Series 7; Episode 1: Asylum of the Daleks - thoughts.
Some thoughts about Asylum of the Daleks - the good; the bad and the ugly. I’ll be doing these for all the episodes; starting off with this season, then starting again at Season One of the new series; then moving on to the classic series as I rewatch them in order.
Yeah; too much Daleks. The showing of a number of classic series Daleks doesn’t really detract from the show that since the show returned in 2005; we’ve had one year (2011) where the Daleks did not appear at all. I’d like a break from them. They were scarier in the classic series with their poor budget than at any other time; and I think that’s because they weren’t overused.
Rory and Amy getting divorced? Hrm. I don’t buy it. Oh I absolutely buy the reasons for it; I’ve heard all the theories about Amy driving him away. One thing though? There is no way Amy doesn’t love Rory as much as he loves her. More on that later. It’s more... the suddenness. I watched Pond Life; and the speed it went from ‘happy’ in July to Rory walking out in August and suing for divorce by the season opener? Too fast. This is the love story that Moffatt would have us believe is the greatest love story ever. Doctor/Rose or Doctor/River? Just not in the same league. Not even Jackie/Pete is close. This is a couple that has routinely beaten all odds.
Erm. Oswin? Didn’t pick she was a Dalek. I -did- pick there was something up though. I thought she’d been ‘Daleked’ like the others from the ship. Never picked she’d been fully converted. But then; the Daleks are really starting to lose their ‘racial superiority/purity’ thing they’ve had going. The RTD Daleks were destroyed for being ‘impure DNA’; and yet now they’re okay with grabbing a human and turning them into one? YEaaahhhh.
Now then; as to the Amy loves Rory just as much argument? There is frequent evidence all throughout the series this is true. Granted; most of it has been in a way that Rory doesn’t know about. But let’s look at the evidence - this is without trawling through my DVDs; but just off memory. The first bit that it’s equal; is Amy’s Choice. A life without Rory is not a life at all; for her. “Fix it!” “I can’t.” “What good are you then?”
Next we get the Hungry Earth/Cold Blood series. This is agonising. He dies - and she is furious. She wants the Doctor to risk the crack to make sure Rory is not forgotten. And she almost defies the odds and remembers Rory - until the TARDIS shakes. Vincent and the Doctor, on the surface, has no evidence because well; she’s forgotten Rory. She flirts outrageously with Vincent all throughout the episode. But Vincent points out that she’s crying - and she doesn’t even know why. The Big Bang/The Pandorica Opens - at first I was willing to write these off as no real evidence as they’re all about bringing the Season Arc to a close. But take a closer look; and you realise - mostly; the people from the Crack are still vanished. Four people get saved - her parents; the Doctor - and Rory Williams. She brought him back from being an Auton. But yeah; this story is really more about how much Rory loves Amy.
Season 6 has a lot more evidence; as you’d expect. Starts off with them just being a happily married couple. The end of Day of the Moon has her expecting Rory to save her; but then, that’s her words onlhy. I think the first real evidence for the Amy loves Rory just as much comes from the Doctor’s Wife. Two huge bits. Firstly; when House is playing around with Amy’s mind, he hurts her by having her believe Rory hates her - possibly because she doubts she’s worth his love. (This pair -both- need a slap up the back of the head). But also; when trying to get into the control room, and I think she needed to imagine bliss? She imagines her wedding day. Then comes the episode which has pretty much the -only- evidence Rory is privy to; The Girl Who Waited. She waited forever for Rory - not the Doctor. The Doctor should have known better... but the older her; gave up her happiness (and possibly her life) so that the younger her could have a life with Rory. If that doesn’t talk about love I don’t know what does. I don’t know I could make that sacrifice. Rory does know about this; but I’m not sure it sinks in exactly what she did for him.
And then the final piece of evidence; arguably greater than all the others. “The people of earth have a name for him - they call him, the Last Centurion”. That’s who she’s telling Melody about. The Doctor is just Rory’s means to get there - it’s Rory she wants to see. It’s Rory that will save them... the 2nd part of season 6 doesn’t really expand much on this relationship. I think the audience is expected to have finally gotten the hint. So the scene in Asylum of the Daleks makes sense. “2000 years outside a box is nothing compared to giving you up!” That sums it up. It was waiting for the TARDIS that has Amy really needing some serious help in early life. And I think it’s Rory that gave her that sense of stability. Her infertility she sees as a major issue (and this I buy...); but when Rory realises how big an issue she sees it as he won’t let it hinder them. And I think Amy’s always regretted driving him away - and I don’t think she’ll make the mistake again. Her “I can see you” at the end? I think it’s as much of a “and I’m not letting you out of my sight again” as a “So get in here now rather than celebrating on the street...”
Okay; this went somewhat offtrack. I’ll try to keep to the topic in future musings. Overall; I did like the episode despite my reservations. The 11th Doctor continues to be the most ‘Classic’ of all the new Doctors. Karen Gillan’s acting impressed me - not selling the idea Amy’s in love with Rory. Selling the idea that she wants Rory to leave her but still loves him all the same - because that was clear a number of times during the episode. Every time she said his name it was filled with love/anguish/anxiety. Rory’s for her were less clear; but he thought she wanted him out of her life for her own reasons.
However; despite my big rant, I did like the episode. Daleks genuinely scary for the first time since Dalek; some marvellous acting especially by Karen Gillan. The Doctor sneaky in his efforts to reunite Amy and Rory - successfully. It’s a bit too reminiscent of McCoy’s manipulations in particular during the books; but it comes from love more than anything I think. Lovely seeing all the classic Daleks; loved the mention of those Classic series planets in the ‘Daleks that survived me!’ section. Overall; good episode.
