Doctor Who: Asylum Of the Daleks
Sep. 3rd, 2012 02:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrasteA day late since yesterday was Father's Day here in the Antipodes, so I spent it having yum cha with the parental units and then we watched watching The Hunger Games. I did manage to see the episode yesterday morning before my parents got up, though, thanks to our local public broadcaster putting it on their free internet service immediately after it was broadcast in Britain. As a result it got 80,000 views in its first twenty-four hours and I had no reason to, um ... acquire ... it. Good on you, ABC, for striking a blow for common sense.
Asylum of the Daleks wasn't perfect, but it was good fun and a nice series opening. Much of my happiness with it is down to UTTER JOY at having Eleven and the Ponds back. And also the Special Weapons Dalek, which makes everything better. Oswin is lovely and I want Jenna-Louise Coleman back in the TARDIS and making soufflés right now. (I do not wish to be spoiled on the nature of her future companionhood, but I look forward to it greatly.) Only I also wish the current companions were not going, because POOOOOOOOOOONDS, NOOOOOOO!
I have never really had the opportunity to feel like that about TV companions before - I didn't watch the classic series as it was broadcast, and while I love Martha and Donna and Jack (and like Mickey and Rose, for that matter, although not quite as much) I felt that they moved on from travelling in the TARDIS at the right time. (Although not always in the best possible way. Yes, I am still angry about Donna.)
Intellectually, I think two and a half seasons is loads of time for any companions and that new blood is needed, but emotionally I hate the thought of letting them go. I have trouble imagining Eleven without Amy, especially, since he imprinted on her like a baby duck minutes after regenerating. I'm not spoiled about what ultimately happens to them and don't plan to be, but I hope Jenna-Louise Coleman's presence will be consoling, whether she's playing Oswin or not.
As for the episode itself, there were a lot of fun details along with a few eyebrow-raising plot holes. I think they could have made more of the whole Dalek Asylum concept - the Daleks we see really don't behave any differently from regular Daleks, which seems a bit of a waste. The converted humans are a potentially interesting idea, though, and it was nice to play 'spot the historical Dalek.' Also, thank goodness they seem to have given up the iDaleks as a bad idea. This is the first time they haven't bored me on TV since they were fighting Cybermen.
The other subplot that didn't really get enough room to breathe was the trouble with Amy and Rory's marriage. On the one hand, I'm glad they didn't drag it out over multiple episodes and that we are back to Happy Ponds. On the other, I think we could have used a bit more background before they sprung Amy's reasoning on us. I've seen some people complaining that Amy dumped Rory without considering other options like adoption or fertility treatment, but while I think it was stupid of her to do that, I don't think it was actually out of character.
Amy may seem perfectly self-confident most of the time, but given her background I'm not always sure how deep that goes. You know all those people on the internet who are always complaining that Rory is a Nice Boy and Amy is a slutty bitch who doesn't deserve him? Do you really think that a girl who grew up in Leadworth and had four psychiatrists and worked as a Kissogram never had someone say that to her face? And never internalized what she'd heard, just a tiny bit?
Maybe Rory grew up thinking he wasn't good enough for Amy, and that he loves her more than she loves him, but Amy does not think that. She brought him back after he was removed from history because she loved him so much, and that was before he guarded her for two thousand years and she named her handbot after him. Now after they've lost their daughter to the time-travelling weirdness she dragged him into, she finds out that she can't have a baby. I don't think it's very far-fetched that would make her feel like an inadequate wife who doesn't deserve him and is keeping him from the normal life that he really wants.
Asylum of the Daleks wasn't perfect, but it was good fun and a nice series opening. Much of my happiness with it is down to UTTER JOY at having Eleven and the Ponds back. And also the Special Weapons Dalek, which makes everything better. Oswin is lovely and I want Jenna-Louise Coleman back in the TARDIS and making soufflés right now. (I do not wish to be spoiled on the nature of her future companionhood, but I look forward to it greatly.) Only I also wish the current companions were not going, because POOOOOOOOOOONDS, NOOOOOOO!
I have never really had the opportunity to feel like that about TV companions before - I didn't watch the classic series as it was broadcast, and while I love Martha and Donna and Jack (and like Mickey and Rose, for that matter, although not quite as much) I felt that they moved on from travelling in the TARDIS at the right time. (Although not always in the best possible way. Yes, I am still angry about Donna.)
Intellectually, I think two and a half seasons is loads of time for any companions and that new blood is needed, but emotionally I hate the thought of letting them go. I have trouble imagining Eleven without Amy, especially, since he imprinted on her like a baby duck minutes after regenerating. I'm not spoiled about what ultimately happens to them and don't plan to be, but I hope Jenna-Louise Coleman's presence will be consoling, whether she's playing Oswin or not.
