Some thoughts on Blink
June 12th, 2007 09:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kalihaNow, Doctor-lite episodes really aren't looked upon that favourably, although really I don't think it is a fault of the story itself, more of the person writing it (well, lets face it, talking paving slabs and the implied ickyness that went with it is hardly going to be a fan favourite.)
However, you've then got the fact that Steven Moffatt has written some of my favourite episodes of Who (new or old, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances is in my top ten of all episodes ever). So already I'm feeling a bit conflicted and that's before the episode has even started. :D
Sally, Sally, Sally, haven’t you watched any horror films?
A spooky-lit house, at night. Surely no good can come of this.
Of course things get even better after she breaks and enters
My dad was says that back when he were a lad (in the late sixties and it was all in black and white) him and his friends used to have decorating parties where they'd go round someone's house, get absolutely plastered and pull all the wallpaper off the walls of the room(s) being decorated and then as they got drunker and drunker graffiti all over the walls. Of course it would all be wallpapered over the following day and the drunken scrawling lost until the next time to room was decorated. Bit like them time capsules Blue Peter used to do.
The Doctor and Martha must have been to one of those parties.
Of course, he couldn't write down something fun
Like the lottery numbers or be a bit less cryptic (but yes, where's the fun in that)
ARGH!
The statues are so creepy. Generally I'm a bit creeped out by them anyway, it's the blankness in the eyes where the iris and pupil should be. (Although the ones that have a little bored out hole to represent the pupil are even creepier).
It's no wonder that Sally did a runner.
Is this a David Tennant fangirl's house?
*looks shifty* because I've been told that's sort of what they look like. ;) See, everything is so normal to makes being scared of a statue feel really silly.
Quick, let's make it even more absurd by having a naked bloke walk in
Sally manages to land in some embarrassing situations, bless her.
More sensibly they decide to go back to the house in the daylight
But the place is even more creepy in the daylight than it is at night. I think it's all the mirrors leaning against the walls, casting weird reflections and the chandeliers resting against the floor. Mind you, for all it's creepiness I'd probably be there taking photos too. I love deserted places like that, particularly when it's a bit misty for that added ambience.
There's somebody at the door!
Two Pink Windmill references in two weeks!
I'm watching you
It moved! It moved! *cries quietly*
Get thee to Hull
Katherine's lucky that she only ended up 90 years in the past. She could have ended up in prehistoric times or anything.
These photos look so much better than the 'aged' photos that were in Estelle's house in Small Worlds (cross-fandom references ahoy!) which is a good thing, especially as the camera lingers so long on them. And 1920s clothing is made of win – just look at how love the wedding dress is.
You can't see me for a penny cup of tea!
If the Angel in the garden was Weeping!Angel then this one is definitely Emo!Angel.
A statue holding a key, how strange
Never explained, but how on Earth did the Angels end up with a TARDIS key? There's currently only two out on loan – one with Jack and one with Martha – and Martha's was definitely on a chain and not a piece of cord. So who's is it? Surely the Doctor's not been clumsy enough to lose his?
Oh, oh oh, it moved!
I'm not getting scared. Honest. You have to give some credit to the Angels, they're staying so still (most likely augmented with a bit of help from The Mill) but it must be so uncomfortable in a full body prosthetic coupled with no eye holes and a massive (and likely heavy) pair of wings on the back. Talk about suffering for your art.
Figures in windows also unnerve me rather
I feel this episode is going to show just what a scaredy cat I am. Woes. Actually this shot really reminded of a ghost hunt website that had a picture of a grey lady standing in an upstairs window looking down. Annoyingly I find find the picture to show you (my google-fu has let me down, but I'm sure that someone knows that I am on about).
It's all the more embarrassing in the light of day.
Poor old Larry. That's a very small ashtray. I'm just sayin'…
We've all done it love
I've shouted at David Tennant on the telly before now. Of course, I'm probably a little but mad, but there you go…
Spot the dig at fandom, people can have friends off the internet you know, Steven Moffatt. Mind you, going by Larry, he sees us as slightly scruffy, resourceful blokes with a penchant for walking round the house nekkid. Somewhat better than a paving slab that can do fellatio. *glares*
Now you see them
Now you don't
Well, if I could get behind by sofa, I probably would be by now. Yes, a complete and total scaredy cat. Whatever.
