Season Six Sundays: End of Season Review

(Here there be SPOILERS - you have been warned)

First, just a heads-up; if you want to catch me talking Who online, please be sure to check out Whoverse  - you can listen live beginning at 1:00 pm CST by clicking this link. Enjoy!

So we've reached the end of another season of Doctor Who - a season which has seen a slight change in schedule (mostly being split into two "halves" over the course of a year); a slight change in approach (an overreaching,  much more intricately plotted arc that permeates and informs most of the stories throughout this season); and a much darker, more ominous tone than in the past. Taken overall, does it work?

In my opinion, it's a very mixed bag - on the one hand, I don't think Lost-style storytelling works in Doctor Who. Having a recurring motif and/or driving plot (Bad Wolf, Harold Saxon/Master) works because there are times when it can dip in and out of the regular season. This time, it seemed as if several episodes (notably The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People) seemed rushed to end, if only to drive home "the big arc". Echoing my thoughts from the mid-season review, I think the split season hurt the show in terms of flow - it just seemed to be narratively disjointed. I think once I view the stories in succession on DVD, some stories I didn't care for might seem brighter, and I think the "join" between A Good Man Goes to War and Let's Kill Hitler may look extremely weak.

However, I strongly commend Moffatt and company for taking great risks with the program, especially towards the end of The Wedding of River Song. Given the increasing profile of Doctor Who, it might have been easier to "play it safe" - to just do the overarching arc from this season. Part of the charm of the show is its knack for reinvention - from the "science and history" show to the "monster era", from the "U.N.I.T. era" to "Gothic horror" - Who's format has always been very resilient. I may not have cared for the way in which Moffatt and his team have handled changes...but the fact that they took a huge roll of the dice creatively has meant that I'm learning to watch Who in a much different way.

Some other brief notes about this season:

• Re: The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People - like many, I thought the Doctor "destroying" flesh Amy - in light of his "they're people, too" - seemed harsh. Would it not have made much more narrative sense (especially in terms of the arc) to have him somehow "accidentally" destroy Amy, realizing his destructive potential (as per A Good Man Goes to War) and then go off on a search? Or am I overthinking this?
• Mark my words - once you fans watch Closing Time on DVD, you'll agree with me that it has charm. And you'll like it. Just like I will enjoy a second viewing of  Curse of the Black Spot as much as you did. Honest.
• In light of events from The Wedding of River Song, this episode's title takes on a slightly different meaning.

Season Six Sundays: The Wedding of River Song

(Possible Minor SPOILERS - be warned) 

So, after all these months (considering the several month hiatus between both "halves" of this season), after all the speculating, the hype, and the flat-out excessive behavior from both fans and "haters"....is this a fitting end for this season?

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this episode - mostly positive, but mixed nonetheless.

Part of my feeling about why this episode didn't work was more the "extended-arc-playing-itself-out" and the "questions-that-lead-to-answers-to-further-questions" style that Who played with this season. Although I commend Moffatt and crew for making the attempt  (which I'll talk about next week in my end-of-season wrap-up), I just don't think that style works for Who. But in addition, most of Moffatt's writing this season - especially this latter half - seems to be to throw plot points at the wall and see how they stick.

However, there is enough in this episode that I like - finally, we see how all of what's happened begins to come together. We see that the events in The Impossible Astronaut lead to some pretty significant disruptions...and that it's not so much a question of should the Doctor die as much as "what happens when you try to change a fixed point in time."

There's also some great little character moments, including a nice tribute to a companion's passing....Amy's threat to "the eyepatch lady"....and the actual wedding of River Song. (Yes, it does happen. No, it's not a dream). Moffatt has managed, in many ways, to pull off answering and pulling together much of a very intricate, engaging plot.

In fact, one of the highlights of the episode occurs at the very end, where (and this is purely speculation on my part) Moffatt essentially reboots the show, adding some intriguing new layers and a greater sense of mystery.\ It's also, I think, a sly commentary on some elements of fandom (and this is purely opinion on my part). You know the kind - the catchphrase using casual fans who can tell you Who is "awesome" and all the other nerdy teenage hyperboles....but couldn't tell you why.

