There's a line in this story that captures how I feel about this particular episode, and some of the New Who era in general. It's when River Song describes the Doctor's actions at the battle of Demon's Run:
"He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further."
First, the rising part. "A Good Man Goes to War" is Doctor Who if it was done as a Star Wars space opera. It is massive. The huge cast features multiple heroes, villains, a space militia, a mysterious dark order and a colourful assortment of aliens and robots. There are explosions in space. There is a battle in a Star Warsy hangar. Betrayals, revenge, loss and hope. At the centre of it all is the Doctor, who is so powerful that the mention of his name sends enemies to flight.
To me, this story is Doctor Who fallen so far from what it should be.
In a way, I get it. When Star Wars first appeared on the scene with its big budget effects, casting, music and universe-building, Doctor Who suddenly looked like a shabby small screen cousin. I wonder if part of the new era's aggrandization of the Doctor and his aura is a reflection of the first two showrunners wanting to show that, yes, Doctor Who can be just as big and overwhelmingly Hollywood as any movie franchise.
I'm sure a lot of people liked this story and this direction for the show, but I didn't. I prefer the wandering madman in a box, exploring the universe and righting wrongs on a smaller scale, with one or two companions along for the adventure. Doctor Who as overblown space opera doesn't turn my crank.
Sarah -
I’m with you Harry. I was looking forward to rewatching "A Good Man Goes to War" for the first time since it aired in 2011. I remembered it being a very busy story that wasn’t very satisfying for me. The big reveal that River is Melody Pond wasn’t much of a surprise by the time it happened.
This episode is too much like the Doctor as a Jesus figure in the Tennant Era. All three showrunners have dabbled with the Doctor being the most important person in the universe. It’s just not interesting.
Harry -
It's not interesting no matter which showrunner wants it to be.
Sarah -
I don’t have much else to say. Let’s go kill Hitler, or whatever.
Harry -
I'm of the let's-get-it-over-with mind there.
Sarah -
Best Line: “He's the last of his kind. He looks young, but he's lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. And wherever they take you, Melody, however scared you are, I promise you, you will never be alone. Because this man is your father.”
Favorite Moment: Amy and Rory discussing Melody’s naming.
Lasting Image: The Doctor bringing the wooden cot from the TARDIS.
5/10
Harry -
Best Line: "I speak baby."
Favourite Moment: the Doctor's silly reaction to River's reveal.
Lasting Image: the hangar battle.
2/10
Our marathon continues with Story #219: Let's Kill Hitler...
I had forgotten most of this story, other than the part about rebel flesh becoming almost people.
As we enter the middle section of this season, we get a big dose of Moffat’s story arc, but not as much as we probably realized on first viewing.
Sarah -
It's a whole different experience this time around. I remember being often confused when series six debuted. What I remember most about this story is how creeped out I was by the gangers.
Harry -
The gangers are particularly creepy whenever we see them midway through their formation into human copies. Those warped porcelain faces are unforgettable.
Right off the bat this story had a strong Pertwee-era vibe. The Doctor arrives at a remote facility where some dodgy environmental activity is going on, in this case involving lots of acid. The low morals of the place are immediately on display as we see its workforce seemingly put less value into a co-worker's life than into preserving his acid suit. Mac Hulke would have been raging at this corporation.
Sarah -
You could totally drop Pertwee’s Doctor and Jo right into this story, which would have to be written by Hulke. Some things never change when it comes to screwing the workers.
Harry -
It doesn't take long for the TARDIS team to discover what the gangers are. And the moral dilemmas continue. Are the gangers real lifeforms? Do they deserve to live as long as the humans they are based on? Before everyone can work out the ethics of these questions, the gangers run amok, and things get confusing.
The confusion reigns as we lose track of some characters. Well, I did anyway. Is this one human or ganger? Has Rory come to the aid of Jennifer, or is it ganger Jennifer? And which Doctor is the real one? Lots of material for a merry chase around the medieval castle (which was a nice touch for an out-of-the-way facility instead of a sterile lab closed to outside observation).
