An Anticlimactic Invasion- Doctor 7.4 Review

I know my Pacey picture is dreamy and should just replace all other pictures in the blog (or at least stay at the top longer than 24 hours)... but we've got to get a new Doctor review up and running!

So... The Power of Three. Can I just start with that? I thought that Power of Three crap was incredibly annoying - didn't like it. The beginning and the end, with Amy narrating, ugh. It's also the third (so 3 out of 4) episodes beginning with narration.  On the upside, at least it was Amy.  The other two have been from characters irrelevant to the story line. It seems like it's supposed to make you feel like something epic is happening, but I'm not sure that it followed through.   

The setup of this episode was interesting. The year of the slow invasion; when the doctor came to stay.  I liked that it went through the whole year (year and a half?), but was left wondering - when did this happen in reference to what we've seen this season? Are these events occuring in the order we've viewed them?  Is it possible that this is before a Pond Life? It seems like it's after Dinosaurs on a Spaceship because Mr. Weasley (sorry, but that's who he is) knew the Doctor. I read an interesting theory stating that the Doctor is working backwards through his time with Amy and Rory... the Henry the 8th comment from "The Town Called Mercy" and then seeing the Henry the 8th situation in "The Power of Three" made me think we were definitely on wibbly wobbly time now.

A rather confusing villian

I hated the stupid cubes; ick. I'd rather have a freakin' Dalek or Cyberman. Even an adipose was better than those stupid things. And that villain? Who was that? I hope that there is some history there that I'm unaware of, or that they're coming back.  We had tons of time spent on setting up this world-wide problem, and then it just ended.  Why did the humans need to be wiped out?  Who set that in motion? And whatever started it,  surely we did not actually solve this damn cube crisis with the pressing of like three buttons. Come ON!!  Waving a sonic screwdriver at something may help find a solution, but it is not an "Easy Button" that simply solved the entire crisis.  It brought people back to life, defeated the villain, and saved the Earth?  Seriously?  It was anticlimactic and confusing.

Kate & the Doctor

I adored the references to the past though - the fact that UNIT was back, that the head of UNIT was Brigadier's daughter - LOVE! Making me applaud our efforts in learning about Doctors 1-8 even more. (We will so have to go into that when we're done analyzing next week!) The comment about the companions - obviously not just about Rose and Martha and Donna (which haven't been mentioned in 2 seasons anyway), made me want to cry and cheer at the same time. Finally, some history of the Doctor being brought in! About time Steve Moffatt!! Thank you!!

I know we're in for a set up next week.  Obviously the Ponds are not going to choose to go gently in to that good night, so it's going to be special and I'm certain, even as ready as I am, that tears will be involved. I didn't realize how sad I would be until I read that the last scene the trio actually filmed was from this episode.  The final moment from the hour, the three waving good-bye as they stepped into the Tardis, was the final shot filmed with Amy, Rory, & the Doctor together.  It made me sad to think of that, and I know next week is coming on strong.

Rory, The Doctor, & Amy in their final shot

I actually peeked at next week (some people on this blog work hard not to watch "next time on..."); not going to say a thing, but I think we're in for a monumental episode. I think this is on Silence in the Library, Blink proportions people. Everything's been building to this episode and I think some of the confusion (because Lord knows it can't ever all be sorted out) will be put to rest.

DFTBA & Stay Shiny!
Jana & Kristin