In the sixth episode of the fifth series of Doctor Who, the Doctor rushes Amy and Rory to Venice in 1580 in order to give them some romantic time together. Of course, that’s not at all how things work for the three of them. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
I liked this episode. It wasn’t anywhere near as serious or intense as anything we’d seen before, and I found a few themes, tropes, and plot strings to be a bit too familiar for me to say that I outright enjoyed everything here, but I was glad to see a bit more light-hearted fare from Doctor Who. The opening scene sets the tone well, with the Doctor bursting out of Rory’s cake at his stag party, providing some wonderfully awkward humor.
Funny how you can say something in your head and it sounds fine.
I was a bit disappointed that the explanation for Amy’s actions at the end of “Flesh and Stone†essentially amounted to WELL SHE WAS STRESSED, only because I felt the answer would be a bit more comprehensive than that. I suppose I set myself up to be disappointed, though, because it’s not like that’s a bad idea per se. Still, I was very happy to see goofy Rory back on the show, this time as a companion.
That’s where my first complaint comes in, though. Isn’t this all a bit too familiar? Didn’t we run through a frighteningly similar situation with a female companion and her boyfriend/dude before? I do acknowledge that the context was different and the dynamic feels new, but we’ve quite literally seen the Doctor, his excited companion, and the companion’s boyfriend feeling left out on the show a few times. I guess I just wanted something more.
On that note, there are a lot of moments like that, spread throughout a fairly entertaining story, that made me scratch my head and think, “Haven’t we seen this before?†I mean….aliens hiding as humans. Plans to use earth to re-colonize a refugee race. The Doctor climbing to the top of a building in order to save the world. (Hell, we’ve seen that twice, in “The Idiot’s Lantern†and “Evolution of the Daleks.â€) I wish I could say otherwise, but they simply felt….distracting. Right? Right?
I think that I also might not be paying as much critical attention to other episodes I’ve seen, especially when the spectacle of it all is sweeping me away from noticing when Doctor Who is repeating itself. That’s a fair thing to claim, as this show has to also rely on some sense of creating patterns or the storytelling might seem far too erratic. So perhaps I am being far too hard on “The Vampires of Venice,†but I just believe it happens too much in a small span of time, so it all seems so much more blatant.
But this is no “Fear Her.†(PLEASE NEVER LET SUCH A TRAGEDY HAPPEN AGAIN.) There are things to like! I swear! Rory is, by and large, one fantastic good time, his uncertainty infectious and amusing, and at times absolutely necessary to give the Doctor pause. Amy’s excitement, so reminiscent of whenever the Doctor discovers danger, was a nice detail for Toby Whithouse to add to the story.
The creatures from Saturnyne may have started off in a derivative way, but their actual appearance was some of the best CGI work The Mill has produced for Doctor Who. The audience, of course, always suspected that they weren’t actual vampires, but their fish-like nature was definitely a nice touch. And those prosthetic teeth were amazing!!! They were so realistic! But I’m not surprised. For the most part, the prosthetics and costumes on Doctor Who have always been pretty darn awesome. (Except for “Turn Left.†LOL AT THE BEETLE.)
I also appreciated the tone for the bulk of the episode, with the Doctor, Rory, and Amy being a bit more playful than I expected, considering the context of why the Doctor brought his two companions here. From the Doctor’s frustration at Rory not saying the TARDIS was bigger on the inside, to the size of Rory’s flashlight, to both men admitting that they are Amy’s boys, I think this aspect of the story is what saved it from being largely forgettable.
I know I’m not running through this episode as I normally do, but a chronological review feels too forced for me with this episode. The thing is, aside from lodging a few complains and praising the good parts, I don’t have a whole lot of ~feelings~ about “The Vampires of Venice.†And you all know I am a man of many ~feelings~ and ~feelings~ are wonderful. Ultimately, I suppose this episode is just there. Entertaining just enough to keep my interest, but not to the point where I feel like I can vomit out 2,000 words like I might usually do.
How does the rest of the fandom view this particular episode?
THOUGHTS
- Rosanna’s goodbye to the Doctor was touching. It is sad that the Doctor chooses to allow her race to die, but then again, SHE WAS STEALING BODIES FROM EARTH. I don’t feel that bad about it.
- “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, do you? I’m a Timelord, you’re a big fish…think of the children.â€
- “And you kissed her back?!?!†“No. I kissed her mouth.â€
- “I have a right to know. I’m getting married to her in 430 years!â€
- I think Rory got the best line of the episode: “You know what’s dangerous about you? It’s not that you make people take risks, it’s that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don’t want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you’re around.â€
- “Tell me the whole plan! [silence] One of these days, that will work.â€
- “You stink of fish!†“Well, I’m hardly likely to smell of cheese and biscuits!â€
Bowtie funfacts: When the episode is in the past, it's blue. When it's in the future, it's red.
The more you know~
Not always… 😉
It's a bit like how Ten's blue suit was usually used in episodes set in the future and the brown in ones set in the past (not counting series 2 where he only had the brown). Although there's probably a few occasions where that's not true.
Really like this episode, it’s a great fun romp and a really nice way to introduce Rory into the mix as part of the TARDIS crew while dealing (as much as Who is ever going to deal anyway) with the fallout from Amy’s rush of blood to the, uh, head at the end of Flesh and Stone. The usual great acting and production values (with the exception of the storm effects which are, frankly, bobbins), the one-on-one with the Doctor and the Fish Queen (no I can’t remember how to spell her name, why do you ask) in particular is simply awesome, but wanted to highlight three things that are on a bit of a tangent but what the hey:
First up can I just give the awards for both “Quick Thinker of the Year” and “Jammy Bastard of the Decade” to Arthur Darvill? Not only did he have the presence of mind to talk (or possibly bribe) the director into instructing Karen that Amy’s kiss after they dispatch mommy’s boy should be “the best kiss of Rory’s life” but he gets the added bonus of Karen concentrating on that so much she forget it was HER that was supposed to end said kiss. Net result was a proper make-out session for close to a minute then having to reshoot it as it was way too long to use. On behalf of all who are less fortunate I salute you Mr Darvill, you’re an inspiration to us all. Just don’t ask how much karma you burnt on that one.
Next cast your mind back to Daleks in Manhattan and compare to this story. I’ve always thought that particular story was a case of ‘great idea, wrong baddies’ and this sorta proves the point. With a great villain that we can want to see defeated while, at the same time, emphasising with… this becomes something far more than a simple ‘beat the monster of the week and foil their plot’ tale. Wonder what the Dalek story could have been witah a similar new enemy to deal with. Oh yes, and imagine what a tour de force that could have been for Ten, certainly Eleven really gets the chance to push pretty much every direction here going from deeply serious and genuinely scary (the look he gives Carlo is downright menacing) to fabulous comedy (any and all instances of him being Genre Savvy).
And finally, this is more of a rhetorical question than anything else I know, isn’t it odd that people were up in arms over Amy kissing the Doctor yet I’ve seen almost nothing about Rory having a stripper at his stag-do? Granted, Amy was aiming for something more than kissing and ogling but still… if the Doctor hadn’t crashed the party and bearing in mind your typical stag-do, does anyone have any doubt Rory would have done at least as much as Amy actually did with 11 (before he proved he’s truly a Better Person Than All Of Us by resisting her charms and doing The Right Thing)?
Holy cow, that lucky bastard. O_O
Under normal circusmtances something like that would require a punch in the nose but as he actually took steps to make it happen without getting caught until AFTERWARDS… I think a hearty handshake instead.
Well with Rory and having a stripper at his stag party, I am assuming (I know, I know, assuming makes an ass out of u and me) that Amy knew he was having a stag party. AND I'm assuming that she knew a stripper would be there because well… there usually are. And clearly she was ok with that, as least as far as we saw. So yeah. Not an issue because it was with her knowledge and apparent consent. (lol, even if I wouldn't be ok with it and no future husband of mine is going to have a stripper at his stag-do because I'm a buzzkill like that). And I'm not up on stripper etiquette, but from what TV tells me, you aren't allowed to touch the stripper, so I doubt Rory would have been macking on her and trying to have sex with her.
I also feel pretty safe in assuming that Rory didn't know Amy was going to try to have sex with another man the night before their wedding and that he wouldn't be ok with it. That's the difference. Amy (presumably) knew about the stripper and was fine with that. Rory didn't know about the Doctor and probably wouldn't have been fine with it.
"And I'm not up on stripper etiquette, but from what TV tells me, you aren't allowed to touch the stripper, so I doubt Rory would have been macking on her and trying to have sex with her. "
Probably correct, but I think it's still customary for the groom-to-be to get a lap dance, which I think goes further than just kisses and some petting or whatever you want to call it.
Just reminds me of my aunt's fiftieth birthday party, where her friends arranged for a male stripper (yes in front of our entire family, including the children*eg*) and she got a lap dance from the guy, while her husband was standing right on the side, smiling on her behalf*g*
She told the Doctor that Rory was at a stag party when she was trying to kiss/have sex with him, so she definitely did know about that part, at least.
I swear, everyone in this cast needs to hook up for real.
Haha, wasn't there a really long thread about that in Old Who yesterday?
You kids and your RPF.
Psh, this show does historical eps. The writers do RPF. I just want pretty people to make out lots.
(It's hard to get the tone across right in writing, but I'm bantering and not annoyed at your comment or anything if it comes across that way)
Rory looked uncomfortably excited at the idea of a stripper- I don't think he asked for it, but his friends went ahead and got one.
The cold open at the stag party has to be one of the best I've ever seen on this show. I always laugh uproariously when Eleven appears out of the cake, to say nothing of what ensues afterwards. I've already talked a bit about how I love how alien Eleven is, and this scene is a great demonstration of why. Popping out of a cake at a guy's stag party to tell him in front of all his friends that you've made out with his fiancee and that she's a great kisser is not something I can see the more human Ten, f'rinstance, doing, and I love Eleven all the more because he would, and just did. Mileage varies of course, but I like a more alien Doctor because that's exactly what he is: an alien. His weirdness and cluelessness is so endearing to me.
There's a lot to talk about in this episode, but what interests me most here is the characterization of Amy and Rory, so that will make up the bulk of this review, with individual things I like handled in list form at the end.
At the beginning of the episode, we see Amy in quite the panic. The two halves of her life – her "real" life as represented by Rory, and her fairy tale adventure life, obviously represented by the Doctor and the TARDIS, are intersecting, and she is not having any of that. Rory is everything she's been trying to run away from, both literally and metaphorically: marriage, commitment, responsibilities, all the trappings of grown-up, adult life. Amy said in Eleventh Hour that she grew up, and that is true; she lost her ability to trust and believe, and became a cynical adult afraid to do both of those things. However, deep down inside she clung to her dream of traveling with the Doctor, and going on fantastic adventures with him, of being swept away from everyday life by a madman with a magic box. Just when she had probably given up all hope of it ever coming true, he returned and took her away in the middle of the night for the promised journey through time and space. Traveling with him, Amy is essentially experiencing a second childhood, learning how to believe and hope and trust again. The Doctor has made good on his promise to "fix" the fact that she grew up, restoring her sense of wonder.
However, it's not going to be easy. Already experiencing jitters over her impending marriage, Amy has decided that traveling with the Doctor is the perfect way to run away from her fears. The real monster in her metaphorical closet is not a Weeping Angel, or a Dalek, or Prisoner Zero – it's Rory and all that he represents. One cannot fix a lifetime of trust issues in a matter of days and a few trips to far-off places in space and time; one must face them head-on and work through them in real time. Amy isn't ready to do this, however, and her first instinct is to run away from reality, from Rory. She cares about him, that much is clear, but she still fears committing to him, has continued to keep him at a distance from herself, and doesn't quite get why he's so upset at the start of the episode. Look at how she sees nothing wrong at all with pretending he's her brother, how she punches him in the arm when he's wondering if she missed him at all during her adventures. She literally does not get why that isn't sufficient, what the problem is with her responses to his genuine hurt over what she's done. At the start of this adventure, all that matters to her is that her "real" life and her TARDIS life are now affecting each other, and she doesn't want that. She wants to run away from that, but she can't. So she tries to get Rory to stop being mad without actually confronting the problems that led to this. She simply wants everything to be normal again while avoiding everything that's wrong with "life as usual". After all, if you don't look at it, it's not there, right? Prisoner Zero all over again: as long as you don't look directly at the issues lurking in the corner of your eye, they can't harm you. It's the wrong relic of childhood to return to, of pretending that the things under the bed don't exist if you can't see them.
