Doctor Who S05E04: "The Time Of Angels" [Spoilers]

[Admiral Valdemar]

AAARGH!

And Amy is cute when staring at me specifically. Trufact.

[NecronLord]

Don't look at me. If you look at me, you will die.

A return to form, this one, so far.

Interesting that the Doctor's only seen the ones in Blink before. He seemed to know much more of them last time. And Rassilon, at any rate, knew them (as of old, which is impressive).

Also, Old High Gallifreyan, which River Song apparently speaks. Or at least writes.

[Siege]

Yes, I rather fancied this episode, although the River character doesn't really work for me personally. The concept of meeting someone in reverse order due to time travel is pretty interesting but the execution just seems to result in someone who can do everything and be awesome with no drawbacks, which gets pretty annoying real quick. Still, I like the Angels in this one too, although I missed why the Church would be after them (missed out on the first five minutes of the episode, unfortunately).

[Admiral Valdemar]

She is an archaeologist, so it would make sense she'd try and learn more about such a higher race, especially when she openly flirts with the last of their kind.

And I like the reversal of the Angel situation and the rather disturbing Ringu like appearance with Amy. Looks like they'll be resorting to using gun flare for lighting, giving an awesome strobing eeriness like Aliens (and also means no hilarious CGI or flamer gun flash like in some previous episodes). The mind infection thing is interesting too, assuming it is some physical manifestation and not just a trick of the mind.

I guess River's song, as it were, will tie in with The Doctor later on too, given the Captain's comments.

As for why the Church is after them, I imagine they have an obligation to stop such a terrible threat from affecting six billion people. They seem to be doing a recovery at the behest of Dr. Song.

[Srelex]

Like other episodes were modern-looking uniforms and weapons are somehow present thousands of years in the future, the 'Clerics' wearing present-day desert gear somewhat annoyed me, but at least this time they had the excuse of presumably being bound by tradition or something. Like the Swiss Guard. Still, they could use costumes from the Starship Troopers movie in other cases like everyone else, but eh. Anyway, were those P90s futurefied as I first saw them, or is that a genuine configuration in RL?

But anyway, good stuff.

[Bedlam]

Yes, I rather fancied this episode, although the River character doesn't really work for me personally. The concept of meeting someone in reverse order due to time travel is pretty interesting but the execution just seems to result in someone who can do everything and be awesome with no drawbacks, which gets pretty annoying real quick. Still, I like the Angels in this one too, although I missed why the Church would be after them (missed out on the first five minutes of the episode, unfortunately).

One of the best so far this year I think. Not as great as blink but still quite scary at time. Seemed to run rather short really or did it just keep moving?

It hasn't been said why the church is after them, I guess it will come up next week, I'd guess its to harness them as a weapon in some way.

I quite like the Church Militant idea although the costumes look far to current to me.

Looks like Amy's turning into an Angel.

Overall raised more questions than it answered but I guess thats always what will happen in the first part of a two parter.

Why do the Angels want to talk this time if only to taunt their victims? Is it just to give them of a personality? I found Bob quite creepy when the angels are talking via him.

[Captain Seafort]

Anyway, were those P90s futurefied as I first saw them, or is that a genuine configuration in RL?

I didn't get a great look at them, but the barrel attachment looked a lot like a Dalek gun stick - they reminded me of the modified Thompsons from the New York 2-parter. On the other hand they sounded like modern automatic weapons, so it might just have been a muzzle brake or something.

Seemed to run rather short really or did it just keep moving?

Just very fast moving I think. The fact that it was split into three distinct segments might have contributed to the impression.

[Big Orange]

FUCK YEAH, THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!!!

This is where Moffat's first season gets into very high gear, after a decent opening episode and two OK-ish, but vaguely underwhelming filler ones. "The Beast Below" and "Victory of Daleks" really suffered from having 90 minutes of storylines compressed down into 45 minutes, while also feeling like hand-me-downs from the later Tennant era.

Now "The Time of Angels" is a fantastic epic, easily Moffat's best two parter since Season One, having the right mix of large-ish scale action set pieces of the RTD era combined with the intimate suspense/mystery of Moffat's earlier stories. I gave it a "5".

[Crazedwraith]

So who taught River to fly a TARDIS, hints at more Time Lords out there?

The episode was pretty good but I still don't like River and you just knew those clerics that went off on their own were going to die. So a bit predictable in place but netherless entertaining in its own right. A lot of first parts serve as set up.

Also Amy is a great companion by dint of thinking and doing things for herself.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Indeed, this is definitely more like it. Perhaps Moffat is like an endurance runner and needs to get up to speed, and the 2nd and 3rd episodes where probably just tying things up from Tennants time. Anyway, this was much better.

The Angels themselves are genuinely frightening. And I say that as a person who is rarely scared of anything on TV (except politicians). AS my dad explained it, they are so utterly alien and incomprehensible. Better yet, they can be done without any CGI, which I think makes aliens look a lot less scary. Perhaps thats because you KNOW CGI isnt real, but those Angels, being actual props, you're not so sure

I would imagine the Church is involved because Song explained the threat of the Angel and they are there to stop it before t kills the 6 billion or so colonists

"Father Octavion, Bishop, second grade, twenty clerics at my command" that was so funny!