Despite the story opening with the Doctor puzzling over Amy's yes/no pregnancy, she seemed to be once again shunted aside from the main action. She did get another moment of being startled by the woman who keeps peeking at her through walls. Amy's big moment was saved for the bizarre reveal at the end.
Sarah -
The more I think about this story, the less I like it. The whole point of the gangers is to get to Amy’s reveal – and it’s a big one! The story might have been stronger and more interesting as one episode. The gangers are only there to support the Amy storyline. If a company is doing work this dangerous, why not build robots and avoid the existential crisis? And what’s with Rory taking the side of the gangers over the Doctor and Amy? And where’s the real Amy?
Harry -
I have more questions now than before! This was very much the vibe I felt through most of this season.
Sarah -
Best Line:
Amy: Doctor, I am frightened. I’m properly, properly scared.
The Doctor: Don’t be, hold on. We’re coming for you, I swear that whatever happens, however hard, however far, we will find you.
Amy: I’m right here.
The Doctor: No you’re not. You haven’t been here for a long long time.
Amy: Oh no.
Favorite Moment: Jimmy being reunited with his son.
Lasting Image: The gangers in the goop.
4/10
Harry -
Best Line:
Doctor: I've to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose. [*smiles wistfully*] I never thought I'd have to say that again.
Favourite Moment: the big twist at the end.
Lasting Image: the porcelain-faced gangers for sure.
5/10
Our marathon continues with Story # 218: A Good Man Goes to War...
A pocket story in a pocket universe. Sort of. Think of soap bubbles or something. Anyway, the TARDIS takes a very long detour, so far away that even Moffat's season-long story arc is barely in view.
Sarah -
Who doesn’t love a pocket universe? They’re so cozy.
Harry -
I think this story was perfectly placed as a sidebar before we go back into the main season arc.
Sarah -
What I remember most about this story is how fandom lost its collective mind when it was announced that Neil Gaiman would be writing for Doctor Who.
Harry -
Surely I was among them. After seeing so many big name writers say "Oh I'd love to write for Doctor Who" over the years, here finally was a big name writer coming on board.
Sarah -
And then it lost its mind all over again when the title was announced, followed by the never-ending speculation of who would be The Doctor’s Wife. The TARDIS was almost a disappointment after all that.
While working on "The Caves of Androzani", John Nathan-Turner wrote the title “The Doctor’s Wife” on the white board in his office to identify the person who was leaking information to the media. It worked and he found the leak. I imagine Moffat had been waiting decades to use The Doctor’s Wife as a title!
Harry -
An amusing bit of history there.
Almost from the start there's some misdirection about who the titular wife might be. The Doctor receives a Gallifreyan distress cube in the middle of space from a previously unknown Time Lord called the Corsair. We learn that the Corsair is a friend of the Doctor's and has changed gender multiple times, a bit of foundation-laying for Michelle Gomez and Jodie Whittaker. Without further ado, the TARDIS heads outside the universe into all manner of strangeness and trouble.
Sarah -
Well played, Moff! I’d forgotten it was in this story.
Harry -
Turns out the Corsair was not the Doctor's wife, but the victim of a sentient asteroid that has been luring and killing dozens of Time Lords in this pocket universe, and devouring their TARDISes. Seeking to capture the Doctor's TARDIS, the asteroid (identified as House) drains out its matrix, leaving an empty shell ready to be occupied. The matrix meanwhile is dumped into the body of a human named Idris, one of a handful of scraggly people clinging to life on the asteroid. Perhaps these people were surviving companions of other Time Lords?
Sarah -
That’s so sad and entirely possible.
Harry -
Watching the story again, Idris' initial nonsensical dialogue made much more sense. "Thief, thief!" she shouts when spotting the Doctor. Over the years there has been the occasional gag about the Doctor and TARDIS sharing amorous communications between themselves but here they are finally both able to vocalize together at the same time. I particularly liked the line "You stole me, and I stole you."
