So here we are, the grand finale - and the first chance for Stephen Moffat to get his teeth into the shows end of series bonanza. And what a way to start!
From a slighlty self-indulgent if thoroughly fun and frantic opening right through to the dramatic and utterly fantastic cliffhanger, the Moff has served up a real treat.
Stonehenge seems the perfect setting for a blockbuster slice of Who, more iconic, eerie and dramatic than any alien landscape - and backed up superbly by the creepy Underhenge.
The setting gave a spooky cinematic backdrop for yet another brilliant performance from Matt Smith. He combined the enigmatic genius of the Doctor with a nagging sense of not quite being in possession of the full facts for a change wonderfully.
That all built up well to a thrilling climax. Throughout the fast-paced 45 minutes we'd been teased into thinking the mystery of the story was what was going to lie inside the Pandorica, so it was an excellent twist that the whole tale, and the presence of numerous "baddies", was acutally about putting something, the Doctor, in. He was revealed as the dangerous, deadly being of folklore that it was built for, playing on the dark reputation the Doctor has used to his advantage in his last three guises.
The complex plot also tempted us into thinking we had some answers about Amy's unfathomable past yet you still feel there are a host of twists to come.
Those multiple baddies didn't jar either. When I first heard a Dalek voice my heart sank slightly - "not another series finale that uses the Daleks for effect" - but the addition of Cybermen (who provided a memorably sinister moment with Amy and brought them back to their evil best as a foe), Sontarans and goodness knows what that was lying around the prosthetic department, the monsters instead added to the intrigue.
The best of all the returning foes was surprisingly the Autons. I never guessed that the Romans would turn out to be plastic fakes and it led to another strand of the big cliffhanger with the copied Rory killing his beloved Amy.
River Song too was on top form - played with a cheeky charisma but underlying mystery that has made her a fascinating addition to the Tardis team.
The only worry now is how to follow this. Amy's dead, the Doctor is locked away in the Pandorica and River Song has just exploded in the Tardis. Quite how they get out of this one I don't know. I only hope Stephen Moffat avoids falling into a twee and unsatisfactory ending that sometimes plagued the RTD era - most notably with the Davros/Dalek finale which started so brilliantly but ended in disappoinment for this reviewer.
On this evidence there's plenty to make you believe that won't happen.
9/10
Saturday 26 June 2010
Thursday 24 June 2010
It has opened.
Oh my goodness. What a great penultimate episode, The Pandorica Opens, tuned out to be. We start out with a very quick montage of various people, who the Doctor has met over the last series, getting a message to the Doctor. We even see inside the Stormcage and watch as River Song escapes.
I was slightly worried that seeing Liz 10, Vincent, and Winston Churchill again would have the same effect as when Russell T Davis through Martha, Mickey, Rose etc… in Stolen Earth / Journey’s and the End The End of Time. They were all thrown in to create an emotional journey. However, the characters passed the painting on and the Doctor, Amy, and River Song meet at Stonehenge.
An impressive start to the story and it only get better from there. We soon discover an impressive hidden chamber underneath Stonehenge, called by the Doctor Underhenge, and a Roman legion outside. Were soon inside the chamber and looking at the Pandorica itself, another impressive prop from the prop department.
The use of Stonehenge gave the story a unique feel to it. It is so wrapped up in British mythology it felt right for the Doctor to have a story set around it. Also the set design team have out done themselves there. The Pandorica chamber has a very Indiana Jones feel to it and it works.
The tension is built up by Steven Moffatt. We soon discover that there are thousands of ships come to release the creature inside the Pandorica. We soon finds that Rory has been resurrected as a Roman Legionnaire, which led to a clever comedic moment.
And at this point we are only halfway through the story. Amy and the Doctor are soon attacked by a broken Cyberman. In one of the most brilliant moments we see inside the cyber helmet and of course it tries to take Amy to replace its organic parts.
