Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War review
Saturday 4th June 2011, 8:17PM BST.
Warning: There’s oodles of spoilers in this – just thought we’d better warn you. On your own head be it…
Sometimes I could really hate the people behind Doctor Who.
All week I’ve been looking forward to a Good Man Goes to War, safe in the knowledge that this series is back on track after the disappointing/cobblers (delete according to opinion) opening two parter with its flash pyrotechnics but lack of sense or reason.
After all, we’ve had The Doctor’s Wife, one of the best episodes so far, and the past two weeks have also been strong.
And then, a few minutes in to A Good Man… it seemed that, actually, I was wrong again and we were indeed back to flash effects and no logical plot.
Why was Rory back in Roman costume as The Last Centurion? He became the Roman when he spent 2,000 years protecting the Pandorica while Amy was inside it. Since then the Doctor has rebooted the universe and Rory has gone back to being – er, a bit rubbish, frankly. He’s a decent bloke, but the character is the sort of man who very much lets the missus wear the trousers. So why is it when he puts on the skirt he becomes Charles Bronson, a man who can walk in to a room full of Cybermen and give them orders? That doesn’t make sense. (And, by the way, there’s a comment box below so feel free to offer your own opinion – but be civil, eh? There’s a good chap.)
So I’ll presume that this is the pre-reboot Rory, in which case how can Amy have been pregnant, and where’s the ‘real’ Rory? We were only a few minutes in and already we were overloaded with questions. This is Doctor Who – we shouldn’t need a set of Brodie’s notes or Doctor Who Confidential in order to follow it.
And, while we’re on the subject of dodgy characterisation, since when did the Doctor go psycho? Yes, I know he’s clearly fairly cheesed off with the whole ‘Amy and her baby have been kidnapped and replaced with a ganger’ thing (always a bummer), but he’d never be the sort of character to blow up a fleet of Cybermen just to deliver a warning. Or have I missed something?
Possibly I have. Perhaps my heart was too busy sinking as another flash, loud, and deliberately clever clever episode plopped out of my TV. (Oh, please God not the World War II Spitfires again. That was just stupid on ice the last time around.)
Yep, Steven Moffat’s done it again, I thought. He has a great imagination, and is a wizard at dialogue, but it’s as though he has a cracking idea for a set piece but cannot be bothered to lay the groundwork in the plot. Therefore he just jumps in and if you cannot keep up, tough. If he’s written himself into a corner – tough, he’s not even going to bother trying to write his way out of it. If he’s added new characters but not really given you enough to care when he kills them off, tough. Sorry, but that’s no way to manage a popular TV series if you want it to remain popular. I’m not asking to be spoonfed, but I am asking to be credited with some intelligence.
Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War
The nadir came when the Headless Monks were revealed to be, er, Headless Monks and the Doctor was disguised as one of them. I know he was ‘allowed’ to be there because it was all part of the plot against him, but the resulting shoutyfest was just awful. I’m sure it’s supposed to be crowdpleasing, but it just rings hollow with me.
So, there we were, halfway in and the off switch was calling out like a long-lost friend.
And then – and then – about 30 minutes in we got past the bitty, the confusing, the silly, the shouty, and we got to the talky.
The episode stepped back a bit, was allowed to breathe, and we found out more about baby Melody Pond. Now it was interesting again. Suddenly, when little Melody was transformed into a couple of litres of yoghurt, this episode of Doctor Who was firing on all cylinders and playing at the top of its game. The Doctor was forced to confront what he had become, the hurt he had caused, the deaths, and I was hooked once more.
And that River Song revelation? I’d guessed. I think most of us had (River Song/Melody Pond – s’obvious, innit?), but it was nice to have it confirmed. (Although it’s slightly Woody Allen/Soon-Yi, if you think about what happens between them.) And wasn’t Matt Smith brilliant?
So, then, a few months’ break and then we’re on to Let’s Kill Hitler, which should be worth watching for the title alone.
As I say, sometimes I really hate the people behind Doctor Who. But, damn them, they always keep me coming back for more.
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Sorry mate, did you watch the same episode as me or some weird alternative unverse version? It was class. Totally brilliant. As for Rory as a centurion it’s already been established that he remembers being such back in the season opener…..the conception of River happened on their wedding day so the reboot of the universe had already happened….and the Doctor not blowing up Cybermen to prove a point? Silver Nemesis.
I’ve seen a lot of negativity for this episode and I don’t think any of it has been warranted…..I’m just glad that inbetween all the crap of scripted ‘reality’ TV and terrible dance programmes we had one bright point of quality to watch…but that doesn’t seem enough for some. Lets go back to nothing eh?
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ok, the episode was good in my opinion but a little weird, and leaves us with questions. Are they going to continue the story of finding the baby version of river or just jump into a episode about ww2?
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Well, that’s what Moffat does. He sets up a good story, ends it with a cliffhanger and then he goes “Oh, you wanted to know what the hell is going on? Mnoo, I think I’ll put in a completely unrelated episode just for the lulz.”
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No, he just has this funny thing called a differing opinion.
I actually loved the Rory aspect. I rather wanted the Doctor to turn around and say ‘I am not a good man,’ and then it cuts to Rory kicking some ass or something.
I personally think that Moffat has butchered every thread of persona the Doctor established. He is not a warring man, and I can understand him attempted to show the transition (doctor meaning warrior, etc). Yet, it is so throw away. I.e, the message to the cybermen, setting the humans against the Silence, etc.
The brilliance of past Doctors is their emotion in having to do these hard things and accepting that they are not pure nor good anymore.
Gotta’ admit, I loved the Silurian and the Sontaran and the Blue fellow, even though I can’t see their point. The Doctor didn’t need them in particular, if at all. There was no build up, the battle was simply… Over. (Until the Sith got there, of course.) There was little to no logic behind the entire thing.
Speaking of logic – Moffat has personally abused time, dimensions, paradox and timelines. I can not even, I can not even.
As for the revelation – It was so cliche, I can not bring myself to feel any connection. Super, Time Lord star child, faught over, made into a weapon, blahblah.
However, the strange creepy-Twilight-I-can’t-have-you-so-I’ll-have-your-baby was kind of an… um… Odddddddddddddity.
Please and thank you.
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Agreed with this entire post. What also irked me was that the Doctor didn’t do his ‘I’ve been a father before’ line. Its bad enough that we’ve had no mention of any past characters. I’m not saying we needed a cameo just a mention would have done it. Especially since in series 4 the doctor said Donna’s story would be re-told or w/e. And on the Donna point i thought the whole point of her ‘forgetting’ was that a human couldn’t handle the knowledge of a time lord and while 10 part 2 was still alive he couldn’t regenerate. Does not of that hold true with river song?
I understand steven moffet wants to put his own spin on the series, but it feels like a completely different show to me.
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You have already seen River song regenerate.
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A human can’t handle a time-lord’s memory, but a human that was genetically altered to be part time-lord, can.
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No, Moffat isn’t putting his own spin on the series… Russel T. Davis put HIS spin on the series by making the Dr. into a constantly blubbering drama-queen. There’s 26 years of Dr. Who before the reboot.. and one of the interesting things Moffat has done here is bring together most of the characters from the original series who were included in the reboot… the Cybermen, the Sontarans and the Silurians! I personally hope Moffat steers clear to living up to some of the promises Davies made the Dr. make… because IMO a vast majority of it was ridiculous. I almost completely stopped watching Dr. Who because of all of that nonsense with Donna being the most important person in the Universe.
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Donna as a grown women (with basiclly no capacity to control or understand her self ) would have been consumed . A child born raised and growing into becoming a Time Lord (remember not all Galyfraians are Time Lords they are initiated and were changed over millinea) possibly could . Time Lord is a title not a race.
I agree the villains were clichie and eye patch lady only survived not being stabed by Rory due to plot and pre water shed (“You stole my wife and unborn child and all you have is an attitude and an eye patch stab”).
Also already mentioned the Doctor has destroyed planets and races with a word or a mention, but that was the point of the story is legend is growing to much for some of his foes and as their generally not all the ticket anyway they desperate and will lash out in anway . Thats why he is at his highest . His name alone cowers people . Your an ego who wants to control things you don;t want that . So he has to rescue a new life to make one , and become Rivers Doctor , then man who commands armies with a word .
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Absolutely agree with Darren, A Good Man Goes to War was brilliant.
The actors and DW crew manage to put together television that has an epic scale on a fraction of a budget of a typical Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster. And the writers (especially Stephen Moffat) demonstrate more imagination and creativity in each 50 minute episode of DW each week than you get in many of the massively expensive sci-fi films that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make.
I for one, can’t wait until the autumn return.
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I agree with your opinion on Rory. It’s clear that the 2000 years spent guarding the box have clearly changed his personality. In his series 5 eps he was kinda a wimpy push-over (Most evident in Vampires of Venice) But now, after living (or at least having memories of) for 2000 years. Which I believe ranks him as the 3rd oldest being in the new series behind 1)The Beast 2)The Face of Boa (Or Jack if you like that name better, but personally they are 2 very different characters) Yeah, the Doctor is only ranked #4, but I might be missing someone. As for the blowing up Cybermen to make a point, well I haven’t seen Silver Nemesis, but to me it totally seems like something the Doctor would do. The Doctor has encountered the Cybermen before (Obviously) and he knows that they’re not gonna talk unless it is essential. Blowing up an entire fleet of them shows that it’s pretty essential for them to talk if they want to survive. Yeah, I do agree that the reappearance of the spit-fighters was kinda dumb (But it did work the first time because it was explained that it was Dalek tech that allowed it but the Doctor said he had removed all Dalek tech at the end of the ep. They should have had some alien we have seen before.) Also, maybe this is just me being stupid, but I thought the pirates couldn’t set foot outside of the ship or they will die. (But I think we can all agree that The Curse of the Black Spot SUCKED, I mean a character VANISHED with no explanation what so ever) Anyways, I am rambling so I’ll end it here.