Sarah -
At least it was consensual and they’ve been committed for millennia.
Harry -
The story is very clever and spreads out nicely over 45 minutes. Did it strike you that Gaiman didn't give Amy and Rory much to do, other than being trapped inside the TARDIS for much of the story?
Sarah -
Just another week of Amy and Rory being traumatized – again.
Harry -
Their lack of involvement really stood out here, until they were subjected to some horror story wandering in the TARDIS corridors. It didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the story.
One thing I remembered about this story was the colour palette. Grey, grey and more grey. It definitely contributed to the lifeless atmosphere on the asteroid.
Sarah -
Not a place you’d like to spend any more time than necessary. It’s a well-paced episode and I enjoyed it more than I expected.
Harry -
The Doctor and the TARDIS throw together another console from junk parks, reclaim the TARDIS shell and expel House, problem resolved.
Later on, Gaiman said that he would have liked to write another story for the Capaldi era. It never happened and who knows if he'll ever write for the show again. As far as I know, there hasn't been much spinoff content regarding the Corsair. Perhaps Gaiman is hanging on to that for future opportunities.
This was an interesting story. Big on ideas, with a huge focus on the Doctor and TARDIS. It was nice to hear the TARDIS' side of things for once.
Sarah -
Best Line:
AMY: She's the TARDIS?
DOCTOR: And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the TARDIS.
AMY: Did you wish really hard?
Favorite Moment: Amy and Rory asking to get rid of the bunk beds.
Lasting Image: The spare-parts TARDIS
6/10
Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: I don't know what to do. That's a new feeling.
Favourite Moment: The Doctor and TARDIS saying hello.
Lasting Image: Idris
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #217: The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People...
Did you know there was a prequel for this episode?
Harry -
Well how about that. Thank you for sharing, Sarah. I just watched that prequel for the first time, twelve years after it was broadcast, somewhere.
That clip was useful because it immediately spoke to one of the things that bothered me as I rewatched "The Curse of the Black Spot". For the first little while in this story, no one was remarking on why there seemed to be no wind or waves despite everyone standing on the deck of a ship. Eventually we find out that the ship has been in waters becalmed for eight days. Viewers who caught that prequel would have known right away.
One of my pet peeves of the Moffat era is just this, the pervasiveness of teasers, prequels, and mini-episodes that fans had to keep an eye out for. Here in the year 2023 everything worth knowing is transmitted almost instantaneously to people who want to know. But even in 2014, these things were not universally accessible, demonstrated by the fact that I just learned of the above prequel for the first time. I am not a troglodyte, I'm certain!
Anyway, that was very useful.
Sarah -
Pirates on a spaceship! Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Harry -
Absolutely!
Sarah -
The Doctor turns up ready for pirate hijinks, but the pirates are in no mood for Yo Ho Ho-ing as they’re being picked off. When a member of the crew is injured, a black spot appears on their hand and the siren entices them with her song and appears to kill them by disintegration.
It’s not the best time for the TARDIS Team to turn up on the ship in response to a distress call, which wasn’t sent by the pirates. It’s the plank for the Doctor and Rory and the scullery for Amy, which I assume includes “all other duties as assigned.” Being the general badass she is, Amy is having none of this and mounts an attack on the pirates to save her men. In the ensuing sword fight, Amy draws blood from small cuts from a pirate and Rory. The pirate tells Amy that she’s killed him, while she mocks him for being a baby. The siren turns up and the Team sees why the pirates are so afraid. Amy realizes Rory is next and restrains him from getting to the siren.
Harry -
Sirens and pirates, two things that go great together in stories. This being a story in the Moffat era, things take an unusual turn. The green glowing siren was wonderfully eerie, and her method of disintegrating the marked men was sudden and brutal.
Amy in her pirate gear is definitely my lasting image from this story, and the sword fight is really the only action scene in the whole story, but her kickass swashbuckling ended up getting Rory killed.
Sarah -
Poor Rory. Traveling with the Doctor can be stressful and potentially dangerous, but I don't think any companion has suffered as much as Rory.
