A Darker Doctor Who?
Against all odds, the second part of the Doctor Who season opener paid off. The first part was a proper set up. But the second half really delivered the goods.
You don't see too many examples in film history of great sequels. The number you can count would be the number you can count with you hand.
There is “Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back” which is superior to the first. “Godfather 2” was a near perfect film that was better than the original. “Mad Max 2” was better than its original in terms of plot development and remarkable stunts.
The Doctor Who episode “Day of the Moon” may join the fleet of sequels that was better than the first. Perhaps I didn't expect it to be so good. I liked “The Impossible Astronaut” as there were a few good shockers.
But the fun is in “Day of the Moon.” It's got a bunch of plot twists, excellent pacing and enough story surprises to keep you coming back for next week.
I'm hooked again. For good, this time.
Moffat did say that the series is going to get much darker, more glooming as it progresses. I can't help feeling that there's still plenty of sense of humor in the shows.
When President Nixon asks the Doctor what his future will be like, he wants to know like any other president if he'll be remembered. The Doctor playfully answers, “Oh yes, Tricky Dicky, you'll be remembered.”
For all the wrong reasons.
But it's this kind of writing that remains so much fun. Humor is one way of setting off unease. You see it when Doctor River Song is falling from the fiftieth floor to her death only to have the TARDIS stop her in mid-flight. And she's dropped into the swimming pool inside the TARDIS. The next scene you'll find her drying off with a towel.
There's another fun bit when in the middle of a battle, Rory asks her what kind of professor River Song was. Song answers while shooting down one of the Silence, “Of archeology!”
But there are so many great scene in the episode that makes it look like a million dollar baby. The bit with the Doctor caught in the middle of fiddling with the Apollo 11 circuits is hilarious... and the camera pulling away to show the full scene of the rocket soon to make its historical launch in 1969 really paints a big picture. They spent their money well on this show.
Another fun bit: You can see Amy struggling to get out of her captivity when the Doctor, Rory and River Song makes the final assault against the Silence. Watching Amy struggle as if everyone's forgotten about her is actually pretty funny.
You can see Rory fumbling around with the Apollo model when he was at the NASA station. And he broke off a piece of it. That's what you get when you're messing around with a model like that. Another fun bit.
The Silence continues to be a devious race. They hide in shadows. They are like whispers in darkness. They continue to be very creepy. There is a scene when Amy finds a horde of them clattering and whispering. She realizes they are all upside down hanging like bats in a cave. It's one of the creepiest scenes in Doctor Who. This particular scene reminds me of the Alien movies because of the great use of lighting.
What I also liked about this episode is the great use of technology. That's the Doctor's most useful skill. His ability to turn technology into a good thing. He was able to install several chips into his companion's hands... small recording devices to help them battle the Silence.
The Doctor was able to build a transmitting machine in Apollo 11 as another way of fighting the Silence.
This was all about figuring out a way to fight an enemy that makes you forget who they are the exact moment you look away. Thankfully, some devices would be able to record the images or voices of the Silence. People might be able to forget due to post-hypnotic suggestions. But machines can't forget.
The Silence were almost like magicians planting suggestions and ideas into people's heads. They are sorcerers of hypnosis. But the Doctor was able to find a way around it by using technology. Science triumphs once again.
Doctor Who maintains a life of quality that would be difficult to beat. This season opener set the stage for the rest of the series. It was like a hurricane of ideas. It was like a storm of stories. But it establishes with a very firm hand what the series is going to be like. Fast, gritty, pulling no punches. I loved it. And so will you.
Doctor Who has come back with a great nod to science triumphing over danger. And it should be. Time travel ideas are fun to mess around with. And I'll be interested in seeing what is going to happen next.
What will the Silence be up to for next time?
Who is that little girl in the space suit? And why did she fire up like a brilliant energy as would a Time Lord? Is she a Time-Lady? How is she connected to the good Doctor? Is she the Doctor's daughter? Is the Doctor somehow finding a way to procreate his own race?
The Doctor is the last of his kind. But are we seeing the Doctor making his own Garden of Eden in space?
It's an interesting idea to know that the Doctor may no longer be the last of his kind. You do notice that he no longer says in the shows, “I'm the last of the Time Lords.”
Maybe the Doctor has learned to confront his own guilt and moving on. And creating his race again like a god playing with his own minions.
