Vincent and the Doctor
aka, Richard Curtis, how so wonderful?
I tend to not care as much for the guest writers' episodes, but this. Wow. I hesitate to say my favorite Who episode ever, because I know myself well enough to admit that when I get excited over something new I make grand proclamations of love for it and in the excitement can easily forget the other things that I actually like better or more enduringly. But. I think this might be one of my favorite Who episodes ever.
The EMOTION of it was so fabulous. From Vincent's artistic view and gorgeous words about seeing the world to his sadness to his rage to his hilarious crush on Amy, to Amy's confused sadness to the Doctor's background sadness and guilt to the Doctor's glee to Amy's utter excitement over meeting van Gogh to Amy devastation over seeing that they didn't actually keep Vincent from committing suicide to the Doctor's beautiful words at the end about the balance of the good and bad...I adored it all. The writing and the acting came together superbly, in my opinion, and I thought that everything came across at just the right level of strength, and it just really touched me. Whereas I sobbed last week over the shock and horror of losing Rory, this week I cried more quietly and calmly, but actually I think with deeper emotional attachment to the show.
RORY. He was so present without being present. Most obviously, of course, when the Doctor called for him and then Amy's all confused and he has to just say nevermind and go on, but it's so obvious and so very very sad, because the Doctor's trying to distract Amy from the sadness that she doesn't even realize she has until Vincent points it out, and then still doesn't understand, and he's trying to save the world and save Vincent and save Amy and save the bird-thing (Korfayis? I dunno, it was difficult to catch - I'm just going to call him Buckbeak) and then....it all fails. Buckbeak gets killed by Vincent (and ooooh, I loved the connection there - the alien who travels all over the universe but who is blind, and the man, so limited, who sees so very much more than everyone else), Vincent still commits suicide...and the Doctor is all about consoling the others (Bill Nighy's speech about Vincent and then the Doctor apologizing to Vincent and just their friendship ahhh!) but underneath it you know he must just feel absolutely rubbish. Anyway, back to Rory. So he's there in the Doctor's call for him, but he's also there throughout in more subtle ways. Namely, every time Vincent flirted with Amy, or asked her to marry him, or she joked about how their kids would be the ultimate ginger....well, okay, it's not that subtle at all, but anyway - it would be totally cute and funny and light, and it IS, but at the same time it's absolutely heartbreaking because Amy has no idea that Rory ever was, that she WAS going to get married, and just my heart, it broke all over again!
Basically, I just adored this episode. It was a wonderful stand-alone monster-of-the-week adventure in the great Who fashion, but it also moved forward the overarching dramatic, emotional story of the season superbly. I loved it so so so very much.
I tend to not care as much for the guest writers' episodes, but this. Wow. I hesitate to say my favorite Who episode ever, because I know myself well enough to admit that when I get excited over something new I make grand proclamations of love for it and in the excitement can easily forget the other things that I actually like better or more enduringly. But. I think this might be one of my favorite Who episodes ever.
The EMOTION of it was so fabulous. From Vincent's artistic view and gorgeous words about seeing the world to his sadness to his rage to his hilarious crush on Amy, to Amy's confused sadness to the Doctor's background sadness and guilt to the Doctor's glee to Amy's utter excitement over meeting van Gogh to Amy devastation over seeing that they didn't actually keep Vincent from committing suicide to the Doctor's beautiful words at the end about the balance of the good and bad...I adored it all. The writing and the acting came together superbly, in my opinion, and I thought that everything came across at just the right level of strength, and it just really touched me. Whereas I sobbed last week over the shock and horror of losing Rory, this week I cried more quietly and calmly, but actually I think with deeper emotional attachment to the show.
RORY. He was so present without being present. Most obviously, of course, when the Doctor called for him and then Amy's all confused and he has to just say nevermind and go on, but it's so obvious and so very very sad, because the Doctor's trying to distract Amy from the sadness that she doesn't even realize she has until Vincent points it out, and then still doesn't understand, and he's trying to save the world and save Vincent and save Amy and save the bird-thing (Korfayis? I dunno, it was difficult to catch - I'm just going to call him Buckbeak) and then....it all fails. Buckbeak gets killed by Vincent (and ooooh, I loved the connection there - the alien who travels all over the universe but who is blind, and the man, so limited, who sees so very much more than everyone else), Vincent still commits suicide...and the Doctor is all about consoling the others (Bill Nighy's speech about Vincent and then the Doctor apologizing to Vincent and just their friendship ahhh!) but underneath it you know he must just feel absolutely rubbish. Anyway, back to Rory. So he's there in the Doctor's call for him, but he's also there throughout in more subtle ways. Namely, every time Vincent flirted with Amy, or asked her to marry him, or she joked about how their kids would be the ultimate ginger....well, okay, it's not that subtle at all, but anyway - it would be totally cute and funny and light, and it IS, but at the same time it's absolutely heartbreaking because Amy has no idea that Rory ever was, that she WAS going to get married, and just my heart, it broke all over again!
Basically, I just adored this episode. It was a wonderful stand-alone monster-of-the-week adventure in the great Who fashion, but it also moved forward the overarching dramatic, emotional story of the season superbly. I loved it so so so very much.