The Angels Take Manhattan Review

With The Angels Take Manhattan came the finale of the 2012 run of Doctor Who. But what did I make of the mid-series finale? Time to find out...

Overview

Moffat's best episode yet with a great mix of sadness, horror and excitement. The return of the angels saw them at their best and most deadliest yet and also the return of River Song meant we got more great dialogue between her and the Doctor.

Continuity (and plot holes)

The Angels Take Manhattan was a mixed bag when it came to Continuity. Below are the continuity points.

• The Eleventh Hour was referenced as the final scene led back to the Pond's first episode
• The Series 6 arc was mentioned between the Doctor and River
• The episode happens in River's timeline somewhere between being pardoned from jail to The Library
• Companions aging while the Doctor doesn't is mentioned again twice, with the first being the Doctor noticing line's on Amy's forehead and also with the Pond's being sent back in time so by the Doctor's time they are dead

Now for the plot holes...

• With all the people that were trapped in Winter Quay, it seems hard to believe that in all that time nobody tried to escape/commited suicide
• Also in Winter Quay, how did the people stay alive? I doubt the angels came round and fed and gave them water every day
• The Statue of Liberty can't be a Weeping Angel as it's not made of stone but sheets of copper over a steel framework...
• It seems weird that River doesn't want to travel with the Doctor as she loves him!

Story Arc

Excellent use of Story Arc in this episode with the 'Doctor Who?' theme subtly yet wonderfully mentioned by River and obviously the big Pond exit arc came to a close in this episode with Rory getting zapped by an angel and Amy sacrificing herself to the Angels just so she can be with her husband

Story

Maybe not so simple but definitely wonderfully thought out. Basically Rory gets zapped back in time, the Doctor and Amy find out where he is using River's book which tells of the Angel story but they read ahead and Amy learns a vital lesson, her last from the Doctor... From there on, its basically a race against time to save Rory and in the end they do, only for him and Amy to be cruelly snatched away from the Doctor (and us!) by the angels. Beautiful, sad but brilliant!

Problems

Despite the plot holes above, I loved this episode to the core and it has to be one of my favourite episodes of Doctor Who ever with it tying with Asylum of the Daleks (which coincidently is from Series 7 also plus also penned by Moffat!). So basically can't think of any problems apart from the few plot holes which are forgiven for a fantastic story and brilliant send off for the Ponds.

A Pond Farewell

The departure of the Pond's was heartbreaking yet I didn't shed a tear which was what I was expecting, maybe because they died twice in the space of five minutes... I'm still making my mind up about whether I think they should have died from the jump of the roof or the Graveyard snatch, but Amy's final scene was brilliant and a great performance from Karen. Finally, people say they are upset that Rory didn't get a farewell with the Doctor scene, but when the angels took him away so unexpectedly, I think that added to the shock.

River's Return

The return of River Song saw great scenes between her and the Doctor including another one of Moffat's great quotes:

The Doctor: “How’s prison?” 

River Song: “Oh, I was pardoned ages ago, and it’s ‘Professor Song’ to you now.”The Doctor: “’Pardoned‘?” 

River Song: “Turns out the person I killed never existed in the first place. Apparently there’s no record of him. It’s almost as if someone’s gone around deleting himself from every database in the universe.” 

The Doctor: "You said I got ‘too big.'"

River Song: “And now, no one’s ever heard of you. Didn’t you used to be somebody?” 

The Doctor: “Weren’t you the woman who killed the Doctor?” 

River Song: “‘Doctor’ who?”

Conclusion

Monsters - 5/5 - The Weeping Angels really do scare!

Story - 5/5 - Slightly complicated but what can you expect from an exit/Weeping Angel story. Still, absolutely fantastic!

Doctor - 5/5 - Another faultless performance from Matt Smith showing the pain of letting go of his best friends

Companion - 5/5 - Karen Gillan's greatest performance EVER with her final scene a stroke of acting genius! Arthur Darvill pulling of another great performance still managing to pull of comedy moments when he knows he's about to die!

Arc - 5/5 - A great reference to 'Doctor Who?' as mentioned above and also the finale to the Pond's tenure on Doctor Who wrote/directed/acted beautifully

Continuity - 4.5/5 - The continuity can't be faulted it's just the few plot holes that let this episode down a little

The Angels Take Manhattan (overall) - 29.5/30 - Fantastic

So with Series 7: Part 1 over, there will no more reviews from me until the final week of 2012, with the 2012 Christmas Special coming under the spotlight. So will it fare well with past Christmas Specials and also companion introduction stories (sort of, if you count Jenna's appearance in Asylum of the Daleks)? Only time will tell...