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hmmm, there is a lot in this episode that asks many questions- but one thing i can not understand is how did amy get swapped for a ganger? at what point in the past episodes did the real amy swap with the ganger amy?
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I think the Doctor said that she was taken a few months or so before the trip to America.
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It makes more sense for The Silence to have swapped her, doesn’t it? Pre abduction, she said she was pregnant; post abduction, she handwaved it. It could even explain why the ooky in-your-hand communicator was left behind when they took her.
In any case, the fate of Duplicate!Amy continues to dismay me. The Doctor says that he’s found a way to “block the signal,” so doesn’t that mean that the Amy he dissolves has just become a separate person?
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the writer of this article is frankly a moron, yes there were some parts of the episode I didn’t enjoy but overall damn good drama and frankly anyone with half a brain can follow the plot but I guess you don’t have one hence you became a journalist gurgeling out garbage like this review. A Good man goes to War rating: 8/10 this writer’s review 1/10 :)
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obviously YOU are the moron for being unable to accept an opinion that is different than your own.
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it was easy to keep track of the plot
if you think it wasn’t watch it again but dont say the episode was bad because your not clever enough for it
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Except that he commented that on the fact the reviewer couldn’t understand that plot when it was very easy to understand? So we can add you onto the lists of morons considering you didn’t notice that.
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Why is everyone a moron for having different opinions? Is this some sort of stick-or-switch, up-the-stakes game of moron accusation? Isn’t the comment section here to generate debate? Or am I missing something? I await the moron accusations with haste…
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Lee the fact that you can’t see that as a difference of opinion is beyond me
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The riversong background is the worst idea i’ve ever seen on Doctor Who. I was hoping for something more complex. And the whole The Doc must team up with everyone to take on a greater evil has been repeated again. Overall dissapointing.
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Agree with the critic. Utter nonsense…
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You say you really like the moral dilemma the Doctor faces when he realises what he has become etc etc
But you previously complained at the morally contentious actions he took? (ie cybermen)
So you wanted a moral dilemma without any negative action to contemplate?
An awful review where you claim to be intelligent yet confused then show absolutely no knowledge of the prior episodes
And please explain what about the opening 2 parter wasn’t fantastic? What was nonsensical? Because it all seemed follow-able to me, complicated as it should be (its time travel) but still relatively simple, any unexplained details are to be later explored as in any series arc
I was slightly disappointed with the River Song “twist”, but its still got so much more to it that people haven’t contemplated, that could potentially lead to better twists
However, completely agree with the criticisms in the above comments about the frequent need for them to bring back every single character from the prior episodes, I think a lot of new Who has been slightly ruined by making it overly sentimental and sacrificing proper narrative time
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Haven’t you missed the point here?
The Doctor realises what he has become – ‘the most dangerous thing in the universe’, which is how his enemies view him. The Doctor is a moral character. He would not just attack his enemies. He doesn’t kill without reason or justification. He values life. And that’s why it seems bizarre that he would wipe out the Cybermen’s fleet in the way he did. That’s not the Doctor.
When Doctor Who returned in 2005 a character said that whenever the Doctor turned up death was never far behind. That’s true. The Doctor may bring death and destruction with him, but that’s never his aim, it just happens. That’s his tragedy. (This question was raised at the end of Human Nature/The Family of Blood.)
suddenly, at the end of this episode, he is realising how he is seen by the races he has encountered. But he has never set out to be a killer, so for him to kill off so many cybermen is out of character.
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The Cybermen are not a normal race, they are pretty much already dead. you have to remember that. he hasnt shown them compassion before. so why do it now? that would seem out of character.
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I have to agree with Tom, the Cybermen are not alive. They are the Whovian zombie. Add to this his actions are not entirely incongruous with previous Doctors. This is still fallout from the Time War where he and the Timelords wiped out entire swaths of reality. Personally I think it all worked but one man’s good is another man’s bad. :-)
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He’s still caught up on their involvement in Adric’s death. (Was Adric the Anakin Skywalker of the 80s?)
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Here’s what I hope was happening; I hope that the doctor sent rory to do all the stuff in a certain timezone, which included getting intel from the cybermen and getting river, while he went off and played mass effect 2.
Rory overused the bargaining stuff that the doctor had given him, blowing up a load of cybermen.
Why would that be good? Because it gives the cybermen personal animosity against rory (and maybe amy and river too), and fits the doctor more closely.
The absurd thing of course is the “it’s been over a month” thing. If he’s got a time machine, he can take as long as he wants sorting it out! He could have set it up in the equivalent of ten minutes.
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Um, you say the Doctor does not kill….but that’s the whole point, he doesn’t normally but as river said, ”look at what you’ve become”, the Doctor is changing, in a bad way…Its all part of the plot, which by the way was easy to follow, and of course still building up to something big. Now people, stop bitching, millions of people love Dr.Who, and think this episode is epic, however, some don’t. Personally though I think the reviewer is wrong and no offence, but a bit of a d***.
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Agree with the others , Cybermen men (unlike the Sontaran Nurse ;)) are mechanical Zombies they serve no other function then destruction ) Also how do we know the Doctor caused the explosion he said he was sending a message but if he know it was due to explode on that day and did not cause it directly .
Might have been a mad cybermat.
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Amy Pond has been a Doppelganger all through the sixth series, but I don’t know how. As the Doctor said in The Almost People, “You’ve been here for too long now…”, it gave me the idea that the Doctor knew and didn’t do anything about it. By the way, I haven’t seen A Good Man Goes To War yet.
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I thought it was brill – not for juniors though, which is the real let down for me – SM has become very insular – dare I say very trekky – you really need to be watching every week. However i do not think the twists have finished nor do I believe SM is not already laying strands for the next story arc. Hence the more questions than answers – which I believe we will get. RTD made Doctor Who available to all – love him or hate him – SM just satisfies himself it would appear with no thought for the casual viewer a mistake Dr Who has made before…
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ps I think the child in question will turn out to belong to River and the Dr’s and that is who the cot belongs to :)
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I thought the episode was fantastic and I’ll explain why…. Firstly Rory’s character development this series has been significant from episode to episode (He remembers the 2000 years he protected Amy too). Having the husband wife relationship in the Tardis stops the standard falling in love with the Doctor shenanigans that we saw with Rose and Martha. If Doctor Who were to swap with Torchwood as the more adult show we would see a much less comical side to the show and more adult themes but as long as people face facts and realise it goes out at 6:30pm on a Saturday you will set realistic expectations as to comedy/drama/happy ending balance
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I fully agree about Rory, the fact is if my better half had that kind of stuff go down I would be showing far less restraint then he. Also as you mentioned he remembers the 2000 years in fits and spurts (as stated in earlier episodes) so he’s got a very strong connection to this woman he loves and standing off against a room of Cybermen just proves it once again.
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Hey,
Just a comment about the whole “The Doctor would never go to war/kill anyone/get angry” schtick…
To me one of the appealing aspects of Dr Who is the fact that he is almost borderline maniacal, and part of the story is how he keeps the side of him that must think he is a “god” who can do whatever he wants at bay.
He IS a Time Lord after all – and that was very much THEIR nature – so he has it within him, what makes him so brilliant is the way he takes the other more noble path…
If there was NO WAY he would EVER stray from that path, if it was so INHERENT in him, he has no other choice, then in what way is it noble? In what way is he special if he is just conforming to his true nature?
And besides all this above, the fact is The Doctor has always had a mean/nasty streak in him… in fact if anything his current passive nature has come with age and experience (and a lot of deaths along the way).
Check out this link (I know you don’t like links, but this speaks to the issue of the myth of the peace loving Doctor) if you don’t believe that The Dr could “Go to War”
youtube.com/watch?v=lzmnPs64K74
He has in the past been quite happy to use a gun, and as can be seen in the last few seconds, even use is own hands to take a life!!!
And that is what I like about the newer Dr Who series… it is dealing with how this “man” with all the inherent nastiness of his species (a species he has by his own admission wiped out entirely) has grown as a “human being” so to speak and learnt compassion, and even love.
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Fair point, having watched it since the 3rd Doctor I think this one sums it up best when he explains “a Good Man doesn’t need rules.”
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Spot on Luke. Good comments.
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I agree. Moffat’s Who often has too much flash and not enough substance.
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Dudes,
Will everyone please stop feeling sorry for the Cybermen? Remember The Age of Steel? Everyone has killed Cybermen, including the Doctor: they are merciless humanity-destroying machines, effectively terminators who kill the soul rather than the body. There is no middle ground: they are either soulless or they are dead. Character inconsistencies may arise (can’t think of any now) but killing the Cybermen IS the Doctor. It is everyone.
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Perhaps the worst episode of Doctor Who I have ever seen!! SM has raped this series six ways from sunday! When and how as Amy replaced with a ganger? Who is the woman with the eye patch? Where is all this supposed to take place? No explanation given, just shouting and explosions and nonsense. There was no plot to this, it was just a poorly executed mishmash of aliens, as if SM was trying to cram as many odd looking things into the episode as he possibly could. I remember the days when the Doctor simply turned up to deal with the monster and then went on his way. None of this convoluted rubbish. As another reviewer commented, I’m not asking to be spoonfed but nothing about that episode made sense. Virtually nothing was explained, none of the characters were interesting enough for me to care about when they were killed, and who the hell didnt see the stupid River Song ‘twist’ coming a mile away??? Frankly that episode was, to me, the pinnacle of crapness that has been this series. For the first time since Christopher Ecclestone stepped onto the screen as the Doctor years ago, I truly feel that I dont want to watch Doctor Who anymore. It’s like watching a carcrash in slowmo, you can’t quite believe any of it is happening. I shall fondly remember the days when the show was good and sadly turn my back on the pile of absolute **** it has become.
