The final episode before the mid-season break, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This episode brings the word “epic” to a whole new level. My mind is, to say it again, totally blown. WHEW. Once again, just in case someone isn’t paying attention, THIS POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS. You have been aptly warned.
Let’s start where the episode starts: With the most epic couple minutes of your entire life. Rory waltzes into a cybermen meeting room, all dressed up in his Roman gear, and decides that he’s totally badass. Example of badassery (although watching it yourself would be a better use of time):
Rory (walks in all badass with lens flares and the like, glaring at cybermen): I have a message and a question. A message from the Doctor and a question from me. WHERE. IS. MY. WIFE?
Cybermen (no response to badassery)
Rory (glares condescendingly): Oh don’t give me those blank looks. The 12th cyber legion monitors this entire quadrant. (paces) You hear everything. So you tell me what I need to know. You tell me NOW, and I’ll be on my way. (stops pacing in front of big window, where tons of other cyber ships can be seen)
Cybermen: What is the Doctor’s message?
Rory (stands completely still as the ships in the background through the window explode, glaring) (Close up): Would you like me to repeat the question?
AAAAAAAAAAAAH. WHEN DID RORY GET SO AWESOME? I could seriously watch the beginning of this episode over and over and over and over…
Ok. Moving on from Rory’s badassery (of which there is a lot in this episode), let’s get to the brunt of this episode.
Quick summary: Eye patch lady takes baby Melody away, Amy promises Rory will always find/protect her. Soldiers gossip about the Doctor, shy away from creepy monks (that, surprise, turn out to be ACTUALLY headless). The Doctor goes around time and space to collect on debts owed by a variety of people. Commander makes a big speech about the Doctor being only a man, then the Doctor surprises everyone by being dressed like a headless monk and completely turns everything around. His army of debt-owers take over the base, Rory finds Amy and brings along Melody. The Doctor apparently speaks baby. Eye patch lady escapes (how? We’ll get to this) and it turns out that MELODY IS FLESH TOO. EYE PATCH LADY STILL HAS BABY. River Song is grown up baby Melody (“The only water in the forest is the river”). The Doctor gets excited, leaves. End of episode.
First thing, how the heck did eye patch lady escape? They had her in custody with our new friend Colonel Runaway, right?? Or did they just let them go after that? Weird. Unexplained. Moving on.
Second, even though nothing really happened until the last few minutes, MAN was this an epic episode. All sorts of people showed up from last season and earlier this season and it had the feel of one of those awesome reunion finales, where all the characters come together for a central goal. Cool.
Third, I just thought this line from Kyle Anderson’s review was funny: “The Eleventh Doctor has an interesting way of dealing with large threats which is to act like he doesn’t give a shit.”
Fourth, eye patch lady claims that the reason she’s taken Melody for use as a weapon is because there’s a war going on; a war against the Doctor. This brings up a lot of old wounds for the Doctor in which he has to come to terms with the fact that he, good and virtuous as he tries to be, is seen as something of a warrior. For someone like the Doctor, who tries his hardest to keep people from dying during his rescue plots, who is constantly seeking forgiveness for his actions against his people, being known as a warrior, as a killer, as a threat, can’t be easy.
Whew. This episode is just so damn good. It’s got heartbreak (Melody flesh replica, Lorna Bucket death), action (monk vs Doctor’s army), fun (Doctor speaks baby), and secret reveals (River Song is Melody Pond). It was epic in all the right places, touching in all the right places, and, above all, a fantastic sendoff for the summer. If they had to end on any episode, I’m glad it was this one.
Now, for some housekeeping. I said I was going to do a series of 7 Doctor Who posts to correspond with the 7 episodes, but I ended up combining the flesh episodes into one post. However, I’m still going to write you seven posts- the final post will just be what I hope to see in the future of Doctor Who. Savvy? See you Monday!
