Sarah -
I love it when a story turns out to be as good as I remembered!
Harry -
I love it even more when the story turns out better than I remembered!
My overarching memory of the Weeping Angels as a Who monster is that they blew everyone away when they were first introduced in "Blink", then brought diminishing returns to each subsequent appearance. An unfortunate case of overuse. By the time they showed up on the Class season finale I practically yawned.
However, the Angels were fantastic here, in many ways. While they were mysterious and terrifying in "Blink", here we see the Angels upping their villainy by being diabolical, murderous and arrogant. Watching the first Angel attempt to take possession of Amy was scary as hell. The way they violently picked off the military clerics one by one, then used cleric Bob's voicebox to taunt and frighten the Doctor and friends had me seething at them. I don't often seethe at a Who villain. Moffat got me again.
Sarah -
I think the Angels are way scarier in this story than they were in "Blink". In that story, the Doctor describes the Angels as “the only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely.” There’s nothing nice about the deaths this time around. They’re utterly terrifying and horribly cruel.
Harry -
For sure, back then the Doctor didn't seem to realize how monstrous the Angels could be. Either that or they have made an attitude adjustment for the worse. In my notes I kept writing the word "morbid" whenever the Angels used cleric Bob's voice to taunt the Doctor. That really got under my skin.
Sarah -
I didn’t realize before now that this was the first story filmed in series five. It’s even more impressive how Matt Smith hit the ground running in this story. And Karen Gillan, OMG, could she be any more spectacular?
And then we have the return of River. I remember how surprised I was when she returned after we saw her die. But more than surprised, I was delighted to have her back.
Harry -
What a return! River got her own mini-episode to kick off this story and it was spectacular. Her laser pistol matched her Louboutins perfectly.
Sarah -
Coordinating your accessories is essential!
Harry -
She was still very much a mysterious character in these days, and continued to tease the Doctor. I loved when he got schooled on the TARDIS parking brake.
Sarah -
I love that moment. Wait until he finds out about the drinks cabinet!
Harry -
Amy looked on in bemusement, wondering aloud if River was the Doctor's wife.
Sarah -
SPOILERS, Mom! Oh, wait, spoilers, Sarah! I expect I’ll find myself watching the timeline from River’s perspective this time around. It will be a whole new story.
Harry -
It is wild when you realize how many spoilers River is holding back. I'd have exploded!
The pregnant pause that followed Amy's question felt long enough to make this a three-part story, but after the fun and games River donned the clerics' military garb and everyone got to work. The task of tracking the solo Weeping Angel that was aboard the crashed ship that everyone followed was straightforward at first. It was when Moffat began to throw twists at everyone that the story really took off.
Right away, Amy was terrorized by the first Angel that used its own image held in her eyes to break loose. Wild stuff. Then the business with killing off the clerics. Finally the terror builds to the frightening realization that all the statues on this planet are "hibernating" Angels.
Sarah -
The realization that the native Aplans had two heads and the statues only have one is chilling. The humans are in the middle of a nest of Angels when the Doctor realizes that the prisoner Angel intentionally crashed the Byzantium to restore the other angels with the ship’s radiation.
I was seriously ready to hide behind the sofa at this point.
Harry -
As if that weren't enough, in part two Moffat dials up some more terror by letting us the viewers see the Angels moving. In Blink, Moffat had established a bond between his characters and the audience that so long as any of us looked at an Angel it would not move. To see them turning and reaching out broke that bond and brought with it a feeling of helplessness that I can't really compare with any other viewing experience.
Sarah -
I love, and dread, those moments in horror stories when you suddenly discover that you don’t know as much as you thought. The rules have been tossed out the window and I found myself completely confused and terrified.
Harry -
A slow-moving chase scene ensues as the Angels close in on the Doctor and friends. It was agonizing to watch Amy struggle through the increasingly weird settings of the ship, eyes pressed shut, as one-by-one the people around her began to disappear. When it seems that Amy's done for and the Doctor is unable to save her, the Angels suddenly turn and run. The far greater menace of the "crack in time" put the Angels to flight.
In the nick of time, it's River who saves Amy by teleporting her to safety.
Song 1
Doctor 0
Sarah -
In retrospect, it’s emotionally overwhelming to see River rescue Amy -- and no one else knows about their relationship. That really blew me away this time around. Karen Gillan’s performance is amazing in this episode. The clerics being picked off one by one is terrifying, but the dust coming out of her eyes is the most frightening thing in this story.
Harry -
I really loved the chaos at the end, with the Doctor barely keeping it together, the Angels plummeting into the crack, and River and Amy safely reunited. What a hell of a story!
Sarah -
It’s so, so good!
Harry -
So this crack in time is having a huge impact on the season arc. It is capable of erasing people and events from existence, and the Doctor remains baffled. I'm keen to learn more, let's get off this planet and see where our friends are headed next.
Oh, it's back to Amy's place, and it's a very important date…
Sarah -
“Oh, did I forget to mention that I’m getting married in the morning?” The first time I watched, I started yelling at my television when Amy way trying to get it on with the Doctor. This time, I knew not to panic.
Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: Lovely species, the Aplans. We should visit them some time.
AMY: I thought they were all dead?
DOCTOR: So is Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team.
Favourite Moment: River's mini-episode at the opening.
Lasting Image: The Angels moving before our eyes.
7/10
Sarah -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: Parked us? We haven't landed.
RIVER: Of course we've landed. I just landed her.
DOCTOR: But, it didn't make the noise.
RIVER: What noise?
DOCTOR: You know, the (wheezing).
RIVER: It's not supposed to make that noise. You leave the brakes on.
Favorite Moment: River’s entrance to the TARDIS.
Lasting Image: Amy rubbing dust out of her eye.
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #207: The Vampires of Venice...
