amberfocus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
amberfocus) wrote2010-04-24 08:03 pm
amberfocus) wrote2010-04-24 08:03 pm
Entry tags:
DW: The Time of Angels--Reaction Post
You know, I feel like I've just been holding my breath for ages waiting for Doctor Who to start. Yes, even four weeks in that was how I felt last night, like my show hadn't actually started yet. I've been feeling this pretty much since Journey's End ended, with every special I watched. And today it finally came back to me. This is what I've been waiting for, this is what I've been hopefully expecting all along. A Doctor Who that could keep me absorbed in the episode all the way through. A Doctor Who that was exciting and full of adventure. A Doctor Who where writers, directors, and even actors hadn't checked out already. A Doctor Who where new writers, directors, and actors finally jelled into something that felt right. A Doctor Who where the banter flew fast and furiously and was good and actually felt true. An episode that I enjoyed through and through, not despite River Song, but in many ways because of her.
Yes. I am a Doctor/Rose shipper and I liked River Song. Not when we first met her. I thought she was arrogant as all get out and a total know-it-all in Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, but I didn't hate her. I knew what was coming from spoilers with the Rose/Ten2 storyline and I kind of clung to the idea that maybe the Doctor left without a Rose could be happy again someday with someone else. I just didn't think there was much chemistry between Alex and David and didn't see how that was going to work. This was before we knew David had decided to quit and I couldn't see it working with such a lack of chemistry. Other than that my issues with the River episodes were not really to do with her, they were more to do with Donna being shoved out of the way as companion (and the whole subtext of women can't be extremely beautiful and smart with the minor character of Miss Evangelista). I think Moff may have learned something from the reaction to pushing Donna aside in that episode, because Amy was never pushed to the side in this.
And that's a good thing. Amy was clever and resourceful, but thank all that is holy, did not save the day. She did save herself, but not everyone else. You can't imagine what a sigh of relief I breathed there, because this whole Wesley saves the ship business was starting to grate on my nerves. Amy wasn't jealous of River, she was extremely intrigued by the other woman, showed admiration and respect and curiosity towards her, and you could get a real feeling of comraderie developing between them.
As for River, at the beginning, before you found out she was playing a part, it was a touch eye rolly. Especially the silly save from the space ship to the TARDIS through space. I had to go back to listen to the request she sent the Doctor in the little recording to hear her requesting he open up some sort of corridor which I assume is what allowed her to float safely from ship to ship without all her veins and arteries exploding, her lungs bursting, or freezing to death. So not really bad science, at least there. After that though, the story really got rolling and I think I only rolled my eyes one more time when Amy made the comment to Eleven that she didn't expect him to die for her, she wasn't that clingy. I'm not sure if that was a dig at Moff's thoughts on Rose and Nine and how he died for her, or just his general wanting to prove Amy isn't a clingy girlfriend type. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume the latter, but based on so many of his other comments in the past I tend to think it was one last dig. Sometimes I want to smack Moff with a rolled up newspaper and tell him to stop biting the hand that fed him. Other times I think maybe I'm reading just a touch too much into it because of my main ship.
I think my favorite line in this was when the man in the tux at the beginning, Alistair, in talking about River said, "Wait until she runs, then make it look like an execution." My second favorite was when Amy questioned why the Bishop was a soldier and the Doctor said it was the 51st century and the church had moved on. And also, 51st century. The time of both the star ship Madame de Pompadour and the century Jack Harkness is from. I doubt anything will come of it, but thought it was interesting that time period was picked. Wouldn't it be funny if they'd secretly cast some 20 year old hottie who looks like John Barrowman to play a young Jack in the Time Agency?
I liked the way River left a message for the Doctor in this. My hopes skyrocketed right there that there was going to be much that was amusing in this episode and they weren't disappointed. I loved how River hung her shoes over the bar so she could fly the TARDIS easier and she was better than the Doctor at it, and I laughed at the Doctor saying they couldn't have landed because it hadn't made the right noise and then made the noise, or tried to. It was hilarious. And the line about the noise being because he always left the brake on, I adored. I won't think it's so funny though if the TARDIS stops making its materialization/dematerialization noise. I can forgive Moff for Rainbow Brite Daleks, but I won't forgive him if he takes away that iconic Doctor Who noise.
River still seems like a know-it-all, but it's been toned down and feels more clever and less irritating. The character felt far more likeable to me this go around. I like the fact that there is chemstry between River and Eleven. I'm not sure it's romantic, but it's definitely a strong acting chemistry that might develop into a good romantic chemistry with proper care and feeding. I really liked the chemistry between the Doctor and Amy here. I think a bit of time has passed between this episode and the last because they seem quite a bit more chummy and like she's figured him out more. I loved Amy trying to figure out what the Doctor and River relationship was or was going to be.