(And Roger will definitely catch the slight reference in that last line).

Moffatt essentially takes away the rather super-heroic element that has been present in New Who since Series 2; it's a philosophical recasting and reformatting that may seem rather obvious...but quite frankly, really provides a great launching pad into some greater territory.

And next week, I'll talk about what I felt about this season as a whole. See you then.

Season Six Sundays: Closing Time

(Possible Minor SPOILERS follow)

I'm not sure if this is a popular opinion...but I really liked last season's The Lodger. Granted, it may have been a little too sitcom for some, but it provided a well-needed perspective on the Doctor's behavior by placing him in an all-too-human situation: getting along with a roommate.

Closing Time serves a multitude of purposes - it serves as a companion piece to The Lodger, with a follow up on Craig and Sophie (and their new baby, Stormageddon the Dark Lord of All); an emotional wrap-up that ties directly into The Impossible Astronaut, and quite frankly, an emotional piece that has some really moving, straight-to-the-gut moments that can't help but move you.

In other words, it's the kind of script Russell T. Davies used to write - a heady mixture of the fantastic with a strong emotional core.

Actually, that's not fair to Gareth Roberts....but in many ways, this script is a lot like Turn Left in that it looks at how the Doctor has impacted humanity...but it does so through the eyes on one particular human. While the Doctor is on his "farewell tour", he decides to visit his other, unofficial companion (and there's a slight RTD-ish playfulness about their relationship). Granted, the overall threat is kind of an obvious, not very complicated story....but Closing Time is about much more than an invasion.

It's about facing adult responsibilities....about looking towards the future....about anticipating the end. We get the obligatory last-ten-minutes-explaining-the-arc moment, but this isn't about big battles in time and space.

It's about a man facing fatherhood and gaining the strength to face it fully, as well as another man facing his immanent end and saying "goodbye".

The geekerati may dislike this episode (I don't read reviews until after I've blogged - that way, I'm not letting outside opinions influence me), but I loved this episode.

And I'm not ashamed to admit that.

Season Six Sundays: The God Complex

In all honesty, I have some very mixed feelings about this episode.

For the first half hour, this is a pretty good episode - never mind the obligatory mention of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. There are some pretty surreal, almost chilling moments that happen, there are some clever touches, great lines, and it's a pretty solid episode. Performances are good, and the plot moves in a nice, what-the-heck-is-going-on manner.

But the last fifteen minutes - it seems like a non-stop collection of classic Who references, as well as a call-back to Whithouse's past Who work.

It's always tough writing a negative review - in my recent column for Comic Related, I was asked why I thought Torchwood: Miracle Day was so bad, because the person enjoyed it....which leads to one of my biggest pet peeves.

Just because someone likes a show does not necessarily mean that they have to like every single episode. Some episodes work, others don't - this is an episode that works well for a point, and then seemingly drops the ball.

But there's one good thing about this episode - I'm now finding Curse of the Black Spot not so bad....

Season Six Sundays: THE GIRL WHO WAITED

(Possible MINOR SPOILERS. I posted about 9/11 yesterday. Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey...)

One of the things that classic Doctor Who has never been afraid of has been the occasional foray into the surreal, whether it's The Mind Robber, Warrior's Gate, or Kinda. Current Who has also been willing to head into familiar territory, using it as a way to reveal character and relationships - last year's Amy's Choice did just that, focusing on the Amy/Rory relationship while delivering a pretty solid story.

The Girl Who Waited is another really strong story, mixing elements of surrealism, romantic fantasy, and fairy tale. I was quite honestly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. It does go a little OTT, but quite frankly, it's a very welcome change of pace.