Harry -
I'm pretty sure it's a thing that Rory keeps dying in this series (Moff you maniac!). He doesn't die at first, as everyone scrambles below decks to escape the siren. It's a ship under siege! Take cover!
Everyone holes up in a cabin and we meet a stowaway, the pirate captain's young son. He divulges some of the captain's backstory while the Doctor works out how the siren is making herself appear -- not through water but through reflections. That was a bit of a stretch but nicely explained the becalmed waters that were bugging me.
The Doctor slips into the TARDIS to try and puzzle things out, but it goes haywire and takes off, stranding everyone aboard.
Meanwhile, Amy experiences another baffling moment when the woman from the previous story appears through a sliding hatch again. I remember being freaked out and totally compelled by these weird David Lynch moments as the season went on.
Sarah -
I expect we’ll see her a lot this season.
I didn’t remember much about this story so it was a surprise when the siren turned out to be a doctor who had been removing the injured pirates to her hospital spaceship.
Harry -
It was a great twist.
Sarah -
Rory, who was drowning when he was transferred to the sickbay, was connected to life support. Amy tried to remove him from life support, but the doctor siren wouldn’t allow it until Amy agreed to accept responsibility. The Doctor and Amy remove him from the sickbay and rush him to the TARDIS, where Amy begins CPR and the Doctor... just stands by.
Harry -
Amy doing everything in her power to save Rory and becoming increasingly distraught as the agonizing seconds ticked by -- that was one of the most intense scenes in the entire New Who era.
Sarah -
But, as ever, Rory survives as do all the pirates, who sail off in the hospital ship. The TARDIS team wishes them the best and set off to new adventures.
Harry -
After Rory's near-death and Amy's trauma, I think we were all ready to rush to the happy ending. There wasn't much action to this story, mostly everyone dashing from one part of the ship to another with long sections of dialogue in between. The pirates didn't do any pirating. The Doctor did jack squat to save Rory which I'm hoping he'll be called out on later. Overall, kind of a meh experience, this one.
Sarah -
Apparently, the episode was meant to be later in the series. I doubt it would have been any better later.
Harry -
Best Line:
Wounded Pirate: "You have killed me!"
Amy: "No way, it’s just a cut. What kind of rubbish pirates are you?"
Favourite Moment: when the siren first emerged.
Lasting Image: Amy with her pirate hat and sword.
5/10
Sarah -
Best Line:
Amy: Easy, tiger. Goodnight, Doctor.
Doctor: Goodnight, Amelia.
Amy: You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me.
Doctor: I always worry about you.
Amy: Mutual.
Favorite Moment: Amy swings on a rope to save Rory and the Doctor
Lasting Image: Totes on Amy’s pirate kit!
5/10
Our marathon continues with Story #216: The Doctor's Wife...
Of all the seasons we have been rewatching over the course of this marathon, Sarah, this is the only one that has given me feelings of trepidation as it approached.
It's over a decade since I watched Series Six, Matt Smith's second season, in chronological order. My memories of it are of Steven Moffat gone wild. Comfortable in the showrunner's seat after delivering a fun and memorable first season, I think this is where he over-indulged himself. Plots that were too clever by half, stories overwhelmed by a complicated season arc, and very little that was memorable or "can't wait to watch that again". Those are the impressions I've carried to the present day, and here we are.
So I'm very keen to see if a pleasant surprise awaits, or if all those negative memories are justified.
Having just rewatched "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon", I'm feeling a bit of both.
Sarah -
I’ve been looking forward to Series Six, which I remember as ambitious and perhaps not completely successful in the end. In any case, it will be fun to rewatch River’s origin story.
It felt like Doctor Who took a big step up in Series Six. BBC America was all in and the show became so much more popular in North America. It was weird seeing Doctor Who merchandise all over the place. And they filmed in Utah!
I had forgotten about the Amy voiceover, explaining her relationship with the Doctor.
