S6 Episode 4: The Doctor's Wife

Well, this was the first decent episode since Vincent and the Doctor. Let's get to it, shall we? Short and sweet.

The Doctor receives a distress signal from a Time Lord, they arrive somewhere outside of the universe and find Auntie, Uncle, Nephew, and Idris living on House, some kind of asteroid thing (I never really figured out what House was). The soul of the TARDIS is stolen and transferred into Idris. When she meets the Doctor, she starts talking apparent nonsense, kisses him, etc. The Doctor finds out that House has been killing Time Lords and cutting them up to remake Auntie and Uncle, Dr. Frankenstein-style. And, he eats TARDISes.

Amy and Rory get trapped inside the TARDIS, because being in life-and-death situations is what they do best. House messes with them, the Doctor and Idris, or "Sexy", as she says he calls her ("only when we're alone") build a TARDIS console from dead TARDISes and save the day. Well, Sexy saves the day because she is ANGRY.


Repeat Idea:

This is the fifth time that Rory dies.

Episodes in which Rory has died in some manner:

1)  Amy's Choice:  Rory dies in the dream, so he's not actually dead
2)  Cold Blood:  Rory actually dies
3)  Day of the Moon:  Rory doesn't actually die, but we think he does
4)  Curse of the Black Pearl:  Rory temporarily dies, but is brought back to life by Amy
5)  The Doctor's Wife:  Rory appears to have died after waiting for Amy for thousands of years, but it's just House messing with her mind

Likes:

1) For an episode with very little plot, there were tons of fantastic lines.

2) For as much as I hate Moffatt messing with time, I loved how Sexy (yes, I'm going to call her that because I think it's hilarious) had trouble with tenses and talking about things that hadn't happened yet. Because it's different when it's the TARDIS talking about it versus the Doctor doing whatever the frak he pleases - plus, she says that she exists in ALL of time and space simultaneously.

3) I don't know if this is a like, but there was something about Sexy's facial expression that reminded me of someone the first time through. Now I know who it is - she keeps doing Hermione Granger's "worried" face!

4) Suranne Jones was brilliant as Sexy. I LOVED her. It was so nice to see a character with real depth and emotion. We have not had a character like that since Vincent.

5) When Nephew gets atomized (or "displaced", as the Doctor says), the Doctor wryly observes, "another Ood I've failed to save". I literally laughed out loud. Every once in a while, Matt Smith just pulls out a perfect delivery.

6)  Uncle was another great character - he is creepy, yet funny, and he is played to perfection by Adrian Schiller.


Dislikes:

1) There is no real point to this episode, other than the Doctor meeting the TARDIS. I guess that's okay, because it's about time we have a real character story. Vincent and the Doctor was a character story, and so was The Lodger, and I really liked them both. So maybe this shouldn't be a dislike. Hmm.

2) Captain Jack is bisexual, Eleventh Doctor is bipolar (I know, I know, Jack is actually omnisexual, but it didn't flow as nicely). Angry Doctor again. He gets mad at Auntie and Uncle and says, "You gave me hope and then you took it away. That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it'll do to me". He looks like he's about to lose it. I know some people go on about David Tennant's angst, but holy crap. This guy needs to go to Anger Management or something. He's got two emotions: super-happy-monkey and pissed off.

3)  I thought the entire concept of Amy and Rory being locked in the TARDIS was ridiculous.  They just keep running down the same corridor over and over.  What a brilliant opportunity to show us other rooms in the TARDIS, and it was totally wasted.  I really Do. Not. Care. about the relationship between Amy and Rory's anymore.  Why, oh why do they keep hitting us over the head with it?  And while I normally love Arthur Darvill, he does NOT look like he's running for his life when the doors slam shut.  Both times that he gets separated from Amy, he looks like he's out for a casual jog.

4)  The first time I watched the episode and Amy and Rory stepped into the Ninth and Tenth Doctor console, I felt violated.  Watching it the second time through a few months later, I still feel violated.  I literally have a visceral reaction to it, like someone has punched me in the stomach.  It's just wrong, wrong, wrong.

5)  Amy says, "you can't say it, you have to think it" and then proceeds to put her hands up to her temples as if she's trying to read a mind and SAYS, "crimson, eleven, delight, the smell of dust after rain".  It would have been sufficient for her to make that ridiculous mime and then have the montage of thoughts, she didn't have to verbalize it, especially since she just said that you can't say it!

Here's a little bit about another of the Doctor's wives ...