I'll start with Season five, then post six tomorrow, and seven on Tuesday.
General notes:
- HUMANITY is a major theme. As the Doctor gets more God-like, he draws a thicker line between himself and the human race. Episodes that feature this theme are starred. *
- Any two-part episodes are considered as one unit. Their story line is split up, but their themes continue to develop and character arcs stretch from the beginning of one to the end of another
- We consider CHARACTERS over "Real-world" circumstances (for instance, rather than considering the fact that Tennant stepped in because Eccleston had to leave, we would look at Nine's departure in the storyline, and Ten's arrival.)
- Memory/forgetting is another important theme, in both Doctor Who and Peter Pan
- Compare to other "meeting" episodes ("Rose", "The Christmas Invasion", "The Runaway Bride", "Smith and Jones", and "Partners in Crime")
- "The Runaway Bride" AND "Partners in Crime"
- Nightgown--Amy and Wendy together. Both little Amelia and big Amy
- ABSENCE of parents/parental figures. Even if she lived with her aunt, you would think she would have woken up as Amy and 11 make a ruckus cooking downstairs.
- Doctor gets very upset abt. Kissogram ("You were a Little Girl five minutes ago!)
- "I grew up" "you never want to do that" when does this exchange happen?
- AMY'S NAME CHANGE-- parallel with "Melody Pond" vs. "Melody Williams
- Child-like attention span during "Fish fingers and custard" scene.
- furthermore, food he settles on is childlike, unique, specific.
- The Doctor throws a fit: "No one human has anything to say to me"
- Amy is still in her nightgown
- tries to "protect" the Doctor
- Turtle with the world on it's back: Star Whale
- Children crying--connection to lost boys (guardianship, but Doctor quickly abandons Amy--his own ADD, childlike behavior kicks in)
- Jammie Dodgers as a diversion
- Love makes you human (classic DW trope)
- Seriously who even likes this episode?
"Time of the Angels" and "Flesh and Stone"*
- Angel Bob and humanity
- First time we see River again
- Doctor is sweet to Amy, trusting. TRUST is a major theme.
- Amy gets annoyed at the Doctor's asexuality (Wendy giving Peter a "kiss", but Amy is more direct)
- Her imaginary friend won't indulge her fantasies
- compare to Eleven being cornered in "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship", where there is implication that something has already happened
- Does the Doctor need to grow up? Sexuality tied to maturity
- Does Amy resent being with Rory out of "obligation"?
- Mommy and Daddy are "supposed" to be together--a hint towards who River is?
- Rory returns--first SUCCESSFUL companion coupling?
- Rose and Mickey don't count for so many reasons.
- What is the Doctor's motive for bringing Rory along? What was his motive for bringing Mickey?
- "Stop competing" --some awareness of his sexuality, or is he dismissing sexual aggression as a legitimate part of being human?
- does this awareness wane? disappear?
- Early on in determining "what kind of man" he is. Is he Peter yet? Is he on his way there?
- Doctor YELLS at Amy "to keep her safe" (Rory thanks him)
- Brother/fiance
- Amy ends up in a nightgown again.
- Silence is already following them.
- Is the Doctor reluctant to or incapable of seeing Amy's pregnancy?
- "Nightmare"--Amy and Rory have moved on, GROWN UP, living their lives without the Doctor.
- This was an episode of Star Trek. Also, Sandman? (Sleepy Time dude in a funny hat. NOT Gaiman or the Spiderman villain.)
- Amy CHOOSES Rory. Definitive.
- First time Rory dies
- IT CAN BE THE NIGHT BEFORE OUR WEDDING FOR AS LONG AS WE WANT
- If the dream lord is a manifestation of all the evil in the Doctor, then he orchestrates the whole dream (both dreams), then HE KILLS RORY.
- Jealousy?
- Is this a plan that backfires, or one that works?
- Where there are Silurians, there are themes of humanity
- Rory dies...again
- How does the Doctor get the engagement ring?
- We see Amy and Rory in the future--happily ever after scares Amy?
- "The last of my people"--Doctor as a singular anomaly, he is angry but he spares the Silurian's life in the hopes of a better future.
- He is angrier at Felicia Day, because she poorly represents the human race.
- Doctor lets Amy forget Rory quickly (is he glad for it?)
- He tries to keep her from forgetting, but when her happiness is no longer in jeopardy, he drops the subject
- Does Peter remember his family?
- Doctor does something NICE for Amy, marks a change in their relationship
- Mystery story-line (they find the painting, then investigate. They don't plan on having an adventure at all)
- Is he apologizing for losing Rory?
- Amy and the Doctor are separated, but not totally inept without one another (or are they?)
- we see this ep. through the Doctor's eyes. What IS Amy doing? Is she okay?
- First companion who can fly the TARDIS without major complications (besides River.)
- Talking to the cat--later he can talk to babies and horses, too.
- delusional narcissism? Thinks he can do anything?
- Loses his temper at the football team
- CAN the Doctor be normal? Human?
- Anti-TARDIS
- Wine is apparently disgusting (childlike reaction to alcohol.)
- Fairy Tales GALORE
- Pandora's Box
- Cleopatra and her wax figure army
- Pandorica itself is a "fairy tale" first referenced in "Time of the Angels"
- resetting the universe "We're all stories in the end"
- I hate reruns.