Next Time - 2012 Christmas Special

Overall Mark Comments

30 - Outstanding

25 - 29.5 - Fantastic

20 - 24.5 - Great

15 - 19.5 - OK, nothing special

10 - 14.5 - Bad, very poor

5 - 9.5 - Shocking, turned off after 10 minutes

1.5 - 4.5 - Worst thing to be shown on TV ever

0 - 1 - Doctor Who is over

The Power of Three Review

On Saturday, we saw another Lodger-type episode with a hint of the RTD era in The Power of Three. But did this fair well with me? Time to find out...

Overview

An extremely good episode in terms of emotional themes but the alien threat wasn't tied up enough. Whether, this was deliberate or not, I think a hint about this would have faired well.

Continuity

The Power of Three was almost faultless for continuity, although for this type of an episode, there wasn't actually that many continuity points. However, here are the ones I noticed:

• The Doctor stayed on Earth with humans for a while (The Lodger)
• UNIT returned but played a background role, which I liked (The Christmas Invasion, The Sontaran Strategm, The Poison Sky etc)
• A slight error I noticed was in Asylum of the Daleks, the Pond's got divorced but in this episode they are seen celebrating their wedding anniversary... So did they get re-married off screen?
• The Zygons were mentioned.

Story Arc

The 'Doctor Who?' arc remained absent throughout this episode but the episode was overall, a prequel to The Angels Take Manhattan so were we given clues as to how the Ponds leave, but we just haven't noticed them?

Story

The Cube story was fairly average and we were all waiting for the big point of the story but sadly it never came. Also, the cube threat was destroyed by a wave of the sonic screwdriver?! The most poor resolution to a story I have seen in a long while.

Problems

Along with the problems I mentioned above (rubbish conclusion, Pond marriage error, too many loose ends), although I did say I quite liked UNIT taking a back seat in this episode, I feel the soldiers could have made more of an appearance.

Shakri

The Shakri were a great invention by Chibnall and I liked the reference to Gallifrey in their background but with a great actor playing the Shakri I feel they could have made more of an appearance and to be honest, the Shakri were wasted in a way in this episode.

Emotional Impact

This episode wasn't really about the alien threat, more about emotional impact and the lead up to the Pond's exit in The Angels Take Manhattan. I liked that part and I think it will make their exit even more dramatic and saddening.

Conclusion

Monsters - 3/5 - Alien threat took a back seat in this episode but the concept of the Shakri was liked by me.

Story - 2/5 - Felt quite rushed towards the end and the conclusion was rubbish, and it could have been more fully explained if bits like the Pond's anniversary gift adventures were left out. However, the beginning of the story was great.

Doctor - 5/5 - Yet another faultless performance from Matt Smith and he finally got to play 'pain' in this episode, which he is very good at.

Companion - 5/5 - Amy and Rory were fantastic characters in this episode and I really don't want to see them leave now...

Arc - 4.5/5 - Great as the episode was a lead up to the Pond exit arc but no reference to 'Doctor Who?' let it down a little bit.

Continuity - 4/5 - Good but the Pond's marriage error and not including many continuity points in an episode like this wasn't a great move

The Power of Three (overall) - 23.5/30 - Great

So that's it for my The Power of Three review. I hope you enjoyed reading it and agreed with me on most points.

Next Week - The Angels Take Manhattan

Overall Mark Comments

30 - Outstanding

25 - 29.5 - Fantastic

20 - 24.5 - Great

15 - 19.5 - OK, nothing special

10 - 14.5 - Bad, very poor

5 - 9.5 - Shocking, turned off after 10 minutes

1.5 - 4.5 - Worst thing to be shown on TV ever

0 - 1 - Doctor Who is over

A Town Called Mercy Review

So last Saturday, Doctor Who done Western in A Town Called Mercy. But was it as good as we all thought it would be? Let's see in my review...

Overview
A very good episode which much more action and more edge-of-your-seat moments than Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. However, the episode was slightly spoilt with plot holes and some stolen parts from other Who episodes.

Continuity
This episode did have little references to continuity but not many and most were subtle things that you could quiet easily miss. Below is a list of the one's that I caught.

• The Doctor's death is subtly mentioned again
• To the Doctor, humanity are aliens (previously in Meanwhile in the TARDIS)
• The opening narration seems to be talking about the Doctor, when in fact it isn't (A Good Man Goes To War)
• The Doctor speaks many languages with him speaking 'horse' in this episode (Planet of the Dead, Waters of Mars and Closing Time, to name a few)
• Amy urges the Doctor to not choose killing as an option (The Beast Below)

Story Arc

Besides the subtle reference to the universe not knowing the Doctor's existence, no real reference to the 'Doctor Who?' arc at all.

