m only guessing, but I believe that would be the most logical way to do it. I’m not looking forward for the unbearable wait for next season, espically since it takes longer to reach overseas, but I can’t wait to see how Matt Smith’s Doctor develops.
Posted by Mr.E on 07/25 at 09:21 PM
Apart from River Song and the deus ex machina ending, I really enjoyed this episode. First-off, I love little Amelia (though how did Amy touching her not cause bad stuff to happen, a la Rose holding herself in “Father’s Day”?). And the fez is absolutely made of win, big time! The time travel aspects were quite enjoyable, this episode was a big improvement over the somewhat predictable first part. (I knew who the Pandorica was meant for the moment they started going on about a being with the blood of a billion species on its hands, or something like that.)
I rolled my eyes at Amy “remembering” the Doctor back into existence. Seriously? That’s at least as bad as the end of “Last of the Time Lords”. (though unlike the TARDIS file, I wouldn’t compare it to Rose in “Parting of the Ways”. That at least seemed quite plausible to me, whereas all the crazy sh*t of the series finales for series 3, 4 and 5 had me unable to suspend my disbelief.)
And I know that I’m contrary to a lot of others’ opinions, but my god does River Song annoy me. Either tell him or shut the hell up, stop going “I know something you don’t!”. What possible purpose does it serve other than to let her get haughty and smug? Reminds me of when my brother and I were kids and used to go “I’ve got a secret, but I’m not gonna tell yooooouu!” to each other just for the sake of annoying one another. Grow up, River.
Rory continues to shine for me, his banter with the Doctor is truly hilarious. He is in my mind tied with Eleven as being my favourite ever Moffat-created character.
Posted by Pharaoh on 07/25 at 11:51 PM
Pharaoh, I half agree with you. The two Amys did make me wonder at first if that would cause a paradox, but the Universe is ending so maybe the time creatures were erased or maybe because there wasn’t any actual time travel.(Amy 2 just lived through 200 years and met Amy 1, no TARDIS or Vortex Manipulator). Second, Fezs are cool. Third, I loved “Last of the Time Lords”. (No Daleks at least ehh?) But, everyone has their own tastes.
Posted by Mr.E on 07/26 at 02:45 AM
When you watch the individual episodes individually, there’s so many things that you don’t think of… yet watching “The Big Bang” last night, there were so many pieces that came together. For example, I would never have thought that it was the Doctor returning to his timeline to ask Amy to believe in him when she’s got her eyes closed.
As for the Doctor being able to return to his timeline, one can only presume that there’s different time travel rules for each individual.
I can think of two immediate differences between the ninth and tenth Doctors - the ninth didn’t appear particularly fond of Mickey and there was a silent understanding that Mickey would never travel with the Doctor and Rose, yet when the ninth regenerated into the tenth, Mickey was actually allowed the opportunity to travel. There was also the fact that the ninth Doctor seemed to build a genuine rapport with Harriet Jones, yet when the Tenth Doctor met her, it was obvious that they weren’t going to see eye-to-eye. The ninth Doctor predicted three(?) terms for Harriet Jones as the Prime Minister, yet the tenth Doctor brought her reign to an end with those six words, “Don’t you think she looks tired?”
I guess I’m trying to say is that because this is science fiction, what can be established can also be changed and unestablished. How many of us twenty years ago would have thought we’d ever see a flying Dalek?
There were times this season that I was still in mourning for the tenth Doctor, but I have to admit that I’ve watched the last 13 episodes. The writers and producers did a brilliant season arc with the time crack, and for them to have tied it up in last night’s episode… just brilliant. Yes, I know, there’s things that didn’t make sense, and haven’t been tied up… but that’s why we’ve got next season to look forward to.
As for next season, I look forward to perhaps a Doctor-Amy-Rory TARDIS team (Who would have thought even a month ago I’d be typing that hope?). Although Rory’s truly shined in the last two episodes, it would have been nice to have seen him shine in more episodes. I hope he’s given the opportunity next season. I think it’ll be an interesting dynamic - the young married couple versus the well-preserved experienced doctor.
Posted by Rachel on 07/26 at 02:55 AM
Mr. E - I will certainly agree that “Last of the Time Lords” was a nice break from the Daleks! And if I had to pick from the series 3, 4 and 5 finales which one seemed to have the most plausible “solution” I would pick LotTL (that and the fact that I totally adore the Master is an added bonus for that episode). Just for me, for whatever reason, the “Floaty, Glowy Blue Doctor” didn’t manage to shut up the cynic in me, but I still enjoyed the episode. It really is individual tastes.
Posted by Pharaoh on 07/26 at 12:48 PM
Pharaoh, yes LotTL was the best season finale to me too. I’m starting to think that the creative team was out of ideas when they ended. Think about it, all the finales either used the Daleks or the Master. This time is different though, the Daleks were not the main enemies,(an always welcome piece). Maybe next season they could avoid using them at all, since they’ve been in every season at least twice.