Much of this episode's playing with time lines is reminiscent from the "Space" and "Time" shorts from this past year's Red Nose Day. However, The Girl Who Waited uses it to much more melodramatic effect, but thankfully, there are two things that help alleviate some of the more obnoxious elements of the script.

First, there's the set design and the direction by Nick Hurran. In short, for what's essentially a three-character episode, this is quite simply a great looking episode. It is hard to not come away impressed by the visuals (especially a scene often shown in the trailers when Amy enters a very alien garden). In a show that has a history of sometimes looking "on the cheap:, this is a great example of a budget-saving show that takes advantage of great writing.

The other thing that makes this episode work - Arthur Darvill as Rory. Everyone else may look to Amy Pond as the Eleventh Doctor's companion, but it's Rory who serves not only as the Doctor's "conscience", but who is  - let's face it - the most down-to-earth companion the Doctor has ever had. Most companions have a quality where people might want to be them; Rory's the only companion whom I (and I think, anyone else) would simply want to hang out with - there's a humanity and believability that this Doctor sorely needs.

Ironically, this episode came a day after the finale of Torchwood: Miracle Day, and I think each series shows a fundamental difference in Davies' and Moffatt's approach. (There's even a slight nod to Torchwood in the context of this episode). For Davies, storytelling means that the ending has to be bigger, that the consequences have to be massive and external. Miracle Day ended as a crashing disappointment, with episodes of varying quality, and a conclusion that I honestly couldn't tell you the nature of "the Miracle" as described in the episode. (I'm not being coy or avoiding spoilers - I'm honestly confused). For Moffatt, the interest is more in personal stakes - it's not so much an external "big bad" as much as people's lives and experiences being at stake. But I could be wrong in this perspective.

The Girl Who Waited reminded me a lot of The Doctor's Wife as an exploration of a critical relationship. I won't go into the usual "instant classic" hyperbole, but something tells me...I'll like this episode more upon a second view. And a third.

Season Six Sundays: Night Terrors

(Possible MINOR SPOILERS) 

Mark Gatiss is one of those Who writers who doesn't quite get the kudos he deserves. After all, many of his stories contain a steady Who-like mix of the domestic and the unusual - whether it's zombies in Victorian England (The Unquiet Dead), an alien taking form as a broadcast announcement during the Coronation (The Idiot's Lantern), or even Winston Churchill fighting Daleks (Victory of the Daleks). In addition, he also co-writes for Sherlock and has done a three part History of Horror series for the BBC that is well worth checking out via bitTorrent.

After last week's  Let's Kill Hitler arc-a-thon, it's time for a breather, and Night Terrors is a pretty good respite....a creepy little done-in-one episode that harkens back to classic (and "old new" Doctor Who).

Structurally, the episode resembles Season Two's Fear Her, with its focus on childhood anxieties, isolation, and more down-to-earth focus. Thanks to Richard Clark's direction (he also directed The Doctor's Wife), this is a moody, off-kilter episode that, unlike Fear Her, does not contain any false notes. It is a little....well, it can feel at times more stretched out than usual. There's also a continuity-laden reference that, well, seems a little too in-jokey for the episode's own good.

I'll also predict that a certain type of Who fan - the fez-wearing, catchphrase-spouting newer fan - might not like this episode. It's not the slam bang-a-thon that has been in force for most of this season. It also seems out of place (the season was reshuffled slightly, with this episode exchanging slots with Curse of the Black Spot), but in a way, it works slightly better - given some of the thematic issues of this season, it touches upon them subtly without hitting the viewer over the head.

Sadly, the placement of this episode - second in the second "mini-season" - really shows the reason why a 13 episode series of Doctor Who should not be split in half. Within a regular flow, this episode would not seem as odd (especially if it's 8 out of 13), with a good mix of arc-heavy and stand-alone shows. I predict that, once the boxed set comes out, this episode will seem to be a much more comfortable "fit" than it does as - let's be honest - episode 2. (I'm also willing to reevaluate my opinion of Curse of the Black Spot  as well).