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Well… between episodes one in which she told the doctor she was pregnant and ended with a shot at the astronaut.. and episode two which started with them running around marking up their bodies.. Is my guess.. If looked at from Amy’s point of view (and mine) there is some missing time.. so what appeared to be a jumbled transition mess from the two episodes is actually a “fill in the blanks” for yourself that at some time thereabouts she was gangered and kidnapped.. although there has really not been enough episodes to cover an entire pregnancy, I guess we have to just imagine that nine months had passed before the Doc exposed the ganger.
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I completely agree!! As a long standing Dr Who fan I’ve witnessed all that is great being flushed down the pan by Steven Moffat and his team. The River Song reveal was pathetic because the ‘who is the child’s father?’ mystery was too vague and left faintly unresolved to carry any impact. And as for some alien cultures regarding the Doctor as a ‘warrior’- choose an actor with grit to play him and I might be convinced -’worrier’ more like. I think Moffat’s choice of Matt Smith was a cost cutting exercise… pick a virtual unknown to save money. Moffat’s reason was that he was absolutely bowled over by Smith in the audition. Really? I can think of one or two actors who could play Dr Who brilliantly with their eyes closed…Benedict Cumberbatch or Aidan Turner. Oh, and get a new writer/producer in to replace Steven Moffat – he may have been a reasonable team writer in Russell T Davies’s time but as lead writer he’s a disaster. The programme has a rich history full of clever inventiveness and writers require skill to introduce new characters and concepts into it. Moffat has chosen to ruin good sci-fi writing by adding elements & characters that have no substance or background, just for the convienience of the story: the stone Dalek at the end of series 5 (what the **** was that?) Amy being a ganger – a ridiculous, ill conceived twist from another awful story; the Eyepatch Woman (who she??) We’ve now entered into Sylvester McCoy/Bertie Bassett territory. Gawd. I’m also ready to give up on it. Steven Moffat’s tenancy on Doctor Who has been a huge disappointment and let down for me.
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Whilst I don’t mind Matt Smith’s Doctor, I do agree Aidan Turner would be an excellent choice for the role.
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Hey just to answer ur questions, no offense but watch the episode again and see if u pick these bits up – I watched it twice (ot very good for kids though:P) – He said Amy was switched just before america, so we’ll prob find out who did it and how when we find out who has orchestrated this whole thing (Omega symbols everywhere for example) Eye patch lady also will be revealed this was only a mid-season finale and it took place at Demon’s Run, they said this a couple of times.
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May I respectfully (or not) disagree entirely with everything you just said. I’ve been watching Dr Who since I was less than 5 and whilst at first I wasn’t sure, I think Matt Smith may be the best Doctor of the lot.
As for what Stephen Moffat has done, he has taken a hokey, wobbly set, ladeedah fairy story show and made it grow up. We have plot arcs that span 2 and 3 series (remember the first introduction of River so long ago) and twists and turns that I don’t think anybody really saw ‘coming’ only some guessed right and others didn’t.
I know that it’s not perfect and it really should have taken 2 episodes to do all that was crammed into one but I still enjoyed it immensely.
And as for all you, forgive me, idiots, who think that because all your questions haven’t been answered that means it’s bad writing, well, just remember that this is only half way through the season and is still carrying on from last season.
Chill out – remember it’s supposed to be a show for kids AND adults, not just adults, and if you’re still all hot and bothered, go and find/download some old episodes from the Tom Baker/Peter Davidson era. You might find they don’t stack up quite as well as you remember.
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It was explained at the end of episode 6. Amy was replaced with a ganger before she flew to America with Rory. The woman with the eyepatch is the person who kidnapped her and made her ganger. It all takes place inside an asteroid in the future, somewhere in the galaxy. The aliens helped the Doctor because he helped them before, and he needed their help. The characters being killed are supposed to show you what the Doctor has become.
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Would I stop watching the series because of the episode? No. But I agree there were big plot holes that were never explained or very thinly explained. If they spent more time on the ‘who’ (pardon the pun) – like Who the Eye Patch woman is, and the why – why does she hate the doctor, why does she want Amy Rory’s baby; I think it would be a better episode.
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In ‘Day of the Moon’ (which, incidentally, I thought was a brilliant season opener) – while Amy (FleshAmy?) was being held captive by The Silence, Rory tells the Doctor that he remembers it; 2000 years waiting, the Last Centurion, the man who waited.
“Rory: Rome fell.
The Doctor: I know. I was there.
Rory: So was I.”
In ‘The Doctor’s Wife’, when Amy was losing it, Rory was the one who kept it together. He kept her calm and, by talking to House in the control room, he saved their lives. In ‘The Rebel Flesh’/'The Almost People’, Rory was the one who disarmed Cleaves. On top of that, Rory risked everything to help Jen. When he found Ganger Jen instead? He tried just as hard to try and save her as well.
My point: Rory is a total BAMF. Has been all season. Walking into a room full of Cybermen and shouting orders? Completely in character. Besides, it’s been well established that there’s nothing Rory wouldn’t do for his wife.
Their child was conceived after the universe reboot, on their wedding night. Also, Rory tells River that his wearing the centurion costume this episode was the Doctor’s idea.
You asked, “when did the Doctor go psycho?”. Well, The Silence were all over the world and the Doctor gave an order to kill them all. An entire species, and the Doctor didn’t think twice about it. When House took over the TARDIS, the Doctor allowed the TARDIS to kill it. An ancient and clever alien, the size of a planet, the only one of its kind, and the Doctor never gave it a chance. “He’d never be the sort of character to blow up a fleet of cybermen just to deliver a warning”? You’ve definitely missed some important points.
The thing that bothered me most about this review was your claim that Moffat “cannot be bothered to lay the groundwork in the plot.”
Um? This season (and all of last season) was LITTERED with groundwork. Groundwork is what Moffat does best. Season 5 was full of clues – not just about the cracks in the universe, but about The Silence and River as well. Sometimes it’s TOO obvious, sometimes it’s not obvious at all unless you’re paying attention, but the groundwork for his plots and characterisation are absolutely there, every episode, without fail.
I agree that the episode was better in the second half, though. And you’re right, the River Song/Melody Pond thing probably was easy enough for most fans to guess.
A lot of fans aren’t going to be happy about River Song’s background, but I think it could be great. To commentor Smokey: you were hoping for “something more complex”? The twist was a little predictable, yes, but think about what it means.
Think about little River Song – Amy and Rory’s daughter – held captive in an orphanage by The Silence, trapped in a NASA space suit making phone calls to President Nixon. Think about her regenerating in a dark alley, alone except for some random homeless man, talking as if she’s regenerated plenty of times before.
“Homeless Guy: Are you okay? Little girl, are you okay?
Little Girl: It’s all right. It’s quite all right. I’m dying. But I can fix that. It’s easy really. See?”
What was going on? Why the space suit? Why was she with the Silence? Why was she in an ORPHANAGE if both her parents were alive? How many times has she regenerated? Was it really her that killed the Doctor? If so, why? If not, who did she kill? And who killed the Doctor?
Still not complex enough?
Well, think further back, to 2008 before any of us had any idea who Amy or Rory were. The Doctor and Donna, running through a library when we meet River Song for the first time (wearing a spacesuit, oddly enough. What was that comment about not enough groundwork?).
Think about that being the day the River Song died.
We saw her death and three years later we saw her birth. I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to find out what happened in between because it couldn’t possibly be more complex than that.
(I’m sorry about the essay, but there were a lot of points I disagreed with and I’m too much of a nerd to let it go without comment. I agree that Matt Smith was Brilliant, and ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’ definitely sounds like something worth waiting for.)
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Great comment ! .. I think that perhaps there are too many viewers here who either don’t watch the same show I am watching, or have very small attention spans.
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Well, all of those people might have been controlled by the Silence? they aren’t dead certainly, just on the run. The silence decided to hide the child themselves maybe? I feel like its not as complex as its made out to be…except for the Doctor’s death. that will be interesting because River would remember killing him, so it cant be her.
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and we know why she would have killed the Doctor. she’s been kidnapped to do just that.
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To AC:
Thank you for that wonderful review AC!
I’m a doctor myself (Physicist), and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this multi-year story arch with my three young daughters.
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I love you. Steven Moffat is brilliant. While I saw the River Song idea coming, it was still pretty beautiful.
I think what the author of this review and the agreeing comments on this thread don’t understand is that the questions that need answering will be answered. Moffat is a genius and writes much better than RTD (who I also liked), he doesn’t need characters that can tell the future or silly red herrings.
Trust in Moffat, he will not let you down.
In other news, River Song is Amy’s daughter!!!
Amazing, right?
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You made all of the points I wanted to make. Thank you.
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I agree completely. I loved the episode. The only part I did not like was the WWII fighter planes, but as they were only on for a few seconds, I can get over it.
As for the reviewer’s comment “If he’s added new characters but not really given you enough to care when he kills them off, tough.” Well, I only started watching Doctor Who a few years ago, as it terrified me as a child, and ended when I was 8. I’ve started watching the older episodes as well, and it was more common for a character to be introduced and killed off in the same story than it was for the character to be alive at the end. Besides, haven’t you heard of the Expendable Ensign in Star Trek?
I also think that Amy was kidnapped sometime between episodes 1 and 2, I’ll have to watch them again and see if I can spot any more clues.
