Doctor Who 29.10: "Blink"

[annathepiper]

Okay, the lesson of this season is, Steven Moffat as a Doctor Who writer rocks. According to his Wikipedia page, he's written the very best of the new series--the pair of "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", and "Girl in the Fireplace" as well. I.e., the Hugo-level episodes. This man knows his stuff. :D

In fact, we're going to watch "Girl in the Fireplace" again right now just because this writer is so damned good.


I very much like the episodes that step outside the Doctor's immediate POV and instead focus on characters who encounter him in passing--and this was a very cool example of that. And it hit the ground running with introducing us to Sally and how people just up and mysteriously disappeared out of her life, and the whole weirdness involved with the mysterious video of the Doctor, and I mean, damn.

The stone angels were incredibly effective as well, fabulously, fabulously creepy. Especially towards the end where they were on the attack and their faces were snarling, but also in that scene in the police station where Sally's looking out the window and the two angels are on either side. Shiver-inducingly cool.

I really liked all the little bits with Martha jumping into the video as well, snarking on being stuck in the past and having to work to support the Doctor. Hee.

And I liked the brief glimpse of Catherine's meeting her eventual husband in 1920, and *laugh!* that line of Sally's at her grave: "You told him you were eighteen, you lying cow!" ^_^

Wonderful, wonderful stuff. Well done, Mr. Moffat, well done.

Comments

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

That scene with the flickering lights? *shivers*

[annathepiper]

Oh god yes. That was extra special creepy with a side order of creep!

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

It was stunningly clever writing. This was everything 50 mins of TV should be. It's so desperately hard to make an impression with a character who has very little screen time, to make an impression and make the audience care, and Billy the policeman did exactly that. He was textbook perfect how to make an audience love him and lose him in five minutes.

I don't know about every blink, but every single word counts like hell.

[annathepiper]

Oh god yes, I loved Billy the policeman, he was beautiful and touching, and so very, very cool.

[alstaria.livejournal.com]

I was very impressed by this ep. After Love & Monsters I was worried that all eps with very little Doctor in them would suck but Mr. Moffat really proved me wrong. This was the first Doctor Who that ever *really* made me want to hide behind the sofa. Plus, to make you care that much about the characters in such a little time? Amazing. The end of the hospital scene had me in tears.

[annathepiper]

*nodnod* "I have until the rain stops." Sniff! Billy was such a fabulous character and there so briefly. Amazing use of every single moment he had on screen.

Also? I (heart) your icon!

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

Moffat did what few other writers dared:

Put a human in the Doctor's shoes.

And it Worked.

[annathepiper]

It worked splendidly! Sally was great. And that last scene with her meeting the Doctor, before (in his time frame) all the shit she'd just experienced had gone down... beautiful. I love little time-travelly twists like that. ;)

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

And the Doctor seemed completely at ease with the idea, too, making it even more laudable.

[annathepiper]

Hee! Yeah, that stuff has got to be old hat to him by now. That lovely blithe "I'm sure this'll all make sense later" look Tennant had communicated volumes!

[solarbird]

That and the "Oh, I like you" (in his voice) implied in with it. Very nice.