Sunday 27 June 2010
Saturday 26 June 2010
The Big Bang
Following on from the cliffhanger of "The Pandorica Opens", the universe appears to end as the Doctor is placed in the Pandorica, a prison designed for him by his greatest foes, leaving only the Earth, the Moon, and a sun-like light source in a black void. The Auton version of Rory still tends over Amy's lifeless body after he shot her, but is surprised when a future version of the Doctor, using a Vortex Manipulator, temporarily appears and gives him his sonic screwdriver and instructions to open the Pandorica. Rory does so, recovering the Doctor and placing Amy inside where she will be restored and held in stasis. Rory stays with the Pandorica, guarding it through nearly two millennia, while the Doctor uses the Vortex Manipulator to jump forward in time to contemporary time. There, he provides hints to young Amelia Pond—Amy's younger self who has dreams of a star-filled sky—to go to a natural history museum where the Pandorica is on display while Rory, now a security guard, still watches over it. Amelia is able to open the Pandorica, releasing the healed Amy. Amelia soon disappears as the universe begins to collapse further.
The Doctor reunites with Amy and Rory, and uses the Vortex Manipulator to pass his screwdriver to Rory in the past, and to rescue River Song from a time loop from the destruction of the TARDIS. They discover a stone Dalek has also been released by the opening of the Pandorica, and, while fleeing from it, the Doctor surmises that it is a fragment of the old, star-filled universe that is stored within the Pandorica. They soon meet another version of the Doctor, twelve minutes in the future, who has been shot by the Dalek; the future version of the Doctor whispers something to the current version, and then passes away. The Doctor, Amy, Rory, and River continue to flee from the Dalek as the Doctor explains that if they can transfer the remnants of the old universe simultaneously to every point of the collapsing universe, they may be able to restore the old universe. The Doctor is then shot by the Dalek, and jumps back to the past, while River mercilessly kills the Dalek.
It is shown that the future Doctor did not die after jumping back in time twelve minutes, but instead used the opportunity to get his earlier self to create a distraction, allowing him to program the Pandorica to fly into the sun-like source—the remnants of the explosion of the TARDIS—in order to restore the universe. When Amy, Rory, and River return, the Doctor explains that Amy, having lived near the cracks in the universe all her life, has the ability to recall people that were consumed by the cracks back into being once the old universe is restored, and that he will be trapped in the voids between universes once the cracks close. The Doctor then pilots the Pandorica into the TARDIS explosion.
The Doctor finds himself rewinding through his life as an observer. Amy is able to hear him, however, and he tries to tell her to remember what he told her when she was seven. ("Flesh and Stone") Arriving on the day he met Amelia Pond ("The Eleventh Hour"), he finds the young girl asleep outside, waiting for his return. The Doctor carries Amelia to bed, and tells her a story about a daft old man who had borrowed a really blue magic box that was brand new and ancient at the same time. He then steps into the crack in Amelia's bedroom wall, sealing the cracks completely. Amelia lives out her life with the family that she had remembered back into existence, including her mother and father. On her wedding day to Rory, she feels as if she is forgetting something. When she sees River Song with her diary, its cover fashioned after the TARDIS' appearance, she suddenly remembers the Doctor's story of "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue", and upon its recollection, the Doctor and the TARDIS are restored. The Doctor joins in the wedding celebration.
After the wedding, the Doctor gives River the Vortex Manipulator to return to her time in the future. River sadly warns the Doctor he will soon learn who she truly is, and that it will change everything. Aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor explains to Amy and Rory that there still remain unanswered questions about the destruction of the TARDIS, but before they can contemplate that, the Doctor receives a telephone call alerting him to the presence of an escaped Egyptian goddess on the Orient Express in space. Rory and Amy decide to join him, and the three leave on their next adventure.
