Rate and Review 6.1: The Impossible Astronaut

[FlyingBeastie]

But all of the historical characters who've appeared in the new series have been central to the plots, and have essentially had those plots written around them and what we know of them. Was Nixon really any more central to the plot than Moffat thinking "wouldn't it be cool if we had a sequence set in the White House with Richard Nixon listening to one of his famous tapes, and the voice on that tape was one of my patented scary crackly children's voices"...?

On the subject of "appropriateness", how appropriate is it leaving viewers (whose ages probably sink to as low as three or four years old) for an entire week (an absolute age to children as young as that) with the image of a mother-to-be shooting a child?

He's essential to the story cos:

1. In the next episode, the plot about The Silence and their obsession with picking the Apollo Mission will be revealed cos the 1969 landing is imperative for what they want to accomplish.

2. Nixon was President at the time, and what better way to get access to things about the country than through the highest officials?

3. Also, Canton is important to the plot, and Canton was being asked back to work for The CIA.


So, yeah, Nixon needed to show up in the story. He also does more in the next episode... SPOILERS


Oh, and if you noticed at the end, the very end, the production was a joint effort by BBC and BBC America- and what better way to include the American audience then to start the season off with a story set in America during one of the most iconic events in American history?

[Jason Thompson]

Amy shoots at the astronaut, which is not threatening to shoot her at the time she does. That is "cold blood".

Sorry, but that's rubbish. It is not a cold-blooded act, it is an emotional, heat-of-the-moment act. She shoots at the thing that she has already seen murder her friend. It shot the Doctor three times, in what appeared far more cold blooded circumstances from where she was. The thing she tried to shoot had apparently had a conversation with the Doctor, then just casually shot him twice, watched him start to regenerate, and then shot him again. OK, it didn't have a weapon pointed at her head at the time she shot it, but does it look like she actually thinks about what she is doing in that scene?

OK, I'll concede that it does indeed appear, on a very superficial, images only level, that a pregnant woman shoots at a child (I still stand by the point that we don't see the child hit, so we can't say Amy shot her), but I really think that using the term 'cold blood' massively overstates the situation. 'Cold blood' conjurs images of her picking up the gun, walking slowly towards the thing and carefully aiming to shoot it in the head, which is most definitely not what we saw.

[Perry Vale]

Steve, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought River was up the duff. It seemed wrong to mention it, somehow; I'm glad you have broken the silence - as it were - on this matter, and I agree, like, totally.

Yes, it's only obvious on a second viewing I thought, but then it's very obvious. It's cleverly directed, the whole scene with Amy and then her feeling ill, supposedly unconnected, I can't see where else it's going.

[FlyingBeastie]

Sorry, but that's rubbish. It is not a cold-blooded act, it is an emotional, heat-of-the-moment act. She shoots at the thing that she has already seen murder her friend. It shot the Doctor three times, in what appeared far more cold blooded circumstances from where she was. The thing she tried to shoot had apparently had a conversation with the Doctor, then just casually shot him twice, watched him start to regenerate, and then shot him again. OK, it didn't have a weapon pointed at her head at the time she shot it, but does it look like she actually thinks about what she is doing in that scene?

Agreed, it was a spur of the moment thing- the only thing Amy sees at that moment is the astronaut, the same one that killed the Doctor- if she kills it now, she will ultimately save his life.

That's what she's thinking at that very moment.

End of story.

[Milky Tears]

It's the article I've been waiting for all day...

New Doctor Who episode billed as scariest yet sees ratings FALL by 1.5m (And Britain's Got Talent is also on the slide)

My sky has felled/fallened.

DOOOMED!

[Perry Vale]

I think this is an interesting debate, because it all comes down to a personal opinion on where the line is doesn't it.

I'm not sure it does really, the whole point, entirely, of the cliffhanger, is to show (as has been built up throughout the whole episode) that Amy is trying to prevent the older Doctor from being killed. It's the whole point of the cliffhanger that she's misread the situation, and the Doctor is suitably horrified with her actions.

[Perry Vale]

It's the article I've been waiting for all day...

New Doctor Who episode billed as scariest yet sees ratings FALL by 1.5m (And Britain's Got Talent is also on the slide)

My sky has felled/fallened.

DOOOMED!

That is quite possibly the weakest use of that thing refered to as "words" and "sentences" I've ever read. I'm glad though that they 'capitalized' the word 'FALL' as I'd have been too thick to understand otherwise.

[Milky Tears]

This is my favourite bit...

In 2010, eight million watched Matt Smith’s debut, while an almost identical audience was recorded for last year’s Easter Saturday episode.

Genius!

[Perry Vale]

Yep, I completely couldn't understand that sentence either!

[Jon Masters]

Yes, it's only obvious on a second viewing I thought, but then it's very obvious. It's cleverly directed, the whole scene with Amy and then her feeling ill, supposedly unconnected, I can't see where else it's going.

Sorry, I'm not getting that at all. I was interpreting the bouts of nausea they both had as a reaction to seeing a Silent and then having their memories altered ? Coz that's when both of them have their little bouts of feeling sick.

