Hello all. Having both reviewed two episodes of this series each, and being unable to decide which of us should write the finale review, we have, very diplomatically, decided to write it together. So in lieu of there being an actual episode of Doctor Who this week, get your Time Lord related fill here, with our review of The Angels Take Manhattan.
Becky: Yes indeed, together, Jen and I plan to get over our mutual mourning process for the demise of the Ponds by discussing the final episode of this first half of series seven. Talking is supposedly the best form of therapy after all.
Jen: I’m still in pieces. I think I may require counselling. Can I charge that to the BBC do you think?
B: Alas, I don't think they do compensation for mourning, but this was by far the most affecting companion departure since Rose left (for the first time). Whilst Donna's was just as tragic, the Ponds' last appearance was both terribly sad and yet still a happy ending. After all, they got to be together for the rest of their lives and proved just how much they loved and depended upon each other. Mixed emotions across the board with that one. I weeped openly and I'm not ashamed of it.
J: Quite. Anyway, this series’ Doctor Who finale saw a monster now almost, almost as legendary as my beloved Daleks, the Weeping Angels, unleash their creepy, finger pointing fury on downtown New York. A routine trip to the world capital of cool resulted in poor put-upon Rory being whisked back in time by the Angels, the Doctor, Amy and River hot on his heels with the help of a mysterious crime novel. Can they find him and bring him back to the present time before the Angels take over the city?
Despite the seemingly popular opinion that any big Doctor Who storyline now warrants an immediate hop across the Atlantic, for my money the setting change allowed for an extra level of drama in the usually London/Cardiff centric show- it raised the stakes. It also suited the show’s film noir look down to the ground.
B: With the new aim of this series being a blockbuster a week, we've seen dinosaur-related capers and horror tropes, but it was The Angels Take Manhattan that really ran with its chosen genre. Film noir is a personal favourite of mine and Moffat utilised it perfectly here alongside the Weeping Angels for which the balance of light and shadow was especially fitting. It also really suited the New York setting; instead of the usual whirlwind tour of the landmarks, we got claustrophobic buildings, badly-lit hallways and a city populated by men in trench coats and trilbies. It was an excellent choice and really added to the foreboding atmosphere of this sort-of finale.
J: The storyline worked beautifully well, and the pacing was spot on. The plot hurtled in the direction of the big finale/send-off with oodles of suspense and seat edge sitting.
B: Yes, the construction of this episode was really quite something. From the Melody Malone novel to the Doctor's repeated detestation of endings, the sense of foreboding permeated every scene. We all knew that the Ponds' demise was never going to involve rainbows and smiles, but Moffat toyed with us throughout, particularly in the suicide pact that almost, almost gave you hope that Amy and Rory might just be ok.
J: Agreed. As has been the case all series, the Ponds far outshone everybody else on screen in almost every scene. Even the Statue of Liberty was barely a match for their coupled charisma. Despite some genuinely heart-breaking scenes, the deep warmth and quirkiness of their relationship remained apparent to the last. Whilst there were some interesting and rather sweet parallels between their marriage and that of The Doctor and River towards the end of the episode, the latter two felt very much like an add-on in the wake of the Ponds’ departure. The strategic centring of their story in every episode over the past few weeks well and truly paid off.
B: Applause must also be given to Matt Smith, the ever-present centre of the show and he really blew me away with this episode. The frequent warnings about the Doctor being alone build in well to the mourning process that he (along with the rest of the Whoniverse) must go through after losing two of his closest companions. He said early on that he didn't like endings and his pleading with Amy to stay was quite simply heartbreaking. I've long been an advocate of Smith's Doctor; I've always felt he captured all of the contradictions inherent in the Time Lord right from the start and here, he showed just how sad and how lonely the Doctor can be.
J: Not to mention that it was exactly what Doctor Who always set out to be- downright scary. The Angels have always been creepy, but this was something else. They were more freely moving than ever before and more powerful. They could have been anywhere, around the next corner or right behind you.
B: I have to admit, the inclusion of the angels was actually something I didn't think worked too well in this episode. Without doubt they are one of the scariest Who-villains in years, but they're starting to suffer a little from over-exposure (something which both the Daleks and Cybermen have suffered in recent years). Whilst Moffat found interesting things to do with them, the child-angels in particular were very creepy, the same level of suspense that had fuelled Blink just wasn't there. They were, of course, essential to the wibbley-wobbley-timey-wimey- plot that saw Rory and Amy sent back in time, but I can't help thinking the Angels need to be benched for a bit in order to retain what keeps them so scary.
J: Well I was scared.
The adrenaline of the angels gave a lovely feeling of ‘please don’t let it be over yet’ to the show, and a genuine lack of clock watching. But, alas, end it had to, giving Rory and Amy’s characters the most fitting send- off they could have had.
B: It's going to take a long time for me to get over losing Rory (you all know how I feel about Rory) but I must admit, I am immensely intrigued to see how they solve the whole Oswin-was-a-Dalek problem. If it's anywhere near as well-made as this episode, the Christmas special will be a very special festive blockbuster.
J: Roll on the Christmas special.
- Jen and Becky
You can read all of our Doctor Who reviews so far here.
Follow us on Twitter on @jenniferklarge and @beckygracelea
Or on our blogs memyselfandtheothers.wordpress.com and beckygracelea.wordpress.com
B: Applause must also be given to Matt Smith, the ever-present centre of the show and he really blew me away with this episode. The frequent warnings about the Doctor being alone build in well to the mourning process that he (along with the rest of the Whoniverse) must go through after losing two of his closest companions. He said early on that he didn't like endings and his pleading with Amy to stay was quite simply heartbreaking. I've long been an advocate of Smith's Doctor; I've always felt he captured all of the contradictions inherent in the Time Lord right from the start and here, he showed just how sad and how lonely the Doctor can be.
J: Not to mention that it was exactly what Doctor Who always set out to be- downright scary. The Angels have always been creepy, but this was something else. They were more freely moving than ever before and more powerful. They could have been anywhere, around the next corner or right behind you.
B: I have to admit, the inclusion of the angels was actually something I didn't think worked too well in this episode. Without doubt they are one of the scariest Who-villains in years, but they're starting to suffer a little from over-exposure (something which both the Daleks and Cybermen have suffered in recent years). Whilst Moffat found interesting things to do with them, the child-angels in particular were very creepy, the same level of suspense that had fuelled Blink just wasn't there. They were, of course, essential to the wibbley-wobbley-timey-wimey- plot that saw Rory and Amy sent back in time, but I can't help thinking the Angels need to be benched for a bit in order to retain what keeps them so scary.
J: Well I was scared.
The adrenaline of the angels gave a lovely feeling of ‘please don’t let it be over yet’ to the show, and a genuine lack of clock watching. But, alas, end it had to, giving Rory and Amy’s characters the most fitting send- off they could have had.
B: It's going to take a long time for me to get over losing Rory (you all know how I feel about Rory) but I must admit, I am immensely intrigued to see how they solve the whole Oswin-was-a-Dalek problem. If it's anywhere near as well-made as this episode, the Christmas special will be a very special festive blockbuster.
J: Roll on the Christmas special.
- Jen and Becky
You can read all of our Doctor Who reviews so far here.
Follow us on Twitter on @jenniferklarge and @beckygracelea
Or on our blogs memyselfandtheothers.wordpress.com and beckygracelea.wordpress.com
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