Series 5, Episode 4 - "The Time of Angels"

pixelburp

It's Friday afternoon, which means only one thing: I'm bored in work and I'm starting another thread for tomorrow's episode. By jove, huzzah! I must say I'm looking forward to this story - River Song + the creepy angels, you can't go wrong.

Stuff these clips in your eye-holes people:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkJlakn8zTw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4RPOSQcmnc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRLdvX6sXvY

Motley Crue

I'm wondering where the Doctor got his knowledge of these angels in the first place, since the last episode featuring them only featured the Doctor in a cameo role, and it was Sally Sparrow who had the lead - I wonder will she make a return in some form?

Obviously the most important thing about this episode is the return of River Song, and exactly what her relationship to the Doctor is, and whether she had manipulated him or whether (if everything she says is true) they were romantically involved and she is his wife or lover. You won't find out anything, I don't think, in this episode...but I do think that it will give you more hints and clues as to what could be coming up in the Doctor's life...she may even react differently upon seeing the Doctor with a different face...maybe this is the one she remembers so fondly?

Sleepy

*REALLY* looking forward to this one.

iUseVi

AHHHH! Want to watch them but don't want to spoil it. :P

BlitzKrieg

why do I always make the mistake and think doctor who airs on friday???

I momentarily got very excited there and went to boot up bbc iplayer...

Aoifums

Half of me can't wait and the other half is dreading it. I loved Blink and I don't want anything to spoil it. I love River Song, even if her episodes weren't great.

I don't know should I watch the clips or not Soooo tempting, but spoilers are bad

pixelburp

To be fair the clips aren't that spoilery, just a couple of talky scenes; the third one is hella creepy though, this could be a scary 'un

iUseVi

Bored. Thought I'd scare you all. Even a google image search freaks me out a bit. :eek:

Doctor DooM

iUseVi wrote: »

Bored. Thought I'd scare you all. Even a google image search freaks me out a bit. :eek:

Think I went out with her.

iUseVi

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Think I went out with her.

She looks a bit distressed. Bad break up?

Busi_Girl08

Haha! I loved when the Doctor

made the TARDIS noise

Doctor DooM

iUseVi wrote: »

She looks a bit distressed. Bad break up?

I told her it wasn't me, it was the killing loads of people by displacing them.

Killer_banana

Wow, just, wow. That was amazing! I don't think there was on bad thing about that episode...well the whole 'don't look into the eyes of an angel' thing confused me a bit since I'm pretty sure Sally Sparrow did without turning to stone but it looks like it'll be explained next week so I'll reserve judgement.

Speaking of next week, it looks like it's going to be just as good, if not better than this week.

Wonder if the scene with the crack will be the end of the crack storyline or just a major development in it (if it's not the end than the OTT 'foreshadowing' annoys me even more.

So yeah, sorry that this post is basically just me going 'Oh my God it was ****ing brilliant, wooooooooow!!!11!11one' repeatedly and pointlessly but hey, at least it's shorter than normal. =P

doctorwhogirl

I'm about to head out so very short post, as above said!!!

Fcuking amazing. Cannot wait for next week. This is definitely one I'll be rewatching throughout the week!

Doctor DooM

Top quality.


The DooM is pleased.

Pittens

excellent episode. Aliens. Cinematic quality. Matt Smith on fire. Amy and Dr Song on song. Brill

iUseVi

What is better than one angel? Lots of angels! Yay. Starting sequence with Song was awesome.

Doctor DooM

Actully I need to rewatch too. It's like the only time people want to talk to me is mid Dr Who

rossie1977

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Actully I need to rewatch too. It's like the only time people want to talk to me is mid Dr Who

same here, i had to throw stuff at people to stop them talking during the episode

easily the best episode of the new series so far, very aliensesque, james cameron would be proud

Ginny

Loved it!!!
Hated BBC HD's jumpiness during it.

Daemos

Agreed, very good episode. Interested to see how it finishes, but I'm sure that since it's a Moffat episode we won't be disappointed.

Also nice that they'll notice the crack in the next episode...

Agent J

If you are going to hunt statues, bring sledgehammers instead of guns!

Harmsden

I like how the start of the episode is a continuation from last week's episode. Time has been altered and the Doctor visits a future museum to find out how much has been changed and how much is 'wrong'.

Nice riff on Ringu. It's possible to say it's a complete rip-off but the idea of creatures emerging from images is so old you'll have a tough time proving it.