The Doctor reunites with Amy and Rory, and uses the Vortex Manipulator to pass his screwdriver to Rory in the past, and to rescue River Song from a time loop from the destruction of the TARDIS. They discover a stone Dalek has also been released by the opening of the Pandorica, and, while fleeing from it, the Doctor surmises that it is a fragment of the old, star-filled universe that is stored within the Pandorica. They soon meet another version of the Doctor, twelve minutes in the future, who has been shot by the Dalek; the future version of the Doctor whispers something to the current version, and then passes away. The Doctor, Amy, Rory, and River continue to flee from the Dalek as the Doctor explains that if they can transfer the remnants of the old universe simultaneously to every point of the collapsing universe, they may be able to restore the old universe. The Doctor is then shot by the Dalek, and jumps back to the past, while River mercilessly kills the Dalek.
It is shown that the future Doctor did not die after jumping back in time twelve minutes, but instead used the opportunity to get his earlier self to create a distraction, allowing him to program the Pandorica to fly into the sun-like source—the remnants of the explosion of the TARDIS—in order to restore the universe. When Amy, Rory, and River return, the Doctor explains that Amy, having lived near the cracks in the universe all her life, has the ability to recall people that were consumed by the cracks back into being once the old universe is restored, and that he will be trapped in the voids between universes once the cracks close. The Doctor then pilots the Pandorica into the TARDIS explosion.
The Doctor finds himself rewinding through his life as an observer. Amy is able to hear him, however, and he tries to tell her to remember what he told her when she was seven. ("Flesh and Stone") Arriving on the day he met Amelia Pond ("The Eleventh Hour"), he finds the young girl asleep outside, waiting for his return. The Doctor carries Amelia to bed, and tells her a story about a daft old man who had borrowed a really blue magic box that was brand new and ancient at the same time. He then steps into the crack in Amelia's bedroom wall, sealing the cracks completely. Amelia lives out her life with the family that she had remembered back into existence, including her mother and father. On her wedding day to Rory, she feels as if she is forgetting something. When she sees River Song with her diary, its cover fashioned after the TARDIS' appearance, she suddenly remembers the Doctor's story of "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue", and upon its recollection, the Doctor and the TARDIS are restored. The Doctor joins in the wedding celebration.
After the wedding, the Doctor gives River the Vortex Manipulator to return to her time in the future. River sadly warns the Doctor he will soon learn who she truly is, and that it will change everything. Aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor explains to Amy and Rory that there still remain unanswered questions about the destruction of the TARDIS, but before they can contemplate that, the Doctor receives a telephone call alerting him to the presence of an escaped Egyptian goddess on the Orient Express in space. Rory and Amy decide to join him, and the three leave on their next adventure.
Saturday 19 June 2010
The Pandorica Opens
The Doctor and Amy Pond travel to the oldest planet in the universe where a legendary message turns out to be another "calling card" of Dr. River Song. Following the coordinates from the message, they arrive at Roman Britain in 102 AD and find River posing as Cleopatra. River explains that she has received warning of the destruction of the TARDIS from a painting by Vincent Van Gogh ("Vincent and the Doctor") that in 1941 reached Winston Churchill and Professor Bracewell ("Victory of the Daleks"). Churchill had attempted to warn the Doctor himself, but the TARDIS instead connected his call to River; she subsequently escaped from prison and encountered Liz 10 ("The Beast Below"), who had Van Gogh's painting in her collection, and then used a Vortex Manipulator to transport herself to the oldest planet then to the coordinates in the painting. The Doctor realises the painting and destruction of the TARDIS may be connected to the "Pandorica", a fabled prison for the universe's deadliest being, and rationalises that it must be stored in a memorable location, the site of Stonehenge.
At Stonehenge, the Doctor, Amy, and River find a passage to an underground area, which the Doctor terms "Underhenge". Inside, they find the Pandorica, a room-sized metal box outfitted with every type of lock imaginable. The Doctor and River become concerned when they discover that the Pandorica is opening from inside and transmitting a message across time and space, drawing many of the Doctor's foes to Earth. River warns that "everything that ever hated [the Doctor] is coming tonight". The Doctor refuses to flee and instead enlists the help of some of the nearby Roman soldiers, led by a mysterious centurion who volunteers.
