Saturday 29 September 2012

Doctor Who: "The Angels Take Manhattan" Review

Aside from the opening episode of this series of Doctor Who, I won't lie - I've been disappointed. "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" was a little too light-hearted for me. Don't get me wrong, I know Doctor Who isn't meant to be serious, but I just found that one a little too far-fetched.
"A Town Called Mercy" was just plain boring, and "The Power of Three" was promising but had a rushed ending.

However, this episode was awesome.

"The Angels Take Manhattan" is the last adventure for Amy and Rory, and so I was worried that it would be an underwhelming end to their time with the Doctor. I really shouldn't have been. This episode is definitely the strongest of the series so far, and is touching farewell to two of the Doctor's most memorable companions yet.


As the title suggests this episode sees the return of the fan-favourite Weeping Angels. Taking place in Manhattan things start off a cheery affair for the Doctor and co. But within the blink of an eye (get it?), things start going from bad to worse for our time travelling friends.

One thing I haven't enjoyed with previous episodes of the new series (again, excluding the first episode), is that the stories have seemed overly simple. So much so that they struggled to keep my attention. Not so here! In this episode writer Steven Moffat really pulled off a smart, emotional tale which kept me on the edge of my seat for the duration.
I was worried that maybe things were getting a little too complicated at one point, and there are a few little things left unanswered like what happened to the guy collecting the statues? Why was the American guy at the opening of the episode significant? But for the most part Moffat tied everything together in the end - kudos for that.

Of course a great script cannot work without some great actors. The regular cast of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill fill that space - joined by Alex Kingston reprising her role as River Song.
This talented group continue to have great chemistry, and all deliver great performances from start to finish. I'm trying not to spoil the ending if you have not yet seen this episode, but I have to say that they all really did do well at the ending which turned into quite a tear-jerker.

So that's all for Doctor Who until Christmas! Thankfully it went out with a bang. I started this review telling you how disappointed I was with the current series of Who. But I'm finishing saying that this episode alone has got me excited for the rest of the series this Winter. "The Angels Take Manhattan" is a fantastic episode, not only the best of this series, but also one of the best episodes I've seen in a long time.

It's a worthy end to Amy and Rory's adventures and a must see for any Who-fan.
What did you think of this episode? Let us know by commenting below!
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David Craig has loved Doctor Who since a child and definitely did not cry at the end of this episode. He's new to Twitter, so follow him here and show him some love.


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