Hey I recognise that big, blue box
And a big shout out to the pendants who complained way back then about the windows on the TARDIS being wrong. There's some people on OG who are feeling rather smug at that. Probably. Okay, another niggle with the plot here: I can understand them recovering all the cars, that's probably procedure or something, after all, they do belong to someone, but why cart off a reproduction 1960s police box? (Other than to progress the plot, obviously)
SallyShipton Sparrow makes a fool of herself
We've all been there love, and it's not put Billy off, in fact, I think he quite likes you.
Ack!
Where'd the Angel's of Death come from? It's a locked up basement with seemingly only an entrance from the police station. Them policemen officers aren't very observant if some big old statues managed to get past them.
DON'T BLINK BILLY!
Oh.
Too late.
But being thrown through time to that isn't too bad.
Y HALO THAR DOCTOR AND MARTHA. (Martha sporting a frankly gorgeous jacket.) What is that behind them? When I watched the episode I thought it was another TARDIS, but it's not is it? Is it just some random-building that happens to look a bit like a TARDIS then? Hmmm.
The Doctor waxes lyrical
It takes Billy no time at all to glaze over.
It could be a little bit more . . . sonic
The Timey Wimey machine (as well as having a great name) is rather cool too, part 60s radio, part reel-to-reel tape deck and complete with a postcard decoration…he's slaved over that he has. It's surprisingly portable too.
They could have saved so much time and confusion if Billy had just mentioned that he had Sally's phone number – they could have used Martha's super!phone and explained everything without poor old Sally getting threatened by the angels.
But that wouldn't have been very exciting….
Now that is one shiny, shiny floor
You could eat your . . . actually, better not.
Poor old Billy
He's walked the slow path, but he's lived his life and been very happy, even though he lost his future that might have been and to his family he just disappeared… that's really sad.
Sally gets a bit of an insight into how it must have been for the Doctor to meet someone and see them age before your eyes in a matter of hours. (Not that she knows anything about that of course, but we do)
So back they go to the creepy old house
At night, when it's all shadowy and scary. Crazy. It's not as if the Angels will be able to get into the TARDIS – after all the gathered hordes of Gengis Khan didn't manage it, why would four statues. (Then again, Sally wouldn't know that – she'd stay out of a lot of unnecessary danger if she has our foreknowledge ;))
The Doctor describes his favourite bit of Martha
Probably
"You can do shorthand?!"
I said exactly the same thing to a boy who could last week too. *headdesks* Apparently a lot of boys have taken it up. Put me in my place, I can tell you. I wonder if the Doctor can read shorthand or if the TARDIS translates it for him? He was probably forced to learn it when he was working for UNIT back in the velvet and ruffles days.
Sally only owns 17 DVDs? What does she spend her time/money on? Reading? Or something crazy like that? It doesn't compute. It really doesn't. ;) Trying to find some logic as to the Easter Eggs being the 17 that she owns is a bit head hurty though. I had looping paradoxes. Absolute pain in the arse. (2|entertain had better have an Easter Egg like this on their next box set. Oh come on, it's crying out for something like this to completely scare the living daylights out of you – along with the bloopers reel we've been promised for the last two years, but that's a rant for another day.)
Oh look at you looking all sweet and innocent
You're not though are you?
See?
I admit that I did jump out of my chair (a teeny, tiny, little bit) just about here. I get how being stone is the perfect defence for not dying. But what is there to stop someone just smashing you up into dust while you're stood there frozen solid? And the Dawn of Time was a highly populated place was it not?
I like the fact they they aren't killing for the sake of it. In fact, they're not killing anyone at all, Billy and Katherine both led, long and happy lives, the angels aren't feasting on your blood, just your what-might-have-been, so they're not actually physically hurting anyone. They’re not a villain with a twirly moutache and grand plans. They’re just surviving (and quite comfortably too – considering they have electricity in their house).