I loved her asking him if he was Mr. Grumpy Face today and then asking if River was his wife. And then he said, "Yes." Pause. "I am Mr. Grumpy Face today." So that can be interpreted either way, yes, she is or will be his wife or just him answering the question about being grumpy. I think it was kind of a clever way to deal with it. Although I swear I heard some wailing from Doctor/Rose shippers during that pause. I didn't wail myself, I've long ago come to accept that it's okay for him to move on with his life since Rose and Ten2 are happy together. To me it was just Moff being Moff, like he was trying to incite a reaction there. And River would neither confirm nor deny what she was but thought Amy was very good at figuring stuff out.
I liked the evolution of the concept of the weeping angels and that anything that held their image could become them. I was wondering long before the Doctor and River figured it out why none of the statues had two heads. I loved the bit where Amy thought her hand was turning to stone and the Doctor bit her to make her let go and she was all indignant and he was all, yes, but I saved you, come on. I was a bit unsure with the voice of Sacred Bob talking to them after he was dead. That did feel like a tiny retread of those little devices that held the last bit of conscious thought in them in SitL/FotD, but it was explained quite a bit differently so I thought I'd let it pass as not being total retread.
All in all very good and I am looking very much forward to the next episode, except for the bit in the previews that went, "HI, I'M A GIANT CRACK. LOOK AT ME. I'M BACK AND I'M IMPORTANT. YOU CAN TELL I'M IMPORTANT BY HOW BIG AND IMPRESSIVE I AM AND ALSO HOW I KEEP SHOWING UP IN ALMOST EVERY EPISODE AND DRAWING ATTENTION TO MYSELF. I AM A PLOT POINT OF ENORMOUS POSSIBILITY SO MAKE SURE YOU NOTICE ME. Other than that, yeah, really looking forward to part 2.
Yes. I am a Doctor/Rose shipper and I liked River Song. Not when we first met her. I thought she was arrogant as all get out and a total know-it-all in Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, but I didn't hate her. I knew what was coming from spoilers with the Rose/Ten2 storyline and I kind of clung to the idea that maybe the Doctor left without a Rose could be happy again someday with someone else. I just didn't think there was much chemistry between Alex and David and didn't see how that was going to work. This was before we knew David had decided to quit and I couldn't see it working with such a lack of chemistry. Other than that my issues with the River episodes were not really to do with her, they were more to do with Donna being shoved out of the way as companion (and the whole subtext of women can't be extremely beautiful and smart with the minor character of Miss Evangelista). I think Moff may have learned something from the reaction to pushing Donna aside in that episode, because Amy was never pushed to the side in this.
And that's a good thing. Amy was clever and resourceful, but thank all that is holy, did not save the day. She did save herself, but not everyone else. You can't imagine what a sigh of relief I breathed there, because this whole Wesley saves the ship business was starting to grate on my nerves. Amy wasn't jealous of River, she was extremely intrigued by the other woman, showed admiration and respect and curiosity towards her, and you could get a real feeling of comraderie developing between them.
As for River, at the beginning, before you found out she was playing a part, it was a touch eye rolly. Especially the silly save from the space ship to the TARDIS through space. I had to go back to listen to the request she sent the Doctor in the little recording to hear her requesting he open up some sort of corridor which I assume is what allowed her to float safely from ship to ship without all her veins and arteries exploding, her lungs bursting, or freezing to death. So not really bad science, at least there. After that though, the story really got rolling and I think I only rolled my eyes one more time when Amy made the comment to Eleven that she didn't expect him to die for her, she wasn't that clingy. I'm not sure if that was a dig at Moff's thoughts on Rose and Nine and how he died for her, or just his general wanting to prove Amy isn't a clingy girlfriend type. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume the latter, but based on so many of his other comments in the past I tend to think it was one last dig. Sometimes I want to smack Moff with a rolled up newspaper and tell him to stop biting the hand that fed him. Other times I think maybe I'm reading just a touch too much into it because of my main ship.
I think my favorite line in this was when the man in the tux at the beginning, Alistair, in talking about River said, "Wait until she runs, then make it look like an execution." My second favorite was when Amy questioned why the Bishop was a soldier and the Doctor said it was the 51st century and the church had moved on. And also, 51st century. The time of both the star ship Madame de Pompadour and the century Jack Harkness is from. I doubt anything will come of it, but thought it was interesting that time period was picked. Wouldn't it be funny if they'd secretly cast some 20 year old hottie who looks like John Barrowman to play a young Jack in the Time Agency?
I liked the way River left a message for the Doctor in this. My hopes skyrocketed right there that there was going to be much that was amusing in this episode and they weren't disappointed. I loved how River hung her shoes over the bar so she could fly the TARDIS easier and she was better than the Doctor at it, and I laughed at the Doctor saying they couldn't have landed because it hadn't made the right noise and then made the noise, or tried to. It was hilarious. And the line about the noise being because he always left the brake on, I adored. I won't think it's so funny though if the TARDIS stops making its materialization/dematerialization noise. I can forgive Moff for Rainbow Brite Daleks, but I won't forgive him if he takes away that iconic Doctor Who noise.
River still seems like a know-it-all, but it's been toned down and feels more clever and less irritating. The character felt far more likeable to me this go around. I like the fact that there is chemstry between River and Eleven. I'm not sure it's romantic, but it's definitely a strong acting chemistry that might develop into a good romantic chemistry with proper care and feeding. I really liked the chemistry between the Doctor and Amy here. I think a bit of time has passed between this episode and the last because they seem quite a bit more chummy and like she's figured him out more. I loved Amy trying to figure out what the Doctor and River relationship was or was going to be.
