Let there be Big Bang

[tardis_stowaway]

I enjoyed that lots!  It wasn't flawless, but it hit way more right notes than wrong ones and had several moments of surpassing awesomeness.  Also, I don't know quite what to make of a DW series finale that doesn't make me want to stand in the rain crying!  I feel like there HAS to be another episode since our hearts haven't been ripped out and stomped on, and that always happens at the end of DW series.  Does this mean that instead of writing fixit stories fandom will have to write alternate ways S5 could have ended horribly?

The Big Bang won major points by having lots of my two favorite parts of this series:  Rory and wee Amelia!  I was hoping we might see wee Amelia in flashbacks or time being changed, and my hopes were fulfilled.  Rory was so magnificently noble and romantic guarding the Pandorica for 2,000 years like it was the Holy Grail.  I'm not sure why he was still dressed as a Centurion during the Blitz, but it works for me.    I also loved his reasoning when the Doctor asked him why he had to act so human, and I clapped my hands when he punched the Doctor.  As we know from Donna, some of the best companions inflict violence on the Doctor when he deserves it.  I am gleeful that Rory will be traveling in the TARDIS next year!!!  Yay for two companions! 

The world with no stars made me want to see Rose with her Bigass Gun from TSE/JE, teleporting in to try to bring them back. I had another Rose-missing moment when River talked about the Doctor being stuck in the void between worlds when he blew up.  The fact that Eleven stopped his rewind after wee Amelia made me sad.  I understand why they did it, but they could have edited in Eleven looking on from the outskirts of little clips from New and Classic Who, and it would have been fantastic.  With all the references to previous faces of the Doctor this season, it would even have made sense!  Also on the theme of continuity with previous seasons, River said that the Doctor always dances at weddings, but she clearly doesn't know him as well as she thinks she does.  He didn't dance at Donna's Runaway Bride wedding because he was missing Rose.  Rose grief > need to dance.  We also didn't see him dancing at Donna's EoT wedding to Shaun. 

In TPO, I was startled to find myself liking River Song.  This bizarre but welcome new trend mostly continued in Big Bang.  River shooting the fez FTW!  I also thought her confrontation with the Dalek was well done.  The ending, with more hints that she is probably married to the Doctor and her magical powers of remembering the Doctor enough to bring the journal to Amy's wedding, managed to annoy me a bit.  River as an extremely capable badass of somewhat flexible morality with an intricate history/future with the Doctor is good.  River as OMG the most special of all companions  is not so appealing.  However, it sounds like her next appearance will be even younger, and so far I like her more the younger she is.  Child River would probably be amazing.

The TARDIS burning up to give light to Earth made me a little choked up.  *hugs the TARDIS*

THIS IS THE BEST WEDDING RECEPTION EVER.  Amy climbs straight over a table!  The Doctor dances like a total fool! (and teaches a bunch of little girls to follow his example!)  The Doctor and Rory both look absolutely smashing in tailcoats!  (Amy of course looks smashing in her wedding dress, but Karen Gillan would look smashing in a burlap sack so this is not news.)  The Doctor specifically acknowledged the awesomeness of Rory and his patience!  Amy and Rory are on honeymoon IN SPACE!!!  The only sour note was Amy repeatedly expressing desire to snog the Doctor.  However, I think in this case she's teasing her boys rather than legitimately attempting to jump the Doctor like she was in F&S.  Anyway, let's focus on the adorable things, like Rory being Mr. Pond!  Please, Moffat, make him actually take her name, or at minimum have her keep her own last name. 

In conclusion, why is it not Christmas yet?  Maybe that will give us some reason to sob into our keyboards like proper Whovians.  ;)

Unanswered Questions:

-How the heck did the Earth survive with the Doctor never having existed?  We saw in Turn Left how bad it got when he made it over 900 years before dying.  It should have been destroyed thousands of times over before Amy got married and remembered him. 

-Did the events of S5 actually happen now?  Or did they get erased from everything except Rory and Amy's memories?  If the cracks closed throughout space and time, then how would F&S have ended?

-Does Rory remember being an Auton and waiting for 2,000 years?  Does he remember being a Roman?

-How come Amy could touch the younger version of herself without a Blinovitch Limitation Effect or problems of any sort???  This is majorly ignoring canon without an explanation that I caught.

-How did River Song know to visit Amy's wedding with the book?  And how did the book exist in the first place? 

-How come the Doctor disables Jack's wristband every time he sees him but he lets River keep a fully functional one?!?!?!?!! 

-What's the meaning of "silence will fall?"  And who was the voice saying that phrase?  Presumably this will be addressed next season.

-The duck pond without ducks:  should we assume the ducks were sucked into a crack?  Or will this be explained more next season to?

-Was there any meaning behind Rory's 1990 ID in TEH?  At this point, I'm assuming it was just a production gaffe.