We're in ur cellar, partying
well, we're in ur cellar, killing ur rescuers is probably closer to the truth.
They're definitely thinking "Blimey! It's bigger on the inside!"
But unlike Rose and Martha they're not going to stick their head outside to see that the outside is smaller than the inside.
I wonder if he has to re-record all these emergency protocols every time he regenerates?
or if the TARDIS CGIs him over the older Doctor. See, these are the things I think when I should be paying attention to the plot.
They're lucky that Larry thought to put a DVD in his pocket, or they'd be in trouble. Mind you the Doctor would probably have a protocol for that too.
Rock the TARDIS
Could they flip the TARDIS upside down? What would happen to the insides? Does the inside have any correlation to the outside or could it spin inside and right itself?
That's a bit harsh of the Doctor
Nicking their only place of safety. He doesn't think these things through does he? (Well, Sally gave him the answer didn't she?) Lucky all four Angels were in the cellar.
Hang on
Isn't Larry breaking their gaze? Surely the Angel behind would be able to move? (Hopefully Sally's looking at that once, else this will end badly).
You'll never guess who I had in the back of my cab the other day…
Bows, arrows? London? What on earth is going on? We'll probably never really know and that is sad. But such is the life of someone who isn't a companion.
Martha's very aware that time is passing
She even manages to make a quiver and knee-high boots look good. Bless her.
The Doctor treats Sally to his Robert De Niro impression
I wonder how much is in that file
Obivously photos and transcript and Katherine's letter and the DVD list, but does it mention that there was an Angel on each side of the TARDIS? Or that the Doctor made it vanish? And if the Angel's sent the Doctor and Martha back to 1969 (when their timeline reaches that bit) how does the Doctor have the stuff to know what to do? Does he read it and therefore affect his future? Sorry, there's a lot of questions there.
Sally finally gets to move on
This weirdness all done she can now live her life.
Shame really, she'd be a wonderful companion. Level headed, good in a crisis, can do a bit of running and used to the weridness. Like Nancy she'd be perfect. I wonder if we'll ever see her again? Probably not which is a shame because Carey Mulligan was brilliant.
And now to complete traumatise all small children (and not so small children everywhere
Well done there Mr Moffatt. As if gas mask children weren't bad enough.
*will never blink at a statue again*
In conclusion.
Loved, loved, loved this episode. However, it's starting to become clear that Doctor Who does lose something when it's screened in the summer. The lighter evenings the nicer weather, they don't only mean more people are playing outside and not watching the telly, but they don't have the atmosphere either. Imagine how scarier this would have been if it was a winters night with the wind blowing through the trees and rain lashing against the windows. *shivers*
A big old yay should also be given to Hettie McDonald because the cinematography in this episode was brilliant, all long angles and lingering shots. Plus everywhere looked beautiful, especially the creepy old house.
This episode gets a "hoorah everyone!" 8.5/10
However, you've then got the fact that Steven Moffatt has written some of my favourite episodes of Who (new or old, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances is in my top ten of all episodes ever). So already I'm feeling a bit conflicted and that's before the episode has even started. :D
Sally, Sally, Sally, haven’t you watched any horror films?
A spooky-lit house, at night. Surely no good can come of this.
Of course things get even better after she breaks and enters
My dad was says that back when he were a lad (in the late sixties and it was all in black and white) him and his friends used to have decorating parties where they'd go round someone's house, get absolutely plastered and pull all the wallpaper off the walls of the room(s) being decorated and then as they got drunker and drunker graffiti all over the walls. Of course it would all be wallpapered over the following day and the drunken scrawling lost until the next time to room was decorated. Bit like them time capsules Blue Peter used to do.
The Doctor and Martha must have been to one of those parties.
Of course, he couldn't write down something fun
Like the lottery numbers or be a bit less cryptic (but yes, where's the fun in that)
ARGH!
