7X05 The Angels Take Manhattan (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!)

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by Samurai8472, Sep 29, 2012.

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Grade "The Angels Take Manhattan"

Poll closed Oct 30, 2012.
  1. The girl who waited

    100 vote(s)
    64.5%
  2. Something borrowed

    35 vote(s)
    22.6%
  3. Average

    10 vote(s)
    6.5%
  4. Is it bad that I really miss this?

    3 vote(s)
    1.9%
  5. You're Scottish, fry something

    7 vote(s)
    4.5%
  1. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Surely you're not saying Peri was forced into becoming a Warrior Queen? They had real chemistry, I can believe she genuinely fell in love with him and wanted to give him a tribe of babies
     
  2. Saul

    Saul Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Possibly some kind of perception filter? It's there but not there.
     
  3. Deckerd

    Deckerd Fleet Arse Premium Member

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    The gumshoe at the start, when he went onto the roof and you saw those huge teeth behind him, that was a pretty good effect.
     
  4. Mr Awe

    Mr Awe Vice Admiral Admiral

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    It's just like replacing the Doctor with a lookalike robot. In this case, you're planting a headstone to keep up appearances.

    Mr Awe
     
  5. shapeshifter

    shapeshifter Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Excellent!

    My faith in the franchise has been restored.
     
  6. gblews

    gblews Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Loved the episode. As others have pointed out, it was nice to see the Angles become scary again and especially to see them doing their "potential" consumption again.

    But OMG I'm going to miss Rory and Amy. The chemistry between those two AND the Doctor is pretty much off the charts. The little throw away lines, the in jokes, I just don't see how the show can be improved by their absence. Those characters were getting better and better together with each passing season.

    Oh well, I'm only a NuWho watcher -- I've only seen the occasional Who classic -- so I'm sure others have felt this way about a companion before, only to eventually find another one to love.

    Anyway, great episode. And please don't anyone remind me that Matt Smith's time will soon come to an end -- I can only take so much depression at a time.
     
  7. doubleohfive

    doubleohfive Fleet Admiral

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    A writer friend of mine shared the link to this LJ entry/review this morning and it cohesively details every problem I had with this episode and more over, the characterization of the 11th Doctor:

    Some pertinent quotes if you don't have time to read it (it's long):

    I've never really bought in to the whole "Ten is better than Eleven!" argument until now. I defended series 5 to a lot of people at the time, and even though I personally thought Series 6 was incredibly uneven, it still had its moments when it wasn't telegraphing it's plot twists that we all saw coming a mile away:

     
  8. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Going off-topic here...

    Oddly, that review explains one of the fundamental problems with the Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover comic.
    That describes succinctly the problem with Rory and Amy in Assimilation2 -- they have no narrative role in a Star Trek story. They don't need to function as the audience's window into this strange world, because the audience knows exactly what the Star Trek universe is and how it works. They can't carry any of the action, because there's a whole slew of Star Trek characters to do that. Basically, they have no function in the story except to stand around and occasionally talk to Deanna Troi. In retrospect, maybe this story should have been set during one of the Doctor's companion-less periods, much like the recent novel Dark Horizons (which is absolutely lovely, by the way).

    Back to our "The Angels Take Manhattan" discussion...
     
  9. Pindar

    Pindar Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I just rewatched the stolen earth and journeys end, Donna had a much better farewell, IMO.

    Donna was the last companion to leave before Amy and for my money her goodbye was a lot more emotional.

    I found it a bit sad to rewatch though as everyone was still alive.
     
  10. Photoman15

    Photoman15 Commodore Commodore

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    That long review is very telling. It tells me the author does not understand Doctor Who.
     
  11. doubleohfive

    doubleohfive Fleet Admiral

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    And you do? Thank goodness we have you here to educate us. Please elaborate.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2012
  12. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    Langley
    So...the next time we make a show like Battlestar Galactica we won't populate half the cast with British actors and you won't complain when you get it on BBC and we say take it or leave it? Awesome! :techman:
     
  13. intrinsical

    intrinsical Commodore Commodore

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    Funny, and here I was thinking Ten was the whiny, bratty man-child.

    "The laws of time are mine. And they will obey me!!!"
    "I'm the winner. Timelord Victorious."
    "I don't want to die!!!"
     
  14. Professor Zoom

    Professor Zoom Admiral Admiral

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    Who says they aren't? It still seems like they are. Just others outside of the UK also enjoy it.

    Again, potential audiences elsewhere generate revenue for the BBC, which means they can fund more projects without having to raise the fee.

    Sounds like they are saving you money.

    1. What if, as someone proposed, BBC-America helped pay for the episode, which means it didn't cost them anything.

    2. What if by spending a little more, in terms of investment, GAINS more than the cost... wouldn't that be using money WELL.

    And besides, whether or not they shot in New York doesn't actually reflect on the quality of the story--which, honestly was meh for me. Even if they shot in Cardiff it wouldn't have been better.

    I get complaining about actual problems, but shooting in New York? I don't understand the problem.
     
  15. doubleohfive

    doubleohfive Fleet Admiral

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    Bullshit.

    What happened after each of those instances? Ten realized his mistakes. He paid for it when Brook suicides herself. Ten gives his life so Wilf won't have to, even though Wilf wants to die so Ten won't have to.

    You're not wrong that Ten had some of these same issues. The part where you're wrong is that unlike Eleven, Ten actually learns from these missteps.
     
  16. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    Bah. Nine makes them both look stupid.

    (Damn Ecclestone and his "I'll only do one season...")
     
  17. Professor Zoom

    Professor Zoom Admiral Admiral

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    Eccleston. Eccleston. Eccelston.
     
  18. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    [​IMG]

    "Oy! Who called?"
     
  19. Professor Zoom

    Professor Zoom Admiral Admiral

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    :lol:
     
  20. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    :rommie:


    And I stick by what I said, even if I can't spell his name.