S5 Episode 11: The Lodger

This was another one that I thought was well done, though Matt Smith was back to his characteristic over-the-top portrayal of the Doctor in several scenes.

The basic premise is that the Doctor is stuck on Earth while Amy is stuck on the TARDIS, which refuses to materialize.  The first several moments of the episode are very confusing, as we don't know why the TARDIS leaves.  I do wish that had been explained a bit earlier.  The reason that the TARDIS can't materialize is that there is something in the second floor flat above our protagonist Craig's flat.  The Doctor moves in with Craig to figure out what's going on.

The story really has nothing to do with aliens, just like Vincent and the Doctor was barely about the alien.  This episode is actually about the relationship of Craig and Sophie, and secondarily about the Doctor trying to pass as a human.  Craig and Sophie love each other, but neither has told the other.  It's very sweet.  Obviously, they finally figure it out, and that's what saves everyone from what is in the second floor flat:  a spaceship with a perception filter.

Dislikes:

1)  The Doctor shows up Craig while playing football.  Craig obviously cares about impressing Sophie, but the Doctor is just so good at football that he steals Craig's thunder.  I just didn't like it.

2)  Again, I wasn't thrilled with Matt Smith's acting at some points.  He's just too over-the-top, he acts too big.

3)  I really didn't like how the Doctor head-butted Craig and transferred all his memories to him.  Really?  First of all, I feel like it's a cheat.  Second, does he just go around doing this to anyone?

Likes:

1)  Despite Matt Smith being, you know, Matt Smith, I really liked the storyline with the Doctor masquerading as a human.  He drinks wine, only to dribble it back out of his mouth, he discovers that he's great at playing football, he kisses everyone on both cheeks because "that's how you greet each other, right?"

2)  I liked how this episode was also a stand-alone.  The giant mythology arc of the crack is getting so tired.  I like how in both Vincent and the Doctor and The Lodger, it is gently referenced without them hitting us over the head with it.

3)  One of the reasons that Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead was so good was that the disrespectful, annoying, loud-mouth ginger was barely featured.  That same reason is why The Lodger is good.  I often wish that Amy could get permanently killed off and just have the Doctor and Rory go whooshing around the universe together.  Neither of them deserves to be stuck with that witch.

4)  The wallpaper in Craig's kitchen was very similar to the opening credits of Coupling, Steven Moffat's Friends rip-off show.

Let's cleanse our palettes with a little football talk before diving into The Pandorica Opens, because that is a tough one for me to get through!

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