Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S05E05 – Flesh and Stone

In the fifth episode of the fifth series of Doctor Who, the Doctor, Amy, and River Song face an impossible situation as they are surrounded by the Weeping Angels. Surprisingly, the “crack” in Amy’s wall from the series’ opener is actually explained. WHAT. If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.

HOLY GOD, WHAT AN EPISODE OF TELEVISION. Seriously, I don’t know if I could pick a single moment from “Flesh and Stone” as my favorite. I did not expect this second half of the story to be even more relentless and intense than the first, but there are so many moments where I held my breath in horror or tears welled in my eyes. Like I felt during “The Eleventh Hour,” Doctor Who just seems so fresh and new these days, and this episode is Moffat not only giving us a thrilling episode full of fright, but he shows that he can do emotionally huge drama like Russell T Davies was known for.

For once, I really like the resolution of the cliffhanger; it didn’t feel like it took away from the urgency of the situation, and as the camera revealed that the survivors were actually upside down, I had the goofiest grin on my face. YOU ARE BRILLIANT, DOCTOR. The thing that’s so great about this is that Moffat doesn’t wait a second to continue to up the stakes. In past two-part episodes, upon resolving the conflict, the episode usually settles into a much slower pace, allowing the characters to get into place for the finale. But in “Flesh and Stone,” there’s no waiting at all. The scenes of the remaining survivors doing their best to try and outrun the Weeping Angels are simply amazing, most especially the hauntingly quiet moment when the Doctor realizes he’ll have to ask everyone to turn their lights off in order for them to move deeper into the ship. I love that Father Octavian asks River if she trusts this man with her life, amid the din and terror of the situation, because it did not suggest later events near the resolution of the episode.

I worried that we’d have to deal with another story of the Doctor and his companions trapped inside of a spaceship with aliens trying to attack them, but, again, unbelievably unprepared. I was so unprepared. The Doctor reveals that there is an oxygen factory, a LITERAL MACHINE FOREST, on board the starship. And I really have to praise Moffat for this. Taking the episode to this new set really injects a completely different tone to the rest of the story. Many of the moments where Weeping Angels flash into place behind trees and creeping around bushes are among the best images this show has ever produced. The actual coloring is exciting, too, which is probably a weird thing to pick up on, but the earthy tones and the unsettling lighting of this place create an unending sense of gloom to what’s happening on screen.

But out of everything that happens during “Flesh and Stone,” it’s the crack in the wall that most surprised me. (Well….ok, maybe the final scene did. We’ll get there.)

As it appeared on the wall of the Byzantium, I knew that it would be impossible to ignore it. I mean…IT’S RIGHT THERE. AND IT IS HUGE. The Doctor orders everyone out as he begins to investigate and WHAT. WHAT. It is literally leaking time?!?!?!?! I mean, how many times have we heard the phrase, “Time is running out”? AND HOW MANY TIMES WAS IT EVER LITERAL? Oh god, Moffat, you are a genius can I bake you some cookies

The thing is, this season’s “theme” or endgame was seeded fairly obviously throughout these episodes, but this is the first time that it’s been addressed so blatantly before the final two episodes of the series. I was taken entirely offguard by Moffat’s script because I assumed the pattern would be the same as it always was: hint towards the finale, don’t explain anything until episode eleven or twelve. OH HEY, THIS IS EPISODE FIVE AND THE CRACK CONSUMES TIME. It’s why Amy didn’t remember the Daleks or other details of her life and it’s why we watch the other soldiers quickly forget that their fellow clerics ever existed. Which is a terrifying thought, by the way. Somehow, though, Moffat compounds this with Amy’s slow conversion due to the Weeping Angel inside of her. Has counting down ever been so disturbing?

“Flesh and Stone” doesn’t just excel with a fantastic story, though. Both Karen Gillan and Matt Smith have some of their best-acted scenes in series five so far. (I must say, too, that Alex Kingston and Iain Glen provide more-than-satisfactory assistance in this regard as well, but I’ll get to them later.) As the Doctor realizes the severity of Amy’s situation, he knows he’ll have to leave her behind to find a solution. I found their parting scene so unbelievably raw, especially for two actors who are only on their fifth episode together. It’s undeniable that Matt and Karen have possibly the best chemistry between a Doctor and his companion yet, and it’s a testament to their remarkable talent that it’s taken them so little time to build a genuine, believable rapport.