- Back with Tiny Amy--isn't that what he wanted? He stops rewinding when he gets back to the beginning of Amy's timeline. Her life is on constant loop!
- River begins to show cold-blooded attitude
- Return of Rory--memory. Amy has been affected by Neverland. Similarly
- Amy forgets Rory every time, he never forgets her.
- Amy and her parents. She suddenly "remembers" her parents, despite "forgetting" them due to the cracks in her wall, and acts accordingly, not knowing "I have parents?!" And then she seems to remember " I have parents!". Because she knows two childhoods, one with and one without, her forgetting her parents, while a symptom of the crack in her wall, also mirror the effect that Neverland had on Wendy, Michael and John, the latter two seemed to have forgotten them entirely for a moment before Wendy remembers (hi! - Max)
TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR NOTES ON SEASON SIX!
--Jen
Hi Jen. Regarding your note about the engagement ring under "The Hungry Earth" and "In Cold Blood", I'm pretty sure that Rory leaves the ring in the TARDIS for this adventure, so it's still sitting on the TARDIS console when he dies. The Doctor, upon entering the TARDIS, picks it up, looks at it, and slips it into his pocket after Amy looks at it and doesn't remember Rory.
ReplyDeleteYES I think that's right!! Gracias, Alex :D
DeleteNo problem Jen! I'll keep reading and let you know if I can think of anything to add. :)
DeleteOhai. I'm sure you'll be getting bunches of these as I chew my way through the seasons. Under "The Eleventh Hour", Amelia says that her aunt is "out". It's still a bit odd that she'd leave a girl that young home alone, and that she's not around again when he comes back years later.
ReplyDeleteAmy's present but not present Aunt is also I feel an anomaly and part of her "lost girl" status and an indication that time, that space is literally wrong at Amy's House, as her Aunt is fantastically only present ( I think) shown in the Big Bang universe without the stars talking to the therapist (?) about her drawing things with stars in them. Otherwise she is absent. She may be at the Wedding after things are reset to normal but she is not given any particular focus.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head there. Those are the only times I can remember an adult figure being in Amy's life (her wedding and the alternate no stars universe).
DeleteYes, indeed. I'm not sure if it was the Big Bang world that caused say Amy's Aunt to actually "exist" being a progressive step forward towards the truer reality or if she as suggested is there "but not there" it seems to me she due to the crack in the wall existed to be there, but then when she goes out, she ceased to exist until she shows up again. An example of what you don't see doesn't exist sort of equation. There have been things that follow that philosophy before in some things I swear I've watched, maybe even Doctor Who, but I think her Aunt is an example of that. Similarly the house and backyard shows signs of neglect which I think, are fixed after Amy's parents are brought back into reality. At least I think the garden may have changed a bit, will have to watch again to double check.
DeleteThe yard does look a bit shaggy, and maybe a bit untended. The house as well had a little bit of a feeling of not being cared for very well (paint wearing in some places). The shed was rebuilt while Amelia was making the transition to Amy, but that seems to be the only change as far as the neglect of the house and yard goes that I can see in the first episode.
DeleteComment number 3! Also under "The Eleventh Hour", you were questioning when the "I grew up." "You never want to do that." exchange happened. It happened about 32 and a half minutes into the episode (closer to 32). They were talking about how Amy thought the Doctor was pranking her because he said he had a time machine. "And you believed me." "Then I grew up."...
ReplyDeleteThis a key exchange as it exactly the foundation of our argument that Amy is an audience avatar in that respect and why her story arc made Doctor Who much more popular, that many teens and young adults Amy's age are now "grown up" or think they know better to indulge in such naivety, that desire for Peter Pan or in this case The Doctor, SOMETHING to come take them away to fantastic adventures, and yet Amy is then shown a such an individual that is given a bonefide second chance, Wendy going back with Peter even as an adult. That is what many people who adheare to the "Then I grew up" mentality towards those things...actually want inside.
DeleteInteresting to see you chronicle all the instances of The Doctor acting childish. It fits well with my own theory regarding how The Doctor's final thoughts before regenerating/method of death had an influence on his next incarnation's personality.
ReplyDeleteI mapped this out through the whole series, but limiting it to the New Series...
Nine was a darker, more cynical Doctor than we'd send before - the result of his actions during The Time War. His time with Rose lightened his heart considerably. When she nearly died saving him and - briefly - was able to see the universe as he did, it triggered a rush of passion that he'd long repressed. When he regenerated, he became a kinder, more passionate Doctor... for better and worse.
Ten was more free with his positive emotions but also more inclined to react in anger than even Nine when given a chance. This caused him a LOT of problems. Not just when it came to Rose but with all of his companions, who he allowed to get far too close in most circumstances. For someone who was described as The Lonely God - as was pointed out in Series IV - he had a LOT of people who cared about him. He was so devoted to the people around him that even with death approaching, he couldn't resist the chance to check on them all one last time.
The Eleventh Doctor, for the most part, worked a lot harder to keep his companions at a distance and his relationship with them more shallow... like a kid. Indeed, I think The Doctor has gone from Angry Old Man (Nine) to Hormonal Teenager (Ten) to Manchild (Eleven)