Back underground, while Amy questions the Doctor about the
engagement ring she has found, the pair are attacked by the debris of a Cyberman's suit trying to find a new host. The Doctor is stunned and Amy sedated with a flechette. She runs away and is rescued by the mysterious centurion, who turns out to be Rory Williams. The revived Doctor is baffled to find Rory alive, since he is supposed to have been erased from history by the crack in the universe ("Cold Blood"). Rory is even more confused and says he simply remembers dying one second and being a Roman soldier the next. Rory tries to connect with Amy using the engagement ring that he had left aboard the TARDIS, but she is still unable to remember him.
As more enemies gather in orbit, the Doctor temporarily delays the aliens and instructs River to bring the TARDIS to Stonehenge. Although shown to be an expert TARDIS pilot ("The Time of Angels"), River now finds the machine impossible to control and gets locked on course for Amy's house on June 26, 2010 - the very date the explosion is to happen ("Flesh and Stone"). Whilst she ventures outside, the scanner screen suddenly cracks in the familiar shape, while an ominous voice declares "silence will fall". River finds huge foot prints in the garden and explores Amy's bedroom, still full of representations of the Doctor and the TARDIS. She also finds elements such as Pandora's Box and the Roman soldiers within Amy's drawings and books. She relays this to the Doctor, who starts to worry they might all be imaginary constructs taken from Amy's mind to entrap him, and believing their own cover story until they are activated. Amy meanwhile has an emotional conversation with Rory who is attempting to get her to remember him. The TARDIS begins to malfunction dangerously. Upon discovery of the date to which River has been taken, the Doctor orders her to get out of that timezone, but the TARDIS is now controlled remotely. He urges her to get out, as the TARDIS engines are supposed to shut down automatically when no one is on board, but she finds herself locked in.
Suddenly, Rory and the 'legionaries' with the Doctor are activated: they are Autons. 'Rory' remains with Amy, struggling to retain his human consciousness and stop himself from killing her. Shortly after she remembers who he is, he loses control and shoots her. Meanwhile, the other Autons capture the Doctor and take him to the now-open Pandorica, which proves to be empty. Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen and others arrive and reveal that they have formed an alliance and built the Pandorica as a prison for the Doctor, as they believe he is about to destroy the universe. The Doctor pleads that they have made a mistake and the TARDIS, not him, is about to destroy the universe but the Daleks refuse to believe that anyone else can fly the TARDIS.
River frantically manages to hot-wire the TARDIS door, but finds her way blocked by a stone surface. She declares, "I'm sorry, my love," as the TARDIS goes critical and explodes. Rory is still cradling the lifeless Amy. The Pandorica closes on the Doctor, and a dramatic reveal shows explosions surrounding the Earth.
At Stonehenge, the Doctor, Amy, and River find a passage to an underground area, which the Doctor terms "Underhenge". Inside, they find the Pandorica, a room-sized metal box outfitted with every type of lock imaginable. The Doctor and River become concerned when they discover that the Pandorica is opening from inside and transmitting a message across time and space, drawing many of the Doctor's foes to Earth. River warns that "everything that ever hated [the Doctor] is coming tonight". The Doctor refuses to flee and instead enlists the help of some of the nearby Roman soldiers, led by a mysterious centurion who volunteers.
Back underground, while Amy questions the Doctor about the
engagement ring she has found, the pair are attacked by the debris of a Cyberman's suit trying to find a new host. The Doctor is stunned and Amy sedated with a flechette. She runs away and is rescued by the mysterious centurion, who turns out to be Rory Williams. The revived Doctor is baffled to find Rory alive, since he is supposed to have been erased from history by the crack in the universe ("Cold Blood"). Rory is even more confused and says he simply remembers dying one second and being a Roman soldier the next. Rory tries to connect with Amy using the engagement ring that he had left aboard the TARDIS, but she is still unable to remember him.
