Doctor Who: Vincent & The Doctor Spoilers
Jun. 8th, 2010 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rabid1stThis was without a doubt the best episode of the Eleventh Doctor's run. This was primarily due to three things. First, the actor who played Van Gogh was extraordinary. Really one of the best guest spots we have ever had, comparible, in my mind, to Lindsey Duncan. And we might note this is what a good actor can do with standard material. Because the writing wasn't that stellar in this episode, yet the actor managed to squeeze out nuance and pathos from every scene. His weeping and his spitting rage were both fantastically effective.
Second, while there was a fascination with Amy that seemed quite mad, at least Vincent was indeed mad and so we could forgive him. And her annoying nature was kept in some semblence of check by the heavy subject matter. Well...beyond that moment when she ordered wine. And here I should point out a minor quibble that pretty well took me straight out of the story for a time. This is the first time we have failed to anyone notice when the companion is dressed so far out of period. There was no historically accurate attempt to run Amy off from the pub, no sneering at her forward nature and bare legs. It made the whole thing seem like pandering to the character again. As if Amy isn't a real person but some sort of mirage.
On the other hand, the third reason to love this episode is that mostly it was remarkably rich with historical detail. Perhaps that is why the unquestioned Amy stood out like a sore thumb on those cobbled streets. The streets were perfection as were Vincent's home and his behavior and the serving wenches and the funeral procession and the lighting and the magnificent sunflowers. Here, I saw something that I didn't see in the Agatha Christie story, homage done right. It wasn't just a series of visual puns. There was a great deal of artistic love in the presentation of this story. To the point where I cried along with Vincent when we were linked back to his art. And I thought who great it was that Doctor Who really could still move me.
Of course, then there was the Doctor. Sadly, his nine year old persona detracted from this story in a way that it might not have had we had a less accomplished actor playing Vincent. But side by side the performances were like night and day. There was poor old Matt trying to look like he was a wise traveler and failing miserably. And just as Amy stopped being so horridly inappropriate. I must ask if someone at the writer's table, perhaps the Moff, has Attention Deficit Disorder.
I can assume they were trying to be funny at times with their broad humor which is nothing more than having characters blurt out horribly inappropriate things. Nothing weighty or deep can happen without someone making a verbal gaffe equal to a fart noise with their armpit. This is what the writer's pass off as humor for Amy as well. She shouts "Oh, shut up" and we are supposed to find her charming and ballsy...but instead I just wonder why she's such a child. And here, we have the Doctor doing a similar sort of yelping and really being very secondary to the adult in the story.
More and more, of course, I hope that all of this is some sort of mistake and that Amy really is just a child of seven or eight somehow looped through the crack in her wall...and the Doctor is still in a regenerative cycle or something. But I really feel that this isn't part of the plot but is simply Moff's idea of the perfect woman--up for anything, not interested in marriage, not hampered by any real weight of emotion, sassy and leggy and childish...meeting the perfect man...someone who is a perpetual school boy. Amy and the Doctor reminded me rather forcibly of two children on a school trip in this one. I wish I could just ignore Eight, Nine and Ten and view this Doctor as the logical follow up to Six and Seven. That works for me. And Amy works when you think of her as following on the heels of Mel and Ace...but not so much following behind Donna and Rose.
I do have one other comment. Someone told me that Rory was "not forgotten" in this episode. Yet, as far as I could tell there were only three brief and easy to miss references to Rory. One when the Doctor mistakenly says his name, showing that HE didn't forget. Two when Vincent notices Amy is crying and sad...even though she is not. And I do hope that THIS is part of the plot in some way. That there is something to see which we and our characters are not seeing...that is...an alternative time line or something similar. We always do cry out for the season to be an illusion at this point though, so I am suspicious of that. However, Moff is big on illusion, so perhaps it is just that. The final mention of Rory isn't even obvious...but we could take Amy saying that she's not the marrying kind to be a reference to the loss from time and space of the man she loves. On the other hand, it could just refer to her scatter-brained childish nature. We don't know enough about Amy to be able to tell. And I might say that it is more of the same to have VINCENT tell us that Amy is sad. Show don't tell, Moff! That's all I've been saying all season.