But I have to say: The Doctor saying goodbye to Father Octavian is UTTER BRILLIANCE. That look on his face when he knows that Octavian is going to die is so goddamn real. It last but a second, coming right before Matt Smith’s eyes well up with tears, and it is one of the most powerful images this show has ever given us. And as cheesy as it might actually be, Father Octavian’s parting words are poetic and bittersweet.

For Karen Gillan, though, it’s being placed in an impossible situation that truly makes her shine, and I have no qualms about stating that I know I will already love her as a companion this early into her run. Not only does she have to literally be in the dark throughout a good portion of this episode, she plays up the physical aspect of her situation with incredible skill. The scene where she has to navigate to the Byzantium with her eyes closed, but acting as if she can see, is riveting, well-acted and logistically completely nightmare fuel. AGAIN.

Goddamn, I love this show.

I didn’t feel like the end of this part of the story was anti-climactic either, as we get a full explanation for the “crack.” Caused by an explosion in time on June 26, 2010, the crack rewrites time as it expands and as the Angels rush to escape it, I found it a fitting end for the creatures that they were devoured by the time explosion in order to save Amy, River, and the Doctor. It’s one of those bits of wild science that would probably break down if I spent even five seconds thinking about it, but I’m in this to be entertained. I don’t necessarily hold Doctor Who to the same rigorous standards as most science fiction I consume.

As we bid goodbye to River Song, certain that she will return again, we find out she killed a man and was always under the watch of the clerics, traveling to Alfava Metraxis to hopefully earn a pardon. I mean…that can’t be the Doctor she killed in his future/her past, right? Sooooooo…..what? She then names the next moment we will see her: when the “Pandorica” opens, which is now the second time we’ve heard that phrase. How does that relate to the time explosion crack, and why does the Doctor believe it’s a fairy tale?

Truthfully, though, I don’t think any of us expected the closing scene of “Flesh and Stone.” Understandably so, after a truly awful experience, Amy asks to be taken home to recuperate and attend her wedding to Rory. OMG SHE IS MARRYING RORY! THAT IS SO ADORABLE OMG MORE RORY. What makes absolutely no sense, though, is Amy expressing sexual feelings for the Doctor. We’ve never seen anyone kiss the Doctor like that before. I mean, I liked the distinction Amy made that she wasn’t in love with the Doctor; she merely wanted a make out party. MAKE OUT PARTIES ARE AWESOME. But why now? Why is she acting this way?

The episode ends with the Doctor whisking Amy away when he realizes the date: June 25th, 2010. The time explosion is THE VERY NEXT DAY.

What the holy fuck, you guys.

THOUGHTS

  • “I’ll do a thing.” “What thing?” “I don’t know! It’s a thing in progress! Respect the thing.”
  • “I’m 907 years old. Do you understand what that means?” “It’s been awhile?”
  • “A forest in a bottle in a spaceship in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?”
  • I love Matt Smith and Karen Gillan so much. SO MUCH.

 

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
This entry was posted in Doctor Who and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

677 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S05E05 – Flesh and Stone

  1. lyvanna says:

    Agree with that. I don't read the recaps anymore but the forums can be good for some shows. I don't venture anywhere near the Buffy forums anymore (the show ended years ago, if you hated it so much why are you still reading/watching/ranting?!) but it's a great resource for discussion on some of the smaller/lesser known/older shows out there.

  2. Stephanie says:

    From Moffat's twitter: "'Dad, the Treeborgs in Angels? Like Cyborgs but trees? Cyborg is Cyberorganism, Treeborg is tree-organism. That's a TREE.' 'GO TO YOUR ROOM!'"
    I love Moffat's son.

  3. Hypatia_ says:

    In the context of this blog's culture, that's kind of true.