Harry -
It's almost a "Moffat Thing" that characters in his version of Doctor Who scatter Easter Eggs and invitations to each other throughout history. First River, now the Doctor.
I remember the American setting was a sensational way to open the season, and there's our first glimpse of the soon-to-be iconic diner.
The picnic setting by the lake was also memorable, as we watch the Doctor being murdered by an astronaut who rose from the water, and then his remains are cremated in a boat. The images were as confounding as a Pink Floyd album cover.
The heavy drama continues as the Doctor confounds everyone by reappearing at the diner, a couple hundred years younger than the Doctor whose death his friends had just witnessed. Knowing how the season unfolds, the shock is not as profound (spoilers!) but still, what the hell, Doctor?
All of that in just the first five minutes. From there the story pivoted and Moffat unleashed a tale of sci-fi horror for the TARDIS team to work out.
Agreed, this Nixon was not an over-the-top parody. There were a few zingers that could only have pertained to the historical Nixon (the taping system, "say hello to David Frost"), but he was mostly a generic American President character.
Sarah -
After some hijinks, the President is convinced to give the Doctor a chance to solve the mystery of the phone calls Nixon is receiving from a child. Amy has a run in with a Silence and realizes she’s pregnant, but she can’t remember the important thing she is supposed to tell the Doctor.
Harry -
The slow reveal of first one, then another, then a nest of Silences was a great buildup. I forgot how terrifying their introduction was. Seeing them cosplayed still makes for a jarring moment. Those grotesque heads.
Sarah -
The Silence are particularly terrifying.
The TARDIS is off to Florida, with Delaware in tow, where they discover a large console and tunnels. Amy finally tells the Doctor she’s pregnant and the astronaut from Utah appears. Amy grabs Canton’s gun and shoots. Now there’s a cliffhanger!
Harry -
How many times has the Doctor sworn off altering history, and sworn off guns, but no one ever listens. Least of all his companions!
Sarah -
Or, file under “weaponized companions.”
Harry -
The second half of the story echoes the first, with the Doctor and friends split up and quickly reunited in slightly more violent fashion this time. Three months have elapsed and they have been monitoring the creatures. Turns out the Silence are everywhere on Earth, in hiding with the help of their forget-them-as-soon-as-you-look-away power, another brilliant Moffat idea.
Sarah -
This storyline is peak Moffat.
Harry -
My favourite part of the story is Amy and Canton visiting the orphanage in search of the child. Lots of haunted house thrills there, venturing into the surreal. I loved the random, unexplained moment where an opening appears in a wall and a woman looks in, then turns to say "No, she was just dreaming" to someone out of view, before the opening slides shut again. And that's it. No explanation, just puzzlement for Amy and for us.
Sarah -
Again, more Moffat-y storylines to come!
Harry -
The child is found by Amy, but then they both disappear. We learn that the Silence were caring for the child in their own terrifying way. The spacesuit was an enclosed life support system. The child is very important to them.
By the story's end, Amy has been saved, the Doctor has harnessed subliminal messaging planted in footage of the moon landing to annihilate the Silence from Earth (haven't we all?), and then it's time for some personal moments among the characters. Rory and Amy, Amy and the Doctor, the Doctor and River.
In this story, we received multiple reminders that the timelines of River and the Doctor are moving in opposite directions. Each time they meet, she encounters a Doctor who knows less and less about her. Is there any more heartbreaking moment than their first/last kiss?
Back aboard the TARDIS with Amy and Rory, the Doctor briefly considers pursuing the child further, then decides to go shooting off on a new adventure. Out of everyone's view, the TARDIS scanner goes mildly haywire, inconclusive whether or not Amy is pregnant.
Sarah -
While the child regenerates…
Harry -
We seem to have gotten through this one unscathed. It's still never going to be my favourite story, but I'm feeling encouraged to sail onwards. Anchors aweigh!
Sarah -
Best Line: I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all?
Favorite Moment: River and Rory discussing the Doctor when they are exploring the tunnels
Lasting Image: River slapping the Doctor
8/10
Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: Be careful.
