Doctor Who - Comic Con 2011 Clips Season 6

And here's my blog on Doctor Who's day at Comic Con and boy, what a day it was ...

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Toby Whithouse, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis were all certainly on fine form for the hour panel and when they weren't joking about, mentioning favourite Doctors or talking about how to get into acting, we did get some nice exclusives.

For instance, there's this gorgeous promotional shot for the second half of the season, a minute long trailer for the second half of the series and a two minute preview clip for Toby Whithouse's episode, The God Complex. But let's see what the trailer gave us.

Well, there's definitely going to be a lot going on in Let's Kill Hitler, including a scene where Rory actually punches Hitler as well River sporting an eyepatch, flashbacks to the Astronaut debacle from the start of the series and Madame Kovarian still being a total bitch in the mix.

And then there's this ... is the Doctor really going to snog Craig? Probably not but it does seem that James Corden will be having plenty to do with his second appearance in the series, especially as his episode contains Cybermen too.

Other monsters that are in the mix include the Silents (rumoured to be responsible for snatching Amy's baby), Amy battling it out with Handbots, the Weeping Angels, a Minotaur type creature and even Churchill brandishing a gun at one point.

Perhaps the biggest news from Comic Con though was the admission that Karen Gillan will be appearing in the seventh season. Arthur Darvill hasn't been confirmed to return but if Amy is coming back next year, Rory more than likely is too. Filming for the Christmas special is slated to begin in September.

Comic Con Panel: http://www.spoilertv.com/2011/07/doctor-who-full-comic-con-panel.html
Season 6 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xkQkPo7KRU
The God Complex Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-4M0wXCkg8&feature=related

Season Six of Doctor Who will air on BBCAmerica from August 27th. BBC1 have yet to confirm an airdate.

Doctor Who - Series 6 News

It's might be a few weeks before the second half of Series 6 airs but here's the latest on Doctor Who you need to know.

First it was Piers Wenger and now it seems that Beth Willis has left the series. The producer has left the show to return to her former home, Kudos Film And Television. Willis will officially leave at the end of the month while Wenger will have left the BBC for Film4 by September. I guess that means two new producers are needed for the series now. Filming for the Christmas special is supposed to be happening in September.

Elsewhere, a preview screening for Let's Kill Hitler will be in Edinburgh from August 27th and a synopsis for the episode has been released ....

In the desperate search for Melody Pond, the TARDIS crash lands in 1930s Berlin, bringing the Doctor face to face with the greatest war criminal in the Universe. And Hitler. The Doctor must teach his adversaries that time travel has responsibilities - and in so doing, learns a harsh lesson in the cruellest warfare of all.

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will also be signing boxsets of the first half of Series 6, released on July 11th in the US LA based Amoeba Store from July 26th for lucky Americans.

Doctor Who/Torchwood - Comic Con 2011

Okay, it's not so long for Miracle Day and the second half of Series 6 of Doctor Who but both the main show and it's spin-off will be having an active presence at Comic Con 2011.

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Steven Moffat, Toby Whithouse, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis will be attending the event on Sunday July 24th from 12.30pm to 1.30pm and attendees can expect some exclusive footage from the second half of Series 6. Elsewhere Albert Welling has been cast as Hitler for the season's eighth episode, Let's Kill Hitler while Mark Gatiss has announced that the ninth episode will be called Night Terrors and Tom McRae has similarly confirmed that the tenth episode will not be called The Green Anchor. Episode 11 remains as The God Complex and the last two episodes are yet still untitled.

Torchwood will also have an active presence at Comic Con 2011. July 22nd will see John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins, Lauren Ambrose, Bill Pullman and Jane Espenson fielding questions from fans and at 9.30pm, there will be an exclusive showing of the third episode of the new season - Dead Of Night. Wish I could be there.

Miracle Day 11 Minute Preview: http://www.combom.co.uk/2011/06/torchwood-miracle-day-interview.html

Doctor Who - Series 7 News In Tweets

Okay, how to break the news about Doctor Who's fate in relation to Series 7 and the next two years. I know, I'll let the tweets do the talking.


Now, this was stupid considering that last week, Moffat and company announced fourteen new episodes. I know they didn't say those episodes would air in 2012 but that doesn't lessen the blow either.

I'd rather a full series than another series of specials but here's hoping they're worth it though. Damn you, BBC.

And more of an official statement here ...

BBC1 Controller Danny Cohen today revealed that, after much speculation generated since the Private Eye article and subsequent BBC announcements last week, Doctor Who will indeed be returning in a curtailed form during 2012.

Speaking at the Church and Media Conference this afternoon, Cohen's comments were relayed via Twitter, with BBC Merseyside's Religious Editor Wayne Clarke reporting: "Danny Cohen says there won't be a full series of Doctor Who in 2012, but a special run for the anniversary in 2013". The BBC's Entertainment Correspondent Liza Mzimba confirmed the comments this evening, adding that other reported comments by Cohen on the decision being made to enable head writer Steven Moffat more time to write his other hit series Sherlock were light-hearted and not meant to be taken seriously.

No other details on how many episodes will comprise the 2012 run at present, though the BBC confirmed last week that fourteen episodes had been commissioned, including this year's Christmas Special, with Matt Smith at the helm in the role as The Doctor.

Update: commenting on the various media stories circulating over Cohen's announcement, Steven Moffat said: "Dr Who: misquotes and misunderstandings. But I'm not being bounced into announcing the cool stuff before we're ready. Hush, and patience."

Doctor Who - Series 7 Is A Go

Three Doctor Who blogs in a row? I know, I will talk about something else next blog I promise but the news of the series being picked up for a seventh season with 14 episodes needed to be discussed here.

Okay, it was obvious the show would come back and while there had been some discussion in relation to Matt Smith, a tweet from Steven Moffat indicates that Smith will be continuing his role as the Doctor but there's a glaring omission of Amy and Rory. I hate to admit it, but I think it's likely that next season, we will be having some new companions as well as the recurring presence of River Song.

However, it's odd that the original report said that the episodes will air in 2012 and now it doesn't. Hopefully more details become available soon.

Press Release: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/06/dwn070611173008-bbc-confirms-fourteen.html

Doctor Who And The Gay Agenda

Usually when you attach the sentence 'Doctor Who and the gay agenda', it's usually some miserable so and so whinging about the inclusion of LGBT characters in the series, accusing the show of trying to be PC. As a gay man, I'm pleased to see it because usually the characters actually add something to the mix and their sexuality isn't the be all and end of all of them.

Russell T. Davies provided plenty of LGBT characters over the course of his four season reign - Cassandra, Jake, Alonso, granny couple from Gridlock, Sky Silvestry as well as Jack and Ianto at different points in the series and while Steven Moffat's first year didn't seem to have any, it's interesting and quite pleasing his second year running the series has featured some. Opening two-parter, The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon gave us the absolutely excellent, Canton Everett Delware III, whose sexuality was alluded to in the first part and confirmed in the second part when Nixon denied him the right to marry his partner, who also happened to be black. I love the way that some fans ranted about this being another attempt of being PC but it's comments like this that highlight the importance to occasionally include an LGBT character into the mix and Canton was by far, one of the best the show has given us. Companion material if I ever saw any.
A Good Man Goes To War however gave us what will be known as the most discussion lesbian couple on TV this year. Sorry Brittana, but you've been usurped by Victorian Silurian (and eater of Jack The Ripper) Madame Vastra and her maid girlfriend, Jenny (no, not that one), who easily took down two clerics and also had moments of smuttiness ("She is definitely a girl", tongue lashing) but more than that, they were two fully formed characters. Vastra herself had previously tried to wreck vengeance on humanity, only for the Doctor to show her the error of her ways. Vastra clearly also had enough of a friendship with the Doctor, considering that she knew a lot about Time Lords and broached the possibility of Melody not being human before the Doctor considered the possibility himself. Jenny too was no spare part as she tried to comfort Amy upon Kovarian's success in snatching Melody. Plus, never mind being a lesbian couple - Vastra and Jenny were an inter-species one and while that's not exactly a first for Doctor Who, it does seem more noteworthy than past ones, right? Plus, I was far from shocked with the rapturous response these two ladies have gotten. I also want to see them again.

