Doctor Who Series 7: The Angels Take Manhatten (SPOILERS)

[TimeLord]

Statue of Liberty is an Angel. Hands up who saw this coming.

I must say I was impressed by the start of the episode. It established what was hinted at at the end of Blink that every statue could be an Angel, not just the generic appearance ones.

I felt sorry for the Doctor when River and Amy chastised him for fixing River's wrist.

I loved the ending and how Amy chose Rory over the Doctor without hesitation. A great way to use the Angels in an emotional way, and the Doctor's emotions at losing Amy forever were brilliant. Not the reserved, stoic sadness of Tennant but open emotions that Smith played perfectly!

 

[Gabanuka]

Probably the best episode of this series. Brilliant writing by Moffet, the man knows how to use his angels. I couldn't of thought of a better ending for R&A, I would of been happy if the suicide worked but the actual ending was better.

Now I'm just bidding my time till the 50th anniversary special.

 

[TimeLord]

Probably the best episode of this series. Brilliant writing by Moffet, the man knows how to use his angels.

Well two out of three ain't bad. Doesn't completely excuse series 5's Angel story but it helps. I was actually scared that when they revealed the Statue of Liverty as an Angel that they would make that the big bad enemy that had to be destroyed. I was pleasantly surprised.

I couldn't of thought of a better ending for R&A, I would of been happy if the suicide worked but the actual ending was better.

Now I'm just bidding my time till the 50th anniversary special.

The suicide, while apt, didn't drag on long enough to be a proper send off for them in my eyes. I'm happy with the final graveyard scene

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Was the best episode of the half-series. I teared up in that last bit, nearly perfect sendoff. I say nearly perfect because I was confused. It's pretty much shown that the Doctor goes back to Amy when she was waiting and tell her about the future. If so, then how come we've never seen it before, and wouldn't that sort of discard the "amy waiting" storyline? Since she sees the Doctor again, so she might just not bother waiting anymore.

 

[TimeLord]

Was the best episode of the half-series. I nearly teared up in that last bit, nearly perfect sendoff. I say nearly perfect because I was confused. It's pretty much shown that the Doctor goes back to Amy when she was waiting and tell her about the future. If so, then how come we've never seen it before, and wouldn't that sort of discard the "amy waiting" storyline? Since she sees the Doctor again, so she might just not bother waiting anymore.

No I don't think the Doctor physically went back again. Originally the same scene had played out in series 5 or 6 (I forget) where mini Amy waits until morning and hears the faint TARDIS noise which raises her hopes. I think that's what the Doctor does after this episode.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Was the best episode of the half-series. I nearly teared up in that last bit, nearly perfect sendoff. I say nearly perfect because I was confused. It's pretty much shown that the Doctor goes back to Amy when she was waiting and tell her about the future. If so, then how come we've never seen it before, and wouldn't that sort of discard the "amy waiting" storyline? Since she sees the Doctor again, so she might just not bother waiting anymore.

No I don't think the Doctor physically went back again. Originally the same scene had played out in series 5 or 6 (I forget) where mini Amy waits until morning and hears the faint TARDIS noise which raises her hopes. I think that's what the Doctor does after this episode.

Ah, I guess that's why they didn't show it again. Maybe he just couldn't do it, I dunno. But anyway, great episode. It didn't feel at all rushed like most of the previous episodes, they took plenty of time to do things.

 

[rwllay]

I was pleasantly surprised to see an episode of this season that lived up to it's premise. It was also nice to see an River episode that wasn't hampered by her presence, as the more recent ones have been. Whilst i liked the conclusion, I think i may have preferred the suicide ending, (but i'd rather a companion died than the writers come up with a creative reason to have them be out of the doctor's life) I must say this may have been the best overall episode so far, but then it was the one that had the worst premise, so maybe its just my expectations.

 

[Albino Boo]

Probably the best episode of this series. Brilliant writing by Moffet, the man knows how to use his angels.

Well two out of three ain't bad. Doesn't completely excuse series 5's Angel story but it helps. I was actually scared that when they revealed the Statue of Liverty as an Angel that they would make that the big bad enemy that had to be destroyed. I was pleasantly surprised.

I couldn't of thought of a better ending for R&A, I would of been happy if the suicide worked but the actual ending was better.

Now I'm just bidding my time till the 50th anniversary special.

The suicide, while apt, didn't drag on long enough to be a proper send off for them in my eyes. I'm happy with the final graveyard scene

To me the graveyard scene felt a little rushed. The scene on the roof worked, they built up the emotional tension well. The graveyard scene needed a maybe 2-3 minutes of the Dr, River and Amy building the tension more. On the whole Moffet hit the right note ad compared to the rest of the run I have only quibbles.

On a side note, anyone else think from the trailer to the Christmas special that new assistant is going to be the ancestor of the dalek version?

 

[Cpt Corallis]

I loved it. Unreservedly.
The angels were finally back to scary levels, constant movement without seeing it, even the statue of liberty was well done.
I'm gonna be honest, I've gotten so used to having Moffat lie about episode spoilers, that when the Ponds sat up in he graveyard, I completely believed that they would survive. The fact I leapt out of my seat when Rory vanished for the last time is testament to how well he can still make a viewer react.
I'm not sure I can wait till christmas...

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Best episode so far. I'm starting to want Moffat to just do Weeping Angels episodes all the time, as they seem to be the last thing he still does really well. Also, although I'd be the first to admit that their arcs had been fulfilled a long time ago and they were starting to get stale, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad to see Amy and Rory go.

