Morality Flip-Flops, A Town Called Mercy.

So Series 7 has surprised me so far. Asylum of the Daleks was very predictable and the ending was cringe worthy, but otherwise was a fun episode. Of course there were problems, it was a Steven Moffat episode, so there were plot holes as narrative all over the place. Unlike some of his previous episodes though, Asylum worked well and wasn't annoyingly bad. Even for it's flaws. Then there was Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. When I heard that title I cringed, yet it turned out well. A little silly in places, but it worked, every character was fleshed out and different. Chibnall managed to write a powerful female character in Nefertiti who wasn't all sarcasm, rude quips and sex. Though there was a lot of it. It certainly wasn't as annoying as Moffat's version of women (you know they're all the same). Which is why it was most interesting how Chibnall made Amy work well in Dinosaurs! Some of the more peculiar issues of her character were almost parodied in the episode, making light of the fact that she is almost a "super-companion" at times. Even better, Chibnall seems to remember that the Doctor does kill people and aliens. Two good episodes in a row (of course there are flaws but they were good just the same). Then along comes A Town Called Mercy.

On my first viewing I didn't think it was bad. There was just a niggling sensation at the back of my mind, like there was something off at every turn. Like with Asylum the story was very predictable, it's difficult to come up with different concepts for the ahistorical stories I'm sure, but this was essentially The Curse of the Black Spot. Alien interferes with history. (Isn't that every episode?) It was interesting at first how they tried to imply that the alien that was the evil character was in fact the good character. Yet this just went in a very annoying way.

For starters, it results in a totally pointless discussion about how they should handle the situation. I say totally pointless because, the discussion goes no where. The character is a war criminal, a horrific, beyond the Nazis style war criminal. Sacrificing him to the good, misunderstood character, would save everyone in the town, women and children included. Rory suggests doing it, the Doctor even thinks about it. Even better, the Doctor goes to do it, at gun point. Why is this good? He even says why; people die because he lets the evil ones live. Now let's be honest, the ones he mentions? Only one of them (The Master) does he ever not kill.

So just after an episode in which the Doctor killing someone, someone who killed a ship full of Silurians, and an on screen dinosaur, is treated as heroic and amazing. We get treated to an episode that says "No Doctor, you never kill." Now, that's just bad episode planning surely? Perhaps this episode would of been a bit better later on, when we'd perhaps seen him kill people in every episode up to this one? Instead we've seen him fight Daleks (who it's just fine to kill I'm sure) and an old crippled man, who he definitely killed. In fact, if memory serves he mocked the old man as he did it. I don't think Amy batted an eyelash at that though.

Yet it's the way that it's handled so quickly, and so rushed that makes it far worse. Going beyond the fact that the show flip-flopped within the week on morality with its titular character. The Doctor pulls a gun on the evil war criminal to exile him out, to his death. Not that we've seen him do something like hold a gun and threaten some one 'helpless' before.

Then Amy pulls a gun on the Doctor. He immediately points out the plot-hole for us that she won't shoot. So there's no tension there. Her point about him changing because he travels alone is insultingly bad. For starters, he hasn't really changed. Ignore the Classic (argh I hate saying that), pretend that it's only Nu Who for a moment. He killed the "bad" (even if they weren't really bad) in;

 Rose, The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead, Aliens of London, The Long Game, Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways (kinda), Tooth and Claw, School Reunion (he sacrifices his best firend!), The Girl in the Fireplace, Rise of the Cybermen, The Idiot's Lantern, The Impossible Planet, Love & Monsters, Army of Ghosts, The Runaway Bride, Smith and Jones, Daleks in Manhatten, The Lazerus Experiment, Human Nature (he does worse than just kill them), Blink (worse than kill again), The Fires of Pompeii, The Sontaran Stratagem, The Unicorn and the Wasp, Midnight, The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, The Next Doctor, Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars, The End of Time, The Time of Angels, The Vampires of Venice, Vincent and the Doctor, The Lodger, Day of the Moon, The Doctor's Wife, The Almost People, The God Complex, Closing Time, The Wedding of River Song, Asylum of the Daleks, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.

A lot of them isn't there? Most of the series in fact. Even better is the fact that The Wedding of River Song isn't really The Doctor killing the big bad. Instead it was Amy who killed her. I know it's a struggle for the show to maintain continuity between Classic and Nu Who, but surely it can maintain continuity between it's own seasons with the same characters? Amy killed some one, yes it was over her child being kidnapped, but she still killed some one. Yet she stands pious against killing a war criminal? The morality of the show flip-flopped between this and last week and it's just poor story telling. Which is a shame. 2 out of 3 episodes isn't bad. Hopefully Power of Three will be a good one too!

Series 5 Avatars

I fully intend to review the latest episodes before the next one.
For now though I think it would be interesting to share some avatars I have made from Series 5.

The Eleventh Hour







The Beast Below





That should do for now until I write up some reviews.

Victory of the Daleks (And Series 5 thus far...)

As I did not decide to make this blog pre-series 5. Unfortunately I am of course running late with the inital reviews. This first review will cover The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below and Victory of the Daleks and my over all thoughts on the series thus far.

The Eleventh Hour

A new doctor and he wrecks the TARDIS almost immediately. Great. Not a brilliant first impression is it? Well it is, as the opening does manage to have an almost swashbuckling feel to it. It is very adventure movie. Some may argue that is a bad thing. I do think it was rather fun though. We have him crash land in a little girls garden, and after strange events that include Fish Custard we begin to investigate a peculiar crack in the girls bedroom wall. A crack it turns out in space and time. After swinging the door all the way around to close it, so to speak, the Doctor closes the crack in the wall so that nothing can come through once again.

