I’m the Doctor!
After a Christmas honeymoon getaway for the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy (Karen Gillan), and Rory (Arthur Darvill, an older and wiser Doctor meets Amy, Rory, and River Song (Alex Kingston) at Lake Silencio for a getaway in America. When a mysterious astronaut kills the Doctor, Amy, Rory, and River decide not to tell a younger version of the Doctor what has occurred. As the Doctor heads to his fate, he’s out to determine the real identity of River Song and an answer to the question that could lead to his ultimate death.
Airing from December 25, 2010 to October 1, 2011, Doctor Who—Season 6 was originally released as Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol, Doctor Who—Season 6 Part 1, and Doctor Who—Season 6 Part 2, but has since been released in one collected edition. “The Doctor’s Wife” won a Ray Bradbury award. “A Christmas Carol” lost a Hugo Award to the other Doctor Who episodes from the previous season, and “The Doctor’s Wife”, “A Good Man Goes to War”, and “The Girl Who Waited” which aired in the following awards season were also nominated.
Merry Christmas to all!
I have to say, I’m still not loving Matt Smith in comparison to some of my other favorite Doctors. It could be seen as an evolution, but I always see him trying to be Tennant. I know it is sacrilegious to say that since he is one of the most popular Doctors of all time, but that is also often coming from people who have the last three Doctors to compare to…still, I think I might have even liked Eccleston more than Smith.
My next problem is with Rory and Amy. Once again, I hate to compare to past incarnations, but I don’t love them. It was nice to essentially have a break from them in the Christmas episode, and the return of the Doctor’s flatmate Craig Owens (James Corden), but the whole alternate versions of Amy this season really didn’t change up things enough (except possibly “The Girl Who Waited”). Rory, I feel, is still rather one dimensional, and I feel his past as a Centurion should have been utilized more this season. Their relationship is almost sudsy like a full blown soap opera.
Reckon you come round these parts often, partner?
Episode-wise, there are some episodes that are quite fun. “A Christmas Carol” is a good looking episode and nicely acted…It is one of the better Christmas episodes that has come out of the new Who. I love seeing Doctor Who in America so I did like the imagery of “The Impossible Astronaut”, but some of the issues set-up in this story really makes for a confusing timestream (I always have to sit and think out how and when River Song is…and it isn’t always clear). I loved how “Day of the Moon” explained the interruption/glitch in Armstrong’s famous line with the Silence. I enjoy pirates, but “The Black Spot” was bad followed by the whole “The Rebel Flesh”/”The Almost People” which I felt were weak also. The big reveal of River Song in “A Good Man Goes to War” was a bit downplayed because it was obvious at the beginning of the episode (and throughout earlier episodes) who River really was…I didn’t need to sit through the episode to find out.
The tears of a clown
The second half of the season starts out with the big “Let’s Kill Hitler” episode and I wanted more about killing Hitler and less about River Song since it was an interesting concept, but “The Girl Who Waited” was an enjoyable episode and one of the better Amy episodes. Both “Night Terrors” and “The God Complex” were “scary” episodes, but “Night Terrors” was dull with “The God Complex” having a fun The Shining feel. I liked getting rid of Rory and Amy for “Closing Time”, but it felt like a lag and misstep as the second to last episode. “The Wedding of River Song” was just all over the place and didn’t have a very concise plotline with flashbacks, etc.
Overall Doctor Who–Season 6 is still enjoyable, but not high among the relaunch seasons. I would have enjoyed it much more of the Ponds had been ditched the entire season to have a River Song season with her as the Doctor’s official companion leading into a reveal of her identity. The season did leave me looking forward to Season 7 and perhaps some corrections including getting rid of Amy and Rhori.
Doctor Who—Season 6 Complete Episode Guide:
“A Christmas Carol”
6.0 A Christmas Carol Airdate: 12/25/10
Rory (Arthur Darvill) and Amy (Karen Gillan) celebrate their honeymoon on a space cruiser but find the cruiser crashing into a planet run by a miserly man named Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon). When the Doctor (Matt Smith) realizes only Sardick can prevent the crash, he has to enter his past to change the future by reminding him what Christmas is all about. As the Doctor visits each Christmas, he takes Sardick and a woman from his father’s loan freezers named Abigail (Katherine Jenkins) out year after year to celebrate the holidays…will the Doctor’s plans work?
“The Impossible Astronaut”
6.1 The Impossible Astronaut Airdate: 04/23/11
The Doctor summons Rory, Amy, and River Song (Alex Kingston) and reveals to them that he intends to go to space in 1969. When the Doctor appears to be killed during regeneration by a mysterious astronaut, River determines that the Doctor is trying to send them a message. When a younger version of the Doctor is found, River, Rory, Amy, and River Song must find out what the tie to 1969 and Canton Everett Delaware III (William Morgan Sheppard) who also received an invitation to the death. The Doctor and his companions arrive at the White House in 1969 and begin working with Richard Nixon (Stuart Milligan) and a younger Canton Everett Delaware III (Mark Sheppard) to decipher mysterious calls to the President…as Amy is plagued by visions of a creature that can only be remembered when it is seen.
“Day of the Moon”
6.2 Day of the Moon Airdate: 04/30/11
In 1969, Canton Everett Delaware III holds the Doctor prisoner in Area 51 as he hunts down Amy, Doctor Song, and Rory as a cover in his attempt to help them stop the alien invaders. When Amy is captured by the invaders, Rory learns Amy’s true feelings for him and the Doctor. As Amy finds she’s lost something about the experience and can’t remember what it is. As the moon landing orchestrated by the aliens is about to occur, the Doctor faces the aliens in the last stand.