Posted by Mr.E on 07/26 at 03:56 PM
“Deus Ex Machina” has become a term thrown around a lot by fans nowadays after the RTD years but not always accurately. It is not supposed to refer to someone having seemingly magical powers, but rather to the sudden, unexpected intervention of a new character, object or ability to provide a resolution to a seemingly insoluable problem. The term can’t apply to the ending of this story (as suggested in one of the comments) because the ability for Amy to bring back someone by remembering them is set up earlier in the story, and indeed, earlier in the season - the Doctor is seen planning for it as far back as The Time of Angels two-parter. introduction.
Posted by Luca on 07/28 at 05:02 PM
By that logic Luca, it can’t apply to the RTD stories, either—Boom Town sets up Rose’s method of intervention in Parting of the Ways (and the wish fulfilling powers of the TARDIS), the Archangel system’s vulnerability to psychic intervention is explained very clearly throughout the Series three finale, and the Doctor had his severed hand throughout series four.
The fact is, they’re all Deus Ex Machina endings—it’s a fantastical ending from outside the box of the story to solve the problem because it’s the only way to get the characters out from the corner. Seeding it in prior stories (or even earlier in the episode) gives it credibility—and frankly RTD was doing that just as much as Moffat (only RTD made the characters pay for it dramatically. Everyone wins in Moffat), but it doesn’t change the fundamental nature of what it is.
But, as I say in the TARDIS file, what’s the point in complaining about it? I’d rather have a episode as great as The Big Bang or Doomsday with an out-from-left-field solution to the problem than something plotted so airtight that it isn’t as exciting or as emotionally engaging.
Posted by Graeme on 07/28 at 05:21 PM
The last episode was good but I was expecting something different. Where is the Master? Really, this last episode went nowhere. No questions were really answered. There really needs to be added another Time Lord…perhaps the Rani? He ran into her before…why not again?
Posted by Bill on 07/28 at 08:03 PM
I personally preferred the ending of series four, but, again, personal tastes. Brilliant episode, I thought, but there was no tragedy, which I had come to expect at the end of a series, and it seemed a little too perfect. Ah well.
Posted by Demosthenes on 07/28 at 08:21 PM
Re: Deux Ex Machina, I’m not sure that we are on the same page with respect to the definition of the term. If something is “seeded” (ie. set-up) properly ahead of time then by definition it fails to qualify as a “Deux ex Machina” because the point of the term (as I understand it) is basically to be a short-hand to describe something - a new character, ability or object - being abruptly introduced as a resolution without having been set up properly. It’s what Terry Pratchett recently called “breaking the law (or guideline) of narrative”.
I agree with some of the RTD examples provided as not being “Deus Ex Machinas” because I think they have been set up properly - there are some I wouldn’t agree with, and I think two of the most flagrant examples are in two stories not mentioned, Boom Town and The End of Time. It would probably take up too much space in the comments section of a blog to go through every example one by one to argue whether they are or are not “DEM’s” (that’s probably the province of an Enlightenment article, or a lengthy Tavern discussion
), and in any event the point of my post wasn’t really to talk about RTD’s usage of them (he’s not the only writer to have used one in Who’s history), but rather to refute the use of the term for this particular story.
As for why fans complain about it so much, I think its because a lot of fans feel that the use of a DEM is quite often dramatically unsatisfying. I wouldn’t always agree - Parting of the Ways I think succeeds because the character arc that concludes with Rose’s transformation makes up for what is (in my view) a DEM. Donna’s new “self-defense” ability in The End of Time, on the other hand, feels completely unsatisfying to me as there is no character arc to redeem it, and even worse, not only is it not set-up properly in the narrative beforehand, it actually contradicts what had been set up in the narrative beforehand (which is that she would die if she remembered).
Posted by Luca on 07/28 at 09:03 PM
Excellent call on the DEM definition, Luca.
Posted by Jimmy on 07/29 at 01:38 AM
So the first season of the Matt Smith era has ended. Thank God!
Yes I’m one of the few who found this past season tedious. It was somewhere around ep. 6 that I realized that making the effort to tune in every week was becoming more of a chore than a pleasure.
I just haven’t found Matt Smith’s doctor to be either much of a character or him much of an actor. Watching Matt I get the feeling that he is just acting his part. He doesn’t come across to me as THE DOCTOR in the same way as the previous two did.
Then there’s the rest of the cast. Amy is a big bore to me. I’d take Rose, Martha or Donna for depth of character over her any day. Was her “shut up” supposed to be a kind of running gag? I always find this expression extremely rude.