As more enemies gather in orbit, the Doctor temporarily delays the aliens and instructs River to bring the TARDIS to Stonehenge. Although shown to be an expert TARDIS pilot ("The Time of Angels"), River now finds the machine impossible to control and gets locked on course for Amy's house on June 26, 2010 - the very date the explosion is to happen ("Flesh and Stone"). Whilst she ventures outside, the scanner screen suddenly cracks in the familiar shape, while an ominous voice declares "silence will fall". River finds huge foot prints in the garden and explores Amy's bedroom, still full of representations of the Doctor and the TARDIS. She also finds elements such as Pandora's Box and the Roman soldiers within Amy's drawings and books. She relays this to the Doctor, who starts to worry they might all be imaginary constructs taken from Amy's mind to entrap him, and believing their own cover story until they are activated. Amy meanwhile has an emotional conversation with Rory who is attempting to get her to remember him. The TARDIS begins to malfunction dangerously. Upon discovery of the date to which River has been taken, the Doctor orders her to get out of that timezone, but the TARDIS is now controlled remotely. He urges her to get out, as the TARDIS engines are supposed to shut down automatically when no one is on board, but she finds herself locked in.
Suddenly, Rory and the 'legionaries' with the Doctor are activated: they are Autons. 'Rory' remains with Amy, struggling to retain his human consciousness and stop himself from killing her. Shortly after she remembers who he is, he loses control and shoots her. Meanwhile, the other Autons capture the Doctor and take him to the now-open Pandorica, which proves to be empty. Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen and others arrive and reveal that they have formed an alliance and built the Pandorica as a prison for the Doctor, as they believe he is about to destroy the universe. The Doctor pleads that they have made a mistake and the TARDIS, not him, is about to destroy the universe but the Daleks refuse to believe that anyone else can fly the TARDIS.
River frantically manages to hot-wire the TARDIS door, but finds her way blocked by a stone surface. She declares, "I'm sorry, my love," as the TARDIS goes critical and explodes. Rory is still cradling the lifeless Amy. The Pandorica closes on the Doctor, and a dramatic reveal shows explosions surrounding the Earth.
Saturday 12 June 2010
The Lodger
The TARDIS lands in Colchester rather than its intended destination, the fifth moon of Sinda Callista, and the Doctor finds himself stranded there with Amy left in the TARDIS. Meanwhile, passers-by are seen being lured into a nearby house by various voices seeking help, from the intercom at its front door. The door opens and they ascend the staircase to the first floor, entering the room which lies there; flashing lights are seen and screams heard emanating from the room.
The Doctor turns up at the house and rents a ground floor room from the flat's owner, a shy call centre worker called Craig Owens. Although Craig finds him odd, The Doctor quickly woos him and moves in. The Doctor tries to blend in his new environment with guidance from Amy, with whom he still manages to communicate through an earpiece. He also gets to know Craig who is locked in a platonic relationship with a colleague called Sophie and tries to manoeuvre them into declaring to each other. This backfires and Sophie decides to leave for an exotic destination.
The Doctor has become aware that the first floor room may not be all it appears to be, as a strange damp patch is spreading on the living room ceiling, but thinks using his sonic screwdriver might alert whatever is up there and is instead building a crude apparatus in his room. His experiences on Earth are punctuated by increasingly frequent "time-loop" events, in which his own time is separated from those around him, who are unknowingly involved in repetitive events. This also affect Amy in the TARDIS.
Craig touches the damp patch on his ceiling and is seriously poisoned. The Doctor revives him and goes to replace him at work while he recovers. Craig, however, far from being grateful, becomes jealous of the increasingly popular Doctor, since Sophie in particular has expressed enthusiasm, and tells the Doctor to leave the house, throwing his £3000 deposit back at him. While the two quarrel, Sophie turns up at the house and gets called upstairs by the voice from the first floor room. To save time, the Doctor reveals to Craig who he is and what he is doing... by head-butting him. Craig is overwhelmed by all the information, but the two hear screams upstairs and rush to intervene. Spotting Sophie's set of keys on the door, they realise that she is the one in danger. Amy meanwhile, having studied the house's plans in the TARDIS's database informs them that the building is supposed to be only one storey tall.
The Doctor and Craig enter the "upstairs flat" to save Sophie and discover that someone has been trying to build a TARDIS, which is now trapped on Earth and is disguised by a perception filter. Its pilot is an emergency AI hologram who is able to appear in the form of the various victims it has attracted, as well as Craig's seldom-seen neighbour.
