Review of A Time of Angels

[katherine_b]

The good news? The show is improving for me.

The bad news? It's not improving fast or consistently enough.

Comments

[jennytork]

Eleven, so far, seems to be a rather mediocre Doctor.

And with all the reviews I've read, no one has yet picked up on the foreshadowing/pun/whatever it is with his companions.

In this episode, his TARDIS was filled with water.

He had a Pond and a River.

[katherine_b]

Which would only be a very clever joke if it didn't seem as if water/liquid was a bit of a theme. Duck pond. The Doctor uses a glass of it to check for vibrations. Space whale. Liquid pours out of the gravity globe when the Doctor shoots it. Can't think of anything off-hand for the Daleks episode, apart from the repeated reference to tea, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was one!

[b_liz]

Also the swimming pool in the library.

[katherine_b]

I took that to be what was meant by water in the TARDIS.

[luinel]

Ah, but Sacred Bob noticed a statue moving, and Octavian took him down a notch for it

[juliet316]

Well if River is a future incarnation of the Doctor, she could have been lying about not knowing Donna so as to not tip off Donna and change the timeline. *shrugs*

I have my own theories and thoughts and we'll see how they shake out in canon.

[katherine_b]

And she does admit that she lies a lot...

[juliet316]

Yep.

*so need to upload a River icon or two*

[time_converges]

Yeah, River's "entrance" into the TARDIS bothered me for that reason too.

I thought Eleven was being petulant too, but I think it's partly because he really doesn't like spoilers. He knows he has some kind of relationship with her ahead of him, and he doesn't like knowing that. My theory is that it's still a future Doctor, not Eleven, because of the way she interacted with him. I assumed when she said she had pictures of all his faces, that she meant future ones too, not necessarily past ones, although she might have had those just in case she did run across an earlier version. Ten's lack of memory suggests that didn't happen, but she might have been prepared just in case. Timey wimey. :)

[caz963]

I assumed when she said she had pictures of all his faces, that she meant future ones too

I think it's probably JUST future ones. River's version of the Doctor knows she didn't meet him before he was Ten, so she wouldn't need them (I've explained it more in my comment, below.)

And you're right, it's pretty clear that Eleven isn't her Doctor. (But more of that next week - spoilers!!)

[time_converges]

Yeah, I've seen the next one already, but Katherine hasn't. ;)

I think it's likely only future ones too.

[katherine_b]

Glad it wasn't just me!

I wouldn't have minded if this was the only time Eleven sulked. It's jsut that he keeps on doing it. In fact, if this was the first time, it would have set up a fascinating dynamic between him and River, but now it just makes him look moody.

I'm not sure about the pictures. She did say 'all' as if she was talking about more than just two or three (the maximum number she could have met if the limitations of regeneration numbers are true). Timey wimey indeed!

[caz963]

I think that River's pictures can only go back as far as Ten or Eleven, to be honest. Because her Doctor - whichever one it is, and it's clearly NOT Eleven - knows he didn't meet her earlier (for him) than the Library, so I'm guessing she's got pics of Ten onwards. If indeed she has at all, because by her own admission, she lies.

I wrote some of my River/Doctor theories here in case you're interested. I wrote it before this episode aired here, so there won't be any spoilers for you now you've seen it

[juliet316]

Yeah, I didn't like the similarites with the falling into the TARDIS thing. But that could be the still - somewhat bitter fangirl in me talking.

About the 'sir' thing, it was speculated after the UK airing that sometime had passed between Victory of the Daleks and The Time of Angels, so that could be a reason why Amy knows those things and why they seem a bit closer than they did in Victory of the Daleks where it's still assumed that not much time has passed between Amy first coming onto the TARDIS and meeting Churchill (besides the fact that Amy finally found the wardrobe room in the Dalek ep).

[katherine_b]

I agree that time certainly seems to have passed between the Daleks and the Angels. I'm sure fanon will run rampant speculation about what might have taken place, but their relationship has shifted a little. Still, it would be an odd thing for them to have discussed, so presumably something happened in the interim that brought up the subject.

[katherine_b]

River's statement about the Doctor's pictures was quite ambiguous, but I did take it to mean that she meant all of them. Still, I've been wrong before

[louiecat68]

I want to talk about this so bad. I saw the second part and the two episodes are meshed together in my head.I am afraid to give away too much about next week episode.
There is so many things that is similar to Donna it make me wonder if this is their way to nullify Donna as the most important woman in the universe and put Amy in that spot?

[katherine_b]

*lol* In a week, dear, after I see the second half, then you can expound all your theories.

And I will be mightily pissed off if that happens...