Doctor Who Episode - Asylum of the Dalek's
Sep. 2nd, 2012 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatJust finished watching most recent episode of Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks, pretty much had to or I'd be spoiled by the flist.
Rather good episode. First time I've found the Dalek's to be creepy or scarey.
Prior to this point, the dalek's always reminded me of R2D2 meets Robbie the Robot by way of Darth Vadar. Inspiring either massive eye-rolling or a spate of giggles on my part (granted this is a kid's show - as a child I'd have found them to be frightening). It's very hard to take a series seriously when you view the main villain as a bit of a joke. But this episode sort of changed that. The metaphor was rather neatly done. Humans become daleks by giving in to hate and giving up on love and compassion. Caring more about their own intelligence and hatred. And the daleks become more powerful, stronger, through their hatred of the Doctor. The Doctor's preying on the Daleks, makes the Dalek's stronger. Nice allegory regarding our current relationship with terrorism and war. Sci-Fi is at its best when it creates allegories to the modern/present day world.
Did not know that the actress playing Oswin is also going to be the new companion. I thought she might be, but when it was revealed that she was actually a Dalek at the end of the episode - I decided I must be wrong. A quick perusal of the flist indicates that she is the companion, which is interesting. And poses all sorts of curious questions. Oswin reminds me a little bit of River Song - a genuis, who struggles to find her humanity.
Moffat seems to prefer companions who are closer to the Doctor's equal in intelligence.
But will the actress portraying the companion actually be Oswin? Or a doppleganger? An earlier version? The current version? Will the arc concern rescuing her from her dalek shell? Can someone be rescued from that shell? Wasn't she destroyed along with all the other dalek's on the planet? Which means, will the Doctor discover an earlier version of her and be tempted as he was with River Song to save her from her fate? The concept of changing another's time-line or destiny seems to be something that fascinates Stephen Moffat. How can I break the rules? And if I do break the rules of time and space, what are the consequences?
In S5: the consequences of breaking the time-space rules was a crack in the fabric of time and space, a crack that threatened to devour everything, erase it, as it was being rewritten. Amy's escape into the Tardis threatened to rewrite her history and those all around her. The only way not to rewrite it, was to face her future, get married, and not run from it.
Has the Doctor rewritten the history of the universe multiple times by running from it and through it?
If we pull one thread, does this unravel the entire tapestry?
River Song - asks similar questions. If we have the ability to travel through time and space, what's to stop me from taking out Hitler? Or other horrible villains before they commit any atrocities? And while I'm in prison for killing the Doctor (mainly to get the Silence off our backs), should I have killed him or merely pretended? Did we change fate and the universe by not doing it?
And if the Doctor is tempted to save Oswin, will he try to save River as well, in a manner that will return her to him, outside of the library on the planet where the very shadows devour you? And if so, at what cost?
Will he decide to take on Oswin as a companion over Rory and Amy, because she is no longer human or already doomed, so he needn't worry about destroying her life? If he takes her as a companion prior to her fateful meeting with the Daleks, is he the cause of it? So inevitably he is the one who destroys her?
Making Oswin the companion has all sorts of interesting possibilities, far more interesting than anticipated. One does get tired of the same old routine.
The Amy/Rory fight didn't work for me completely. Although it was in character. Rory has always felt that he came second in Amy's life. That she loved the Doctor and adventure more. In a way, he feels like he's in competition with something that is so far beyond him he can't hope to compete. But Amy doesn't feel that way. She is not "in love" with the Doctor - the insane and impossible friend who takes her on marvelous journeys, one of which resulted in the loss of a child and the loss of the ability to have any more. She's paid the price for her adventure lust and she knows it. Rory grounds her. And it is clear that she loves him as much as he loves her, albeit differently. So that is in character and has been built well. What doesn't quite work - is out of nowhere, she suddenly decides that living Rory is the best thing for him, since she can't have kids - and nobly she leaves him. Why now? And hello, you can always adopt, might be safer actually. Less likely to have another River Song. Amy's sudden self-sacrificing matry-dom felt a tad out of character and contrived, also silly - like out of daytime soap opera. Clearly the writers wanted to break them up to pile on tension and conflict, but it could have been better.
While I'll miss Amy and Rory, I think the time for them to leave is long past from a writing stand-point. The writers don't seem to quite know what to do with them and are more than ready to move on.
Would like to see River again, which from the preview vids I've seen - I'm guessing I will.
Just not quite sure how. But the twist on Oswin being a Dalek when Who first meets her and having Oswin assuming it is Oswin and not the actress playing her - being the Doctor's new companion...is even more intriguing and interesting. Would like to see Oswin and River interact.
As for the Doctor Who jokes? Didn't bother me. Seemed a bit wink-wink, but it is a kid's series. Also, one of the benefits of not being a long-term Who fan, is the inconsistencies in regards to the details are completely lost on me. Not that I'd notice them in any event.