Less focused on but still delightful in A Good Man Goes To War was the married, gay, Anglican marine couple, oddly called the Fat One and Thin One. While Thin One largely interacted with Lorna Bucket to see how much she knew about the Doctor, Fat One ended up losing his head by the Headless Monks. Some of the most subtle but effective bits of acting in this episode was Thin One's tearful reaction when he discovered his husband had now become a Headless Monk and that's not including the obvious commentary of a gay married couple in both a religious and military order either. You have to hand it to Moff, the fact that he managed to slip in five memorable gay characters in the three episodes he's scribed so far for Season 6 has been an amazing feat. I hope that bodes well for the second half of the season.

You might find it odd that I'm including River in the article as well but the reason I am is apart from her obvious love story with the Doctor, there's been allusions in the series that River, like a certain Time Agent has a fluid sexuality. Femslash with her and Amy might be ruined now but we've seen River openly admitting to fancying everyone in her expedition (except Lux) in Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead and in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang, she wasn't shy in mentioning that she had previous relations with a Nestene duplicate as well. Maybe that is a 51st century thing though but either way, it's another in a long list of reasons to love River Song.

And then there's Jack Harkness. Never mind Torchwood or anything else (or anyone else) whose breathed life into the character since 2005. Steven Moffat was the first person to introduce the character and he did that superbly in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. I loved the nonchalant way he did, not making Jack's bisexuality/omnisexuality a big issue but getting the message across in a clear, effective manner nonetheless. Moffat has also mentioned in recent interviews that he wants to bring Jack back into the show and hopefully at some point, he will do. The truth of the matter is that for all the whinging certain fans do about LGBT characters, the thing is that they've provided more good and no harm to Doctor Who and it's not like the Classic Series wasn't devoid of LGBT/camp moments as well. Long may 'the gay agenda' reign!

LGBT Guide To Doctor Who: http://www.nyder.com/stuff/whosqueer.html

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x07: "A Good Man Goes To War"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Peter Hoar

River (to Amy/Rory): “It’s me, I’m Melody. I’m your daughter.”

Every now and then, there will come a time where I will want to kick myself for reading a spoiler but as a spoiler junkie, I only have myself to blame. I knew for weeks about River’s identity and went through a short period of disbelieving it, only for the last while to see how it could make some sense.

So that means when the episode ended with Amy reading the translation of Lorna’s prayer leaf in relation to her daughter’s name, I was just pleased it was finally revealed. That’s right – I was pleased. Not shocked or disappointed or apathetic as some viewers probably were but happy in my own way.

Whoever River was going to turn out to be, it would always disappoint someone. The fact that she’s Amy and Rory’s grown up daughter, formerly known as Melody Pond still doesn’t detract from the fact there’s still so much about her we don’t. We can theorize about the ins and outs of her relationship with the Doctor and the good man she’s set to kill (assuming she hasn’t done it already) but until they’re explicitly shown on screen, we still don’t know for sure.

Dramatically, it’s also rather satisfying as well in its own way. Melody/River was a little girl born to a woman who had the universe pouring through her thanks to the cracks in time and a man who simply will not die, no matter how many times he’s killed. Never mind the fact that she’s also partially Time Lady – River really is impossibility.

It’s also because of this that Madame Kovarian makes more sense as a villain as well. She’s determined to stop the Doctor at any costs and having the perfect weapon in Melody/River is certainly a way to go about it. That being said, I cannot sympathise with her plight and only hope that failure is imminent for her.

A woman who’s seemingly appalled by the destructive status of the Doctor but at the same time kidnaps a young mother and holds her prisoner and then pulls a double bluff on them all with baby Pond. Kovarian might believe she’s doing the right thing but I genuinely don’t believe she is.

Colonel Manton almost seemed like more of a moral character as well as the Clerics than Kovarian does. I doubt for a second if Kovarian can use Melody as a weapon that she would stop with just the Doctor’s demise and with six episodes left to go in this season, it’ll be interesting to see whether I’m right or wrong.

I liked the Doctor and Rory in this episode calling in a lot debts in order to mount a rescue for Amy and Melody but at the same time, I didn’t need Dorium’s sense of foreboding terror to make me realise that it was a little too easy. No way was someone as determined as Kovarian would give up in getting one over on the Doctor.

The scene where she finally played her hand and revealed a flesh version of Melody to a distraught actually bothered me a little. It didn’t offend me but it was definitely and poor Amy and Rory went through the ringer in this episode, with both Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill excelling at every turn.

Amy had been given supervised visits with her baby that the moment she was reunited with Rory and the Doctor, I couldn’t help but cheer. This episode alone has literally made me realise how attached to this TARDIS I actually am that all their scenes got to me, especially the one where the Doctor gave Melody his own cot as well.

Also, I think what really got me was the doubt Amy did show the Doctor for a tiny moment when Melody was taken and the fact that she pointed a gun at River. I’m not entirely sure if River intended to tell Amy and Rory who she was but I definitely loved the way she got the message across to the Doctor without actually saying the words. Now there I have to praise Matt Smith and Alex Kingston.

Of course our main four players aside and Madame Kovarian too, this episode followed a tradition of finales with a plethora of various monsters and guest characters. However this episode might go as using them for the best compared to other seasons and that included the brief Cybermen appearance in this one. Cybermen on screen for about a minute actually worked in their favour.

I can’t really decide what guest characters I liked the most – the gay couple named Fat One and Thin One were like a comedy duo, soldiers Lucas and Dominicus were there to be tied up by awesome Silurian warrior Madame Vastra and her girlfriend/human/Victorian servant, Jenny and even the idea of a nurse Sontaran in Strax, brief Judoon appearances, Avery and his son and the duplicitous Dorium were all delightful.

I think apart from Vastra getting the Doctor to work out what Melody was intended, the best of the guest characters was the tragic Lorna Bucket. A reverse Amy in some ways – waited for the Doctor but he didn’t remember her, I loved her doing her best to comfort Amy and help the gang. Her death was also pretty effective along with Strax’s demise too.

In terms of game changing, I think this is debatable. It certainly changes how we might view the relationships between the Doctor, Amy, Rory and Melody/River but I’m still not entirely sure it’s a game changer for the whole series. Still though, this is one episode that is going to be talked about for many years to come and that’s a guarantee.

Also in “A Good Man Goes To War”

This was the longest episode we’ve had so far this season, clocking in at around 50 minutes.

Rory (to the Cybermen): “I have a message and a question. A message from the Doctor and a question from me – where is my wife?”

The Cyberleader in this one looked similar to the one from “The Next Doctor” and all the Cybermen were lacking the Cybus logo.

Strax: “Tonight, perhaps my penance is over. Captain Harcourt, I hope to meet you in the glory of battle where I shall crush the life out of your worthless human form. Try and get some rest.”

River: “This is the battle of Demon’s Run. The Doctor’s darkest hour. He will rise higher than before and then fall so much further. And I can’t be with him till the very end.”
Rory: “Why not?”
River: “Because this is it. This is the day he finds out who I am.”

River was celebrating her birthday in 1814 with the Doctor and Stevie Wonder, Madame Vastra murdered/ate Jack The Ripper in 1888 and Strax came from the battle of Zaruthstra in 4037 AD.

Amy: “Can I borrow your gun?”
Lorna: “Why?”
Amy: “Cos I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna keep talking.”

The Doctor (to Colonel Manton): “Look at me, I’m angry. I’m really not sure what’s going to happen now.”
Madame Kovarian: “The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules.”

It was confirmed in this episode that Amy’s been in captivity since the start of the season and she remembers everything her flesh avatar has experienced.

