So, just watched THE DOCTOR'S WIFE.
Or rewatched, rather. Anyway, it was as good as I remember it, if not better!
I admit that next to "A Good Man Goes To War", this was one of my favorite episodes of Season Six, even though (a) House terrified me, and (b) I came close to crying when Idris' body died. I think it was Eleven pleading with her not to go (damn it, Matt Smith, how are you this fantastic?) and...well, this exchange (thank you, Planet Claire, for providing me with it:
Idris: Doctor. Are you there? It's so very dark in here.
The Doctor: I'm here. Hey.
Idris: I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I found it now.
The Doctor: What word?
Idris: "Alive." I'm alive.
The Doctor: Alive isn't sad.
Idris: It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here. But this is when we talked. And now even that has come to an end.
Just...Suranne Jones' performance was magnificent there. Hell, she was magnificent in all of Idris' role, but this was one of many instances where she just absolutely shone. And it was foreshadowed, really, what with the lines about the failing kidney and such (God, even that line hurt. I think there was something about seeing Idris in that much pain that was hard to watch), but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. And really, Idris' lines were kind of mirroring mine as well, because...well, it was sad for me when it was over (not just the TARDIS' time in a human form, but the episode itself). That and...well, besides the Bad Wolf entity, this was really the only time that the TARDIS was really in a human form. I know one of my favorite lines from her (and there are many) included, "Are all people like this? So much bigger on the inside..." Because...well, besides the Bad Wolf entity, I don't think the TARDIS has really experienced being human. Being inside a human form -- it's agony, and it's confusing (especially having so many timelines in your head -- the past, the present, and the future), and yet at the same time, it's wonderful. And I think, really, it sums up being human in general too. Because it can hurt, it can cause a lot of pain, and yet...well, in the end, the world is pretty damn wonderful in spite of everything.
And it adds a bizarre level of sweetness to what's happened, because the Doctor's never been truly alone. Besides having some of the best companions anyone could ever ask for, besides having, in the words of one Sarah Jane Smith, the biggest family on Earth...well, the TARDIS. No matter how bad things get, he has the TARDIS. He's never really been alone. And it also adds a lovely new addition to "Parting of the Ways", which was already pretty touching to begin with: in a way, it's not just Rose absorbing the Time Vortex to save the Doctor; it's the TARDIS working with Rose so they can save the man they both love. To protect him, their Doctor, from the Dalek Emperor.
Speaking of general Idris/TARDIS sweetness, I love the scene where she and the Doctor are building that makeshift TARDIS with those parts he got from the junkyard. And when the Doctor panics about there not being any power, Idris says that he has what he always had: her. And then she gives some of her energy if only to power the makeshift TARDIS. (Also, improvising a fucking TARDIS! :D Did I mention I adore this show?)
And I also loved the general bickering between Idris and Eleven while they're figuring out a plan to get to rescue Amy and Rory. Just...really, really entertaining, especially her needling him about pushing the TARDIS doors open when the label says pull to open, and never reading instructions, etc. That was pretty funny. XD And I loved the more sort of serious tone it took with this exchange:
ELEVEN: You never took me where I wanted to go.
IDRIS: No, but I always took you where you needed to go.
Which I think is very true. After all, stuff like ending up in 1879? I think it's very likely the TARDIS knew what was going on in Scotland and decided to take the Doctor and Rose there to save Queen Victoria. And why they ended up a year later in "Aliens of London" instead of a day or so -- the TARDIS probably saw the Slitheen attack. Stretching? Maybe. But I think it is very likely. After all, the TARDIS may not have always taken the Doctor to his desired destination, but there was always a reason behind it.
