5x07 Amy's Choice (Grading/Discussion) SPOILERS!!

[The]

Loved it for all the reasons listed! Cemented my love for Rory. He's great. I have to admit, though, I did not expect the ending "twist" of the waking up in a dream aspect. I think I was too fascinated by the return of the Valeyard to pay that close attention.

Was it just my copy, or did the ending theme FINALLY override the advertising narration at the end? Mine played right on through while the voice was reduced to a light murmur. It felt very triumphant...

 

[The]

The Doctor noticed it didn't he? When was sat on the bench and snapped his braces?

Yes.

 

[matthunter]

There was also quite a conscious callback (IMHO) to an earlier episode... when the Dream Lord has Amy alone in the TARDIS he says the words "Alone...with a strange man... anything could happen" whilst wearing a silk nightrobe.

Jackie Tyler (in a silk nightrobe) tries the exact same line on the Ninth Doctor in Rose...

 

[Cutter John]

The Doctor noticed it didn't he? When was sat on the bench and snapped his braces?

Oh good eye! I was wracking my brain over how the devil he managed to figure it out. Thanks. Its so obvious now

Anyway...

I just said the hell with it and gave it a Geronimo! Not so much for the story as for all the lovely character building moments. Its very strange that it Rory's *mumble*, to make me really like Amy. They really are a sweet couple.

Okay. The bit about the Doctor throwing the tardis manula into a supernova because it disagreed with im just HAS to be a subtle callback to a Key to Time story. The title of which escapes me at the moment. ("Absolute rubbish." *rip*)

I'm really going to have to rewatch it again and listen to all the Dreamlords dialogue, now that I know who he is. All the things the Doctor wanted to say to Amy because he's too darn nice.

Hmmmm...the Dreamlords reflection in the console at the end. As The mentioned perhaps we've seen Moffat's sneaky way of bringing the Valeyard into existance?

As a big fan of zombie movies, I was grinning like an idiot during the village segments with the aliens.

And did anyone else get a 'Edge of Destruction' (Hartnell's 3rd story) vibe off the whole thing?

Was it just my copy, or did the ending theme FINALLY override the advertising narration at the end? Mine played right on through while the voice was reduced to a light murmur. It felt very triumphant...

I got that too. Either they muted it for the benefit of HD viewers, or we just got our episodes from the same source?

 

[Count Zero]

And did anyone else get a 'Edge of Destruction' (Hartnell's 3rd story) vibe off the whole thing?

Well, I was thinking about that serial due to the similarities but the vibe was different. To me, The Edge of Destruction is creepier. Also, they don't distrust each other in this episode.

 

[26138]

And did anyone else get a 'Edge of Destruction' (Hartnell's 3rd story) vibe off the whole thing?

Yes - it even had a scissors cameo!

 

[Cutter John]

And did anyone else get a 'Edge of Destruction' (Hartnell's 3rd story) vibe off the whole thing?

Yes - it even had a scissors cameo!

LOL! Nice one.

I didn't mean literally Count Zero. More like a similar situation. They're dealing with strange hallucinations caused by the tiniest of things as the Tardis slowly drifts toward destruction. Or at least appears to.

 

[wamdue]

anyone else getting a bit tried of the whole "Doctor forces companion to choose between her life with him, and her boy friend"

Rory is no more of a rehash than Mickey, and without showing any signs of the character growth Mickey had.

TBH the show really needs a new type of companion, or at least a companion with nothing to go home for ever, it just doesnt work trying to give the companion both a life with theDoctor and a life at home. There seems to be no female companion who has not had some part of this cliche apart from Dona, at least Martha knew enough to leave.

 

[Count Zero]

I didn't mean literally Count Zero. More like a similar situation. They're dealing with strange hallucinations caused by the tiniest of things as the Tardis slowly drifts toward destruction. Or at least appears to.

Oh yes, definetely. I was thinking the same thing, even before the episode aired, strangely enough.