Spooky plot with shades of Tomb of the Cybermen. Can't wait for next week.

aidan_walsh

Time has been altered and the Doctor visits a future museum to find out how much has been changed and how much is 'wrong'.

Really? I thought he was critiquing the curators.

Doctor DooM

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Really? I thought he was critiquing the curators.

I thought so too, although it'd be quite clever if the alternative was true.

KenHy

Personally thought it was him looking to see how history had changed. I hope we find out sooner rather than later though! the lack of the Doctor investigeting that is rather inexpliciable!

Great episode though, definitely the best so far.

BlitzKrieg

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Really? I thought he was critiquing the curators.

he was, cause one of the lines were *That's one of mine*


I didnt like the james bond esque river song opening, i perferred it when she's more chummy taking out her diary which she gets into later...but her being this sort of super slick woman doesnt work for me cause she looks like a history teacher (which I assume is the appeal for the doctor)

explanations are well paced in this and hopefully more will come cause there were a few points I was wondering why there were all this needless extra elements to the angels (the tv, breaking necks) when the original episode had it so simple yet brilliantly executed (the lack of time confusion ala blink is disapointing ) the timing though of the two heads revelation was great though, cause I had literally asked 30 seconds before hand the same question.

Overall a big improvement on last weeks but not moffet's strongest work.

Jessibelle

I HATE moving statues and Weeping Angels.




loved the episode, scared me back to childhood though, 'Ark in Space' scared which says a lot

aidan_walsh

Somehow the two head thing never copped with me. Instead, I ended up thinking the revelation was going to be the fact that none of the other statues had eyes (harking back to their defeat in Blink).

Manach

I thought it was fairly good, but not in the same league as 'Blink'. It did not have the same scary edge, though Amy trapped in the trailer came close.
I'd look forward to the next episode and to see how the Church Militant handles the gorgoyles.

BlitzKrieg

forgot about the church guys...had to say

Warhammer 40k fans must be thrilled to get such an obvious nod by doctor who...though clearly the budget couldnt afford big shoulder pads and chainsaw swords

iUseVi

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

forgot about the church guys...had to say

Warhammer 40k fans must be thrilled to get such an obvious nod by doctor who...though clearly the budget couldnt afford big shoulder pads and chainsaw swords

Ha ha. Space marines VS angels. Coming to a cinema near you soon.

Some classic lines this week; when Song called the Doctor "sweatheart" I think it was? Or was it "sweety". Dang need to re-watch that.

Pittens

you dont have to die with me, i'm not that clingy.

Amy to Doctor.

Sleepy

From Silence in the Library:

'Crash of the Byzantium, have we done that yet?'

River Song's given us a spoiler list of her episodes.

Agent J

A thought struck me while watching it the first time. In expressing this thought i have to confess to having actually read the book.

The whole river/Doctor relationship. It striking me as very "Time travellers wife" ish the way it develops in this episode.

Pittens

The whole river/Doctor relationship. It striking me as very "Time travellers wife" ish the way it develops in this episode.

A relationship across time is going to be Time Traveller Wifish isnt it?. The meeting of Amy when younger seemed a bit like that too.

anotherlostie

Very good. But I thought it could have done without Amy turning to stone - a rehash of the Fires of Pompeii with those sfx, I thought. And the Angels talking through dead people - well that was like the communicators in the Library episodes. I hope they explain why they aren't sending people back through time anymore, and breaking their necks instead.

Amy in the trailer was a great scene, and when they lit up the cave to show all the statues was a real wow moment. Looking forward to Part 2 now.

ixoy

Excellent episode. As has been commented here and elsewhere, I really didn't notice the time go by - always a good sign.

River Song is a great character. A lot of that is to do with her sheer familiarity with the Doctor. It's not a question of her forcing her personality down someone's throat by being over-bearing. It's more to do with the casual acquaintance of knowing someone for years and yet them not having that same advantage. It's well played and she's my favourite re-occurring character (ever since they screwed up the Master).

The Weeping Angels were well done of course and they're great for tension (helped by the episode being aptly directed). Sure there was a Ringu moment but it fitted in context with what we are being told. Turning it into a bit of an Aliens-scenario is good - after all "Aliens" itself also took a solo-horror and made it more action orientated. Would like to also know though why they're killing people this time - I imagine it will be explained.

Lots to look forward to next week. Worst bit is I may be without TV!!!! Eeek!

Ziggy_1972

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

why do I always make the mistake and think doctor who airs on friday???

I momentarily got very excited there and went to boot up bbc iplayer...

