5x05 Flesh and Stone (Grading/Discussion) SPOILERS!

[Count Zero]

I know, I know, I'm a bit early this time, but I'll be away later.

Spoiler: plot synopsis

Time is running out! Trapped among an army of Weeping Angels, the Doctor and his friends must try to escape through the wreckage of a crashed space liner.

Meanwhile, in the forest vault, Amy finds herself facing an even more deadly attack and the Doctor realises he has more than the Angels to deal with...

Three clips from the episode have been released and can be watched here (among other places).

Funnily enough, the picture in my Doctor Who calendar for May shows the Weeping Angels from Blink, so I'm all prepped (and probably dead soon, since, you know, that which contains an angel becomes itself an angel...).

 

[SG-17]

What time does it start GMT 12-hour?

 

[Count Zero]

It starts in about two hours, 18:25 British time (which should be GMT+1, I think).

 

[SG-17]

Ok, then I will have to wait about 3-4 hours to watch it here.

 

[wamdue]

lets hope there are no screw ups this week.

 

[Tom]

Ok, then I will have to wait about 3-4 hours to watch it here.

Torrents usually availbale after 3pm EDT, not that I promote such things.

 

[Jamee999]

Well that was a bit good.

 

[Captain Shaw]

Loved it wish I knew about summer though.
Does this mean the Angels never existed now they went though the crack.

 

[DarkHorizon]

It didn't seem like the second part of a two-parter - it almost felt like a separate episode, as all of a sudden we took a left turn into full-on crucial season arc plot. The Angels were largely dispensed with, and didn't feel like much of a threat anymore.

But, time unravelling - reasons why people don't remember the Daleks, the CyberKing, many others - everthing revolving around Amy. An actual answer to what year Amy is from - and, oh look, the 26th of June is a Saturday.

Also, I wouldn't have pushed her away...

 

[Lonemagpie]

and, oh look, the 26th of June is a Saturday.

And of course it's the date the finale airs...

That was great - if exceedingly WTF at the end!

The Weeping Angels made for a good threat, but the really fun stuff was the stuff with the crack - it's great that the season arc is actually having something made of it at this stage is the season, cos it makes it feel like it's actually a story arc rather than just a random reference every episode until the finale.

Speaking of the finale, I guess since River remembers the Pandorica opening, that we'll see an earlier her int he finale. And I don't imagine they could make it any clearer, short of calling it Terminator 3, that the Doctor is the guy she's locked up for killing, in the finale. Except that obviously time will get rewritten so that she didn't.

Anyhow, the episode was good fun, and followed on well from last week, making a pretty good slice of entertainment overall, but there were some annoying plot holes - mainly 1) if the Angels can't move when they're being looked at, how come the ones in the front rank aren't frozen by the ones following, and 2) if an eye can hold an Angel inside the head, how come *everybody* didn't have that happening to them. Still, props to the team for basically making an action movie out of the "what time is it Mr Wolf" playground game.

And then there was the end... Amy throws herself at the Doctor. Simultaneously a real WTF moment but also very funny, and, really, if she's going to want a sympathy fuck from him she's really got no business marrying Rory. It really felt, more than anything, like ripping the piss out of Saint Rose, and demonstrating that the showrunner made his name in sitcoms. But, believe me, I'm not complaining, not like you can bet traditionalist fandom will. Even though I thought it was weird.

Overall, another 8/10, but I think I'd give the story as a whole 10/10 for entertainment despite the holes.

 

[Dac]

I loved this ep - the best one since the premiere imo. Although Amy suddenly trying it on with the Doc seemed a little....odd and redundant considering 2 out of the previous 3 companions tried the same thing.

 

[Jax]

I have to admit its weird making the transition still from RTD fast pace show to a more slower yet still modern Moffat era where he puts just that little extra into the plot. I give this episode inbetween Good and Excellent though voted good so same as part 1.

I loved Amy coming onto the Doctor, he so should of hit that . We know what the crack is but how and why Amy is the focal point is still unknown. I wonder if River Song kills The Doctor though time can be rewritten so that will fix that and maybe even the whole River saga including preventing her death.

Also why do I feel the crack and time being rewritten could be used to basically bring back The Timelords or even solve the Doctors 13 lives problem.

so far...

Eleventh Hour - Excellent
The Beast Below - Average
Victory of The Daleks - Average
Time of Angels - Good
Flesh and Stone - Good

I would say both averages and goods are really halfway inbetween there own grade and the next one up so really I prefer a 5 score rating...

5/5
3.5/5
3/5
4.5/5
4.5/5

 

[ITL]

I loved the tension of Amy In The Forest With Her Eyes All Shut, and I'm still intrigued by the Great Big Bloody Crack, even though we got an explanation of sorts. I LOL'd at The Doctor's reaction to Amy's attentions, too.

But...I just hope "time can be re-written" doesn't mean a...*gulp*...reset button is on the way...surely The Moff knows better than to do that...

 

[Fenric]

I rather enjoyed it, a very good episode I found the bits about Amy and the crack a lot more interesting at points than the Angels storyline. I almost expected and felt that this could have gone into a 3 part story and was left wanting to find out more about the hole.

As well as this the whole River song hinting that maybe she kills the doctor in the future has Moffet already written how smith will end his regeneration in the far future ?

Also i found the end bit Great with Amy wanting the doctor and the doctor simply not knowing how to react so much better than the whole 10/rose drawn out thing.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Brilliant episode. Loved it. I'm liking Matt Smith more and more as the series goes on.

 

[Skellington]

Four out of five - excellent! More brain candy from Mr Moffatt and a funny twist at the end. Amy Pond, who'd have thought it? I don't think that the issue of a companion having the hots for the Doctor has been dealt with so directly or so strongly before. What would Mary Whitehouse have thought? Doctor Who going all Joss Whedon.

So The Next Doctor and The Stolen Earth (possibly amongst others) kind of never happened? I wonder if the latter means that the "human Ten" never existed and/or the Doctor has that regeneration back.

Speaking of regeneration, could that be what River and Father Octavian were referring to? More likely, the Doctor finds a way to circumvent rather than avert his apparent fate.

 

[DarkHorizon]

That was a different Doctor that spoke to Amy after she had closed her eyes and he was setting off for the flight deck! I just went back to check, because I thought that was the case, and he has his jacket on!

There's no way that was a continuity error - not on Who, and certainly not within the same scene. Is he rewriting time? Is this linked to the end of Eleventh Hour with the dream-that-might-not-be-a-dream? "Remember what I said when you were seven" - was that in that moment?

 

[EJA]

I gave it an Average. It was OK, but something just seemed a little bit off about it this time round. I quite enjoyed last week's episode though. But for me, Moffatt's first season has mostly been pretty average so far, nothing really all that spectacular. Also, does anyone else think they spoiled it a little bit by showing the Angels moving?

 

[Bones2]

Not sure how to feel. It definitely had its effective moments - probably moreso than Time of Angels - but at the same time, this expanding crack turning up and rescuing everything was a bit of a Davies Ex Machina. We didn't really get much more in the way of answers regarding River Song (sadly meaning she'll show up again). Amy's attempt to jump the Doctor was a bit abrupt and awkward, but at least he reacted the way he did. I guess I'm thinking somewhere between average and good. Better than Victory of the Daleks at least.

 

[captcalhoun]

if an eye can hold an Angel inside the head, how come *everybody* didn't have that happening to them

because it only works if you look into the eyes of an angel. look at the angel, but not at the eyes.

thought it was brilliant. loved it.

i half-expected River to have killed Absalom Daak. dunno why, just thought it'd've been cool...