Overall? Good episode. One of the better openers.
Rather good episode. First time I've found the Dalek's to be creepy or scarey.
Prior to this point, the dalek's always reminded me of R2D2 meets Robbie the Robot by way of Darth Vadar. Inspiring either massive eye-rolling or a spate of giggles on my part (granted this is a kid's show - as a child I'd have found them to be frightening). It's very hard to take a series seriously when you view the main villain as a bit of a joke. But this episode sort of changed that. The metaphor was rather neatly done. Humans become daleks by giving in to hate and giving up on love and compassion. Caring more about their own intelligence and hatred. And the daleks become more powerful, stronger, through their hatred of the Doctor. The Doctor's preying on the Daleks, makes the Dalek's stronger. Nice allegory regarding our current relationship with terrorism and war. Sci-Fi is at its best when it creates allegories to the modern/present day world.
Did not know that the actress playing Oswin is also going to be the new companion. I thought she might be, but when it was revealed that she was actually a Dalek at the end of the episode - I decided I must be wrong. A quick perusal of the flist indicates that she is the companion, which is interesting. And poses all sorts of curious questions. Oswin reminds me a little bit of River Song - a genuis, who struggles to find her humanity.
Moffat seems to prefer companions who are closer to the Doctor's equal in intelligence.
But will the actress portraying the companion actually be Oswin? Or a doppleganger? An earlier version? The current version? Will the arc concern rescuing her from her dalek shell? Can someone be rescued from that shell? Wasn't she destroyed along with all the other dalek's on the planet? Which means, will the Doctor discover an earlier version of her and be tempted as he was with River Song to save her from her fate? The concept of changing another's time-line or destiny seems to be something that fascinates Stephen Moffat. How can I break the rules? And if I do break the rules of time and space, what are the consequences?
In S5: the consequences of breaking the time-space rules was a crack in the fabric of time and space, a crack that threatened to devour everything, erase it, as it was being rewritten. Amy's escape into the Tardis threatened to rewrite her history and those all around her. The only way not to rewrite it, was to face her future, get married, and not run from it.
Has the Doctor rewritten the history of the universe multiple times by running from it and through it?
If we pull one thread, does this unravel the entire tapestry?
River Song - asks similar questions. If we have the ability to travel through time and space, what's to stop me from taking out Hitler? Or other horrible villains before they commit any atrocities? And while I'm in prison for killing the Doctor (mainly to get the Silence off our backs), should I have killed him or merely pretended? Did we change fate and the universe by not doing it?
And if the Doctor is tempted to save Oswin, will he try to save River as well, in a manner that will return her to him, outside of the library on the planet where the very shadows devour you? And if so, at what cost?
Will he decide to take on Oswin as a companion over Rory and Amy, because she is no longer human or already doomed, so he needn't worry about destroying her life? If he takes her as a companion prior to her fateful meeting with the Daleks, is he the cause of it? So inevitably he is the one who destroys her?
Making Oswin the companion has all sorts of interesting possibilities, far more interesting than anticipated. One does get tired of the same old routine.
The Amy/Rory fight didn't work for me completely. Although it was in character. Rory has always felt that he came second in Amy's life. That she loved the Doctor and adventure more. In a way, he feels like he's in competition with something that is so far beyond him he can't hope to compete. But Amy doesn't feel that way. She is not "in love" with the Doctor - the insane and impossible friend who takes her on marvelous journeys, one of which resulted in the loss of a child and the loss of the ability to have any more. She's paid the price for her adventure lust and she knows it. Rory grounds her. And it is clear that she loves him as much as he loves her, albeit differently. So that is in character and has been built well. What doesn't quite work - is out of nowhere, she suddenly decides that living Rory is the best thing for him, since she can't have kids - and nobly she leaves him. Why now? And hello, you can always adopt, might be safer actually. Less likely to have another River Song. Amy's sudden self-sacrificing matry-dom felt a tad out of character and contrived, also silly - like out of daytime soap opera. Clearly the writers wanted to break them up to pile on tension and conflict, but it could have been better.
While I'll miss Amy and Rory, I think the time for them to leave is long past from a writing stand-point. The writers don't seem to quite know what to do with them and are more than ready to move on.
Would like to see River again, which from the preview vids I've seen - I'm guessing I will.
Just not quite sure how. But the twist on Oswin being a Dalek when Who first meets her and having Oswin assuming it is Oswin and not the actress playing her - being the Doctor's new companion...is even more intriguing and interesting. Would like to see Oswin and River interact.
As for the Doctor Who jokes? Didn't bother me. Seemed a bit wink-wink, but it is a kid's series. Also, one of the benefits of not being a long-term Who fan, is the inconsistencies in regards to the details are completely lost on me. Not that I'd notice them in any event.
Overall? Good episode. One of the better openers.
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no subject
Date: 2012-09-02 06:34 pm (UTC)I don't know! I trust the Moff about this, I'm quite confident he will find the best solution.