Does BBC Iplayer work in Ireland now? Or ar you based in UK?

pixelburp

Well that was a kick ass episode & my estimations were right - Moffat aped "Aliens" by pitching soldiers vs. the alien threat. It's a standard template since then for sequels anyway: pitch your titular menace against a demographic seemingly more capable at handling the threat & watch them go to pieces.

Great tension and pacing throughout the episode, whoever the director was really knew how to make those little creepy moments & maximise the affect the angels had. That scene in the trailer creeped the bejesus out of me The script was spot-on and had some great dialogue in it with the Doc / Amy / River triangle. My fav was also the "you dont have to die with me, i'm not that clingy" line

I wasn't sure what the point of the Church-as-Soldiers idea was? It didn't seem to have any point beyond a few comments about preying and the different ranks.

Love the cliffhanger, it was a nice twist on the standard "in peril" one & my first reaction was to declare "What? It's over already?!"

The only real negative? I'm gonna miss the next two episodes! Hurray for holidays in Bermuda but boo to missing the second part of this

Ziggy_1972

So the question is, Who Is River Song?
She's not his wife, the hints have been too heavy-handed.
Could she possibly be Genny? Is this why the Doctor doesn't recognise her, because it's himself?

pixelburp

Ziggy_1972 wrote: »

So the question is, Who Is River Song?
She's not his wife, the hints have been too heavy-handed.
Could she possibly be Genny? Is this why the Doctor doesn't recognise her, because it's himself?

Possibly, as mentioned in the other thread I like that idea, but some of River's comments are a tad too faimilar & a bit creepy if she's his daughter. I mean what girl calls their dad "sweetie"?

Killer_banana

ixoy wrote: »

Would like to also know though why they're killing people this time - I imagine it will be explained.

The way I interpreted it was they snapped the soldiers necks so they could gain voices to trick other soldiers and also to communicate with the Doctor since they had none of their own. I presumed once they trapped the Doctor and whoever else that they'd send them back in time like usual.

As for who is River. I still think she's his wife or something similar. I don't why, nothing else seems to fit for me. Whoever she is I definitely don't think she's the Doctor himself. I don't think it'd make sense if regeneration could cause a change in gender. It just seems silly Can you imagine your wife regenerating and becoming a man? That would be awkward. :P I don't think River is a Timelord at all, if she was I don't think she'd need as much help from the Doctor. Then again, she speaks Gallifreyan so who knows?

Edit: The more I think it about it the more I think the heavy-handed hints were there to throw people off. Especially when River said 'With someone as amazing as the Doctor do you think it could be something so simple?' Moffat's trying to misdirect us I think.

BlitzKrieg

Ziggy_1972 wrote: »

Does BBC Iplayer work in Ireland now? Or ar you based in UK?

based in the uk...

Ziggy_1972

pixelburp wrote: »

Possibly, as mentioned in the other thread I like that idea, but some of River's comments are a tad too faimilar & a bit creepy if she's his daughter. I mean what girl calls their dad "sweetie"?

Yeah, but she's not really his daughter, she's his clone. She's basically HIM.
And who amongst us has never looked in the mirror and said "Hi Sweetie"?

aidan_walsh

I'd be very disappointed in River was Jenny, solely for the reason that that would mean that her ship hadn't careened into the sun.

pixelburp

ixoy wrote: »

[...] Would like to also know though why they're killing people this time - I imagine it will be explained.

Actually, on this: what was the reason for the forced time-travel victims endured in the Angels' first appearance?

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Fantastic episode... Loved every second... The Doctor making the whoosing noise of the TARDIS was a personal highlight...

Daemos

pixelburp wrote: »

Actually, on this: what was the reason for the forced time-travel victims endured in the Angels' first appearance?

They lived off the potential energy from the lives they would have lived.

Also in relation to snapping their necks, The Doctor did reference that it was strange and that they must need them for something, so assuming there's another reason besides the voice thing, I'm sure it will be explained.

Fysh

Agent J wrote: »

The whole river/Doctor relationship. It striking me as very "Time travellers wife" ish the way it develops in this episode.

I agree, but this was very much the case with the two-parter where River Song was introduced so it makes sense for the relationship to have the same overall nature.

Dacelonid

ixoy wrote: »

Would like to also know though why they're killing people this time - I imagine it will be explained.

I imagined that it was because they were getting enough energy/food from the crashed ship and didn't need to feed and so didn't bother with the sending them back in time thing.

Cracking episode. As a few people have said already, I didn't notice the time flying by and then when the cliffhanger happened I was like WTF, it can't be finished already. Roll on next week