Gatiss has provided another underrated gem - so much that I'm willing to give this one another shot. And I think you will, too.

Season Six Sundays; Let's Kill Hitler

(Warning: will try to be clever about it, but may have some slight spoilers for Let's Kill Hitler, as well as the first half of this season and Torchwood: Miracle Day).

When this split series was announced - the first half premiering in April, the second in "fall" (now yesterday), I was a little concerned that it felt pretty much like a stunt - a way to get attention for a show that was increasing its presence in the public mindset. It seemed unnecessary....

....but "Let's Kill Hitler", in many ways, demonstrates (for plot reasons) why we needed a break. Let's just say that, where we pick up, a break of only a week would have felt inadequate; having a break of several months helps give the story a slightly fresher feeling, and we're able to play catch-up and get the story into high gear.

I think the BBC owes the creators
of my Zone 4 Avatar serious royalties

And what a story it is - in this episode, Steven Moffatt plays with a concept that the classic series only tangentially dealt with (in stories like "The Aztecs", "Day of the Daleks", and "Warrior's Gate") - the concept that "time travel has responsibilities"). But the episode also does what a good series opener (even a mid-series opener) should do - tie up some mysteries while simultaneously creating new ones. (There's a tantalizing line about the Silents/Silence/creepy aliens in suits that....well, really makes you think). We get quite a bit of timey-wimey, brain bending exploration that really sets the tone for the rest of the season - we are essentially counting down to the first scene in "The Impossible Astronaut", and we have enough to speculate on (which I won't do - there are other sites for that), with room for some really cool storytelling.

And, of course, Rory punching Hitler:

(EDITORIAL COMMENT: there are some things that make me wince slightly when done poorly, and one of them is the use of Nazis and Nazi-style imagery. Chalk it up to being Polish, and having two grandfathers who served in World War 2. When done well, you have a "Let's Kill Hitler", where the main point is to drive home the "responsibilities of time travel" and it creates a great tension in the plot. When done poorly, you have episode five of Torchwood: Miracle Day, where people who are considered "too far gone" but not dead are baked in ovens...and a character who is in pain is essentially burned alive. Not only is that cruel, but quite frankly - as of episode 8, we only have a vague idea of the "big threat".  Using talk of "ovens" and "concentration camps" as a kind of vague shorthand without establishing the exact nature of the threat....that's just lazy storytelling, and part of the reason why I'm grateful that Moffatt seems to be challenging himself and his writers to go the extra distance. End of rant.)

So here we are, at series 6B (which is much different, as more hardcore fans will tell you, than season 6B), and we're off to a very promising start. Here's to the next seven weeks of Who.

Coming Next Week....

...the return of the Season Six Sunday Doctor Who liveblog!



Until then, enjoy my most recent professional presentation in all its Rory-punching-Hitler glory:

I Wanna Be Found - Using SEO To Enhance Job Searching

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Season Six Sundays: Mid-Season Review

(SPOILER ALERT - Contains slight spoilers and speculation for "A Good Man Goes to War")

 

Ok, thankfully, now that everyone is "up to date" on what's happened on Who (with the exception of New Zealand, but this blog doesn't get traffic from New Zealand. At least, that's what my analytics tell me), I feel slightly more comfortable in providing a post-season wrap-up.

On the whole, and I may be part of the minority, but I have to admit that I'm finding myself having some mixed thoughts around this season. Much of it is due to the split nature of the series - having thirteen episodes run weekly has a slightly different flow; the last two episodes ("The Almost People" and "A Good Man Goes to War") felt rather rushed, as if the production team realized they had a term paper due the next morning, requiring a massive overnight cram session. Of the seven episodes, there were four really good ones ("The Impossible Astronaut", "Day of the Moon", "The Doctor's Wife" and "A Good Man Goes to War") and three OK episodes ("Curse of the Black Spot", "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People".) Although much stronger than past new Who seasons, admittedly....I applaud the production team for taking creative chances, but this is one that (in my opinion) didn't quite gel.

