Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens
Wow. That really was quite something.
In many ways, it was classic Moffat. The whole concept of the Pandorica was set up to suggest one thing (the threat was coming from inside the box) whereas the twist was something else - the threat actually being placed in the box. And there were further narrative tricks at play here - the resurrection of Rory was actually a heartbreaking trap. And a trap that may have led to the second death of a companion of the 11th Doctor.
However, what also worked nicely for me was that this episode started off really very lightheartedly. The River Song flirting, the familiar faces, and the Doctor's attempts to distract the Cyber arm were all very entertaining, and not played too earnestly. Again, this was a nice trick - almost underplaying the threat, making it seem as if the Doctor was in control. Whereas he wasn't in control, and arguably hasn't been for quite some time.
And the episode succeeded in doing something that the new series hasn't done to day - making the Cybermen bloody terrifying. The attempted cyber-conversion of Amy was the sort of thing that nightmares are made of, particularly when the skull came crashing out of the Cyber helmet.
Of course, nothing's perfect, and I could have done without the compendium of monsters at the end - if only because I struggle with the new fat Daleks. Still, it was nice conceit to have them all working together to save the universe from the Doctor. It would also be a shame if this was actually it for Amy (although I suspect it won't be), since she has been one of the most interesting of the Doctor's companions. Whatever happens, I suspect that her character will be crucial to the resolution of this story, and, indeed, of this entire season.
Because this episode showed that this whole season has been one big story, with smaller adventures taking place as part of an awe-inspiring overall arc. Everything has been building up to this point, and we are left with a wonderful, exciting and unnerving cliffhanger.
And it is a cliffhanger in another way, too. Will Moffat be able to pull together all the plot strands of not just The Pandorica Opens but of the entire 12 episodes that preceded The Big Bang? It's a tough call, but if any one Doctor Who writer can pull it off, then it will be the Moff - and let's hope he ends what has been a splendid season of Doctor Who in style. One thing's for sure - I can't wait until next Saturday.
Labels: Doctor Who, Reviews, TV
posted by The Nameless Libertarian @ 12:08 am
8 Comments
8 Comments:
I didn't think it was that good. It seemed obvious to me that the Pandorica was going to be a trap for the Doctor so I experienced this episode as 45 minutes of laboured misdirection and 5 minutes of actually getting to the point.
If you listen carefully to how the Pandorica is described in previous episodes and in the trailers for this one it is referred to as a container for something terrifying, but the wording is deliberately ambiguous as to whether it already contains this thing or is intended to contain it in the future. Also, the new series has consistently portrayed the Doctor as "the Oncoming Storm", an unstoppable force that descends from the skies to obliterate whole species. It was obvious that for many races he would be the most terrifying thing in the universe even if they didn't think he was about to blow it all up. Note how in the first episode of this season he makes the Atraxi leave Earth just by telling them who he is.
Note also that TV plot twists rely heavily on bait-and-switch. The scenario of an ancient evil locked in a box was so simple and unoriginal that it had to be a bait (in this case literally!).
All that messing about with the Cyber sentry looked suspiciously like filler to me.
River Song is annoying. Firstly, because she's so smug. Secondly, because her character is an expression of fashionable prejudice. She is a powerful woman who seems to enjoy patronising and humiliating men. The politically correct lefties at the BBC would never show a male character treating women like that unless he was an obvious villain. Yet because Song is female we are expected to applaud when she acts like a jerk. It appears that sexism is PC when it's against men.
The fact that we are supposed to find her criminal habits endearing is another piece of tiresome radical chic.
The grand alliance of enemies was pretty implausible. The Daleks are too consumed with hate to make that kind of deal, and their technology is so advanced that they wouldn't need the help of the others anyway. What do Slitheen or Judoon have to offer to a race that can build void ships and make war against the Time Lords? For that matter, why don't they just shoot the Doctor instead of imprisoning him?
The Rory stuff was handled well, although it was obvious that it couldn't really be him so the "heartbreaking trap" depends on the audience not really thinking about it.
As for the cliffhanger, my concern is that it puts the Doctor and his companions in such a hopeless situation that the only way of getting them out again will be something totally implausible. I'm really hoping it's not going to depend on some magic technology pulled out of thin air like in "Journey's End".
Only time will tell...
I disagree with the previous comment. This episode was fabulous. In fact, this whole season has been as good as the last season was disheartenly bad.
The 'Alliance' of monsters reminds me of the way today's establishment (doctors, judges, politicians) are working together to impose their will and shut up the individual. For the greater good, they say, but with unintended consequences (the doctor won't be there to stop the tardis blowing up and destroying the universe/people have died or been locked up because of anti-this or that legislation).
The only reason 'right on' aunty let this through is because it is thoroughly entertaining and well executed. And that's no bad thing; there is Hope still.
I can't wait for the resolution next week.
My comment would be about one-third agreeing with the post and two-thirds with AZ above.
I thought it was fantastic. As AZ finds the whole thing so predictable, I can't wait for him/her to tell us what's going to happen next week.
