Fuck you, fuck your crayons and fuck your episode.
Indeed, I think one of the best things about Doctor Who is the way in which has encouraged me to consider stuff like story structure, pacing, direction and all those niggly little things that people like to talk about when they're trying to sound clever. This doesn't mean that the show gets a free pass, far from it. But as with anything you really love you're usually willing to put up with a bit more then you otherwise might. However, even all that said sometimes they'll do something stupid that just kinda gets to you.
The Angels Take Manhattan is one of those times.
Now, I don't really want to imply that it's a bad episode per se. Because it isn't. It's actually got a lot to like. There's some good atmosphere in there, and some fun ideas in the plot. Hell, Rory even manages to die THREE times, presumably in an effort to make up for not getting killed at all so far this season.
Probably should have mentioned this first.
As send offs for companions go it's right up there with the best of them. Except for one or two rather large issues.
Firstly I'm going to prove just how utterly churlish I am and talk about the title. This was the only one of the episodes whose title alone gave me pause. I mean, we knew this was going to be Amy and Rory's final story, and it would feature the Weeping Angels. So we'd expect something dark, creepy and tragic in terms of the material. So maybe it's better to not immediately evoke the Muppets before we've even got started.
This happened, right?
But really it's hardly a deal breaker. Just stuck me as a little odd that they really couldn't come up with a better title than that. No, the real problem going was a stupid rumour I'd seen on the internet somewhere that was so retarded that I could hardly give it credence. I mean, really, it was that stupid that no sane person would consider it.
Then I glimpsed a spoiler image somewhere else online and spent the rest of the intervening time desperately trying to convince myself I hadn't actually seen it. I think you know what I'm talking about here. And yet, before the opening credits even rolled there it was.
THIS. THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE.
Yeah.... When I talked about doing stupid stuff earlier? This is exactly what I'm talking about. And this is what spoiled the episode for me. Because the only dread I was feeling was the dread that this was going to happen. And then it did so the only emotion I was capable of engaging was one of utter disbelief.
Let's break it down though. Now, I don't mean to imply that the Angels shouldn't appear in any other forms than the standard model. The use of other statues in the episode is fairly effective, particularly the cherubs. Those were creepy as hell. Which is rather the point. The thing that makes the Angels scary is how they're only statues when you can see them. The rest of the time they're sneaking up behind you. It's the sneaky subtle approach that makes them so creepy.
Making one 111 feet tall is basically the antithesis of their entire being. I mean, think about it. When the hell is this thing ever going to be out of anyone line of sight long enough to actually DO anything? And what the hell is it supposed to do anyway? It can't sneak up on anyone. They even show this in the episode with all the Godzilla stomping going on. It's just..... dumb. It's like the writer doesn't even know what makes the Angels work as monsters. Which is kinda worrying when you consider who the writer actually is.
Also the statue of liberty is made of copper, not stone. That bugs me for some reason, even though I know full well I have no basis to dispute the functions of magic fictional quantum biology. I am a bad fan.
The other problem with this is a technical one, and not really one that bothered me. In a way I was glad that the big reveal of the monster happened before the titles as it meant I wasn't going to spend the whole episode worrying it was going to happen. But it does seem a bit of an odd place to do it. Normally you'd have whoever was getting stalked taken out by an offscreen, out of focus unrevealed SOMETHING. You know, like Bigfoot. Thus building suspense and increasing the impact of the big reveal. Presumably someone thought this monstrosity was a good idea, so it seems bizarre to blow the impact like that.
Still, never mind eh. It would hardly be the first time a Doctor Who monster has gone a bit premature in New York.
And this from the show that popularized the concept of spoilers being a BAD thing.
After that it all goes quite well. Decent atmosphere, a decent plot with some fun timey wimey elements. At least as long as you don't look at it TOO hard. We could have probably lived without the Doctor suddenly sprouting miraculous healing powers that have never been mentioned before and in all probability never will again, but then what can you do? Just fetch a medical kit from the TARDIS? The TARDIS that you're sitting RIGHT NEXT TO?
Why use logic when you can use plot holes?
Anyway, things proceed apace towards their final conclusion. It's nice to see Rory fixing the problem in the way he knows best: By dying at it until it goes away. The final shocking twist is, surprisingly actually kinda shocking in it's suddenness. Even though we all know it's coming somehow. Although I have to admit it's kinda hard to be all that tragic when the cruel fate handed out is one living your life. I mean, when Amy's name appears on the tombstone shouldn't the Doctor be relieved? Happy even?
The script then gets a bit heavy handed with the whole not travelling alone thing. Really I think it should have been confined to the final note from Amy alone, rather than being prefaced with the exact same speech coming from River. Especially considering how hypocritical her attitude is in that respect. Still, it's setting things up for the new companion, so that's all pretty good.
Hey, anyone else familiar with the concept of Fridge Logic?
One of the major points of the episode is how foreknowledge of an event can cause it to become an inescapable point of destiny. If you've witnessed your own future then it become a fixed point, even down to the point of reading about it in a book.
In a book, yes. But not on a gravestone apparently. I mean, does it not strike anyone else as a little odd that they spend the whole episode going on about that, and that trying to change destiny will cause terrible world threatening paradoxes, and then have Amy go and do exactly that. In an area that is temporally unstable to boot. Time changed and nobody blew up.
Never one around when you need one.
Now, I know the point of the scene is the emotions and characters, and not the fact that it contradicts the entire rest of the episode. It's showing how much Amy loves Rory, whilst conveniently getting the pair of them out of the way. But still, it's a bit of an issue. But then so is the existence of buses.
Now, at the end of the episode we know that New York is a temporal wreck, and that the TARDIS can never go back there. This has the duel advantage of cutting down on all that expensive overseas shooting and giving everyone who didn't like Evolution Of The Daleks an excuse to pretend it never happened. But unless this temporal distortion covers the entirety of human history, what's to stop Amy and the Doctor just landing the TARDIS in say, ANYWHERE NEARBY AT ALL and just getting a tram in? Rig up a quick Rory detector and of you go. I mean, his age at death is written right there on the tombstone. Check the records, subtract one number from the other and you've got a reasonable time-frame to work in. Just get there early and camp out.
Again, I know full well I'm missing the point here, but is logical consistency REALLY to much to ask for? Besides which, if you hadn't noticed, I kinda enjoy nitpicking at this sort of thing. Because really, at the end of the day, isn't that what fandom is all about?
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