Yeah, Doctor…nothing lasts forever…
The Doctor (Matt Smith) is facing all new challenges as he finds his companions Rory (Arthur Darvill) and Amy (Karen Gillan) continue to be pulled into his madness. With their daughter River (Alex Kingston), Rory and Amy take the Doctor down a path to tragedy from which he might never recover… Exiling himself, the Doctor’s only hope may be Clara Oswin Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) whose very existence proves her to be the impossible girl.
Doctor Who—Season 7 continues the series popular relaunch and run leading up to its 50th year in production. Airing from December 25, 2011 to May 18, 2013, the series continues to have rabid followers. It has been collected both as a complete seventh series and Doctor Who—Series 7 Part 1, Doctor Who—Series 7 Part 2, Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, and Doctor Who: The Snowmen.
I’m gunning for you, Doctor!
I love Doctor Who, but I have been struggling with the last few seasons. It will be impossible to talk about this season without spoilers so I have to issue a big *****Spoiler Alert***** which would continue throughout this review.
The reason behind my struggles partially involves the cast. I have never warmed up to Matt Smith as the Doctor who seems to not really doing much to make the Doctor as his own. Many compare him to the second Doctor played by Patrick Troughton, but I kind of see him as copying David Tennant’s Doctor. He isn’t bad, but I wanted and needed a different Doctor after Tennant, and Smith isn’t different enough. The next bigger problem is the Amy and Rory. I felt they wore out their welcome long ago. Here they kind of fumble along through the first half of this series…fortunately, Clara is a high point of the episodes and seems like a good companion to the Doctor.
The only gift this season is getting rid of Amy and Rory
Part of the reason that Amy and Rory are a problem is the writing. This season is completely shattered. Amy and Rory’s storyline should have been ended in the previous season and now this season just feels redundant. A great example of this is “The Power of Three” episode which makes a big deal out of how the Doctor needs them, but it is followed by “The Angels Take Manhattan” which finally kills them…sort of…in a really unnecessarily confusing story. The second half of the season shows a bit more promise with Clara, but still stumbles with episodes like the Neil Gaiman penned “Nightmare in Silver” and other standalone episodes when the story should have a nice solid them like in earlier seasons.
Who is he and what does he mean for the Doctor’s future?
Another minor complaint (and a tangent which has nothing to do with the actual program) is with how Doctor Who is collected. I understand the urgency of viewers to see the episodes, and with a drawn out season, a first two part collection makes sense. The thing that doesn’t make sense is not including “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe” or “The Snowmen” included in Part 1 or Part 2. It is ridiculous to ask viewers to purchase these separately, and neither Christmas special was good enough to necessitate purchase.
Doctor Who continues to be a fun show, but it needs to get out of its slump. With the 50th Anniversary coming, the leaving of Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi named as the twelfth Doctor, the Doctor will continue. The last minute introduction of John Hurt as the disgraced “Doctor” does add some interesting twists and mysteries, so I look forward to the kick off the Doctor’s anniversary. Doctor Who—Season 7 is followed by the 50th Anniversary special Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor in 2013.
Doctor Who—Season 7 Complete Episode Guide:
“The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe”
7.0 Christmas Special: The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe Airdate: 12/25/11
The Doctor (Matt Smith) is believed to be dead by Rory (Arthur Darvill) and Amy (Karen Gillan) and travelling the stars alone. When a ship explosion sends him hurtling to Earth in 1938, the Doctor is aided by a woman named Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) promising to return if she needs him. Returning on a Christmas Eve, the Doctor discovers Madge’s husband Reg (Alexander Armstrong) has been killed a World War II bombing mission, and Madge has yet to tell her children Lily (Holly Earl) and Cyril (Maurice Cole). Vowing to make it the best Christmas ever, the Doctor accidentally opens the Arwell family to danger when a present transports them all to a wooded planet targeted for destruction.
“Asylum of the Daleks”
7.1 Asylum of the Daleks Airdate: 09/01/12
Rory (Arthur Darvill), Amy (Karen Gillan), and the Doctor (Matt Smith) have been kidnapped by the Daleks and ordered to bring down the shields protecting their prison planet called the Asylum where insane Daleks are sent. When they arrive on the planet, they find help from a young woman named Oswin Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) who reveals she is the only survivor of a crashed ship. Rhori and Amy struggle with having divorced, and Amy reveals her reasons. As the Doctor, Amy, and Rhori try to fight their way through the planet to shut down the shield, they fight conversion into Daleks and the Doctor sets out to rescue Oswin…if it is even possible.
“Dinosaurs on a Spaceship”
7.2 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship Airdate: 09/08/12
The Doctor is contacted in 1334 BC that the Earth is in danger in 2367 AD from a ship that is threatening to crash to Earth. Taking Queen Nefertiti (Riann Steele) and big game hunter John Riddell (Rupert Graves), the Doctor picks up Amy and Rory…accidentally picking up Rory’s father Brian (Mark Williams). Brian, Queen Nefertiti, John Riddell, Rory, Amy, and the Doctor discover the ship is a Silurian ark containing dinosaurs. The Doctor finds the ark has been taken over by Solomon (David Bradley) and a pair of robots…now the Doctor must save the ark, save the dinosaurs, and stop Solomon before the Earth is threatened.
“A Town Called Mercy”
7.3 A Town Called Mercy Airdate: 09/15/12
The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves in the Old West town of Mercy when the TARDIS seems to malfunction. The Doctor discovers that Mercy is menaced by a stranger called the Gunslinger (Andrew Brooke) who keeps the people trapped within the confines of the city. Discovering an alien doctor named Kahler-Jex (Adrian Scarborough) hiding among the people of Mercy, the Doctor learns why the Gunslinger is intent on seeing Kahler-Jex dead and now must decide if as the newly appointed town marshal if he will turn over Kahler-Jex or protect him and the people of Mercy.