  4. Jaxx_zombie says:

    Upvote for your opinion! Why, you ask? BECAUSE IT'S AN OPINION SO THERE IS NO NEED TO DOWNVOTE IT!!!
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/ten165.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">

    • mag11 says:

      I thought the point of upvote/downvote was to express agreement or disagreement?

      IDK, I could be totally wrong, because I'm pretty new to WordPress in general, but I just thought it was a quick, easy way to say "I agree with this comment!" or "I don't agree with this comment!" So I downvoted it because I don't hate Amy Pond, not because I don't think the original poster should be allowed to express an opinion. Is that not how it works, because if not, I'll totally stop. I'm just confused!

      • echinodermata says:

        Many people on this blog, myself included, and Mark as well, prefer people not use the downvote simply to express disagreement, and only use it to disapprove of spoilers/spam/intolerant bullshit (eg racism/sexism/etc.).

        Upvoting is fine to say you like something, but it can also simply mean I appreciate your opinion even if I disagree. The idea is to encourage thoughtfulness and diversity of opinion, and downvoting simply for disagreeing is seen as sort of rude when someone's trying to give their thoughtful opinion on a matter.

        So the preferred etiquette for Mark's blogs (but not necessarily others) is to be very unforthcoming with downvotes, and rather to tell someone in a comment that you disagree, and preferably why you disagree.

  5. arctic_hare says:

    NO. This counts as a spoiler. Deleting.

  6. Mauve_Avenger says:

    Especially as, if I remember correctly, the same person did almost the exact same thing in the comments on the last review, as well. Though in that one, the poster included a list of the characters they loved, which I'm guessing is the reason that particular comment wasn't getting trashed.

    I do kind of think it's weird to call it trolling when the person has a terse negative opinion, while no one would really bat an eye if the poster had just said "I love Amy Pond" and left it at that. Maybe it's because I've never really been part of a fandom (and especially not such a wildly factioned one–I don't know if that's the right term–as I've been told the DW fandom is), and that fact alters my perception of this sort of thing?

  7. elusivebreath says:

    So, ok, embarrassing, but yeah I was copy/pasting something to have a bit of a laugh with a friend and when it came time to paste my comment over here … well, I guess I didn't hit "copy" … and then didn't proofread. Wow. MY BAD.

  8. Tauriel_ says:

    Can I just mention how many jokes there arose around the time of this episode about "Amy's Crack"? 😛

  9. turtle_turtle says:

    My problem with River, as it stands, is that she feels like an idea of a character, rather than a character in and of herself.

    All this "River's a mystery! Winkwinknudgenudge" stuff just bores me. At this point River could turn out to be the secret love child of the Giant Squid from HP and the TARDIS and I wouldn't really care either way.

    And Karen, at least this two-parter wasn't the CR "two-parter."

  10. Emmeline says:

    No, I swear, it's not some kind of pun or anatomical joke, it's real! Look, psycicflower just disappeared into it!

  11. peacockdawson says:

    AHAHAHA. The end of this episode is supposed to be funny, Mark. YEESH. LIGHTEN UP.
    <img src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc130/AEIDLA/RoseandSarahJane.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    Don't be the David Tennent in this gif. Be the Rose, be the Sarah Jane….

    • Sea says:

      Except if it were a guy forcing themselves on a girl. That wouldn't be funny.

      I just didn't find the humor in this. Once the doctor said no, I really just stopped giggling. I am the Ten in your gif.

      • peacockdawson says:

        Jeepers creepers! There wasn't anything sinister going on! Come on, guys! It was too silly to be threatening or anything. It makes no difference with gender roles, it wasn't sexual harassment. Come on, seriously?
        I swear, the people on this blog….

        • Openattheclose says:

          Yeah, could you please stop telling Mark and the rest of the people on this blog how we are supposed to feel? People have valid reasons to not find that scene funny, just as I'm sure you have valid reasons to feel the opposite. No one has told you not to laugh at it, so please don't tell them not to feel uncomfortable with it.

    • Minish says:

      Can…

      Can I be David Tennant?

  12. doesntsparkle says:

    The Doctor would do something heroic and stupid.