Amy: “Okay, what are you doing?”
The Doctor: “I speak baby.”
Amy: “No, you don’t.”
The Doctor: “I speak everything, don’t I Melody Pond? No, it’s not, it’s cool.”

The Doctor (re Amy’s pregnancy): “”When?”
Madame Vastra: “I am trying to be delicate. I know how you can blush. When did this baby begin?”

I loved the poem that River recited about “Demon’s Run” when the Headless Monks started attacking everyone.

Amy: “No offence to the others but you’ll let them die first, okay?”
Rory: “You’re so Scottish.”

The Doctor: “The child is not a weapon.”
Madame Kovarian: “Oh give us time, she can be. She will be.”

This is the first time in the series history we’ve had a split season but the remaining six episodes of the season are Series 6 though.

The Doctor: “Who are you?”
River: “Oh look, your cot. I haven’t seen that in a very long while.”
The Doctor: “No, you tell me. You tell me who you are.”
River: “I am telling you, can’t you read?”

A date has not been confirmed for the second half apart from Autumn 2011 but is the next episode really going to be called “Let’s Kill Hitler?” Oh and I liked the little preview with the skeletal hand and the sonic screwdriver at the end. Time runs out indeed!

“A Good Man Goes To War” was sublime in so many ways. It furthered many plots, finally gave us a much answered question (though not completely), had some of the most memorable guest characters while the main characters were at their best but it’s gonna be hell waiting for the second half of the series though.

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x06: "The Almost People"

Written by Matthew Graham
Directed by Julian Simpson

Ganger Amy: “Doctor, I’m frightened. I’m properly, properly scared.”
The Doctor: “Don’t be, hold on. We’re coming for you, I swear. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, we will find you.”

In retrospect, I really should’ve seen the last three minutes of this episode coming a mile off. I mean, certain clues had been there – TARDIS’s inability to detect the pregnancy, Eye Patch Lady’s constant appearances and even the bits of xenophobia that our Amy might not have displayed but damn, that’s how you do a cliff hanger.

I take it that at some point in between or during “The Impossible Astronaut” and “Day Of The Moon”, the real Amy was snatched and replaced with a Ganger version but how and when? I’d ask why but I assume it’s something to do with the baby she’s about to give birth to, given the interest that Eye Patch Lady displayed at the end.

In terms of game changing stuff, it’s certainly daring enough for Moffat and company to attempt and I’m curious to know that if Gangers can remember every experience of their human selves, does that mean Amy remembers every adventure her Ganger has had with the Doctor and Rory for the last while too?

More to the point, where the hell is Amy being kept as well and what exactly will her baby bring forth? I’d like to say the child could possibly be ordinary and that the trailer for the next episode was just alluding to something emotional but I have a feeling that physically, Amy’s baby is going to be a threat of some kind or can at least be utilised as one.

Also in terms of the ‘who’s the daddy?’ bit, I’m not playing this game. I don’t for one second believe that anyone else except Rory can be the father but at the same time, I don’t believe the baby is completely human or unaffected by time travel either. Am I grasping at straws? Probably but until next Saturday, I’ll keep a hold of them.

It certainly took a lot for Rory to let go of his wife long enough for the Doctor to expose that she was a Ganger. Given the amount of ethics there has been about keeping the Gangers, the Doctor certainly ended the Ganger version of Amy rather quickly but seeing as our Amy was keeping the Ganger version going, it was only a matter of time before she became goo once again.

As for the rest of the story itself, I complained about the first part suffering from being plodding and the second part has the same ailment as well, though not nearly as bad. The scenes with Doctor and his Ganger were certainly some of the best we’ve had but I don’t think anyone was going to say no to the prospect of two Matt Smiths for the price of one.

I found it interesting that Ganger Amy had all these prejudices for the Ganger version of the Doctor but it was more interesting to see how the Doctor seemed a little freely in accepting his other self with ease. I suppose it was also handy that the use of two Doctors was also a means in helping with cutting the signal out between Amy and her own duplicate as well.

As for the stuff with Ganger Jennifer, I was kind of disappointed that she went fully evil, especially when the rest of the Gangers were beginning to come around. Sarah Smart played it well enough but I guess Jennifer’s turn was going to end up becoming a means of thinning the human and Ganger herd in this story.

The human versions of Buzzer, Dicken and Jimmy all managed to meet their end at the hands of Ganger Jennifer and even the Ganger versions of Cleaves and the Doctor ended up dying after managing to stop Jennifer all together. I guess it felt a little too clean, even down to Original Cleaves being given a cure for her blood clot and making peace with Ganger Dicken while Ganger Jimmy went home for Adam’s birthday.

As for Rory, losing Amy aside, this was sadly an episode where his compassion nearly resulted in disaster thanks to Jennifer’s mind games but if the trailers for the mid-season finale are anything to go by, he’s going to be kicking all levels of butt next week. Now this is a side to Rory that should be interesting to see.

Also in “The Almost People”

The original title for this episode was meant to be “Gangers” but there’s something more unsettling about the title it ended up with.

Ganger Doctor: “So, what do we do now, Doctor?”
The Doctor: “Well, time to get cracking, Doctor.”

Ganger Doctor managed to invoke aspects of his first, third, fourth and tenth incarnations. There are voice cameos from Tom Baker and David Tennant in this one.

Ganger Amy: “Doctor, you said earlier to breathe.”
The Doctor: “Very important, Pond, breathe.”
Ganger Amy: “Yeah, well I’m struggling to.”

Ganger Jennifer’s monstrous transformation might have looked naff but the disposed Gangers and the wall of eyes were nicely creepy.

Ganger Cleaves: “Revolution? Look, I just, I just want to be left to live in peace, Jen.”
Ganger Jennifer: “They will melt you. Have you become so human you’ve forgotten the truth?”

The Doctor: “Sure you’re not prejudiced?”
Ganger Amy: “Nice try but I know, okay? We’ve been through too much. You’re my Doctor, end of.”

At one point in this story, the Doctors swapped shoes and it took me a while to click about his plan in regards to Amy.

Ganger Dicken: “You don’t look good.”
Ganger Cleaves: “Monsters never do. I’m fine, I remember medics doing tests.”

The Doctor: “The eyes have it.”
Ganger Amy: “Why are they here?”
The Doctor: “To accuse – us.”

The company the humans and Gangers worked for was called Morpeth Jetsan and Cleaves used the code of ‘bad boy’. A friend of mine thinks it might mean something else.

Ganger Cleaves: “Look at you, Jen, you’re a sweet kid. Look at you now – stuff of nightmares. I don’t want my world populated by monsters.”

Ganger Amy: “I never thought it was possible.”
Ganger Doctor: “What?”
Ganger Amy: “You’re twice the man I thought you were.”
Ganger Doctor: “Push Amy, but only when she tells you.”

It seems that we have lost our first person in the new era of this show. Piers Wenger has left the series and BBC for Film Four. Good luck, Piers.

Eye Patch Lady (to Amy): “Well dear, you’re ready to pop, aren’t you? Little one’s on it’s way. Here it comes. Push.”

Chronology: Well, Amy’s been pregnant for nine months but we don’t know how many of them she’s been in captivity.

The curse of plodding along aside and not doing anything too original with the clone vs. human debate, “The Almost People” is definitely a much stronger and engaging episode and with those last three minutes, definitely somewhat hard to forget too.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x05: "The Rebel Flesh"

Written by Matthew Graham
Directed by Julian Simpson

Ganger Doctor (to Amy): “Trust me, I’m the Doctor.”

Anyone get a sense of déjà vu with this episode? We did the cloning storyline back in the fourth season and much better with the addition of Sontarans in the mix and as for that ending? I saw it coming a mile off.

After a slew of impressive episodes, we kind of hit a slump with this one, the start of a two part story where the Doctor, Amy and Rory wind up at a mysterious factory/monastery following a solar tsunami that gets them there and to say there isn’t a certain oddness about the place would be a bit of an understatement.