As for the episode itself, there were a lot of fun details along with a few eyebrow-raising plot holes. I think they could have made more of the whole Dalek Asylum concept - the Daleks we see really don't behave any differently from regular Daleks, which seems a bit of a waste. The converted humans are a potentially interesting idea, though, and it was nice to play 'spot the historical Dalek.' Also, thank goodness they seem to have given up the iDaleks as a bad idea. This is the first time they haven't bored me on TV since they were fighting Cybermen.
The other subplot that didn't really get enough room to breathe was the trouble with Amy and Rory's marriage. On the one hand, I'm glad they didn't drag it out over multiple episodes and that we are back to Happy Ponds. On the other, I think we could have used a bit more background before they sprung Amy's reasoning on us. I've seen some people complaining that Amy dumped Rory without considering other options like adoption or fertility treatment, but while I think it was stupid of her to do that, I don't think it was actually out of character.
Amy may seem perfectly self-confident most of the time, but given her background I'm not always sure how deep that goes. You know all those people on the internet who are always complaining that Rory is a Nice Boy and Amy is a slutty bitch who doesn't deserve him? Do you really think that a girl who grew up in Leadworth and had four psychiatrists and worked as a Kissogram never had someone say that to her face? And never internalized what she'd heard, just a tiny bit?
Maybe Rory grew up thinking he wasn't good enough for Amy, and that he loves her more than she loves him, but Amy does not think that. She brought him back after he was removed from history because she loved him so much, and that was before he guarded her for two thousand years and she named her handbot after him. Now after they've lost their daughter to the time-travelling weirdness she dragged him into, she finds out that she can't have a baby. I don't think it's very far-fetched that would make her feel like an inadequate wife who doesn't deserve him and is keeping him from the normal life that he really wants.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-03 06:58 am (UTC)iView is indeed excellent. I shall be endeavouring to support this wonderful example of freeness to encourage its continuance.
I certainly felt that Amy & Rory's trouble was not given enough time too (although neither was the rest of the episode really, this was another of those episodes which feels like it deserves 120 minutes rather than 45). I hope it gets built on more as the season continues, because it needs to. And the ending. The ending needed more time for its significance to sink in (WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DALEKS HAVE FORGOTTEN THE DOCTOR THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHAT ABOUT THE WHOLE FREAKING TIME WAR THINGY).
I didn't realise that was Coleman as Oswin though. It will be interesting to see how that turns out.
More importantly, did you spot the Dalek who wishes it was a ballerina? I want to see amusing gifs of it saying things like "PI-ROU-ETTE!! PI-ROU-ETTE!!" I also had a happy for the Abomination/special weapons Dalek.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-03 09:28 am (UTC)Apparently Steven Moffat has said that he's not going to do multi-part stories in future, because his children told him that they can't stand having to wait for a week between episodes. That's a great shame since, as you point out, some stories need more than 45 minutes to tell them properly.
Agreed about Amy too. I thought that her behaviour, whilst daft, was perfectly in character.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-03 09:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-04 10:16 am (UTC)What's interesting about this is that the audience knows what Oswin looks like, but the Doctor has no idea. So when he runs into his new companion, there's every chance that the audience will instantly know that she's the girl who got converted into a Dalek but the Doctor won't.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-03 08:43 pm (UTC)Yeah, Amy's never been good at talking about her feeling. Back when she punched Rory's arm in Vampires in Venice, somebody pointed out that she's essentially a twelve-year-old boy in that regard.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-04 10:13 am (UTC)She has a history of doing ridiculous things to prove that she loves Rory instead of actually saying so - the end of Amy's Choice spring immediately to mind.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-04 10:24 am (UTC)Amazingly, the ABC have managed to work out that the reason people illegally download things is that waiting is annoying and also completely unnecessary!
I certainly felt that Amy & Rory's trouble was not given enough time too (although neither was the rest of the episode really, this was another of those episodes which feels like it deserves 120 minutes rather than 45).
I knew you were going to say that before I'd even finished watching the episode ;). This time I totally agree with you, though.
And the ending. The ending needed more time for its significance to sink in (WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DALEKS HAVE FORGOTTEN THE DOCTOR THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHAT ABOUT THE WHOLE FREAKING TIME WAR THINGY).
One assumes this is the kind of thing they will have to come back to, especially since the Daleks must now have a lot of odd lacunae in their history. (I mean, he's only defeated them DOZENS of times and destroyed their whole species in a Time War. Forgetting all of that must have left some serious gaps.)
More importantly, did you spot the Dalek who wishes it was a ballerina? I want to see amusing gifs of it saying things like "PI-ROU-ETTE!! PI-ROU-ETTE!!"
Daleks would be great at pirouettes! (Which are seriously hard to do if you're a human. I don't know if I have ever revealed my secret history as a ballerina to you, but I know what I'm talking about.) I am supportive of the Dalek's ambition.