Doctor Who 5x12 Review
Jun. 27th, 2010 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaThe Pandorica Opens
Wow. Just... wow. The episode had a really excellent teaser that I loved, then slowed down a bit in the beginning/middle, and then ended with a hell of a bang. I’m speechless. I loved it. It was amazing.
• My god, that ending! I thought it was brilliant. I loved it. The idea that the Pandorica is a prison for the Doctor is awesome. ♥ As soon as that revelation was made all the issues (well, okay most of them) were suddenly gone. It’s just so – brilliant. That it was created by all his greatest enemies in order to save the universe from him because they think he caused the cracks in the universe was just the cherry on top. ... I really can’t say enough how much I love that the Pandorica was a prison for the Doctor.
I have no idea how they’re going to get out of this – the Doctor trapped in the Pandorica, the most advanced prison which was specifically created to contain him, Amy shot by Rory, and River trapped in an exploding TARDIS.
• The teaser was excellent. I loved that it was four people different people we’ve met this season working together to bring the warning message to the Doctor. First, poor Vincent – which how did that come about anyway? How did he see the future? – then to Churchill and Professor Bracewell, who is seemingly doing very well in life, then from there to River who Churchill ends up calling instead when the TARDIS re-routes the call (which is neat) – though what was River doing with hallucigenic lipstick in her cell? – and then finally fourth River runs into Liz 10.
That was the part that surprised me the most because I never expected to see her again let alone to get a River/Liz 10 scene. I hadn’t realised that they were from the exact same timeline. Or is this more of the timeline mess-ups we’ve been seeing this season? I loved River escaping prison, for the Doctor, to save him. I loved her outfit when she broke into Liz’s royal collection to steal the painting, plus she looked great with her hair up. I really wish that the show had continued with the River/Liz scene by having Liz help River get a vortex manipulator, because you’d certainly think she’d be able to do that if anyone could. River bombing the alien’s drink to get the upper hand amused me but I’d much rather have had more River/Liz.
• The Doctor and Amy were adorable.
1) Their scene with the cyberman was hilarious:
I loved their desperate thumbs up to each other especially.
The Doctor had some excellent lines: “Look at me I’m a target!” (LOL) and “It’s just like being an organ donor except you’re alive... and sort of screaming.” (heh, that can be the cybermen’s new slogan) and “It could be bluffing.” (and on the second viewing I was very much reminded of ‘Rose’ and the Auton arm that played a big part in that episode. I love all the call backs in this episode).
2) After Amy wakes up they are possibly the most adorable they have ever been. I loved her pouty tired face and his reaction and him holding her head between his hands – it was all just so affectionate and lovely.
• I love River Song. I was worried for a moment about her fate but have reassured myself that she can’t die because we’ve already seen her death. I didn’t realise it till writing this review but River is actually my third favourite Companion. I just think she is so fabulous and her relationship with the Doctor is wonderful. I hope that we get to see her even more next season. Some of the things that I loved about her this episode:
- “What’s the matter with you? .... What are you doing? What’s wrong?” – River. I love River talking to the TARDIS like its sentient and will answer her back. She speaks to it like the Doctor does. It’s bothered me a bit in her previous episodes but actually I found in this episode her competence with the TARDIS did not bother me at all.
- “I’m flying it perfectly. You taught me.” So I guess her crack in the Angel duo implying that someone else taught her really was just her teasing him. Also amusing since the Doctor seems incapable of flying it perfectly himself.
- “Doctor, you said everyone could hear it so who else is coming?” – River. I loved this. I just really love how in step River is with the Doctor, how she knows what to say, and how well they work together. They are very much a team when together and I love it.
- River confronting the legion commander was awesome and she looked amazing.
- “Oh, Doctor, why do I let you out?” – River, upon seeing Amy’s collection of Doctor paraphernalia. Hee.
- I love that while she pleads for the Doctor’s help she’s also working to save herself and that she would have succeeded if it hadn’t been solid stone there (or if alternatively she’d had either a little more time or her square gun with her.) I am curious about what happened to her vortex manipulator. Why couldn’t she use that to leave the TARDIS?
- “I’m sorry, my love.” – River. ♥ Confirmation that it isn’t platonic. I love it.
• There were a couple moments, a handful even, that annoyed me while watching the episode but most were answered/dealt with by the end.
- When they found the Pandorica and it was revealed to simply be a prison I was actually fairly disappointed. I had been hoping for something spectacular – and then it turns out, that’s what we got! That was one disappointment solved.
- “A message from the dawn of time. ... The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history.” I did not buy this so much. I immediately thought ‘except for in TSP/TIP’ where it didn’t translate. Plus I also find it hard to believe that the Doctor never would have visited the planet before to see the first recorded words in history. Still, the ‘Hello sweetie’ message River left him amused me, and him too apparently, judging by his expression.