I loved her asking him if he was Mr. Grumpy Face today and then asking if River was his wife. And then he said, "Yes." Pause. "I am Mr. Grumpy Face today." So that can be interpreted either way, yes, she is or will be his wife or just him answering the question about being grumpy. I think it was kind of a clever way to deal with it. Although I swear I heard some wailing from Doctor/Rose shippers during that pause. I didn't wail myself, I've long ago come to accept that it's okay for him to move on with his life since Rose and Ten2 are happy together. To me it was just Moff being Moff, like he was trying to incite a reaction there. And River would neither confirm nor deny what she was but thought Amy was very good at figuring stuff out.
I liked the evolution of the concept of the weeping angels and that anything that held their image could become them. I was wondering long before the Doctor and River figured it out why none of the statues had two heads. I loved the bit where Amy thought her hand was turning to stone and the Doctor bit her to make her let go and she was all indignant and he was all, yes, but I saved you, come on. I was a bit unsure with the voice of Sacred Bob talking to them after he was dead. That did feel like a tiny retread of those little devices that held the last bit of conscious thought in them in SitL/FotD, but it was explained quite a bit differently so I thought I'd let it pass as not being total retread.
All in all very good and I am looking very much forward to the next episode, except for the bit in the previews that went, "HI, I'M A GIANT CRACK. LOOK AT ME. I'M BACK AND I'M IMPORTANT. YOU CAN TELL I'M IMPORTANT BY HOW BIG AND IMPRESSIVE I AM AND ALSO HOW I KEEP SHOWING UP IN ALMOST EVERY EPISODE AND DRAWING ATTENTION TO MYSELF. I AM A PLOT POINT OF ENORMOUS POSSIBILITY SO MAKE SURE YOU NOTICE ME. Other than that, yeah, really looking forward to part 2.
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maybe it's because I only really got into DW last summer, and so all of the new season was basically laid out for me at once....and i was automatically brought into the Doctor/Rose fold by all of the fanfiction, but i really don't want to give that up. Arghjhhhhhhhhhhhh!
-goes off to read more zepplins' verse again-
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I've never liked the character of River Song. Part of me has always felt that if she really knew and loved him, she would have realized how soon after Rose The Doctor in The Library was. Her 'I've never seen you this young' should have tipped her off that he was still going through a great deal of emotional upheaval and loss and she should probably give him some breathing room and respect. I know Moff doesn't think highly of the Rose/Doctor relationship; but it was and is a fact and canon. Whatever they were to each other, Rose was very necessary to the recovery of the Post-Time War Doctor.
I'm still not overly fond of River now, but at least she was more interesting than irritating. I suppose it is easier to let go now with Rose safely away from Moff's clutches and in the arms of 10.5.
There were some really strange bits in this episode...There was this one thing, I think it is called a plot. And it was doing this really odd thing called developing. Oh and the characters, their behavior was not wildly waffling back and forth for no apparent reason...I think it is a device writers use called motivation.
If they can keep this up, I might be able to hang on and try to actually get to know 11. Last week he made no damn sense at all to me. This week I saw something I could watch.
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However, River being able to write in gallifrean, her escape into space, her flying the Tardis better than the Doctor, knowing the Doctor SO MUCH she can read him like an open boo, Amy shipping them like mad... It's a bit too much to my taste.
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Kinda reminds me of "Bad Wolf." LOL
Enjoyed your recap of things. This was a fantastic episode!
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River was definitely more interesting and somewhat likeable in this storyline. She certainly had the Doctor over a barrell to speak and I'm interested to see where this is all going.
Again though my first love is nine or ten or ten 2 with rose and nothing is going to change that but I think i can find a place for Matt Smiths doctor somewhere in my heart.
Oh and the weeping angels are still freaky. Loved them in blink and love them now.
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However, on the subject of the crack, at least they look like they're going to notice the crack now, too, which somehow makes it a bit better for me. If they're going to make it the most obvious thing in the world, then at least have the Doctor notice it, too!
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I had to go back to listen to the request she sent the Doctor in the little recording to hear her requesting he open up some sort of corridor which I assume is what allowed her to float safely from ship to ship without all her veins and arteries exploding, her lungs bursting, or freezing to death. So not really bad science, at least there.
Actually, I recall reading that this is usually exaggerated greatly by Hollywood. Apparently you can actually survive with relatively little damage other than burst capillaries for around 30 seconds or so with increasing damage and death only after about 2 minutes. However, having said that, the problem I gather is that gas exchange continues in the blood going to the lungs and, since there's no oxygen going in (quite the reverse), the blood leaving the lungs and going to the brain is massively deficient in oxygen resulting in hypoxia and unconsciousness in about 15-20 seconds.
Which is far more than you needed to know. :-)
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I enjoyed this episode very much, and I can't wait for the next part. Goodness, must we wait until Friday?