1005
10

REVIEW: Doctor Who – The Time of Angels

Posted by under *like, Television |

I find Doctor Who most enjoyable when it’s mysterious, full of accidental occurrences, and designed to frighten children (and you can include Angie in that). The Time of Angels has all of this going for it along with the added bonus that it’s part one of a two-part story. Spoilers to follow.

The action centers around one of the most fascinating of the recent additions to The Doctor’s rogues gallery, the Weeping Angels. First introduced in the episode Blink a few years ago, it seemed like it would be difficult to top some of the madness the Angels bring, but the inclusion of the mysterious River Song set the stage for a fantastic episode. From the dynamic and cleverly constructed opening to the seemingly inescapable conclusion, this is the type of episode that should make anyone love this show.

The mystery of River Song deepens as we see that she and The Doctor keep meeting in the “wrong order,” which is especially tragic as viewers saw her demise during her first appearance in the episodes Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. While she was known as Professor River Song at that time, this River Song is actually a criminal trying to earn a pardon and is thrilled to know she’ll one day receive such a prestigious title.

We learn a great deal about the Weeping Angels from an ancient book about the creatures that is the only writing of its kind. Any image of an Angel becomes an Angel because of their unique nature in the timestream, and this threat includes any mental image. It’s also made clear that staring into the eyes of an Angel can give it influence over the mind of the observer. If the Angels weren’t creepy enough, these concepts add a whole new level of scary.

The inclusion of the military squadron of “clerics” as River’s escort while on work release made for a great dynamic and makes for a great commentary on the future of organized religion. There is a fun twist about the nature of the crash that brought everyone to the planet leaving them all in the gravest of danger.

The return of two of the most intriguing concepts from producer Steven Moffat required an exceptionally strong story and this one does not disappoint. It’s clear that there’s a larger story framework in place that is being masterfully revealed over the course of several seasons. Can’t wait to see what’s in store next week.


More on Doctor Who 2010:
Victory of the Daleks / Flesh and Stone

Related Posts with Thumbnails