With the Sontarans, we had Martha cloned against her will, doing their bidding and sabotaging the Doctor, Donna and UNIT at every turn. With the workers here – Cleaves, Buzzer, Jennifer, Jimmy and Dickens we have them cloning themselves with programmable matter called the Flesh in order to carry out the more difficult of tasks.

Cleaves herself basically reminds the Doctor and the audience as a result that while the matter has some independence, it still needs controlling by having the original people in safety harnesses as they work but this episode also didn’t waste a lot of time showing the error of Cleaves assertion on the Flesh.

For instance, another solar storm managed to wake the original people from their harnesses and the gangers themselves ran amok with only the original versions of Jennifer and Cleaves not being accounted for. It’s also amazing to a degree how quickly both the originals and the gangers turned on each other as well.

Trying to voice some sympathy for the gangers was having Rory spending a lot of time with the duplicate of Jennifer and to be honest, despite some really good actors in the roles of the guest characters (Marshall Lancaster as Buzzer for example), only Sarah Smart managed to really stand out as Jennifer.

Part of the ganger Jennifer did seem rather clingy and cloying with Rory but it was nice to see Rory actually lead a storyline rather than just react to the Doctor and Amy. I think that while parts of his sympathy for Jennifer the ganger could bite him in the backside next week, it also made sense. Rory’s a nurse, people in pain, even if they’re not real does seem to affect and it was nice to see him independent of Amy for a bit as well.

Rory wanting to help Jennifer was noble and all but it was a pity that the real Cleaves had to go and ruin everything by turning the original people against the gangers nearly less than a minute after the Doctor also trying to get the originals and the gangers actually working together but at least this episode managed to subvert a recurring trope for once.

I was convinced that when Rory fought Cleaves for the cattle prod that she was going to wind up killing him, so it was actually a nice change that no such thing happening. Then again, Rory’s already ‘died’ enough times this season, so it’s high time the poor guy had something of a breather.

However while Rory and the Doctor had done their best to actually try and bring about peace, the impending just had to go and break out. Ethical debates about the right to kill a doppelganger aside; it’s interesting how the Jennifer ganger seemed to usurp Cleaves for leadership with surprisingly little fuss. Maybe Rory was misguided after all in helping her or maybe he’ll be the one to get through to her in the next episode. One can hope, right?

As for the ganger version of the Doctor – I’ve been hearing wild theories that this might tie back to the events of the opening two parter but what I found most surprising was the Doctor’s lack of reaction to seeing his double. Okay, it’s not the first time for him but it was rather jarring for the predictable cliff hanger but having seen this episode at least three times already, the Doctor’s rather off in general. I hope that means something next week.

As for Amy, this was not her week. Seriously, if Karen Gillan had been absent for the episode, I don’t think it would’ve been such a bad thing because she pretty had nothing really to do. Both the Doctor and Rory had their respective roles in this one but apart from some jealousy/worry over Rory with Jennifer and briefly seeing the Eye Patch Lady, this one was not Amy at her most useful.

Also in “The Rebel Flesh”

Matthew Graham previously wrote the second season story, “Fear Her” as well as creating both Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes, both of which starred Marshall Lancaster.

Buzzer (to Jennifer/Jimmy): “Oh, lighten up. It’s not like anyone was hurt.”

We got another scene of the Doctor scanning to see whether or not Amy is pregnant behind her back. Just reveal it already, show.

Rory: “My mum’s a massive fan of Dusty Springfield.”
The Doctor: “Who isn’t? Right, let’s go and satisfy our rapid curiosity.”

Cleaves (to the Doctor): “If there’s another solar storm, what are you gonna do about it? Hand out sun block?”

Amy seems to have forgotten that because of his 2000 years of memories, Rory effectively is (or should be) a medieval expert.

The Doctor (re the Flesh): “Well, I can see why you keep it in a church, miracle of life.”
Buzzer: “Don’t get poncey, it’s just gunge.”

Ganger Jennifer: “I couldn’t get out of my harness. I thought I was going to die.”
Rory: “Welcome to my world.”

The Doctor really did seem evasive throughout this episode. Why do I get the feeling he’s experienced this before or something else?

Ganger Jennifer (to Rory): “My name is Jennifer Lucas; I’m not a factory part. I had toast for my breakfast. I wrote a letter to my mum and then you arrived. I noticed your eyes right off.”

The Doctor: “Hello, how are we all getting on?”
Ganger Cleaves: “Why don’t you tell us?”

The Doctor did a pretty brutal attempt of a Northern accent. Thanks for reminding me of the 9th Doctor/Christopher Eccleston, show.

The Doctor: “We were all jelly once. Little jelly eggs sitting in goo.”
Amy: “Yeah, thanks, too much information.”

Chronology: I have no idea, apart it being Earth based and on an unknown island. Musically, though – Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” and Muse’s “Super Massive Black Hole” – excellent choices.

I wanted to like “The Rebel Flesh”, I really did but as good a writer as Matthew Graham is, I just don’t think he really works for this show at all. The episode just felt like it was plodding along and the main story wasn’t as engaging as I’d hoped it would be. Here’s hoping the next part is far better.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x04: "The Doctor's Wife"

Written by Neil Gaiman
Directed by Richard Clark

The Doctor: “You’re the TARDIS?”
Idris: “Yes.”
The Doctor: “My TARDIS?”
Idris: “My Doctor. Oh, we have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock.”

Let’s get the obvious thing out of the way first – this is not technically the first time we’ve seen the TARDIS in human personification as books and audios have tackled that thorny subject before but it is the first time it’s been done on TV and to say it’s been a success would be pretty apt. I’ll keep the gushing to a minimum but there was a lot I loved here.

For months I wanted the mysterious Idris to turn out to be Romana because I wanted an end to this whole last of the Time Lord mantra the show has been stuck and while this episode cruelly teased the possibility of other Time Lords out there and took it away in a spin, I have zero complaints in Idris turning out to be the TARDIS.

Well, to be honest, she’s actually the TARDIS matrix trapped into a human body so that the asteroid House can feed off the rest of the TARDIS but either way, it’s been long overdue for the best spaceship to have a mouth piece and for forty five minutes, this episode was perfection in dealing with a human TARDIS.

Suranne Jones was the perfect choice for the role as well. I don’t think many actresses could’ve pulled off being both beautiful and bonkers at the same time but Suranne certainly did that in spades and her chemistry with Matt Smith for the whole episode ensured that Amy and Rory weren’t too missed either.

Setting the adventure outside of the universe on a sentient asteroid was a smart idea. I liked that House controlled/repaired the likes of Auntie, Uncle and Ood Nephew and that his underestimation of Idris would later contribute to his downfall as well.

Although Auntie and Uncle didn’t get much to do apart from explaining House’s motives and warning the Doctor about Idris’s insanity, there were a great bunch of side characters and the whole fact that they were patched from parts of other life forms (mostly other Time Lords) was a nice touch too. You could tell that the Doctor was seriously pissed off when he realised he had been lured into a trap.

As for Idris though, her speech patterns and behaviour might have come across as erratic but given that it was the TARDIS trying to make sense of her temporary body and surroundings, I can’t complain too much. And again, did I mention that Suranne Jones played a blinder in this episode?

The interactions between the Doctor and Sexy were fantastic from start to finish. The biting and kissing discussion was one thing but I loved the way Idris revealed her real identity to him as well. Definitely one of those moments that will live on in the series history and their later conversations revealed a lot of depth with the Doctor and his constant companion.

It’s odd because I’ve never looked at the TARDIS as a character and because of that, I’ve nearly done it a disservice. The show has made countless allusions to it being alive and female and fanfiction sites always seem to cite the TARDIS as a character as well, so I guess my overall look of the TARDIS has changed thanks to this episode. Also this episode wasted no time in showing us how much she knew the Doctor.