(cont)
Amy's archetype is one we've likely all seen before: that of the person who has been affected so deeply by something, usually rooted in childhood, that they are afraid to trust, to love, to open up to those whom they care about and keep those people to a minimum, an arm's length. It's a familiar tale to me. What's interesting, though, is that I usually see this archetype applied to male characters, not female characters. Usually, Amy and Rory's positions would be reversed. And if you reverse them… how too, do you reverse viewer reaction? Amy tends not to be positively received here, while Rory is accorded much sympathy. On the other hand, when the character of Amy's archetype has been male in other works of fiction, I've seen exactly the opposite happen more often among fans: said male character is afforded much sympathy, his actions are justified and explained and excused, and overall he's pretty woobified despite flaws. A lot of times, the female character attempting to get him to open up is deemed "annoying", "whiny", and all sorts of other things. Here, Rory is the one woobified despite flaws which I'll discuss in a bit, while Amy is excoriated. I can't help but think that if their genders or positions were reversed, so too would fan reaction.
By the end of the episode, Amy has found that it's not so bad to have Rory along. Despite chiding him for making a cross at the fish from space they know aren't real vampires, she's clearly impressed with his attempts to hold his own against Francesco, relieved that they survived that encounter, and has overall enjoyed his company on this adventure. She is the one who happily invites him to stay aboard the TARDIS, for she has realized that she wants not to have these experiences on her own, but to instead to share them with him. She is growing as a person, and I appreciate that we are allowed to watch her mess up and learn from it. It makes me love her even more, for she feels very very real to me.
Rory, meanwhile, has also grown up, and in all the wrong ways. The difference between his first view of the TARDIS and Amy's is stark and very telling; I love the contrast. Where Amy's reaction revealed that her childlike wonder still existed beneath her cynicism and mistrust, despite her efforts to stamp it out, Rory's confirms that he has become an adult in the worst way. He is so unimpressed with its interior that he doesn't even bother with the "bigger on the inside" line and seems almost bored when he cuts off the Doctor to declare that it's another dimension before the Doctor can finish his sentence. Already the two are not off to a good start: Rory resents Eleven for the threat to his relationship with Amy that he perceives him as, and Rory has not made a good impression on Eleven by refusing to be awed by the TARDIS.
I'll be honest: Rory did not initially come across to me as being terribly likable in this episode. I mean, I understand that he's hurt over Amy cheating on him like that, who wouldn't be? I do feel for him there, don't get me wrong. And I love the horrified look on his face when the Doctor pops out of the cake (Arthur Darvill is awesome). But at the same time, he veers into being passive-aggressive, what with discussing the kissing incident more with Eleven than with Amy, and he almost seems to feel, I dunno, entitled to Amy's affections. Not to mention not wanting her to make her own choices as to whether or not to endanger herself to help the Doctor, and overall coming off as rather stuffy and rigid, and not much fun. But by the end, I had started to warm to him: the broom-fu was funny, as was the Spongebob insult, and he not only hadn't argued with Amy when she wanted to go back and help the Doctor, but he was determined to assist him too. He happily accepts the offer to come along on further adventures, and also accepts Amy referring to him and Eleven as "her boys" without much of a fuss. At the end of the episode begins Rory's journey: to also regain that sense of wonder, those important parts of childhood, that Amy has not lost. He and Amy can now grow together, can now repair and revive their relationship and make it into something better and healthier than it was before.
As for Eleven, his behavior towards the two of them reinforces my perception of him as the guide, the teacher. Just as Rosanna attempts to create brides for her many sons, the Doctor tries to play matchmaker to Amy and Rory. He quite firmly steps aside and sets himself up not as Amy's fairy tale romantic hero, as she has shown herself to think of him as, but as the wise old man, the father figure, who steers both her and Rory down their path. This is what he sees himself as these days, and he's not interested in having either of them see him as anything else. I personally find this a refreshing change from the Doctor/Companion romantic angst we've seen so much of thus far in the revived series.
(cont)
List time:
– Hello, Narcissa! 😀 In all seriousness, though, I didn't find that distracting at all. Helen McCrory was fantastic here, one of my favorite guest actresses so far. She is a lot of fun to watch every moment she's onscreen here. I'm particularly fond of the scene where she and Eleven question each other, I think they have great chemistry.
– "Stop talking, brain thinking, hush." CANNOT. STOP. LAUGHING. Especially since I'm the same way and need people around me to be QUIET, DAMMIT when I'm trying to work something out in my head.
– I cannot get over how incredibly beautiful this episode is. The sets, the costumes, the music – it's candy for my eyes and ears.
– Eleven and Amy's mutual glee over having encountered vampires is just too, too adorable. Seriously.
– I have too much time on my hands.
<img src="http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/4553/dived.png"/>
😀
I think you explained my feelings on Rory pretty well. I already liked him from "The Eleventh Hour," but I was sort of put off by his behavior at the beginning of the episode. He totally has reason to be upset after his stag party was crashed by the Doctor saying Amy kissed him, so it's not unreasonable sulkiness (though he did have a stripper coming, so whatever). But I liked the contrast between him and Amy, and that he was acting as the Doctor's new conscience, and he really got into it at the end. I'm glad he's joining the Tardis funtimes.
Me too, it was a very interesting contrast and it was great to watch him come around and decide to stay on. Like Mark says, it's a bit like the Doctor/Rose/Mickey thing, but to me, it's more of a mirror: here it's the Doctor taking Rory along whether he likes it or not (and all signs point to "no, he doesn't, not at first"), and then Amy happily wants him to stay. It doesn't leave me with a bad taste in my mouth the way the previous dynamic did, particularly in series two. I think this is better written, and makes the characters come off better (I say this especially because I'm NOT bashing Ten, or Rose, or Mickey, but because I dislike how they were written there, it made them come off badly to me).
I legit think Rose's look of disgust when Mickey comes along at the end of School Reunion is one of the things in Who I most wish never happened. And yeah, I consider it a writing decision that I hate, not a statement of any characters themselves.
Amy's reluctant at first, but like you said, it's more because her two worlds are intersecting, whereas that moment with Rose made me felt like she doesn't even like Mickey.
Well said, that's exactly why I hate it too, and I also wish it had never happened. It just makes her look so terrible, and it doesn't even make sense – she enthusiastically invited along Sarah Jane just moments before, and Mickey is someone she's been friends with her entire life. WTF? Terrible, terrible writing decision. And one that's made all the stranger by the fact that the same guy wrote both episodes.
But then, given that quote of his I've posted here, it doesn't surprise me that some sexist bullshit found its way into both scripts. I try to ignore that and enjoy the rest of VoV, though, because I do think it's otherwise a fun romp with interesting character stuff to digest and analyze.
I agree with both of you re: Rose's behaviour towards Mickey in "School Reunion".
Just realized: SAME WRITER! Toby got a do-over! Nice job, Toby. Much improved.
Agreed. I mean, I never got the feeling that Rose liked Mickey that much. When she first leaves in the TARDIS her words are pretty much "you've never done much for me", she's not all that apologetic about accidentally making him a murder suspect, and she's lukewarm meeting him again (or having him travel). I do think that Amy's actions are similar to a certain extent, especially the make-out session, but I think in then end she still genuinely loves Rory and wants his company.
Agreed. I think Eleven is seeing situations repeat themselves and is determined to make them work out better this time; Amy is to some extent a repeat of Reinette, and Amy/Rory a repeat of Rose/Mickey.
Makes me wonder, since Mickey DID turn out to be such a BAMF in the end, if travelling together more would have saved their relationship, and if they could have been a great couple. But not only was Rose more than a bit possessive of "her" Doctor, the Doctor was likewise possessive of Rose. I mean, Nine insults Mickey EVERY CHANCE HE GETS, FFS (why don't people yell at Nine for that, instead of raging on about what a selfish bitch Rose is?).
Eleven, by contrast, cuts out the little jabs at Rory as soon as he realizes Amy means to marry him. He's as determined NOT to come between Amy and Rory as Nine and Ten were to keep Rose to himself. (After all, Mickey stays in the parallel world and becomes a BAMF primarily because Ten made him feel like the "tin dog.")
THIS. I love Nine, I really do, but I didn't like how either he or Ten treated Mickey (and Jackie, for that matter). Your interpretation of Eleven wanting to make those past situations play out better this time is mine as well; I want to say more, but SPOILERS for what I see as Eleven's arc.
Plus, it's just sweet to see him trying to play matchmaker for Amy and Rory. 😀
Haha, I was hoping someone would've macroed that swan dive 😀
I really love your analysis of Amy and Rory in this episode.
I had to, I just had to. 😀 And thank you, I had a lot of fun writing it!
I want to live inside your brain! You have all the best thoughts. Yeah, Rory was definitely pretty passive aggressive in this episode. Like… yeah, Amy did cheat on him. But shouldn't he be discussing that with Amy? Eleven pretty clearly knows that it was wrong.
And yeah, if Amy was a male character she'd be adored by way, waaaay more people. 😐
Awww, thank you! 😀 And yeah, she would be, I have no doubts about that. Which is sad. 🙁
If she was a male character, she would be treated like Captain Jack by the fandom.
River Song basically already is him, and oh look, no universal love for her.
Exactly.
While I do think River is very similar to Jack in terms of personality, I can't say I completely agree with you here. Jack was not introduced as being hugely important to the future Doctor, or as someone who knew more about the Doctor than we did. He was introduced as a con-artist who redeemed himself in the end by stopping the bomb. Which is similar to the River in ToA/FaS, but not the River in SitL/FotD.
You're right, I was going more off personality and a mysterious past than from a writing/plot standpoint.
Given the writing/plot, she functions like another Time Lord. Her abilities are similar to the Doctor's, but it's hard to call her similar to the Doctor on a plot standpoint since he's the main character.
Perhaps she's got some of The Master in her, then.
Some of The Master in her? Yeah, I hear that's been going around.
<img src=http://i44.tinypic.com/i6kqrc.jpg>
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
I think the Time Lord comparison is a good one. Jack, for all his Time Agent know-how and alien tech, knew next to nothing compared to her. I just think if River had been first introduced to us in ToA/FaS, fandom would regard her a lot differently.
Why don't I have more upvotes for this? XD
lol I was setting up sexual innuendo, but yours works fine too.
I don't know if her maybe killing the Doctor would make anyone warm up to her, though, if it were her entrance. Fandom would regard her differently, yes, but I'm not sure it would be better than the reception she already has.
I almost went with the sexual innuendo too! I regret that the Captain Jack poster from yesterday's post isn't here today.
I can definitely see people hating her for the implication that she might have killed the Doctor, but it just makes me more intrigued with her.
I agree- people love a good redemption story. I've seen it all across literature. However, I still think a good part of it is her gender.
Yeah, most of the redemption stories that I can think of off the top of my head go to male characters, anyway, and that they tend to be better received than when it's a female character redeeming herself.
I agree that they aren't as well received. A certain female character from a certain show I can't talk about yet comes to mind.
Meet me at
camera 3the spoiler board.I don't particularly like either of them. :-/
They' both seem rather flat to me*, such that it's kind of hard for me to actually care about either of them the same way I cared about the others. It probably doesn't help that I've met personalities like theirs in real life, and generally end up being annoyed by them.
*River's scene in the last episode when she talks about killing someone was a major exception, and it does give me hope that I'll end up liking her eventually. With Jack, the only thing I really care about is whether or not he's the Face of Boe, because that would mean that his character development gets a major overhaul.
Torchwood made me care about Jack less, so I don't have the love for him anymore that I used to. I personally miss S1 Jack.
Did you ever like Jack?
And I agree that one's tolerance for certain personalities in real life makes a difference to one's reception of fictional characters. I guess I'm luckier than you in that respect, then, since I really don't have those sort of people in my life.
I remember liking him in the first series. I enjoyed having someone who's not a real baddie but does have some moral-greyness to him and is still a good foil for the Doctor. I liked the moments when he seemingly forgot that he wasn't a captain of his own ship anymore, and would end up throwing the Doctor for a loop. After a while, though, it seemed like he was sort of just there.
I was going to say that maybe the reason I haven't warmed up to Jack is that I don't watch Torchwood, but then again, maybe not.
Yeah, I still like Jack, but he's so much less awesome in Torchwood. It's kind of sad.
Too much angst is the quickest way to turn me off a male character. Jack making the "whatever" gesture in S1 now feels out of character since it's so lighthearted.