(I recognize I don't make sense, and I apologize)
I also loved her calling Rory the pretty one (especially Eleven's reaction. XD), and near the beginning, "Biting's excellent! It's like kissing, only there's a winner." And, on a more serious note, I loved Eleven comforting her as she's slowly dying, calling her "old girl" and her reaction to it: "I always liked it when you called me 'old girl'." That was one of those lines that got me close to crying (I did my actual crying after Idris' body died). It just speaks so much about the bond that the two of them share. And much earlier, with the "borrowing" conversation, and "I wanted to see the universe. You were the only Time Lord mad enough." (Basically) And it sort of calls back, in a way, to "The End of Time" with Ten's, "Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. That's ownership enough." Because he loves the universe, loves traveling -- he never would have been happy confined to Gallifrey. It would have been, in all honesty, quite hellish. And he never would have been happy ruling or owning the universe (hell, even Time Lord Victorious was just him snapping after everything that happened to him, nothing more). Just taking in its wonders is enough.
So yeah, Idris...loved her. Only complaint? I was really sad when she left, in a way, really.
I also loved House. Seriously, such a creepy villain, and Michael Sheen (yes, that Michael Sheen) did beautifully in the role. I love how he started out so polite and well-spoken and hospitable before slowly revealing his true colors. I know stuff like "Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" really terrified me -- because really, as long as Rory and Amy are entertaining him, they can live. The moment they fail to entertain him, or fail to be useful to him, they die.
Rory even points it out in response to House's "Why shouldn't I kill you now?" -- although there was a bit of humor -- if bleak -- with Rory's line about having a P.E. teacher just like House. (And during one of those Rory-and-Amy-getting-their-minds-fucked-with scenes, my brother was like, "Huh. [House is] just like a P.E. teacher." Which kind of made me laugh a bit in the midst of the tension) But yeah, otherwise, House scared me. For one thing, him turning off the anti-gravity, slamming the doors in Amy's face so she got separated from Rory, fucking with the passage of time, and even making Amy see a hallucination of Rory dying, complete with Rory telling her how "they" came for him and hurt him again and again, and later, the graffiti of HATE AMY, KILL AMY, DIE AMY, etc... *Shivers* Seriously, that was frightening and heartbreaking at the same time. Honestly, I think House knew exactly how to get under Amy's skin. Not the Weeping Angels, not even the idea of waiting for the Doctor (which comes up again in "The Girl Who Waited" and "The God Complex"), but the idea of Rory dying. Because she loves him, more than anything; hell, look at stuff like "Amy's Choice" and "The Angels Take Manhattan". And the idea of feeling like she's to blame for it...yeah, ouch.
*Sighs* And damn, this took a right turn into depressing. And scary. Here's Grumpycat Dalek: http://cheezburger.com/7240822016.
And back to our program. :)
Anyway, I really loved the Amy and Rory moments in the episode. Stuff like Rory telling Amy to hold his hand as the lights in the TARDIS went out, and them hugging after the phantom Rory disappeared. It's one of those moments where...well, it's really clear how much they really, honestly love each other. And it's, especially in the midst of the House madness, really inspiring and really sweet and really lovely. And I loved at the beginning of the episode, when they're discussing the matter of the Doctor's imminent death in the future. It's one of those really lovely, very human reactions to the idea of giving away, basically, spoiler info. And even that doesn't really sum it up. Because...well, they watched the Doctor die, and they know full well that the Doctor they travel with now is a lot younger. Who knows how he might take it? And how are they going to tell him anyway? So yeah...to say that it's a subject that's obviously uncomfortable is putting it mildly, really. And I also love the exchange between Amy and the Doctor regarding finding any surviving Time Lords (and spoiler alert; there aren't any Time Lords, just...sort of transmission things in a cupboard, just to up the Nightmare Fuel):
AMY: You want to be forgiven.
DOCTOR: Don't we all?