Story

A more complicated story than the previous two episodes, but still action packed and it did make sense for the most part, with the only thing letting it down being a few plot holes I will detail later on in the review.

Problems

This episode had a few minor plot holes, but the major one being, when Jex and The Gunslinger were communicating at the end just before Jex blew himself up, did no one else wonder how they were talking? Unless Jex had installed the town with megaphones as well as lighting, this was quite a major plot hole as it was the resolution to the story!

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger was a work of art and I loved everything about it from it's eye to it's gun, from it's hat to it's voice. I particularly liked how Toby Whithouse had managed to fit the back story to the Gunslinger in really well as well.

Who's the enemy?

What this episode done really well was make you wonder who was the enemy? The Gunslinger, Jex or The Doctor... In the pre-title sequence we were all introduced to the Gunslinger which looked like it might be this weeks enemy, but as the episode continued we all thought Jex, then when the Doctor pulled a gun to Jex, we all thought The Doctor! But at the end, we all knew that this episode managed to contribute three suspects to being the enemy, but the truth being there really wasn't an enemy at all!

Conclusion

Monsters - 5/5  - The Gunslinger and the Kahler were excellent enemies and they really shone in this episode.

Story - 4/5 - Great, but the big plot hole at the end let it down

Doctor - 4/5 - Great acting from Matt but the Doctor even thinking about a gun was very out of character and I'm not really liking him in the past couple of episodes, with killing someone now being seen as an option.

Companion - 3.5/5 - Amy and Rory were sort of background characters in this episode and didn't really contribute, especially Amy.

Arc - 4/5 - Although there was no real reference to 'Doctor Who?', I feel the Doctor becoming more aggressive contributes towards another Arc which might result in Amy and Rory's departure. Also, I think the Doctor knows more about the Pond's exit than he is letting on...

Continuity - 4/5 - There was good continuity in this episode but the 'copy-cat' parts let it down slightly.

A Town Called Mercy (overall) - 24.5/30 - Great

So that's it for my review on A Town Called Mercy. I hope you agreed with me on the most part and enjoyed reading the review.

Next Week - The Power of Three

Overall Mark Comments

30 - Outstanding

25 - 29.5 - Fantastic

20 - 24.5 - Great

15 - 19.5 - OK, nothing special

10 - 14.5 - Bad, very poor

5 - 9.5 - Shocking, turned off after 10 minutes

1.5 - 4.5 - Worst thing to be shown on TV ever

0 - 1 - Doctor Who is over

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship Review

This week's Doctor Who was Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and with each episode of Doctor Who set to be a blockbuster, did this episode live up to this statement? Let's see in my review...

Overview
A great episode but the first time I watched it, it did seem a bit rushed at parts. However, I watched it again and it didn't seem as rushed, so I think that this episode certainly lived up to last weeks cracker!

Continuity
Compared to last week's continuity greatness, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship certainly did falter at bits of continuity. Here's what they were:

• Amy's job as a Kissogram and a model were touched on again, now with Amy saying she 'gave up' being a model

• The TARDIS on the Siluria postcard was the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS

• The Doctor says 'GERONIMO!' when jumping on to the Triceratops

• Solomon's scan of the Doctor revealing he doesn't exist, carries on with the fact that most of the universe thinks he is dead

• The gaps between the Doctor visits to the Pond's is touched on again

• The dark side to the Doctor was present again when he killed Solomon

Story Arc

The 'Doctor Who?' theme wasn't present much in this episode but Solomon's scan of the Doctor showed he doesn't exist, leading on from the whole universe thinking he is dead

Story

The story was again simple: stop a spaceship from crashing into Earth. Very well thought out, but some parts were slightly rushed and I would have liked a more explained pre-title sequence. Apart from this, no plot holes and I loved how we were finally given a Doctor Who story with dinosaurs in it!

Problems

Apart from the TARDIS error on the postcard, there nothing wrong with this episode, story wise. However, the 'rushed' feeling that this episode gave was a slight problem and if it were an hour long, I feel I would have loved this story even more.

Dinosaurs

CGI on this episode was faultless in this episode and they are the most real dinosaurs I have ever seen on TV or film! The Triceratops' saliva on Brian was great and the actors were really good having to act with things that they can't see!

The Gang

I loved how the Doctor had a gang in this episode (not just the Pond's for once). Brian was a great addition to the cast and the chemistry between him and Rory was one that made it truly believable that they were father and son. Riddell was a really likeable character and above all else, he was cool! Finally, Queen Nefertiti was the female addition that the gang needed and her spark made you really believe she was a proper queen.

Conclusion

Monsters - 5/5 - Dinosaurs, Robots and an evil space businessman! Doesn't get much better!