(I say male character cause I can't think of a female character whose angst made me annoyed off the top of my head, but that may be due to it being less common for female characters. And I'm still in gender bias mode given other conversations on arctic_hare's thread.)
I can think of one female character who, for awhile, was angsty to the point of annoying me. But I cannot discuss it here. We're discussing said show currently on the spoiler blog though :-).
One great television truism is that side characters given their own series will inevitably become more boring.
While not a big spoiler, I am going to have to delete this for containing some mild spoilers about a future Mark Watches project.
sorry, forgot about that
It's all good 🙂 It really was a mild spoiler.
Don't forget, you can discuss future Mark shows on either the spoiler blog or the Mark Watches spoiler thread on Mark's forum.
AWESOME CHARACTER ANALYSIS IS AWESOME. *standing ovation*
Seriously, Arctic_hare, I look forward to your comments as much as I look forward to Mark's blogs. 🙂 Please never stop writing them!
Awww, thanks! 😀 I have no intention of stopping, no worries!
You are pretty much the best at articulating everything. You say things I forgot to say, or didn't even know I wanted to say until I read your comments.
You all are making me blush over here. 😀 And hey, that works both ways, I loved your review of this one, and you brought up something I should've mentioned. I really enjoy reading what you have to say too!
Sometimes I wish we could all just assemble our comment-reviews Megazord-style and then we'd all be much more satisfied with the comprehensiveness.
THIS to all of your comment but especially:
By the end of the episode, Amy has found that it's not so bad to have Rory along. Despite chiding him for making a cross at the fish from space they know aren't real vampires, she's clearly impressed with his attempts to hold his own against Francesco, relieved that they survived that encounter, and has overall enjoyed his company on this adventure. She is the one who happily invites him to stay aboard the TARDIS, for she has realized that she wants not to have these experiences on her own, but to instead to share them with him. She is growing as a person, and I appreciate that we are allowed to watch her mess up and learn from it. It makes me love her even more, for she feels very very real to me.
THIS and
At the end of the episode begins Rory's journey: to also regain that sense of wonder, those important parts of childhood, that Amy has not lost. He and Amy can now grow together, can now repair and revive their relationship and make it into something better and healthier than it was before.
THIS.
I love the interactions between Amy and Rory in this episode. They're just brilliant.
Usually, Amy and Rory's positions would be reversed.
This is what makes their relationship interesting. There was a person who pointed out that when it comes to some tropes that we're usually used to seeing be applied to a certain gender- Amy and Rory get the reverse of some of them.
Like with this episode, even if Rory attempts to fight with a broom- Amy's the one who ends up saving him with the mirror, gives him a kiss, and says now they're going to get the Doctor.
And then there's Amy giving him a punch on the arm, which is usually more a masculine thing to do, though one does have to take into account that while Amy might be intuitive about some things- emotion-wise- she's pretty stunted. Or at least that's how I see it. *shrugs*
You bring up a lot of great points about Amy and Rory, but there's one I have kind of a quibble with:
[Rory] almost seems to feel, I dunno, entitled to Amy's affections
I get what you're saying, but… come on, they're engaged to be married — there's at least some affection entitlement implied in that relationship.
Regardless, I think Rory and Amy have approached the whole marriage idea from two completely different perspectives that don't always mesh, and now maybe they can sort out what each means and wants and make a proper go of it.
For me, a lot of that entitlement reading stemmed from Eleventh Hour as well when he was still a boyfriend, and I see it more as a lack of progression on his part and a lack of awareness that holy shit the raggedy doctor is real and of course Amy must have been damaged by that since she was telling the truth the whole time and no one believed her. I guess I wish he were more understanding of Amy's commitment/abandonment issues, and as you imply, they're kind of at different places with regards to marriage and settling down.
I guess I feel like at this point, they don't really understand each other, and so Rory's possessiveness looks more to me like he wants his woman and not the actual person that Amy is, since I just want to yell LOOK AT HER SHE'S FUCKED UP DON'T YOU SEE THAT?
That's well said. A lot of interesting points in there, which I… kind of agree with, too. Which is why it was only kind of a quibble to begin with. Darn it, brain, stop agreeing with both sides; it's annoying!
(And now, I'm trying to stop myself from going through TEH and this episode and trying to analyze Amy's and Rory's relationship then and now. Oh, brain, stop it! You're seriously being a pain today.)
Darn it, brain, stop agreeing with both sides; it's annoying!
That happens to me all the time, I share your annoyance.
I never read it as Rory seeing her of less of a person, only that he was hurt and confused. I almost wonder if he was blaming the Doctor in his head because Amy normally wasn't like this. I see her a fiercely passionate woman, so maybe he's never had any kind of competition before and doesn't know how to handle it?
He's no Edward, practically peeing on Bella to mark his territory. 😉
Responding to both this and your comment to Nanceoir, firstly I agree that both Amy and Rory have their flaws, and I do think that Amy was in the wrong to kiss the Doctor in the last ep, even though I forgive her for it quickly.
Rory is insecure, and makes that clear right at the beginning when Jeff's the "good-looking one." So part of why I'm coming down fairly harshly on Rory is because I know where Amy's problems stem from, whereas a lot of Rory's problems are just more normal passive-aggressiveness. It may be understandable and even reasonable, but I find it more uncomfortable to watch than anything since I hate people acting like this in real life.
Additionally, I get annoyed when I see lots of people loving Rory unconditionally while criticizing Amy for her actions. Like arctic_hare said, I think fandom reactions would be different if their genders were reversed, so my passion for making this argument against Rory's behavior harks back to that .
And I have one last comment to make about it, but I don't think I can do it without edging into spoiler territory.
Aha, see that is probably why I was fairly sanguine. I love them both, and don't blame either or them more or less for their actions.
I get what you mean by fandom reactions, though I almost wonder if the female reaction would be more negative with reversed roles, since I, at least, don't appreciate men getting away with wankery. I think if it had been Rory kissing the Doctor (heehee I am a mature adult I promise!) I would have been understanding of Amy's confusion and jealousy and annoyed with Rory not facing it. I guess that shows me that I'm prone to giving Amy a pass because I feel bad for her having such a hard childhood.
I think we both get each other, we just have different ways of expressing it. 🙂
Nanceoir, I agree with this so much it hurts! While I found him having a stripper at his stag party hypocritical, I liked the character development. I adore Amy, but I think we're prone to making excuses for her character flaws and coming down on Rory for his. I like that they both have problems to work out.
Also, I don't think it's unreasonable that they would feel entitled to each other's affections. Otherwise we'd never see anything as cheating. I think that what Amy did was split second, rather than something that is typical of her. I never got the feeling that she was a polyamorous person, otherwise I think that Rory would have been prepared for what she did. This read to me as a case of her messing up, though hardly in a way she can't recover from, and he's feeling understandably miffed. I also wonder if his snippiness with the Doctor was because he privately would rather blame the Doctor for the kiss rather than Amy? Still, awesome character development for them both!
I still love your reviews, Arctic Hare, and we agree 99.999999999999% of the time. 😉 We're still Team Amy!
I also wonder if his snippiness with the Doctor was because he privately would rather blame the Doctor for the kiss rather than Amy?
You know, I think you've hit the proverbial nail on the head. The Doctor's always been the "other" for Rory and Amy, and it's so much easier to blame the other, the outsider, than to blame your partner.
But, yeah, both Amy and Rory have problems to work out, and I really hope they can, 'cause they're kind of adorable.
I love them both so much that I see them both as being flawed humans, which I love seeing in television. I think the show seems to be pretty sympathetic to both of them. This is why the Doctor is giving them relationship counseling!
I love love love everything you've said here, but I have to play devil's advocate for a moment. Rory's line about the TARDIS being another dimension? One of his best moments. For me, it's similar to when Ten starts to explain the TARDIS to Donna and she cuts him off by saying "Yeah, I know all that". It's an example of how the new show tends to shut the Doctor down when he tries to grandstand, which is something I love and it also shows that Rory hasn't been idle during the past two years. He's actually been doing research. He's read up on quantum physics! Do you think Amy knew about that? Haha, I don't think so. Plus, on the basic level, he's a nurse, he also takes care of people: the Doctor will have to try a bit harder to impress him.
I love what you said about him being passive-aggressive and the way the male and female stereotypes have been reversed. It's so true.
Oh yeah, it's definitely a great moment for him as you describe, no argument there. I think it's a very revealing character moment for him in many ways: it shows those positive things you mentioned, and it shows the side I discussed, too. I love that sort of character complexity, it makes me so very happy. <3
Just want to say wow you spawned a lot of discussion in less than 2 hours.
Haha, yes. I kind of expected there'd be some discussion over the characters, but not THIS much. It's pretty cool. 😀
I'm going to step up what you said one notch and declare that this episode has my all-time favorite cold open on Doctor Who. I think my favorite part about it is that, past being awkwardly hilarious, the show treats the Doctor saying "…and it sounds fine" like a super-dramatic cliffhanger by going right into the opening credits with dramatic music and all. Beautiful.
I THINK WE HAVE THE SAME BRAIN
which is nice because i like seeing people seriously considering and discussing gender and sexuality on television (it's sort of my ~*thing*~) but also lame because now i don't really have anything else to say other than i agree with you.
Damn, the one day I forget to check Mark Watches (ik ik, HOW could I forget?!) there's a goddamn fantastic character analysis and gender discussion! Go figure.
Anyway, you articulated so much that I agree with. And this fantastic comment just makes me feel better about loving both Amy and Rory unconditionally, even though they have flaws and issues.
Oh, Eleven and his alienness and sometimes inability to act human makes me so gleeful. And I love Rory not saying "bigger on the inside" and his genre savvy-ness at doing research on that sort of thing.
So I kind of love the two of them together. Rory's so human, and Eleven's so not. And I kind of love Eleven trying to play matchmaker or couple's therapist or whatever. Basically, I love the two of them being awkward about each other.
<img src="http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3434/dwamyrorygondoladriver.gif">
And how gorgeous is this episode? Filming in Croatia was a great decision since I think it really pays off visually. I also love the Doctor sitting in the throne, mostly for the visual lols.
<img src="http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1299/dw11thronewaiting095799.gif">
<img src="http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/37/dw11shrug.gif">
And I like that Rosanna is portrayed as a fairly sympathetic villain; I quite enjoyed her talking with the Doctor, and I really love when other characters know of Gallifrey/Time Lords.
I also like that Doctor Who is (sort of) tackling vampires. Doctor Who has never really been "hard sci-fi", and Moffat especially tends to reject the pseudoscience technobabble, so I'm actually pretty pleased at this sort of bridging of fantasy and sci-fi. (And I've always taken some issue with the biology of vampires and how it makes less sense than say zombies, so having them be aliens actually works better for me than the standard vampire stuff.)
And I really haven't said much about Amy in this ep, but I always love her, and I love her and "her boys". I think it's such an interesting dynamic between the three of them. They're one of my favorite Team TARDISes. (Just needs River to make it perfect.)
In conclusion, NOT PREPARED!
Rory's so human, and Eleven's so not.
Reminds me of one of my favorite lines of the season, but sadly it is spoilerific.
I'm sure I know which line you're thinking of.
Indeed. Seriously, I was ambivalent about Rory at first, but he really became one of my favorite characters pretty fast.(Also, most adorable boyfriend ever. The scene where he calls because he hasn't said he loves her in seven hours? <3)
RORY!!! RORY RORY RORY RORY. I’m sorry, did something else happen in this episode? Oh right. Draco Malfoy’s mom was a fish-vampire or something and I think there was some weird Oedipal between her and her son who is also a ghost who is obsessed with 80s music and having Gilbert Fun which doesn’t seem like much fun at all. Oh wait. MIXING FANDOMS. Seriously though, I love playing British Actor Bingo. Also, Gilbert was the best one off character that Being Human has ever had (also, this episode was written by the creator of Being Human). I do actually quite like this episode, but not for the plot. Mainly for the Rory.
Rory is the best though. HE CALLS AMY FROM HIS STAG PARTY TO TELL HER THAT HE LOVES HER BECAUSE HE HADN’T TOLD HER IN SEVEN HOURS. That’s the best kind of drunk dial. And I love that he had shirts made up with a pictures of him and Amy on it for his stag party. Speaking of the stag party, OMG THE DOCTOR IS SO SOCIALLY AWKWARD. Of course the Doctor chooses the moment when Rory is in front of all of his friends at his stag party to tell Rory that Amy kissed him. AND SAYS THAT SHE IS A GREAT KISSER. Omg. Doctor. This is why you need human companions, Doctor. This is why you shouldn’t be allowed out on your own.