She knew he was mad enough to take her across all of time and space and she promptly chose him and she finally answered a long term question by revealing that she always took him to where he needed to go. I know some fans might complain that the mystery’s now ruined but I honestly don’t care because it’s nice that the show finally answered that question.

Another thing I also loved in this episode was how when Idris and the Doctor were trying to save Amy and Rory from House’s crazy antics, it was Rory that Idris seemed to favour. Sure, it was Amy who got them into older console but it was Rory that Idris kept psychically communicating with and it was also Rory that reacted to her ‘death’ as well.

The Doctor using Idris to trick House into defeat was nice enough and worked well, considering that he was stupid enough to let her slip back into the main console room and death wise, even Idris isn’t actually really dead, I still found her passing scene really touching. The fact that she just wanted to say hello to the Doctor was one of the sweetest things going.

The other thing noteworthy in this shameless love letter to the TARDIS was Amy’s comments about how it’s always the Doctor and his ship. It is really and it always should be. There’s no way in hell this show could go without the TARDIS and this episode more than reminded me of it’s importance to the Doctor as well as the series itself.

Of course, Doctor/Idris stuff aside; I’m really interested in how much Amy/Rory can hold off not telling the Doctor about his future death or the meaning behind the phrase ‘the only water in the forest is the river’. I have a feeling that with at least one of them, I won’t have to wait too long for an answer.

Also in “The Doctor’s Wife”

This episode title was originally supposed to be used during the John Nathan Turner era of the show to seek out those who were leaking spoilers.

The Doctor: “Oh come here, come here you scrumptious little beauty.”
Rory: “A box?”
Amy: “Doctor, what is it?”
The Doctor: “I’ve got mail.”

The message boxes were the same ones that were used in “The War Games” and we heard of a good Time Lord called The Corsair, whose arm was given to Auntie. Oh and Time Lords can change gender upon regeneration.

The Doctor: “Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?”
Idris: “Me, are you going to steal me? You have stolen me, you are stealing me. Oh, tenses are difficult, aren’t they?”

Amy (re Time Lords): “You want to be forgiven.”
The Doctor: “Don’t we all?”

This episode was meant to air in Season 5 where “The Lodger” had aired. I’m glad it got pushed to this season so that Rory could be in it.

Rory (re the Doctor): “He’s a Time Lord, he’ll be fine.”
Amy: “It’s just what they’re called. It doesn’t actually mean he knows what he’s doing.”

The Doctor (to Auntie/Uncle): “You gave me hope and you took it away. That’s enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it’ll do to me. Run.”

House was voiced by Michael Sheen and apart from the ‘die/kill/hate Amy’ stuff we got in blood, we also saw Rory aged 2000 years and as a rotting corpse.

The Doctor: “You’re dying.”
Idris: “Yes, of course I’m dying. I don’t belong in a flesh body; I could blow the casing in no time.”

The Doctor: “You didn’t always take me where I wanted to go.”
Idris: “No, but I always took you where you needed to go.”

The Ood were credited as being created by Russell T. Davies. I don’t remember this happening last season when the Judoon featured.

Rory: “2000 years I waited for you. You did it to me again.”
Amy: “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

Idris (to the Doctor): “Oh my beautiful idiot. You have what you always had, you’ve got me.”

The makeshift TARDIS we saw the Doctor and Idris use was from a Blue Peter winner. Also Idris referred to the dead TARDISes on House as her sisters.

The Doctor: “You’re doing it, you sexy thing.”
Idris: “See, you do call me that. Is that my name?”
The Doctor: “You bet it’s your name.”

House: “Fear me; I’ve killed hundreds of Time Lords.”
The Doctor: “Fear me; I’ve killed all of them.”

This was supposed to be the third episode of the season as well but it was pushed to fourth when “The Curse Of The Black Spot” was brought forward.

Idris: “There’s something I didn’t get to say to you.”
The Doctor: “Goodbye.”
Idris: “No, I just wanted to say hello. Hello Doctor, it’s so very, very nice to meet you.”

Amy: “Look at you pair. It’s always you and her, isn’t it? Long after the rest of us are gone. A boy and his box off to see the universe.”
The Doctor: “You say that if it’s a bad thing but honestly, it’s the best thing there is.”

Chronology: None actually specified and this episode didn’t mention anything in relation to Amy’s pregnancy either.

“The Doctor’s Wife” when you think about it isn’t a cop out title for this story. Okay the Doctor and the TARDIS/Idris aren’t actually married but their relationship can easily be compared to one and their connection is certainly something that can’t be denied either. A real masterpiece of an episode.

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x03: "The Curse Of The Black Spot"

Written by Steve Thompson
Directed by Jeremy Webb

The Doctor: “You had to gloat, didn’t you?”
Avery: “I wasn’t gloating.”
The Doctor: “I saw that look right now – ha ha, his ship is rubbish.”
Avery: “True.”

Let’s face it, when it comes to ship, the TARDIS might have her occasional setback but it’s a better ship than most and it’s always going to be more impressive than a pirate ship. Not that pirate ships aren’t impressive but a TARDIS will always trump it mind.

The idea of a pirate themed episode for this show isn’t exactly new territory. “The Smugglers” is probably the most famous pirate themed story from the Classic Series and whether “The Curse Of The Black Spot” will be seen as a classic in later years remains to be seen. For now, it’s more of a fluffier episode compared to the opening two parter we had.

The Doctor, Amy and Rory playing stowaways on Avery’s ship, only to be caught within the first three minutes of the episode set up a light hearted tone. We even got a moment where Avery forced the Doctor to walk the plank before Amy got a little over enthusiastic with a cutlass and damned one of his crew.

I’m usually fond of Amy’s sassiness but even I found it rather jarring when she wasn’t exactly on page with the pirate’s alarm at being cut. Okay, so she didn’t know about the Siren and until then, the pirate had been giving them hell but it was just a little bit of a jarring moment with Amy for me.

As for the men being marked for death by the Siren, I totally knew that Rory was going to wind up being one of them. You have to give Arthur Darvill his due. As an enchanted Rory, he got to play the fool very well and put a lot of playful humour into some fairly ridiculous dialogue but as a Rory fan, this episode committed the cardinal sin of killing him off again.

It’s moments like this where it’s understandable as to why Rory is seen as the Kenny of this show. The poor fella does seem to have bad luck with dying and while it never sticks, it is becoming a recurring joke that’s in danger of losing its effect. Oddly enough though, it wasn’t the Siren who offed him though. Drowning managed to accomplish that one.

And then there was the Siren. I had no real opinion of Lily Cole being cast in the role because there have been enough incidents in the new series where an odd piece of casting has worked in the show’s favour but here it was something of a mixed bag if I’m being totally honest.

Lily Cole looked the part of a Siren – beautiful and enchanting one minute, sinister the next but in terms of performances, honestly, you could’ve gotten any extra to have done basically the same thing she did throughout the entire episode, which wasn’t much to be brutally honest.

Not giving the Siren any dialogue was a massive misstep for this episode. Not only did it relegate the Doctor as a mouthpiece for voicing the Siren’s intent but it also denied Lily Cole a chance to actually show viewers what she’s capable of as an actress, which was a damn shame as far as I was concerned.

I didn’t mind the reveal of the Siren being more of an automated doctor trying to heal the sick. It was a nice enough twist and after the nastiness of the Silence in the last two weeks, it’s always good to have an alien on the show whose intentions aren’t nefarious but again, no dialogue sort of hampered the character’s impact for me.

However it did lead to an interesting character moment for Amy. I’m not gonna lament on the bad CPR skills but for all the continuous doubters out there, does this episode finally prove that she loves Rory? Probably not but I don’t doubt her love for him and while you can lament about Rory’s faith in Amy being misplaced, I actually think it’s endearing of him. Unlike “Cold Blood”, Rory made it out of this one alive.