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AC I think you hit the nail on the head. Although Moffet’s writing may seem overtly simplistic its actually incredibly complex its just hidden with subtleties. However I think this is a double edged sword since his writing is almost too subtle in that it doesn’t give a whole lot for the audience to grab on to, there isn’t a set end to a story-arc. Thinking back to last season who was that man in Amy’s choice and since she was pregnant than was that the actual reality? With no set conclusion I think thats where a lot of people dislike Moffet’s style.
And No i’m not saying they are morons or to unintelligent for the show or any-other form of kindergarten type name-calling its just that they prefer a different style of writing.
I also get why people want more resolution (or just more in general) from a good man goes to war. Yet its only the mid-season finale but think of this as the british version of north american network november sweeps.
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Essay great AC, spot on with all your comments and observations. And Matt Smith was Brilliant, his best performance yet!
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there were a lot of ‘feel good’ moments in this episode with some good one liners but I agree that there wasn’t a lot of meat to the episode. In my eyes the doctor going rogue needed to be something a lot bigger and more menacing a la the master from series 4.
I feel like SM’s story arcs were a lot stronger when he was writing during the RTD era. Now we just don’t have enough back-story to really care about the characters, we got to meet Martha, Rose and Donna’s family and how they dealt with being the doctor’s companion I barely knew rory’s last name until it was said an episode or 2 ago. Also I think its in very poor taste that SM kept hinting that the doctor was the father. If doctor who actually goes there the show has really gone down the toilet.
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Why the hell do you want to meet their family?!
Dumbest idea ever.
By the way, he never hinted that The Doctor was the father. Re-watch each episode, every scene and tell me that SM implied that The Doctor was the father?
Do the general public just not ‘get’ good writing these days?
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Jamie I think I understand what you’re saying and it goes along with my other post. Its not that I want to meet the companions families (the past ones irked me to no end) but seeing a relationship outside one with the Doctor (and outside Rory and Amy’s as a couple) ‘fleshes out’ the character for lack of a better word. I feel like the characters are just on the cusp of that right now. We just don’t know enough about them yet.
I also agree with the other poster about how it bothered them that the doctor didn’t admit to being a father before. It almost seems as though he is trying to hide his past now.
Its clever the way Moffet wrote the Doctor ‘turning rogue’ with so much subtly that you almost don’t take notice but I wish he had gone a bit farther and the doctor actually did something instead of just making a speech.
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7 episodes is that it dam you Beeb you fill your airwaves with drivel and crap than you put something brilliant on like Dr-who and only have it on for a couple of weeks, Is it no wonder no-one here in the isle of man pays a TV licences.
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Did you actually watch the episode? Rory says, whilst speaking to River Song, that he is back in the Roman costume because it was the doctors idea… (The same, quirky, doctor who loves fish fingers and custard), I don’t think this is to much of a far fetched Idea to wrap ones head around.
Wow, I am almost as annoyed and ticked off as the Doctor was in this episode after reading all these comments. I myself could blow up a fleet of cybermen to deliver a warning.
Loved this episode and can’t wait for more.
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I agree with Scott and everyone else who is praising the episode. I love the Moffat era in general. I find it refreshing and exciting compared to what convoluted stuff RTD usually churned out.
So what if Rory lets Amy “wear the trousers” most of the time. Amy is an independent woman, and Rory does not *have* to try and dominate her in order to be a “man.” And let’s not forget that even before he became the Last Centurion, he was a NURSE. I used to work with nurses, and that is a DAMNED stressful job, which requires a clear head, and a good crisis personality. Even before he was a warrior, Rory was a very strong man. Sure, he got a little freaked out when he was attacked, but any man who grew up in relatively peaceful surroundings would. Battle was not something he experienced before he became Roman, but as far back as Vampires of Venice, he showed a willingness to face it if Amy was threatened–as well as an ability to think on his feet, which any good nurse can.
I was slightly annoyed by the repeated suggestions that the Doctor was the father. …Mostly because I have a friend who, since Day of the Moon has been *insisting* that this was the case, thus justifying her inexplicable hatred of Eleven and Amy. But after this episode, I felt vindicated.
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Tops, keep it real.
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Did I miss something because I thought that season 6 wasn’t done yet–the series is just going on an extended MID SEASON Break. That means all the questions shouldn’t have been wrapped up with this episode, nor should the overal story arc for THE ENTIRE SEASON come to conclusion. Remember, there are more episodes OF THIS SEASON coming. We just have to wair.
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Thank god for the few voices of reason throughout these comments.
I thought the episode was fantastic; one of the best.
I don’t want to reiterate what’s already been said, but The Doctor as borderline genocidal maniac has been a strong theme from at least the very first episode of the reboot. It opened on him having wiped out his own race and moved on from there. He almost killed the Earth to end the Daleks, shot the Sycorax in the back, drowned millions of baby spiders, made tons of Cybermen feel such excruciating pain that they blew up, sentenced the Family of Blood to eternities of agony, and all this before The Timelord Vainglorious. I’m sure one could write an essay on the ways The Doctor has abused his near-godly powers to suit his emotions.
To me, this is one of the most fascinating aspects of a character who is undeniably a Hero, and I applaud SM for confronting The Doctor head on with this facet of himself so that he can react and evolve.
Also, I like River’s Reveal. It’s not complex in a timey-wimey sense, but it changes everything for the characters. The dynamic on board The Tadis has been stronger this season than any of the reboot because of the family vibe between the characters and now they are family. The Doctor is in love with the daughter of two of his companions.
Sure it’s simple on paper, but it brings about a character dynamic that couldn’t possibly exist outside of a show involving time travel and I can not wait to see how it develops. It also means that, regardless of whether or not they’re part of next season Amy and Rory will continue to be vital parts of The Doctor who world.
For me the most interesting question is what happens when we come all the way back to River’s death in Season 4. Because now we know she can regenerate.
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River didn’t really die in that episode though…she just sorta got sucked in by the computer. So she could be back.
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Hey Thames,
Regarding your point about coming back to River’s death in the Library in Season 4, I am not sure it changes anything…
The way you have written that, I’m not sure what you mean – do you mean you think there s a chance she can be revived? Or do you mean her actions have a different meaning with this knowledge?
I do not think she will be able to be revived somehow. Can a Time Lord regenerate when their entire body has been consumed? Isn’t the rule, once both hearts stop the regeneration cannot occur? Surely if some little beasts have completely eaten all your flesh, this would render that impossible?
Add to that she is only half TL, perhaps that limits her regeneration ability?
For this reason, I am leaning more towards the different meaning for her actions with this knowledge (and perhaps that is what you meant, but as I said I could not tell)
Knowing she can regenerate I now feel her sacrifice in The Library is even MORE profound in my view… Someone that KNOWS they have a single finite physical life and consciousness, sacrificing themselves for an eternal virtual life and consciousness in a computer is NOT as big a sacrifice as someone that has a near eternal physical body and consciousness giving up their physical life.
I mean for both cases it is a noble action, especially to save the lives of others. However to me, knowing what I now know about River, what she did had a far bigger cost to her as an individual, and as such I find her actions even more profound and moving!!!
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“For me the most interesting question is what happens when we come all the way back to River’s death in Season 4. Because now we know she can regenerate.”
I don’t think that River could regenerate from her death in season 4, unfortunately. Before she died, she told the Doctor that plugging himself into the core would kill him permanently. I assume that it would do the same for her. I guess she could have been dissembling because it wasn’t 10s ‘time’ to go yet, but I doubt it, especially since 10 seemed to agree that he wouldn’t regenerate from it.
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River can’t regenerate in the Library/Forrest remember? The Doctor was going to do it but he couldn’t regenerate if both his hearts stop which she knew. It does make you question if she was/can be retrieved by an older Doctor since she was ‘saved’.
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You are forgetting however, that her consciousness does still exist, and that can be transfered into other bodies. In episode 4, we saw the TARDIS’ consciousness transfered into a human, why can’t the same thing happen to River?. All the Doctor needs is a suitable body, whether it’s human, imelord, hybrid, or a cat, and then to go back to the Library and retrieve her memory to swap it.
This would be rather easily done as the doctor told the Vashta Nerada in that episode that he could take up to a day, he could still rather easily go back to the same day he left and they would still be unaggressive towards him.
As for this episode, and this and the last series, it’s a change… But I love it. Both Every lead writer has put their own spins on the show, but they have all contributed towards one of the best shows on TV, and all have shown their creativity and general AWESOMENESS!
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Like a few of the others who commented, I have to wonder, did you watch the same episode as me?
Did you miss this line:
“Good men don’t need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many” ?
Have you got no idea of the back story of The Doctor, including The Valeyard who is “described as an aspect of the Doctor from between his twelfth and final incarnations”?
You complained about lack of ground work and complexity. Personally I can see SM is using aspects of the “classic” series as his groundwork here… foundations laid decades ago, not to mention elements put in place in the David Tennent era.
I do however agree with you about the redundancy of brining various alien friends with him. But, over all, if I was you, I’d watch it again – and read some of the back story.
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BTW – to be explicit lest you miss it again… The Doctor is saying HE needs the rules because he knows the terrible things he is capable of.
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“Some people too stupid to understand plot of light entertainment show”. There’s your headline. No charge.
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Quote from Thames “For me the most interesting question is what happens when we come all the way back to River’s death in Season 4. Because now we know she can regenerate”
River said in S4 that to the Doctor that the power surge would stop “both his hearts” which would mean regeneration wouldn’t even be possible for a FULL timelord.
River Song did not survive.
