DW 5.07. Amy's Choice.
"Come back."
That, for me, was the moment of the episode. It was the way the words were spoken - blankly, with incomprehension - the way a child might speak. It was just so utterly, absolutely perfect, that I can't really explain it. I just know that it showed Amy losing her whole world better than anything else.
Actually the whole scene was wonderful, especially the part where Rory cut off his ponytail - it was such a ridiculous, hideous thing, and then they managed to turn it into something incredibly moving - again, very much hanging on Amy's reaction. (Really the ponytail was utterly brilliant throughout.)
But back to the death scene. I loved Amy's "Save him. You save everyone; you always do. That's what you do." - because it's not true. Angel Bob for starters, as well as the other clerics, Octavian, Isabella, Guido... but it beautifully highlighted the difference between other people's lives and your own. (People get run over by cars every day. We know this, and yet if it happens to someone we love suddenly it's different.)
And can anyone tell me what Amy's 'Then what are you for?' is a callback to? It sounds incredibly familiar, but I can't place it. ETA: It's what Gwen says to Jack in EoD after Rhys is killed! (Thank you solitary_summer!) I've actually been pondering the parallels in the relationships, right down to both men being called Williams. :)
As for the Dream Lord - at first I thought it might be the Trickster, but once we got 'Only one person in the universe hates me that much' I started leaning towards... well, the girls are watching the Confidential right now, and I overheard this exchange:
TV: 'Only one person in the universe hates me this much'
Impish Girl: The Master!
Miss M: No it's himself!
Impish Girl: I know!
Miss M: But that means he hates himself.
Impish Girl: Awwww...
I'm reminded of the Red Dwarf episode where Lister's confidence and insecurities become real, although the Dream Lord was much more interesting (since the Doctor is somewhat more layered that Lister! *g*) Also I am terribly pleased that the Doctor's dark side sounds so much like the Master ('The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?'). It was fascinating to re-watch it, actually, knowing that it was the Doctor, because it put a different spin on everything. I can't really process it all yet, so I'll probably come back to it later - it's all very complex and the Doctor is wonderfully twisted.
Btw there was one point where I wish they'd gone a little further - the bit at the end where the Doctor remarks something about how he shouldn't be alone, because 'you know what happens then'. Which... I don't think they do. So I wish it had gone on like this:
Amy: You... talk to yourself?
The Doctor: I go insane and get delusions of Godhood. Not pretty, trust me.
(Waters of Mars, how I love thee...)
I will just make the point that the Doctor is a tricky person to be with. The whole dream scape thing was essentially nothing more than the Doctor forcing Amy into making a choice. Of course it worked, but it was rather traumatising and dark. Not that I don't love it, it just highlighted how other the Doctor is. (Not in his aims, per se, but in how he achieves them.)
Must also point out how much I like Rory, partly because he's so unapologetic in his wishes. He wants a happy, normal life, and he is adamant that this is *not* inferior, or a lesser choice. The lovely scene at the beginning where the Doctor is bored out of his mind is great because of it. "What do you do?" "We live."
As for Amy's Choice then I couldn't help comparing it to Rose's in PotW...
MICKEY: If you go back, you're gonna die.
ROSE: That's a risk I've gotta take. 'Cos there's nothing left for me here.
MICKEY: Nothing?
ROSE: No.
Now it's not set up the same at all (it's different risking your own life as opposed to watching someone else die), but still - Rose does not want a life without the Doctor. Amy, in this ep, realises that she doesn't want one without Rory. That's just who they are. And I know that Mickey is taking a lot of flak at the moment (since everyone is obviously comparing him to Rory, and Mickey didn't shine until later), but I just want to say that his response to Rose is great:
MICKEY (with dignity): Okay, if that's what you think... let's get this thing open.
There is also the fact that Rory has know about (and been in the shadow of) the Doctor almost his whole life...
ETA: This also comes into play re. Amy choosing Rory, I think. Yes she has known the Doctor since she was 7 - a mystical, fantastical person, but Rory was there. And, being human, we tend take what we have for granted. I think Amy realised that Rory was her touchstone, the calm centre to keep her grounded, and without that she'd be lost. (Sorry if this is all v. obvious.)
Also (as selenak notes in her review) they mention the 'not growing up' aspects in conversation, and then the story follows up with making Amy grow up when she sees that her childhood hero can't fix anything. That's very nice writing. :)
ETA2: Another thing - yes, Amy chose Rory, but I think she very much chose *him*, but probably not his particular version of life. (The Confidential made clear that she had to choose between Rory's dream & the Doctor's.) She was obviously quite bored as a country doctor's wife, and I think Rory probably picked up on that, so hopefully once they leave the TARDIS they'll find something they can both enjoy. :)
Anyway I am THRILLED that we have a trio in the TARDIS, and there were tons of brilliant scenes that I want to remark on but haven't got the time - like the Doctor in the armless jumper. And now I have to run off and be busy...