I liked the way that Murray Gold worked the Cybermen signature tune into the score in subtle, understated ways. In fact his score throughout the series, something I have not commented on over the last twelve weeks, has been a lot better than a lot of the stuff he has produced for Doctor who over the last five years. I, for one, and looking forward to the soundtrack album being released.
Matt Smith is on fine form as the Doctor. He had a rock star arrogance as he proclaimed to all of the spaceships that he has the Pandorica and would like to see who would like to take it from him.
Then we come to the conclusion. The Pandorica is for him, the Doctor. The realisation that this was a trap was brilliant. It came out of nowhere and left us all stunned. The who universe villains have all teamed up to entrap the Doctor because he threatens to destroy the universe. A great idea, even though by the fact that by entrapping the Doctor inside the Pandorica, they themselves destroy the universe.
But this is not the only cliff-hanger. At the point we see Amy remembering who Rory is and how important he is to her and then he, like the entirety of the Roman Legion, becomes an Auton. He tried his best to fight his programming, but despite his best attempt, he kills her. River Song is also killed in an exploding Tardis which is being controlled by someone else.
Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan gave a fantastic performance, especially in the death sequence and I hope some awards are coming there way. Alex Kingston, once again, was fantastic as River Song but she was pretty much consigned to the Tardis. I enjoy seeing her in stories, but she was reserved to the back ground and could all most be left at home for another story.
All in all this episode is fantastic. I’ve only got one major worry about the following episode, The Big Bang, and that is how everything is going to be concluded. Steven Moffatt has opened the Doctor Who toy box and thrown it all on the screen and destroyed the universe in the process, so where do you go from there.
10/10
I was slightly worried that seeing Liz 10, Vincent, and Winston Churchill again would have the same effect as when Russell T Davis through Martha, Mickey, Rose etc… in Stolen Earth / Journey’s and the End The End of Time. They were all thrown in to create an emotional journey. However, the characters passed the painting on and the Doctor, Amy, and River Song meet at Stonehenge.
An impressive start to the story and it only get better from there. We soon discover an impressive hidden chamber underneath Stonehenge, called by the Doctor Underhenge, and a Roman legion outside. Were soon inside the chamber and looking at the Pandorica itself, another impressive prop from the prop department.
The use of Stonehenge gave the story a unique feel to it. It is so wrapped up in British mythology it felt right for the Doctor to have a story set around it. Also the set design team have out done themselves there. The Pandorica chamber has a very Indiana Jones feel to it and it works.
The tension is built up by Steven Moffatt. We soon discover that there are thousands of ships come to release the creature inside the Pandorica. We soon finds that Rory has been resurrected as a Roman Legionnaire, which led to a clever comedic moment.
And at this point we are only halfway through the story. Amy and the Doctor are soon attacked by a broken Cyberman. In one of the most brilliant moments we see inside the cyber helmet and of course it tries to take Amy to replace its organic parts.
I liked the way that Murray Gold worked the Cybermen signature tune into the score in subtle, understated ways. In fact his score throughout the series, something I have not commented on over the last twelve weeks, has been a lot better than a lot of the stuff he has produced for Doctor who over the last five years. I, for one, and looking forward to the soundtrack album being released.
Matt Smith is on fine form as the Doctor. He had a rock star arrogance as he proclaimed to all of the spaceships that he has the Pandorica and would like to see who would like to take it from him.
Then we come to the conclusion. The Pandorica is for him, the Doctor. The realisation that this was a trap was brilliant. It came out of nowhere and left us all stunned. The who universe villains have all teamed up to entrap the Doctor because he threatens to destroy the universe. A great idea, even though by the fact that by entrapping the Doctor inside the Pandorica, they themselves destroy the universe.
But this is not the only cliff-hanger. At the point we see Amy remembering who Rory is and how important he is to her and then he, like the entirety of the Roman Legion, becomes an Auton. He tried his best to fight his programming, but despite his best attempt, he kills her. River Song is also killed in an exploding Tardis which is being controlled by someone else.
Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan gave a fantastic performance, especially in the death sequence and I hope some awards are coming there way. Alex Kingston, once again, was fantastic as River Song but she was pretty much consigned to the Tardis. I enjoy seeing her in stories, but she was reserved to the back ground and could all most be left at home for another story.
All in all this episode is fantastic. I’ve only got one major worry about the following episode, The Big Bang, and that is how everything is going to be concluded. Steven Moffatt has opened the Doctor Who toy box and thrown it all on the screen and destroyed the universe in the process, so where do you go from there.
10/10
Saturday 19 June 2010
Corden-t fault it
James Corden really is everywhere at the moment isn't he? Which is a shame because I'm sure alot of people who get annoyed by his grating personality might have chosen to give this one a wide berth, and will have missed him at his best.
Corden may well annoy in "real life" but his performances, and writing, in Gavin and Stacey were actually very good and he showed his talents again in The Lodger in a decent little tale.
This week the Doctor had to pass as a human as flat mate to Corden's Craig. The two proved a fun foil for one another and once again allowed Smith to build on his strong show as a very other-wordly Doctor.
Similarly to last week (although I saw this first so is it next week??!) the underlying plot was pretty basic, and was much along the same lines as the Girl in the Fireplace - the machine operating to instructions which turn out to be harmful to humans.
Still the mystery of the flat upstairs was enough to hold the attention while Smith had his Black Orchid moment (if Davison can pause for cricket i'm sure ex Forest trainee Smith can show off his silky skills.....in fact on this evidence sign him up!!) and plenty of fun to boot.
Craig's love story was also carefully handled so not to edge into soap opera territory. With no Doctor-lite element to this series this felt like a relatively cheap-ish story with fleeting glimpses of Amy. If it was a budget episode though it did it well and, once again brought something fresh and different to the much-varied menu served up in Moffat's era so far.
In some respects the resolution and revelation were a bit underwhelming but nevertheless another week goes by with another entertaining 45 minutes in the bag. Now it's Moffat's turn to try to amaze and thrill with a big finale.
We're told that everything has been leading to this moment so the pressure is on somewhat. I'm sure i'm not the only one who felt RTD's "big event" stories were sometimes a let down (certainly the final part of the Donna season). The series has been great fun so far so here's hoping the next two stories cap it off in a fitting fashion....
7/10
Corden may well annoy in "real life" but his performances, and writing, in Gavin and Stacey were actually very good and he showed his talents again in The Lodger in a decent little tale.
This week the Doctor had to pass as a human as flat mate to Corden's Craig. The two proved a fun foil for one another and once again allowed Smith to build on his strong show as a very other-wordly Doctor.
Similarly to last week (although I saw this first so is it next week??!) the underlying plot was pretty basic, and was much along the same lines as the Girl in the Fireplace - the machine operating to instructions which turn out to be harmful to humans.
Still the mystery of the flat upstairs was enough to hold the attention while Smith had his Black Orchid moment (if Davison can pause for cricket i'm sure ex Forest trainee Smith can show off his silky skills.....in fact on this evidence sign him up!!) and plenty of fun to boot.
Craig's love story was also carefully handled so not to edge into soap opera territory. With no Doctor-lite element to this series this felt like a relatively cheap-ish story with fleeting glimpses of Amy. If it was a budget episode though it did it well and, once again brought something fresh and different to the much-varied menu served up in Moffat's era so far.
In some respects the resolution and revelation were a bit underwhelming but nevertheless another week goes by with another entertaining 45 minutes in the bag. Now it's Moffat's turn to try to amaze and thrill with a big finale.
We're told that everything has been leading to this moment so the pressure is on somewhat. I'm sure i'm not the only one who felt RTD's "big event" stories were sometimes a let down (certainly the final part of the Donna season). The series has been great fun so far so here's hoping the next two stories cap it off in a fitting fashion....
