(Spoilers for Doctor Who and The Great British Bake-Off. No, seriously.)
First of all, sorry about kicking things off with such an awful pun. After I'm done, I'll get my coat.
So. The Girl Who Waited. Ah. Argh. There was so, so much that was good about this episode and I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, the payoff just wasn't quite there for me.
The concept is brilliant: through various sci-fi-esque contrivances (in this case, a kind of intergalactic hospice that traps sufferers in a time-expanding/compressing goldfish bowl so their loved ones can observe them) we get 'Rory's Choice: The Revenge'. In the best tradition of British sci-fi, it was surreal, hard-hitting, eccentric and beautifully conceived (aesthetically a cross between Alice in Wonderland and The Prisoner*). I also enjoyed being treated to some more inventive camera-work than we've had in a while (artsy lenswork being something of a feature of the Moffat era); I loved all the sliding fades and woozy split screen in a lovely bit of subtle foreshadowing, though didn't relish the over-reliance on lens flares. (Then again, my favourite piece of camerawork in Who history might well be that sunburst across the lens in 'The Eleventh Hour' at the exact moment the Doctor convinces Amy to trust him for the first time.)
It is becoming something of a truism that both the Doctor-lite and the budget-saving episodes of Who are amongst the best, forcing the writers to sharpen their quills and get back to that old chestnut, narrative. No high-speed chases, no CGI monsters, just a few characters and an inventive concept (hopefully). The Girl Who Waited managed to achieve that rare thing of being both narratively and conceptually satisfying, having the driving force behind the storyline be Amy and Rory's relationship, whilst ensuring that there actually is a decent storyline in the first place. It reminded me a little of the standout episode of Catherine Tate's tenure, Turn Left, which didn't feature the Doctor at all and by pulling back from all the Madcap Space Adventures proved that Tate is a fine actress when she wants to be, and quite capable of bringing a tear to the eye. In a similar way, Karen Gillan (whose acting ability I have cast a few aspersions on in the past) earned my respect with her finely differentiated Old and Young Amys, while Arthur Darvill continues to be rather excellent (and apparently quite a fox in those glasses, for the second time this series).
Bu this is where my criticisms begin, I'm afraid. Narratively and conceptually satisfying it might have been, but emotionally it was not. That last conversation through the TARDIS door between Rory and Old Amy was surely meant to evoke fannish memories of the Doctor and Rose's goodbye - a bold move and one that I'm not sure was wise. For me at least, it reminded me that no matter how much I later griped and whined about RTD's inability to leave Rose alone, I was devastated when she was given such a cruel exit and wept like a child, despite my cynical then-boyfriend muttering under his breath about Philip Pullman rip-offs. When Rose left I cried because - despite having spent the entire series complaining about how cutesy and irritating the whole thing was getting - her emotional payoff was earned. In the space of The Girl Who Waited, there was no way the same level of emotional investment could be demanded and I'm afraid I found the last few minutes of whispered self-sacrificing conversation tiring rather than tear-jerking. This could also be down to the fact that whilst I'm prepared to admit Gillan raised her game this week, she's still not got nearly enough depth or integrity to make me feel for her. Unlike Rose (and let's remember that Billie was never greatest actress either) she also doesn't have the help of two series of solid characterisation behind her.
Moffat's characters serve his plot lines, rather than vice versa. This is not an intrinsically bad thing and it has led to some stunning mindfucks along the way, but it does mean that when we get to emotional episodes like this one, I'm not nearly invested enough in his creations to care. Rory and Amy's relationship has gone all over the shop, seemingly on the whim of whoever was writing that week: first it's Mickey-and-Rose Mk 2, then it's "oh shit, guess I loved him all along", then it's the Greatest Love Story of All Time, then ordinary domestic bliss, then back to Epic Romance again. It's a shame, because I was just beginning to like Amy-and-Rory as a team and I feel this lack of consistency may be fatal to my enjoyment of them. Speaking of inconsistency, much of my praise for Arthur Darvill stems from the fact that the writers clearly can't decide the first thing about his character. First he's wimpy, then he's awesome, then he's snarky, then it all changes again. Forget Time Lord-shooting Astronauts, 'Who is Rory Williams?' is turning out to be the biggest mystery of the series. A prime example this week: the same Rory who did the 'I don't flinch in front of explosions' thing in front of Cybermen in A Good Man Goes to War is apparently not only less helpful than a 60-year-old woman in a fight with some slow-moving robots but actually resorts to smashing a painting over its head like something out of Scooby Doo. Writers: this man does not add up.
And speaking of things not adding up, my maths tells me that for a show called 'Doctor Who', the good Doctor isn't figuring nearly as much in the equation as he should. I know I've said this before so I won't dwell on it too much but Matt Smith is the best actor in the show. Use him. I'm not just talking about the strangely small amount of screen time he seems to be getting either - his presence in the actual story lines is negligible. He seems to be taking a back seat to the adventures of his human companions and I object: it's not the Amy-and-Rory Show, it's not even the River Song Show, as much as I would obviously watch that. My guess (and it's an optimistic one) is that the season finale is going to be so Doctor-and-River-centric (in the vein of last series' finale, which really was about the Doctor saving the day with his timey-wimey, story-spinning cleverness) that they're shifting the focus to Amy and Rory while they can. Well, I hope that's case anyway.
Complaints over. As I said, it was brilliant concept, beautifully shot with some very good acting but the payoff just wasn't quite there for me. However, I could just be developing into exactly the sort of crusty Whovian whose favourite thing is needless criticism rather than brown paper packages tied up with string theory, as it seemed like a lot of people really did enjoy this episode. Once again I have high hopes for next week's episode 'The God Complex'. I'm getting a very 'British Horror' vibe from the trailer, what with the M.C. Escher creepy hotel, the specially tailored Room 101 horrors and the return of the Weeping Angels. And David Walliams. And...a minotaur. Well, of course. Perhaps it's best to remember that it's written by Toby 'Being Human' Whithouse, the man who gave us 'School Reunion' and busty fish outing 'The Vampires of Venice', so maybe I won't hope for something too classy. Then again, perhaps a proper good romp (I still haven't forgiven you, Stephen Thompson) is exactly what the show needs right now.
...
To add to my televisual disgruntlement (is that a word? well, it is now), the hallowed Paul and Mary have just made the disastrous decision to get rid of dreamy Rob and brilliant Jason on The Great British Bake-Off. Rob I can understand (although I'm sorry to see him go), as he really did contribute nothing to the world of baking other than hair that had enough product in it to defy gravity but Jason? Jason was great - not just at baking but at his weird pseudo-metaphysical commentary on himself: "Sometimes I think I've got what it takes, and other times I don't. But I hope I've got what it takes."
Ah well. Jason, Rob, we'll miss you. But not half as much as the producers will when they realise their viewing figures have halved without you.
*I have since found out that the episode was, in fact, directed by the same guy who did the unsuccessful 2009 reboot of The Prisoner. Oh, the cleverness of me.
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