 

[D Moness]

Second worst episode of the season so far. As a send off to Rory and Amy, it was a real slap in the face. Any emotion I might have felt was squashed because, behind the two, was the statue of flippin' liberty. As an angel. The hell?
Then there's the whole time paradox mess. If you read something from your future, that doesn't automatically make it set in stone. Like breaking River's arm. how about breaking off the stone arm with something blunt and sturdy? No? Okay.
Next up is the last graveyard scene. What was that? No, really? That tombstone was leftover from the universe where the hotel existed. It shouldn't be there anymore, because none of that happened. Okay, so Rory for some reason buggers off to go read that one particular tombstone that shouldn't be there. Fine. Then the angel zaps him back because "it's set in stone" ... but why would the angel do that if the paradox basically poisoned the time energy and it is killing itself? And where did that angel come from if all the angels were gone AFTER THE PARADOX? And why would it zap Amy back to the exact same time period as Rory? And why did it move Amy back when the Doctor was staring at the Angel? It can't move, it's a statue now.
Why can't the Doctor just go back and get them, plopping them back at home and everything is honky dory? Oh, wait, I know why. Because he read the last page of the book and now it's "set in stone" ... Ugh.
And why is River still there? Why hasn't Moffat made her sod off to the library? She's all set to go now. Out of jail, a professor and there's nowhere else left to go with this character. I mean, why waste this perfect plotpoint? The doctor has to send her off to the library, he tells the Ponds and they don't want anything more to do with him. PERFECT. But noooooooooo.

The only thing making this episode better than last week's is that the Angels were great (before the rooftop madness)

lets see :

The statue of liberty was also in the first few minutes when the first guy run to the rooftops. Also it confirms what has been said before that every statue could be a weeping angel.

the graveyard tombstone was not from the hotel/paradox timeline. Why would he have a tombstone when nobody is watching him in that hotel/appermentbuilding. That tombstone is from the fact we would always have been send back in time by the angel in the graveyard.

One angel surviving wouldn't be that weird. The city isn't infested with it anymore but one or two remaining wouldn't be a stretch.

In blink people were send to the same time due to being touched by the same angel(it send the policeman to the same period as the doctor and Martha).

Amy blocked the doctor's view of the angel. Thereby it could move until it touched amy and then the doctor would see it again, turning it into stone again.

The doctor can not get it back due to the fact like when they tried to get into the time where Rory was first put the Tardis bounced back returning to the "now" in that graveyard. It could only land because River could gave it markings to land. The Ponds can not do that so the Tardis will bounce back.


I think they should have let the Ponds die when they jumped of the roof, though that will never happen.

 

[JoJo]

Great episode, a bittersweet episode as I liked Amy and Rory a lot more than most people here but I felt it was time for them to leave, glad their end wasn't just deciding to stay at home.

 

[Albino Boo]

I was pleasantly surprised to see an episode of this season that lived up to it's premise. It was also nice to see an River episode that wasn't hampered by her presence, as the more recent ones have been. Whilst i liked the conclusion, I think i may have preferred the suicide ending, (but i'd rather a companion died than the writers come up with a creative reason to have them be out of the doctor's life) I must say this may have been the best overall episode so far, but then it was the one that had the worst premise, so maybe its just my expectations.

I think the suicide ending would have been a little strong for a show that aims at 7-70. Killing them off like that would have been quite upsetting for the younger end of the age range. Perhaps Amy and Rory falling, then the paradox and finally to the Dr and River looking at the gravestone with the ages 84 and 87 on it could have been done but a straight suicide pact would have been to dark.

 

[Gizmo1990]

So far every episode (except for the crap Dalek one) has felt like it was ment to have 2 parts. Moffat said before the series started their would be no 2 parters but, to me, it has resulted in the episodes having very slow and boring starts with a rushed ending.

As for the episode I never cared for the Ponds, hate River Song and am on the fence about Smith's Doctor so it lacked any emotion for me. Maybe now that they are gone the show can get back to focusing on The Doctor. And maybe now the Ponds are gone River will turn up a little less. The fact that she now calls herself Proffesor is a good sign. It shows she is closer to her death.

I liked the Angels more in this than in the season 5 episodes but they are already begining to suffer from Dalek Syindrom. They have been used too many times, too close together.

 

[D Moness]

We saw the exact same tombstone when the Tardis was first bounced to the graveyard. Hence, it was part of the anexed timeline. The other timeline didn't exist yet. So how can it produce a tombstone if that tombstone isn't supposed to exist without it being a paradox to end all paradoxes, ending that particular corner of the galaxy.

Depends a bit on how you view timetraveling.

As I see it Rory was send back to the past by the weeping angel on the graveyard. This has always been his future. We saw the tombstone before they both jumped because they both jumped. They just didn't know it yet.

Seeing his own death triggered the will to control his own death by killing himself before he got send back into time by another angel.

Him killing himself and creating a paradox would always have happened thereby he would always end up in the graveyard getting send back in time by the angel that roams there.

Well that is how i see it anyway.

I think the suicide ending would have been a little strong for a show that aims at 7-70. Killing them off like that would have been quite upsetting for the younger end of the age range.

Also RTD (i think) said they would not kill of important characters due to the fact it is a kids show(think it was in the doctor who confidential of eps 13 of season 1). It is funny how i was debating the ending of Rory and Amy with friends and my idea was more or less how it ended >.<

/edit: silly quotefail

 

[Catfood220]

I've got to say, this is only the second episode that I've enjoyed of this series, the other being the Dalek one at the start. The rest of the episodes have been a bit underwhelming and this series has been a bit boring. Hopefully when the new assistant turns up, things will get more interesting. I don't know why they have done away with the 2 - 3 part episodes either.

So, its goodbye to Amy and Rory, I will admit, manly tears were shed at the end.