Second, while there was a fascination with Amy that seemed quite mad, at least Vincent was indeed mad and so we could forgive him. And her annoying nature was kept in some semblence of check by the heavy subject matter. Well...beyond that moment when she ordered wine. And here I should point out a minor quibble that pretty well took me straight out of the story for a time. This is the first time we have failed to anyone notice when the companion is dressed so far out of period. There was no historically accurate attempt to run Amy off from the pub, no sneering at her forward nature and bare legs. It made the whole thing seem like pandering to the character again. As if Amy isn't a real person but some sort of mirage.
On the other hand, the third reason to love this episode is that mostly it was remarkably rich with historical detail. Perhaps that is why the unquestioned Amy stood out like a sore thumb on those cobbled streets. The streets were perfection as were Vincent's home and his behavior and the serving wenches and the funeral procession and the lighting and the magnificent sunflowers. Here, I saw something that I didn't see in the Agatha Christie story, homage done right. It wasn't just a series of visual puns. There was a great deal of artistic love in the presentation of this story. To the point where I cried along with Vincent when we were linked back to his art. And I thought who great it was that Doctor Who really could still move me.
Of course, then there was the Doctor. Sadly, his nine year old persona detracted from this story in a way that it might not have had we had a less accomplished actor playing Vincent. But side by side the performances were like night and day. There was poor old Matt trying to look like he was a wise traveler and failing miserably. And just as Amy stopped being so horridly inappropriate. I must ask if someone at the writer's table, perhaps the Moff, has Attention Deficit Disorder.
I can assume they were trying to be funny at times with their broad humor which is nothing more than having characters blurt out horribly inappropriate things. Nothing weighty or deep can happen without someone making a verbal gaffe equal to a fart noise with their armpit. This is what the writer's pass off as humor for Amy as well. She shouts "Oh, shut up" and we are supposed to find her charming and ballsy...but instead I just wonder why she's such a child. And here, we have the Doctor doing a similar sort of yelping and really being very secondary to the adult in the story.
More and more, of course, I hope that all of this is some sort of mistake and that Amy really is just a child of seven or eight somehow looped through the crack in her wall...and the Doctor is still in a regenerative cycle or something. But I really feel that this isn't part of the plot but is simply Moff's idea of the perfect woman--up for anything, not interested in marriage, not hampered by any real weight of emotion, sassy and leggy and childish...meeting the perfect man...someone who is a perpetual school boy. Amy and the Doctor reminded me rather forcibly of two children on a school trip in this one. I wish I could just ignore Eight, Nine and Ten and view this Doctor as the logical follow up to Six and Seven. That works for me. And Amy works when you think of her as following on the heels of Mel and Ace...but not so much following behind Donna and Rose.
I do have one other comment. Someone told me that Rory was "not forgotten" in this episode. Yet, as far as I could tell there were only three brief and easy to miss references to Rory. One when the Doctor mistakenly says his name, showing that HE didn't forget. Two when Vincent notices Amy is crying and sad...even though she is not. And I do hope that THIS is part of the plot in some way. That there is something to see which we and our characters are not seeing...that is...an alternative time line or something similar. We always do cry out for the season to be an illusion at this point though, so I am suspicious of that. However, Moff is big on illusion, so perhaps it is just that. The final mention of Rory isn't even obvious...but we could take Amy saying that she's not the marrying kind to be a reference to the loss from time and space of the man she loves. On the other hand, it could just refer to her scatter-brained childish nature. We don't know enough about Amy to be able to tell. And I might say that it is more of the same to have VINCENT tell us that Amy is sad. Show don't tell, Moff! That's all I've been saying all season.