(no subject)
So, you know, I didn't actually know what "bespoke" meant until just now, and in "Let's Kill Hitler," the Doctor refers to Melody as "my bespoke psychopath". According to Dictionary.com, "bespoke" usually means "custom-made", but has an old-fashioned meaning of "engaged to be married" ("spoken for"). Oh, Moffat, you couldn't resist, could you?
Also, I really love Alex Kingston's acting. She did such a good job playing Melody as young and completely crazy: first wildly overconfident, then confused, then frightened, and all the time immature and impulsive. When she decided to help, that bit when we see that it was her who flew the TARDIS, she does a fantastic job: Melody's life no longer makes sense. Everything she knew is wrong, and she's lost. It's funny how she has that line about her new body being "mature", and she's so not. A lot of people forget what it's like to be a teenager, to think oneself wise and indestructable, when a nudge in the right direction can send everything toppling and all the ignorance and insecurity pouring out. Kingston remembers.
I am also impressed with Matt Smith's talent for physical comedy. The way he was sliding all over the floor reminded me of Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Which made the scene that much more heartwrenching, really.
Amy and Rory were a beautiful team. Rory slugging Adolf Hitler, holding a gun on him, and then locking him in a cupboard was glorious. Not just that he did these things, but that he was so matter-of-fact about it. "Shut up, Hitler!" And then faking out the Nazi officer with a salute! And then being able to ride a motorbike, because "it's that sort of day"! Meanwhile, Amy holds it together without histrionics, stepping into the role of Melody's mother with all her fire and determination, and without hesitation.
The flashbacks of Amy and Rory (and Melody) growing up were gold. I love young Rory, following Amy around, mostly unnoticed. Because Amy thought he was gay. No wonder he survived as the Last Centurion: he'd been patient a long time. Amy, meanwhile, might get into trouble, but she had the sense to scold Mels, and she didn't assume Rory liked her, or that he ought to like her (but was glad when she realized he did).
The scene where the Doctor, in a top hat and tails, is arguing with the Tesselactor about Melody's fate, gets to me in a way I have not quite been able to put into words. Something about him defending her even as her poison is killing him, that bit where the captain says that Melody is the woman who kills the Doctor, and he says, almost laughing, "And I'm the Doctor, so what's it got to do with you?" As if to say, "Her wrong's against me, ya moron, so if I've forgiven her, who are you to punish her?"
Holy crap. There it is. One name for the Devil is "the accuser of the brethren" -- right now I'm reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and there's that part where the White Witch reveals she has the right to Edmund's blood because he is a traitor -- and here is a curious thing. The Doctor is in a unique position: he knows for a fact that Melody will repent, that she will choose to become something better than a psychopathic living weapon, that she will be River Song, a courageous woman he loves and trusts. She is also his friends' daughter. So he says, 'yes, I know what she is, I know what she's done (or will do), but that's between her and me. I've forgiven her. This version of her hasn't asked to be forgiven yet, but she will. She's a murderer, but I know what she'll become, who she'll choose to be. Accuse her all you like: you have no right to her.'
We who are forgiven for sins we have not yet committed have someone who knows us even better than that, who changes us not through a self-fulfilling prophecy but through the renewal of our hearts, who says to our accuser, "I'm the one she sinned against, so what's it got to do with you?"
Wow. A classic type. Where the mechanics of the tale mean the moment occurs organically, and the characters are not otherwise analogous, but in a single, vivid flash, they assume the roles in a scene out of the divine story.
Am still working on my blog design. It's coming along slowly.
Made a BLT for lunch today. Also finally ran into a root beer that tastes disgusting. Guys, don't try Steaz Root Beer. I found it at Whole Foods and it's nasty. Go for one of the other ones they carry, such as Natural Brew and Virgil's. (Still haven't tried Maine Root; it only comes in six-packs.)
Also, root beer tastes better if poured into a glass. Huh.
The latest word for our Borders is that it will close 'round about Thursday. ::sigh::
And tomorrow... the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Center attack falls on a Sunday. It seems appropriate.