Doctor Who XXXII.6: The Almost People
current music: Johnny Cash: Hurt (on Doctor Who Confidential)
Not a long essay this time; but it appears that the theory I promulgated last week was correct; the Amy we have been watching for the past few weeks was reduced to a puddle in mid-air and then to vapour, while the original Amy was revealed (as suspected) to be about to give birth under the supervision of the Joker-like Eyepatch Lady, finally seen in Nicholsonesque close-up in the shape of Frances Barber.
Disappointments there were - I'd expected the acid to be revealed as involved in Ganger-manufacture somehow, but it wasn't. It would have lent some power to the off-screen press conference Miranda and Dickon enter at the end, if they were going to bring Morpeth Jetsan crashing down; it needn't have endangered the development of the Flesh technology itself for Amy's kidnappers (whoever they are - they are not necessarily the Silence - yet) to make use of it. I found the Jennifer monster underwhelming, and reminiscent of the Lazarus monster from 'The Lazarus Experiment' which was not my favorite effect in the first place. The characters were sketchy - I'd have liked them to talk a bit more about their lives - but acted with conviction; Marshall Lancaster and Buzzer were thrown away rather, though I believed most of all in Miranda Cleaves; I was disappointed to see her vaporized with the double Doctor at the end, as I could imagine her continuing as a companion to this TARDISless Time Lord. What happened to Dickon's cold, too, which seemed to be flagged as having some plot function?
Next week is set to raise the proverbial bar, and will have to work its socks off not to look like a high-kicking old monster chorus line, with Amy ignoring the advice Noel Coward gave to Mrs Worthington and putting her baby (daughter?) on the stage.
Mmm, I can certainly see why some would be disappointed by part two; as with Cold Blood a year ago, it rushed past the ending to an "awesome" "game-changing" "revelation", which is obviously the only thing fans on the internet are talking about right now. What's even the point of having subtly plotted stories if they're just going to be lost amidst the titanic cymbal crashes of the story arc?
Having said that, episodes 5/6 are still my favourites of the season so far. I'd rather see run-of-the-mill, trad, mid-season Doctor Who done well than ground-breaking high-concept stuff that doesn't quite come off. I mean I'm all for ambition, but there's almost too much of it in Doctor Who these days... I want to see a season that doesn't feel the burning need to top the last at some point!