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My kids (3 and 10 years old) both loved this episode, were on the edge of their seats, followed it completely and gasped with surprise at the revelations. It was fantastic television. It’s not an Umberto Eco novel, I’ll admit, but it certainly is cracking Saturday evening entertainment. Why don’t people who don’t like it watch something else? I’ve been watching this show for 35 years and this exactly what I always hoped it would be (except without Tom Baker – I like Smith too though).
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I have to agree. You’ve pretty much articulated my sense of disappointment with the episode. It had moments, but was a bit of a mess. I love Moffat when he’s on form, but I’ve noticed his tendancy before to disguise a thin plot and sketchy character-writing with overcomplicated plot intricacies and visual stuff like the (cringey) space Spitfies.
I’m not disappointed that River Song’s identity was something almost everyone had worked out ages ago. The point of good storytelling is not to be unpredictable at all costs… I was simply so worn out by the clumsy characterisation and pointless running-around-not-really-achieving-anything of the episode that I was past caring when the revelation was made.
I’m getting a bit fed up with DW at the moment. I can handle a few sub-standard episodes in a season, but at this point the crappier ones from series 5 and 6 are beginning to overwhelm the good stuff and the more tiresome aspects of the Moffat-generated mythology are interfering with good ol’ fashioned storytelling.
Oh well, we’ll see what the autumn brings…
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I shouldn’t post twice…. but I forgot to mention, and it’s on a different note to the rest of the post…
Doesn’t anyone else suspect the eyepatch lady, Madame Thingamy, might be a future version of River? In a stable time loop, she kidnaps her own infant self…
Well, I guess that proves I’m still a little intruigued :)
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liked it, but enough has been said on both sides, don’t have much to add.
I just want to clarify that killing a cyberman, in the doctors mind, is freeing the mind of a trapped tortured person who cannot be saved. It is a mercy killing.
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Sorry me again…
Just to back up the whole “The Doctor is a good man, but he most certainly could go to war” theory…
Again, the Time Lord nature is maniacal control freak with a god complex, yet as I mentioned, the thing that makes The Doctor so wonderful is he MOSTLY overcomes base urges and instincts and lives by a credo that puts him on a more noble path. Again I cannot reiterate enough that if this was without question the ONLY way he could act, then it is no longer noble, or worthy of being classed as heroic.
As Thames has pointed out (and my link I posted earlier), There is no shortage of examples of The Doctor crossing the line and the moral consequences of such actions (I completely forgot about the Sycorax and the millions of baby spiders)
But to the EPISODE itself I provide some quotes:
Madame Kovarian: “The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules.”
The Doctor: “Good men don’t need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.”
I think this puts the whole “The Doctor could never be angry or dangerous or a killer” to rest – he most certainly could (e.g. The Master)
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I agree that it’s been disappointing. But Rory said in the second episode he has the ability to turn his memories of that time on and off…so when they’re turned on, I presume he’s more confident.
I do hate the shouty fests probably more than you do, but only because there is never action with them. I hate that none of those soldiers had the sense to shoot the Doctor when he was right in front of them before they dropped their clips, which is stupid anyway because they know the Doctor was there, and they still decided to shoot one another. Maybe people are that stupid, I dont know.
What I do know is that I saw River Song coming from ten miles away. and Moffat fibbed. This doesnt change anything drastically. It’s just a couple more people the Doctor has to fight off supposedly. They make it sound like a couple crazy people hate him, and when do they not? He is still loved by most, that is made clear.
And now River Song. She hasn’t been the tempress yet, so she still has to betray or fight the Doctor, because that was what she was made to do. It will be interesting how they see to do it.
I clearly expected too much, and I know i should have. But it wasnt all bad. The effects were amazing as usual, I liked the Doctor stepping out of his comfort zone to save his friends. I feel that is what I watch the show for…for when the Doctor cares, instead of running away. and Matt Smith is a great actor, along with the rest of them. This was a great episode, but maybe a little more intelligent? Clever has been accomplished. Intelligence should be the next goal.
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I definitely agree with you, I felt it was cheesy and weak for the first 30 minutes. Rory a roman again? not ok. The reuniteing moment with Amy and Rory? Rubish. The middle felt like a prolonged ending where we were supposed to be feeling all ‘yay! mysterious doctor’! but I just wasn’t feeling it. I felt like it was a bit of a joke, but then, like you said, at around 30 minutes it picked right back up. I LOVED the scene where The Doctor was trying to skirt the issue of Melody’s conception, and when River Song told The Doctor off and he did that bad ass walk towards her and demanded her to tell him who she was I got chills.
I love Doctor Who, and I could never HATE an episode, but I wish I liked the first bit as much as the last.
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Who was the person who gave Amy the pray leaf? I don’t recognize them
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Ok so perhaps us across the POND, might not get the UK’s undying affecttion for tradition, but this was a great episode! The simple fact that he does blow up the cyberman fleet proves a point. That he has picked up humanities greates weapon… ANGER and FEAR… It has been documented that the Doctor favors humans and all of thier faults. The Doctor did doom his own race so why would he not blow up a few cybernatic morons to save those he love.
Here is a question now… We know have a total of 3 time lords in the universe. One. Is the Doctor. Two.. The Doctors daughter The genetic clone.. Three Melody/River. That make three timelords all with human traits…. Watch out all that goes bump in the night….BTW which episodes included the Lizard lady in England and the Nurse??
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I thought the episode kicked a**. I do agree that sometimes Moffat gets too much into the running around and shouting and forgets to give us a reason to care (The Big Bang was an excellent example of that problem), but this was gripping. I suspected the River Song reveal but wasn’t sure. Still a bit confused about what all the “But this means…” “Yes it does…” was about between her and the Doctor.
As another commenter said, we have half a series to go. Let’s see whether Moffat ties off the loose ends. And even if he doesn’t, he might leave some of them as groundwork for series 7.
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Steven Moffat has done something incredibly stupid here. He’s revealed who River Song is, and we’ll probably find out what she told the Doctor in the next episode. NOW the ‘time runs out’ trailer suggests that the Doctor dies??
Soon Doctor Who will have to be axed because there will be no more good storylines.
Oh. Wait a sec. I just had a brainwave. What IF the Doctor gets to 1009 (remember, that’s the age he died at), catches up with his past sellf, dies, and the hand in the trailer symbolises that.
I agree with Thames though, Amy and Rory will continue to be vital parts of the ‘Doctor WHO?’ storyline. But, as I said before, the way it’s going , THAT storyline will probably end soon. Then Doctor Who will be spoilt, because now we’ll just know everything.
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Sooo, the Doctor stole the TARDIS
I’m going to second Luke – it has been a constant through the new series that the Doctor came out of the Time War a changed man. Rose pulled him back from the brink a bit but he’s still a darker, more tortured soul than he was.
Heck, even the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy could be pretty darn ruthless at times.
P.S. Minor Correction to Thames: It was Torchwood that shot the Sycorax in the back, not the Doctor. He metaphorically shot Harriet Jones in the back for that bit of duplicity though.
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I thought this episode was b******s.
A bunch of different things without any lead up or basic editing to explain why they were happening, not to mention new characters I didn’t end up even caring about whatsoever, then you Steven Moffat *again* throwing in all the alien species he could remember just for the hell of it.
I didn’t have a clue why things were happening nor did I care for anything in the home stretch of the episode. River Song is Amy’s daughter. Ok, so finally they tell us, but was I supposed to be “shocked”?
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I’d just like to say I more or less agree with this review. I wasn’t a fan of the episode in general. It had it’s good points but overall I thought it was too much flash. The opening felt like The Pandorica Opens and The Stolen Earth where all the Doctor’s old friends unite to help him. Except we don’t know these new old friends at all. I get that this episode appeals to some people, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Just my two cents.
As for Rory I like him. He’s one of my favorite male companions (aside from Ian and, if you count him, the Brig). He kinda reminds me of myself a bit more than anyone else I’ve seen in the show. I understand why he was back in the Roman get up and it wasn’t too far fetched.
I didn’t like seeing the Doctor wipe out the whole cyber fleet to make his point but it definitely wasn’t out of character. Do people forget he killed all the Daleks and all the Time Lords? Even going back further he, indirectly from what I remember, used the Hand of Omega to obliterate Skaro itself.
I don’t think anyone’s a moron for liking this episode I just found it wasn’t my kind of episode. Flash is okay, but I prefer story to action.
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I don’t get all of the complaints here, I’ve been watching Dr. Who since I was a kid on local PBS, and frankly it’s never been as consistently good as it is now under The Moff’. The fact that there is even an over-arching structure that has developed over multiple series under the direction of one writer is something to be lauded regardless of the occasional off episode. The fact that the River reveal wasn’t an epiphany is contrary to the opinion of some, further proof of a steady hand and good writing; could you see it coming? yes, of course because it was the natural progression for the story and the details as presented. It’s been obvious that River and Amy were connected from Amy’s introduction and pulling some random B.S. out of left field just to surprise the web forum pundits who had collectively guessed every possible outcome would have been bad writing ala lost introducing key characters like the man in black and Jacob late in the third act. The elegance of Moff’s solution is fantastic and opens up great new possibilities for the show and it’s mythology without cheating in the typical RTD fashion ala the Master and Gallifrey’s half ass return in The End of Time. Of course River will kill Rory, and knowing that it’s coming will only make it more poignant, in particular after all of his “near misses”. Frankly the show needs his death and it’s fallout to remain viable, and I think Moff knows this. Further, do we really need an asexual Peter Pan version of the Doctor, static and unchanging? I myself don’t; and River is a great solution to that. We already know he loses her, and they both know they’re living on borrowed time; it’s touching and tragic, and her ability to regenerate, which I imagine comes with some strings (familiar and otherwise) means that their relationship will having shifting dynamics as well as faces. The potential that they have children, and the ramifications of that or a new breed of Time Lord that have varied mythical or political relations to The Doctor is a natural evolution of the character, and in my opinion, eventually all of this will lead us justifiably to a new “old” Doctor, and a few years down the road, relieve us of the need for a Doctor cut from the vaguely romantic hero cloth. Finally for the small minority that have issues with the age difference or some kind of imagined immorality based on his relationship with River, the first time he met her was as an adult woman, so the notion that he may take care of her for a while at intervals as an infant or child is not really so different from Benjamin Button, it’s a metaphor and a tragedy, and the only way to really explore something like this with a character like the doctor without it becoming cheap.
