Blink: Is it all that?

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by Ghost Bones, Jan 27, 2012.

  1. Ghost Bones

    Ghost Bones Captain Captain

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    It's quite good, Blink. Effective idea, not blinking or they'll move and all that. Thing is, doesn't all make sense does it? If they get you they feed off the time you would have lived by sending you back in time. What the fuck? Surely you should just die there and then. When it comes to energy, surely you're making a net loss by shooting someone back in time 50 odd years. And when whassername who ended up in Casualty (small c) gets sent back, she ends up in...what was it, a field in Wigan? If you get randomly placed like that, it's lucky she didn't end up in the sea.

    The worst bit though is that fucking twat with his "Hurhur, I'm not sure but is my willy out?" routine. I mean what is this, cunting Men Behaving Badly?

    Blink's still alright though.
     
  2. Psion

    Psion Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I don't know ... there's sort of a perpetual motion machine implied by the feeding mechanism of the Angels. I don't see how they can get more energy out of displacing their victims than it takes to push them to another time. But it was an astonishing concept and chilling when it first aired. Ordinary statues -- you see them everywhere, except some aren't what you think they are. Moffat has a talent for picking out ordinary things and making them creepy.

    And while you're right that they should have just consumed all your potential and left you dead on the spot, I'm glad they went the way they did and had that wonderful and poignant second meeting between Sally and Billy Shipton. An impossible moment that couldn't happen anywhere else.

    I'm disappointed by the way they were handled in "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone"; suddenly they were less creepy at the same time they became much more lethal. And one of their chief limitations -- that an Angel looking at another Angel would be enough to freeze the second Angel -- seemed to be forgotten.

    I'm not sure what the point was behind whats-her-name's brother's intro, though. Oh look, I have no pants! Maybe something like that happened to Moffat once and he wanted to share what he thought was a funny story.

    Still, I think this remains my favorite of the New Doctor Who stories.
     
  3. DS9Continuing

    DS9Continuing Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I would say the "no pants" thing is a quick way of breaking the ice between Sally and Larry. Once you've already seen the other one naked, there's little left of mystery between you. And that's necessary for them to be able to work together smoothly enough later.

    The time-travel thing was in the original concept for "The Time of Angels"/"Flesh and Stone." Remember the ancient book that River read from, the "final authority" of the Angels? Originally it was going to be revealed that the book was written by one of the soldier/priests from that episode who had got zapped back in time during the episode. But it got cut from the script for time (so to speak).

    .
     
  4. Psion

    Psion Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Oh! That is good! Absolutely unnecessary for the story they were telling, but it's a nice touch.
     
  5. 23skidoo

    23skidoo Admiral Admiral

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    There was no point. It was a joke intended to provide a memorable introduction to the episode's secondary lead character. The plot gets no thicker. Remember that Doctor Who is supposed to be a humor-tinged science fiction series. Always has been.

    Alex
     
  6. TiberiusMaximus

    TiberiusMaximus Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    If you want everything to make sense, you may be watching the wrong show.
     
  7. CaptainMatt

    CaptainMatt Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Best part of Blink is the edning where the Doctor warns the viewers about not blinking as they show all those statues.
     
  8. Satyrquaze

    Satyrquaze Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yes, Blink is awesome since you asked.

    That is all.
     
  9. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

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    I'm not really a Dr. Who watcher (or fan) but I thought it was a nice little episode.
     
  10. CaptainMatt

    CaptainMatt Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    It was. It really was wasn't it? And then to be followed by Utopia. To me, the finest of the season in question. A shame the Angels were changed slightly in modus operandi for their return in Matt Smith's first season.
     
  11. Skellington

    Skellington Part-time poltergeist Rear Admiral

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    Short answer: Yes.

    The logic of the Weeping Angels doesn't bother me much. Some of the best Who stories eschew logic pretty much completely (City Of Death is a bit nuts.)

    Blink is a clever, erudite, instructive, mentally stimulating, emotionally engaging, artistically worthy, conceptually avante-garde, meticulously polished, breathlessly exciting, compactly delivered little romp, reminding us as it does what a fantastic and versatile storytelling medium the mythological TV drama can sometimes be.

    And it had the TARDIS taking off while leaving occupants behind, a scene whose coolness was the cherry on the icing on the cake.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2012
  12. Psion

    Psion Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Ahhhh! Well thank you for explaining that to me. I never noticed that before.
     
  13. Captain Crow

    Captain Crow Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    It was an okay episode but it gave birth to the punch in the face worthy term "timey-whimey". I cringe eveytime I hear it and the variations of it.
     
  14. Australis

    Australis Writer - Australis Admiral

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    It's good. And if the Weeping Angels are 'quantum locked' then I just take it to mean that they behave in a quantum way which is hard for us to comprehend, because quantum physics really is a bit out there.
     
  15. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    That was the only part I didn't like, it was so over the top.:rommie:
     
  16. Ghost Bones

    Ghost Bones Captain Captain

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    Not really necessary, was it. It's not as if had it been left out people would be saying "I can't buy them working together like that". It was shitcom-level idiocy.
    Would have been even better if it had been left in.
    That's arguable. That it always has been I mean.
    Uhuh. Doesn't make it right though, does it.
    Thank you for your contribution, you've added a real colour and depth to the discussion.
    Y'know, I didn't mind it in its original context. Sadly it's now become the template for every single line of dialogue in every new episode.
    That's just about them only moving when they're not observed though, isn't it?
     
  17. Skellington

    Skellington Part-time poltergeist Rear Admiral

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    Yes. Nothing to do with actual quantum locking, which (to be fair) has its own brand of coolness.

    [yt]v=Ws6AAhTw7RA&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/yt]
     
  18. sidious618

    sidious618 Admiral Admiral

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    I liked Blink. Midnight reminded me of it and I liked that one even more. If the story is effective plot holes can be overlooked as every single story has a plot hole somewhere.
     
  19. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    I see the episode and what comes to mind is, don't blink and a 5 pound sledge hammer in hand should solve the problem. This episode just didn't engage me, and I can't stand the angels in any appearance for that very thought always comes to mind.
     
  20. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    Blink is a perfect storm of an episode, great cast, fantastic direction, a wonderful score and a fab script.

    Does it have plot holes you could drive a truck through? Yes. Do they matter a jot, no, that's how good it is.