the ultimate ginger

[aria]

It's probably just because my life is a bit mad right now, or because last week's episode is only really now settling in, but wow, this one made me cry a lot.

I can't actually decide if this one was any good. I mean, I think it could've been miles better, just in terms of the fact that you've got mad impossible Amy Pond, and the madman with a box, and Van Gogh, all hanging out in the same episode, and there are lengths they could have gone to that they just didn't -- but on the other hand, I'm quite glad that it wasn't all fancrushing on the historical celeb of the week; instead it was lying on the ground, all holding hands and transforming the sky into Starry Night, which was the first time I teared up. So I think really the only thing I'm disappointed about is the monster of the episode. Invisible-except-to-Van-Gogh thing is awesome in concept, but it didn't quite carry out.

It was made up for by basically everything else. I loved the Doctor's "Is this how time normally passes? Really slowly ... in the right order ..." because, um, yes. The Doctor is incredibly Doctory in this one, both for the silly bits -- the godmother with two heads; okay, now we know the Doctor is embarrassing childhood friends with Zaphod Beeblebrox -- and also for the serious bits: Every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things, or make them unimportant. And I love that Eleven said that, because you wouldn't catch Ten being capable of knowing such a thing, but Eleven is able to articulate it. <3

Mostly, though, I think I liked this episode because, as much as I would've wished for a unicorn chaser after Cold Blood, I needed to see the Doctor being extra kind to Amy, and I needed to see Van Gogh looking through all the worlds into the one where Amy is still sobbing because Rory's gone. I needed that, and I think that's why I spent the last ten or so minutes of the episode crying, and it really worked for me.

I am utterly unenthused about next week. Is it Doctor lite next week? Probably.

Comments

[aria]

...Wow, I didn't think of it that way at all. I'm fairly sure the people working on the story didn't either, because I think the message was supposed to be that Van Gogh commits suicide despite rather than because of the things the Doctor and Amy show him, but -- given that scene where he's actually lying in bed sobbing because they're going to leave him, you're definitely onto something. And ouch. Now the episode is four times as difficult and I want to shake Eleven REALLY HARD.

[oliviacirce]

Oh, I totally don't think they were thinking of it that way at all, and a lot of people have made very reasonable and meaningful observations about how well Van Gogh's depression was treated in the episode -- that it can't be fixed, that it's not so easy. I like that Amy had to cope with that reality. But the lesson still made me uncomfortable, because it felt like they were...I don't know, not really thinking about the whole picture. The one depressive episode we saw Van Gogh have was about them leaving him; they can't suddenly, miraculously make him better, but that doesn't mean they don't change him. Taken in context with everything the Doctor has ever done to his companions...stepping into the TARDIS changes you, no matter how short a time you're there, and showing someone their future does have consequences. The Doctor should know better.

I certainly don't think this is the only way to read the episode, and I'm certain it isn't what they intended, but I'm still...very discomforted.