Now that we’ve had the ritual ‘let’s kill Rory’ moment of the episode, the more interesting aspect of the episode was the fact that the TARDIS lot are lying to each other. I love this team so much and while I understand Amy and Rory concealing the Doctor’s future death from him, I’m not sure I understand why the Doctor is scanning Amy behind her back.

Three episodes in and I’m still convinced that Amy’s Schrödinger pregnancy is a good plot point but at the same time, it seems jarring that the Doctor doesn’t confront her and Rory on this. He had no problem doing that last year with the cracks, so why not this and who the hell is that Eye Patch lady already?

Elsewhere and back to the pirate stuff, apart from Avery’s greed, his issues with his son Toby and the disloyalty and cowardice of some of his crew, I have to hand it to Steve Thompson for being somewhat restrained with the pirate clichés, though I’m not sure the idea of a pirate crew in deep space with a Siren is a good idea though.

Also in “The Curse Of The Black Spot”

The timing of this episode couldn’t be any more perfect, what with a new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie coming out soon.

The Doctor (to Avery): “Yo, ho, ho, ho or does anyone actually say that?”

This is the third historical episode we’ve had in a row so far this series. Nice to see the format shift a little.

The Doctor: “Amy, what are you doing?”
Amy: “Saving your life. Okay with that, are you?”

Rory: “Hey, cuddle me, shipmate.”
Amy: “Rory stop.”

This episode was meant to be one later in the season but it was pushed forward because there weren’t enough lighter episodes in the first half of the season, according to Steven Moffat.

The Doctor (re Toby): “He’s not one of the crew?”
Avery: “No, he’s my son.”

The Doctor: “I was wrong. Please ignore all my previous theories up until this point.”
Avery: “What, again?”

First Canton, now Avery got a look around the TARDIS and the Doctor mentioned about multiple bathrooms too.

Toby: “What made you do it, what made you turn pirate?”
Avery: “Get some sleep now.”

Madame Kovarian (to Amy): “It’s fine; you’re doing fine, just stay calm.”

I lied about Eye Patch Lady – I think she’s an intergalactic midwife from hell, which makes sense, considering the contexts in which Amy has seen her in the last two episodes.

The Doctor (to Amy/Avery): “Ever look at a mirror and think you’re seeing a whole other world? Well, this time it’s not an illusion.”

Amy: “Why do I have to be the one, why do I have to save you?”
Rory: “Because I know you’ll never give up.”

Steve Thompson, who scribed this episode, also wrote for Sherlock last year as well.

Amy: “You only call me Amelia when you’re worrying about me.”
The Doctor: “I always worry about you.”
Amy: “Mutual.”
The Doctor: “Go to bed, Pond.”

Chronology: If we’re going by the real Henry Avery, then it’s late 17th Century.

While this episode is unlikely to go down as a classic, I think “The Curse Of The Black Spot” for me at least falls into the ‘better than I expected it’ category and after the darkness of the last two episodes, it was needed to have something a little lighter. However next week’s episode looks to be a big one.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x02: "Day Of The Moon"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Toby Haynes

The Doctor: “You know what they say – there’s a first time for everything.”
River: “And a last time.”

I thought last week’s episode was a head trip but this episode was even more trippy than the first one and watching it three times was needed for me before I decided to write a review for it. Where do I begin?

Well, there was the cliff hanger for a start from last week. Not only was Amy a bad shot but for the first five minutes of this episode, we were under the horrible impression that Canton turned villain as he gunned down Amy and Rory, drove River off a building and imprisoned the Doctor in something that looked like the Pandorica Mark 2. Fortunately looks aren’t everything.

Mark Sheppard usually plays villains in most things he appears in but Canton was still on the TARDIS team’s side for this one. How nice was it that he was in on the Doctor and company’s attempts of fooling the Silence than being duped himself. Even more nice when he later used Amy’s video phone to help bring the Silence’s downfall in this episode too.

And because of that, it’s actually a pity that we probably won’t be seeing for a while yet but as a temporary companion of sorts, he was wonderful in his scenes with the gang. I definitely got why the Doctor sent both Canton and Amy to check out Graystark Hall when they were investigating the little girl as well.

Creepy children’s homes aren’t exactly new territory but this episode certainly used them effectively. The completely brain zapped Dr Renfrew and the mysterious Eye Patch lady aside, I have to give credit to the cat and mouse antics with the Silence in relation to Amy during those scenes. They could’ve snatched her at any time but waited until she interacted with the girl in the space suit before doing it.

Two episodes in and the Silence managed to retain their overall creepiness nicely. Their perversion with memories was one thing but it still intrigues me as to why they’ve kept the gang alive. Even Canton didn’t have his life threatened in this one, apart from the flashbacks at the start of the episode.

In particular, never mind the little girl for a minute – what’s so special about Amy? She’s encountered them more than anyone on screen and they didn’t kill her. Sure they kept her hostage but even before the Doctor could bring out their downfall, they still didn’t kill Amy. That has to mean something because it’s too important not to.

They did however have zero problems in trying to attack the Doctor, Rory and River after a little message played alongside the Moon landing made everyone on Earth consciously aware of them. Now that was definitely a clever way of dealing with the Silence but given the build up that’s been surrounding them for the past year, I doubt they’re actually defeated – more neutralised for the time being.

The most funny however during the gang’s rescue of Amy was the flirtatious banter between the Doctor and River. You gotta love Matt Smith and Alex Kingston because they really are selling this rather tragic love story (or whatever it is) dynamic between their characters and while the Doctor’s lighter approach towards guns might have seemed a little out of character, what else was River going to do? The Silence weren’t exactly going to go quietly, were they?

However, flirty banter aside the real tragedy of the Doctor and River is that their relationship is playing backwards and one will always know less than the other and that sucks for them. River’s heartbreak when the Doctor revealed that he didn’t know their relationship extended to kissing certainly knocked the wind out of her sails but there’s more than that.

River let slip last week about being an impressionable girl when the Doctor first met her and then there was a comment she made about her old fella being cross when Rory stepped out of the TARDIS. Is River really going to be revealed as the daughter of Amy and Rory? This episode kind of suggested the possibility.

And then there’s the little regenerating at the end. I like spoilers but I wish I hadn’t actually known about that. Also, until I get further evidence, I think that girl is going to end up being revealed as River, which also ties into Amy’s unconfirmed pregnancy, the picture she found in the children’s home with her and a newborn and her own fears about having a time head.

River doesn’t necessarily have to be a Time Lord but it has been suggested that the TARDIS could be affecting Amy’s pregnancy as well, which I could buy into seeing as there’s always been something off with Amy anyways, so it wouldn’t be that implausible, would it? Still, the bigger question also should be how long we have to wait before Amy and Rory realise they actually are going to become parents after all?

Speaking of Rory, Arthur Darvill really went through a gamut in this episode too. His fears over losing Amy first to the Silence and then mistaking her confession of love to be for the Doctor did make me feel for the guy. Thankfully though, Amy was actually professing her love for Rory and not the Doctor – though he’s always going to have a place in Amy’s heart and basically if you’re an Amy/Rory fan, this episode will be a pleaser for you and there was confirmation on what Rory remembers from being a Centurion.

Also in “Day Of The Moon”

No tribute for Nicholas Courtney? Ah, come on; pay the man his respects already.

Amy: “Is that a body bag?”
Canton: “Yes it is.”
Amy: “It’s empty.”
Canton: “How about that?”

This year’s Confidential is being narrated by Midshipman Frame himself, Russell Tovey. He also narrated the one for “A Christmas Carol” too.

River (re the Silence): “They’re here, Canton. They’re everywhere.”
Canton: “I know. America’s being invaded.”
River: “You were invaded a long time ago. America is occupied.”

The Doctor: “You okay?”
Amy: “All better.”
The Doctor: “Better?”
Amy: “Turns out I was wrong. I’m not pregnant.”

That mysterious Eye Patch Lady will be returning later in the season. She’s definitely not someone we’ve seen the last of.

