Obviously that should have read used less. I can’t type and missed the edit window.
I know it was a cheap shot, but I couldn’t resist.
That said, the sonic screw driver as something to get the Doctor out of a fix pre-dates New Who. I remember Tom Baker whipping it out to unlock pretty much anything and everything.
The writers are well aware the sonic screwdriver is a DEM if used too much, but it didn’t save Rory and it didn’t prevent the Silurians from having to go back in hibernation for 1,000 years, so it’s not thus far being abused as a DEM. Of course it can reprogram computers if the writers need it to, but I think that’s because the Doctor is incredibly intelligent and could do it anyway, but the 'driver saves us from being bored watching him do it.
It’s ok, no offence taken, in fact I typed my last post before I read your response.
Very true about the screwdriver though, in fact IIRC John Nathan Turner hated it so much that it was written out in the visitation and didn’t reappear until either late in McCoy’s run or the McGann TV movie.
You forgot the most important one (to the new series): Deadlock seals.
It seems like Rory was on his way to become the NuWhoVerse’s Kenny McCormick…
Assuming they find a way to bring him back, how long before he’s getting killed every/every other episode, and The Doctor and Amy will be heard to repeatedly say…
Oh my god, they killed Rory!
You bastards!
LOL. I did think it was a bit silly that they did this two weeks after convincing us they killed him off in Amy’s Choice. Sucked a bit of the drama out of it, I thought.
Apart from the incongruous accents dodgily dismissed, I liked it. It was a different kind of episode; it almost felt like it had a deliberate message.
I seem to recall the original series, especially around the First and Second Doctor eras, had a lot of episodes like this. Perhaps that’s why they both made a visual cameo appearance.
Oh my god I LOVED this episode! And I am indeed a total sap as I ended up in tears at the end too. This has got to be the biggest swing from next week trailer interest to actual enjoyment of an episode. I was practically dreading this one as a waste of time - shows me eh?
Me too. The monster could more or less have been dispensed with, even if it did have value as metaphor, but after its demise I was in floods. The Starry Night bit might look awfully mawkish in isolation, I suppose, but in context it was wonderful. As was “To Amy”. Fuck you Richard Curtis, and your playing of my heartstrings. I even liked the playing of the Athlete track. Athlete! Tony Curran was outstanding, of course, as were the two regulars, and Bill Nighy. Some of the set dressing and photography was just so well done. So well done.
Well the new Doctor Who was depressing. Moral of the story: Mentally unstable people have powers of super perception that allow them to see things other can’t (like giant evil space parrots) Also, if you’re suicidally depressed nothing will save you. Also, BBC I’m a little unclear on what “issues” your hotline was for. Was it the giant space parrots or depressed people are destined for suicide?
I was wondering about the hotline too. Is that normal? “If your disturbed with the issues in this show, call our hotline.” Huh?
Thought it was a great ep, BTW.
It explored Depression and Bipolar disorder. The actual phrase was “If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this programme, and you’d like details of information and support…etc”
I didn’t care all that much for the first, oh, 40 minutes or so. I was ready to write this off as a forgettable filler episode. But the ending was the most moving thing they’ve done this series by far (sorry, Rory). I was wondering how they were going to get a happy ending out of this story. There was a great message in there, that there’s a lot more to life than the way it ends, and Matt Smith delivered his “feel-good” speech very well, not pushing or overselling at all.
On another show the “For Amy” might have been over the top, but here it was perfect. I imagine curators at the Musee d’Orsay may get tired soon of tourists asking to see the Doctor Who sunflowers, though. (At first I thought someone had goofed because it should have said “Voor Amy” or maybe “Pour Amy,” but then I remembered the handy Tardis translation circuit.)
I did appreciate the Rory references. The Doctor misses him, and Amy does too even if she doesn’t know it.
I may have actually started gritting my teeth when the Doctor said he could use the sonic screwdriver to stun the creature, I smiled when it failed utterly, and I laughed when he said from now on he’ll be using it only to loosen screws. We can only hope.
There was a flier or postcard or something about the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit in the Next Time trailer. Significant, or random callback? (Rhetorical question; I don’t want to know.)
Speaking as someone who has Major Depression (in other words, the mental illness kind, not the feeling-depressed-occasionally kind) I found this episode to be very honest, very wise, and very moving. One of the best depictions of Depression I’ve ever seen in any work of fiction. And not “depressing” at all.
I’m not sure if you’re deliberately trying to be obtuse here, but no; they weren’t saying that mentally ill people can see things that normal folks can’t, they were saying that a genius-level visual artist might be able to see things that most people can’t.
They do have hotlines for shows that deal with complex or personal issues, not just mental illness. I imagine it’s fairly generalised support talk then signposting people onto organisations that can help more in the long term.
I’m in that category too (manic depressive, but more on the manic than depressive side). His description of incredible beauty and wonder in the world is something that resonated with me, not just in the fact that the world is beautiful, but because when you suffer from extremes as you do with manic depression then everything is just so god damn intense. When I was going through an episode once I ended up sobbing in public listening to a violinist busking for money. 
Me too 
I was quite amazed when I discovered that there are other people who also do that sort of thing… it’s quite a comfort to know you’re not the only one. Which is what I appreciated about the depiction of Depression in that episode: the writer and the director get it.
To be as accurate and insightful as that, about a difficult subject where ignorance and fear are the most common reactions, in an episode of a childrens’ sci-fi series is a remarkable achievement.
I laughed when Vincent said to Amy “Are you from Holland too?”
Back when the series had to deliver some sort of an educational message you mean?
I don’t remember many episodes from the early seasons, but that was the brief from the BBC, and I seem to recall they did explore history more directly sometimes.