Well finally we get to the point that we’ve been waiting for since we saw the Doctor killed by the Astronaut. I’ve been good in that I haven’t been looking for spoilers or anything. I’ve avoided Doctor Who Magazine which was released on June 2nd and I’ve avoided going on websites. I wanted this episode to be a surprise. I did know that the Cybermen would be back and so would the Silurians but apart from that I knew very little. This is the mid-season finale which the show has never had before so I didn’t quite know how to feel when watching this episode and despite it only being the 7th episode of the series and also a little more interestingly the 777th Episode of Doctor Who, it did feel more like a finale story as opposed to a mid-season story.
The story is set on Demons’ Run. Nope me neither but were expected to belive this is an important place. But it does come with a good rhyme to explain the place.
“Demons run whena good man goes to war.
Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies,
Night will fall and the dark will rise,
When a good man goes to war.
Demon’s Run is an asteroid where Amy has been held captive for goodness knows how long. There is an army that seems there just to fight the Doctor. The Doctor is planning on fighting as well. It seems like a tradition now in modern Doctor Who stories to bring monsters or characters from previous episodes back into a story. The Doctor goes to 1888 to meet Vastra who previously appeared in the previous years story. Now she is some sort of Victorian Madame who when we first see her has just killed Jack the Ripper. We also see Dorium Maldovar who was the big blue guy who River Song was talking to in The Pandorica Opens. In this we learn a bit more about him and he is quite a likeable character. Also we have the return of Commander Strax the Sontaran who appeared in The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky in 2008. The scene where they are all fighting is quite an odd one but it typifies the Doctor’s lack of experience in forming an army. The identity of Melody’s Father is one that I could feel getting me annoyed. I don’t mind that Amy is pregnant and that Rory and Amy are treating the TARDIS like an inter-galatic Travelodge but the idea the idea that the Doctor is the father is one that totally seems wrong to me. Thankfully the father is Rory and all is right with the world.
The thing is that despite how much this story tries to through just about everything at the screen. I found myself wondering at the end of the episode just what the plot was. Ok, the Doctor goes after Amy and Melody and there’s a bit of war of words with the Cyclops lady but apart from that there seemed to be very little in the way of a story. I didn’t notice it whilst watching the episode because to be fair I did get caught up in the action. I also didn’t like that the Sontaran was working with the Doctor. I just think that this weakens the monsters and next time they decide to use the Sontarans they will not have the same effect that they normally have.
The Cyclops lady that we have been seeing in various scenes throughout this series finally gets her day in the spotlight and comes across as an effective villain who seems really nasty and not to be trusted. It would be nice to know a bit more about her when the show returns but on what we saw she was very good and one of the highlights of the episode. I was also impressed with the Headless Monks, another fantastic creation from Steven Moffatt though they could probably have lost the light-sabre inspired swords. That said they were truly creepy and very effective.
I thought all that all the main cast put in superb performances. Karen Gillan did a fantastic job. She does well in playing a character that has to deal with being held captive, being pregnant and being away from Rory and the Doctor. Gillan continues to impress and is possibly the best of the new series companions. Arthur Darvill also puts in a good performance especially at the beginning when he stands up to the Cybermen which is no small feat. Matt Smith puts in a solid outing where he finally learns who River is. The moment when he realises it and darts into the TARDIS his face is priceless and is totally different from what we see earlier when he is talking to Cyclops lady and is very angry. Of course a Series 32 story wouldn’t be complete without Doctor River Song who as we learn in this story is actually Amy and Rory’s daughter. This wasn’t a total surprise but it was one that I liked the most. The bizarre idea did briefly pop into my head that River was the Doctor’s mother but apart from anything else, the flirting (which I forgot about when I came up with the idea) would have just ruined the story.
So the line “The only water in the forest is the River” makes a lot of sense. To me it means that Water must mean Pond and obviously River is a part of the Pond family. But in the story its explained that the people of the Gamma Forest translate Pond to River. My idea sounds more fun.