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Though I wouldn’t say it’s the worst episode ever, I would say it does rank down there.
So let’s look at the pros and cons of this one shall we?
CONs:
* Yes, we were just ‘thrown’ into this episode without any meaningful backstory. It’s hard to engage and feel something about the repeated phrase ‘When A Good Man Goes To War’ if we don’t have any context. Was this war even necessary? Why? Were each of the cameo races necessary? Why? For some the lack of details was ok because it didn’t detract from the story arc of the episode. But for many (dare I say most) of us Dr.Who fans, it’s the writer’s attention to these details that has always given us joy. No details? Little joy.
* And what’s to be said about why the Cybermen scenes are even included? If you’re going to cameo the ‘dark forces’ why not give them some context (or add others into the mix)? Again I say – no details – no joy. Rory in costume? Again, why? Random soldier who wants to help? Again, is it necessary? Mr.Blue who was taken from Star Trek? Why not add a rubber chicken? I’m sure that’d also gather attention and fill time. It’s almost like George Lucas decided to help direct this episode…
* And finally, well not really, but I’ll end the cons here –> why has the Dr. become so vengeful and blindsided? Yes, I admit there have been times where he’s been blindsided before but typically, those have been written into the episodes as the ‘tension point’ of keeping us interested. In this episode however SM is simply asking us to accept a constant vengence & blindsidedness that has never been seen before. Call me a purist, but please Mr.Moffat, give us a sense that you’re not just doing a ‘one off’ with the Dr’s defining character. For us lowly followers, the Dr’s character is practically sacred.
There were some PROs to the episode however:
* I’m suprised how nobody has theorized on what is to come. Remember what River said: ‘This is the worst day..the day the Dr finds out who I really am.’ She’s not talking about her lineage –> she’s talking about her purpose! Have we forgotten she’s been stalking him throughout time and she’s been raised to HATE him (and humanity?)! This woman is a weapon – there is evil afoot! I think we’re looking at the new Super Villain and replacement to ‘The Master’. I also think it’s a brilliant choice and well written!
* I was also happy to see the Dr. become genuinely scared & helpless once again. We’ve seen far too many the Dr = confident god episodes over the past 2 seasons… I’m glad we’re back to empathizing with him NOT knowing how to get out of danger. This used to be a staple of Drs in past, but faded with SM trying to show us that Matt Smith (youngest looking Dr in history) can be confident & secure also.
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I completely disagree on the best episode being The Doctors wife. That was one of the worst so far. I did find this episode confusing though.
Some bits I did understand though. I think there was too much hype over the actual thing. Overall it was a bit disappointing.
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Hang on why is everyone talking about me?
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I thought that this was one of the best episode yet. I thought Rory had really grown into the role since when we first saw him as a plain and rather boring character at the beginning of serise 5. Also river song being Amy and Rory’s kid I thought was aquite a good twist and I personally didnt see it coming. I admit I got rather confused at the begginning but I pretty much got what was going on after about 5 mineuts. futhermore to all of you saying how much the doctor has changed in this serise and hows hes now ruined well look at the change in the doctor since doctor who started the 1st ever doctor was alomost completely diffrent from the 10th or 11th doctor. Also saying SM has “ruined” the show by hinting how the doctor was a father well im sorry to say but it’s nothing new. the doctor’s first compainion ever was his granddaughter susan so if the doctor had a granddaughter then he must of had kids. and also thought all of the lastest 6 serise the doctor has stated at one point or another that he had a family.
Anyway overall i loved this episode and can’t wait for the rest of the serise in August!
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I completely disagree with The Doctors wife being “one of the best episodes so far”. It was actually the worst. Although I did find this episode a little confusing. I think their was too much hype for the actual episode. Overall I think it was a bit too confusing.
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I thought it was actually a great episode. I like the fact that Moffat went in on how the Doctor’s legend has got so scary that at the mention of his name, whole armies can run etc. It sometimes annoys me how the doctor doesn’t have to do much to defeat an enemy. I also loved River’s reveal. I wasn’t sure whether it was worth it to invest in Lorna Bucket at first-I kept thinking that she would be Jenny (the doctor’s daughter) in a new reincarnation or something but I think it was more emotional when she died that I presumed it would be. I (successfully) stayed away from the spoilers on the internet and kept guessing her identity to a minimum. It was so obvious yet I’d never thought of that. And to class it all off, I was just grinning at the end when it said “Let’s Kill Hitler” (amazing title).
An amazing episode overall full of surprises and occasionally great comments (like Rory’s “don’t give me those blank faces”):D . I just wish that I didn’t have to wait all summer until the next episode!
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i still do not get how Amy’s daughter has a bit of time lord in her when it isn’t the doctors daughter and is river married to him or not because there the rumors ive heard and anyway river kissed him and who is the little girl who seemed to be regenerating have we gone of that or just ignoring it for a bit it is so confusing leaving you with to many questions why cant they not have a gap and give us an answer to all our questions. please someone set me on the right track.
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Well this has certainly got people talking, from the weirdos of Whovian Defence Force who go “No, you’re a moron” or make other patronising remarks over people not liking a tv programme to some of the casuals bemused by it all. There was nothing intricate or “timey-wimey” about the plot so I’d be surprised if anyone couldn’t follow but it left me pretty cold until the final revalation, even though this had already been spelt out by having the child called “Melody Pond” and leaked by so-called ‘fans’ months in advance anyway.
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IT`S A STORY NOT REAL, JUST ENJOY IT FOR WHAT IT IS A RIPPING YARN. P.S. WHERE`S SHROPSHIRE ?
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Turn right at Wales. That’s us. Hello!
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Although if travelling from Metebelis 3 with the intent of invasion, strike what Andrew said, it’s nowhere near Wales.
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I agree with the original poster/reviewer and with everyone who didn’t like this episode and nicely stated why. And once more, I’m saddened that any different opinion, or rather any opinion that doesn’t border on “epic/fantastic” is met with rolling eyes and sarcasm. Respect is gone. So sorry. :(
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Every one seems to be disappointed with this episode. But cut it some slack, it is certainly the best 7th episode of doctor who I have ever seen. People treat it as if it’s the final episode. This episode was supposed to be a big one, but not quite at the level of importance some people seemed to think it would.
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Great episode!! But the River Song/Melody Pond bit was a bit of a let down. I was hoping for a bit more of a twist.
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Turtle: Other 7th episodes of DW2005: The Long Game – alright but not spectacular; The Idiot’s Lantern – terrible, pretty much the worst of the 81 eps so far imo; 42 – Martha characterisation interesting and smile at the Douglas Adams references, but not the best; The Unicorn and the Wasp – a bit weird; Amy’s Choice – weird & psychedelic. So, yes, I agree, AGMGTW, though not perfect, is the best 7th yet, and for me is the best SM/MS era ep since The Beast Below. I had been reserving judgement on the SM/MS era until last night. Now on balance I like it. Off-topic point: @Vic the intro of Jacob and MIB at end of Lost S5 was not out of the blue – Jacob was referenced since early S3 and alluded to since mid-S2 and an associable phenomenon with MIB was introed in the first ever episode. I agree that S6 was written much less well than the first five. I would agree with you that SM is handling mythology well, but it would be nice if he could abandon the apparent desire to distance himself from RTD.
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Its a shame most of the things you found fault with (Rory’s roman side still existing in his head springs to mind) have already been addressed in the show and explained over the course of the series….
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Hi All,
Initially as with other recent episodes “The Doctors Wife” more so for me within ten minutes of the episode finishing I feel disappointed, then small details filter back through and I realise they are brilliant – change is good and exploring the past in really interesting ways and being able to comfortably self-reference again without all the RTD era of tentatively seeing how far we could go. Case in point being the Thought-Cubes and idea unseen since “The War Games” and never mentioned since – brilliant.
Finally always remember The Doctor time and time again had had to be restrained by others or his companions and is capable of violence (whether he realises it or not) he is currently being kept in check.
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Time Travel to December 1963
———————————-
The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are trapped in 100,000 BC in the Cave of Skulls – Feeling threatened and only recently being joined by several companions of non-gallifreyan origin for the first time (as we can only assume) THE DOCTOR GRABS A ROCK WITH THE INTENTION OF SMASHING THE SKULL OF THE PREHISTORIC HUMAN (which would potentially kill/mame it) – IAN STOPS HIM UNDER DURESS AND THE DOCTOR BEGINS HIS EMOTIONAL JOURNEY.
Take this as you will…..
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I understand some of the gripes with this episode. The spitfires in space thing was hard enough to swallow when it was during WW II. However, To let the details crowd the point is a bit dodgy I think.
Remember Journey’s End? The doctor was captured by the Daleks/Davros and all of his companions, Sara Jane Smith, Jack Harkness, Rose, Mickey, etc had all basically become ‘the weapons’. remember how the Daleks basically accused him of fashioning people into weapons? Remember the look on the Tennant Doctor’s face when he realized how many died in his name, while he survived?