“The Power of Three”
7.4 The Power of Three Airdate: 09/22/12
A series of perfectly formed cubes have appeared around the world and the Doctor is investigating. What do the cubes mean and is there a nefarious plot behind them? The Doctor meets Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart’s daughter Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and discovers ties to a race called the Shakri. As the Doctor continues to dip in and out of their lives, Rory and Amy wonder if ten years is enough of being the Doctor’s companion.
“The Angels Take Manhattan”
7.5 The Angels Take Manhattan Airdate: 09/29/12
Rory, Amy, and the Doctor are vacationing in New York City, but find an old enemy waiting for them. When Rory disappears, Amy and the Doctor discover he’s been shuttled back in time with River Song (Alex Kingston). Now, the Doctor is fighting an army of Weeping Angels that are taking people for the temporal power, and the only hope could be a novel by River Song that could cement the future if they choose to read it…and fixed time could mean a doom.
“The Snowmen”
7.6 The Snowmen Airdate: 12/25/12
The Doctor is mourning the deaths of Rory and Amy and hiding in Victorian London. Watched by Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart), and Strax (Dan Starkey), the Doctor acts as the Great Detective. When he encounters a barmaid/governess named Clara, the Doctor finds living snowman popping up all over the city. The snowmen lead the Doctor to Clara’s employer and ties to his coworker Dr. Simeon (Richard E. Grant). The Great Intelligence (voiced by Ian McKellen) wants human form…and plans to use the former governess to get it, but the Doctor also discovers that Clara can’t possibly be there…literally.
“The Bells of St. John”
7.7 The Bells of Saint John Airdate: 03/30/13
People logging in to the internet via Wi-Fi are finding themselves lost in a Wi-Fi network. When the Doctor encounters the mysterious Clara once again, he finds she is living in modern day England as a nanny. The Doctor discovers Clara is being targeted for uploading into the system, and the Doctor must find a way to shut down the Wi-Fi to stop the Great Intelligence’s plan before Clara is lost once again.
“The Rings of Akhaten”
7.8 The Rings of Akhaten Airdate: 04/06/13
Clara and her existence are still a mystery to the Doctor despite her now being his companion. Dipping into Clara’s past, the Doctor uncovers her childhood and how her parents met on account of a wayward leaf. The Doctor and Clara travel to the Rings of Akhaten to witness a ceremony, but find themselves fighting for their lives and the life of a child named Merry Gejelh (Emilia Jones) against a monster that could cost them the memories of their pasts.
“Cold War”
7.9 Cold War Airdate: 04/13/13
The Doctor and Clara arrive on a Soviet submarine in 1983 as it prepares to do a nuclear weapons test. The Doctor discovers that the soldiers have uncovered Grand Marshall Skaldak…an escaped Ice Warrior of Mars trapped in the ice. Now with Captain Zhukov (Liam Cunningham) and Professor Grisenko (David Warner), the Doctor and Clara must stop Skaldak before he starts a nuclear war to destroy planet Earth.
“Hide”
7.10 Hide Airdate: 04/20/13
A trip to a haunted mansion in 1974 leads the Doctor and Clara to help researcher Professor Alec Palmer (Dougray Scott) and his psychic assistant Emma Grayling (Jessica Raine) to investigate the strange goings on in the mansion. The discovery of a pocket universe that is collapsing and a time traveler named Hila (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) trapped inside the universe prompts the Doctor for a dangerous rescue from a menacing creature.
“Journey to the Center of the TARDIS”
7.11 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS Airdate: 04/27/13
While the Doctor trying to teach Clara to pilot the TARDIS, the TARDIS is accidentally sucked in by the salvage ship of Gregor (Ashley Walters) and Bram Van Aalen (Mark Oliver) and an android named Tricky (Jahvel Hall). The Doctor forces Gregor, Bram, and Tricky into helping him locate Clara within the TARDIS, but learns that due to cracks in time, they are not alone. As the TARDIS is on the verge of explosion, the Doctor’s fears about Clara are revealed and Clara uncovers something about the Doctor that no one else knows.
“The Crimson Horror”
7.12 The Crimson Horror Airdate: 05/04/13
Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax are back and investigating deaths known as the Crimson Horror where the victims appear with red skin. Jenny is sent into Sweetville in Yorkshire and discovers the Doctor a victim. The Doctor must save Clara and stop the plans of Mrs. Gillyflower (Diana Rigg) to spread the red all over the countryside with her daughter Ada (Rachel Stirling) as one of her earliest victims.
“Nightmare in Silver”
7.13 Nightmare in Silver Airdate: 05/11/13
Clara’s wards Angie (Eve de Leon Allen) and Artie (Kassius Carey Johnson) have found out Clara’s travelling in time and demand to go with her and the Doctor. Travelling to Hedgewick’s World of Wonders, where Cybermites manage to overtake the Doctor, Angie, Artie, and the new curator Webley (Jason Watkins). The Cybermen fight to take control of the Doctor as Clara and Porridge (Warwick Davis) lead a resistance.
“The Name of the Doctor”
7.14 The Name of the Doctor Airdate: 05/18/13
Strax, Jenny Flint, and Vastra have learned of a new threat to the Doctor…someone has found the location of his tomb of Trenzalore. The Doctor’s greatest secret is threatened and in the process, the Impossible Girl Clara Oswald’s ties to the Doctor might finally be revealed. Plus, a mysterious man (John Hurt) could have ties to the Doctor that no one ever expected.
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Doctor Who—Season 6 Review and Complete Episode Guide
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