The Doctor (to Amy/Rory/River/Canton): “We’re not fighting an alien invasion. We’re leading a revolution.”

Rory (to Gardner/Grant): “America salutes you.”

While Rory got to rock a suit quite nicely, poor River got a somewhat frumpier outfit during those scenes. Amy’s businesswoman attire wouldn’t look out of place on The Apprentice though.

Canton: “You invaded us, you’re everywhere. Are you armed?”
Silence: “This world is ours. We have ruled since the wheel and the fire. We have no need for weapons.”
Canton: “Yeah, welcome to America.”

The Doctor (re Amy): “She can’t hear you. I’m sorry, it’s all my ....”
Rory: “She can always hear me, Doctor, always. Wherever she is and she always knows that I am coming for her. Do you understand me? Always.”

The BBC released a prequel for the next episode, “The Curse Of The Black Spot” after this one had finished airing.

Rory: “Rome fell.”
The Doctor: “I know. I was there.”
Rory: “So was I.”

Silence: “You’re Amelia Pond.”
Amy: “You’re ugly. Has anyone ever mentioned that to you?”

Canton confirmed that he was both gay and wanted to marry a black man. Nixon lost points for denying Canton’s request.

The Doctor (to the Silence): “Look at me, I’m confident. You wanna watch that – me when I’m confident.”

River: “I hope my old fella didn’t see that, he gets ever so cross.”

The TARDIS scanner was unable to confirm or deny Amy’s pregnancy but why did the Doctor scan her without her knowledge? Bad move, Doctor.

The Doctor: “Have I forgotten something?”
River: “Oh, shut up.”
The Doctor (after being kissed): “Right. Okay. Interesting.”
River: “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like we’ve never done that before.”

Little Girl (to homeless guy): “It’s alright. It’s quite alright. I’m dying but I can fix that. It’s easy, really. See?”

Chronology: This episode was mostly set in July 1969, three months after “The Impossible Astronaut”.

“Day Of The Moon” certainly managed to be quite the rollercoaster ride, didn’t it? I think the regeneration at the end was the most discussion worthy part of the episode but overall, what the hell does Steven Moffat have planned next?

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Sarah Jane – A Tribute To Elisabeth Sladen

Sarah Jane: “Don’t forget me.”
The Doctor: “Oh, Sarah, don’t you forget me.”

It took me a while to watch this tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, who sadly passed away four days before transmission of the sixth series of Doctor Who but congrats to CBBC for coming up with a lovely tribute to the late actress in such short notice.

A host of different people that the actress worked with contributed to this 15 minute programme – recent Doctors such as David Tennant and Matt Smith, former companion actress Katy Manning, Lis’s younger co-stars Daniel Anthony, Tommy Knight and Anjili Mohindra as well as John Barrowman and Russell T. Davies.

The tribute gave up some of the best clips from Sarah Jane’s 37 year TV run as well as some interesting comments. John Barrowman wisely noted how a lot of modern day companions are influenced by Sarah Jane and it’s easy to see where he’s coming from as well and David Tennant lamented about the character being part of his childhood.

Most touching was Barney Edwards talking about the celebration of the character’s impact (and the actress) as opposed to mourning her loss but I did get a laugh out of Katy Manning labelling Sarah Jane the ultimate Who girl (or something to that effect). Definitely the highlight of the 15 minutes here.

- Lots of clips were used from both Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures but none from K9 And Company.
- Nice use of Adele and Elvis Costello here, musically.
- Poor Daniel Anthony and Tommy Knight looked drained during this.
- Shame Tom Baker didn’t make a contribution but what he had written about Elisabeth Sladen was lovely.

Definitely worth watching but an all too sad a reminder that one of the most iconic and influence companions is sadly no longer with us. Fandom is a sadder place without our Sarah Jane Smith.

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x01: "The Impossible Astronaut"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Toby Haynes

Amy: “Get down.”
The Doctor: “What are you doing?”
Amy: “Saving your life.”

So, after the success of his first year, it looks like Steven Moffat was in the mood to take a gamble and boy, does it pay off. We’re used to lighter, one-part season openers so a darker, two-parter for an opening story this year was definitely the way to go about things.

I know there have been some complaints from viewers that Moffat’s version of the show isn’t high in emotional content or that he overused the timey-wimey elements in his storytelling but with the latter, it’s again used to great and slightly confusing effect and with the former, this story is seeping with emotional bits without diluting the action along the way.

The most interesting thing isn’t the cheeky methods that the Doctor enabled to draw attention himself to his friends or the fact that River basically treats Stormcage as a holiday camp but more the fact that both Amy and Rory have not been travelling with the bow tie wearing alien for a bit.

Setting this story in America was a breath of fresh air too. We’ve had enough openers based in London and while I do want to see a bit more of Leadworth this year, I really loved the epic backdrop that filming in Utah set for this story. I also love the fact that Moffat introduced both the Silence and killed the Doctor within the first ten minutes with aplomb.

The Doctor’s death was interesting – a future version of him was killed by an Apollo astronaut coming out of the water and Amy, Rory and River were put in the unenviable position of having to keep that a secret from the present day Doctor. That wasn’t easy either given how quickly annoyed he became by their twitchiness in the TARDIS.

I loved that it was Amy who had to be the one to get the Doctor to play ball and attend the mysterious summons back in 1969. Not only does it highlight the strength of their relationship but you could just tell during that scene when Amy was swearing on fish fingers and custards that more was going on with her.

Also interesting was that despite four envelopes being passed out, it was actually five people who became crucial to this storyline. The TARDIS team aside, the arrival of loose cannon FBI guy, Canton Everett Delaware III now meant that Mark Sheppard can add another sci-fi credit to his impressive CV but seriously, he’s an excellent character and interacted with the gang fantastically.

It was Canton who actually gave the Doctor a fair chance when the gang broke into the Oval office and spooked Nixon and it was also a relief that he took to the wonders of the TARDIS with reasonable ease but when you have Rory giving you the lowdown, I guess I can see why Canton wasn’t that shocked by it after all.

As for the central storyline itself – there was a little girl hounding Nixon for helping, a killer Astronaut and the even more dangerous race the Silence. When it came to the last of the three, I can’t help but wonder if Steven Moffat will actually be able to make a sinister alien race that could outrival the Daleks for sinister behaviour.

The Silence played on one of Moffat’s strengths – being seen. People forget them when they’re not looking as demonstrated by Amy, Rory, River and the ill fated Joy and maybe it was the BBC ads featuring them but aesthetically, they’re a nasty looking bunch. Plus the lack of mouths doesn’t mean they’re not quick with conversation.

They could’ve easily killed Amy in the bathroom but instead they menaced her into telling the Doctor everything he knows and doesn’t and they only went to attack Rory and River after the latter managed to activate that TARDIS we saw from “The Lodger” and with that, another mystery was nicely set in place.

As for the little girl being the astronaut, that did surprise but I guess the trailer for the next episode more or less proved that if River couldn’t stop that astronaut, then Amy’s shots aren’t going to make much a difference either but I could Amy making her own attempts of rewriting time and trying to save the Doctor’s life.

However the shocking ending wasn’t even the best bit of the episode – I can’t tell if it was Amy revealing that she was pregnant to the Doctor or River giving Rory some pretty deep insight into who she really is but either way, both of those scenes had me absolutely gripped for different reasons.

I’ll admit that in the past I had reservations with River Song once upon a time but now, not so much. I think it’s because Alex Kingston has electric chemistry with Matt Smith but also because River to me, feels less like a gimmick and more of a real character. Seeing her be vulnerable to Rory about her relationship to the Doctor was beautifully acted but it was also a nice counterbalance to the flirting between the Doctor and River as well in this one – which I did enjoy.

As for Amy being pregnancy – how could this not surprise anyone? The episode wasn’t subtle about the hints – weight comments, clutching stomach, etc but if you’re gonna have a married couple travel in the TARDIS (or back again), then this is a storyline that was probably always going to surface one way or another.