(Of course, once the rest of this season is televised - and I inevitably make it to the DVD release, when I watch all of the episodes in order - I may find myself revising this opinion).

The big "build up" towards the reveal of River Song....quite excellent, and answers a lot of questions while asking a lot more.

The one concept that I really thought was intriguing (SPOILER ALERT) was the idea of a "Time Lord as a weapon." Personally, it makes a lot of sense, given what we know from the past - Time Lords have an idea of the flow of time (fixed points versus events that can be changed), an ability to regenerate into a newer, younger life form after a long number of years, and extremely sharp intelligence. (Plus, if you're working on rudimentary time travel, it's smart to have a species that has evolved towards being able to survive its rigors).

And now, the ranting - thanks to this single scene in "The Doctor's Wife", there is no renewed discussion about bringing back the Time War, doing a TV movie, etc. Personally, I doubt it's either Eccleston or McGann's voice (I think the team is clever enough to hire a soundalike for this one scene), and quite frankly, what would you rather have - a series that actively provokes you to question and seek answers, or one that provides you the answers all in one fell swoop.

Well, now is the long summer....but thankfully, Sherlock will be along soon.

So far, this season is a B - can't wait until "Let's Kill Hitler" in the fall.

Season Six Sundays: A Good Man Goes to War

=

One of the challenges of blogging about shows, comics, etc., is the skill in avoiding spoilers - I have no problem seeking spoilers out for myself if I choose to after the fact, but I don't like inadvertently spoiling for others. I think there's a skill to be developed in talking about a work that cleverly avoids spoilers.

For A Good Man Goes To War, it's extremely critical because not only are certain plot points resolved, but several others are reinvigorated and/or potentially lead to further complications later this year. This is the kind of episode where most of the enjoyment comes not just from the big reveal as much as "how do they get there".

And yes, my friends, they get there.

Steven Moffatt's script cleverly integrates some aspects from past Who (both classic and modern) with some decidedly smart twists. For example, there's the classic Robert Holmes double-act between two minor characters very early in the episode, and there are some great moments of irony (the good kind) as the episode progresses. Once we learn what's happened - and secrets are revealed - you will be left with a kind of frustration....the frustration that comes from needing to wait until autumn to see how the story progresses.

It's also good in that several things are left relatively unexplained. I'm reminded of a recent Facebook post which suggested a let's-explain-the-Time-War-style crossover movie. For me, at the very least, I like the fact that with Doctor Who, the greatest stories are those that happen in the imagination, and those "gaps" might be best left alone.

My only disappointment, quite frankly, is in the "split season" this year. On the one hand, I quite enjoy the fact that Who is taking some creative narrative chances, becoming a more integrated narrative like Lost than in the past. However, this half season did feel a little rushed - I thought that last week's episode needed a little more time to breathe towards the end. It's a mixed bag, but I would rather the show take those kind of chances than, say, rant like certain disgruntled ex-Who novel writers who fannishly hold onto the idea that their Who is the only Who.

(Yes, you know who I'm talking about. No, I'm not going to link to his blog. I'm no troll feeder)

Finally, for those of you who read and/or lurk on this blog - how do you feel about how I've handled spoilers? I'm curious about feedback, and I don't think I've always been as clever/diligent in the past. Please feel free to leave a comment. At the very least, it will make me feel more loved.

And now, the wait begins until episode 8. Cue heavy sigh.

Season Six Sundays: The Almost People

   

(Slight spoilers present)

Last week, when I talked about "The Rebel Flesh" (part one of this two-parter), I stated

But the last fifteen minutes? Things were a little too rushed, and I could see the ending coming long before it happened. It's the first half of a two-parter, so I can forgive it that....but it seems off to a pretty good start.

At the risk of, well, being "unmutual" (in Prisoner speak), "The Almost People" didn't quite work for m.