The statues are so creepy. Generally I'm a bit creeped out by them anyway, it's the blankness in the eyes where the iris and pupil should be. (Although the ones that have a little bored out hole to represent the pupil are even creepier).
It's no wonder that Sally did a runner.
Is this a David Tennant fangirl's house?
*looks shifty* because I've been told that's sort of what they look like. ;) See, everything is so normal to makes being scared of a statue feel really silly.
Quick, let's make it even more absurd by having a naked bloke walk in
Sally manages to land in some embarrassing situations, bless her.
More sensibly they decide to go back to the house in the daylight
But the place is even more creepy in the daylight than it is at night. I think it's all the mirrors leaning against the walls, casting weird reflections and the chandeliers resting against the floor. Mind you, for all it's creepiness I'd probably be there taking photos too. I love deserted places like that, particularly when it's a bit misty for that added ambience.
There's somebody at the door!
Two Pink Windmill references in two weeks!
I'm watching you
It moved! It moved! *cries quietly*
Get thee to Hull
Katherine's lucky that she only ended up 90 years in the past. She could have ended up in prehistoric times or anything.
These photos look so much better than the 'aged' photos that were in Estelle's house in Small Worlds (cross-fandom references ahoy!) which is a good thing, especially as the camera lingers so long on them. And 1920s clothing is made of win – just look at how love the wedding dress is.
You can't see me for a penny cup of tea!
If the Angel in the garden was Weeping!Angel then this one is definitely Emo!Angel.
A statue holding a key, how strange
Never explained, but how on Earth did the Angels end up with a TARDIS key? There's currently only two out on loan – one with Jack and one with Martha – and Martha's was definitely on a chain and not a piece of cord. So who's is it? Surely the Doctor's not been clumsy enough to lose his?
Oh, oh oh, it moved!
I'm not getting scared. Honest. You have to give some credit to the Angels, they're staying so still (most likely augmented with a bit of help from The Mill) but it must be so uncomfortable in a full body prosthetic coupled with no eye holes and a massive (and likely heavy) pair of wings on the back. Talk about suffering for your art.
Figures in windows also unnerve me rather
I feel this episode is going to show just what a scaredy cat I am. Woes. Actually this shot really reminded of a ghost hunt website that had a picture of a grey lady standing in an upstairs window looking down. Annoyingly I find find the picture to show you (my google-fu has let me down, but I'm sure that someone knows that I am on about).
It's all the more embarrassing in the light of day.
Poor old Larry. That's a very small ashtray. I'm just sayin'…
We've all done it love
I've shouted at David Tennant on the telly before now. Of course, I'm probably a little but mad, but there you go…
Spot the dig at fandom, people can have friends off the internet you know, Steven Moffatt. Mind you, going by Larry, he sees us as slightly scruffy, resourceful blokes with a penchant for walking round the house nekkid. Somewhat better than a paving slab that can do fellatio. *glares*
Now you see them
Now you don't
Well, if I could get behind by sofa, I probably would be by now. Yes, a complete and total scaredy cat. Whatever.
Hey I recognise that big, blue box
And a big shout out to the pendants who complained way back then about the windows on the TARDIS being wrong. There's some people on OG who are feeling rather smug at that. Probably. Okay, another niggle with the plot here: I can understand them recovering all the cars, that's probably procedure or something, after all, they do belong to someone, but why cart off a reproduction 1960s police box? (Other than to progress the plot, obviously)
Sally
We've all been there love, and it's not put Billy off, in fact, I think he quite likes you.
Ack!
Where'd the Angel's of Death come from? It's a locked up basement with seemingly only an entrance from the police station. Them police
DON'T BLINK BILLY!
Oh.
Too late.
But being thrown through time to that isn't too bad.
Y HALO THAR DOCTOR AND MARTHA. (Martha sporting a frankly gorgeous jacket.) What is that behind them? When I watched the episode I thought it was another TARDIS, but it's not is it? Is it just some random-building that happens to look a bit like a TARDIS then? Hmmm.
The Doctor waxes lyrical
It takes Billy no time at all to glaze over.