RIVER: Careful? I tried that once. Ever so dull.
Favourite Moment: the entire scary orphanage sequence
Lasting Image: The Silence killing a woman inside the White House
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #215: The Curse of the Black Spot...
This two-part mini-episode was broadcast as part of the 2011 Comic Relief charity telethon. Clocking at under seven minutes in total, it feels like a deleted scene. For all we know, it could have been cut from somewhere else, or it was a bit of writing that didn't make it into a final script.
It was written by Steven Moffat and reinforces his fondness for the Ponds. I am very fond of the Ponds.
Sarah -
The Ponds are excellent. It's a timey wimey romp with a surprising amount of innuendo.
Harry -
We now know that two Amys would be Rory's dream come true. Amy's too for that matter.
Sarah -
Ponds are cute, the Doctor is cute. Fun for all!
Harry -
Every story in this era, even a mini-episode like this, underscores just how fun this TARDIS team is. Let's throw that wibbly lever and dive into Season 6!
Sarah -
Series 6, here we goooooooo!!!!!!!!
Our marathon resumes with Story #214: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon...
Things have been a little harried at my end of the Sofa these last few months, so this story was exactly what I needed. I have not watched it since the first broadcast and didn't remember too many details. Yes, it's a take off of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but Steven Moffat turns it into the perfect Doctor Who Christmas Special.
Harry -
This is a very Moffatty take on the Dickens tale, complete with timey-wimey activity. I don't think I watched it since first broadcast either.
I forgot that a love story was central to the entire thing. Yes, the Doctor has encountered couples and lovers before -- after all, he's rescuing the Ponds here -- but he couldn't do that before resolving the tale of Kazran and Abigail. A very nice change from aliens and bases under siege.
Sarah -
It’s just lovely. There have been so many take-offs of A Christmas Carol, but this one feels perfect. The Doctor slips into the role of the ghost of Christmas past, showing Kazran a new version of his past, with the Doctor as his younger self’s best friend.
Harry -
It was fascinating to watch Kazran as his memories were being rewritten.
Sarah -
They spend every 24 hours of Christmas day with Abigail, having adventures as Kazran and Abigail fall in love. Meanwhile, Amy is the ghost of Christmas present, trying to encourage Kazran to save everyone on a crashing spaceship, which Amy and Rory are on. Kazran is his own ghost of Christmas future. The episode is fun but sad and every note is just right.
Harry -
Why has science not yet provided us with flying shark chariots?
Great performance by Michael Gambon, who got to have his turn on The Doctor Who Show. Even greater performance by Katherine Jenkins who made her acting debut here. New Who has a history of casting singers (Billie Piper, Kylie Minogue) but they finally let one sing. Apart from a few moments of child-like glee, Matt Smith was very understated here and let the guests have the spotlight.
Abigail's final day was gut-wrenching, adding a tragic Victorian note to the story. But still, these specials are always on the sweeter, lighter side and this might be one of the best. It breezed by very quickly, and even Moffat's Moffaty tendencies went easy on viewers' brains.
Sarah -
I’m so happy to have revisited "A Christmas Carol", which has leapt up the list of my favorite Doctor Who Christmas specials.
Best Line:
"Nobody important? Blimey, that's amazing. You know that in nine hundred years of time and space and I've never met anybody who wasn't important before."
Favorite Moment: The Doctor telling Amy that if nothing ever ended, nothing would ever get started.
Lasting Image: Flying Shark Chariots!
9/10
Harry -
And we've managed to drag out the posting of this review to coincide with the onslaught of seasonal music and advertising. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Best Line:
DOCTOR: I think you'll find I'm universally recognised as a mature and responsible adult.
(He shows Kazran the psychic paper.)
KAZRAN: It's just a lot of wavy lines.
DOCTOR: Yeah, it's shorted out. Finally, a lie too big.
Favourite Moment: the Doctor enters through the chimney.
Lasting Image: Flying Shark Chariots!
9/10
Our marathon continues with Story #214: The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon...