7/10
Good actually
Ok, firstly, apologies for the Richard Curtis headline pun, couldn't possibly resist.
The Rom Com specialist added a star name to this year's writing crew and certainly lived up to his big billing in my book, adding yet more variety to this glorious pick and mix of a series.
The underlying story - of an invisible monster seen only by Van Gogh which was actually left behind and alone and scared - wasn't exactly ground breaking but added a sound base for some fantastic character-led screen time.
The Doctor and Amy were once again on top form, dovetailing well for comic effect in a formidable double act. Vincent meanwhile was a brave portrayal of a complex and slightly sad figure from history. It was brave in the sense that this was someone troubled with mental health issues, not easy for a 45 minute family TV romp. It was handled perfectly and well played by Tony Curran, adding depth to the tale that complemented the fun the story's principal trio enjoyed.
It was that touching combination of fun and emotional depth that made this such a good watch. I loved the bit where the Doctor, Amy and Vincent laid on the ground and watched the sky as it turned into the famous Starry Night - and the heartwarming ending - showing Vincent how loved he was to become, worked well without drifting into soppy.
The beginning and end also brought a cracking cameo from that old Richard Curtis favourite Bill Nighy, an understated but glorious little starring role.
This week may have evoked memories of Tom Baker's gallery visit in City of Death but the educational aspect this week also took us straight back to the early days of Hartnell - and the aim to educate. In fact its just one of a few ways Hartnell's days in the Tardis have been brought back to life for me - an other-worldy portrayal of the Doctor, a clutch of wildly different stories (people forget under Hartnell was where Who was at its most experimental, eg Gunfighters through to Web Planet to Inside the Spaceship) and now a strong educational under-current.
Hats off to everyone involved in this one, it was funny, interesting, well scripted and acted, beautifully set (what an advert for Croatia this and Vampires have been!!) and downright entertaining.
9/10
The Rom Com specialist added a star name to this year's writing crew and certainly lived up to his big billing in my book, adding yet more variety to this glorious pick and mix of a series.
The underlying story - of an invisible monster seen only by Van Gogh which was actually left behind and alone and scared - wasn't exactly ground breaking but added a sound base for some fantastic character-led screen time.
The Doctor and Amy were once again on top form, dovetailing well for comic effect in a formidable double act. Vincent meanwhile was a brave portrayal of a complex and slightly sad figure from history. It was brave in the sense that this was someone troubled with mental health issues, not easy for a 45 minute family TV romp. It was handled perfectly and well played by Tony Curran, adding depth to the tale that complemented the fun the story's principal trio enjoyed.
It was that touching combination of fun and emotional depth that made this such a good watch. I loved the bit where the Doctor, Amy and Vincent laid on the ground and watched the sky as it turned into the famous Starry Night - and the heartwarming ending - showing Vincent how loved he was to become, worked well without drifting into soppy.
The beginning and end also brought a cracking cameo from that old Richard Curtis favourite Bill Nighy, an understated but glorious little starring role.
This week may have evoked memories of Tom Baker's gallery visit in City of Death but the educational aspect this week also took us straight back to the early days of Hartnell - and the aim to educate. In fact its just one of a few ways Hartnell's days in the Tardis have been brought back to life for me - an other-worldy portrayal of the Doctor, a clutch of wildly different stories (people forget under Hartnell was where Who was at its most experimental, eg Gunfighters through to Web Planet to Inside the Spaceship) and now a strong educational under-current.
Hats off to everyone involved in this one, it was funny, interesting, well scripted and acted, beautifully set (what an advert for Croatia this and Vampires have been!!) and downright entertaining.
9/10
Twist caps off solid two-parter
Ok so i'm a bit behind on the blog front but circumstances have meant watching the episodes later than broadcast and, in perfectly timey-wimey Moffat style - out of order!!
