What episode was that? I’d like to go give that scene another watch, as I thought it was always described as out-of-order instead of rigidly backwards. (again, there’s no reason for the journals if it’s simply that straight-forward)
It was from Day of the Moon, the scene when River and Rory go underground and River is picking the lock. The line is:
Trouble is, it’s all back to front. My past is his future. We’re travelling in opposite directions. Every time we meet I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days when I see him. But I know that every time I do he’ll be one step further away. The day’s coming when I’ll look into that man’s eyes—my Doctor—and he won’t have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it’s going to kill me.
That line, coupled with the fact that at the end of the episode she realizes that the kiss they shared was, from the perspective of The Doctor, their first kiss, drew a poignant line from Day of the Moon to Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. And just 6 episodes later they have crapped all over that line.
All this has happened before…and will happen again. DW is by no means the first or last long-stretch series to tinker with the through line, sometimes to make steering corrections in the arc (as this seems to be the case), sometimes for unforeseeable cast changes, or sometimes simply to appease a rabid fan base that has effectively pooped-the-sheets after seeing where a story line is headed. Throw that against the backdrop of a series that makes its stock in trade in altering timelines (or jumping dimensions to make things viable), and all bets are off.
I’m not entirely pleased with a LOT of elements to this season, but if I’ve learned anything from the last three Doctors, and the writing teams behind them, the wrinkles tend to smooth out after subsequent episodes and plot developments, using extensive references back to those episodes that (as here) leave us saying, “Waaaaait a rel, there, Moffat”.
As my culinary mentor, Alton Brown, has often stated: “Your patience will be rewarded”. Let’s hope.
I leave you with this clever bit of a cappella. Or Acapulco, if you’re into that Latin flair. (We do flair now. Flair’s cool.)
Here’s my "Night Terrors review. Basic gist is good, not great. A welcome change of pace from the arc stuff, but at the same time, it feels a bit like Who lite. Not bad, and better than a lot out there, particularly at this time of year, but not something I’ll remember later in the season/year.
cool video!
I’m a bit behind and just watched “Let’s Kill Hitler”, but I’m a little surprised by the responses - I actually really liked this episode (For me the weakest Moffat penned episode was actually the previous one, the finale of 6.0.). I think the only thing I didn’t like as much was the sudden inclusion of a best friend character who we’ve never seen prior to this episode, and if her existence means that they’re done with writing about how Rory and Amy dealt with having essentially lost their child (I get the idea that they did sort of ‘raised’ Mel - but they were up in arms about Mel in the previous episode - Amy especially had one of the few moments where she was visibly pissed at the Doctor - so I hope this isn’t something that’s considered dealt with this ‘oh, you did sort of raised her since you were besties with her your whole life’.)
But otherwise I thought the episode was solid. I like the misdirection of the title (and how Hitler ends up being a fun little teaser.) I really like the gun scene and the interaction of the Doctor and newly regenerated River, I like that we actually saw a female time lord (if only for a brief moment) regenerate, I like that Rory wasn’t just dying or being useless again, etc. I thought they balanced the fun factor with the emotional beats rather well (The kiss didn’t bother me much in terms of contradicting with canon since I wouldn’t consider either kiss in this episode to be a real first kiss because neither came with the intention of a kiss - one was to kill, the other was to heal), and I like they answered a bunch of questions regarding River, the Silence, etc, while throwing a bunch out more - I think it’s a good setup for the rest of the season.
Yes. However, most of them take more than six episodes to do so.
sigh I know. Although, BSG’s tripped over itself more than a few times within a season, or maybe season-and-a-half…happens to the best of 'em, I guess.
Here’s my “The Girl Who Waited” review. I liked it a lot! Definitely my favorite of 6.2. Plus I think I liked it even more the second time through with my sister. What did you guys think?
Another solid review, Kate. I’ll quibble with you about the seemingly destructive power of a canvas being slapped over the head, but that’s a minor thing for another time. 
Taking this character by character, I will say that this is some of the strongest acting work I’ve seen from Gillan yet – I think they broached the topic in one of the “Insider” segments, but her actor’s choices for modifications in her speech, delivery, even walking gait and stance as Older-Amy were subtle but effective. That smile still shines through – and somehow her hair remains ultra-ginger and remarkably well-kept…
Rory…well, Rory. I’ll still gripe a bit about the loyal lap-dog character for some time, but this episode has proven one thing to me, even as a card-carrying member of the “Bring Back Mickey Smith” club, and that is that Rory is truly an extension of Amy’s character – her living connection to the life she had, and the touchstone that pulls her back into focus when the boundaries of the fantastic begin to overwhelm. Here, we see that bond, that thread stretched over nearly forty years of separation, but just as strong, and just as difficult to sever, particularly when faced with “Rory’s Choice” at the TARDIS door. That scene is one of the strongest I’ve seen from either actor thus far, and the overlaid camera editing and (agreeing again with you here, Kate) Gold’s score in the background bears the gravity and loss, without being a funeral dirge. A very intense scene on all levels. Moffat tweeted early Friday before the UK airing that “there will be tears”. Damn you, Steven. Damn you all to hell. Right again.