As for theories, I’m going to be totally controversial and assume that a) the baby’s father is Rory and b) the baby could possibly be River but it could also not be as well. Both are valid theories, mind but with this revelation now out in the open, does this mean that Amy and Rory’s time travelling days are about to end?

Also in “The Impossible Astronaut”

The tribute to Elisabeth Sladen at the start of the episode was lovely but where was the one for Nicholas Courtney? Hopefully we see one next week.

Rory: “Hey, nice hat.”
The Doctor: “I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool.”
River: “Hello, sweetie.”

I know she’s still a recurring character but I’m beginning to wish they would add Alex Kingston’s name to the opening credits whenever River appears.

The Doctor (to Amy/Rory/River): “I’ve been running, faster than I ever have and I’ve been running my whole life. Now it’s time for me to stop.”

Older Canton: “I believe I can save you some time. That most certainly is the Doctor and he is most certainly dead.”

Amy and Rory didn’t seem to be living in Leadworth when we first saw them and the Doctor was getting his painting down naked and hanging out in Nazi Germany as well.

Amy: “What do we do, Rory?”
River: “We’re his friends. We do what the Doctor’s friends always do – as we’re told.”

River: “This is cold, even by your standards, this is cold.”
The Doctor: “Or hello as people used to say.”

The Doctor who was killed by the astronaut was 1103 but the Doctor we then met was 909 and hadn’t done Jim the Fish with River. I loved the Easter Island stuff as well.

The Doctor: “Swear to me. Swear to me on something that matters.”
Amy: “Fish fingers and custard.”
The Doctor: “My life in your hands, Amelia Pond.”

Nixon: “You are my second choice for this, Mr Delaware.”
Canton: “That’s okay; you were my second choice for president, Mr Nixon.”

Canton talked about getting married being a crime – closeted homosexual or interracial marriage? Also Mark Sheppard’s father, William Morgan Sheppard played the older Canton first seen in the episode.

The Doctor: “These are my top operative – the legs, the nose and Mrs Robinson.”
River: “I hate you.”
The Doctor: “No, you don’t.”

Silence: “Joy. Her name was Joy. Yours is Amelia. You will tell the Doctor.”
Amy: “Tell him what?”
Silence: “What he must know and what he must never know.”

This episode managed to get in reference to two founding fathers fancying the Doctor, two Doctor Who jokes and a Star Trek reference. Bravo show. Oh and Laurel And Hardy. Can’t forget that too.

Canton (re the TARDIS): “It’s bigger on the inside.”
Rory: “You get used to it.”

The Doctor: “Shout if you get into trouble.”
River: “Don’t worry, I’m quite the screamer. Now there’s a spoiler for you.”

Standout music: Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”. I’ve been addicted to that song for months now, so thanks show for that one.

River (to Rory): “I live for the days I see him but I know that every time I do, he’d be one step further away. The day’s coming when I look into that man’s eyes, my Doctor and he won’t have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it’s going to kill me.”

Amy: “Doctor, I’m pregnant.”

Chronology: July 1969 for most of the episode but also around 2011 for the first quarter of the episode too.

As a season opener, “The Impossible Astronaut” is a sumptuous feast. Gorgeous location shots, a fantastically mind bending storyline, beautiful character interactions and growth (except for Nixon, who is underused here) and one creepy as hell monsters with the Silence. Without a doubt, the best opening episode the series has done since 2005.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

A Tear, Sarah Jane?

I don't usually do blogs about deaths but like many Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures fans, I was saddened and shocked to hear that actress Elisabeth Sladen has passed away. The actress, 63 died of cancer yesterday morning and had been ill for months. She is the second companion actor to have passed away this year, following the death of Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) in February.

I didn't grow up with the Classic Series but once I had seen Sarah Jane Smith in School Reunion and watched her subsequent stories with the Third and Fourth Doctors, I knew there was something about the character and actress that struck a chord and her own foray into a spin-off series gave the character a much needed new audience and to paraphrase the lovely Miss Smith, no one is ever going to forget you.

A true legend sadly no longer with us. I don't know whether the filmed segments of Series 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures will air either but DWM will be dedicating an issue to the actress later in the year while Doctor Who will also be doing a tribute as well.

Doctor Who - Series 6 Hits New York

I swear, this is the last Doctor Who related blog until my review for The Impossible Astronaut but here's something to savour until next Saturday ...

The start of the week saw actors Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston along with showrunner, Steven Moffat, producers Beth Willis and Piers Wenger and director Toby Haynes heading over to New York to do some promo work for the sixth season with all five of them fielding questions from eager American fans.

During the Q&A section, there were hints from Moffat about John Simm not leaving his role of the Master just yet (I guess we can start the Master coming for Series 7 rumours, can't we?) as well as teasings about the show's past inclusion of LGBT characters as well as more musings on this year's threat, the Silence. Also watch out for an unique rendition of Rebecca Black's Friday to Matt, Karen and Arthur.

Preview Clips For The Impossible Astronaut: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/04/dwn130411223008-bbc-publicity-update.html
Matt/Karen/Arthur Interview: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/04/dwn080411235008-bbc-america-publicity.html
Series 6 Q&A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWsGTLn6veg

Doctor Who - Series 6 Radio Times Guide

Radio Times have decided to do their usual guide for the new series of Doctor Who a week early, due to the Royal Wedding getting the cover for next week, so without further ado, here's what to expect in the first half of Series 6 ....

6x01/6x02: The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Toby Haynes

Is there anything about this American two-parter we don't know about? Let's see, there's the threat that between the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River, one of them will die, you've got President Nixon and Mark Sheppard playing FBI agent Canton Everett Delaware III as well as the introduction of the Silence (above pictured). Add in a future version of the Doctor and Amy discovering something she's forced to keep secret as well as that TARDIS from The Lodger and you definitely have the trapping of an unforgettable two-part adventure.

6x03: The Curse Of The Black Spot

Written by Steve Thompson
Directed by Jeremy Webb

Sherlock writer Steve Thompson tackles this Pirate themed episode and given that another Pirates Of The Carribean movie is out this year, it's a rather timely episode, isn't it? This one feature Hugh Bonneville as Pirate captain, Avery as well as Lily Cole as a Selkie/Mermaid creature that possesses people, including Rory at one point. Also, watch out for Amy's swashbuckling skills in this one.

6x04: The Doctor's Wife

Written by Neil Gaiman
Directed by Richard Clark

Originally meant for last season, this audaciously titled episode has yet to actually reveal as to whether or not it literally lives up to it's title. Either way, Suranne Jones looks absolutely stunning as Idris (old friend with a new face, according to Gaiman) and it's also the one where the Ood return, Amy/Rory have an interesting conversation about Time Lords and the Doctor does battle with a mysterious voice as they talk about Time Lord deaths. It's definitely the one I'm looking forward to the most and Michael Sheen voices a role in this one too.

6x05/6x06: The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People

Written by Matthew Graham
Directed by Julian Simpson

Described as a mash up of The Thing and Made In Dagenham, this two parter from Fear Her scribe, Matthew Graham certainly explores the more rebellious aspects of cloning amidst an alien shape changer and industrial disputes. There's also something of a shocking cliffhanger or two in this story that will prove to be important later on in the series as well. Expect guest appearances from Marshall Lancaster, Raquel Cassidy and Sarah Smart in this one.

6x07: A Good Man Goes To War

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Peter Hoar

The mid-season finale to the sixth season and the one where there will be consequences for harming Amy as the Doctor and Rory blaze the galaxy to save the women in both their lives. This one is also the one where we finally find out who River is and as well as the slightly new looking Cybermen with Centurion Rory, expect appearances of Dorium, Silurians and Sontarans in this one as well. We could be possibly seeing the formation of the Alliance from last series here.

Series 6 begins on BBC1 at 6pm from April 23rd to June 4th. The second half will premiere in September.