In terms of pacing, Julian Simpson did a great job in increasing the tension. In fact, there's nothing from a direction standpoint that is wrong with this episode - it moves at a pretty fast face. And when it needs to, it slows down the pace with at least one genuine human moment. (Or two, if you count the duplicate Doctor's "remembering" to past incarnations...)

However, from a writing standpoint, there are some obviously familiar story beats, so much so that I found myself engaging in Radio Free Skaro-esque levels of pedantry while watching. Granted, there isn't much to a plot like this, which is a basic staple, and Graham throws in a few nice touches (including a Cloverfield-esque monster), but these same story beats could have been handled slightly more creatively.

And then, without spoiling too much, there is a major deus ex machina that leads into the arc for this "mini-season" which seems....well, forced. Too much of the script seems like it was rushed through in order to get to the lead-in for "A Good Man Goes to War". Admittedly, breaking up a season allows for building excitement and for a change in pacing and narrative. However, much like the McCoy/McGann regeneration in the TV Movie, perhaps season six/seven of new Who demonstrates possibly why that is not such a good idea.

I'm not hating this episode, just extremely disappointed....and my enthusiasm for the mid-season closer slightly dampened.

Season Six Sundays: The Rebel Flesh

(Although I will try to avoid spoilers, there may be some minor ones. Proceed with caution...)

One of the things that I like to do when I watch anything is to try to find something of worth - and to reevaluate a person's work on a regular basis.

Matthew Graham is one of those writers - I loved Life on Mars, and I personally thought that Fear Her wasn't that bad. (Had Russell T. Davies not thrown in some overtly sentimental material about the Olympics, the underlying premise would have definitely been a corker). So I had high hopes for The Rebel Flesh....

...and there's a lot to like, but being the first part of a two-parter, there's a lot that leaves to be desired.

Thankfully, this episode is equal parts Troughton base-under-siege and Phillip Hinchcliffe-style atmospherics. There's a great sense of dramatic tension, a kind of appropriately creepy premise, and quite frankly, the first two thirds of this episode are good at building a sense of dread. I'm also granting kudos to Arthur Darvill as Rory, who seems to be the "reluctant companion" - a character who may be played for laughs at times, but who also can bring a strong sense of humanity to the proceedings.

But the last fifteen minutes? Things were a little too rushed, and I could see the ending coming long before it happened. It's the first half of a two-parter, so I can forgive it that....but it seems off to a pretty good start.

It's not an "instant classic", but it's a pretty solid effort. And much, much better than "Fear Her".

Season Six Sundays: The Doctor's Wife

Earlier this week, Steven Moffatt had some very strong words about people who spoil episodes. It's a challenge for me - although I don't mind seeking out spoilers for my own entertainment, I do try to not spoil when I'm blogging about or writing about a movie/book/episode.

I say this as an introduction because with "The Doctor's Wife", I don't want to spoil it. Although there's much to enjoy, I think much of that enjoyment is in the way writer Neil Gaiman tells this story.

Admittedly, I'm a little Gaiman-ed out at the moment: the Chicago Public Library recently featured Neverwhere as part of its "One Book, One Chicago" program, so I've seen much more Gaiman love on Twitter than perhaps others have. I was prepared to see a nice, well told story at the very least....but what I received was, well, nothing short of spectacular.

Gaiman provides a very intriguing premise - several, in fact - that I'm surprised have never been used either in classic or newer Who. Much of the joy of this episode comes in the fact that it's a much broader, deeper emotional spectrum than we have seen in new Wbo. Just when you think that this was going to turn into fanwank, it actually plays up to one of Gaiman's strengths - taking pieces of familiar tales (like his work in Sandman, 1602 for Marvel), pulling some familiar nuances, and placing them in a slightly different, more intriguing context.

In many ways (at least, for me) this episode is reminiscent of Rob Shearman's Dalek in 2005 - not in terms of tone and content, but in the way that it takes a familiar Doctor Who concept and not only slightly reinvents it, but gives it much greater emotional resonance.

