The Angels have the phone box
Doctor Who S03E10 Blink.
The angels are coming for you but listen: your life could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you could believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink.
Good luck.
Sally Sparrow breaks into an old abandoned house. Inside she finds a message addressed to her from 1969 - Beware the Weeping Angel. which sets on her the trail of messages from the past - some from people she thought she knew.
Interestingly, ‘Blink’ is based off a short story (written by the same person as who wrote this episode) which my sister has in one of her Doctor Who books. Only the basic idea is the same - Sally Sparrow finds a message behind some wallpaper, addressed to her and written many years ago. In the episode Sally’s almost 10 years older, and the situation is much more serious than that in the short story. But knowing that, I didn’t find it as scary, not in the way my brother did.
It reminded me a bit of ‘Small Worlds’ at the start - woman in the dark taking photographs (“which one is ‘small worlds’?” my brothers asks. I say, “Estelle! Captain Jack’s girlfriend!”) as the tension mounted and rode away.
I loved it - thought it absolutely fantastic! It was tense, fast-paced and the characters were really interesting and original. It was very well made - and different. It had quirks and unexpected turns, was emotional and quotable, interesting time-slip subplots (what is there not to love about those?) and the mystery element was clever.
Like ‘Love and Monsters’, the Doctor’s appearance was minimal, but unlike that claytons episode, it had the same pace and feel as any other good Doctor Who episode. His side of the conversation on the DVDs was great - and I loved it when Sally spoke to him. Especially that she actually spoke to him twice and yet his responses were the same.
Sally was a great character, and in many ways I think she made the episode. She was intelligent, resourceful, compassionate and really felt for the people she lost. Genuine seems a strange thing to say, but that’s the word which comes to mind. Genuine and honest. She also had a lot of courage, and was easy to identify with. (She had a nice coat, too.)
Sally: I love old things. They make me feel sad.
Kathy: What’s good about sad?
Sally: It’s happy for deep people.
My favourite moment was the whole scene with Billy. I’m not sure why - it is not so much what he says but how he said it. At the time it was funny - later, it was just sad…
Billy: Well, it's a special kind of phone box for policemen. They used to have them all over, but this isn't a real one. The phone is just a dummy and the windows are the wrong size. Can't even get in here. Ordinary yale lock, but nothing fits. But, that's not the big question. See, you're missing the Big Question.
Sally: Okay, what's the big question?
Billy: Will you have a drink with me?
Sally: I’m sorry?
Billy: Drink? You, me, now?
Sally: Aren’t you on duty, Detective Inspector Shipton?
Billy: No. Knocked off before I left. Told them I had a family crisis.
Sally: Why?
Billy: Because life is short and you are hot. Drink?
Sally: No.
Billy: Ever?
Sally: Maybe.
Billy: Phone number?
Sally: Moving very fast, DI Shipton.
Billy: Billy. I’m off duty.
Sally: Aren’t you just?
Billy: Is that your phone number?
Sally: Just my phone number. Not a promise. Not a guarantee. Not an IOU. Just a phone number.
So, it was tense and fantastic and I watched it twice in as many days. Not quite ‘bounce-up-and-down’ fantastic, but very, very, very close.
I shall resist the urge to quote half the script, and instead make banners or something…
Funny thing - I use ‘shall’ a lot. Not in speech, but a while back I made a point of using it in my writing, because of the era, and usage of it has migrated into other things I write.
The angels are coming for you but listen: your life could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you could believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink.
Good luck.
Sally Sparrow breaks into an old abandoned house. Inside she finds a message addressed to her from 1969 - Beware the Weeping Angel. which sets on her the trail of messages from the past - some from people she thought she knew.
Interestingly, ‘Blink’ is based off a short story (written by the same person as who wrote this episode) which my sister has in one of her Doctor Who books. Only the basic idea is the same - Sally Sparrow finds a message behind some wallpaper, addressed to her and written many years ago. In the episode Sally’s almost 10 years older, and the situation is much more serious than that in the short story. But knowing that, I didn’t find it as scary, not in the way my brother did.
It reminded me a bit of ‘Small Worlds’ at the start - woman in the dark taking photographs (“which one is ‘small worlds’?” my brothers asks. I say, “Estelle! Captain Jack’s girlfriend!”) as the tension mounted and rode away.
I loved it - thought it absolutely fantastic! It was tense, fast-paced and the characters were really interesting and original. It was very well made - and different. It had quirks and unexpected turns, was emotional and quotable, interesting time-slip subplots (what is there not to love about those?) and the mystery element was clever.
Like ‘Love and Monsters’, the Doctor’s appearance was minimal, but unlike that claytons episode, it had the same pace and feel as any other good Doctor Who episode. His side of the conversation on the DVDs was great - and I loved it when Sally spoke to him. Especially that she actually spoke to him twice and yet his responses were the same.
Sally was a great character, and in many ways I think she made the episode. She was intelligent, resourceful, compassionate and really felt for the people she lost. Genuine seems a strange thing to say, but that’s the word which comes to mind. Genuine and honest. She also had a lot of courage, and was easy to identify with. (She had a nice coat, too.)
Sally: I love old things. They make me feel sad.
Kathy: What’s good about sad?
Sally: It’s happy for deep people.
My favourite moment was the whole scene with Billy. I’m not sure why - it is not so much what he says but how he said it. At the time it was funny - later, it was just sad…
Billy: Well, it's a special kind of phone box for policemen. They used to have them all over, but this isn't a real one. The phone is just a dummy and the windows are the wrong size. Can't even get in here. Ordinary yale lock, but nothing fits. But, that's not the big question. See, you're missing the Big Question.
Sally: Okay, what's the big question?
Billy: Will you have a drink with me?
Sally: I’m sorry?
Billy: Drink? You, me, now?
Sally: Aren’t you on duty, Detective Inspector Shipton?
Billy: No. Knocked off before I left. Told them I had a family crisis.
Sally: Why?
Billy: Because life is short and you are hot. Drink?
Sally: No.
Billy: Ever?
Sally: Maybe.
Billy: Phone number?
Sally: Moving very fast, DI Shipton.
Billy: Billy. I’m off duty.
Sally: Aren’t you just?
Billy: Is that your phone number?
Sally: Just my phone number. Not a promise. Not a guarantee. Not an IOU. Just a phone number.
So, it was tense and fantastic and I watched it twice in as many days. Not quite ‘bounce-up-and-down’ fantastic, but very, very, very close.
I shall resist the urge to quote half the script, and instead make banners or something…
Funny thing - I use ‘shall’ a lot. Not in speech, but a while back I made a point of using it in my writing, because of the era, and usage of it has migrated into other things I write.