In "Utopia", "Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords", the Doctor explicitly tells the Master while he's trying to save him (in "Utopia" and "Sound of Drums", from evil, in "Last of the Time Lords", trying to keep the Master from dying on him), that they're the only ones left and he has no one else. Having companions and a TARDIS is all well and good, but it doesn't make the pain of being the (seemingly) last of his species any less. Because even though it was for the best, to save creation from destruction, it doesn't mean that he doesn't regret it. And even as Eleven, it doesn't mean that the pain is going to go away. Things like that don't immediately go away, after all. You can learn to cope with it, to endure, but I doubt it means that it will leave you entirely. And I think the very idea of "just get over it" is rather absurd, really; there's a complexity to it, a certain aspect that I doubt anyone can really understand unless they've been there themselves. And I also love that moment because it shows a very human, very vulnerable side to Eleven for the same reasons amongst many I loved Nine and Ten. That sense of vulnerability and loneliness and guilt that's driven him since the Time War. Hell, Eleven isn't always right in this episode -- letting his emotions get the better of him so he ends up locking Amy and Rory in the TARDIS so he can traipse off and find whatever Time Lords are left. And finding out that they were no more than recordings...well, I think he mostly got angry if only because the alternative was breaking down, and I doubt Eleven wanted to do that at the moment. Even the simple "You gave me hope then took it away" thing...he's very calm in his anger, but it says so much. Because he came all this way if only to find a way to make amends, and found that whatever hope he had was no more than a lie. And it lends a layer of sadness to "Fear me, I killed all of them"; besides telling House that really, it's House who should be frightened, it's a sort of guilt as well. Because he tried everything, but in the end, even trying everything wasn't enough. It's one of those examples in the show, really, of doing something horrible if only so others may live.
I also loved the TARDIS expunging House (because House, in sort of typical villain fashion, sort of underestimated the obvious), Auntie and Uncle (I actually felt really sorry for them when they died. Because being House's playthings wasn't something they chose; it was forced upon them. Hell, House keeps them around for the reason any monster would, just to torment them), Idris' mournful observation about what happened to her sisters (hell, my brother really felt sorry for her there as well. He also raised the question about TARDISes having siblings, of sorts -- basically -- which really makes me want to go more into TARDIS lore), and the ending -- which was really sweet. From the whole "bunk beds are cool" (oh, Eleven. XD Never change. :) to him dancing around the control room when the TARDIS comes alive again, in a way...yeah, sweetest possible DOCTOR WHO ending. Honestly, this episode was amazing. Only problem? I really wanted it to go longer.
So overall? Loved it. Very much recommended.
I admit that next to "A Good Man Goes To War", this was one of my favorite episodes of Season Six, even though (a) House terrified me, and (b) I came close to crying when Idris' body died. I think it was Eleven pleading with her not to go (damn it, Matt Smith, how are you this fantastic?) and...well, this exchange (thank you, Planet Claire, for providing me with it:
Idris: Doctor. Are you there? It's so very dark in here.
The Doctor: I'm here. Hey.
Idris: I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I found it now.
The Doctor: What word?
Idris: "Alive." I'm alive.
The Doctor: Alive isn't sad.
Idris: It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here. But this is when we talked. And now even that has come to an end.
Just...Suranne Jones' performance was magnificent there. Hell, she was magnificent in all of Idris' role, but this was one of many instances where she just absolutely shone. And it was foreshadowed, really, what with the lines about the failing kidney and such (God, even that line hurt. I think there was something about seeing Idris in that much pain that was hard to watch), but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. And really, Idris' lines were kind of mirroring mine as well, because...well, it was sad for me when it was over (not just the TARDIS' time in a human form, but the episode itself). That and...well, besides the Bad Wolf entity, this was really the only time that the TARDIS was really in a human form. I know one of my favorite lines from her (and there are many) included, "Are all people like this? So much bigger on the inside..." Because...well, besides the Bad Wolf entity, I don't think the TARDIS has really experienced being human. Being inside a human form -- it's agony, and it's confusing (especially having so many timelines in your head -- the past, the present, and the future), and yet at the same time, it's wonderful. And I think, really, it sums up being human in general too. Because it can hurt, it can cause a lot of pain, and yet...well, in the end, the world is pretty damn wonderful in spite of everything.