After the Doctor and Craig prevent Sophie from being forced to activate the ship's console, the hologram informs the Doctor that as the ship has crashed and the crew was killed, it has rebuilt itself and attempted to fly away by luring in humans to act as pilots. However the human minds weren't sufficient and burned out, leaving only husks. Recognising the Doctor as a suitable pilot, the ship tries to pull him in. Knowing he cannot pilot the ship safely and he would destroy the entire solar system in the process, the Doctor realises that the ship had only lured in people who wanted to escape or leave somewhere, which is why it hadn't attempted to lure Craig, or Sophie, until the Doctor motivated her to leave. After finally admitting their love for each other, both Craig and Sophie touch the panel's activator, causing the engines to shut down and the ship to implode. The Doctor, Craig and Sophie escape in time to see the top floor of the house turn into a spaceship which then disappears.
Afterwards, the Doctor says his goodbyes to Craig and Sophie, who give him his set of keys to the flat as a parting gift. Back in the TARDIS the Doctor travels back in time a week and instructs Amy to leave the note in the newsagent's that directed him to Craig's flat in the first place. However, whilst rooting in the pocket of his discarded blazer for a pen, Amy discovers the ring Rory had given her before he was erased from time and becomes visibly unsettled. The crack from her bedroom appears once again, this time in the wall behind Craig's fridge, and glows ominously.
The Doctor turns up at the house and rents a ground floor room from the flat's owner, a shy call centre worker called Craig Owens. Although Craig finds him odd, The Doctor quickly woos him and moves in. The Doctor tries to blend in his new environment with guidance from Amy, with whom he still manages to communicate through an earpiece. He also gets to know Craig who is locked in a platonic relationship with a colleague called Sophie and tries to manoeuvre them into declaring to each other. This backfires and Sophie decides to leave for an exotic destination.
The Doctor has become aware that the first floor room may not be all it appears to be, as a strange damp patch is spreading on the living room ceiling, but thinks using his sonic screwdriver might alert whatever is up there and is instead building a crude apparatus in his room. His experiences on Earth are punctuated by increasingly frequent "time-loop" events, in which his own time is separated from those around him, who are unknowingly involved in repetitive events. This also affect Amy in the TARDIS.
Craig touches the damp patch on his ceiling and is seriously poisoned. The Doctor revives him and goes to replace him at work while he recovers. Craig, however, far from being grateful, becomes jealous of the increasingly popular Doctor, since Sophie in particular has expressed enthusiasm, and tells the Doctor to leave the house, throwing his £3000 deposit back at him. While the two quarrel, Sophie turns up at the house and gets called upstairs by the voice from the first floor room. To save time, the Doctor reveals to Craig who he is and what he is doing... by head-butting him. Craig is overwhelmed by all the information, but the two hear screams upstairs and rush to intervene. Spotting Sophie's set of keys on the door, they realise that she is the one in danger. Amy meanwhile, having studied the house's plans in the TARDIS's database informs them that the building is supposed to be only one storey tall.
The Doctor and Craig enter the "upstairs flat" to save Sophie and discover that someone has been trying to build a TARDIS, which is now trapped on Earth and is disguised by a perception filter. Its pilot is an emergency AI hologram who is able to appear in the form of the various victims it has attracted, as well as Craig's seldom-seen neighbour.
After the Doctor and Craig prevent Sophie from being forced to activate the ship's console, the hologram informs the Doctor that as the ship has crashed and the crew was killed, it has rebuilt itself and attempted to fly away by luring in humans to act as pilots. However the human minds weren't sufficient and burned out, leaving only husks. Recognising the Doctor as a suitable pilot, the ship tries to pull him in. Knowing he cannot pilot the ship safely and he would destroy the entire solar system in the process, the Doctor realises that the ship had only lured in people who wanted to escape or leave somewhere, which is why it hadn't attempted to lure Craig, or Sophie, until the Doctor motivated her to leave. After finally admitting their love for each other, both Craig and Sophie touch the panel's activator, causing the engines to shut down and the ship to implode. The Doctor, Craig and Sophie escape in time to see the top floor of the house turn into a spaceship which then disappears.