Oh, and those look like fake-TV P90's. They had odd extra panels on the butt and no sights or that attachment/post at the front, and that weird tube on the end of the barrel. I think they were there to look like futre-ish automatic weapons. That's normally why P90's turn up, because they look so different to other guns with their top loading horizontal magazine. Which is bloody ingenious by the way

All in all, a fantastic rip-roaring episode, with some funny parts and some genuinely scary ones. Defintily looking forward to next week

[Lost Soal]

The episode was pretty good but I still don't like River and you just knew those clerics that went off on their own were going to die. So a bit predictable in place but netherless entertaining in its own right. A lot of first parts serve as set up.

Actually no, since the Angels are supposed to send people back through time, not snap their necks.

[Crazedwraith]

I can only speak for myself but I knew as soon as they wandered off on their own that they were going to get taken out. That's how horror episodes work. Though now that you mention it, I remember the back in time thing, so it was good to hear the Doctor acknowledge it. Though it did slightly take the edge off the Amy in danger scene. Since I was thinking, 'well if it does get her, the Doctor still has his TARDIS so he can just go back and get her. No biggie right?'

[Atlan]

So who taught River to fly a TARDIS, hints at more Time Lords out there?

The Doctor will teach River, duh. He just hasn't gotten around to it yet. No other Timelord needed. She IS going to/has been married to him, after all.

"You allways leave the brakes on." "But I like that sound!"

The episode was pretty good but I still don't like River and you just knew those clerics that went off on their own were going to die. So a bit predictable in place but netherless entertaining in its own right. A lot of first parts serve as set up.

I know LS bring it up too, but yeah, Angels are supposed to feed on the potential energy left behind when they send someone back in time. They don't usually snap their necks. It might be because the Big One isn't hungry, but it's still a wonky thing.

Also Amy is a great companion by dint of thinking and doing things for herself.

And if Amy really IS turning into an Angel, is she going to retain any of those powers? Probably not, but it would be kinda awesome if she kept it hidden from the Doctor until really needed, and he goes "You never told me!" "Yeah, every girl has her secrets."

[NecronLord]

Interestingly, the sound of the TARDIS wasn't present in very early episodes, perhaps as a result of Susan helping him land it?

Link.

That said, we've seen many other TARDISes make that sound, though again, piloted by renegades, so it really makes more sense if it were a function of breaking down, rather than the brakes being on, but whatever!

[Crazedwraith]

So who taught River to fly a TARDIS, hints at more Time Lords out there?

The Doctor will teach River, duh. He just hasn't gotten around to it yet. No other Timelord needed. She IS going to/has been married to him, after all.

She mentioned it wasn't him, remember? Though that could have been a bit of a joke.

[Atlan]

Also, who caught on to the one head/two heads thing before the Doctor? I did, and it was "oh shit, all the statues are Angels! Run, you fools!"

[Atlan]

So who taught River to fly a TARDIS, hints at more Time Lords out there?

The Doctor will teach River, duh. He just hasn't gotten around to it yet. No other Timelord needed. She IS going to/has been married to him, after all.

She mentioned it wasn't him, remember? Though that could have been a bit of a joke.

Just fucking with his head, I thought. She's that kind of a person.

[Crazedwraith]

I didn't. I thought they were the corpses of all the clerics that had been send back in time by The Angel or something of the sort.

[NecronLord]

Also, who caught on to the one head/two heads thing before the Doctor? I did, and it was "oh shit, all the statues are Angels! Run, you fools!"

I did, I think everyone did, mind. I liked that they lantern-hung a perception filter on that to explain it.

[Atlan]

Also, who caught on to the one head/two heads thing before the Doctor? I did, and it was "oh shit, all the statues are Angels! Run, you fools!"

I did, I think everyone did, mind. I liked that they lantern-hung a perception filter on that to explain it.

I liked it though. Only realized it the second time he mentioned it, and it was just such an "Oh SNAP!" moment. The Perception filter was a nice way of explaining that, especially as it's such a staple of DW. The Tardis uses it all the time, after all.

[Big Orange]

Did anybody else send a complaint to the BBC about that very, very annoying and very, very unnecessary and very, very badly timed pop-up featuring a cartoon Graham Norton? Lord shit, they should fire the cuntbag responsible for that kind of US broadcasting level of deadbrain idiocy (it's bad enough with the end credits being crushed by pointless trailers and promos).

[Crazedwraith]

Not actually complained but it was damned annoying in the middle of The Doctor's attempt at a bad arse speech.

But is it just me or is there only one piece of dramatic background music for this series? Played at various volumes to indicate how dramatic we are supposed to find it?

[Eternal_Freedom]

That so very annoys me. It really really does

Lols, i liked the bit at the start with the Doctor "keeping score" in the museum. Truly hilarious

Oh, I didn't like the bit at the end, the whole "theres one thing you never put in a trap" moment. Too Tennant-ish

[Captain Seafort]

Oh, I didn't like the bit at the end, the whole "theres one thing you never put in a trap" moment. Too Tennant-ish

He's been incarnation-hopping all series - Troughton in "The Beast Below", Pertwee last week. I'm willing to pass it off as something along those lines.

[Eternal_Freedom]

True. Still a bit annoying