Doctor Who 5x12 and 5x13
Jun. 26th, 2010 07:47 pm![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wealhtheowSpoilers from here on out for the two part season 5 finale to Doctor Who.
The Pandorica Opens
The second the words "Stormcage" appeared on the screen, I knew I would love this episode. I enjoyed River Song in her first two episodes, but I hated her ending (there is no possible way that an eternity trapped as a virtual reality housewife is what she'd want) and it kinda soured me on her story. But then she was so fierce and witty and capable in the "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone" that River vaulted up through the ranks of my favorite characters. And in "The Pandorica Opens," River Song does not disappoint. She's the future's Indiana Jones, but unapologetically older and female. I love that she absolutely has sex appeal, but doesn't rely upon it to get shit done. It's clearly just yet another tool in her (vast) tool box. I love her slightly maternal interactions with Amy--far from the cattiness viewers might expect when two women who consider themselves close to the Doctor meet. And the internets tell me she has an action figure! Holy cats, that's awesome!
The Big Bang
Oh man, how surprising was the realization that Amelia Pond is considered mad because she thinks there should be stars in the sky? So great. The idea of the earth as utterly alone in the universe is a scary thought.
The Doctor and Rory took emotional center stage in this episode, at least for me.* I loved the idea of an android sitting tireless watch over his mortal lover. Actually, I really hoped that Robo Roman Rory, with 2000+ years of experiences and a gun for a hand, would become one of the Doctor's Companions. I think it would have some great tension--the Doctor is used to being the oldest person in a room, and suddenly he wouldn't be. And he's utterly against guns, but Rory can't be separated from his. And then the Doctor--the fez! the mop! I love his joy when he wakes up after throwing himself into the exploding TARDIS...and then his weariness when he realizes that he's just reliving his adventures. Finally, an explanation for that "continuity error" in "Flesh and Stone" that puzzled some of us.
For me, possibly the greatest moment was when Amy remembers the Doctor--and I love that she did it with words! Something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new...Moffat *must* have intended to do this whole story from the very beginning. (I like it better than, say, "Bad Wolf" as a message through time and space, as that doesn't signal anything--its power rested entirely in its constant repetition, not in the words themselves. I did once read a great fanfic in which Rose thinks about how her travels have turned her from a defenseless Little Red Riding Hood into the Big Bad Wolf, but it's not a canon explanation.) I am so glad she didn't have to choose between remembering her parents and remembering the Doctor--I really expected the show to require her to give up one to have the other.
And then the Doctor dancing at the wedding! He's terrible, but the kids love him. And River is back, for just enough time to be beautiful, mysterious, and to fondly mock him for *always* dancing at weddings. Love it! And best of all, Rory and Amy still get to travel the universe, despite being married. I was really scared that Moffat was going to pull that "marriage means the end of adventures" bullshit that seems endemic in popular fiction.
*Although oooh, that scene between River and the Dalek? Stone. Cold.
In fact, after watching this season, i have to say that I find Moffat to be a far better show creator, in terms of women and basic feminist principles, than RTD ever was. Plus, he's not quite as in love with the idea of messianic main characters as RTD, which I do appreciate.
In conclusion:
The Pandorica Opens
The second the words "Stormcage" appeared on the screen, I knew I would love this episode. I enjoyed River Song in her first two episodes, but I hated her ending (there is no possible way that an eternity trapped as a virtual reality housewife is what she'd want) and it kinda soured me on her story. But then she was so fierce and witty and capable in the "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone" that River vaulted up through the ranks of my favorite characters. And in "The Pandorica Opens," River Song does not disappoint. She's the future's Indiana Jones, but unapologetically older and female. I love that she absolutely has sex appeal, but doesn't rely upon it to get shit done. It's clearly just yet another tool in her (vast) tool box. I love her slightly maternal interactions with Amy--far from the cattiness viewers might expect when two women who consider themselves close to the Doctor meet. And the internets tell me she has an action figure! Holy cats, that's awesome!
The Big Bang
Oh man, how surprising was the realization that Amelia Pond is considered mad because she thinks there should be stars in the sky? So great. The idea of the earth as utterly alone in the universe is a scary thought.
The Doctor and Rory took emotional center stage in this episode, at least for me.* I loved the idea of an android sitting tireless watch over his mortal lover. Actually, I really hoped that Robo Roman Rory, with 2000+ years of experiences and a gun for a hand, would become one of the Doctor's Companions. I think it would have some great tension--the Doctor is used to being the oldest person in a room, and suddenly he wouldn't be. And he's utterly against guns, but Rory can't be separated from his. And then the Doctor--the fez! the mop! I love his joy when he wakes up after throwing himself into the exploding TARDIS...and then his weariness when he realizes that he's just reliving his adventures. Finally, an explanation for that "continuity error" in "Flesh and Stone" that puzzled some of us.
For me, possibly the greatest moment was when Amy remembers the Doctor--and I love that she did it with words! Something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new...Moffat *must* have intended to do this whole story from the very beginning. (I like it better than, say, "Bad Wolf" as a message through time and space, as that doesn't signal anything--its power rested entirely in its constant repetition, not in the words themselves. I did once read a great fanfic in which Rose thinks about how her travels have turned her from a defenseless Little Red Riding Hood into the Big Bad Wolf, but it's not a canon explanation.) I am so glad she didn't have to choose between remembering her parents and remembering the Doctor--I really expected the show to require her to give up one to have the other.
And then the Doctor dancing at the wedding! He's terrible, but the kids love him. And River is back, for just enough time to be beautiful, mysterious, and to fondly mock him for *always* dancing at weddings. Love it! And best of all, Rory and Amy still get to travel the universe, despite being married. I was really scared that Moffat was going to pull that "marriage means the end of adventures" bullshit that seems endemic in popular fiction.
*Although oooh, that scene between River and the Dalek? Stone. Cold.
In fact, after watching this season, i have to say that I find Moffat to be a far better show creator, in terms of women and basic feminist principles, than RTD ever was. Plus, he's not quite as in love with the idea of messianic main characters as RTD, which I do appreciate.
In conclusion:
