A Honeymoon and a Pregnancy... but we haven't had the Wedding yet!
I seem to be a bit behind with my Doctor Who write-ups - sorry ‘bout that!
THE VAMPIRES OF VENICE
Five minutes makes all the difference. The Beast Below and Victory Of The Daleks both felt extremely short, owing to their less-than-45-minutes running times and (in the former case especially) protracted departure scenes. By contrast, Vampires feels a lot more substantial for having a slightly longer running time and a suitably short ending.
It’s a weird episode, this. There’s not a lot wrong with it, technically - indeed, the location shots look gorgeous, and the direction (particularly with the low camera angles on the water) is superb - but it all seems a little cold and unengaging. There’s little sense of the House Of Calvierri actually being a school; despite the actors’ best efforts, the characterisation of the guest characters is all a little... well, missing; and the bold, brash bright colours of the Tennant era just don’t seem so bold and brash anymore. I can’t put my finger on it, but the show is losing its heart somehow.
The actors are certainly not to blame - Matt Smith once again slips effortlessly into the part of the Doctor; Amy is as feisty as any of her predecessors and Karen Gillan plays her perfectly and gives her a slightly kooky charm; and then there’s new boy Rory - the scruffy geek who’d really rather be at home if it wasn’t for wanting to be with Amy - and Arthur Darvill seems tailor-made for the role. No, if anything, these three are keeping the show alive.
There’s little things I dislike, such as naff CGI monsters (not for the first or last time in this series), and the odd plot-hole (why does the Doctor leave the ravenous male aliens in the water?), but they’re not normally enough to turn me off.
But something’s not quite gelling in this series, and particularly in this episode, and I wish I could pinpoint what it is.
8/10. I really ought (and want) to like this more than I do, though. It should have been perfect.
AMY’S CHOICE
We’re now beginning a long run of episodes set on Earth - most of them in contemporary-ish England - which is always a risk for Doctor Who. This show should be all about planets and spaceships and monsters and key historical events and ...well, variety from one week to the next. So an episode based in the sleepy little village of Upper Leadworth is pretty much the last thing I’d have wanted in the latter half of this series.
Fortunately, we’re now in the capable hands of a very experienced writer with a huge talent for comedy and characterisation, and it shows. Amy’s Choice is tightly focussed on the three regulars and the slippery Dream Lord, and offers a central concept which is far more engaging and interesting than its settings - half in Upper Leadworth and half on a dysfunctional TARDIS. Amy’s pregnancy and Rory’s ponytail provide much scope for humour, and the episode proves to be a real turning point for Amy as she finally chooses between her two ‘boys’. Despite having only appeared in three episodes and travelled together for two, the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory have developed into a tightly-knit, beautifully characterised team of friends, and it seems difficult already to imagine Doctor Who without any of them.
Toby Jones torments the Doctor with a beautifully oily and obnoxious performance, and his Dream Lord is very reminiscent of Dave Lister’s Paranoia from the first series of Red Dwarf.
Elsewhere in the episode, we get some beautiful visuals during the TARDIS scenes, both from the CGI work (the cold star and the exterior shot of the freezing Police Box) and the practical effects (the snow-covered interior). Unfortunately, these are balanced by some rather naff monster and disintegration effects (all CGI) in the village scenes. Still, Doctor Who should never be judged by its visuals.
The story is neat and compact, highly original, and contains a satisfying resolution, not to mention a heartbreakingly beautiful moment towards the end in Amy and Rory’s nursery. The writing and acting alone are enough to carry this story, and anything else is just a plus. It’s easily the strongest episode of the show since at least The Waters Of Mars.
One question remains: Is there a particular reason why the nursing home is named after the Planet Of Fire?
10/10... but no more like this, please. If we can't have alien planets, let's at least have some cool monsters next time...
THE VAMPIRES OF VENICE
Five minutes makes all the difference. The Beast Below and Victory Of The Daleks both felt extremely short, owing to their less-than-45-minutes running times and (in the former case especially) protracted departure scenes. By contrast, Vampires feels a lot more substantial for having a slightly longer running time and a suitably short ending.
It’s a weird episode, this. There’s not a lot wrong with it, technically - indeed, the location shots look gorgeous, and the direction (particularly with the low camera angles on the water) is superb - but it all seems a little cold and unengaging. There’s little sense of the House Of Calvierri actually being a school; despite the actors’ best efforts, the characterisation of the guest characters is all a little... well, missing; and the bold, brash bright colours of the Tennant era just don’t seem so bold and brash anymore. I can’t put my finger on it, but the show is losing its heart somehow.
The actors are certainly not to blame - Matt Smith once again slips effortlessly into the part of the Doctor; Amy is as feisty as any of her predecessors and Karen Gillan plays her perfectly and gives her a slightly kooky charm; and then there’s new boy Rory - the scruffy geek who’d really rather be at home if it wasn’t for wanting to be with Amy - and Arthur Darvill seems tailor-made for the role. No, if anything, these three are keeping the show alive.
There’s little things I dislike, such as naff CGI monsters (not for the first or last time in this series), and the odd plot-hole (why does the Doctor leave the ravenous male aliens in the water?), but they’re not normally enough to turn me off.
But something’s not quite gelling in this series, and particularly in this episode, and I wish I could pinpoint what it is.
8/10. I really ought (and want) to like this more than I do, though. It should have been perfect.
AMY’S CHOICE
We’re now beginning a long run of episodes set on Earth - most of them in contemporary-ish England - which is always a risk for Doctor Who. This show should be all about planets and spaceships and monsters and key historical events and ...well, variety from one week to the next. So an episode based in the sleepy little village of Upper Leadworth is pretty much the last thing I’d have wanted in the latter half of this series.
Fortunately, we’re now in the capable hands of a very experienced writer with a huge talent for comedy and characterisation, and it shows. Amy’s Choice is tightly focussed on the three regulars and the slippery Dream Lord, and offers a central concept which is far more engaging and interesting than its settings - half in Upper Leadworth and half on a dysfunctional TARDIS. Amy’s pregnancy and Rory’s ponytail provide much scope for humour, and the episode proves to be a real turning point for Amy as she finally chooses between her two ‘boys’. Despite having only appeared in three episodes and travelled together for two, the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory have developed into a tightly-knit, beautifully characterised team of friends, and it seems difficult already to imagine Doctor Who without any of them.
Toby Jones torments the Doctor with a beautifully oily and obnoxious performance, and his Dream Lord is very reminiscent of Dave Lister’s Paranoia from the first series of Red Dwarf.
Elsewhere in the episode, we get some beautiful visuals during the TARDIS scenes, both from the CGI work (the cold star and the exterior shot of the freezing Police Box) and the practical effects (the snow-covered interior). Unfortunately, these are balanced by some rather naff monster and disintegration effects (all CGI) in the village scenes. Still, Doctor Who should never be judged by its visuals.
The story is neat and compact, highly original, and contains a satisfying resolution, not to mention a heartbreakingly beautiful moment towards the end in Amy and Rory’s nursery. The writing and acting alone are enough to carry this story, and anything else is just a plus. It’s easily the strongest episode of the show since at least The Waters Of Mars.
One question remains: Is there a particular reason why the nursing home is named after the Planet Of Fire?
10/10... but no more like this, please. If we can't have alien planets, let's at least have some cool monsters next time...