-Does Matt Smith always dance like that?  Or is that just part of the character?

Comments

[kerravonsen]

River as OMG the most special of all companions is not so appealing.
Amen to that. River Song gets up my nose when she comes off all smug. In fact, River is best when she's far away from the Doctor. (sigh)

It should have been destroyed thousands of times over before Amy got married and remembered him.
I know, I know. I can handwave that a bit, but not really enough.

THIS IS THE BEST WEDDING RECEPTION EVER.
I think Gwen and Rhys' wedding in Torchwood has to be the second-best, though.

I had another Rose-missing moment when River talked about the Doctor being stuck in the void between worlds when he blew up.
I didn't miss Rose, but I did get reminded of Doomsday, yes.

Child River would probably be amazing.
Only if they managed to get an amazing child-actor to play her. Mind you, they've done well so far.

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

I think Gwen and Rhys' wedding in Torchwood has to be the second-best, though

That was indeed excellent, though only the Torchwood people and Rhys remember it.

I know, I know. I can handwave that a bit, but not really enough.

This episode might not have had Tinkerbell Jesus, but it required rather a lot of handwaving. *sigh* I'm resigned to putting up with some pretty nonsensical "scientific" explanations, but it bothers me more when the show breaks its own internal rules.

[cainangrey.livejournal.com]

How the heck did the Earth survive with the Doctor never having existed? We saw in Turn Left how bad it got when he made it over 900 years before dying. It should have been destroyed thousands of times over before Amy got married and remembered him.


Thank you so much for bringing this up. It has been bothering me.

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for bringing this up. It has been bothering me.

I know that I'm human and don't properly get timey-wimey stuff, but this just makes no sense given what we've seen previously. *grumble*

[cainangrey.livejournal.com]

I believe that Moffat thinks just because all the actors and producers have changed that this is a different show, thus the rules of episodes past don't apply.
He is arrogant. He is wrong.
If he continues to act this way, he shall be flogged and the show will end up being canceled. Again

[srixa.livejournal.com]

Here from who_daily.

Wanted to agree with you on the squee. And chime in with some of my ideas as to the answer to your question.

-How the heck did the Earth survive with the Doctor never having existed? We saw in Turn Left how bad it got when he made it over 900 years before dying. It should have been destroyed thousands of times over before Amy got married and remembered him.

This actually makes sense with Earth being the only planet in the universe with life. Most of the threats in Doctor Who comes from aliens and there aren't any aliens here. Hence, they didn't need the Doctor to keep saving them.

-Did the events of S5 actually happen now? Or did they get erased from everything except Rory and Amy's memories? If the cracks closed throughout space and time, then how would F&S have ended?

This is just too timey wimey. But I think they kinda happened but the reasons for how it happened might have shifted a bit. Like resewing clothes. They're still clothes but are a little rough where the stitches are.

-Does Rory remember being an Auton and waiting for 2,000 years? Does he remember being a Roman?

Yes he does. At least a little. Because when the Doctor reappears at the wedding, Rory is going in the background "I was plastic and he was a stripper at my stag night." Just one of those background lines that I only caught from other reviews.

-How come Amy could touch the younger version of herself without a Blinovitch Limitation Effect or problems of any sort??? This is majorly ignoring canon without an explanation that I caught.

Major plothole that should have been given a litle mention. Though some people have speculated that with the universe pretty much collapsing really quickly, the usual rules probably don't apply quite as strictly as they would in the normal universe with proper rules. (They did have stuff like Nile penguins and dinosaurs on ice in the mueseum after all.)

-How did River Song know to visit Amy's wedding with the book? And how did the book exist in the first place?

Hopefully answered next season when we may hopefully finally learn who/what she is.

-How come the Doctor disables Jack's wristband every time he sees him but he lets River keep a fully functional one?!?!?!?!!

Maybe he's finally matured enough to think that some people can be responsible and he doesn't have to keep looking over their shoulder. River Song is the ultimate timey wimey companion. Would the Doctor seriously believe disabling a little vortex manipulator is going to stop her? And she seems rather sensible about the rules of travelling through time after all.

-What's the meaning of "silence will fall?" And who was the voice saying that phrase? Presumably this will be addressed next season.

Moffat said that's the arc for the next season. So yeah. I personally liked it since any other explanation would have been too tacked on for a wonderful season finale.

-The duck pond without ducks: should we assume the ducks were sucked into a crack? Or will this be explained more next season to?

Maybe the ducks were a metaphor. Like how we think it's a duck pond even though there aren't any ducks is similar to how Amy Pond thinks she's normal even though she can't even remember her parents.

-Was there any meaning behind Rory's 1990 ID in TEH? At this point, I'm assuming it was just a production gaffe.

I'm assuming production gaffe too.