“Curse of the Black Spot”
6.3 The Curse of the Black Spot Airdate: 05/07/11
A trip to a pirate ship has the Doctor, Rory, and Amy learning of the curse of the siren who kills whomever has blood spilled. As the crew slowly falls to the siren, the Doctor must determine what causes the siren to come and how he can stop it before the whole crew, Amy, and Rory are taken. The Doctor continues to worry about Amy’s medical condition.
“The Doctor’s Wife”
6.4 The Doctor’s Wife Airdate: 05/14/11
The Doctor learns that there is another Time Lord alive and journeys out of the universe to locate the Time Lord. When he discovers the living embodiment of the TARDIS inhabiting a woman named Idris (Suranne Jones), the Doctor, Rory, and Amy must rebuild the TARDIS to escape before the asteroid called House destroys them.
“The Rebel Flesh”
6.5 The Rebel Flesh Airdate: 05/21/11
A solar storm forces the TARDIS to land on an Earth island where acid is being pumped to mainland. As the solar storm threatens the island, the Doctor, Rory, and Amy discover that the workers are using living matter called “the Flesh” to create doppelganger (or “gangers”) to safely mine the acid. When the storm hits, the TARDIS is compromised by the acid and the gangers find themselves free from their avatars. When one of the avatars is killed, the gangers find themselves facing off against their human counterparts.
“The Almost People”
6.6 The Almost People Airdate: 05/28/11
With a ganger taking the form of the Doctor, there is twice as much Doctor as the humans take their stand against the Flesh. As Rory tries to help Jennie (Sarah Smart), the acid creates gas which causes problems for the Doctor and the survivors. Amy reveals that she’s been seeing a mysterious woman and the Flesh-Doctor finds he has a connection to the Flesh’s collective consciousness. As the Flesh become more human and the humans fight for their lives, the fate of the Flesh and humans become intertwined as the island heads to meltdown. Amy receives a warning about her future from the Flesh-Doctor, and the Doctor reveals something shocking about Amy.
“A Good Man Goes to War”
6.7 A Good Man Goes to War Airdate: 06/04/11
Amy is revealed as a Flesh, and the search for the real Amy and her child Melody is on. As Rory and the Doctor search time and space for Amy, Rory is sent to find River Song only to learn River Song cannot help because her true identity is going to be learned at the battle of Demon’s Run. As the Doctor and his team fight to take control of Demon Run, Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) works to defeat the Doctor…and the Doctor experiences a new emotion. When Amy, Rory, and Melody are reunited, the question of why Melody is wanted is exposed. Melody is taken, and River Song reveals the truth to the Doctor.
“Let’s Kill Hitler”
6.8 Let’s Kill Hitler Airdate: 08/27/11
The search for Melody continues, and the Doctor, Amy, and Rory are taken hostage by Amy and Rory’s friend Mels (Nina Toussaint-White). When Mels suggests that they kill Hitler, the Doctor heads to Berlin, Germany in 1938. An intergalactic justice department attempt to assassinate Hitler is accidentally stopped by the Doctor and Mels’ real identity is revealed. When the intergalactic bounty hunter realizes they have the Doctor’s killer, the Silence must be stopped.
“Night Terrors”
6.9 Night Terrors Airdate: 09/03/11
A boy named George (Jamie Oram) fearful of monsters asks for help, and the Doctor, Rory, and Amy respond. As the Doctor investigates George’s fears, he finds that they may be legitimate. Meanwhile, Amy and Rory find themselves pulled into a strange dimension and find themselves pursued. The Doctor uncovers a secret about George from his father Alex (Daniel Mays) and realize he could be the cause of it all.
“The Girl Who Waited”
6.10 The Girl Who Waited Airdate: 09/10/11
The Doctor, Rory, and Amy go to Apalapucia but discover it is a quarantined planet. When Amy is separated from the Doctor and Rory, their plans to rescue Amy falls apart when Rory and the Doctor discover they missed saving Amy by over thirty years. Now the Doctor’s chances of saving the younger Amy are slipping away, and the older Amy only wants to live.
“The God Complex”
6.11 The God Complex Airdate: 09/17/11
The Doctor, Rory, and Amy find themselves in a strange hotel with no way out. The hotel has inhabitants and every room seems to house the fear of whoever enters them. When the Doctor, Amy, and Rory are separated from the TARDIS, they must find uncover the mystery of the hotel and find why they are being killed before they succumb to the danger. The Doctor has to make a big decision about the future.
“Closing Time”
6.12 Closing Time Airdate: 09/24/11
The Doctor is travelling alone after leaving Rory and Amy. The Doctor’s roommate Craig (James Corden) is back and with Sophie (Daisy Haggard) away, the Doctor decides to stop in. The Doctor finds Craig has a new baby (aka Stormageddon) and is trying to deal with him. When the Doctor uncovers people are disappearing, he discovers his old enemy the Cybermen have returned. The Doctor realizes his time is running out and that he is destine to die. Doctor River Song is visited by and the and learns she cannot escape her destiny.
“The Wedding of River Song”
6.13 The Wedding of River Song Airdate: 10/01/11
It is time for the Doctor to die and all time is converging as time seems to have stopped at 5:02 on April 22, 2011, Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice) summons the and demands to know the truth about why Time has stopped…The Doctor tells Churchill of his investigation into the Silence and the legendary question. When the Doctor prepared to meet his future, he found he lost the opportunity to say goodbye to . When River decided to change the fixed point in time, the Doctor reveals that time was shattered. Now must the Doctor must find River to restart time and right the wrong.
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Doctor Who—Season 5 Review and Complete Episode Guide
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