While I like Rory and the episode, too, I also have the feeling that, regarding the Doctor and his role in other people's lives, we're seeing a lot of the themes again that the new series has already dealt with somewhat extensively.
Personally, I think it would have been more interesting to follow the fairy tale/imaginary friend problem that was set up in the first episode. How does someone react when their imaginary childhood friend turns out to be real? How do other people close to that person react? Especially since they must have doubted her.

 

[Cutter John]

Courtesy of one of the folks over at GB.

 

[SeerSGB]

Courtesy of one of the folks over at GB.

Great...

.... cue the nitpicks?

-- Aren't TARDIS grown not built?
-- Was it created in an actually blackhole or is "Blackhole Shipyard" the name of a locale on Gallifrey.
-- Why is it authorized by the Shadow Proclamation, wouldn't the Time Lords be the ultimate authority

 

[Checkmate]

Real nitpick: Why is it in English?

 

[Australis]

^Translation device.

"There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go poke it with a stick".
"Can we not do the running thing?!"

The Doctor preparing to catch the baby. "This is my life and it turned you as white as a sheet, so don't you call it dull again, ever!" Damned funny.

"If we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band!"

Rory's even better this ep. imo. Nice to see a character grow quickly.

It's a very good ep.

Nye hasn't done SF before, but this has been a cracker.

Wow, Rory went....

Amy chooses Rory. This is a good thing.

I'm really pleased they took the Doctor-Amy-Rory thing in that direction.

I honestly didn't think of the possibility they were in two dreams, that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Hmm. So, the Doctor's subconcious set this up to clear the decks in some way?


Some have said that "the reveal that he was the Doc's dark side was a bit lame though. "
That's what made it interesting. That the Doctor can be cruel, weird and creepy underneath. I suppose that's in all of us...

what?

Maybe the DreamLord will be back...?

But I haven't voted on it yet, I honestly don't know where to rate it, Good or Excellent.

Next week.... SEA DEVILS!

 

[DAK]

Wow I might wel have to watch it again because my initial thoughs were that it was terrible, seriously I felt like Fear Her and finally been overtaken!

It had some nice ideas, but the script and direction...I dunno it just felt really, really flat.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood?

I was really looking forward to this episode. Unfortunately I agree with you.

One line from Amy ruined this entire episode for me. Her reply to the Doctor when Rory died and he said he couldn't save everyone: "Then what's the point of you?" You could see how much that hurt him. I mean, WTF?! Who does she think she is? If she thinks so little of him, maybe she should just go back to her dull life on Earth and marry Rory. I've been trying to like Amy, she hasn't exactly been growing on me, but this killed it. I hope he dumps them both home.

 

[Sci]

I wasn't the least bit concerned with which reality was real, because it seemed pretty obvious to me that we weren't supposed to think the Upper Leadworth life was real. The important thing in this episode was the exploration of the characters in this situation, and in that regard, it was brilliant.

Especially the part where the Dream Lord revealed that Amy wants both the Doctor and Rory, and that the Doctor kind of wants her, too. "But listen, you're in there. Loves a redhead, our naughty Doctor. Ask Elizabeth the First -- well, she thought she was the first..."

But, of course, the best line?

"Oh, is that who you think you are? The one he trusts?"

"Actually, yes."

"The only girl in the Universe to whom the Doctor tells everything?"

"Yes."

"So what's his name?"

 

[Samurai8472]

There's so many great moments where the actors move in a certain way

Smith stumbling like a drunk before reaching the butchers shop

Karen and her way of saying "My boys"

 

[Cutter John]

Rory: "Stand back. I'll deal with this one chubs."

"I can't hit her."

Amy: "Whack her!"

 

[knine]

I..... er...... wow.... uh.... did the new management just come up with a way to do an episode essentially about the Valeyard that was really cool?

 

[AJBryant]

I must say, I love that bit with the Dream Lord:

"If you die in a dream, you wake up in reality. Do you know what happens when you die in reality? You DIE, stupid."

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Loved it. Well-written, well-paced. It dug into the innards of the characters and revealed something about themselves to us and themselves. Although, the Doctor's bit was a li'l obvious and telegraphed but the Dream Lord was a good way to explore the bile the Doc keeps shoved down. Way better than, say, the Valeyard.

Good show, Nye. Bloody good show.