Anyway on to the Rory lovefest! I love how the Doctor is so keen to show off the Tardis and how it’s bigger on the inside and Rory is just like “it’s another dimension”, totally taking the wind out of the Doctor’s sails.
Arthur Darvill is just so wonderful as Rory. He’s so perfectly adorable when he realizes that he’s been sitting on gunpowder and slowly moves away. And I love that moment where Rory makes a “your mom” joke to get Franceso/Gilbert’s attention and then tries to use a broom to fight him off. ILU, RORY.
I love Rory calls the Doctor out. The Doctor needs someone to make him stop and think every once in a while, and I think that Rory provides that for him. I mean, I’m not saying that Rory is 100% correct, but I think there is a real element of truth in what he says.
Rory: You know what’s dangerous about you? It’s not that you make people take risks; it’s that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don’t want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you’re around.
I think that’s actually really insightful on Rory’s part. I think that Amy and the Doctor are a little too similar. They both tend to rush headlong into things. Rory is a lot more grounded, and I think they need that.
Oh and there are other characters in this episode too, aren’t there? I should probably talk about them a bit.
The thing that bothers me in this episode is that Amy is really pretty awful to Rory. It’s “too weird” to have the Doctor pretend to be her brother, so she insists that he pretend to be her fiancé? The Doctor is believable enough to be her fiancé, but not Rory, her real life fiancé that she supposedly loves? He’d be her brother obviously. That just seems super mean, especially in light of the fact that Rory knows that Amy just tried to jump the Doctor’s bones. It’s just unnecessarily cruel on Amy’s part.
In this episode (as always), Eleven is SUCH A DAD. The way that he puts his hands over Rory and Amy’s mouths and has Rory put his hand over Isabella’s father’s mouth is just so dad like. IDEK. It cracks me up. Eleven as the Dorky Dad is probably my favorite thing about him.
But the ultimate Dad Moment comes when when the Doctor sends Amy back to the Tardis.
Doctor: We don’t discuss this. I tell you to do something, Amy, and you do it.
And then like a proper teenage daughter Amy storms off in a huff. I think my dad might have said something like that to me once. And I had the same response as Amy.
THIS IS A GOOD COMMENT AND YOU SHOULD FEEL GOOD. RORY <3
But how can the Doctor be Amy's dad when he clearly wants to be either Amy's uncle or her aunt? He keeps suggesting it.
Your Rory love makes grin so hard. I think it's infectious.
GILBERT!!! I would totally enjoy Gilbert Fun if that meant time with Gilbert.
Having seen many, and randomly joined in a few, dress-coordinated stag parties, I can say I've never seen anybody wear shirts with the happy couple's face in, if I remember correctly, a heart. Really cute. I have seen guys in bright pink shirts who made a "last weekend of freedom" thing and other guys who wore what I'm assuming were antlers made from balloons on their heads. When my friends and I had a girls night out, we ran into a few stag parties who invited us out with them. I got to try on the antler balloon crown thing.
But Rory is so sweet and has the most awesome drunk dials. Basically: I LOVE YOU FOREVER RORY.
British Actor Bingo is the best.
p.s. RORY!!
I still prefer Canadian bingo myself.
My last boyfriend was Canadian, and so many US shows are filmed there that more bit parts go to Canadian actors than I think a lot of Americans realize. Every time he watched TV with me, he'd be pointing out some actor that he knew and I didn't. It was hysterical. (And there are a few Canadian shows I really need to give a watch!)
Some people made a Canadian Actor Bingo fanvid that's pretty damn fun.
It's not available streaming, so you have to download it, but I think it's worth it. Also, it goes through a lot of fandoms, but the link has a list should anyone be avoiding spoilers for certain shows.
Yeah, a lot of U.S. cable shows get filmed in Canada, so the large number of Canadian actors isn't surprising to me anymore, even though the only actual Canadian show I can think of that I watch(ed) is Regenesis.
RORY!!! RORY RORY RORY RORY. I’m sorry, did something else happen in this episode?
Nope. All Rory, all the time.
I know! I love that Rory has a fresh pespective on the Doctor, similar to the way Donna saw him. Amy first met the Doctor when she was seven, so she's built him up as something of a God-figure in her head (something that I think even the 'five minutes' didn't completely destroy). Rory can seem him as he is, and works as a good foil.
Not to mention, this'll give him a chance to lighten up and see the wonder of the universe.
Completely with you with the Rory love. He makes this season for me.
I am so with you on the Rory love. This is probably the reason I'm so harsh on Amy because she clearly doesn't appreciate what an awesome fiance she has. The brother bit was really cruel.
Best episode opening ever or best episode opening ever?
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/52hzsh.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"> ‘Funny how you can say something in your head and it sounds fine.’
I love the music in this episode. ‘The Vampires of Venice’ is the trailer music for the series along with ‘I Am the Doctor’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBpU6ZTMAE Also ‘Signora Rosanna Calvierri’ is another good one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y8Tif7XJkc
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/30szo2d.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"> ‘Tell me the whole plan. One day that’ll work.’
Random fact: This was actually the first scene we ever saw of Eleven in action. It was shown on one of the BBC’s charity nights. (I think Comic/Sport Relief)
I don't think that's such a good idea, do you? I'm a Time Lord, you're a big fish… think of the children.
I love the scenes between the Doctor and Rosanna, especially the one where they question each other back and forth. Not only do play off each other so well but I love how we’re getting more information about the crack and silence as the series progresses. It’s interesting to see that the crack isn’t just affecting where the Doctor and Amy go but is out there across time and space. I think their final conversation at the end also shows how the Doctor is moving on from the Time War.
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2q2g3kw.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"> I love Rory, his failed insults and ninja skills. He’s not afraid to call the Doctor out and refuses to be impressed by him which is always refreshing in a companion. He clearly loves Amy and it’s interesting to see their dynamic throughout the episode in light of the Doctor’s speech about how travelling in the TARDIS affects people’s relationships. I think you can see it in how they’re slightly stand offish with each other in the first part of the episode but it progresses to both of them kissing and helping to save the day together. I’m so happy Amy asked him to stay. This should make for a fun team TARDIS.
The episode isn't the best ever but it's by no means the worst. My main thought about it all is: Multiple companions FTW!
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/11j0ig8.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Oh thank goodness someone has a gif of Eleven popping out of the cake! I knew there had to be one somewhere but I've surprisingly never came across it! *yoink*
"This was actually the first scene we ever saw of Eleven in action. It was shown on one of the BBC’s charity nights. (I think Comic/Sport Relief)"
Must have been Sport Relief, there wasn't a Comic Relief last year. It was also the clip they showed during Matt's appearance on Friday Night With Jonathon Ross (which is where I saw it).
Thinking about it and now I'm wondering if I'm mixing things up and it was first aired on Friday Night with Jonathon Ross. Damn not being able to edit.
It was Jonathan Ross shortly before series 5 started. So we'd already seen the regeneration but we didn't know anything about 11. This was the first glimpse we got of his character.
At least I got the first clip part right.
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/s30vo3.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Montage!
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/98zep5.gif">
But George Michael's is still my favorite for the dog and doghouse.
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/35mfu42.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
It was only the first time I saw the gif that I noticed it was meant to be Snoopy.
"I think their final conversation at the end also shows how the Doctor is moving on from the Time War. "
I loved this. This was the first time I can recall someone throwing the word "genocide" at the Doctor (at least in NuWho) without him getting all angsty.
I remember being SO EXCITED when I saw that library card. My exact response was: "WILLIAM HARTNELL REPRESENT"
11 looks genuinely surprised that he's in the cake.
BAHAHAHAHA! Vampires and a 17-year-old girl named Bella? It’s Mark’s favoritest things EVER!
I don't really have strong feelings either way about this episode. It had some incredibly corny moments, and don’t get me wrong, I love cheesiness, but this was just too much. The Doctor being electrocuted by the door and falling down the stairs? I laughed at how bad it was. WE ARE VENETIANS! Second-hand embarrassment. I didn’t really care about the plot, and it didn’t feel new.
On a positive note, the episode was pretty to look at, the fight against the Oedipal fishpire was sorta fun, and I liked Helen McCrory. I hope she gets lots of time to play the imposing matriarch in Deathly Hallows 2. Oh, and that guy at the stag party had a mullet! Unexpected British mullets make me giggle.
Oh my god… I didn't even notice!!! D'oh.
I didn’t have time to rewatch this today, so I can’t comment much. I can however provide gifs of my favourite moments of Vampires in Venice-which was an episode I really enjoyed.
Surprise!Doctor and RORY! (RORY, RORY, RORY, RORY XD)
<img src="http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab221/DoctorWhoGifss4/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/birthdaycake.gif" border="0" alt="surprise! Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
Doctor and Amy squeeing!
<img src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/lylaaaa/Vampires-in-Venice-doctor-who-12055308-500-250.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Amy and RORY! being the cutest couple EVER!
<img src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/lylaaaa/tumblr_lf10uv3AVJ1qb84lwo1_400.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
And lastly, Francesco Calviery is Gilbert from Being Human so this is totally relevant!
<img src="http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af329/culfgif/35bfoeh.gif" border="0" alt="Gilbert fun time Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
GILBEEEEERT.
I WANT TO GO HAVE GILBERT FUN.
GOOOO! GO LISTEN TO 80S MUSIC AND DANCE BY YOURSELF IN THE PARK! NO ONE WILL JUDGE YOU!XD
SUCH a bourgeois concept…
I LOVE THAT PUNCH SO MUCH it's basically a shorthand visual of why I love Amy.
She is ADORABLE! The punch is adorable! Basically <3 <3 <3 at that scene!
I need to start watching Being Human ASAP.
After seeing him dance like that, I dare you not to watch it! (But, in all seriousness, DO IT!!!)
Yes, yes you do.
GILBERT! <3<3
GILBERT IS AWKWARD DANCING!80'S MUSIC!LOVE.
OH GOD IT'S GILBERT. I'VE BEEN WONDERING WHY I REOCGNISED HIS FACE FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME THE EP AIRED. GILBERT!
GOD YOU'RE AMAZING. THANK YOU.
Haha, it bugged the hell out of me when I first watched it, I knew I'd seen him before!
<3 Your welcome!
One: cut a hole in the box
Two: Put the Doc in that box
Three: Have him open the box
<img src=http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/ppyajunebug/15xmszr7daysandnights.gif/>
It’s a Doc in a box!
This is where I think the season really starts hitting its stride. Eleven, Amy and Rory are my true OT3. They all bounce off of each other so well. I also love that Amy rediscovers why she loves Rory and puts him and the Doctor in the proper places in her life. They’re her boys, but Rory is her future husband.
Also, can we have an Arthur Darvill appreciation thread going on here?
<img src=http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/ppyajunebug/RW_kungfu_1.gif/>
RORY IS LOOOOOOOOOOOVE.
EFF YOU PHOTOBUCKET
…D: Doc in a box… (By the way, that isn't a sad face. It's drooling.)
Rory! <3 THIS IS A RORY WILLIAMS APPRECIATION POST. HATERS TO THE LEFT.
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/sdea9z.gif>
I love him. I love his speech to the Doctor about why he's dangerous. I love his love for Amy, and I love how stupidly brave he is. He reminds me of Ron Weasley (they even have the same initials!), only not really because then Amy being Ginny would be really weird. They did have to act like brother and sister in this episode, but we all know who the real incestuous vibes were coming from. What is it with Helen McCrory and mummy's boys? MummyNarcissa had an awesome dress, if you get rid of that ruffle/collar thing that was actually part of her fish body. I sincerely hope her sons only ate her. Blech.
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/wAMbq.gif>
"It's in another dimension."
Awesome TARDIS reaction, Rory! You've been going online? I think you are oneofus. Three-person TARDIS teams are the best and I like Amy's invitation to Rory much more than I liked Rose's lack of invitation to Mickey. That was just bad form.
"You kissed her back?"
"No, I kissed her mouth."
LOL LOL LOL never change, Doctor!
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/tumblr_lhgp7t5Gdh1qb5k8lo1_400.jpg>
He's pretty cool, and I like that he seems to want to be both Amy's uncle and her aunt. I mean, how can you not be cool when this is your ID?
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/15g47t.gif>
Hmm, I wonder why the Doctor doesn't want to run into Casanova?
