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
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