Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Doctor Who - "The Vampires of Venice" and "Amy's Choice"

Spoiler Level: High

Finally got to see this one! I've been traveling a lot the last few weeks, and the disc has been taunting me. I finally had a quiet night where my daughter and I could sit down and watch it together.

I liked the Doctor's mentality that if Amy & Rory's relationship was to succeed, then Rory needs some TARDIS time. It's just a shame that the Doctor and Rory were in a blatant competition, and that poor Rory so blatantly doesn't come close.

The vampires weren't too dull. Between the preview questioning if they really were vampires and the fact that they had a lot of fanged teeth, including some on the bottom, the reveal that they weren't really vampires but aliens wasn't too much of a surprise, but them looking like crustaceans was. And the fast pace of the episode helped keep them from getting dull.

As soon as we finished this episode, Mylene asked if we could watch the next one, and it just so happens I discovered that iTunes has been putting them up for sale as soon as they air on BBC America. So without further ado...



Spoiler Level: High

This was a great character episode. I absolutely loved the Dream Lord. I was wondering if he might really be the Valeyard or the Celestial Toymaker. Turns out he was neither, but he has the best qualities of both characters. I doubt it's possible, but I'd love to see him used again.

The fact that Steven Moffat jumped around with Amy's timeline so much in "The Eleventh Hour" made me actually consider that the future-pregnant-Amy-and-Rory scenario could have been the real one. The idea that the TARDIS scenario was the real one seemed a little too obvious, which also made me lean towards the future pregnant one. I had considered the possibility that they were both dreams, but had disregarded it. Go figure.

And best of all, I like that Amy has come the realization that Rory will be there for her after the Doctor is long gone. I hope he stays as a companion for the rest of the season. Having a couple as companions is a great idea.

As to the quality of the iTunes download: On the plus side: it leaves the original British "Next Time" and end credits!! Woo-hoo!! YES!! Awesomeness!!!!! On the negative side, it kept jumping and occasionally freezing. I purchased the HD version since I now have an HD TV, but in retrospect I think that was a mistake; I think my computer just couldn't handle it. They also offer a standard version (for a dollar less, to boot) so if I end up doing it again I'll try that version instead.

2 comments:

greatplaidmoose said...

I think it would be cool to see the Saturnynes again. Its a shame they were seemingly wiped out. They were the first original monster of the series with real return potential.

On the contrary. I believe the Dream Lord will return in some fashion. I think he was actually the Valeyard in a fashion so it is definitely possible he could return. I'm not sure if you noticed his reflection in the console at the end hinting he was there inside the Doctor waiting to get out again. Bwahahahahaha!

Fer said...

Ahhhh! No, I couldn't actually tell what that last shot was. Thank you, that's good to know.