<img src=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41067000/jpg/_41067240_tennantbbc_203.jpg>
Also, I caught hints of everyone's wonderful musical themes in this episode. I especially like the music that was played when the Doctor was shocked by the door. It's one of my favorites <3
RORY IS MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT SERIES 5, BAR NONE.
RORY IS THE BEST.
MY CRUSH ON HIM IS EMBARRASSING AND MASSIVE.
MINE TOO!
YES HE IS!
OH RLY? TELL ME MORE.
RORY IS THE AWESOMEST AND I WILL STAND NO DISSING OF HIM!
WE SHALL BE KNOWN AS RORY'S FANGIRLS (and fanboys, to cover all options 😛 )!
DO WE GET ALL-CAPS T-SHIRTS?!
YES. THIS. THIS TO THE POWER OF INFINITY.
I LOVE RORY AND WANT HIM TO STAY WITH THE SERIES FOREVER.
Rory as Ron is the best comparison ever!No wonder my newfound love for Rory knows no bounds! They are the same! (Rory's emotional range is far larger than that of a teaspoon, though! Sorry, Ron!)
I'm sure by Rory's age, Ron's gotten better with those emotion things. 😉
Oh, I'm sure he has! By DH, Ron's 'emotion things' were in the range of very large cauldron, I just felt like quoting Hermione for old times sake! 😀
It's physically impossible to hate Rory.
YES OMG Rory is Ron, 11 is space Dumbledore and Amy is somehow still Ginny but in a way that is without incest.
OMG THANK YOU FOR THE DT!CASANOVA PIC. I was thinking about that as soon as Casanova was brought up.
I actually really love this episode. It's just so much FUN! And we get Rory there for a full episode. RORY IS APPARENTLY EVEN MORE AWESOME THAN PREVIOUSLY ASSUMED ♥
<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhk5e4TbYm1qc34q7o1_500.gif">
Fun fact: when the Doctor shows his library card instead of the psychic paper, it has the picture of the first Doctor on it 😀
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhkfvpNCoG1qgnneg.jpg">
Another fun fact: the woman playing Rosanna Calvierri also plays Narcissa Malfoy in the HP movies.
<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcvx08U2Zf1qa67qro1_500.jpg">
She looks so much prettier without the skunk hair. She is gorgeous in this episode and I love her dress.
This.
*points up* What arctic_hare said.
She's much more Bellatrix then Narcissa, IMHO (originally she was supposed to play Bellatrix in OOTP, but got pregnant and they had to get Helena Bonham Carter instead). Also I HATE PASSIONATELY how they fucked up her hair and costume.
As much as I love HBC, I think Helen McCrory would have made a damn fine Bellatrix.
Why didn't they just make her hair all blonde!?? Did they think people wouldn't be able to understand that she was Bellatrix's sister? I hate it.
I agree with both of you, but I'm just here for the gifs.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/z5sn6.gif">
I will never, ever understand the skunk hair. Never.
The Doctor's worse than me when it comes to the library. He hasn't updated his card in ~400 years!
My main quibble with this episode is, you know, why doesn't the Doctor ever just move these aliens to a suitable planet? Like, find a big oceany planet for the fish people and let them repopulate there. His spaceship is a pocket universe, it's not like he doesn't have the room.
(Also, why don't aliens ever get the message not to pull this shit on Earth? Srsly.)
Doesn't he offer at one point, IIRC?
I recall him doing it at one point too. Was it to Miss Hartigan in The Next Doctor?
That might have been it. Rewatching the conversation in this episode, I think it's implied that he pulls relocation from the table because she doesn't remember Isabella's name. Kind of silly, but there it is.
I think it has to do with his conviction that everyone is important. The fact that Signora Calvieri was not only doing creepy alien vampire things to young girls but also could not possibly give less of a crap about them as individuals really pissed the Doctor off. It kind of makes sense to me.
Oh yeah I get it, it's just a little on the petty side, and I'm like "Eleven! Don't go all Ten on me!" But not so petty, because it means she's obviously not conflicted about this at all, and would be equally likely to go all out General anywhere he puts her. It's just a slippery slope I don't want to see this incarnation go the way of the last one.
Yeah, I see what you mean. Interestingly, I didn't see shades of Ten here, but I did to a slightly worrying degree in "The Beast Below", when he gets all shouty and then goes straight to zapping the star whale's brain.
Yeah… makes sense to me too. Just not quite ENOUGH sense.
Could be, I don't remember exactly. But he certainly doesn't offer all the times he could.
(Speaking of which, if the Doctor is always quoting the Shadow Proclamation rulings these aliens break, why don't the SP ever DO anything about them? :P)
I think Eleven was going to offer to find a planet, but because Fish Queen didn't remember Isabella's (It was Isabella right?)name after they had murdered her and basically didn't care about any of their victims, Eleven decided against it. Hope this is right, been a while since I've seen this episode.
This isn't a great episode, but I appreciate it so much for the way Amy, Rory, and The Doctor interact with each other. It's a different fibe than, say, The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey.
And Rory made a great point about The Doctor.
The scene between Rosanna and the Doctor where they ask each other questions is wonderful, they had amazing chemistry.
Gilbert Vampire Fun!
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/1zgxqiw.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I don't know why, but I always imagine that he's listening to Tom Jones EVEN THOUGH this would clearly be impossible. Tom Jones is too bourgeois
Oh look a pop culture reference I get yay!
Didn’t we run through a frighteningly similar situation with a female companion and her boyfriend/dude before? I do acknowledge that the context was different and the dynamic feels new, but we’ve quite literally seen the Doctor, his excited companion, and the companion’s boyfriend feeling left out on the show a few times.
Well, yeah, we've had that before, but because the dynamic is different (the Doctor insisting that the boyfriend come along, the companion getting over sharing the Doctor and that adventurous life with someone else really, really quickly), I don't mind that it's kind of a repeated idea. Also, it means there's more Rory, so I'm not going to complain.
Also, I like how this episode sets up the dynamic between Amy, Rory, and the Doctor. Rory is kind of the sensible one being dragged into things, but he enjoys it nonetheless. The Doctor is the tour guide and the adventurer. And Amy… she's in charge of them all; it's her spaceship and her boys.
Because I care a little too much about this, I'm really glad Alex Price (Francesco the alien fish guy) is in the show. Why's that? Because he's the narrator of Series 5 of Doctor Who Confidential, and all the Confidential episodes I've found have narrators who have been on the show (David Tennant, Simon Pegg, Mark Gatiss, Anthony Head, Noel Clarke, and Alex Price). This makes me happy for some unknown reason.
Rory trying to fight with a broom is the funniest thing ever.
Moar Rory, always. There can never, ever be too much Rory.
But yeah, not the greatest episode ever. It's enjoyable (other favorite bit, the Doctor putting his hands over Amy and Rory's mouths so he could think, and Rory putting his over the other guy's mouth…seriously MOAR RORY ALWAYS) but nothing that demands tons of rewatching.
Oh, and I just started a rewatch of Battlestar Galactica. I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO GET TO THAT SHOW. I seriously had forgotten just how amazing it is.
BSG love! I decided to hold off rewatching unil Mark gets there. I can't wait for it!
I haven't rewatched BSG in aaaages (possibly since the finale actually), I'm definitely looking forward to going through it again.
I finally sat down and watched the first ep of BSG last night. Not at all what I was expecting and I have to say the acting in this is a lot better then I was expecting considering it's a sci-fi show. Looking forward to the rest.
And yes, MORE RORY! I too love that bit with the hands.
I like this episode, it's not one of the all time best but it has a lot of bits and pieces that make me like it.
In particular: HOLY SCENERY AND COSTUME PORN! This episode was partly filmed in Croatia and it was definitely worth it IMO. There's a really lovely atmospheric quality to a lot of the exterior scenes, especially once the rain starts. I'm slightly in love with the costumes for Francesco and Rosanna, sooooo much detail. I really enjoy the shots of Rosanna pulling off her outfit at the end, NOT IN THAT WAY(well maybe a little bit, damn you Helen McCrory), but we get to see all the detail and the layering that goes into it.
Okay I'll admit it, slight girlcrush on Helen McCrory thanks to this episode. After watching the video commentary I now pick up on the way she's always moving about when on her feet, going back and forth like a fish. She's clearly really into the role and having a lot of fun with it. I love the questions scene with the Doctor, the back and forth between them is really fun to watch.
Being Human nerd moment: GILBERT! Being less fun and more evil though. Mark you really need watch Being Human, if not for this blog then just for yourself.
RORY! Good to have you back man. I love that he's the sane man to balance Amy and Eleven's enthusiasm (which is super adorable, especially their "OMGVAMPIRES YAY!" moment). I have to admit I was slightly worried that it was all a bit too similar to Rose/Mickey but it seems like the show was aware of that. The doctor specifically talks about how he's seen relationships fall apart because one person was in the TARDIS while the other wasn't, and this seems to be his effort to avoid another situation like Rose/Mickey.
I really enjoy the shots of Rosanna pulling off her outfit at the end, NOT IN THAT WAY(well maybe a little bit, damn you Helen McCrory), but we get to see all the detail and the layering that goes into it.
I like that scene, too! It's beautifully shot, the costume is wonderfully detailed and it adds a vulnerability to Rosanna just before she dies.
It also helps that Helen McCrory is freaking beautiful!
I really enjoy the shots of Rosanna pulling off her outfit at the end, NOT IN THAT WAY(well maybe a little bit, damn you Helen McCrory), but we get to see all the detail and the layering that goes into it.
lol yes. XD She and the costume are both gorgeous.
ALSO ALSO since someone (I believe the wonderful artic_hare) mentioned a few episodes ago that Amy is like part of the Who fandom, making fanart and models and cosplay and all that, when I rewatched this episode I kept thinking about Rory as being another part of the fandom. Amy is the fan who was into it as a child and obsessed over the show. Rory is someone who never watched it as a kid and had all these friends who were into it but never was himself but finally gets dragged into watching it. At first he does his best to be all unimpressed because he's already heard some of the big stuff so he doesn't have that sense of wonder but by the end he has jumped in and is all excited as well.
LOL OMG YES. 😀 He at first thought it was overhyped/overrated, but then he got to a part he really liked and was totally sold on it. Brilliant!
Best analogy ever! Oh Rory, fans will always win out and drag you into their favourite show.
RORY IS LIKE MARK WITH HARRY POTTER.
I'm so glad you liked this line:
“You know what’s dangerous about you? It’s not that you make people take risks, it’s that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don’t want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you’re around.”
… because it was my absolute favorite part of this ep. I think I felt the same way about it that you did… provides some nice love triangle drama, I adore Jealous!Rory (well, Jealous!Anybody, really), Matt Smith is adorable and wise as always, but that line is so true and so brilliant. It even translates back to the Tenth Doctor when he realizes that all of his companions are willing to kill for him. The Doctor has an immense power over people without even realizing it, and he needs to understand that.
I love the idea that the credits cliffhanger is the Doctor finding himself in a socially difficult situation. It's classy that we never saw how he got out of it, but I suspect that Rory had to rescue him. That smashed glass noise didn't sound like somebody dropping their glass in shock, but like somebody doing it on purpose to deal with this bloke who seemed to be bragging to a good mate on his stag night that he'd snogged his fiancé.
What's nice about this is the bookending of the importance of names. In the short time that it took the Doctor to get into the cake, he'd learned that the stripper was called Lucy and that she was diabetic and he was anxious about the fact that she seemed cold. His fury that the Signora didn't know Isabella's name shows that even brief encounters matter to him.
And how tragic is Guido? Losing his daughter like that, deciding that there's nothing to live for except to take out the Vampire-fish girls. The sight of him realising that he was losing Isabella forever whilst dressed in Rory's T-shirt he'd swapped into was truly sad.
And Rory, how awesome is it that a human came out with an accurate theory straight away as to how the Tardis is bigger on the inside? He really does love Amy.
Amy obviously has issues. It's as though she's been let down so often that she has to test her relationships to destruction. She just can't seem to admit that she really does love Rory and the Doctor is right – Amy's behaviour isn't right.
Meanwhile, the Doctor owes Casanova a chicken…
I /kind of/ liked this episode. I think my reaction is similar to yours Mark.
I loved that they bought Rory back, more companions are always welcome! And I also love the line Rory says about how The Doctor makes people want to impress him, it's so true, and I love Rory for giving the Doctor that little "TAKE THAT" moment.