  13. sabra_n says:

    I'm sorry to hear that. I do admit it took me a while to warm to her, but that was true of Eleven, too – I had (have) a hard time getting a grip on their characterization. I had fun with them pretty much instantly, but affection was slower in coming. It's why I wasn't in crazy-love with this season, though I was enjoying it well enough as I went along.

  14. t09yavorski says:

    Question: Is there a rule in the Doctor Who writer's handbook that says every companion has to snog the Doctor at least once?

  15. Starsea28 says:

    The forest scenes aren't a set. They were filmed in a real place, in Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean. It's a beautiful, magical place… when it's not full of Weeping Angels that are out to break your neck, of course.

    Father Octavian's death scene is one of the best death scenes that Who's ever had and that is saying a LOT when it comes to this show. The Doctor is upset but he doesn't make Octavian's death about him. He merely says "I wish I'd known you better" allowing Octavian a dignified response if not a dignified death. One of the saddest moments in Who and the best. It's hard to believe this was Matt's first episode.

    Eleven telling Amy to trust him… oh God. "No. No. That's not the point. You have to remember." What? What does she have to remember?!

    And finally, I love Eleven's reaction to Amy's kiss. Instead of being all "Oh yeah, I've still got it", he is properly freaked out. (Oh, the irony. Ten assumes Rose snogging him is normal when she's actually possessed. Eleven is freaked out by Amy's snog and she's just being human.) And he should be freaked out. This is the girl who just talked about her fiance and who seems to have at least some sort of affection for him… but she's ready to have a snog on the night before her wedding? This is at least as big a problem as her not remembering the Daleks. Amy, why do you not see the problem with this? There is a big emotional disconnect here and there shouldn't be. I like that the Doctor treats this as a problem and not as an ego boost.

    • Starsea28 says:

      I should also state that I understand Amy's reasons for kissing the Doctor and I do think it's within character. But if this were a guy trying to force his kiss on a girl, would we still see it as funny? (I have a similar reaction to Amy hitting him over the head with a cricket bat. First reaction is "Haha, funny". Second reaction is "Wow, you're overreacting a bit here, and abuse is okay so long as it's female on male, huh?")

  16. Ashley says:

    I LOVE the forest and the treebots, er, treeborgs (I like treebots better). It's SOOOOOO fairy-tale, because not only are the trees somewhere so odd (in a spaceship) but in fairytales the monsters are usually to be found in the forests. Steven Moffat has a thing for fairytales, I think. And so do I! LOVE LOVE LOVE.

    Poor Father Octavian. Poor soldiers.

    Great episode!

  17. Goldensage says:

    Oh man, the forest. The atmosphere is FANTASTIC.

    This episode was great – I enjoyed it. (And I could see where Amy was coming from, trying to make out with the Doctor. People have given intelligent arguments, so I'm going to input my shallow one – if I had the chance, I'd probably try to make out with Eleven too. And I'm not that comfortable with my sensuality.)

    AND THE CRAAAACK

    YOU ARE NOT PREPARED. NEVER PREPARED.

  18. @nessalh says:

    I left a very good reason as to why I dislike her in the very first review of this series. I'm not a troll and do not really appreciate being called one.

    I dislike Amy because she annoys me. She only has two facial expressions and they're both extremely similar. She's loud and obnoxious and I just don't like her. When everyone was saying they hated Rose Tyler, I don't recall anyone saying "YOU HAVE TO LIST A REASON WHY, YOU MUST BE A TROLL!!!"

    Jesus.

    • redheadedgirl says:

      Then… why just repeat the same thing over and over and over? You hate Amy. You've said that. Why say it again? (and again and again and again…)

  19. Stephanie says:

    Favorite crack ship: Sally Sparrow/Angel Bob.
    Just thought I'd share.

  20. Angie says:

    I'm too tired to make a coherently formatted comment, so therefore:

    One of my favorite things about Amy is she's always telling the Doctor to explain. Sometimes that's all she says: "Explain." A simple demand for information.

    And one of my favorite things about the Doctor is he's always telling Amy (and the audience) to LOOK. Look, see everything, notice the details.