Yeah; too much Daleks. The showing of a number of classic series Daleks doesn’t really detract from the show that since the show returned in 2005; we’ve had one year (2011) where the Daleks did not appear at all. I’d like a break from them. They were scarier in the classic series with their poor budget than at any other time; and I think that’s because they weren’t overused.
Rory and Amy getting divorced? Hrm. I don’t buy it. Oh I absolutely buy the reasons for it; I’ve heard all the theories about Amy driving him away. One thing though? There is no way Amy doesn’t love Rory as much as he loves her. More on that later. It’s more... the suddenness. I watched Pond Life; and the speed it went from ‘happy’ in July to Rory walking out in August and suing for divorce by the season opener? Too fast. This is the love story that Moffatt would have us believe is the greatest love story ever. Doctor/Rose or Doctor/River? Just not in the same league. Not even Jackie/Pete is close. This is a couple that has routinely beaten all odds.
Erm. Oswin? Didn’t pick she was a Dalek. I -did- pick there was something up though. I thought she’d been ‘Daleked’ like the others from the ship. Never picked she’d been fully converted. But then; the Daleks are really starting to lose their ‘racial superiority/purity’ thing they’ve had going. The RTD Daleks were destroyed for being ‘impure DNA’; and yet now they’re okay with grabbing a human and turning them into one? YEaaahhhh.
Now then; as to the Amy loves Rory just as much argument? There is frequent evidence all throughout the series this is true. Granted; most of it has been in a way that Rory doesn’t know about. But let’s look at the evidence - this is without trawling through my DVDs; but just off memory. The first bit that it’s equal; is Amy’s Choice. A life without Rory is not a life at all; for her. “Fix it!” “I can’t.” “What good are you then?”
Next we get the Hungry Earth/Cold Blood series. This is agonising. He dies - and she is furious. She wants the Doctor to risk the crack to make sure Rory is not forgotten. And she almost defies the odds and remembers Rory - until the TARDIS shakes. Vincent and the Doctor, on the surface, has no evidence because well; she’s forgotten Rory. She flirts outrageously with Vincent all throughout the episode. But Vincent points out that she’s crying - and she doesn’t even know why. The Big Bang/The Pandorica Opens - at first I was willing to write these off as no real evidence as they’re all about bringing the Season Arc to a close. But take a closer look; and you realise - mostly; the people from the Crack are still vanished. Four people get saved - her parents; the Doctor - and Rory Williams. She brought him back from being an Auton. But yeah; this story is really more about how much Rory loves Amy.
Season 6 has a lot more evidence; as you’d expect. Starts off with them just being a happily married couple. The end of Day of the Moon has her expecting Rory to save her; but then, that’s her words onlhy. I think the first real evidence for the Amy loves Rory just as much comes from the Doctor’s Wife. Two huge bits. Firstly; when House is playing around with Amy’s mind, he hurts her by having her believe Rory hates her - possibly because she doubts she’s worth his love. (This pair -both- need a slap up the back of the head). But also; when trying to get into the control room, and I think she needed to imagine bliss? She imagines her wedding day. Then comes the episode which has pretty much the -only- evidence Rory is privy to; The Girl Who Waited. She waited forever for Rory - not the Doctor. The Doctor should have known better... but the older her; gave up her happiness (and possibly her life) so that the younger her could have a life with Rory. If that doesn’t talk about love I don’t know what does. I don’t know I could make that sacrifice. Rory does know about this; but I’m not sure it sinks in exactly what she did for him.
And then the final piece of evidence; arguably greater than all the others. “The people of earth have a name for him - they call him, the Last Centurion”. That’s who she’s telling Melody about. The Doctor is just Rory’s means to get there - it’s Rory she wants to see. It’s Rory that will save them... the 2nd part of season 6 doesn’t really expand much on this relationship. I think the audience is expected to have finally gotten the hint. So the scene in Asylum of the Daleks makes sense. “2000 years outside a box is nothing compared to giving you up!” That sums it up. It was waiting for the TARDIS that has Amy really needing some serious help in early life. And I think it’s Rory that gave her that sense of stability. Her infertility she sees as a major issue (and this I buy...); but when Rory realises how big an issue she sees it as he won’t let it hinder them. And I think Amy’s always regretted driving him away - and I don’t think she’ll make the mistake again. Her “I can see you” at the end? I think it’s as much of a “and I’m not letting you out of my sight again” as a “So get in here now rather than celebrating on the street...”
Okay; this went somewhat offtrack. I’ll try to keep to the topic in future musings. Overall; I did like the episode despite my reservations. The 11th Doctor continues to be the most ‘Classic’ of all the new Doctors. Karen Gillan’s acting impressed me - not selling the idea Amy’s in love with Rory. Selling the idea that she wants Rory to leave her but still loves him all the same - because that was clear a number of times during the episode. Every time she said his name it was filled with love/anguish/anxiety. Rory’s for her were less clear; but he thought she wanted him out of her life for her own reasons.
However; despite my big rant, I did like the episode. Daleks genuinely scary for the first time since Dalek; some marvellous acting especially by Karen Gillan. The Doctor sneaky in his efforts to reunite Amy and Rory - successfully. It’s a bit too reminiscent of McCoy’s manipulations in particular during the books; but it comes from love more than anything I think. Lovely seeing all the classic Daleks; loved the mention of those Classic series planets in the ‘Daleks that survived me!’ section. Overall; good episode.