Finally Doctor Who is back on our screens! This week there was relationship trouble for the Ponds and daleks galore as the Doctor is sent to destroy the asylum of the daleks. There’ll be spoilers so if you haven’t seen the episode yet you probably want to avoid this post- basically, run!
It’s so good to have Doctor Who back on TV after the longest wait since before the 2005 reboot. I put my dalek T-shirt and a pair of dalek socks on in preparation for this dalek bonanza, because I’m sad like that. It was time to begin.
The opening sequence took us to a ruined Skaro and a modelling agency as the Doctor and the Ponds were kidnapped by the daleks. I’ve been confused for a while why Amy went into modelling after her adventures with the Doctor. I’m not sure what you’d do, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be that. And then we have the sudden shock of finding out the Ponds are filing for divorce…
After specially tweaked titles (the logo is changed to reflect each episode’s content in this series), we were given a surprise in the form of an appearance from new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman playing the oddly named Oswin Oswald. She’s from the future and crash-landed on the asylum and, being a genius, managed to stay alive there.
I won’t go through every details because it would take forever but we had zombified human-daleks (not in a Dalek Sec way thank God) and exploding daleks (and it was the Doctor who did it!). All of this was great and made for a proper Who romp. One of my favourite scenes was Amy and Rory making up. They are still in love but Amy ended it because she can’t have kids after Demon’s Run and she knows Rory wants them. They did seem to forget about River Song during this point. I know they didn’t get to watch her grow up but it’s like they pretend she’s never existed. Amy’s never liked her, ever since that time she shot her (see The Impossible Astronaut).
The big question from the episode is left when the Doctor discovers that Oswin has been converted into a dalek and has actually been a dalek for the whole episode. Still, she causes the asylum to blow up and let’s the Doctor and the now reunited Ponds escape. But the obvious questions is how is she going to be the Doctor’s companion when she’s a dead dalek.
I have 3 possible theories.
- She somehow escaped. She is a genius after all.
- Timey-wimey stuff means the Doctor can meet her before it all happens and stop her from going on the spaceship. Then there’s the issue with a paradox.
- Timey-wimey stuff means the Doctor can meet her before it all happens, knowing how she’ll eventually die, though that’s been done before with River Song.
Or it might be something else entirely…
Oswin managed to wipe the Doctor from the dalek databanks shortly before the explosion and we end with the parliament of the daleks all asking the question “Doctor Who?” Even Matt Smith gets to say it as a happy Doctor whizzes off in the TARDIS.
Next Time: Dinosaurs…on a spaceship- with Rory’s Dad, an Egyptian Queen and an Edwardian explorer. Time Vortex will be here every week, usually on a Sunday and that will continue after the series with all sorts of news and features. See you soon!
The whole Rory/Amy divorce thing wasn't too much of a shock if you watched Pond Life which was some little clips on the BBC's website, which if you haven't seen it you need to! :P Then I read somewhere on Tumblr this whole theory that Oswin is The Doctor's and River Song's child and her timeline tuns like Rivers, so opposite to The Doctor, and she knows that he's her dad but he doesn't yet because to him it's just the first time he's met her! But think how cool that would be! Anyways I'm going to go find the whole theory because it explains it better than I have!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the final part of Pond Life until after Asylum. But I knew anyway the Ponds were going to have relationship issues, just didn't think it would be quite so severe. Sounds an interesting theory but I don't think it's correct!
ReplyDeleteFound the link! http://savvyliterate.tumblr.com/post/30712477981/cheshire-song-you-know-what-i-loved-about-this
ReplyDeleteSoo did not know that Coleman is going to be the new companion! Clearly haven't been paying enough attention... Unbelievably excited for the rest of this series - it's gonna be amaaaaaaaaazing :D
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