In the post for part one of the Silurian two parter I said I thought the first episode was either a perfect set up for a great finale or would turn out to be too slow and leave too much for the next 45 minutes to cram in.
Turns out I was wrong since neither happened. The second part, Cold Blood, felt in some ways like a completely different story to the first. That's not necessarily a criticism though.
The Silurians themselves were pigeon-holed quite neatly into a range of pro and anti "apes" groups, setting up that excellent moral dilemma this foe brings up and the superb way that Doctor Who can show that no conflicts are a "black and white" good-versus-evil. Both sides had their bad eggs and even the human who "did wrong" had motivation for her actions. It's this sort of thing that lifts Doctor Who beyond the categories of "just for kids" or "just sci-fi".
The episode also looked fantastic. The design team once again excelled themselves with a pretty superb looking underground world for the Silurians.
If anything then the ending did feel rather too simple. The friendly Silurian simply hit the pause button againand we returned to the status quo....
....and then came THAT ending. In some ways the death of Rory over shadowed what had come before it, but equally it added a nice twist to an otherwise formulaic end. Amy's reaction and subsequent "recovery" was powerful and not over-played and the Doctor pulling a fragment of the Tardis out of the crack was a suitably tantalising set up for what is to come.
Overall then, plenty of good things here. Not a classic but certainly one to warrant further viewings.
7/10
In the post for part one of the Silurian two parter I said I thought the first episode was either a perfect set up for a great finale or would turn out to be too slow and leave too much for the next 45 minutes to cram in.
Turns out I was wrong since neither happened. The second part, Cold Blood, felt in some ways like a completely different story to the first. That's not necessarily a criticism though.
The Silurians themselves were pigeon-holed quite neatly into a range of pro and anti "apes" groups, setting up that excellent moral dilemma this foe brings up and the superb way that Doctor Who can show that no conflicts are a "black and white" good-versus-evil. Both sides had their bad eggs and even the human who "did wrong" had motivation for her actions. It's this sort of thing that lifts Doctor Who beyond the categories of "just for kids" or "just sci-fi".
The episode also looked fantastic. The design team once again excelled themselves with a pretty superb looking underground world for the Silurians.
If anything then the ending did feel rather too simple. The friendly Silurian simply hit the pause button againand we returned to the status quo....
....and then came THAT ending. In some ways the death of Rory over shadowed what had come before it, but equally it added a nice twist to an otherwise formulaic end. Amy's reaction and subsequent "recovery" was powerful and not over-played and the Doctor pulling a fragment of the Tardis out of the crack was a suitably tantalising set up for what is to come.
Overall then, plenty of good things here. Not a classic but certainly one to warrant further viewings.
7/10
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Doctor Meets Smithy
So with two weeks left and a rumour that every single thing in every single shot has a relevance to this season, what did I think of episode 11, The Lodger. I loved it.
Gareth Roberts has written two stories, one good and one poor. However his adaptation of his own comic strip was superb. The plot is simple, the Doctor has to survive living on planet earth for a few days. Matt Smith rose to the challenge. His portrayal of the Doctor over the season has the right hints of alienness about him. However here he is right out of place and Matt Smith hits the portrayal perfectly.
Matt Smith's football talent is obvious when you watch this episode and we have to be thankful that his injury lead him into acting. It could have been a silly sequence, but it was short and to point and moved the story on.
James Cordon is also a good piece of casting. His ability is intermittent at best. He's great as Smithy in Gavin and Stacey and poor in everything else. However he gets the role of a late twenty something who's happy perfectly. His character is something we relate to. The concept of Pizza, Booze, Telly, is something I like to do and we are able to relate to the character, quickly.
The story moves along with a few hints to the third Doctor and we come across the Tardis upstairs that is the villain of the story. Again the idea is simple, the Tardis is trying to find a pilot to sort it out, but is slowly killing people. A simple little set, but it looks amazing and we get the emotional and narrative pay off in there. The Alien Spacecraft may look like a jaggeroth craft, but who cares.