Then there’s Rory who looks like he’ll be joining in some of the adventures next season. I wish he had stayed dead. It is hard to see what Amy sees in him.
One big weakness with this season has been the lack of good “supporting” characters around the companion. Rose had her wonderful mother who could easily have herself been a companion to the Doctor. There was also Mickey. Martha had her parents. Although her mother opposed the Doctor frequently we came to learn in the end that her main concern was the welfare of her daughter. She cared for Martha and so did we.
And then there was Donna and that wonderful old man. Was there ever a character that you’d all want to hug if you were to meet him in person?
None of that this year. The writers went out of their way to isolate Amy. That was part of the storyline but it left an emotional gap that was never filled. Having her parents appear at the wedding didn’t work because there was no emotional tie to them for the audience. We knew nothing about them.
Lastly there’s been little originality this season. Few new villains, aliens. Too many familiar situations. As the Tardis Files here demonstrate every week, the show is filled with back references. Fun as these are to spot I fear that DW is faling into the same black hole as Star Trek did before its total reboot. DW is starting to choke on its own history.
Will I watch next season? I can’t say for sure. One more thing I miss is the bigger picture. It was not HD but at least CBC could fill my big screen (SXRD 60 inch) in widescreen SD. The huge insides of the Tardis were just stunning. If Space were to go to HD I’d be more likely to watch but that looks like it is unlikely. I guess I’ll decide when the time comes.
Posted by The Observer on 07/30 at 03:10 PM
To each their own (referring to The Observer). Personally I found this season to be marvelous. I was rather saddened to see people use its success as an excuse to bash RTD (especially people who seemed to think it was unPC to do so when RTD was in charge). I think the season was as good as RTD on many areas, better in others, and better than or on par with many other eras of the series. It’s all to the good, as far as I’m concerned.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but I wonder if people like me who grew up on the ever-changing landscape of the original series find it easier to accept the changes in focus and style than, perhaps, someone who came into the show in 2005 and isn’t used to such changes. I’d love to see someone do a poll and see if people who, say, endured the changeover from Tom Baker to Peter Davison found it easier to accept Matt Smith. And so on.
My only complaints about this season deals with all the geolocking related to the website, which seemed to get worse this year, even though this was supposedly the year DW went international. Despite the logical reason for delaying the Adventure Games release, it still left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths, and that bad taste continued when only the Windows version got an international release, as if no one outside the UK uses a Mac. Most recently, they just announced the full-motion video game Amy’s History Hunt will be launched on Monday, featuring new footage of Karen Gillan, but there’s no excitement because only the UK will get to see it (officially, anyway). I know the whole geolocking controversy has been around almost since 2005, but it just seemed to get worse this year.
Fortunately, despite claims of them being “episodes 14-17”, things like the games can be ignored. What’s important is what’s on TV and I’m quite pleased (though not surprised) that Moffat has pulled it off. And Matt Smith and Karen Gillan (and let’s not forget Arthur Darvill) have been revelations this year.
It’s a shame a few people seem ready to jump ship and stick with their 30 seasons worth of DVDs and reruns. But for the rest of us, if this season was any indication we have a lot of cool stuff ahead of us. And I mean fez-cool!
Posted by Alex on 07/30 at 10:27 PM
“And I mean fez cool!”
And to quote the Doctor in The Eleventh Hour, I am never saying that again!
Posted by Alex on 07/30 at 10:30 PM
Some people seem to be getting their definition of “deus ex machina” from Wikipedia.
from the OED:
“A power, event, person, or thing that comes in the nick of time to solve a difficulty; providential interposition, esp. in a novel or play.”
That fits how fans are using the term.
Posted by John on 08/02 at 11:46 PM
Love this, Love the show. You might all like the Doctor who post here
http://lornaheap.tumblr.com/post/895316690/could-the-most-recent-doctor-who-series-have-been-an
Posted by lorna on 08/03 at 01:20 AM
Nothing to do with this topic but is there going to be a Tardis File entry for the “Titanic” episode? Those of us without alternate sources waited a long time to see this show. A commentary would have been nice.
Posted by The Observer on 08/23 at 07:13 PM
It will happen down the road but everyone who puts the TARDIS files together, and especially myself who edits them and puts them up on the website, are overburdened with real-life concerns. Getting the weekly versions for the current seasons was quite a bit of work (and there was a couple of points when we were worried we weren’t going to have them up for 10pm Saturday night!). We’re volunteers and we have other pressing concerns at the moment. The Series One, Two and Voyage of the Damned files will be up in the near future, though. When that near future is we’ll see…
Posted by Graeme on 08/23 at 07:19 PM
graeme, thanks for taking the time to reply to my question (and so quickly). I was in no way disparaging the excellent and loving work done by all of you at this website. All of you deserve nothing but praise.
Posted by The Observer on 08/23 at 07:24 PM
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