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Post by Riff on Jul 23, 2010 4:37:46 GMT -5
Unlocked from the inside? Hmmmmm. Pay attention to Amy, doctor, she's a key to this. From Flesh and Stone: "It’s you. It’s all about you. Everything. It’s about you … Amy Pond, mad, impossible Amy Pond, I don’t know why, I have no idea, but quite possibly the single most important thing in the history of the universe is that I get you sorted out right now." Hmmm.  Yes. There's something wrong and something special... Unable to respond without being spoilery. Because, because... It's on tomorrow! |
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Post by Riff on Jul 23, 2010 4:49:39 GMT -5
Vincent! Churchill! River! Liz Ten! Vortex manipulator from the wrist of Captain Jack a handsome Time Agent! Another pacey opening. But it isn’t over. The Doctor suddenly has an idea about visiting the oldest cliff face in the universe, because there is a message on it. Does he “suddenly” have this idea because River has graffitied it and time has been altered, causing the thought to pop into his head? Then it’s Romans. Then it’s the painting. And we’re off. The lightening in the opening titles is now ridiculously loud. Next we’re alternating between a conversation and a riding sequence occurring after that conversation. Now we’re at Stonehenge, and finally there is a rest. The first ten minutes of the episode has been a fast and timey-wimey dance, but now the pace becomes almost solemn. We see the Pandorica. The markings on its surface echo the concentric circles we have seen all season and it – not just what it “contains” but its capabilities – is the mystery and the theme we have been building toward, though writing about that too much might spoil the next episode. From the Doctor, we hear that it was built to contain a terrible being: “There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior, a nameless terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies, the most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world.” In retrospect it’s so obvious he’s talking about himself from the perspective of his many enemies... F.E.A.R. (the Federation of Evil Alien Races) have a very cunning plan. Various events in the season have caused the Doctor to lead himself to the Pandorica. Through some clever piece of misdirection, we, like him and River, don’t understand the significance of it beginning to open when he gets near it. Similarly, the facts that Roman Britain was Amy’s favourite subject as a girl and her favourite story was Pandora’s Box are brilliantly glossed over so that they become forgotten beneath other events until they come back to bite us later in the episode. And now, at last, the Doctor begins to confide in Amy. Ever since the Eleventh Hour he has known something about her is not right. Her life doesn’t make any sense. He didn’t invite her on to the TARDIS because he was lonely; he did it because her house was too big, with too many empty rooms. We’re interrupted at this point by a pesky cyberman, but nevertheless we at least know that there is a real mystery surrounding Amy. Speaking of the Cyberman, though, that sequence of it attacking and pursuing Amy is probably the most menacing they’ve been since they returned. Moffat actually wants to reintroduce the Cybermen of our universe and there was a new design created. Unfortunately budget cuts meant that it wasn’t possible this time. Next year, hopefully? However, it may be that the Cybermen we see in this ep are from our universe. While they do say, “all universes will be deleted” (and, cheekily, “you will be assimilated”), they have cyberships. We see these above Stonehenge, and they are definitely the ships from the Second Doctor Cyberman story, The Invasion. And, staggeringly, Rory’s back. Except it was a double bluff from Mr Moffat, because it’s only an Auton (a Nestene plastic duplicate), and this is simply drawn from Amy’s memory of Rory. But earlier the Doctor told her that if something can be remembered it can come back... Hmmm. At any rate, he shoots her dead! In the Doctor Who Confidential following the episode, Moffat explains that all great love stories are tragedies. Again, hmmm. How can "Rory" remember experiencing his own death? River is trapped in the TARDIS, unable to control it and at the mercy of the owner of a very creepy voice. The bad guys (well, there are a few neutral races there, too) are trying to save the universe from the exploding TARDIS, but actually cause the end by trapping the Doctor. The Doctor is in the ultimate prison. “Rory” is an Auton. Amy is dead. River is in the TARDIS as it explodes. All stars explode at all points in history. The universe ends, has never existed. Silence has fallen. “If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow there's one thing you never ever put in a trap.” Prophetic words? How will they get out of this one? Memories/dreams/fairytales/reality. The big themes are coming to head... |
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Post by Queen E on Jul 23, 2010 10:42:13 GMT -5
I like how this really hits on the Doctor's fear of confinement. Rather like that scene at the start of "Bad Wolf" when the Doctor wakes up the diary room.
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Post by Riff on Jul 26, 2010 11:20:38 GMT -5
I like how this really hits on the Doctor's fear of confinement. Rather like that scene at the start of "Bad Wolf" when the Doctor wakes up the diary room. Well, he's used to boxes that are bigger on the inside. |
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Post by Lola m on Jul 28, 2010 20:44:48 GMT -5
I like how this really hits on the Doctor's fear of confinement. Rather like that scene at the start of "Bad Wolf" when the Doctor wakes up the diary room. Well, he's used to boxes that are bigger on the inside.  |
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