    I LOVE the forest in the Byzantium. I'm a sci-fi/fantasy fan from birth (almost) and I don't think it ever occurred to me to have a forest on a space ship – at least not in the way it was done here. I think that idea is just brilliant, and it blew me away. And it was very effective in this episode.

    "The Doctor in the TARDIS doesn't know" callback from The Eleventh Hour. Along with the crack in space-time.

    And one of the scariest things in Doctor Who, as far as I'm concerned: SEEING THE GORRAM WEEPING ANGEL IN AMY'S PUPIL. D:

    This is definitely one of my favorite two-parters. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances will always be my #1, but The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone are at least #3, maybe #2.

    Intense Debate ate and possibly regurgitated the comment I made yesterday, so I just want to talk about River Song for a little while. (Again.)

    I wasn't crazy about her when we first met her in Silence in the Library. But for some reason, I just love River this time around. She just fits better. I love her damn fabulous heels and I love the fact that she takes them off at first opportunity. She wears hallucinogenic lipstick and carries a derringer blowtorch and can write in Old High Gallifreyan, and she's simply bad-ass. She doesn't have that reverence for the Doctor we see sometimes, and enjoys keeping him on his toes. She has skills and she knows what she wants. She's bold and brash and has the expertise and cleverness to back-up her bravura. We've seen she's genuinely compassionate. Rock on, Dr. Song.

    ETA: So many words already, and I didn't even mention Father Octavian and his courage, or that wonderful, intimate (not that kind of intimate) scene between the Doctor and Amy, where he pleads for her to trust him.

  21. Captain Jack says:

    You can never lose points for dragging vagina jokes out too long.

  22. xpanasonicyouthx says:

    MY GOD THERE ARE SO MANY COMMENTS.

    I'm on a work/vacation trip in New York/Toronto until next week, so I'm a bit absent from comments, but I just want you all to know I love you. Thank you for this response. IT IS AMAZING. <3

    • Openattheclose says:

      Mark, today was so much fun! I hope you have time to read the comments, I think you will love them <3

      I hope you are enjoying your trip and we love you too!

    • arctic_hare says:

      What Openattheclose said! <3 I hope you're having a good time, and do read the comments when you get the chance, I think you will really enjoy them! As usual, we love you too~

  23. theconsciencevote says:

    Yeah, I didn't get Amy's whole 'leap on the Doctor and put the moves on him' moment for a while, either.

    The best explanation I've been able to come up is that Amy – not exactly your typical shrinking-violet bride-to-be – wants one last fling before marriage. And who better than a Timelord?

  24. Minish says:

    This comment has fluctuated between negate and positive votes so many times, it's given me whiplash.

    It's not rude, it's not prejudice, and it's not spoilery. It's an opinion. A succinct opinion, but an opinion none the less. WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS.

    END OF.

  25. Minish says:

    So the angels fell into the crack.

    So the angels never existed.

    Which means the weeping angel never killed Bob.

    Which means Bob's still alive.

    Which means Bob's still on Alfava Metraxis.

    DOCTOR GET BACK TO ALFAVA METRAXIS AND SAVE BOB!

    • redheadedgirl says:

      That actually occurred to me- if the Angels went into the crack, and have been erased from history, does that mean ALL the Angels ever? Including the ones in Blink? SO BLINK NEVER HAPPENED?

      Wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey- my head hurts.

  26. nyssaoftraken74 says:

    One thing I forgot to post yesterday:

    If the image of an Angel is an Angel, and if Angels freeze if they see each other, does that mean, you could stop an Angel with a mirror?

  27. Reddi says:

    I could not STAND Amy trying to jump the doctor the night before her wedding. I dunno how guys felt about that scene but both myself and my three female kids *hated it*. We wanted to strangle her. For one thing, Rory is awesomeness. He's so adorable and she's jumping the doctor. ARGH.