One thing I was disappointed about with this episode was, how after The Doctor and Roseanna had their lovely civilised little talk, but the Doctor still goes and ruins their shit. I remember seeing that bit and thinking "Ooh I hope The Doctor does what did in Daleks in Manhattan and offer to take them to some other planet so they can colonise peacefully." Seriously! I thought that Roseanna and all of her race we're quite awesome and I think that would have been a welcome change to the whole "Find random aliens trying to take over Earth, ruin all their plans" trope every single episode… (almost.)
Edit: ALSO! I found it amusing when the dude went to blow up the gunpowder, and he shouted "WE. ARE. VENETIANS!" It was like he was trying to do a "THIS. IS. SPARTA." But it turned out really lame.
Idk. Maybe I'm just projecting, but if I didn't want my fiance to have a stripper at his stag-do and if my fiance knew that (which he would because I would tell him) and didn't have the balls to stand up to his friend and respect my wishes, he wouldn't be my fiance any more. Amy doesn't seem like the kind of person to let someone walk all over her. If she wasn't happy about the stag party, I think she would have said something, and I don't think she would have stood for Rory ignoring her wishes.
I'd add that Amy was canonically a "Kiss-o-Gram" and called it a "laugh." While involved with Rory. That's seriously not judgmental, it just shows she doesn't seem to have that much problem with such entertainment on some moral level, so it's not clear she'd object to something like a stripper at stag night. I'd be pretty blah about if Rory had gone off and had stag night but didn't want Amy to have a hen night or something (… literally just looked up the British term for that on wikipedia). But making out with a dude outside this sort of construct of socially acceptable pre-wedding activities does seem different to me. I'm not up in arms over it, I can just see why Rory would be upset.
And it's not just any dude, it's the dude he knows she's been obsessed with for years.
Yes THIS. Amy kissing (and wanting to sex up) the Doctor is a bigger deal because of her LIFETIME OBSESSION with him. And *puts her sex worker hat on* a paid sexytimes encounter just doesn't have that level or that kind of emotional content to it. I know I get a little weirded out when I suspect a client is more into me than the situation calls for. A lot of the work of sex work is keeping appropriate boundaries in place, which means a good deal more than customers keeping their hands to themselves.
Oh, this is interesting! It assumes infidelity is worse when there's an emotional connection, while I'd be inclined to say the opposite – if you're going to risk ruining a relationship, it'd better be for a good reason. And yet I can see this POV too.
It does make me wonder, and one thought that arises is: Do we know that Amy isn't a kissogram any longer? Because if she still is, that could explain both her reaction and Rory's. She brushes the whole thing off as if it's no big deal, as if the Doctor is no different than people she kisses as parties, while Rory is very upset about the whole thing, perhaps because he recognizes the emotional difference. And it would also explain why he approaches the Doctor about it, rather than Amy; if Amy sees nothing wrong with what she's done, then the only way to stop it from happening again is to get the Doctor to stop kissing back.
Yeah, exactly. Amy was a kissogram while dating Rory; I can't imagine her objecting to a stripper at his stag night or that either she or Rory are particularly hung up about monogamy. The Doctor is a different matter.
It is a very good kiss.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2la95ox.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Hell yes!
Damn. Yeah. Good kiss. Karen Gillan seems to smooch with impressive abandon.
That first paragraph could could as expectation spoilers, so to be on the safe side, I'm going to delete this. Feel free to repost the rest of this comment, though!
Sorry, REALLY didn't think that was a spoiler, last thing I want to do.
About Amy's actions… I think quite a lot of that relationship isn't put into words. Something I personally feel when I watch this series is Moffat (and Matt, Karen and Arthur for that matter) put a LOT of this sort of thing out in body language rather than dialogue and expect those of us old enough to care about this sort of thing to put it together from what we know about the characters. Example (and a poor one, I'll have a much much better one soon) is Amy dodging Rory's (justifiable) anger at what went on. The INSTANT he gets confrontational she sidesteps it. Which, when you think about what we know about her, is odd, you'd expect denial and anger and fighting her corner, instead she almost shrinks back. Those abandonment issues really are never far from the surface with her are they… Or that could be my head cannon and, therefore, total bollocks. Either way 😉
Awesome comment. I love the character development, because it's obvious that they need DOCTOR MARRIAGE COUNSELING, amirite?
Yep! And I love it too.
Lots of humour, great location shoots in Trogir, good alien cgi (too bad that's the only good cgi in the episode), Rory being adorkable what's more to like?
This definitely isn't the best episode ever (and kind of comes off the high of Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone), but I agree that the dynamic of Rory-Amy-Doctor keeps it going. And having Rory is great. CGI aliens are more something I put up with when it comes to this show than really enjoy, but on the other hand, I like it when the show has a fun guest star like Helen McCrory here (or say, Sophie Okonedo as Liz X).
Actually, if anything bothered me about this episode, it was that I was super creeped out by how Isabella and then her father died. I know I should be used to one-episode characters dropping left and right, especially when I just saw a bunch of Angel neck-snapping, but for whatever reason I always feel pretty terrible when it happens this time.
Amy and Rory blowing up the VampireFishSonDude, however, was pretty hilarious.
I agree, their deaths were my least favourite thing in this ep.
Rory reminds me so much of my ex-fiance. Totally sweet, awesome, devoted guy who would essentially make the best husband and father on the planet … if I really wanted to get married and have kids, which it turned out I didn't. I was too busy adventuring with the Doctor.
My favorite thing about this episode was the moments that showed who wears the pants/short skirts in Rory and Amy's relationship
Francesco was incredibly attractive (especially right before he does his flying dive) and Rory was awesome taking on a sword with a broom but all that considered I dont think I liked it cause I have absolutly no urge to watch it again. Maybe it was the Nosferatu settings or the vampire plot in general but I didnt find it all that interesting.
So the FishPeople came through a crack? And Prisoner Zero did as well. Does that mean Pedro and his friends might still exist and are just hanging out on a beach somewhere while everyone else has forgotten them?
"Does that mean Pedro and his friends might still exist and are just hanging out on a beach somewhere while everyone else has forgotten them?"
Totally my new head!canon.
They're hanging out with Ross Jenkins enjoying some of Rose's drugs.
Well…I *was* going to dub the beach "Crackland"
Seconded! That would be such a fun TARDIS crew.
Thirded!
I don't think that the repeated elements of this episode are a coincidence, really – well, not the ones about Amy, Rory, and the Doctor's relationships to each other. This season seems to be continually in dialogue with RTD's legacy, choosing roads not taken in the past and purposely contrasting itself with the older seasons. Where Mickey refused to board the TARDIS in "Aliens of London"/"World War III", Rory said yes. Where Mickey was ridiculed by the text, Rory gets a bit more credit. The similarities are too numerous to be accidental
I liked this episode for having a halfway coherent plot – at least by Who standards – rather than the piling-on technique employed by Moffat in the first several episodes of the season. Also, Helen McRory is sexy and menacing and awesome as Rosanna, which gives the script an extra bit of flavor it would have lacked if a lesser actress were in the role. But yeah, the climbing-to-the-top-of-a-building resolution did feel kinda clichéd, I admit. 😛
Yes, total agreement here!
Yeah, it seems to be more of a mirror, deliberately so, of past events, with the differences being in how Eleven is handling them, among other things, and I believe he's making a conscious choice to try and make them play out better this time around.
For me, Rory is the most heroic character in this episode, and the comedy broom-ninja moves are indicative of incredible bravery. It's one thing to face off against an army of Daleks when you're a 900-year-old super-genius with plenty of experience in defeating them, or to stand up to an enemy when you're a muscle-bound martial arts expert, but Rory is neither of these. He willingly puts himself in harms way for Amy, knowing that he's probably not going escape unscathed. THAT'S true courage and sacrifice. It's easy to laugh at his business with the broom, but would YOU face a trained swordsman armed only with a stick and what you could remember from the last Jackie Chan movie you watched?
He's also the only character since DAVROS to openly and directly challenge the Doctor on how he affects the lives of other people.
As for fandom's attitude, it seems, well to me at least, that it's reputation has grown over time. Initial reaction seemed to follow much of what has been said: it feels like it's re-using one trope too many, certain plot elements don't quite hang together, the ending seemed rushed. But over time appreciation of the performances and the characters has grown to the point where it's quite well-regarded.
To me what doesn't quite work is that it was quite clearly written as an out-and-out romp, but was directed a little more seriously, particularly the conflict between Rory and The Doctor. For me there's a threatening air about "I like it when people say its bigger on the inside" exchange that just doesn't belong.
"As for fandom's attitude, it seems, well to me at least, that it's reputation has grown over time. Initial reaction seemed to follow much of what has been said: it feels like it's re-using one trope too many, certain plot elements don't quite hang together, the ending seemed rushed. But over time appreciation of the performances and the characters has grown to the point where it's quite well-regarded."
This seems true to me as well. I know I personally have warmed up to it more over time. I think for me the ep is more about the characters than anything, so knowing the full characterization arc of S5 helps.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/29232mr.jpg">
Yeah, I don't have a lot of thoughts on this episode aside from ROOORRRRYY~, and YAY! NOW WE HAVE A NEW TEAM TARDIS. Even though I did kind like Nine, Jack, and Rose's dynamic.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/1183kls.jpg">
Honestly at the time of airing I thought this episode was such a relief after the stress and pain of the last 2 episodes. It was nice to have a slightly brainless, comic-relief-y episode for once.
Oh, and it's just a small detail, but I love that Eleven totally humanises the stripper who was supposed to jump out of that cake. Lucy. Lovely girl. Diabetic. (You just know they had a conversation about how everyone loves cake.) Because the last thing guys at a bachelor party want is to see the stripper as an actual human being.
Oh, I love that bit. Also, he really seems to have no idea what she's there to be doing. Like women frequently hang around outside bars wearing bikinis in small English villages. His cluelessness is kind of adorable.
I don't have much to write about this. I know, I always say that, but really this time I don't.
I rewatched it again tonight and laughed and laughed at the sheer fun of it all. Tonally, it was exactly what was needed. Any attempt to try and follow the Angels 2 parter with anything scary, dark or creepy would have failed.
At the end, having thoroughly enjoyed myself, I thought to myself, `Why do I always rate this as such a low point in this season?` Then I read Mark's review and found the answer: It's all just too familiar. Visually, it's stunning, and the dialogue sings, but there's very little in the plot to hold my interest.
It's not terrible, by any means. Just average. And the quality of this series so far, at least in my opinion, has been so brilliant, that `average` just doesn't cut it and I woudl hope for better from the creator of the fabulous Being Human.
So, my enjoyment of this episode depends on whether I watch it in isolation or in the wider context of what had gone before.
Edited to Add: I'm not usually one to notice plot holes, but the one at the end of this story – leaving a whole load of fish-blokes in the canal that will eat any woman or girl who accidentally falls in or just fancies a swim – is a bit too big for me to ignore.
I was going to post this funny image… but a part of it is from a future episode….
I would like to take the opportunity to remind all of you not to post any images that have to do with future episodes.
If this is what you're thinking at the moment:
<img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/gfhety.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Then please read the Site Rules/Spoiler Policy.
If you have already read the rules/policy before, please ask yourself these questions:
Is the image/comment I want to post from a future episode?
Is this image/comment an answer to an unanswered question?
Does this post reveal this answer to the final episode of the series?
Am I revealing certain facts that aren't known at this time in the series (Basically, giving the answer to life)?
Is the image/comment a future character that has not yet appeared?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, DON'T POST IT! If you do post it even after answering yes to any of these questions your post will be deleted and this guy will come after you:
<img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/1182977563510.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
This is an excellent PSA.
I would like to add onto it by reminding you all that my threat from Silence in the Library is very much still active. If you spoil Mark:
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/28mhgro.jpg"/>
WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT GIF!
THAT LIGITIMATELY SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME!
Gotta love that fanon trope!
Episode related post:
I love Rory. He's so unsure of himself at times and that is something I find amusing. He was kind of the third wheel though at some parts, since he just wasn't adjusted to this type of situation.
Obviously aliens made them do it.
"got my spaceship, got my boys…"
"we are not her boys."
"yeah, we are"
"… yeah, we are."
LOVE THEM LOVE THEM LOVE ALL THREE OF THEM. ROOOORY.
She didn't, no, not really. I like this analysis of the Doctor's thought process, it makes total sense to me and I agree. He did express that desire to "fix that" wrt to her "growing up".