- When they kept going on about what was supposedly in the Pandorica – about how it was ‘the most feared being in all the universe’ – I once again found myself being all sceptical about it. (And also once again thinking of TIP/TSP) But the revelation that it’s the Doctor that’s in there, the Doctor who is ‘the most feared being’, well, that’s kind of perfect.
- The Doctor calling the Romans ‘the greatest military machine in the universe’ made me go ‘um, seriously’ in disbelief. In all the universe and throughout time it’s the Romans? Uh huh.
• “Silence wilful.” So who is that? It kind of sounded like Davros to me. How did they get control of the TARDIS?
• Amy being able to recognise the voices of the Dalek’s was weird since she had no idea who they were earlier in the season. Why can she remember them now?
• When they found the Pandorica and were considering what was in it I was suddenly hit with this idea – what if the Pandorica was created to contain Bad Wolf? I have no idea what would happen from there but I love the idea.
• “There was going to be a point to that. I’ll get back to you.” – Doctor. Hee. This amused me. It also tied into how this Doctor seems to have too many thoughts in his head and can’t seem to keep track of them all.
• “Yes, I know that Rory, I’m not exactly one to miss the obvious.” – Doctor. LOL. Kind of a cheap joke but very funny. I’m just surprised at how long it took him to realise. I kept expecting a double take but it kept going on and on. It’s too bad that he didn’t hug Rory because that would have been nice. I mean as he told Amy only shortly before Rory was ‘a friend of mine, someone I lost’.
• “Well, I died and then turned into a Roman. It’s very distracting.” – Rory. Rory showing up again made me both ‘yay’ and ‘wtf’. The explanation was excellent though. Him being an Auton, being brought back because he was a part of Amy’s history/past, was excellent and my favourite part of it all is that final scene between Rory and Amy where she tries to convince him that he is Rory and how that calls back to the Doctor convincing Bracewell that he was human (and how that saved the day though this time it doesn’t seemed to have worked as well). It does leave a huge plot hole though specifically – how the hell did they get Rory’s memories right up until his death?
• "Structures can have memories, that's why houses have ghosts..." – Doctor. Hmmm. I just find that interesting. Are we supposed to take that as literal ghosts?
• I found it interesting that we get the Doctor giving one of his speeches to his enemies/the bad guys, and them running away, just as River said armies would do back in season four, but then it turns out that they weren’t running away, they were just letting him get further and further into their trap. I like it.
Wow. Just... wow. The episode had a really excellent teaser that I loved, then slowed down a bit in the beginning/middle, and then ended with a hell of a bang. I’m speechless. I loved it. It was amazing.
• My god, that ending! I thought it was brilliant. I loved it. The idea that the Pandorica is a prison for the Doctor is awesome. ♥ As soon as that revelation was made all the issues (well, okay most of them) were suddenly gone. It’s just so – brilliant. That it was created by all his greatest enemies in order to save the universe from him because they think he caused the cracks in the universe was just the cherry on top. ... I really can’t say enough how much I love that the Pandorica was a prison for the Doctor.
I have no idea how they’re going to get out of this – the Doctor trapped in the Pandorica, the most advanced prison which was specifically created to contain him, Amy shot by Rory, and River trapped in an exploding TARDIS.
• The teaser was excellent. I loved that it was four people different people we’ve met this season working together to bring the warning message to the Doctor. First, poor Vincent – which how did that come about anyway? How did he see the future? – then to Churchill and Professor Bracewell, who is seemingly doing very well in life, then from there to River who Churchill ends up calling instead when the TARDIS re-routes the call (which is neat) – though what was River doing with hallucigenic lipstick in her cell? – and then finally fourth River runs into Liz 10.
That was the part that surprised me the most because I never expected to see her again let alone to get a River/Liz 10 scene. I hadn’t realised that they were from the exact same timeline. Or is this more of the timeline mess-ups we’ve been seeing this season? I loved River escaping prison, for the Doctor, to save him. I loved her outfit when she broke into Liz’s royal collection to steal the painting, plus she looked great with her hair up. I really wish that the show had continued with the River/Liz scene by having Liz help River get a vortex manipulator, because you’d certainly think she’d be able to do that if anyone could. River bombing the alien’s drink to get the upper hand amused me but I’d much rather have had more River/Liz.
• The Doctor and Amy were adorable.
1) Their scene with the cyberman was hilarious:
I loved their desperate thumbs up to each other especially.
The Doctor had some excellent lines: “Look at me I’m a target!” (LOL) and “It’s just like being an organ donor except you’re alive... and sort of screaming.” (heh, that can be the cybermen’s new slogan) and “It could be bluffing.” (and on the second viewing I was very much reminded of ‘Rose’ and the Auton arm that played a big part in that episode. I love all the call backs in this episode).
