Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut

[beccatoria]

Okay, so I'm writing up this episode reaction because if I don't, next week, I will regret not having Said Stuff, but honestly, my overwhelming reaction is that...I wanna see the other half before I have an overwhelming reaction. I feel like I've seen half the story - even more so than most two-parters. Like, seriously, I have NO IDEA what's

Comments

[beccatoria]

I am also totally Who'd out. ALL THE REACTION POSTS! It's lovely but...I feel like I've got nothing left to say! Except that the more I think about it the more I really do think it was...well, overstating to introduce. It's interesting because looking back, I have similar feelings about The Eleventh Hour, in that it's very Davies-like in it's structure and writing in places, which disappointed me but was, in retrospect, very obviously a conscious decision with regards to transitioning the viewers the way I think this probably is re: new/casual viewers? Eh, anyways. I guess we'll see by the end of the season?

As to your comment on the sadness, though, I DO actually have something to say about that! Shockingly, I agree with you, but also I think I can explain why it's less emotionally affecting, and I think part of that is it's not meant to be? I mean, obviously it is meant to be Very Sad and I'm sure that there are others who found it Much Sadder than me. But the S5 finale is the emotional climax of a season long storyline; it builds to that moment of sacrifice.

This is not the emotional climax, either in terms of the episode itself, or the two-parter, or the season. In narrative terms, this is the plot hook - it's designed to be shocking more than tragic?

So like, within the context of this episode, I found River screaming about Jim the Fish and the emotional confusion/pain of that scene on the TARDIS where he's refusing to trust any of them, and suddenly being thrown into River's POV on the spoilers issue, to be much, much more emotionally affecting than his actual death. And I think I was probably supposed to find River's speech to Rory as an extension of that, where of course, I didn't, but I do think it was supposed to be the aftermath more than the event that was sad?

And like, the emotional climax of the two-parter will probably show up next episode, and the season, lord only knows, but I wonder if, having seen the Doctor in episode 13 going back to participate in episode 1 (if that's what happens - no spoilers here!) the scene will take on more emotional resonance the way the end of S5 did?

So I'm not too concerned about that - the Angels episode don't really have a moment like that until their very final exchange either - but it is, maybe, an episode that had less emotional punch than we were expecting given our epic investment in RIVER SONG'S HAIR.

(If admiring River's Denim Skillz while mourning the potential death of her possible space-husband is wrong I DO NOT WANT TO BE RIGHT.)