And it adds a bizarre level of sweetness to what's happened, because the Doctor's never been truly alone. Besides having some of the best companions anyone could ever ask for, besides having, in the words of one Sarah Jane Smith, the biggest family on Earth...well, the TARDIS. No matter how bad things get, he has the TARDIS. He's never really been alone. And it also adds a lovely new addition to "Parting of the Ways", which was already pretty touching to begin with: in a way, it's not just Rose absorbing the Time Vortex to save the Doctor; it's the TARDIS working with Rose so they can save the man they both love. To protect him, their Doctor, from the Dalek Emperor.
Speaking of general Idris/TARDIS sweetness, I love the scene where she and the Doctor are building that makeshift TARDIS with those parts he got from the junkyard. And when the Doctor panics about there not being any power, Idris says that he has what he always had: her. And then she gives some of her energy if only to power the makeshift TARDIS. (Also, improvising a fucking TARDIS! :D Did I mention I adore this show?)
And I also loved the general bickering between Idris and Eleven while they're figuring out a plan to get to rescue Amy and Rory. Just...really, really entertaining, especially her needling him about pushing the TARDIS doors open when the label says pull to open, and never reading instructions, etc. That was pretty funny. XD And I loved the more sort of serious tone it took with this exchange:
ELEVEN: You never took me where I wanted to go.
IDRIS: No, but I always took you where you needed to go.
Which I think is very true. After all, stuff like ending up in 1879? I think it's very likely the TARDIS knew what was going on in Scotland and decided to take the Doctor and Rose there to save Queen Victoria. And why they ended up a year later in "Aliens of London" instead of a day or so -- the TARDIS probably saw the Slitheen attack. Stretching? Maybe. But I think it is very likely. After all, the TARDIS may not have always taken the Doctor to his desired destination, but there was always a reason behind it.
(I recognize I don't make sense, and I apologize)
I also loved her calling Rory the pretty one (especially Eleven's reaction. XD), and near the beginning, "Biting's excellent! It's like kissing, only there's a winner." And, on a more serious note, I loved Eleven comforting her as she's slowly dying, calling her "old girl" and her reaction to it: "I always liked it when you called me 'old girl'." That was one of those lines that got me close to crying (I did my actual crying after Idris' body died). It just speaks so much about the bond that the two of them share. And much earlier, with the "borrowing" conversation, and "I wanted to see the universe. You were the only Time Lord mad enough." (Basically) And it sort of calls back, in a way, to "The End of Time" with Ten's, "Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. That's ownership enough." Because he loves the universe, loves traveling -- he never would have been happy confined to Gallifrey. It would have been, in all honesty, quite hellish. And he never would have been happy ruling or owning the universe (hell, even Time Lord Victorious was just him snapping after everything that happened to him, nothing more). Just taking in its wonders is enough.
So yeah, Idris...loved her. Only complaint? I was really sad when she left, in a way, really.
I also loved House. Seriously, such a creepy villain, and Michael Sheen (yes, that Michael Sheen) did beautifully in the role. I love how he started out so polite and well-spoken and hospitable before slowly revealing his true colors. I know stuff like "Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" really terrified me -- because really, as long as Rory and Amy are entertaining him, they can live. The moment they fail to entertain him, or fail to be useful to him, they die.
Rory even points it out in response to House's "Why shouldn't I kill you now?" -- although there was a bit of humor -- if bleak -- with Rory's line about having a P.E. teacher just like House. (And during one of those Rory-and-Amy-getting-their-minds-fucked-with scenes, my brother was like, "Huh. [House is] just like a P.E. teacher." Which kind of made me laugh a bit in the midst of the tension) But yeah, otherwise, House scared me. For one thing, him turning off the anti-gravity, slamming the doors in Amy's face so she got separated from Rory, fucking with the passage of time, and even making Amy see a hallucination of Rory dying, complete with Rory telling her how "they" came for him and hurt him again and again, and later, the graffiti of HATE AMY, KILL AMY, DIE AMY, etc... *Shivers* Seriously, that was frightening and heartbreaking at the same time. Honestly, I think House knew exactly how to get under Amy's skin. Not the Weeping Angels, not even the idea of waiting for the Doctor (which comes up again in "The Girl Who Waited" and "The God Complex"), but the idea of Rory dying. Because she loves him, more than anything; hell, look at stuff like "Amy's Choice" and "The Angels Take Manhattan". And the idea of feeling like she's to blame for it...yeah, ouch.