And finally, Mattie-moo. Graciously stepping back in the limelight for this very companion-focused episode, Smith also manages to tone down his tendency to devour the set when the action is high (perhaps a credit to the director’s hand on that one), and has actually managed to avoid his tendency to ‘punch’ the key Doctor phrases when delivering, as if they needed over-emphasis. I’m thinking particularly of the admittance when re-entering the TARDIS that he lied to Older-Amy about the extremity of the threatened paradox: maybe it’s just me, but three or more episodes ago, that would have been a momentum-stopping, lock-the-camera-dolly moment delivered with the same gravity as “Rule One: The Doctor Lies” (capitalization verbalized). More credit to Smith for knowing, or taking solid direction on, when to scale it back and let the lines pull their own weight.
All in all, I was pleased with the episode as a standalone, though I’m surprised that they still have not dropped any breadcrumbs into even such an isolated plot regarding the Astronaut/Melody revelations. I believe someone commented after your review on SOS, Kate, that after 36+ years of isolation, with such distain for the Doctor and seeming detachment from Rory, that Older-Amy didn’t once think to mention her time-estranged daughter. Funny, that.
Any-who, I may just have to re-watch as I often do to pick up on more of the subtleties, but this was a good week, and left me feeling much more content than last. From the previews for next Saturday, though, I’m already going to prepare myself for (shudder) ventriloquist dummies, and (double-shudder) clowns. Are they looking through my “handbook of socially accepted things that are actually disturbingly creepy”?
I’d give a big 10-4 on that one. This with “Night Terrors” are two of the more creepy and scary episodes this series. Do wonder though is that Matt Smith as the Clown? Sure looks like him.
Here’s my God Complex review. I liked it, but didn’t buy in to the ending. I think I’m the only one though- everyone else seems to like it. Your thoughts?
ETA: Here’s my Closing Time review. Any episode featuring a baby self-named Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All is a win in my book.
Bueller? Bueller?
Here’s my Wedding of River Song review. I liked it! Not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. So glad at how they resolved the You-Stole-My-Baby! plotline and I absolutely loved the Brig shoutout. What a beautiful, perfect-in-tone moment. Now if only they would get William Russell (original Companion Ian Chesterton) on for at least a cameo before it’s too late!
If you look at where this story has gone. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a cameo or a full episode with him. You find out that he’s a close friend to Canton. There are still threads from this year that need to be resolved.
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After finally getting to see the finale, I now realize that I have to go back and re-watch the full season to fully absorb and comment accurately on my varied opinions of all I’ve seen. While I cannot be dissuaded from my “Team Tennant” membership, I will say that in total, with a few expected exceptions, this season has been some of the best writing in and of itself of any of the Who I’ve watched. Poignant, touching, humorous, and variant levels of arc-depth versus lighter-fare that kept the show fresh, week to week.
I may just dump the whole series from the DVR onto the lappy this weekend, mainline the second viewing. Guaranteed to keep me awake on the plane, for certain…
This was a good finale, despite some god-awful green-screen work for the scenes at Lake Silencio. I can understand why they didn’t film that scene when they filmed The Impossible Astronaut (spoilers…), but still, I expected it to look much better than it turned out. They REALLY telegraphed the ending though. As soon as I saw the Teselecta, I knew how it was going to end.
Have a couple problems with the finale though:
- Still kind of peeved that they haven’t explained how/why the TARDIS exploded.
- If “the suit was in control”, then why use River at all?
All in all though, this season was far superior to S5, and the finale was also much better than The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang.
I finally got through all the episodes, and I have to say while I think this is one of the better overall story arcs, I didn’t like each individual episode as much as I’ve liked episodes from past seasons. Does that make sense? I like where they started, where they ended, and how they got there, but each step of the way seemed lacking to me.
[spoiler]
And I, too, knew immediately that the Doctor would survive by having the robot take his place. All along I figured it would be the Robot or the … what were they called? The not-quite-human clones that were globs of goo. I figured that he would live in one of those ways.
I’m still not quite sure how, if his dying is a fixed point in time, being replaced by the robot makes it “okay.” I understand that from Amy et al’s perspective, so long as everything happens in the same way their timelines are not affected. However, I got the impression that The Doctor dying, being a fixed point in time, was more of a big deal than “if you can dupe those 4 people, you’re cool.”
[/spoiler]
But anyway, I did enjoy it. Just not as much as I felt I could have, had they made some different choices along the way. And I was not surprised at all by the surprise which made me a little sad.
As I recall, [spoiler]the baddies say something about “creating” a fixed point in time, that of the Doctor’s death, implying that it wasn’t actually fixed by the Universe or whatever, but that they were trying to manufacture it.[/spoiler] Anyone else remember this?
I am not sure whether it is just me or what… but… For some reason, even though the episodes and the arc were intellectually pleasing for the most part, emotionally there was no connection for me. Everything felt just a teeny tiny bit flat.