Now fast forward, and you hear not just about this young girl Melody being turned into a weapon against him, but the reason is because these aliens have now come to see the doctor as a weapon himself, and the Doctor has to in that moment not just think about how he’s fashioned others, but how he has been used by other characters even going back to the older series, used by his own people, the Time Lords, used by many folks as a weapon.
That my friends is the irony. As much as the Doctor tries to put on this air that, oh ‘its sonic that’s why I like it, never hurts, never kills, never maims.’, He puts on this air of This Hippocratic oath and then when the ends call for it is then fashioning a weapon, or working to destroy something else.
In this way, the Doctor really doesn’t quite live up to his title as much anymore. Heck, I remember characters from Sci Fi, like Dr Stephen Franklin of Babylon 5. How many times was that guy asked if he would use alien medical records to fashion weapons? How many times did he have to say he would never do that?
The Doctor seems to put on this air of being safe, and trustworthy because he’s ‘the doctor’, and yet we see that ‘fire of the Time Lord’ that Davros was talking about in Journey’s end in this episode.
I think some people get too caught in the minutia, when Doctor Who is very much a commentary on human nature. Yes, the Doctor is an alien, However, he is a good plot device for the telling of such a moral epic. I’d say even the Greeks could see the worth in that.
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Why the Centurion garb? It’s the most comfortable thing that a trained and battle hardened Centurion could fight in. It also had the cachet of legend ‘The Last Centurion’ Rory remembers 2000 years of waiting and his life as part of one of the greatest armies the world has seen.
Made sense to me, in terms of making the character believe he could face a Cyberman legion with nothing but an attitude and an sword.
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I agree that Donna being the most important person in the universe was nonsense, but Amy being the most important person in the universe (the one who was able to “reboot”) was really no better.
And with yesterday´s episode, the entire Moffat tenure so far has turned out to be about little else than the life story of River Song, a character that – whether you like her or not – is an even worse “Canon Sue” than Wesley Crusher was, constantly “out-doctoring” the Doctor.
Moffat has turned the entire series into “The River Song Show”. I´d rather have “Doctor Who” back, thank you.
I have sincerely enjoyed most of Moffat´s episodes as a team writer, in spite of their repetitive plot elements, and I like Matt´s doctor as well as Amy and Rory as companions.
But I am enjoying the series less and less ever since Moffat took over as the head writer. I really hope that the solution to the “Doctor´s death” plot will not be as much of a let-down as the current state of the “River Song” plot is.
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I thought the whole thing was TERRIBLE. So sorry, as I dis start this year with an open mind. But this was dreadful. I am 42 and a fan all my life, but I just could not understand this. How we can expect children to understand it beats me! What is so dated and unnacceptable about stories that make sense, featuring a battle between good and evil which is resolved by the end? A sontaran being a nurse!! How stupid!! I will really be scared by them next time! Perhaps that is why the cybermen were onyl in it for a few minutes, as they had to go for their shift working at Macdonalds. This is not the Doctor Who that I remember. I genuinely preferred the Sarah Jane Adventures. They had more in common with the REAL Doctor Who. I have nothing against new technology and facilities that we have now. I never wanted rubbish looking sets for the sake of it, etc. But what I do want is well written stories that all can enjoy. And I am sick and tired of excuses along the lines of ‘You just couldnt do that these days’. I really dont know how much more I can watch of this style.
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Why should Doctor Who only be about good versus evil? What’s wrong with other kinds of stories? And what’s wrong with taking more than one episode to tell a story?
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So I’ve been reading many of the comments, so I thought I’d add my own opinion to the mix. Firstly instead of accusing each other of idiocy, I’d like to point out a few things to those of you who feel the continuous bringing back of old characters to be sentimental and pointless.
For one thing Moffat himself has said that in an attempt to move the series forward, we need to do away (for a time) with the old characters. The Daleks for example have now been put on the shelves for a while (if you don’t believe me, refer to this weeks editions of the Irish Independent and the Daily mail). Has anyone possibly considered that this final episode is in a sense a possible farewell for now of the old series characters, and hello to the future; and in truth what better send off?!
People keep going on about the Doctor’s moral complex, and although I disagree with the author’s article (but I do respect your opinion) in my opinion there is nothing nonsensical of what has emerged from the Whosphere recently.’A Good Man Goes to War’ was an exciting episode in which the new and the old were brought together. Please by all means go on about how the Doctor is being out of character for destroying an entire fleet of Cybermen (the same man, excuse me, Time Lord who destroyed his entire people and the Daleks along with them). Yes the Doctor abhors violence but at the same time, remember he says to Colonel ‘Run Away’ to tell people if it’s a wise idea to mess with the people he loves (ok not quite the exact wording) but you see where I’m getting at I hope – yes this was out of character in terms of the brute force he uses, but he did all of that in order to make a point; not to hurt the one’s he loves. If anything this make him more vulnerable then he has ever been before and greater (hence the mention of it in the episode), because the realisation of what it is he has or is becoming dawns on him, and the effect in turn he is having on others is a most painful painful experience. You saw how he reacted to the Silurian’s comment on why people would think of using a Time Lord child as a weapon based upon his own actions. The Doctor looked utterly crushed, and with that there is no going back from that. Also the ‘I’m Angry, that’s new’ is a testimony to the development of the Doctor as a character. Also I might liek to point out that the sixth incarnation of the Doctor (Colin Baker) was not opposed to force should it be necessary, also we know he is not entirely opposed to using brute force (often admiring River Song’s own use of it). In order for the series to progress the character of the Doctor too most grow and develop and yes, that means that at some point in time the consequences of his actions will catch up with him. One can only keep running for so long, and he is on his 11th incarnation, and some point he’s going to die – unless the 13 regenerations rule is broken. Yes admittedly Moffat uses ‘flash and spectacle’ but to say it has little depth and sense of direction is unfair, and don’t forget the series isn’t even over so we have no way of knowing what Moffat has planned.
The fact that events aren’t always continuous brings be back to one of my favourite Doctor Who quotes:
“Wibbly Wobbly timey wimey’.
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Like you said, things like the Doctor blowing up a fleet of cyberships was a bit out of character. If you think about it, it does make sense though. If you’ve just found out that your best friend has been stolen alongside her newborn child you’re going to be angry. The problem is, you shouldn’t have to think about it quite that much, there were some things where Steven Moffat should have laid down the groundwork a little more, just to get us used to the idea.
As for Rory, once again you’re saying it’s out of character, but the man has just had his wife and child ripped away from him, why shouldn’t he suddenly grow a backbone for them?
I think that in this review you’ve really focused on the negatives rather than the positives. For example, the scene where Melody is taken from Amy is really quite heartbreaking. And similarly when Melody turns out to be Flesh. The whole of this episode has the feelings of loss, hope and fighting for what you love, which, you seemingly ignored and focused on the big flashes going on in the background.
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Out of character?! The doctor lost his Battle Cherry during the Time War. Hello… THE ONCOMMING STORM? Anyone?!
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Okay I didn’t think it was that bad an episode but one thing I don’t fully understand is if the child had timelord DNA, then the doctor must be the father, yeah? But yet the doctor and river have some kind of romantic connection and have kissed before….surely moffatt won’t include incest into the already weird storyline?
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Brilliant, absolutely Brilliant!!!!!! It seems some of the followers on the other side o the Pond (get it Pond) are starting to get our American need to have everything wrapped up in a nice little bundle at the end of the hour, however that is not how Doctor Who has or ever will be, and thank goodness for that. Yes, the River Song thing was handled perfectly, the action of the female soldier and her allegiance to the Doctor and him not remembering her means what happens with her has not happened yet and may hold some importance (her story mirroring Amelia’s)? And the impact he had on all those people to repay their debt still yet untold…… can’t wait, but will because they have earned that right……. Bravo fantastic half of a season!!!!!!!!!!!
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Why is Amy Scottish with a thick accent but her parent aren’t?
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Scottish people of Amy’s parents generation often dropped their accent to appear middle class and ingratiate with the English. Today accents are cool and Scotland has more independence so younger generations like Amy keep their accent
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Why is the eye patch lady still showing up to Amy? Logic would say Amy is still not real, but Moffat seems to have thrown logic out.
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It was Melody, not Amy the baby appeared to. She woke her up, thus dissolving the flesh avatar.
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So much for TV dumbing down !
Hats off to Steven Moffat for writing a kids’ programme that doesn’t entirely patronise the intelligence of it’s audience.
No, let me do that…
For anyone who didn’t manage to follow the plot intricacies or the character development; Never-mind, you tried your best and you did really well and if you we’re close which I bet you were remember it’s written only for the cleverest of children.
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Ok. Too many posts to read here… but was anyone reminded of The 7th Doctor’s manipulations here?! Minus the fact he was out manipulated?!
Only problem was the lighting fast pace of the show left no room to breathe until the very end. Reminded me of The Doctor’s Daughter episode. Rush, Rush, Rush…
However it was still a pretty good episode.
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I don’t really get the big deal with rory’s roman gear the way i took it at least was that the doctor knew he was going on an ambush or i guess ‘going to war’ to save amy. Going to war = war gear = roman costume. At least thats how my thought process went
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eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh. Reading all these comments I’m no longer sure whether I saw the same episode as everyone else. I must say I enjoyed it and and understood it….BUT…. I do think things are moving towards being just a bit too flash or too glib….and as for Moffat revealing in the newspapers today that there will never be any more Daleks while he’s writing the stories….well…lets change the writer in the near future..they have to reappear at some time…afterall they have always been the doctors arch enemy
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As far as the Doctor going psycho is concerned I can say only this: it wouldn’t be the first time. I remember several episodes going back as far as Chris Ecclestone as the doctor where he had to be dragged away by his companion because he was so miffed. Messing with the Doctor’s loved ones is never clever, it forces him to go back to being the doctor chris played: born in war. And that guy has no issues what so ever when it comes to blowing up the 12th cyber men legion. Tennant’s doctor kicked all of te time lords back into the time war. And let’s not forget about the dream lord either shall we.
