Vincent and the Doctor
This episode was light on the literal monsters/aliens but heavy with heart and soul. Who would have thought that 2 of my most favorite things in the world would get together and have me crying like a baby at the end? I've read up on some reviews and of course, this being written by the guy who made Notting Hill and 4 Wedding and a Funeral, there'll always be complaints about it being too mushy. It was in some parts, but in a good way that would not bother fans like me who also cry a bit reading the Hunger Games.
My love for Vincent Van Gogh started because of my dad's fondness of playing Don McLean over and over again when I was a kid. He'd sing along and would get this sentimental look on his face towards the end of Vincent when Don McLean would sing to the artist that this world was never meant for someone as beautiful as him. I made it a point to see Van Gogh's paintings when I was in Amsterdam and New York and felt like I was a kid again, sitting with my dad and listening to Don McLean.
I've always loved these episodes where the Doctor visits historical figures, inaccurate as some portrayals might be, it's television anyway and I don't think the show abuses it's artistic license too much. It seems the Doctor visits these artists in times when their self-esteem and doubts plague them e.g. Agatha Christie hurt over the affair of her husband and Charles Dickes thinking he's at the end of his career (well, he was but was asking if people will remember him after he dies). There's this special feeling of watching these shows where the audience is in the know, rooting for the central characters who aren't yet aware of their greatness. Part of Vincent Van Gogh's appeal was that he was a tragic talented man who was never really validated for his work when he was alive. --spoiler alert-- Vincent Van Gogh will always be a tragic figure but it was nice to see him validated even if it took a trip with the TARDIS and tears along the way. Despite hearing of what people think of him right now, he wasn't strong enough to handle it all. I thought Van Gogh travelling in the future would mess him up, but he was too messed up anyway and still killed himself. --end spoiler alert-- Bill Nighy as the curator was a cute touch and I thought I was back in the Boat Rocked and Love Actually but he held back on the cheesiness and his speech on the greatness of Van Gogh as a painter was one of the best tributes to an artist I have ever heard. It was just beautiful.
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