Very gracious of the lads at The Doctor Who Podcast to invite me over to recap the first half of the series. It was my first time sharing a microphone with Tom and we had a blast. Check out DWP #85.
Very gracious of the lads at The Doctor Who Podcast to invite me over to recap the first half of the series. It was my first time sharing a microphone with Tom and we had a blast. Check out DWP #85.
I am a recent (and formerly casual) Doctor Who viewer who has become a regular thanks to Matt Smith's magnificent Eleventh Doctor, and Steve Moffat's vision. I agree that the puzzle-box aspect of the show, along with Moffat's habit of repeating themes and ideas could be potentially offputting to both hardcore fans and new viwerers that the show's producers and the BBC are obviously trying to reach. But there is a method to Moffat's madness that suggests future rewards. For example, the revelation about River Song invites viewers to watch "A Time of Angels" again, since this may have been the first time that River met her mother, Amy, and some of comments she makes about her ("You're good…") take on a new and ironic significance. The later conversations that River had with her Rory also become weightier now that we know that they are father-daughter talks. And we also must wonder exactly how Melody Pond, given a "superheroe's name," instead becomes a killer and a convict. Previously, we only knew that River had a history with the Doctor. Now, we see hints of a larger saga involving Amy, River, Rory and the Doctor, and also perhaps independent of the Doctor. Oddly enough, this may upset some fans who want every episode to make the Doctor the sole center of attention. But I like what Moffat is doing here and think that he can pull it off.
By the way, I think that Moffat also resolves some of the issues of his puzzle-box approach by expanding the Who universe to include new characters we immediately like and are curious about (e.g., Madame Vastra and Jenny, and the alien warrior-nurse).
And so, I say let's just relax and enjoy the show.
MILD SPECULATION: while Rory Williams is little known to the other characters in the Who universe, the Last Centurion has been known and admired for thousands of years. This may be one of the reasons that the Doctor asked Rory to dress in the costume again in "A Good Man Goes to War," and this may become important in future episodes.