It could be a little bit more . . . sonic
The Timey Wimey machine (as well as having a great name) is rather cool too, part 60s radio, part reel-to-reel tape deck and complete with a postcard decoration…he's slaved over that he has. It's surprisingly portable too.
They could have saved so much time and confusion if Billy had just mentioned that he had Sally's phone number – they could have used Martha's super!phone and explained everything without poor old Sally getting threatened by the angels.
But that wouldn't have been very exciting….
Now that is one shiny, shiny floor
You could eat your . . . actually, better not.
Poor old Billy
He's walked the slow path, but he's lived his life and been very happy, even though he lost his future that might have been and to his family he just disappeared… that's really sad.
Sally gets a bit of an insight into how it must have been for the Doctor to meet someone and see them age before your eyes in a matter of hours. (Not that she knows anything about that of course, but we do)
So back they go to the creepy old house
At night, when it's all shadowy and scary. Crazy. It's not as if the Angels will be able to get into the TARDIS – after all the gathered hordes of Gengis Khan didn't manage it, why would four statues. (Then again, Sally wouldn't know that – she'd stay out of a lot of unnecessary danger if she has our foreknowledge ;))
The Doctor describes his favourite bit of Martha
Probably
"You can do shorthand?!"
I said exactly the same thing to a boy who could last week too. *headdesks* Apparently a lot of boys have taken it up. Put me in my place, I can tell you. I wonder if the Doctor can read shorthand or if the TARDIS translates it for him? He was probably forced to learn it when he was working for UNIT back in the velvet and ruffles days.
Sally only owns 17 DVDs? What does she spend her time/money on? Reading? Or something crazy like that? It doesn't compute. It really doesn't. ;) Trying to find some logic as to the Easter Eggs being the 17 that she owns is a bit head hurty though. I had looping paradoxes. Absolute pain in the arse. (2|entertain had better have an Easter Egg like this on their next box set. Oh come on, it's crying out for something like this to completely scare the living daylights out of you – along with the bloopers reel we've been promised for the last two years, but that's a rant for another day.)
Oh look at you looking all sweet and innocent
You're not though are you?
See?
I admit that I did jump out of my chair (a teeny, tiny, little bit) just about here. I get how being stone is the perfect defence for not dying. But what is there to stop someone just smashing you up into dust while you're stood there frozen solid? And the Dawn of Time was a highly populated place was it not?
I like the fact they they aren't killing for the sake of it. In fact, they're not killing anyone at all, Billy and Katherine both led, long and happy lives, the angels aren't feasting on your blood, just your what-might-have-been, so they're not actually physically hurting anyone. They’re not a villain with a twirly moutache and grand plans. They’re just surviving (and quite comfortably too – considering they have electricity in their house).
We're in ur cellar, partying
well, we're in ur cellar, killing ur rescuers is probably closer to the truth.
They're definitely thinking "Blimey! It's bigger on the inside!"
But unlike Rose and Martha they're not going to stick their head outside to see that the outside is smaller than the inside.
I wonder if he has to re-record all these emergency protocols every time he regenerates?
or if the TARDIS CGIs him over the older Doctor. See, these are the things I think when I should be paying attention to the plot.
They're lucky that Larry thought to put a DVD in his pocket, or they'd be in trouble. Mind you the Doctor would probably have a protocol for that too.
Rock the TARDIS
Could they flip the TARDIS upside down? What would happen to the insides? Does the inside have any correlation to the outside or could it spin inside and right itself?
That's a bit harsh of the Doctor
Nicking their only place of safety. He doesn't think these things through does he? (Well, Sally gave him the answer didn't she?) Lucky all four Angels were in the cellar.
Hang on
Isn't Larry breaking their gaze? Surely the Angel behind would be able to move? (Hopefully Sally's looking at that once, else this will end badly).
You'll never guess who I had in the back of my cab the other day…
Bows, arrows? London? What on earth is going on? We'll probably never really know and that is sad. But such is the life of someone who isn't a companion.
Martha's very aware that time is passing
She even manages to make a quiver and knee-high boots look good. Bless her.