About the fight between Amy and Rory: I loved it, mostly because of the actors, especially Arthur Darvill. The reason of their break-up was a bit inconsistent for me too, I agree, but I loved to finally see tension, *expressed* tension, between the Ponds.
Rory has always felt that he came second in Amy's life. That she loved the Doctor and adventure more. In a way, he feels like he's in competition with something that is so far beyond him he can't hope to compete. But Amy doesn't feel that way. She is not "in love" with the Doctor - the insane and impossible friend who takes her on marvelous journeys, one of which resulted in the loss of a child and the loss of the ability to have any more. She's paid the price for her adventure lust and she knows it. Rory grounds her. And it is clear that she loves him as much as he loves her, albeit differently.
Yes, yes and yes.
I think that Amy and Rory make an interesting couple and see them in conflict and than expressing their feelings, fighting and making up, it's the best way to develop a ship. I hope we will see more of this kind of interaction. So I take the scene as a "start", maybe I'm wrong.
Also: the new intro is much more colourful, did you notice? I don't know if I like the font, but colourful is great.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-02 07:42 pm (UTC)Well... it's very Amy. Just like in Amy's Choice when she'd rather die than live in a world without Rory (even though his dying words were a plea to look after their baby). Whereas Rory shows his love through quiet loyalty (waiting 2000 years) Amy is all about the big gestures. Not clever, not thought-through, but 100% heartfelt.
Just my two cents. <3
As for the Doctor Who jokes? Didn't bother me.
Not a joke. The answer to that question will apparently destroy the universe - and now the Daleks are asking... (OK, so it's ALSO a joke. But!)
no subject
Date: 2012-09-02 09:35 pm (UTC)That's true!
I could totally picture Amy thinking: He waited for me for all these centuries and I can't even give him a family!
Oh stupid, stupid Amy! >O< He loves you!
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 12:35 am (UTC)"Oh...dear, me, I can't have kids, he wants kids, I know, I will selflessly contrive a break up with him so he can have kids with someone else because I'm a stupid ninny who thinks he'll find someone else to fall in love with and have kids with and that's far easier than you know just adopting." (Maybe its because I've read 50 romance novels this year and that plot device was in over half of them. And each time it was silly. The woman ended up having a miracle kid or the guy was like, I so don't care, I just want you. Apparently this is an issue right now? (shrugs) Odd. Considering, adoption is an option. I want to shake the stupid writer and say no woman in her right mind in today's society would do this! Stop with this dumb-ass storyline already. I know it's easy, but you are better than that! )
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 09:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-02 09:44 pm (UTC)I also thought the Amy and Rory fight came out of nowhere, although I'd argue that it's within Amy's character. She's always had abandonment issues, so I can definitely see her deciding, once she finds out she can't have kids, to just leave Rory for her own safety-- so she wouldn't have to face the possibility of him leaving her. It still doesn't quite work, though, because she really should know that Rory wouldn't leave her, and there are plenty of other options. They know TWO time-travellers that could possibly whisk them away someplace where they might be able to reverse whatever happened to Amy, or there's always adoption, etc.
Overall it was very good, and I liked the twist of the daleks' collective memory regarding the Doctor being erased. Brings up the question: will he give them a reason to hate and fear him all over again? Or will he be able to maybe move on to a better mindset than 'daleks are all evil and should be killed'?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 12:44 am (UTC)I also thought the Amy and Rory fight came out of nowhere, although I'd argue that it's within Amy's character. She's always had abandonment issues, so I can definitely see her deciding, once she finds out she can't have kids, to just leave Rory for her own safety-- so she wouldn't have to face the possibility of him leaving her.
Yes, I agree it was within Amy's character. But the plot line is dumb and a romance novel cliche. Besides, no contemporary female in her right mind would do that in today's society. While I agree Amy is self-sacrificing, as is Rory, I don't think she'd do it over the kids issue - for all of the reasons you state above. I.e - it wasn't the self-sacrificing bit that threw me out of the story, it was oh dear I will never have kids so I'll leave him without considering other options first bit that threw me out of the story. Really wish writers would stop using that plot-line. It's been done to death now.
Probably should have made that clearer in my post above. ;-)
My roommate is rooting for a dalek companion and while that would be very interesting I doubt it'll happen.
Sort of hard to do, since the Dalek's blew up the planet with Oswin the Dalek on it. Easier to get together with her in the past...or do the other options you suggest. With Doctor Who - you can pretty much do anything. Even bring Oswin the Dalek back, I guess.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 12:30 am (UTC)This works better if you don't know the past history (for example I didn't know Skaro was ever destroyed, so it didn't bother me).
Sometimes not being a longtime fan is a good thing.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 05:45 am (UTC)And all the Daleks came from the Daleks that managed to get away in Victory of the Daleks (and if those survived, others might have too?).