All in all this story is brilliant. Its silly and fun and I like it because of that.
8/10
Gareth Roberts has written two stories, one good and one poor. However his adaptation of his own comic strip was superb. The plot is simple, the Doctor has to survive living on planet earth for a few days. Matt Smith rose to the challenge. His portrayal of the Doctor over the season has the right hints of alienness about him. However here he is right out of place and Matt Smith hits the portrayal perfectly.
Matt Smith's football talent is obvious when you watch this episode and we have to be thankful that his injury lead him into acting. It could have been a silly sequence, but it was short and to point and moved the story on.
James Cordon is also a good piece of casting. His ability is intermittent at best. He's great as Smithy in Gavin and Stacey and poor in everything else. However he gets the role of a late twenty something who's happy perfectly. His character is something we relate to. The concept of Pizza, Booze, Telly, is something I like to do and we are able to relate to the character, quickly.
The story moves along with a few hints to the third Doctor and we come across the Tardis upstairs that is the villain of the story. Again the idea is simple, the Tardis is trying to find a pilot to sort it out, but is slowly killing people. A simple little set, but it looks amazing and we get the emotional and narrative pay off in there. The Alien Spacecraft may look like a jaggeroth craft, but who cares.
All in all this story is brilliant. Its silly and fun and I like it because of that.
8/10
Thursday 10 June 2010
Art for Art's sake
We are now approaching the end of Matt Smith’s first season with episode number ten, Vincent and the Doctor. At the start of this review I have to applaud the use of Croatia to represent Southern France. It didn’t feel at all like they were pretending to be somewhere else. This really helped the episode.
I must also say I enjoyed the little nods to Vincent van Gogh’s painting. His bedroom, the church, the café, and sunflowers all made appearances in one way and another. It was a little self indulgent but also quite nice and I feel a little more cultured because of it.
Also casting Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh was an inspired piece of casting. Not only did he portrayed the artist superbly, his moment of depression being a fine example of his portrayal, it was his uncanny resemblance to the real life artist that made him the perfect piece of casting.
The storey was simple. Their is an invisible alien, who is lost and alone, on the loose in southern France. The Doctor and Amy teams up with the only man who can see it, Vincent van Gogh. I must admit though the story flowed naturally and Richard Curtis’s dialogue was, at times, fantastic. It was the fact that it was so simple that had a negative effect on the episode. Sometime’s a simple story works well but here it felt it lacked the meat of the episode.
In summing up; I enjoyed this episode, however I won’t be racing back to view it again. It’s the only episode so far this season that I’ve been left feeling like this.
6.5/10
I must also say I enjoyed the little nods to Vincent van Gogh’s painting. His bedroom, the church, the café, and sunflowers all made appearances in one way and another. It was a little self indulgent but also quite nice and I feel a little more cultured because of it.
Also casting Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh was an inspired piece of casting. Not only did he portrayed the artist superbly, his moment of depression being a fine example of his portrayal, it was his uncanny resemblance to the real life artist that made him the perfect piece of casting.
The storey was simple. Their is an invisible alien, who is lost and alone, on the loose in southern France. The Doctor and Amy teams up with the only man who can see it, Vincent van Gogh. I must admit though the story flowed naturally and Richard Curtis’s dialogue was, at times, fantastic. It was the fact that it was so simple that had a negative effect on the episode. Sometime’s a simple story works well but here it felt it lacked the meat of the episode.
In summing up; I enjoyed this episode, however I won’t be racing back to view it again. It’s the only episode so far this season that I’ve been left feeling like this.
6.5/10
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Are you as cold blooded as a Silurian.
So who is this Rory chap then?