2) After Amy wakes up they are possibly the most adorable they have ever been. I loved her pouty tired face and his reaction and him holding her head between his hands – it was all just so affectionate and lovely.
• I love River Song. I was worried for a moment about her fate but have reassured myself that she can’t die because we’ve already seen her death. I didn’t realise it till writing this review but River is actually my third favourite Companion. I just think she is so fabulous and her relationship with the Doctor is wonderful. I hope that we get to see her even more next season. Some of the things that I loved about her this episode:
- “What’s the matter with you? .... What are you doing? What’s wrong?” – River. I love River talking to the TARDIS like its sentient and will answer her back. She speaks to it like the Doctor does. It’s bothered me a bit in her previous episodes but actually I found in this episode her competence with the TARDIS did not bother me at all.
- “I’m flying it perfectly. You taught me.” So I guess her crack in the Angel duo implying that someone else taught her really was just her teasing him. Also amusing since the Doctor seems incapable of flying it perfectly himself.
- “Doctor, you said everyone could hear it so who else is coming?” – River. I loved this. I just really love how in step River is with the Doctor, how she knows what to say, and how well they work together. They are very much a team when together and I love it.
- River confronting the legion commander was awesome and she looked amazing.
- “Oh, Doctor, why do I let you out?” – River, upon seeing Amy’s collection of Doctor paraphernalia. Hee.
- I love that while she pleads for the Doctor’s help she’s also working to save herself and that she would have succeeded if it hadn’t been solid stone there (or if alternatively she’d had either a little more time or her square gun with her.) I am curious about what happened to her vortex manipulator. Why couldn’t she use that to leave the TARDIS?
- “I’m sorry, my love.” – River. ♥ Confirmation that it isn’t platonic. I love it.
• There were a couple moments, a handful even, that annoyed me while watching the episode but most were answered/dealt with by the end.
- When they found the Pandorica and it was revealed to simply be a prison I was actually fairly disappointed. I had been hoping for something spectacular – and then it turns out, that’s what we got! That was one disappointment solved.
- “A message from the dawn of time. ... The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history.” I did not buy this so much. I immediately thought ‘except for in TSP/TIP’ where it didn’t translate. Plus I also find it hard to believe that the Doctor never would have visited the planet before to see the first recorded words in history. Still, the ‘Hello sweetie’ message River left him amused me, and him too apparently, judging by his expression.
- When they kept going on about what was supposedly in the Pandorica – about how it was ‘the most feared being in all the universe’ – I once again found myself being all sceptical about it. (And also once again thinking of TIP/TSP) But the revelation that it’s the Doctor that’s in there, the Doctor who is ‘the most feared being’, well, that’s kind of perfect.
- The Doctor calling the Romans ‘the greatest military machine in the universe’ made me go ‘um, seriously’ in disbelief. In all the universe and throughout time it’s the Romans? Uh huh.
• “Silence wilful.” So who is that? It kind of sounded like Davros to me. How did they get control of the TARDIS?
• Amy being able to recognise the voices of the Dalek’s was weird since she had no idea who they were earlier in the season. Why can she remember them now?
• When they found the Pandorica and were considering what was in it I was suddenly hit with this idea – what if the Pandorica was created to contain Bad Wolf? I have no idea what would happen from there but I love the idea.
• “There was going to be a point to that. I’ll get back to you.” – Doctor. Hee. This amused me. It also tied into how this Doctor seems to have too many thoughts in his head and can’t seem to keep track of them all.
• “Yes, I know that Rory, I’m not exactly one to miss the obvious.” – Doctor. LOL. Kind of a cheap joke but very funny. I’m just surprised at how long it took him to realise. I kept expecting a double take but it kept going on and on. It’s too bad that he didn’t hug Rory because that would have been nice. I mean as he told Amy only shortly before Rory was ‘a friend of mine, someone I lost’.
• “Well, I died and then turned into a Roman. It’s very distracting.” – Rory. Rory showing up again made me both ‘yay’ and ‘wtf’. The explanation was excellent though. Him being an Auton, being brought back because he was a part of Amy’s history/past, was excellent and my favourite part of it all is that final scene between Rory and Amy where she tries to convince him that he is Rory and how that calls back to the Doctor convincing Bracewell that he was human (and how that saved the day though this time it doesn’t seemed to have worked as well). It does leave a huge plot hole though specifically – how the hell did they get Rory’s memories right up until his death?
• "Structures can have memories, that's why houses have ghosts..." – Doctor. Hmmm. I just find that interesting. Are we supposed to take that as literal ghosts?
• I found it interesting that we get the Doctor giving one of his speeches to his enemies/the bad guys, and them running away, just as River said armies would do back in season four, but then it turns out that they weren’t running away, they were just letting him get further and further into their trap. I like it.
