Monday, 3 May 2010

Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone

It has to be said that the Weeping Angels, first seen in 2007's Blink are without doubt, one of the most scary and original enemies in Doctor Who's long history. So it was with great anticipation that we awaited their return. And they're back. Yet somehow for me, they just were not as effective a second time around. There's only so many times you can say "don't blink" for it to still have an air of tension about it. Time of the Angels was a superb first episode of the current series' first two-parter. It allowed tension to slowly build, and the story to be told at a steady pace. And the scene where the Angel suddenly appears from out of the screen was quite chilling, though highly predictable! However I found the plot and dialogue hard to follow, and I don't even remember what the cliffhanger was - all I do remember is the notorious Graham Norton animation that popped up at a crucial moment in the closing minutes of the episode! Cue 5,000 angry fans... Flesh and Stone proved to be an anticlimax. We still don't know who River Song is, or who she killed. I'd hedge my bets on her being a regenerated Rani. Or at least a Time Lady, given her understanding of ye olde Gallifreyan scripture. Overall I felt neutral about this episode. There was nothing exciting or original enough to make it memorable, although I found Matt Smith to be consistently good, and it's interesting to note, that this was the first story he filmed too. However, after the insult to my intelligence (and 29 years of being a fan) that was Victory of the Daleks, I found this two-parter relatively harmless, extremely well made, and it took itself seriously enough to be pleasantly enjoyable. And then... Amy Pond turns into a nymphomaniac! I'm sorry, am I still watching Doctor Who?!

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