The ending to Cold Blood was fantastic and I am going to start here. Within the final ten minutes we get to see Rory permanently erased from time but the cause of the crack in time that has been haunting the Doctor and Amy. The destruction of the Tardis.
I have said over the last few weeks that Rory’s inclusion in the stories have felt right and not forced as some have been. For example Donna’s Mother Sylvia and grandfather Wilf in series 4 Sontaran double episode the Sontartan Stratagem and the Poison Sky. You can land anywhere on Earth and your within a quick driving distance of your Mum and Dad.
Rory’s death brought him into a small group of 4 companions who have died. Katerina, Sara Kingdom (Both in the 12 part Dalek masterplan) and Adric (Earth Shock). Rory died well; being a hero by saving the Doctor. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill played the scene and my heart cried out when Amy sat up and had forgotten poor Rory.
Finding the fragment of the Tardis was a beautiful thing. The Tardis is the one thing you know will survive and we now have an agonising four week wait to find out what causes it and will the Doctor will be able to wait.
The ending of the episode was great, however the main body of the story was a bit of a let down. Though all of the cliff hangers from last week were nicely resolved the episode seemed to contain all of the talking that was missing from last week episode.
The concept of the Doctor trying to negotiate between the two races has happened in all of their encounters. However this was the main point of the story whilst last week was pure action, action, action. I think spreading the action over the two parts would have helped as it would have made some of the themes more lasting and character driven than an immediate response.
Stephen Moore, better known as Marvin the paranoid android, was superb as the leader of the Silurians. However both his and the Leader of the Warrior Caste seem a late addition to the cast and left me a confused as where their motives are coming from.
However this story still contains moment of brilliance. Matt Smith is still playing the Doctor exactly right. A bizarre mix of Alien mystery and human kindness (considering his parentage this is apt). The Silurian city looked fantastic and I, for one, would love to visit there.
All in all this half of the story was enjoyable but could have been better. A solid 7/10 for this story and a 7/10 out for the story as a whole.
The ending to Cold Blood was fantastic and I am going to start here. Within the final ten minutes we get to see Rory permanently erased from time but the cause of the crack in time that has been haunting the Doctor and Amy. The destruction of the Tardis.
I have said over the last few weeks that Rory’s inclusion in the stories have felt right and not forced as some have been. For example Donna’s Mother Sylvia and grandfather Wilf in series 4 Sontaran double episode the Sontartan Stratagem and the Poison Sky. You can land anywhere on Earth and your within a quick driving distance of your Mum and Dad.
Rory’s death brought him into a small group of 4 companions who have died. Katerina, Sara Kingdom (Both in the 12 part Dalek masterplan) and Adric (Earth Shock). Rory died well; being a hero by saving the Doctor. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill played the scene and my heart cried out when Amy sat up and had forgotten poor Rory.
Finding the fragment of the Tardis was a beautiful thing. The Tardis is the one thing you know will survive and we now have an agonising four week wait to find out what causes it and will the Doctor will be able to wait.
The ending of the episode was great, however the main body of the story was a bit of a let down. Though all of the cliff hangers from last week were nicely resolved the episode seemed to contain all of the talking that was missing from last week episode.
The concept of the Doctor trying to negotiate between the two races has happened in all of their encounters. However this was the main point of the story whilst last week was pure action, action, action. I think spreading the action over the two parts would have helped as it would have made some of the themes more lasting and character driven than an immediate response.
Stephen Moore, better known as Marvin the paranoid android, was superb as the leader of the Silurians. However both his and the Leader of the Warrior Caste seem a late addition to the cast and left me a confused as where their motives are coming from.
However this story still contains moment of brilliance. Matt Smith is still playing the Doctor exactly right. A bizarre mix of Alien mystery and human kindness (considering his parentage this is apt). The Silurian city looked fantastic and I, for one, would love to visit there.
All in all this half of the story was enjoyable but could have been better. A solid 7/10 for this story and a 7/10 out for the story as a whole.
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