Story #221 - The Girl Who Waited (2011)

 Harry -

Well, my gut has been duly wrenched. What about you, old girl?

Sarah -

I didn't remember all the details of this episode, but I definitely remembered the trauma. Amy and Rory have been through so much.

Harry -

Writer Tom MacRae is not a familiar name so I looked him up. His only other work for Doctor Who was the Tennant story "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel". So he's written one blockbuster-type story, and this one which was simple on the surface but packed an emotional wallop.

Sarah - 

Here we are in the Doctor-light episode, but he’s still making the decisions. The TARDIS Team arrives at Apalapucia, a holiday destination and Amy goes back to get her mobile phone. The Doctor and Rory press the green button and when Amy comes back, she presses the red button, landing them in different rooms and different timelines. When the TARDIS lands in Amy’s time stream, Rory is attacked by a warrior – who is Amy 36 years later. 

Harry - 

I'm usually not big on stories where one of the characters ages dramatically. In this case the aging process was natural. Karen Gillan was incredible playing a lonely, embittered Amy who was left to fend for herself for 36 years.

Sarah -

Being embittered seems entirely reasonable after being abandoned by the people she most trusted. If I remember correctly, this is when their trust in the Doctor starts to break down. It’s easy to understand why she hates the Doctor.

Rory is thrown off by this older version of Amy, but he knows it’s Amy and he still loves her. The Doctor lies to Rory, telling him that both Amys can be safe in the TARDIS, but the Doctor has no plan to let the older Amy inside – Blinovitch Limitation Effect, or whatever. The Doctor seems repulsed by the older Amy and makes the decision that everyone has to live with. Amy won’t remember this, but Rory will. 

Harry - 

The facility was a creepy place, all wide concourses and sudden gardens with "robots of death" chasing Amy around.  As Rory asked: "Where is everyone?"  Other than the brief appearance of an onscreen interface, the TARDIS team were the only human characters in the entire story.

Last season we had "Amy's Choice" and here we had Rory's choice.  His dilemma at the end was horrible, and the Doctor forced the decision in the end.  They would have had to spend a long time processing and recovering from this experience.  Like I said at the start, this was a gut-wrencher.

Sarah - 

Best Line: "I love you, too. Don't let me in. Tell Amy, your Amy, I'm giving her the days. The days with you. The days to come."

Favorite Moment: When Amy remembers how much Rory loved her.

Lasting Image: “Old” Amy and Rory on opposite sides of the TARDIS door. 

7/10

Harry -

Best Line: "I'm gonna pull time apart for you."

Favourite Moment: the TARDIS team's initial explorations, because it all went downhill from there.

Lasting Image: warrior Amy kicking robot ass.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #222: The God Complex...

Story #220 - Night Terrors (2011)

Harry -

Here's the Series 6 edition of a Mark Gatiss journey into terror. And it happens at night so the title is perfect.

Sarah - 

I was looking back on Gatiss’ stories and it hit me that his stories tend to stand alone. That’s probably a bonus for the showrunner when working on the series arc. Also, I think this may be his first episode that isn’t set in the past.  

Harry - 

Apart from the alien twist, this was a pretty straightforward creeper. The cupboard in a child's bedroom is the focal point, which as the Doctor acknowledged is often a source of terror. It was mildly disappointing that Moff didn't have a hairdryer or carton of milk become the horrific thing. A cupboard is almost blasé.

Sarah - 

The Hairdryer of Fear is a catchy title. "Night Terrors" is a very middling episode, so much so that I couldn't remember anything about the story until the creepy dolls turned up. Sending the surrounding humans to the dollhouse was an effective horror location. Everyone is sent there in a horrifying way – an elevator, the living room carpet, and the garbage bins – which makes it more interesting when we don’t know what to expect. 

Harry -

Elevator, carpet and garbage bins: there was a Moffaty horror twist on the ordinary after all.

Sarah -

Children actors often get slagged by Doctor Who fans but I think Jamie Oram’s performance as George was strong. I love the Doctor making a house call to save and play with George. There isn’t really a villain in the story and everyone lives in the end so that’s good. 

Harry -

Jamie Oram was so restrained, his face telling the story, a great performance.  

Sarah -

The Doctor helps Alex understand why his son isn’t like other children, but the story turns way too sappy at the end. So many of Gatiss’ stories are about father’s and sons and they can end up feeling so cliche. In the end, Alex learns to love his alien son, mum comes home from work and everyone lives happily ever after, I guess. 

Harry -

Someone will eventually write a study of how the making of Doctor Who was therapeutic for many of the people involved with the show.

As a standalone tale, "Night Terrors" was a decent diversion from the season arc.  It feels like the Ponds got very few standalones, maybe I'll do up a tally after their final episode.  Anyway let's wade back into the arc!

Sarah -

Best Line: 

"Planets and history and stuff. That's what we do. But not today. No. Today, we're answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the universe. A child's bedroom."

Favorite Moment: 

The Doctor and George playing with toys

Lasting Image: 

The creepy dolls

5/10

Harry -

Best Line:

DOCTOR: Haven't done this in a while.

AMY: Haven't done what? What are you doing?

DOCTOR: Making a house call.

Favourite Moment: 

I loved the shot when the TARDIS materialized and was reflected in a puddle.

Lasting Image:

Amy converted into a creepy doll.

6/10

Our marathon continues with Story #221: The Girl Who Waited...