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Why Was Rory dressed like A Roman ????? Left un answered.
The pirate appeared with his son to save the day. Never saw again????? What was the point of it.
I do understand why the lizard thing killed Jack the ripper, he killed five innocent women, he deserved it.
Why was river dressed liked something from upstairs down stairs ??????? Left unanswered.
What the point of the Cyber men thing, they were there, then forgot about.
Doctor said he blocked the signal, how could of he Amy was being projected.
The list could go on.
Ok there’s a season break, but it would be good to have some plot points wrapped up instead of half a dozen left dangling before its return.
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Ok Rory has his wife and child ripped away, but coming in dressed as a Roman was just down right funny. No one looked an eye at him ,not even the doctor, he would want to know why he’s dressed that way.
Overal Steven Moffat is trying to be to clever and not keep things simple, instead creating and adding in multiple stories and twists and over arching storylines from two series ago. Thinking back to series ago is rather head ache inducing and not very easy to follow. Its aimed at children and they were probably be to wowed by the special effects and scfi specyical to think logically on the story. But forgetting that adults and students watch this, and its needs to be easy to understand to be enjoyed.
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To all who don’t get this mid season episode, like the review writer, read comment number 15 from AC.
The reviewer should fell ashamed because he don’t get or understand even the basic story parts (like rory-centurion). Please don’t sms or cook along the way when you watch Dr Who. This series and story twists (the obvious and the hidden) need a bit attention to understand.
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Patreeko – I couldn’t agree with you more!
RTD turned the Doctor into a sappy, love-sick puppy. Anyone remember Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker et al falling in love with their companions???? What the Doctor traditionally offered was compassion and kindness, but not yearning and tears. What rubbish!
Whether you like it or not, Moffat has brought controversy, complexity and madness to Doctor Who, and that’s just how I’ve always liked it!
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Agree 100% w/the OP: ”A Good Man” was needlessly silly, unbelievable (even for this show), and cliched. Moffat has proven he can do far better than he did here, and I fervently hope he returns to form soon. TBH, I got the sneaking suspicion that Moffat let RTD ghost-write this one, as it had the over-the-top illogic and guadyness RTD usually loaded his tales with, and suddenly half the universe is either gay or emasculated (tho the Sontaran nurse idea was a bit funny, and seemed to be some sort of heavy handed message to Rory).
River’s identity was guessed by many, and the reveal on it seemed rushed. Unless the Gamma Forest becomes a major scene in the upcoming eps, it was a rather long walk for a short glass of water. Why would River be named for a piece of cloth she d/n even have yet as a child? This needs further clarification and development or it will simply be bad writing.
The Spitfires really were too much. DW used to at least try to maintain scientific plausibility, but the theory behind those birds was shaky to begin with, and having them aeroplane thru *deep* space was. . . immersion breaking. Some of the lines were good, especially “point a gun at me if it helps you relax”, but most were so-so, and saved only by the quality of the various cast-members’ delivery of them.
One of the big promised conflicts for this ep, the premise that the Dr. would fall farther than ever, itself fell rather flat; he has been and done far worse. Time Lord Victorious comes to mind. Unless this is a wind-up to the potential of a darker, possibly alternate and/or future version of the Dr. becoming the new threat in coming days, River’s doom-laden dialogue is all basless melodrama. If this is a presaging of the Valeyard, well and good, but “A Good Man” wasn’t that good.
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It’s difficult to see why people are so critical of the episode for its characterisations or inconsistencies so far mentioned.
If people don’t understand what’s happening or why the Doctor has behaved the way he did, they should watch all the previous episodes in this series and the last one. Doctor Who hasn’t been a monster-of-the-week story since it was restarted years ago. Yes, there are lots of episodes where the Doctor saves the day and then leaves, never coming back. But there’s always been recurring themes, plots and stories revisited, and characters brought back when necessary. There’s nothing wrong with that. Even if new characters are suddenly brought in, like Vastra, their backgrounds can be guessed from what they say and do during the episode.
River Song said in an episode that everything was going to change for the Doctor. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but it sounds like things will become worse for him. Maybe he’ll become a bad person and do terrible things. Maybe he’ll be hunted for hundreds of years by people who hate him. No one knows. Just keep watching to find out.
Rory’s Roman costume was explained by River Song early in the episode. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The costume is supposed to make Rory look more brave and strong than he actually is.
River Song has Time Lord DNA because she was conceived inside the Tardis. Rory is her father.
Anyone who doesn’t understand what’s going on should read Wikipedia. It really helps.
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Be assured, Labyrinth, that some of us here writing are in no way confused as to what happened, plot wise, but rather are baffled as to why Moffat, undoubtably one of the world’s best scifi story writers (and a cracking good writer in general, imo), should have used such poor storytelling tropes in this epidode.
Before going further, I strongly suggest that you actually *read* my post, above, as you included it in your sweeping statement earlier, implying that I did not understand what is going on. Note that I understood *perfectly* well (it wasn’t hard to follow), but simply question why the story elements were introduced the way they were, and why portentious claims were made that never really panned out. This is not a matter of a lack of comprehension of plot details, but rather a major disappointment in a build up of tension that was only discharged by the most arteficial and arbitrary plot devices that had no real foreshadowing, and at the very last moment. While you are correct that adding new characters is frequently both useful and acceptable (Moffat usually shines here, in fact), using characters and events which are only introduced at the *end* of a long and innuendo-laden plot arc, to solve complex problems created *by* that plot arc, is a cop-out.
If you still are confused as to my meaning there, kindly “wiki” the following phrase:
** Deus Ex Machina **
Understand that there were, in no way, proper clues leading up to the inclusion of the Gamma Forest; it was a Deus Ex Machina. Idris’es “warning” was rendered ad hoc as there were *no* cross-referencable contextual clues provided throughout this or any season, aside from River’s name. Had there *previously* been an epidode in which the Dr. met Lorna in the Gamma Forest, and a clue was dropped there, some argument for proper foreshadowing could have been made but, as it is, the Forest, and Lorna, were conveniently plunked down into this ep, without so much as a proper introduction, as no more than a solution for River to “pull out of her hat”, as it were, at the very last minute: a deus ex machina, that most ancient and nefarious of hack writing cop-outs, used by a writer who has “painted themselves into a corner”. A plot device that inevitably leaves any thinking and involved audience feeling cheated.
Feel free to refute the above claims, but kindly provide specific reasoning for these critisisms, not just more vague accusations of my “not getting it”. A read of Wiki details can’t save this ep from being a mess, and they can’t explain why it was written in such a slapdash manner.
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I’m sorry but I agree with the author of this blog. This episode was WAY too confusing, had WAY too much story and not enough plot. Here’s what I didn’t like:
1) 20 MINUTES on rounding up the aliens that owe him favors? Surely this could’ve been done faster AND the Doctor really didn’t NEED any of these guys. I didn’t really care to see any of them (well Cybermen, big blue guy and the Sontaran weren’t bad). And they brought back the old characters during the LAST series finale! The WWII fighters were terrible before and added NO value the 2nd time around. And WTH was the point of bringing back Cpt Avery’s kid????
2) ALL the cryptic talk. The Doctor would ask: what is happening? and he’d get an answer that was too long and didn’t even answer the question!!
3) I still don’t know why they captured Amy and her kid. Maybe that’ll be explained later.
4) The 10 minutes of “right before I die” speech, by the sontaran and the female soldier were boring. Granted she was hot, but to join up in the military, JUST to meet the Doctor? Lame.
5) Voice over narratives need to go away.
I too REALLY liked The Doctor’s Wife episode. Thought it was gold. I just think the writers spend too much time on story and drama and should spend it more on plot. Oh well.
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‘A Good Man Goes To War’ episode was… not great to say the least.
I think everyone who’s a Who fan knows the background for Rory’s outfit. But it was just pointless. The outfit was made to make him seem braver and stronger? I’m sorry but even though they ‘explained it’, still doesn’t make sense to me.
Having 20 minutes of the Doctor rounding up old series favorites was a waste of time. Although I do enjoy seeing The Cybermen, Sontarans and that blue guy; again, it was pointless of having them there. The Doc really didn’t need any of them. The WWII planes and bringing back series favorites needs to go away.
All the long winded speeches, the metaphorical dialogue, the “The Doctor shall rise like a Phoenix and fall just as hard”, the River Song narrative was all crap. Took up way too much time without answering anything.
The River Song revelation was… I’m sorry, a bit of a let down. Everything changes once he found out who she was? What actually changed?
The music was crap and unsuitable, but that’s just me.
And I do like Doctor Who. I still think Tenant was the best Doctor they’ve had, but they’re relying too much on drama and less on actual plot, as of late.And for those who think I don’t like Smith, I thought The Doctor’s Wife was sheer genius.
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So Amy will shortly become the Doctor’s mother-in-law!
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Was thinking the same. Amy and Rory can call the Dr. “sonny” now.
Guess that’s what the Dr. meant when he said “But that means. . . ” and River responded “I’m afraid so”, with a big smile. >:D
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Further domesticating of the Doctor. Gag….
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And this on the heels of Matt commenting on “The Doctor’s Wife”, saying something along the lines of travelling about, w/o being tied down, is the best way to be; he even jokingly decribed the Dr’s view on marriage as that it was “rubbish”. Now THAT is a confirmed bachelor.
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