First of all, I love Rory. Secondly, this episode drives me crazy. I'm a music historian specializing in 16th and 17th-century Venice, and the historical inaccuracy drives me insane, despite usually being able to disregard it. There is simply no way that Venice, with an economy based entirely on trade, would be able to cut itself off from the world without starving. There is also no way a strange woman could take control of the highly misogynist city (the only women who were expected to frequently show themselves in public were performers and prostitutes, and power was concentrated in a very few families). The only explanation is mind control over the entire city, and they never say anything about that. Also, schools for girls did not exist, but most high-class daughters became nuns, so why not make it a convent? I love the sets and costumes, but the complete wrongness of this period which I often feel like I live in more than the present day completely wrecks my suspension of disbelief.
Word. Being a historian ruins *so* much, they should have had a disclaimer on the acceptance letter to the degree program.
But since my specialty is 19th c. US history (with a side specialty in 19th Dynasty Egypt), I spent most of this ep going LOL FISHWIVES.
Rory's speech was epic. Not only is the Doctor dangerous, but he makes people dangerous to themselves. So true.
Reminds me of the scene at the end of S4 when Davros makes the Doctor face his past and see how violent he has inspired his companions to be.
YOU ARE NOT RORYPARED.
I hereby award you ONE WHOLE INTERNET.
ROFL that is awesome, and true.
This is an enjoyable, slightly middle of the road episode. So, a few things:
I'm such a sucker for pretty sets and pretty costumes and pretty locations and this episode is SO VERY PRETTY. I love all the costumes. And Rory's t-shirt is adorable, and I think this is my favorite outfit of Amy's thus far. And the vampire/fish teeth are so cool.
RORY! <3 He's so cute and sweet. And the sword/broom fight is fun. Also – RORY: "Another dimension." DR: "It's basically another dimension. What?" His conversation with the Doctor is great, too.
It's wonderful and very telling as to his character that the Doctor chatted with Lucy, (the bikini-clad cake-jumping-out-of-girl), "Lovely girl. Diabetic." And he's "worse than everybody's aunt"and wants someone to give her a jumper. And at the end, he points out to Senora Caverelli "Isabella. You didn't even know her name." I think he'll never forget Father Octavian or Lucy or Isabella, nor anyone else who enters into his life.
The First Doctor cameo in the library card photo was fun. 😀
I searched the internet, but couldn't find a gif of Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade where he says "Ah, Venice."
The main problem I had with this ep was that as an ep set in the past, particularly in freakin Venice, IT HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL. I mean, you have water-creatures. In a city that's practically falling into the sea. And no one thought to make some plan to sink the city? Ever? Seriously? Really disappointed in Toby Whithouse for that one.
It was just… the fact that it was in the past wasn't used at all. They had gorgeous costumes and scenery (my friend who worked at Angels costume house worked on some of them), but they were just there. They didn't add anything to the story, which was seriously depressing.
I will add that there were some great character moments in this ep. But the plot… meh.
This episode isn't tops for me, but having MORE RORY is hugely satisfying. I love him so much it's vaguely pathetic.
Here's the thing about this episode: it makes absolutely no sense. This is legitimately the episode of Doctor Who that has more plotholes than plot. That said, because of the amazing opening, and Rory!!! it doesn't seem to matter.
~*~ An excerpt from a discussion between my friend and me after this episode.~*~
Me: "But, wait, why didn't she use some of the mass number of males to go after the Doctor, instead of risking ALL of her females?"
Her: "He thought it could be the wrong cake… AGAIN!"
Me: "What, exactly, are the sunlight rules? Because they're playing willy-nilly with that this whole episode."
Her: "The stripper is outside in a bikini. he tells them to give her a jumper. She's ~Diabetic~."
Me: "Why did the queen take her clothes off at the end? Wasn't her outfit part of her perception filter?? That makes no sense!!"
Her: "Think of the children!!"
~*~End Scene~*~
Essentially, I was told to keep the MST3K mantra in mind, and only focus on the good. Overall, the good was great, but the number of problems in this episode make it my least favorite of the season (which, granted, is my favorite season).
Excellent dialogue.
I don't know how my brain decides whether it's going to fixate on plot holes or ignore them. I guess I find myself ignoring the holes more when overall there's a lot to like in an ep, whereas something like the Daleks in Manhattan two-parter just makes me rage since I have a hard time finding the good.
That's how my brain works too, I think. I'm inclined to handwave/MST3k mantra holes in a fun episode like this, but if I'm not enjoying something much otherwise, like in DiM, they're much more glaring and annoying.
The only thing I could think of when Amy kicked Rosanna Calvierri's perception filter was the Undersea-Fish-Woman who pops out of the witches' cauldron or whatever it is in Nightmare before Christmas.
<img src="http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/_img/chars/char_22059.jpg">
This episode is widely considered to be one of the weaker episodes of this series, and I'm consciously aware of it, but I can't help but really liking it. Here are my reasons why:
1. The opening sequence. In my book it's the second BEST pre-credits opening sequence, right after the opening sequence of "The Time Of Angels". The Doctor bursting out of the cake, his complete cluelessness and alienness, the looks of horror on all the men's faces, the sheer awkwardness of it all… it's brilliant and hilarious as hell.
2. RORY. Rory Rory Rory Rory RORY!!! <3 I love him so much! I love the three-way dynamic between the Doctor, Amy and Rory, and I also love how he basically represents Amy's anchor to reality (whereas the Doctor represents the fantasy). AND he calls the Doctor out when things get dangerous! RORY POWER!!!
3. The humour and the fantastically quotable bits of dialogue… the Doctor being addressed as "Your Holiness"… "Am I thinking what I think I'm thinking?"… "Stop talking, brain thinking, hush"… "I'm a Time Lord, you're a big fish. Think of the children."… I could quote on forever… 😀
1. MOAR RORY FOREVER. I have wanted a male companion for ages and Rory is perfect. He's no Ian Chesterton, but then, no one is Ian.
2. OMG, how awesome was it that when he pulled out the psychic paper that was in fact a library card, the picture was William Hartnell a.k.a the First Doctor?! I was really excited over that.
3. Rory's face when the Doctor pulled out a much larger light. Poor thing.
4. DOCTOR IN CAKE. My ideal birthday.
DOCTOR IN CAKE. My ideal birthday.
Who do I have to pay/bribe/threaten for this to happen in real life for my birthday?
Get in line!
I'm sure we can work it out if we all have different birthdays.
Time travel, so even if we don't.
I suggest we set up this venture ourselves, and market him to others. Employee discounts all around!
And we should also be present everytime … to supervise and make sure it all goes smoothly.
Indeed. We'd have to pull some long shifts, but I think we'd all agree it was worth it. Job satisfaction, you know?
Yeah. I mean it's practically our duty. Everyone should be able to experience Doctor in a Cake to the best of our abilities.
Exactly!
Basically, everyone has addressed all the things I love about this episode: the character interactions, the cake, Rory (much better than Mickey), the buxom fish line. It wasn't a bad little episode, but not the best.
I really had the exact same reaction you had, Mark.
It wasn't horrible, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't earth-shattering or anything.
But Rory is what really made this episode. LOVE Rory, so much. <3
Also must mention that none of us are prepared. Ever.
Oh man Rory, first you get humiliated like that then you have to spend the whole show in that goofy t-shirt. I love you so though and I'm so glad you're here.
I think we all agree the cake scene and the scene where they present Karen to the fake Vampire school are pretty brilliant. Not to mention the broom fight.
I thought that they were just hanging a lampshade on the repititiousness of the Doctor's companions falling for him HARD esp in the new series so I actually really liked that it was addressed outright and that he tried to nip it in the bud-11 is clearly having none of it so it's not like it's reruns of previous seasons. Plus Amy's clearly happy to have Rory stick around at the end which wasn't really the case when say Mickey first got invited on.
Also: "Actually I thought you were her fiance"
"That's not helping"
This is an excellent review. *applauds* I just want to zero in on the bit about the "Meanwhile in the TARDIS…" scene. I also really like that aspect of Eleven. He comes off to me, not as a patriarchal figure like Ten, but as more of a kindly old professor who's way, way in touch with his inner child, gently guiding his "students" rather than – well, what you described. Which is to say, exactly the kind of teacher I'd love having, and exactly the kind of Doctor I'd want to travel with. Which also links into what you said about his feelings for Rory: he's not happy about Rory being unimpressed with the TARDIS (because Doctor/TARDIS OTP), but I think he does like him in his own way. Involuntary snort of fondness, indeed. 😀
Aw, Thanks!
Yeah, I read the "I like the bit when someone says it's bigger on the inside. I always look forward to that," (another interaction which I LOVE. That smile Matt does cracks me up!) as more being the Doctor frustrated that he's trying to do the right thing here and Rory's being petty, or that he invited in a guest and the guest is just rude- not that it's all dick-measuring. (Though there may be a little bit there–if the Doctor is going to be territorial anywhere, it should be the TARDIS!)
Hmmm. There are so many dick-measuring moments in this episode that I sort of can't help but read it as one. But agreed that the Doctor totally WOULD be territorial about the TARDIS!
Vampires would be far too bourgeois for Gilbert. As would any fun that didn't involve graveyards and depressing music.
<img src="http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af329/culfgif/35bfoeh.gif" border="0" alt="Gilbert fun time Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
gratuitous Being Human dance party
<img src="http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b462/jessicaroseish/GIF%20-%20Tumblr/Untitled-2-1.gif" border="0" alt="Being Human Hula Dance Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
My feelings on the episode were mixed. While we had the snappy dialogue we've enjoyed thus far in series 5 I also thought the episode was too formulaic. That being said…..
You know why Edward sparkles? Because it's the sunlight on his scales! I always knew he was a fish!!!
I love Rory. He's a great foil to Amy and Eleven, who are almost *too* alike without Rory to provide balance. You can see how Rory is a good match, giving Amy stability that her life has been lacking. Also, how can I not love the scene where the Doctor pops out of his cake? The moment he said that Amy smooched him was adorably awkward. Poor Rory, if Amy doesn't want him I'd sign up!
You know why Edward sparkles? Because it's the sunlight on his scales! I always knew he was a fish!!!
Okay, now I really want to see Edward's head 'shopped on to a fish alien's body.
I'll get on it after I finish this chili.
Do eeeeeeet! 😀
Ask and you shall receive 🙂
I was kind of hoping you would see this if you were around!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/SwimmingTrunks/Stuff%20for%20MarkDoes%20Stuff/195d826b.jpg">
Sorry it took me so long, google image searching "edward cullen sparkling" is kind of saturated with pictures that wouldn't really work for a shop, and as it turns out unsurprisingly, I don't have a very high tolerance for looking through pages and pages of pictures of Twilight.
The result, though, I think is worth the effort.
You win the internet, I love this!!!
I love this and I love you.
I- I love you. That is all.
Oh god. This is the best thing ever. THANK YOU!
Mmmmm, chili. I want chili now.
Someone shooped a fish head onto Edward, but I can't find it …
Scroll up to swimmingtrunks' second post in this comment thread 🙂
I knew I had it somewhere, only in avatar size though I'm afraid.:
<img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/NB2000/Avs%20and%20Sigs/Commandeered/Doctor%20Who/Othellia/spacefish2.png">
<img src="http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/Starsea/Doctor%20Who/Who%20Macros/OMGTHEEXCITEMENT.gif">
One of my favourite scenes in this episode is the 'confrontation' between Amy and Rory over her running away on the evening of their wedding (and the kiss which is hovering in the background). Amy knows that she's messed up, you can see that in her face in the very first scene. The kiss with the Doctor wasn't 'real' to her, it was just another game of make believe… until the Doctor made it real by not only bringing Rory on board but telling him about the kiss. Now the kiss is very real and Amy doesn't know how to make it right.
Rory asks for reassurance. Amy punches him on the arm and tells him "I knew I'd be back".
My face: <img src="http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/Starsea/ConfusedJayne.gif">
My brain: Amy, did you just PUNCH HIM ON THE ARM? That is what a thirteen year-old boy would do to try and comfort someone! (Except Harry Potter. Harry couldn't even manage to give Hermione a hug at 17 when the love of her life had just left them in the lurch, poor kid. The blankets were a big step forward.) He is not "one of your mates", he is your FIANCE.
And then I realised. She was sorry. She wanted to say that she was sorry, but she couldn't. She literally did not have the words. She did not know how to ask for forgiveness. My God, it's so fucking tragic. All she could do was look really scared and upset and hope that Rory would interpret that look as "I'm sorry, please don't leave me". I get the feeling Rory's been doing a lot of interpreting.