Except something already has. Prisoner 0. After some rather cool spooky/creepy/tension building moments, especially in the corner of the eye, the rather distracted Doctor has to save his TARDIS before it leaves with out him. Claiming to take five minutes. Naturally when he returns there is no little girl. It has been 12 years and the little girl is now a non-hooker who kisses people for money. Oh and wears short skirts that he has to readjust after ever running sequence. Not that it is a particularly bad thing to have an assistant with sex appeal. Just when it is made to be obvious why. Next time she will be a page 3 girl who doesn't wear a top 60% of the time. Either way the guards of Prisoner 0 decide to come and take him away, or blow up the Earth. So naturally the Doctor does this along the way losing his sonic screwdriver. After defeating Prisoner 0 and telling the Atraxi how awesome he is, the Doctor runs off to his TARDIS. After a short trip, that unfortunately takes 2 years the Doctor returns to take Amy with him. Here we finally see the new TARDIS and unlike The Visitation a new Sonic Screwdriver.

Over all not an awful episode for an introductionary purpose. The Doctor seems fun, the assistant seems, ok. Setting up well it seems.

The Beast Below

I must say that this episode was 80% briliant 20% awful. It starts off so well. Introducing us further into the new Doctor. Who acts rather brilliantly. Already trying to make the character his own, very different to Tennant's Doctor. This Doctor seems to play it much more cerebral which is a great deal of fun. The story is rather cool for a long while. The tension is there, there is some creepy element. Unfortunately it seems to cut itself short, and ends rather anti-climatically. For starters, the Doctor does not save the day, Amy does. This is rather a down point, as I personally feel the Doctor should be the person solving the logic puzzles, not the Kiss-o-gram. We do see the Doctor get angry here which is a brilliant, as I always did prefer it when the Doctor wasn't constantly luvvy-dubby with his assistants. The classic ones could take a stern talking to, so there is no reason these ones can't. Over all this episode is watchable, and alot of it is fun. Just don't expect the ending to keep you happy.


Victory of the Daleks

The latest episode has seems to have a received a rather mixed response from everybody this time around. Most people loved the previous two episodes, with only a few who did not. This time it seems that there are a lot more haters. Though I doubt it is enough to cause cancellation. I do think that it is enough for me to go, what are you talking about?
This episode is by no means a bad one, in fact I adored it. It felt a great deal more Doctor Who to me than the new series has a tendency to. It was silly in places yes, but you have to watch the classic series before you comment. Spitfires in space? I loved that. The Daleks serving tea? Brililant! The problem people are having really? The NEW Daleks. You know what? I like them. For starters they weren't all wiped out by Desus Ex Machina for the first time in nearly five years. I would say that makes them pretty good.
The story was also pretty cool, an interesting way of writing them back in, and an even better way of characterising the Doctor whilst doing it. His reaction is one of extreme prejudice to the extent that Churchill and Amy assume that he is just acting daft! Amy even tries chatting with one. How bad is that for the Dalek? Either way it is all a cunning plan to make the Doctor prove the their own computer that they are Daleks. All so they can make these new pure Daleks, instead of those god awful human-hybrids RTD came up with. Naturally ala the Renegade/Imperial days, they destroyed the older Daleks poste haste.
The episode also is full of rather brilliant moments, the Doctors minor flip out at the Daleks, the use of a jammy dodger. Even the Iron Man bomb at the end was cool. Yet the over arching brilliance of the episode? The fact the Daleks actually win. They get away, they survive to come back in full force later as a new Dalek empire.

The episode overall I think is the best so far. I know alot disagree with me, but never mind that. The series itself seems to be picking up nicely. The new Doctor is alot of fun, and even his assistant has her moments. I look forward to the next episode with great anticipation.

Victory of the Daleks Avatars

To go with the newest episode, some more avatars. Enjoy!

The Time of Angels

Oh how do you do it Mr. Moffat! Seriously this episode has topped the previous, and is now easily my favourite this series! Even more surprisingly it may become my favourite of the new series all together! For starters, The Weeping Angels return, along with River Song. So do we learn who River Song is? Nope. Not exactly. We learn some things, which I will not spoil here. We get massive hints and even more massive misdirections. Overall though her character is even further developed, brilliantly acted and much more interesting than the companions have been for the new series.

Much more interesting than Amy at the least who does unfortunately have another uncharacteristically 'smart' moment. Completely out of no where and for no reason. Small however, and tense. Good ol' weeping angels! For the tension and suspense that they bring is back. Albeit not as well as in Blink. Though the purpose of this episode is not to have them be as, scary. Or at least I believe this to be the point. I feel this episode brings them more into the realm of the Dalek. They are dangerous, deadly and a difficult enemy. Though they can be defeated. Though we do not see that in this, the first of two parts, the Doctor is going head on to fight it this time. Oh so very much fun is too be had.


This brings me onto Matt Smith, who in my eyes is beginning to prove better than Tennant and Eccleston. He may even verge soon into the ranks of the classics. He plays it very cerebral with a hint of childish behaviour. He reminds a great deal of Troughton, which is a good thing! Smith does an amazing range in this episode, with some genuinely brilliant emotional moments, though I am sure the haters will claim otherwise.

Overall the tension is perfect, the pacing much more spot on. The episode builds up so well, I can not wait for the next part. It is a must see!

Time of Angels Avatars

There's one thing you never put in a trap if you're smart. If you value your continued existence. If you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never ever put in a trap. Me.-Eleventh Doctor.

Well they are a little later than normal I guess, but here we go some avatars for the Time of Angels. Now lets hope that the image of an angel can't really get you shall we?







Happy hunting.