That, for me, was the moment of the episode. It was the way the words were spoken - blankly, with incomprehension - the way a child might speak. It was just so utterly, absolutely perfect, that I can't really explain it. I just know that it showed Amy losing her whole world better than anything else.
Actually the whole scene was wonderful, especially the part where Rory cut off his ponytail - it was such a ridiculous, hideous thing, and then they managed to turn it into something incredibly moving - again, very much hanging on Amy's reaction. (Really the ponytail was utterly brilliant throughout.)
But back to the death scene. I loved Amy's "Save him. You save everyone; you always do. That's what you do." - because it's not true. Angel Bob for starters, as well as the other clerics, Octavian, Isabella, Guido... but it beautifully highlighted the difference between other people's lives and your own. (People get run over by cars every day. We know this, and yet if it happens to someone we love suddenly it's different.)
And can anyone tell me what Amy's 'Then what are you for?' is a callback to? It sounds incredibly familiar, but I can't place it. ETA: It's what Gwen says to Jack in EoD after Rhys is killed! (Thank you solitary_summer!) I've actually been pondering the parallels in the relationships, right down to both men being called Williams. :)
As for the Dream Lord - at first I thought it might be the Trickster, but once we got 'Only one person in the universe hates me that much' I started leaning towards... well, the girls are watching the Confidential right now, and I overheard this exchange:
TV: 'Only one person in the universe hates me this much'
Impish Girl: The Master!
Miss M: No it's himself!
Impish Girl: I know!
Miss M: But that means he hates himself.
Impish Girl: Awwww...
I'm reminded of the Red Dwarf episode where Lister's confidence and insecurities become real, although the Dream Lord was much more interesting (since the Doctor is somewhat more layered that Lister! *g*) Also I am terribly pleased that the Doctor's dark side sounds so much like the Master ('The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?'). It was fascinating to re-watch it, actually, knowing that it was the Doctor, because it put a different spin on everything. I can't really process it all yet, so I'll probably come back to it later - it's all very complex and the Doctor is wonderfully twisted.
Btw there was one point where I wish they'd gone a little further - the bit at the end where the Doctor remarks something about how he shouldn't be alone, because 'you know what happens then'. Which... I don't think they do. So I wish it had gone on like this:
Amy: You... talk to yourself?
The Doctor: I go insane and get delusions of Godhood. Not pretty, trust me.
(Waters of Mars, how I love thee...)
I will just make the point that the Doctor is a tricky person to be with. The whole dream scape thing was essentially nothing more than the Doctor forcing Amy into making a choice. Of course it worked, but it was rather traumatising and dark. Not that I don't love it, it just highlighted how other the Doctor is. (Not in his aims, per se, but in how he achieves them.)
Must also point out how much I like Rory, partly because he's so unapologetic in his wishes. He wants a happy, normal life, and he is adamant that this is *not* inferior, or a lesser choice. The lovely scene at the beginning where the Doctor is bored out of his mind is great because of it. "What do you do?" "We live."
As for Amy's Choice then I couldn't help comparing it to Rose's in PotW...
MICKEY: If you go back, you're gonna die.
ROSE: That's a risk I've gotta take. 'Cos there's nothing left for me here.
MICKEY: Nothing?
ROSE: No.
Now it's not set up the same at all (it's different risking your own life as opposed to watching someone else die), but still - Rose does not want a life without the Doctor. Amy, in this ep, realises that she doesn't want one without Rory. That's just who they are. And I know that Mickey is taking a lot of flak at the moment (since everyone is obviously comparing him to Rory, and Mickey didn't shine until later), but I just want to say that his response to Rose is great:
MICKEY (with dignity): Okay, if that's what you think... let's get this thing open.
There is also the fact that Rory has know about (and been in the shadow of) the Doctor almost his whole life...
ETA: This also comes into play re. Amy choosing Rory, I think. Yes she has known the Doctor since she was 7 - a mystical, fantastical person, but Rory was there. And, being human, we tend take what we have for granted. I think Amy realised that Rory was her touchstone, the calm centre to keep her grounded, and without that she'd be lost. (Sorry if this is all v. obvious.)
Also (as selenak notes in her review) they mention the 'not growing up' aspects in conversation, and then the story follows up with making Amy grow up when she sees that her childhood hero can't fix anything. That's very nice writing. :)
ETA2: Another thing - yes, Amy chose Rory, but I think she very much chose *him*, but probably not his particular version of life. (The Confidential made clear that she had to choose between Rory's dream & the Doctor's.) She was obviously quite bored as a country doctor's wife, and I think Rory probably picked up on that, so hopefully once they leave the TARDIS they'll find something they can both enjoy. :)
Anyway I am THRILLED that we have a trio in the TARDIS, and there were tons of brilliant scenes that I want to remark on but haven't got the time - like the Doctor in the armless jumper. And now I have to run off and be busy...