You know, I have totally forgotten about Toxic in the second episode. Of course ever since Oops I did it again, Spears has meant nothing to me, but maybe I should have clarified music that actually added more to the episode than just used as a supplement. I also forgot about the "Here comes the Drums" thing that was played. I hate forgetting obvious things. Kind of spoils the point in the end.
Agreed! I actually didn't expect to like it, as I find anything art/literature related extremely boring (I'm a science/math type of gal ). I'd seen the Starry Night painting before but I had no idea who'd painted it. That's how un-arty I am. But this episode really blew me away!
I had not problem with the Van Gogh stuff, just dont ask me to enjoy the dull as dishwasher water plot that was the invisible Primeval reject.
Absolutly beautiful episode that chokes me up in the last 10 minutes or so. Great stuff. I thought anything before this with the monster was nice but rather normal, but those last few minutes made this a gem of a episode though.
Maybe the lameness of the chicken monster was intentional so as to not distract from the rest of the story.
Just beautiful. I loved it, and the end is probably the closest the show has got me to tears aside from Tennant's regeneration. It was just lovely. Very atypical for an episode of New Who and, despite what others have said, I think it was quite atypical for a classic episode as well. This was something...different. I'm not sure the show would survive if every episode was like this, but I sincerely hope we get a few more like this from now on. The guy playing Van Gough was brilliant, Loved Smith and Gillian (as always) loved the Tardis becoming a billboard, loved the reference to Rory and the fact that Vincent could see that Amy was mourning him even though she's forgotten. Bill Nighy was wonderful and I thought he and Smith played off each other wonderfully. Bow ties are indeed cool Loved the Hartnell and Troughton pics, but that's three times the 1st Doctor has been referenced now...I do wonder if Moffat is going somewhere specific with this? Kudos to Richard Curtis, and I hope Moffat uses him again, to make a story about a man suffering mental illness who we know will kill himself and yet still make it fun, and hopefull takes talent. One final word. That shot of Amy in amongst the sunflowers was just fantastic.
I've not read anyone else's comments yet (not that they'd influence me anyway), but here are my thoughts. I thought it was good. Certainly a massive step up on the Chibnall two-parter. It was great to have a historical where the famous figure was played so beautifully and shown as flawed. It really felt unexpected and different for Doctor Who when we saw Van Gogh having that depressive episode lying on the bed, though I'm sad to say Murray Gold's music really did nearly ruin that bit for me. Smith's acting opposite VG regarding his depression was terrific too. It's hard to imagine what the Tenth Doctor's reaction would have been (well, either bouncing around guffawing saying "aww cheer up, I'll take you to a little shop" or ruining it with an "I'm so sorry" moment"), but it further cements my delight at this version of the Doctor. It was a bit much having the awful indie MOR song while Van Gogh was in the gallery; I thought that cheapened it to a Holby City/Hollyoaks level. Also on the negative side was that godawful gadget thing the Doctor wore. Reminded me of the 3D specs and silly ghost thing from Army of Ghosts. Why does new Who have its pieces of technology looking so silly? Like it's ashamed to be too serious in its sci-finess. I liked the idea of the monster being blind, but if he got left there by a murdering swarm of them, shouldn't there be lots of dead people from their visit? Maybe they just went game hunting in Africa and he ended up where he did because he was blind. But overall, I enjoyed this episode. The bit where he's describing what he sees when he's looking at the stars and then they change into like his painting was really quite beautiful (if poorly described by me just then). One other thing though: when the Tardis is bouncing around, what does The Doctor say? It sounded something like "this is where it goes a bit Doctor Who". I went back to listen to that bit again, and that's how it sounded to me anyway. But yeah, a 3 or a 4 out of 5. Its great strength was in the actor playing Van Gogh, and that it dealt with his depression so brilliantly.
Hopefully you watched it in HD? That truly was spectacular! Rewatched this earlier with the wife, and we both loved it. Again. As others have said, the alien story is relatively run-of-the-mill, but Tony Curran's turn as VVG was stunningly brilliant, and again, the final 5 minutes whilst unashamedly sentimental and self-indulgent, were gloriously brilliant. Without doubt my favourite episode of the season and along with The Girl in the Fireplace and The Empty Child, one of my favourites from the entire series.
I can't make heads or tails of what he's saying but I have a subtitle file that also goes with "go tonto" which is not a phrase I'm familiar with.
I heard "tonto" when I checked, but the first time, I thought he may have said "makes everything go absolutely Doctor." I feel like he's been used as an adjective before, too.
It's one of those sayings that I know exactly what it means, but I have no idea where I've heard it before.
Final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth. Underpants on head. Pencils up nose. Trying to get invalided out of the war. Message sent: "Captain Blackadder gone totally tonto. Bring straightjacket for immediate return to Blighty". Wibble.
The fight or the design of the monster wasn't the point of that bit of the story; it didn't matter what the monster was or even really what it did in the town, that was just the sci-fi wrapping to sell the Doctor being there in the first place. It was literalising what is said about the eccentric, 'mad' genius - they can see things in the world that others cannot. And tellingly, Van Gogh could see it but the Doctor, our 'mad genius', was as oblivious as Amy - a fact he acknowledged himself in the starry night scene. The story was about seeing things beyond the mundane or bland, not about fighting another kewl monster about to devour the Earth.