This is definitely classic Who, and hopefully, Mr. Gaiman will write another script for Moffatt-era Who. But if he doesn't.....he's left his mark.

Now as for me, off to the library to check out American Gods

Season Six Sundays: Curse of the Black Spot

Full disclosure - never really been much of a pirate guy. Don't see the appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean, and I prefer Adventures of Robin Hood over Captain Blood.

So this week's episode of Doctor Who - a well-needed done-in-45-minutes romp after the intricate plotting of the previous two stories - would seem less than impressive. Although I didn't hate this episode, I really just thought it was pretty much a by-the-numbers affair.

(For those who would know better - wasn't this originally scheduled to be episode 9? If so, it's smart that they moved this up, because it's a much better fit in terms of episode flow. Plus, the references to the Larger Season Arc™ are included, so we don't lose any narrative momentum).

In short, it's a fun episode - after the drama of the first two episodes, we need a break. It's pretty much by-the-numbers Who, and quite frankly, it's pleasurable, but if you missed it....you didn't miss much.

Next week, an episode by a guy named Neil Gaiman. Never heard of him. :)

Season Six Sundays: Day of the Moon

(Minor Spoilers follow)

Only on Doctor Who would Richard Nixon not only be seen in a semi-heroic light, but would be given an appropriate rationale for his legendary paranoia.

One of the great - yet simultaneously frustrating - aspects about Day of the Moon is that for every resolution, there are multiple questions. Yes, I realize that the rest of the season will provide some answers, but there's enough unanswered questions to motivate further watching. It's part of the overall creepiness of this episode - there's a sense of dread that permeates through this episode. Maybe it's the fact that this isn't the typical all-done-in-two-parts story, but there are plenty of nods to series past.

It's also a little....well, I had one little qualm with this episode. It's with the ultimate resolution, which doesn't quite work for me on two levels. (And I'm going to be purposefully vague). First, there's a slight hostility and overall menace in the Doctor's tone towards the silence that...although I like the inversion of the usual aliens-take-over formula, makes the Doctor seem needlessly vindictive. The other is that, well, given our knowledge of "recent" history, the way the situation is resolved seems a little far-fetched....but I'm being a little too picky.

And the last five minutes - game changer. Seriously.

Next week - pirates. I hate pirates, but I'll force myself to watch.

Season Six Sundays: The Impossible Astronaut

(Although I'll work hard to avoid spoiling, some spoilers may be present in this post. Read at your own peril...)

One of the great things about catching the premiere of Doctor Who this past Wednesday (two days before the official broadcast) is the socializing - not just the pre-event fish and chips (with some really cool new - and one old friend), but during (with the group reaction) and after (talking about how awesome the episode was).

Even putting aside my own love of the show, The Impossible Astronaut is, quite frankly, a masterwork, where Steven Moffatt places his own stamp on the show.

Especially the first fifteen minutes - yes, we are introduced to several key mysteries that will be dealt with throughout the season. It's hard to discuss without spoiling, but let me say this - you can not only find plot details elsewhere (like Wikipedia), but half the joy of this episode is watching events unfold and saying, "I can't believe they just did that." It is, in short, an opening that will guarantee (at the very least) a strong, consistent viewing for the next few episodes.

It's also one where we begin seeing a huge layer of depth to the companions, most notably Amy Pond and Rory. Seriously - I'm loving Rory, who seems to play the role of the "voice of reason" in the TARDIS. There's even a scene between he and River Song that - even though we know the outcome - still seems incredibly heartbreaking.

And the footage shot in Utah? Breathtaking. Definitely worth the money spent, and feature film quality as well. It's not just simple second unit establishing shots, either.

If you've seen this already, and are thinking about writing about it, please do, but go one better - don't spoil it. Tell your colleagues that the episode is available via iTunes for purchase. (In England, encourage use of the BBC iPlayer). Because something like this doesn't deserve to be spoiled - it deserves to be shared.

Game on, Mr. Moffatt. Let's see what you have cooked up for "Day of the Moon".