I tweeted immediately after watching AGMGTW that I didn’t know what to make of it and I still don’t. Like any two parter its difficult to fully appreciate something if you haven’t seen the second half of the story. There is plenty to look forward to especially the title ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’ and for anyone who watched after the BBC Wales Cymru titles disappeared will have seen a Skeleton hand with the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver. There is a lot to look forward to when the show returns in September. I just hope that it complements this episode so that it makes a bit more sense to me.
The story is set on Demons’ Run. Nope me neither but were expected to belive this is an important place. But it does come with a good rhyme to explain the place.
“Demons run whena good man goes to war.
Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies,
Night will fall and the dark will rise,
When a good man goes to war.
Demon’s Run is an asteroid where Amy has been held captive for goodness knows how long. There is an army that seems there just to fight the Doctor. The Doctor is planning on fighting as well. It seems like a tradition now in modern Doctor Who stories to bring monsters or characters from previous episodes back into a story. The Doctor goes to 1888 to meet Vastra who previously appeared in the previous years story. Now she is some sort of Victorian Madame who when we first see her has just killed Jack the Ripper. We also see Dorium Maldovar who was the big blue guy who River Song was talking to in The Pandorica Opens. In this we learn a bit more about him and he is quite a likeable character. Also we have the return of Commander Strax the Sontaran who appeared in The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky in 2008. The scene where they are all fighting is quite an odd one but it typifies the Doctor’s lack of experience in forming an army. The identity of Melody’s Father is one that I could feel getting me annoyed. I don’t mind that Amy is pregnant and that Rory and Amy are treating the TARDIS like an inter-galatic Travelodge but the idea the idea that the Doctor is the father is one that totally seems wrong to me. Thankfully the father is Rory and all is right with the world.
The thing is that despite how much this story tries to through just about everything at the screen. I found myself wondering at the end of the episode just what the plot was. Ok, the Doctor goes after Amy and Melody and there’s a bit of war of words with the Cyclops lady but apart from that there seemed to be very little in the way of a story. I didn’t notice it whilst watching the episode because to be fair I did get caught up in the action. I also didn’t like that the Sontaran was working with the Doctor. I just think that this weakens the monsters and next time they decide to use the Sontarans they will not have the same effect that they normally have.
The Cyclops lady that we have been seeing in various scenes throughout this series finally gets her day in the spotlight and comes across as an effective villain who seems really nasty and not to be trusted. It would be nice to know a bit more about her when the show returns but on what we saw she was very good and one of the highlights of the episode. I was also impressed with the Headless Monks, another fantastic creation from Steven Moffatt though they could probably have lost the light-sabre inspired swords. That said they were truly creepy and very effective.
I thought all that all the main cast put in superb performances. Karen Gillan did a fantastic job. She does well in playing a character that has to deal with being held captive, being pregnant and being away from Rory and the Doctor. Gillan continues to impress and is possibly the best of the new series companions. Arthur Darvill also puts in a good performance especially at the beginning when he stands up to the Cybermen which is no small feat. Matt Smith puts in a solid outing where he finally learns who River is. The moment when he realises it and darts into the TARDIS his face is priceless and is totally different from what we see earlier when he is talking to Cyclops lady and is very angry. Of course a Series 32 story wouldn’t be complete without Doctor River Song who as we learn in this story is actually Amy and Rory’s daughter. This wasn’t a total surprise but it was one that I liked the most. The bizarre idea did briefly pop into my head that River was the Doctor’s mother but apart from anything else, the flirting (which I forgot about when I came up with the idea) would have just ruined the story.
So the line “The only water in the forest is the River” makes a lot of sense. To me it means that Water must mean Pond and obviously River is a part of the Pond family. But in the story its explained that the people of the Gamma Forest translate Pond to River. My idea sounds more fun.
I tweeted immediately after watching AGMGTW that I didn’t know what to make of it and I still don’t. Like any two parter its difficult to fully appreciate something if you haven’t seen the second half of the story. There is plenty to look forward to especially the title ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’ and for anyone who watched after the BBC Wales Cymru titles disappeared will have seen a Skeleton hand with the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver. There is a lot to look forward to when the show returns in September. I just hope that it complements this episode so that it makes a bit more sense to me.
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