Afterwards, the Doctor says his goodbyes to Craig and Sophie, who give him his set of keys to the flat as a parting gift. Back in the TARDIS the Doctor travels back in time a week and instructs Amy to leave the note in the newsagent's that directed him to Craig's flat in the first place. However, whilst rooting in the pocket of his discarded blazer for a pen, Amy discovers the ring Rory had given her before he was erased from time and becomes visibly unsettled. The crack from her bedroom appears once again, this time in the wall behind Craig's fridge, and glows ominously.
Saturday 5 June 2010
Vincent and The Doctor
The Doctor has taken Amy to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where they admire the work of the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. The Doctor discovers a seemingly alien figure in a window of the painting The Church at Auvers, and decides they must travel back in time to speak to Vincent. In 1890, they find Vincent at a cafe in Arles, a lonely man with a bad reputation, but opens up when he notices Amy. They discover that recent deaths, victims ravaged by some type of beast, have been blamed on Vincent, and the two decide to help Vincent.
The Doctor and Amy stay at Vincent's home overnight, where he confesses that his works to have little value to anyone but himself, but believes the universe is filled with more wonders than one could imagine. When Amy is attacked by an invisible beast that only Vincent can see, Vincent paints an image for the Doctor, who identifies it as a Krafayis, a vicious pack-predator that has been abandoned on Earth. The three prepare to depart to stop the creature, the Doctor promising that after they have dealt with it, the Doctor and Amy will be out of Vincent's way; this causes Vincent to break down into tears and shuts himself in his bedroom. When the Doctor approaches him, Vincent says that everyone leaves him in the end, forgotten and hopeless. The Doctor attempts to empathise with him, but Vincent becomes upset and orders him to go. As the Doctor and Amy leave to face the creature on their own, Vincent reappears, determined to assist them. As they leave towards the church, Vincent confides in Amy that if she can "soldier on, then so can Vincent van Gogh", aware of sadness and loss that Amy cannot detect.
At the church, Vincent begins to paint the church watching for the beast to appear. Several hours pass before he spots it, and the Doctor proceeds inside on his own, warning Amy and Vincent to stay outside, and hoping to stun the creature with his sonic screwdriver. Vincent convinces Amy to go inside with him. Vincent catches sight of the beast stalking the Doctor, and warns him in time, sending the Doctor and Amy into hiding inside a confessional. Through Vincent's descriptions of the Krafayis' actions, the Doctor realises the creature is blind, and thus why it was left behind by its pack. Vincent attempts to defend himself from the creature with his easel, but the creature ends up impaling himself on it. The Doctor attempts to sooth the creature as it dies, while Vincent is able to explain its actions as from fear and frustration at its lack of sight.
Outside, the three rest on the grass, and Vincent explains how he sees the night sky, deep blue, framed by swirling air, and the Doctor recognizes the inspiration of Vincent's works. The next day, the Doctor and Amy prepare to leave, and Vincent tells Amy that if she should ever leave the Doctor, to return and marry him. The Doctor offers to show Vincent something, and takes him in the TARDIS back to Musée d'Orsay in 2010. There, the Doctor initiates a discussion with an art historian, Dr. Black, within earshot of Vincent; Dr. Black gushes about Vincent's work, and states him as "the greatest painter of them all". Overjoyed at hearing this, Vincent hugs Dr. Black and kisses his cheeks in gratitude. The three return to the past, where the Doctor and Amy say their final goodbyes to Vincent, now a changed man. Amy remains unsure of Vincent's marriage proposal, saying she's "not really the marrying kind".
As they return to 2010, Amy hopes they have influenced Vincent to live a long life and paint many more works. However, back at the Musée d'Orsay, she finds that Vincent still committed suicide at 37. The Doctor explains that life is a mixture of bad and good, and their brief encounter with Vincent added some good with their life, as evident in subtle changes in the displayed works: the face no longer appears in The Church, and now, Vase with 12 Sunflowers bears the inscription, "For Amy".
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