Harry -
They didn’t even kill Hitler! Classic Moffat misdirection in order to tell a completely different story.
Sarah -
Remember how mad everyone was and then he ended up in the closet for most of the story. That said, it didn’t have to be Hitler in a story that is about the complicated relationships between the four characters. Amy, Rory, and River/Melody/Mels are the center of the story.
Harry -
Seriously it could have been anyone, anywhere. The nanotech-employing, justice-deploying force known as the Teselecta could have been after any other criminal in history.
Sarah -
We meet Mels for the first time when they’re teenagers and Mels gets Amy to realize that Rory loves her. And then they name their baby after the person who brought them together. Timey wimey, indeed.
Harry -
The timey-wimey reveal about Mels was mind-blowing. For all the shocks and revelations the Ponds have had to endure throughout their lives, they took it in stride. By now they know to expect the unexpected. River arrives in a burst of fun and immediately sets out to kill the Doctor, as she was programmed to do.
Sarah -
And we think our families are difficult! At least they’re all on the same timeline.
Harry -
This episode really flew by, it almost felt like one of the Moffat era's mini-episodes. It made me wonder if we really needed a season-long arc to describe River's origin story. So much time went into the mysteries and the reveals. This season has always been my least-favourite and this is part of the reason why.
Sarah -
As much as I love River and Alex Kingston, the arc does go on a bit. Watching the series the first time, I recall being confused every week, forgetting what was going on in the previous episode. Rewatching this time, it all makes more sense, but it’s still the most Moffaty series of Moffat’s series.
Harry -
Agreed, it makes much more sense on a rewatch, even with longer gaps between our viewing of episodes.
The new era of Doctor Who delves so deeply into the lives of the Doctor's companions like the classic series never did. I still prefer a series of bouncy stand alone stories over a season-long arc that needs to be watched all the way through to be appreciated.
Sarah -
One of my favorite things about contemporary Doctor Who is that it does delve into the lives of the companions and how traveling with the Doctor impacts them.
Harry -
By the end of this breezy piece, Hitler's in the closet, the Ponds have met their now-grown-adult daughter who regenerated from their childhood friend, the Doctor has been saved from the assassination plot when River herself sacrificed her regenerative energy to revive him. It's as Moffaty a story as they come.
Sarah -
‘Tis. Ready for some Night Terrors?
Harry -
Let's do it!
Sarah -
Best Line: "Well, I was on my way to this gay Gypsy Bar-Mitzvah for the disabled, when I thought gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish. I think I'll kill the Fuhrer. Who's with me?"
Favorite Moment: The Doctor asking if there’s someone left in the universe he hasn't screwed up yet.
Lasting Image: River on the motorcycle.
5/10
Harry -
Best Line:
RORY: Doctor, River was brainwashed to kill you, right?
DOCTOR: Well, she did kill me, and then she used her remaining lives to bring me back. As first dates go, I'd say that was mixed signals.
Favourite Moment: Alex Kingston's newly-regenerated self checking herself out.
Lasting Image: Hitler placed in the closet.
5/10
Our marathon continues with Story #220: Night Terrors...