-Does Matt Smith always dance like that? Or is that just part of the character?

You should watch the confidential for this. Basically, Moffat wrote something along the lines of "and the Doctor dances at the wedding terribly, like a drunk giraffe". So Matt Smith just went for it and came up with a move that is really reminiscent of a drunk giraffe. I LOLed so hard at it. I really don't think Matt Smith dances like that. Because I just can't imagine any human being who could believe that this is the right way to dance. On the other hand, Doctor Who just popularised it. So who knows? ;)

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks for such a detailed comment!


This actually makes sense with Earth being the only planet in the universe with life. Most of the threats in Doctor Who comes from aliens and there aren't any aliens here. Hence, they didn't need the Doctor to keep saving them.

That part makes sense, but I was referring to after the Doctor flew the Pandorica into the TARDIS explosion but before Amy called him to her wedding. Then, he was supposedly erased from existence, but the rest of the universe was real and looking fairly normal.

Because when the Doctor reappears at the wedding, Rory is going in the background "I was plastic and he was a stripper at my stag night."

Ha! Thanks so much for pointing that out. I totally missed it, and that line just made me very happy. :)

Though some people have speculated that with the universe pretty much collapsing really quickly, the usual rules probably don't apply quite as strictly as they would in the normal universe with proper rules.

That could make sense. Also, the instant death Reaper when Rose touched baby Rose in Father's Day may have happened because time was already fragile there with Pete being impossibly alive. (I think classic Who has also addressed time traveling humans coming into contact with themselves, but I haven't seen those eps, so I don't know what happened.) Still, this is something I think should have had at least a brief hand-wave in the script.

Maybe he's finally matured enough to think that some people can be responsible and he doesn't have to keep looking over their shoulder. River Song is the ultimate timey wimey companion. Would the Doctor seriously believe disabling a little vortex manipulator is going to stop her? And she seems rather sensible about the rules of travelling through time after all.

If he's changed his mind about whether humans can be responsible solo time travelers, then the first time Rory and Amy are asleep he better go track down Jack and fix his vortex manipulator. While River Song seems aware of the basic concept of avoiding paradoxes, I don't trust her to be responsible. She is in prison for killing a man, for crying out loud. She deals with criminals, graffitied the oldest cliff in the universe, and she pulls crazy stunts like jumping out an airlock and assuming the Doctor will drop what he's doing to come rescue her. She's badass, yes. Willing to save the universe, yes. Responsible and trustworthy? Not really. Jack was a Time Agent and traveled with the Doctor (and the Doctor remembers it, unlike with River). He knows the rules of time travel. I guess Jack was choosing to base himself on 21st century Earth, when time travel technology doesn't normally exist and could muck up timelines, but it still bothers me.

"Drunk giraffe" is definitely a good descriptor of Eleven's dancing. :)

[srixa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, about your first point, I only realised what you were actually talking about waaaaay after I made my reply.

To that I can only say that it seems like when someone is erased, it's not wiping out everything they've ever done. From what we've seen, it erases the memory but not the consequences of your life. Like how Amy can be born even though her parents fell into the crack. Thus, even without the memory of the Doctor, the fact that he saved the universe and Earth all those times still happens. It might not make sense how it happened, but it did. I like the line where River says that "all memory of the Doctor will be purged". It's different from saying that the Doctor has never existed, which arguably isn't the best way to describe it. Some review I read mentioned it's like having a perception filter over the memories of a person. Whatever happened still happened, but people's memories sorta bends around how it happened. (Much like in the Lodger where everyone just assumes there's always been a second floor, and after it's gone, everyone just assumes there never has been one.)

----

About the others, don't take my word for it or anything. You don't even have to take my word for my explanation above. I wasn't seriously defending the Doctor's decision not to disable the Vortex Manipulator really. Just trying to come up with a somewhat plausible explanation for all the questions you raised. I do agree a bit more exposition for bits and pieces would have been good, but I also did think that the Big Bang was so excellent I can't imagine where they could have inserted more scenes since they would have had to remove other stuff.

---

And I've gone and rambled on again. Don't mind me. I like being able to offer plausible explanations for when others see a plothole (with evidence for it within the show itself). That way I can hopefully help others enjoy the show more now that there's actually an explanation that makes sense.

Go drunk giraffe Eleven! That just makes me laugh so hard and I fall in love with Doctor Who all over again.

[candrabindu.livejournal.com]

The duck pond without ducks: should we assume the ducks were sucked into a crack? Or will this be explained more next season to?

Was this mentioned after TEH and I missed it, or have you been wondering about it all this time? I had pretty much assumed the duck pond thing was just a random philosophical question with no particular plot significance, although it would certainly be interesting if it came up again. Incidentally, I can totally imagine a bunch of psycholinguists writing papers about why it's called a duck pond when there are no ducks in it.