Story - 4.5/5 - The rushed feeling let it down a bit

Doctor - 5/5 - Matt Smith gave a phenomenal performance, switching between his comedy side and dark side in an instant.

Companion - 5/5 - The whole gang was fantastic, with my favourite being Riddell!

Arc - 2/5 - With the arc being a major part in the last episode, it was nice to see it take a back seat, but for the major arc we have this series, I feel it should have contributed a bit more

Continuity - 2.5/5 - Average, but the TARDIS on the postcard, really let it down

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (overall) - 24/30 - Great

So that's it for my review on Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. I hope you agreed with me on most things and enjoyed reading the review.

Next Week - A Town Called Mercy

Overall Mark Comments

30 - Outstanding

25 - 29.5 - Fantastic

20 - 24.5 - Great

15 - 19.5 - OK, nothing special

10 - 14.5 - Bad, very poor

5 - 9.5 - Shocking, turned off after 10 minutes

1.5 - 4.5 - Worst thing to be shown on TV ever

0 - 1 - Doctor Who is over

Asylum of the Daleks Review

So Asylum of the Daleks has been shown and Series 7 is underway so that means it is time for the review...

Overview
An excellent episode which featured a great monster, a great story and a great series opener!

Continuity
Asylum of the Daleks was a very good episode for Continuity. Here's what they were:

• Amy's modeling career was touched on again, last seen in Closing Time

• The Eleventh Doctor mentions '11'

• Amy said, "Who's scared? Geronimo!". A reference to the Eleventh Doctor's catchphrase

• Oswin mentions some Dalek battles that centred around some classic Doctor Who stories

• Rory is nicknamed 'The nose' again

• The 'Doctor Who' theme/arc is a big thing at the end of this story and I speak about this below

Story Arc

'Doctor Who?' was a big theme in this episode. I really liked the big reveal of the question by Dorium at the end of Series 6, but in this episode I feel it was used a little too much. I really liked how Oswin made all the Daleks forget the Doctor and the scene in the Parliament at the end of the episode where all the Daleks are asking, "Doctor Who?" was a nice touch. But the last scene of the episode was where I feel it was not necessary: The Doctor prancing around the TARDIS asking to himself, "Doctor Who?", multiple times, was not a good ending to an otherwise great episode.

Story

The story was very good and for a Moffat story, quite simple! (Don't get me wrong, I love Moffat's complicated storylines). It was all about the Doctor trying to turn of the forcefield to the Dalek Asylum and ultimately, trying to escape the Daleks. A very well thought out story and no plot holes what so ever. Well apart from one...

Problems

I loved this episode and I think it is the best series opener since Doctor Who began back in 2005. But the thing, that bugged me about this episode, was how it featured Skaro. I actually liked it appearing, but what wasn't said was, where was this in Skaro's timeline? During the Time War, perhaps? I thought it was made clear that Skaro was destroyed in the Time War...

Oswin

I absolutely fell in love with Oswin, as soon as she appeared! I think all Doctor Who fans' hearts skipped a beat when she came onto the screen. Also, this has made me really look forward to the 2012 Christmas Special to see where this all comes into Oswin's story...

Every Dalek

The whole 'Every Dalek ever' thing was, as Moffat said, just for publicity. The appearance of the classic Daleks was minor and most Dalek's that appeared were the Bronze. However, I did like the Daleks in this episode, but I have one question, why did the Dalek that self-destruct not use the same method as last seen in 2005's, Dalek?

Conclusion

Monsters - 4.5/5 - The Every Dalek ever thing let it down and the self-destruct change

Story - 5/5 - Very simple and entertaining! Fantastic!

Doctor - 5/5 - Matt Smith was brilliant in this episode and the Doctor was given some very good bits

Companion - 4.5/5 - Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill were absolutely fantastic in this episode and Gillan especially, gave an outstanding performance. What let them down a bit was the slightly cheesy scene where they get back together

Arc - 4/5 - Good use of 'Doctor Who?' but was ruined at the end

Continuity - 4.5/5 - Almost flawless, except for the no explanation as to where in Skaro's history was the scene at the beginning shown?

Asylum of the Daleks (overall) - 27.5/30 - Fantastic

So that's it for my Asylum of the Daleks review. I hope you enjoyed reading it and agreed with me on most points!

Next Week - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Overall Mark Comments

30 - Outstanding

25 - 29.5 - Fantastic

20 - 24.5 - Great

15 - 19.5 - OK, nothing special

10 - 14.5 - Bad, very poor

5 - 9.5 - Shocking, turned off after 10 minutes

1.5 - 4.5 - Worst thing to be shown on TV ever

0 - 1 - Doctor Who is over