It's almost frightening.
You don't see too many examples in film history of great sequels. The number you can count would be the number you can count with you hand.
There is “Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back” which is superior to the first. “Godfather 2” was a near perfect film that was better than the original. “Mad Max 2” was better than its original in terms of plot development and remarkable stunts.
The Doctor Who episode “Day of the Moon” may join the fleet of sequels that was better than the first. Perhaps I didn't expect it to be so good. I liked “The Impossible Astronaut” as there were a few good shockers.
But the fun is in “Day of the Moon.” It's got a bunch of plot twists, excellent pacing and enough story surprises to keep you coming back for next week.
I'm hooked again. For good, this time.
Moffat did say that the series is going to get much darker, more glooming as it progresses. I can't help feeling that there's still plenty of sense of humor in the shows.
When President Nixon asks the Doctor what his future will be like, he wants to know like any other president if he'll be remembered. The Doctor playfully answers, “Oh yes, Tricky Dicky, you'll be remembered.”
For all the wrong reasons.
But it's this kind of writing that remains so much fun. Humor is one way of setting off unease. You see it when Doctor River Song is falling from the fiftieth floor to her death only to have the TARDIS stop her in mid-flight. And she's dropped into the swimming pool inside the TARDIS. The next scene you'll find her drying off with a towel.
There's another fun bit when in the middle of a battle, Rory asks her what kind of professor River Song was. Song answers while shooting down one of the Silence, “Of archeology!”
But there are so many great scene in the episode that makes it look like a million dollar baby. The bit with the Doctor caught in the middle of fiddling with the Apollo 11 circuits is hilarious... and the camera pulling away to show the full scene of the rocket soon to make its historical launch in 1969 really paints a big picture. They spent their money well on this show.
Another fun bit: You can see Amy struggling to get out of her captivity when the Doctor, Rory and River Song makes the final assault against the Silence. Watching Amy struggle as if everyone's forgotten about her is actually pretty funny.
You can see Rory fumbling around with the Apollo model when he was at the NASA station. And he broke off a piece of it. That's what you get when you're messing around with a model like that. Another fun bit.
The Silence continues to be a devious race. They hide in shadows. They are like whispers in darkness. They continue to be very creepy. There is a scene when Amy finds a horde of them clattering and whispering. She realizes they are all upside down hanging like bats in a cave. It's one of the creepiest scenes in Doctor Who. This particular scene reminds me of the Alien movies because of the great use of lighting.
What I also liked about this episode is the great use of technology. That's the Doctor's most useful skill. His ability to turn technology into a good thing. He was able to install several chips into his companion's hands... small recording devices to help them battle the Silence.
The Doctor was able to build a transmitting machine in Apollo 11 as another way of fighting the Silence.
This was all about figuring out a way to fight an enemy that makes you forget who they are the exact moment you look away. Thankfully, some devices would be able to record the images or voices of the Silence. People might be able to forget due to post-hypnotic suggestions. But machines can't forget.
The Silence were almost like magicians planting suggestions and ideas into people's heads. They are sorcerers of hypnosis. But the Doctor was able to find a way around it by using technology. Science triumphs once again.
Doctor Who maintains a life of quality that would be difficult to beat. This season opener set the stage for the rest of the series. It was like a hurricane of ideas. It was like a storm of stories. But it establishes with a very firm hand what the series is going to be like. Fast, gritty, pulling no punches. I loved it. And so will you.
Doctor Who has come back with a great nod to science triumphing over danger. And it should be. Time travel ideas are fun to mess around with. And I'll be interested in seeing what is going to happen next.
What will the Silence be up to for next time?
Who is that little girl in the space suit? And why did she fire up like a brilliant energy as would a Time Lord? Is she a Time-Lady? How is she connected to the good Doctor? Is she the Doctor's daughter? Is the Doctor somehow finding a way to procreate his own race?
The Doctor is the last of his kind. But are we seeing the Doctor making his own Garden of Eden in space?
It's an interesting idea to know that the Doctor may no longer be the last of his kind. You do notice that he no longer says in the shows, “I'm the last of the Time Lords.”
Maybe the Doctor has learned to confront his own guilt and moving on. And creating his race again like a god playing with his own minions.
It's almost frightening.
posted by K.M. Paters at 12:14 PM
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