Doctor Who - Series 7 So Far - My Thoughts

So series 7 finished on Saturday until the Christmas episode which – making an educated guess – will be on around Christmas. I wanted to review a couple of episodes but then I thought I might as well wait until Saturday’s episode so I could do them all together. There will be spoilers in this for anyone who hasn’t seen some of the episodes so if that’s the case just skip the ones you haven’t seen, I’ll be doing it by episode.

First however, a word on the series as a whole. Doctor Who is one of my favourite shows and has been since it started off again in 2005. I’ve seen every episode since then and recently started watching the older series’ as well. I’m only a few episodes into the first so far however, so I’m not counting it in this. In all honesty, the recent series has been my least favourite so far. That isn’t to say it’s not good, it is, just not as good as the previous ones in my opinion. I find that this one for me has lacked some of the intensity that previous episodes have, which I will explain by episode.

1.            Asylum of the Daleks

The first episode of the series was pretty good. I found the beginning entertaining, as it always is when a dalek has to ask the Doctor for help, of course they did think it would bring about his death as well, but that’s beside the point. Amy and Rory’s relationship is something I’ve always alternated between loving and being annoyed by and in this episode it was more of the latter. They did have good moments in the episode though, such as when Rory triggered the broken dalek to go into exterminate mode.

I loved Oswin’s character, she was fun and pretty awesome and I couldn’t help thinking that she would make a great companion and my friends have agreed, so I was excited when I found out the actress that plays her will be coming back as the Doctor’s new companion in the Christmas episode. We wondered if it would be as the same character but apparently not, so I hope the one she’s going to play will be just as cool.

I was genuinely shocked by the ending although watching the episode again there were so many hints that Oswin was actually a dalek, but I couldn’t predict it. I was actually a bit upset by it, especially when it became clear she would have to die, because I really liked her. I was impressed when it turned out she had made all the daleks forget about the Doctor, but I can’t help but feel that that will make any future encounters with them less exciting. I could be wrong of course.

2.            Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

The title itself implies awesomness and that’s what it was. Maybe it’s just me, but I love dinosaurs, and I’ve been hoping for a long time they would do a Doctor Who episode involving them. I also loved the inclusion of Rory’s father in this episode. I didn’t think he would be a lot of use at first but he turned out to be a great addition and I found myself wishing he would be included in more episodes. Although I felt the same about Nefertiti, it’s nice seeing someone from the past be brought to the future for once. My favourite scene in the episode would have to be the triceratops riding scene, though I was upset when it was killed.

I must admit though, I found parts of it rather predictable. Perhaps that was intended as we were told the actual purpose of the ship before we met Solomon, but it was obvious to me who he was and what he was going to do. I also had an idea of what the Doctor was going to do to avoid the missiles, but I was surprised when he allowed Solomon to be destroyed with his ship. I did enjoy that as it isn’t often the Doctor allows people to die, but this guy deserved it.

3.            A Town Called Mercy

I’m not really a fan of Western themes so I wasn’t sure I was actually going to like this episode, but I did.  Although again, I found it rather predictable, realising who Jex was and what he had done quite early on in the episode. Also as with the previous episode, the Doctor shows his dark side again, wanting to hand over Jex to be killed rather than trying to find a way to save him. Again, I was surprised, though I really enjoyed watching and almost hoped that he would be killed. Later however I found myself sympathising with him though I was happy when he killed himself. I did enjoy the war theme and usually enjoy the ‘person being turned into a weapon’ idea. Especially when they decide to seek revenge and I was happy with the ending as things seemed to work out well for the Gunslinger as well.

4.            The Power of Three

Although I liked this episode and found it to be fun, that’s all it really was. I was actually a bit disappointed with this episode. It was good but nothing really happened. These cubes and those controlling them – who I would have liked a bit more backstory on – had a year to prepare, and yet when they finally took action it was over in a matter of seconds. The Doctor stopped and reversed it all without facing any kind of challenge, it was all too easy. I fail to see how after a year of preparation the ship would have no kind of defence against someone trying to stop them.

5.            The Angels Take Manhattan

Following the last couple of episodes I didn’t think this one would be particularly good, especially as they brought back the weeping angels. They were never my favourite enemy and to be honest I couldn’t think how they might use them in a way different from the previous times. I thought it would end up too similar. I was wrong. This was easily the best episode of the series. It was also the only episode so far this series that made me cry. The ending was beautiful and I found it to be the perfect send off for Amy and Rory, this being one of the episodes where I love their relationship and willingness to die for each other. The scene with Amy saying goodbye to the Doctor and River was heart-breaking. I still have no idea how River’s timeline works and this adds to it. I’ve watched videos specifically on this timeline and there’s always a part where I lose it. I’ve decided to stop asking about that though. As always, I loved her character, though it’s a good thing she refused to travel with the Doctor full time. I’m also confused about how they knew Amy would be the one to publish the book but I suppose it does make sense.