I'm not even convinced that Amy's pregnant - she's got a post hypnotic suggestion to 'tell the Doctor' something important, but no memory of what it is - couldn't it be that she's just filling in a gap by telling him something ?

New random thought / annoyance
- the TARDIS lands silently and invisibly in the oval office, but blows papers etc around when it takes off - why didn't that happen when it landed (like every other time in New Hoo ?)

[Anthony Williams]

All I can add is that I was five when I watched the end of The Deadly Assassin part 3, and it didn't disturb me at all!

And I'd like to add that at the age of 7, I was able to understand the plot of Ghost Light (something which I know many adults will fully admit that they cannot comprehend...)

Ant x

[The456]

Sontarans used to scare the crap out of me when I was a kid, I wouldn't be worried about the astronaut being shot, when the alien destroyed Joy in the rest room that would terrify anyone under 10. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, infact it's probably beneficial, youngsters experiencing real fear but without risk. Anyway just had another thought, could River Song be Rose Tyler ? River was introduced under RTD's reign, has his long term plan for her been altered by Moffat ?? River did go on about her being "a young impressionable girl" with the Dr just dropping in on her. River HAS to be somebody we already know about because if she wasn't then there'd be no surprise.

[Andrew Curnow]

River HAS to be somebody we already know about because if she wasn't then there'd be no surprise

I don't think I can go along with that. There's still plenty of scope in "the big reveal" of River's identity, without it being somebody we know. More likely, she'll turn out to be something entirely different to what we expect (ie, after all the nudges & winks about being the Doctor's wife she turns out to be something quite different, like... well, I don't know but something quite different) rather than somebody we actually know already under a different name & face.

[Awesome Wells]

I just read something in this thread that BLEW MY MIND.

[J.R. Southall]

If River's going to be "someone", then surely the big surprise would be if she were Amy's daughter?

And regarding the astronaut-Doctor-Amy shooting thing: one thing you all seem to be forgetting is that the astronaut that shoots the Doctor does so in 2011. The astronaut that Amy shoots at is in 1969.

[Perry Vale]

There's more than 1 spacesuit though.

[Junkyard]

I thought it was very good, 8/10, although that rating may change once I've seen episode 2. The big shock for me was the control room from 'The Lodger' found underground by River and Rory! The apparent death of the Doctor was nothing new after last series.

Great peformances from the regulars plus Stuart Milligan (Nixon). Also Mark Sheppard (young Canton) and his dad W. Morgan Sheppard (old Canton). How many of you spotted that neat bit of casting?

[Perry Vale]

Sorry, I'm not getting that at all. I was interpreting the bouts of nausea they both had as a reaction to seeing a Silent and then having their memories altered ? Coz that's when both of them have their little bouts of feeling sick.

No, not quite. Amy doesn't feel sick the first time she sees a Silent in the desert, and she feels sick again just before she tells the Doctor she's pregnant, and she hasn't just seen a Silent when that happens. Added to that, you don't see Rory feeling sick, or the lady in the toilet.

[Lord President]

Quite enjoyed it, but will have to wait for part 2 to see whether it was a great part one or just a setup for a second-rate second part!

[Larry]

If River's going to be "someone", then surely the big surprise would be if she were Amy's daughter?

.

now that really would be openning up one mega can of continuety worms..

[Perry Vale]

Thinking about it, I very much doubt that she's Amy's daughter. Moffat must have had some sort of idea who she is when he did 'Silence in the Library'.

[Darren]

New random thought / annoyance
- the TARDIS lands silently and invisibly in the oval office, but blows papers etc around when it takes off - why didn't that happen when it landed (like every other time in New Hoo ?)

When it landed it had the stealth and cloak activated. River turned them off when the Doctor was pinned down.

[Jason Thompson]

Even the stealth business was pointless. The Doctor is surprised he has landed in the oval office, but that 'let's take it slow' gag would have worked even if everyone outside was staring at him. So where was he expecting to land that required stealth which he then busts by opening the door and stepping out anyway? Can't he just land in a cupboard as he has on so many other occasions?

[Darren]

Even the stealth business was pointless. The Doctor is surprised he has landed in the oval office, but that 'let's take it slow' gag would have worked even if everyone outside was staring at him. So where was he expecting to land that required stealth which he then busts by opening the door and stepping out anyway? Can't he just land in a cupboard as he has on so many other occasions?

I suspect he assumed the TARDIS had centred on Canton somewhere open, then people would see a man walking down the street, as opposed to materialising in the Oval Office.


****

I've watched the episode again and think even the 909 year old Doctor isn't completely unsuspecting. There was a look on the Doctor's face when Rory went below to join the others whcih seemed to give something away. And in the White House while studying the maps, he says he's following another lead.
It just sort of evokes memories of the Seventh Doctor manipulating those around him.

[J.R. Southall]

Thinking about it, I very much doubt that she's Amy's daughter. Moffat must have had some sort of idea who she is when he did 'Silence in the Library'.

Moffat has admitted that at the time of SitL, she was indeed intended to be "the Doctor's Wife", but as a one-off character in a single story. He had to have a radical rethink when the character returned as a semi-regular, and now all bets are off as to who she really is.

Tune in on Saturday for a clue.