DOCTOR WHO: THE ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN REVIEW

DOCTOR WHO SERIES 7: EPISODE 5 - THE ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN

Air Date: Saturday 29 September **
Channel: BBC One (UK), BBC America (US)
Starring: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Mike McShane, Rob David

Reviewed by Helen Henderson

Amy and Rory are ready to bid farewell to the Doctor, but is he ready for their last goodbye?

With the departure of the Pond’s being in Steven Moffat’s own hands, all eyes were on the showrunner to bring the story of Rory and Amy to a beautiful and powerful conclusion, and in that respect he did not disappoint. Set against the backdrop of the Big Apple, New York, the city that never sleeps, it was possible that the Manhattan skyline was about to drown out the little story of a man and woman so much in love that they would do anything to be together, that the spectacle would pull focus from the heart. Regardless of the magnitude of the city, tonight it stood in hushed reverence to a hard hitting story that will have had even the hardest Doctor Who fan fighting back the tears. Rory and Amelia Williams bowed out in what can only be described as a heartbreaking finale. Even when it appeared that perhaps the story would be clear cut, Steven Moffat had surprises up his sleeve to ensure that the viewers would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

DOCTOR WHO: THE POWER OF THREE REVIEW

DOCTOR WHO SERIES 7: EPISODE 4 - THE POWER OF THREE

Air Date: Saturday 22 September **
Channel: BBC One (UK), BBC America (US)
Starring: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Mark Williams, Jemma Redgrave, Steven Berkoff

Reviewed by Helen Henderson

The Ponds have a big decision to make amidst a very unusual invasion.

From the pen of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship episode author Chris Chibnall, comes the underwhelming The Power of Three. A nod to the Russell T. Davies era that came before it, this episode was a tale focused on ‘normal’ life as opposed to the hectic knockabout way of things when travelling with the Doctor. With a distinct nod to the old James lyrics “If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor”, the Ponds are attempting to live their lives in normality while deciding whether the constant travelling is really for them anymore. It shines an interesting light on a concept not yet seen in Who - can companions live a double life of travelling with the doctor whilst carrying on their normal everyday happenings? With the ability for the Doctor to hypothetically return companions to the moment he picked them up it is surprising this intriguing idea hasn’t been explore before. It is lended extra relevance being widely known as the Ponds’ penultimate episode – and further lends to the ambiguity of their eventual fate - will their final scenes be fatal or a final decision to end their travels?