Unfortunately, since casting has already been announced for next year and the Christmas special, Amy will not stay dead. Shame, since she's been the most spoilt, selfish, whiny brat of a companion ever.
And the episode? Predictable, contained far too many flashbacks, too much of River Song by far, and yet again awful acting by Matt Smith. What a come-down from any time in the past five years!
Wendigo, I can see that my previous comment might have sounded rather arrogant. That’s due to a poor choice of words rather than any deliberate intention. However I do maintain that the trap was obvious because the ‘monster in a box’ scenario was being heavily emphasised in a context in which it could only be deliberate misdirection.
What will happen next is not at all obvious because we haven’t been given such clear hints. But I’ll offer a theory as to the identity of the mystery antagonist who wants to destroy everything and leave only “silence”. It must be a character who’s already appeared in this season because there wouldn’t be time to introduce someone new and still wrap up the plot in the last episode. It must be someone who can control the TARDIS, because River Song says she has lost control of it. The only character who meets those criteria is the Dreamlord.
He was explained away as a result of hallucinogenic pollen. I suggest that’s a red herring. He is actually a result of the engine malfunction that the Doctor tried to fix in the first episode by jumping a few minutes into the future, although the pollen may have acted as a catalyst. It has been repeatedly suggested in both the old and new series that the TARDIS is in some way alive, and that the Doctor has a telepathic link to it. In “Amy’s Choice” the Doctor asks who could hate him that much and concludes that it’s himself. So the TARDIS has been steadily absorbing all the guilt and self-hatred in the Doctor’s sub-conscious mind, and the malfunction has caused it to be personified as the Dreamlord. He wants to kill the Doctor because he hates him(self). He wants to destroy the universe to erase all the things that caused all this guilt and pain. Essentially, the TARDIS is trying to commit suicide.
How can the Doctor escape? It’s unlikely that his companions will be able to do anything decisive because they’re both trapped. It’s unlikely that the plastic Rory will turn on his masters because Moffat’s too good a writer to use a cliché like that. My guess is that the Doctor will find some way to hack the Pandorica to turn it into a basic space/time machine. He may even try to stop his own TARDIS with a time-ram as he did with the Master in “The Time Monster”, only to realise at the last minute that this is what will cause the disaster. But as I say, that’s just a guess.
I love it when a Doctor Who episode divides opinion as much as this one seems to have done. A sure sign that it is trying to do something different, rather than just play it safe.
I can see how, if you figured out what the Pandorica was, how the rest of the episode may well have been a bit predictable and a little bit like padding. However, for me, I didn't clock what the Pandorica contained, and spent the whole episode going "Is it Omega? Is it Fenric? Would Moffat dare to be that obscure?" And this was despite seeing a bit of concept art that had the Doctor in the Pandorica. D'oh!
A couple of other points from me, though. On the alliance of the Doctor's enemies, I think it stretches credibility when you look at what monsters were there. The Daleks, Cybermen, the Autons, the Judoon and Sontarans might all forge an alliance if the threat was great enough, but I'm not sure that they would all manage it with the Silurians - who are suspicious of everyone, and have never given any indication of being aware of aliens before. Furthermore, the Weevils and the Hoix gave the impression that they were largely feral and unable to communicate in previous appearances - not natural races with which to form an alliance. Unfortunately, the alliance against the Doctor looked a lot like the production team going "we need a lot of monsters, and don't have the budget to redesign any new ones. What costumes have we got in storage to pad out the alliance?"
The damaged Cyberman was not filler for me, but rather a recreation of the enemy that made it far more effective for me that in previous appearance in the new series. I'm also intrigued by the past battle the Doctor detected when he first arrived at Stonehenge - the battle that apparently destroyed the Cyberman. Could just have been further bait for the trap, but if Moffat is firing on all cylinders, then it could also be a hint at the resolution of the story.
And the cliffhanger. Let's see - the Doctor is trapped forever in a prison/tomb it is impossible to break out of. Amy's shot. River Song is trapped in the exploding TARDIS. My oh my, it's a big cliffhanger - bigger than any of the others since the show returned. Which could be a problem, since the cliffhangers of the season finales have been growing more outrageous since the show came back. This leaves me wondering what on earth they will do at the end of next season, short of killing everyone forever. It also creates a very difficult scenario to deal with effectively - how to get out of this one, without creating a feeling of cop-out (see The Doctor aborting his regeneration by using his hand - utter bollocks). The producers would do well to remember that in the original series, cliffhangers could be simple, effective devices that create tension and move the story along. Examples include a sink plunger appearing on the screen to menace Barbara, "You belong to us, you will be like us", The Doctor and Peri being (apparently) shot dead by a firing squad and "We play the game again, Time Lord" - all great moments that left the viewers hanging on for more but didn't try to imply everything was about to end to get people to come back next week. Sometimes, less is more.
TNL
PS - Anonymous - you're wrong. Smith has been fantastic in this role, and this season has been a triumph - it has built on the previous five years, but taken it all in a slightly different and, judging by this cliffhanger, a darker direction.
interesting article which i came a cross in recent time and yes CALL i agree with you that AZ couldn't believe it any predicts everything so let him tell us what's next?
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