The kiss with the Doctor wasn't 'real' to her, it was just another game of make believe… until the Doctor made it real by not only bringing Rory on board but telling him about the kiss. Now the kiss is very real and Amy doesn't know how to make it right.
YES. THIS EXACTLY.
"She wanted to say that she was sorry, but she couldn't".
THIS SO MUCH IT HURTS!
I love the punch so much because it says so much about her and the issues she has. And because it is something a boy would do.
It's honestly become one of my favourite moments in this series because it's when I began to understand how truly fucked up Amy was. As you say, the punch and the look of fear and confusion on her face encapsulate so much. For me, it's a bit like the moment Mrs Weasley hugs Harry in GoF and he doesn't even hug her back because HE HASN'T BEEN HUGGED SINCE HE WAS ONE brb heart breaking.
MY BRAIN, YOU SHARE IT.
Oh HAI there, Muse! Fancy seeing you in a discussion about an episode featuring Rory. <3
Yes yes yes THIS to what you said about Amy and the arm punch. It's one of my favorite moments of hers for all the reasons you described.
Absolutely! I was tyhinking today about what Rory is to Amy, and her reality is that everyone leaves her either literally or metaporically- her parents, her Aunt, her Raggedy Doctor, and anyone left thinks she's mad Amy Pond (her shrink, Jeff, her other shrink, Jeff's Nana, her other-other shrink, EVERYONE IN LEDWORTH, her other-other-other shrink…) and she literally is incapable of believing that Rory won't be one or the other or worse, both. She can't conceive of it. So she'll fuck it up before he can leave her. That way she has control over the relationship.
The sad thing is that she's not even consciously doing it. She wants Rory to stay with her, but at the same time she keeps pushing him to see if he'll leave, because everybody else has. 🙁 And then when the Doctor makes her confront the consequences of the kiss, she doesn't know what to do.
That video is the funniest thing I've seen since the Comic Relief short aired last week. Dear god, is it accurate!
Most of what I enjoy about thisep comes from Rory. He's honestly my favorite character next to Donna Noble. Again, I can't go into a large part of why because of spoilers. I will admit a lot of this ep is cheesy and familiar but it's got that sense of fun that is a lot of the reason I enjoy Doctor Who despite the rather inplausible plots.
I've read through most of this and there's one thing that has stood out over and over in the comments that plain boggles me. How come people are so sure the Doctor is truly annoyed when Rory isn't impressed by the TARDIS?
To me this is where the Doctor finally goes 'okay, this guy has something special. I could live with him, not just for Amy's sake but for his own.' This is the second time Rory has done something out of the ordinary (the other was taking pictures of Prisoner Zero's disguises) and the Doctor has this look on his face where he's sizing him up and approving. He says he's annoyed because Rory doesn't follow through with expectations, but you can see his mind ticking away and realising that this guy isn't as much of a wuss and able to be dismissed as he might appear. Maybe I'm just weird but I never read that scene as the Doctor being genuinely annoyed – surprised and a little put out, yes, annoyed no. And the knowledge that this guy has something to offer that's different, I think the Doctor really likes that.
As to the episode as a whole, it's not my favourite but nor is it my least favourite. It probably rests around the middle for the season (which is my favourite of all the new Who seasons). I do love the dynamics between all three of the characters here and I think that's what keeps me coming back. Rory and Amy – with their wonderfully awkward togetherness and the Doctor and Rory and the tensions between them (mainly from Rory IMO), and of course Amy and the Doctor and how much he approves of her reckless fire (with its nice contrast to Rory's initial concern over it). Then, as others have said, we see so clearly just how screwed up and immature Amy is and how Rory is incredibly immature and insecure here even though both manage to do great things in this episode. I just love that we have two very imperfect characters with so much potential for growth. I love potential for character growth!
That's kind of how I interpreted that scene too. Well, the TARDIS is the Doctor's favorite toy and he likes showing it off and impressing people. Then Rory comes along and he's not in awe of the TARDIS; Rory understands what the TARDIS is right away. The Doctor is half annoyed that he can't show off, and half impressed that Rory's so clever.
Awwwwww….
I hate when I'm late to the party and everyone else already says everything I wanted to say. Am I even necessary here? *pout*
But I really, really like this episode.
Also, it's infinitely amusing how fish-aliens are more vampiric than Meyerpires.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2819cic.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Matt Smith, the incredible aging actor. Observe him randomly turn about 40 in the third panel of this macro! (Which is A+ by the way)
A++ gif
I LOVE Rory! Arthur is perfect for the part.
You're quite right about the episode, the themes are repetitive. Then again, I found out that the middle of any television series season tends always to be like that, as if the writers and director don't know how to fill the show betweeen the beginning and the end of the story that they're developing. Still, I can say they are useful to buy time for the story and cut the tension the main story might bring to the more eventful and dinamic episodes.
In fact, the episodes I like best are those completely unrelated to the main theme of the season, the ones where they allow the characters to goof around at their own sweet will. There's one coming up soon I particularly like. I'll tell you when you get there. You'll see, it's goofy and emotional. 🙂
We need MOAR Hipster Doctor.
<img src=http://images2.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/5907751/yeah-i-talk-to-people-through-fireplaces-because-talking-on-the-phone-is-too-mainstream.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=hipster-doctor-who->
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/I-KNEW-ROSE-LOVED-DRUGS-BEFORE-SHE-.jpg>
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Raxacoricofallapatorius-so-21-AD.jpg>
Guess which one I made?
*you are so beautiful to me*
EDIT: made one myself
<img src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee390/echinodermatasonata/Red-bicycles-are-so-mainstream-I-ga.jpg">
<3
<img src="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/I-COULD-EXPLAIN-WHY-ROSE-LOVED-DRUG.jpg">
I love you both for these!
I missed this post completely yesterday, but I had to pop in to express my love for both of you. OMG! <3 <3 <3
Hipster!Doctor+ RoseLovesDrugs= WIN
These are amazing <3 <3 <3 I love you two!
Well, i'm feeling so-so about this episode.
It okay episode, not great not bad, but not memorable for me.
Thing to be hail:
1. Doctor words when he burst out from the cake, that made me LOL, fantastic
2. Venice
3. Vampire girls parade wore white dress and umbrella, its like beautiful photoshoot.
4. Rory
5. Venice (again, i don't care its real Venice or just fake one. Its Venice)
The thing made me confused is, when Rosanna jumped into the water and (maybe) eaten by her children, and then what? its means water around Venice still full of alien fish?
The idea that a lot of Amy and Rory here and in other places this season, feels like a retread of territory already covered on the show is the main reason I took so long to warm to Amy I think. I was just very "we've SEEN THIS," and thus uninterested. And this episode was the point where I actually stopped watching for a while just because I sort of. . . lost interest?
I did eventually finish and was won over and apologetic for being grumpy about it, though. 🙂
This episode is our least favorite of season five, followed by Victory of the Daleks. The vampire/alien fish creature story is very weak
It seems like the vampires had the same teeth that Prisoner Zero had. They should have invented something else for them.
Rory's line was definitely the BEST. "“You know what’s dangerous about you? It’s not that you make people take risks, it’s that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don’t want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you’re around.”
Rory is awesomeness.
I found this possibly the weakest ep of series five…it was just rather bleh, with a few good lines in it. I didn't really have any emotional connection. There could and should have been some emotional connection with that guy and his daughter that was being fishified, but they were just 'there'. I didn't relate to them as characters.
If there is a weakness to Moffat's Who, it's that he doesn't always pay attention to this… making the little characters big, and getting us to care about them. When he does it (as in the Angel eps) he strikes gold. But he misses quite a bit, and this is an ep where it was missed. I know he didn't pen this one, but he oversees all the scripts as HW.
This was actually the episode where I relaxed and just settled into completely loving series 5. I enjoyed the earlier eps, especially The Eleventh Hour, but I was just a bit on the fence, wanting to love it wholeheartedly and still not quite sure about it yet.
It actually also took me six episodes to fall completely in love with series 1–Dalek was the episode where I just sort of went, "You got me, I'm in love." I guess that's how long it takes for a new writer/showrunner to hit their stride with this show?
And though I love Amy, I think the Amy/Doctor relationship didn't quite feel right until it was Amy/Rory/Doctor. Rory just sort of balances both of them out in such a wonderful way.
It's not like Rose and Mickey were the first couple in the TARDIS. I'd name some, but I don't know if that counts as spoilers? Anyway, I can think of several.
The theme of having the female companion bring her boyfriend on the TARDIS is because….well, it was kind of a tradition in the classic series to get rid of female companions by having them meet ~a man~ and drop everything for him. (Not saying which ones. There are a LOT of female companions, so this should hardly spoil.) I think with modern sensibilities, RTD and Moffat looked back on this and asked, "Well, why can't she take her boyfriend with her?" So it's kind of a feminist statement, like, she can totally have her career in the TARDIS, and have a man too. Being a companion isn't like being a nun.
I think the Amy/Rory/Doctor dynamic is quite different from the Rose/Mickey/Doctor one. I think Amy's feelings for Rory are a lot more serious (Amy is about to get married to Rory, whereas Rose seemed to have a more casual thing with Mickey) and, well…I think the Doctor actually *likes* Rory. Mickey ended up as sort of a third wheel, so he went off to be more awesome without them, but Rory just sort of completes them. (I do wonder how a Martha/Mickey/Doctor Team TARDIS would work out, considering Martha and Mickey seem much more serious–as in, they got married and stuff–and the Doctor acts more towards Martha like he does towards Amy, as in, not all jealous and wanting to see her happy with someone else.)
Anyway! I love this episode, and I love the OT3.
What I like about the parallel to Rose and Mickey here is that the Doctor, this time, wants to fix Amy and Rory's relationship, AND recognizes that it's harmful to their relationship for Amy to go off on unearthly adventures without Rory. I'm like, "jeez Doctor, if only you had figured out some of this shit BEFORE Rose and/or Martha, you may have had fewer problems." Right off the bat Eleven is different from the ones that came before, and I love that.
I feel like this episode had a lot of parallels to past Doctor/companion relationships, like the Doctor and Amy getting excited about OMG VAMPIRES the way the Doctor and Rose got excited about OMG WEREWOLVES. I sometimes think there's a pattern to new companions/doctors or even new series: first they go hang out in the distant future of the human race and something is not quite right, then they go to the past and face some kind of seemingly supernatural monster (that's really an alien), then they go to a doomed spaceship and have to figure out how to save it/the crew. Sometimes they shift the order around, but these seem to be the three things necessary for a new doctor/companion/series. I'm kind of glad they kept up the pattern with S5, since everything else about it is new.
Buuuut yeah, the whole "our home planet was destroyed so we came here to populate the Earth"? Seen that plot already dude.
"And you kissed her back??" "No, I kissed her mouth." LOLOLOL FOREVER
Also, the line about getting married in 430 years was brilliant. TIME TRAVEL JOKES NEVER GET OLD.
Also also, I love the moment at the beginning where the Doctor says someone should bring the girl in the bikini inside and give her a sweater. (jumper? whatever.) His attitude is so awesome. He just goes ahead and does stuff, without worrying about whether it's going to seem "right" for the humans watching.
Was I the only one who went "HEY IT'S A CHICKEN YOU SHOULD GIVE IT TO CASANOVA!"? Just me, then?
Pingback: Check out my FB profile
Do you know a bang-up and fun classic game, which is not only outstanding to cure your boredom, but to improve your wordbook too! free bookworm is extraordinary! It’s loads of fun and extremely addictive. Play it presently!
Amazing article, cheers, I will subscribe to you RSS soon!
Pingback: Seo company
Pingback: Toasty Redhead
Pingback: Fathers Day Gift
Pingback: Black Fridy Ads
Pingback: Sweaters On Sale
Pingback: poly mva
Pingback: corporate christmas cards
Pingback: Laptop Batteries
Pingback: club penguin
Pingback: microwave ovens news
Pingback: natural haircolor tips
Pingback: Tonsil Stones Removal at Home
Pingback: Exclusive Lazy Affiliate Riches Bonus
Pingback: The Birdhouses
Pingback: Concert Tickets
Pingback: The Microwave Ovens
Pingback: Drug Rehab
Pingback: Frye Paige
Pingback: Syrup for Snow Cones
Pingback: July 4th Sales
Pingback: Here's the scoop
Pingback: Fly Agaric
Pingback: The natural haircolor
Pingback: Thewaterkettle