The Doctor treats Sally to his Robert De Niro impression
I wonder how much is in that file
Obivously photos and transcript and Katherine's letter and the DVD list, but does it mention that there was an Angel on each side of the TARDIS? Or that the Doctor made it vanish? And if the Angel's sent the Doctor and Martha back to 1969 (when their timeline reaches that bit) how does the Doctor have the stuff to know what to do? Does he read it and therefore affect his future? Sorry, there's a lot of questions there.
Sally finally gets to move on
This weirdness all done she can now live her life.
Shame really, she'd be a wonderful companion. Level headed, good in a crisis, can do a bit of running and used to the weridness. Like Nancy she'd be perfect. I wonder if we'll ever see her again? Probably not which is a shame because Carey Mulligan was brilliant.
And now to complete traumatise all small children (and not so small children everywhere
Well done there Mr Moffatt. As if gas mask children weren't bad enough.
*will never blink at a statue again*
In conclusion.
Loved, loved, loved this episode. However, it's starting to become clear that Doctor Who does lose something when it's screened in the summer. The lighter evenings the nicer weather, they don't only mean more people are playing outside and not watching the telly, but they don't have the atmosphere either. Imagine how scarier this would have been if it was a winters night with the wind blowing through the trees and rain lashing against the windows. *shivers*
A big old yay should also be given to Hettie McDonald because the cinematography in this episode was brilliant, all long angles and lingering shots. Plus everywhere looked beautiful, especially the creepy old house.
This episode gets a "hoorah everyone!" 8.5/10
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 08:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 08:34 pm (UTC)Just for reference, it was downloaded here in winter (as it is now in Australia), and watched in the dead of night purely because of when the Torrent came down.
And yes, it was scary. I'm even going to say scarier than an episode of Supernatural.
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 09:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 04:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 10:12 pm (UTC)Or maybe not. Though all my favourite possible companions have come from the guest star on episode ten. Would have loved Sally or Elton to be on board. Fortunately Jack made it :)
Veered this way from new_who...
Date: Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 11:00 pm (UTC)And by the way, regarding this comment? See, these are the things I think when I should be paying attention to the plot.
I do it too, no worries! ::smiles::
(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 12:27 am (UTC)I'm with you 100% there.
(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 03:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 03:10 am (UTC)Ah, but by the time you'd TURNED away, gone to get a spade, and BLINKED, you'd be DEAD.
In a way, their method of "killing" is worse than death. Imagine having to live in a strange place, in a strange time, knowing you'd never see your friends or family again. I know I'd much rather die.
Bows, arrows? London?
I have a bit of a fetish for those. The weapons, not the city. So I got a big thrill seeing them with those.
(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 04:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 03:25 am (UTC)My real wish would be for Sally to be a companion and I think I deserve it for living in a city full of statues.
(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 10:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 03:09 pm (UTC)I've now got a mental image of a bloke in Timpson's being terrorized by a Weeping Angel brandishing a Yale key and a five-pound-note...
The Doctor describes his favourite bit of Martha
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 05:16 pm (UTC)Re: The Doctor describes his favourite bit of Martha
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 05:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 11:54 pm (UTC)*cheers*
p.s. Rec'd the new DWM today. Payment on its way shortly - THANK YOU!
(no subject)
Date: Thursday, June 14th, 2007 11:34 am (UTC)I am so stealing that to make a macro *grins*
I love your random thoughts :)
(no subject)
Date: Friday, June 15th, 2007 03:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 11:44 pm (UTC)As I never remember who writes the episodes, I didn't know it was the same of Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Incredibly they were to me the most scary episodes of the show...that little kid with the mask calling his mommy was....creepy!
But of course I loved this episode and loved Sally. I'll miss her :-(
(no subject)
Date: Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 06:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2007 01:28 am (UTC)Oh, and paused the bit with the shorthand to read it and see if they'd actually written the right stuff. I was very excited that they had :) *is shorthand nerd*
(no subject)
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2007 07:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 12:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 08:23 pm (UTC)