*Sighs* And damn, this took a right turn into depressing. And scary. Here's Grumpycat Dalek: http://cheezburger.com/7240822016.
And back to our program. :)
Anyway, I really loved the Amy and Rory moments in the episode. Stuff like Rory telling Amy to hold his hand as the lights in the TARDIS went out, and them hugging after the phantom Rory disappeared. It's one of those moments where...well, it's really clear how much they really, honestly love each other. And it's, especially in the midst of the House madness, really inspiring and really sweet and really lovely. And I loved at the beginning of the episode, when they're discussing the matter of the Doctor's imminent death in the future. It's one of those really lovely, very human reactions to the idea of giving away, basically, spoiler info. And even that doesn't really sum it up. Because...well, they watched the Doctor die, and they know full well that the Doctor they travel with now is a lot younger. Who knows how he might take it? And how are they going to tell him anyway? So yeah...to say that it's a subject that's obviously uncomfortable is putting it mildly, really. And I also love the exchange between Amy and the Doctor regarding finding any surviving Time Lords (and spoiler alert; there aren't any Time Lords, just...sort of transmission things in a cupboard, just to up the Nightmare Fuel):
AMY: You want to be forgiven.
DOCTOR: Don't we all?
In "Utopia", "Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords", the Doctor explicitly tells the Master while he's trying to save him (in "Utopia" and "Sound of Drums", from evil, in "Last of the Time Lords", trying to keep the Master from dying on him), that they're the only ones left and he has no one else. Having companions and a TARDIS is all well and good, but it doesn't make the pain of being the (seemingly) last of his species any less. Because even though it was for the best, to save creation from destruction, it doesn't mean that he doesn't regret it. And even as Eleven, it doesn't mean that the pain is going to go away. Things like that don't immediately go away, after all. You can learn to cope with it, to endure, but I doubt it means that it will leave you entirely. And I think the very idea of "just get over it" is rather absurd, really; there's a complexity to it, a certain aspect that I doubt anyone can really understand unless they've been there themselves. And I also love that moment because it shows a very human, very vulnerable side to Eleven for the same reasons amongst many I loved Nine and Ten. That sense of vulnerability and loneliness and guilt that's driven him since the Time War. Hell, Eleven isn't always right in this episode -- letting his emotions get the better of him so he ends up locking Amy and Rory in the TARDIS so he can traipse off and find whatever Time Lords are left. And finding out that they were no more than recordings...well, I think he mostly got angry if only because the alternative was breaking down, and I doubt Eleven wanted to do that at the moment. Even the simple "You gave me hope then took it away" thing...he's very calm in his anger, but it says so much. Because he came all this way if only to find a way to make amends, and found that whatever hope he had was no more than a lie. And it lends a layer of sadness to "Fear me, I killed all of them"; besides telling House that really, it's House who should be frightened, it's a sort of guilt as well. Because he tried everything, but in the end, even trying everything wasn't enough. It's one of those examples in the show, really, of doing something horrible if only so others may live.
I also loved the TARDIS expunging House (because House, in sort of typical villain fashion, sort of underestimated the obvious), Auntie and Uncle (I actually felt really sorry for them when they died. Because being House's playthings wasn't something they chose; it was forced upon them. Hell, House keeps them around for the reason any monster would, just to torment them), Idris' mournful observation about what happened to her sisters (hell, my brother really felt sorry for her there as well. He also raised the question about TARDISes having siblings, of sorts -- basically -- which really makes me want to go more into TARDIS lore), and the ending -- which was really sweet. From the whole "bunk beds are cool" (oh, Eleven. XD Never change. :) to him dancing around the control room when the TARDIS comes alive again, in a way...yeah, sweetest possible DOCTOR WHO ending. Honestly, this episode was amazing. Only problem? I really wanted it to go longer.
So overall? Loved it. Very much recommended.