    I absolutely LOVED Father Octavian, and we saw an 51st century world that was different from ours, and detailed, we just don't know all the details. I loved it. I loved that the Clerics were real people and not some cartoons of religious figures. I got such a kick out of the "Church Militant" 😀

    And unlike some of the earlier series five episodes, in this one the side characters felt real. I commented on VotD that the side characters were not fleshed out and it seemed to hurt the show a bit. RTD had an amazing talent for giving even people will one line a feeling of being a real person. But in this ep, Moffat did it. Everyone felt real and complex and I felt for them. Poor Bob! And I would have loved to have seen more of Father Octavian but his end was sad and beautiful and Matt's reaction was awesome. Matt does tremendous work with emotional material if it's given to him.

    And I love love love River Song. Love her. She killed the best man she ever knew? Who would that be?

  28. Weston says:

    Worth noting, @Steven_Moffat recently tweeted:

    "Dad, the Treeborgs in Angels? Like Cyborgs but trees? Cyborg is Cyberorganism, Treeborg is tree-organism. That's a TREE.""GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

  29. echinodermata says:

    This is kind of weird and late, but I found the source of that gif and I wanted to make sure it got credit. So, source is here.

  30. @Nycteridae says:

    Most of this has already been said, and maybe this has already been said too, IDK, I didn't get a chance to read every comment!

    I don't have any problem at all with Amy being sexual, and honestly, I don't even really care that it was the night before her wedding. I think everyone has "lists" of impossible people they're allowed to cheat with. Amy just happened to have hers in her bedroom. I'd give Rory the same license if he happened to have Angelina Jolie or whoever in his bedroom. (Probably a bad choice of celebrity. lol, who would his be? Billie Piper?)

    What bothered me was that the Doctor was saying no, and she wasn't listening.

    When your partner falls backwards over the bedposts trying to wriggle away from you, and this is not a pre-arranged scenario with a safeword, stop. Think. Do not chase them around the room forcing your lips on theirs and trying to take their clothes off. This does not look consensual, in any way.

    I get why she started it, I really, really do. Continuing was where it got squicky.

    Also, I loved that Rose and Martha never just grabbed him and snogged him, because they knew him well enough to know he didn't want that, and they respected him enough to not assault him in the name of sex-positive feminism. You can be sex-positive and still require enthusiastic consent before you start slipping someone the tongue.

    That said, I understand that Amy is a very impulsive, passionate character, who often goes with her gut and doesn't think things through. She's also immature, and I don't mean this in a bad way, I mean that she still has enough childishness to be able to bring that fairytale feel to the story, like she never quite stopped believing in Santa. All this is part of what makes her so charming, so I think that this sort of thing is a realistic mistake for her to make. It's also a bit more forgivable because of the power dynamic between her and the Doctor–I never thought he was actually in danger from her. It's just a bit squicky, is all, and her childlike characterization + his excuses mostly being about his age and not his lack of interest in humans/girls/anyone……yeah, IDK. Awkward.

  31. Pingback: Blood Sugar Meters

  32. Pingback: eBook Reader

  33. Pingback: Glucose Monitors

  34. notemily says:

    I'm sure people have said brilliant things on this subject already but I AM NOT WADING THROUGH EVERY COMMENT, WHAT, HATERS GONNA HATE. I LOVE that Amy comes on to the Doctor. After going through companions that fell in love with the Doctor, fell in UNREQUITED love with the Doctor, and weren't attracted to the Doctor at all, finally we get someone who JUST WANTS TO HAVE SEX WITH THE DOCTOR. And isn't shy about asking for it. I love Amy.

    Also, I have no problem with her "cheating" on Rory (from a character standpoint) because it's already been shown that she was hesitant about marrying him, and no wonder–this girl has SERIOUS abandonment issues. It makes sense to me that she'd rush headlong into sexytiems with the Doctor on the night before her wedding, because people do shit like that when they're terrified.

    Also, I love the Doctor's reaction to Amy's advances. <3.

  35. Pingback: Check out my facebook profile

  36. Pingback: Anti Aging Home Remedies

  37. Pingback: Online Library

  38. Pingback: Anti Aging Tips

  39. Pingback: 260m

  40. Pingback: wordpress tema

  41. Pingback: property and casualty

  42. Pingback: kansas city roofing

  43. Pingback: vinyl windows houston

  44. Pingback: Google

Comments are closed.