Dialogue Triumphs:
Hitler: “Thank you, whoever you are, I think you just saved my life.”
The Doctor: “Believe me, it was an accident.”
***
Hitler: “He was going to kill me!”
Rory: “Shut up, Hitler!”
***
The Doctor: “Mels… short for…”
Mel: “Melody.”
Amy: “I named my daughter after her.”
The Doctor: “You named your daughter… after your daughter.”
***
Melody: “Tip for you boys – never shoot a girl while she’s regenerating.”
***
TARDIS Voice Interface: “Your system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas tree. You will be dead 32 minutes.”
The Doctor: “Okay, so, basically I better regenerate, that’s what you’re saying?”
TARDIS Voice Interface: “Regeneration has been disabled. You will dead in 32 minutes.”
The Doctor: “Unless I’m cured, yeah?”
TARDIS Voice Interface: “There is no cure. You will be dead in 32 minutes.”
The Doctor: “Why do you keep saying that?”
TARDIS Voice Interface: “Because you will be dead in 32 minutes.”
***
Melody: “You’re dying… and you stopped to change?”
The Doctor: “Oh, you should always waste time when you don’t have any! Time is not the boss of you!”
***
Carter: “Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished throughout their lifetimes. Time travel has many… responsibilities.”
The Doctor (laughs): “What? You got yourselves time travel, so you decided to punish dead people?”
Carter: “We don’t kill them. We extract them at the end of their established time lines.”
The Doctor: “And then what?”
Carter: “Give them Hell.”
***
Dialogue Disasters
Mel: “I need out of here now.”
The Doctor: “Anywhere in particular?”
Mel: “Let’s see, you got a time machine, I’ve got a gun. What the hell – let’s kill Hitler!”
***
The Doctor: “Sorry, did you say she killed the Doctor? The Doctor? Doctor Who?”
Double Entendres & Sexy Talk:
Rory: “Okay… okay… I’m trapped inside a giant, robot replica of my wife. I’ll try not to see this as a metaphor.”
The Review
You feel that cool breeze blowing, that’s smells slightly of potpourri, and sends an electric thrill down your spine? It’s not just the crisp winds of autumn – it’s the long awaited, much anticipated second half of Doctor Who finally being broadcast! Sorry if that opening was a bit corny for your tastes, but I’m excited, and that’s what happens when I’m excited (aside from dry heaves, loose bowels, and a tendency to giggle…).
Amy and Rory contact the Doctor, who has yet to find baby Melody. Before he can explain any further, their conversation is cut off by Amy’s best friend, the sassy, felonious Mel, who drives up in a stolen car, with the police not far behind in pursuit. She forces the Doctor to give her a ride in the TARDIS at gunpoint, during which, she misfires, hits the console, and the TARDIS crash lands in 1938 Berlin… right into Hitler’s office, no less. Meanwhile, a squad of time travelers, piloting a robotic human replica, happens to be on a mission to eliminate Hitler, but change their target after the Doctor’s sudden arrival. I dare not go into the rest of the story, as it involves quite the mind-bending twist that is best left for the viewer to experience in all its glory. Suffice it to say, the title is a bit misleading, as Hitler is featured for no more than maybe 5 whole minutes, before he takes a backseat, or in this case gets stuffed in a closet, and is never seen again for the duration of the episode. However, after viewing the episode twice, I’m hard pressed to think of a better title. Perhaps the writer found himself in a similar dilemma.
The episode is equal parts silly and dramatic, as only Doctor Who is capable of being. I mean, what other show on TV can feature miniature people hunting war criminals through time and space in a Meet Dave like robotic human spaceship, but also competently balance that out with emotionally poignant character development? That’s not to say that it was executed perfectly – personally, I believe that if the twist involving River Song were postponed until a later episode, it would have made a much more effective impact. Nonetheless, it’s still quite the shock, and at least serves to definitively answer a particular question regarding the rules of regeneration. Interesting seasonal plot advances notwithstanding, I do wish more had been made of the World War II setting, which became nothing more than a backdrop (just as Hitler became an unimportant side note after he’s locked away in a closet). I can’t help but feel like an opportunity for a really fun episode was wasted for the sake wedging in part of River’s origin story.
Performances were great, as they almost always are. Matt Smith is excellent, playing upo the goofy scenes with aplomb, while also playing the more serious scenes with the kind of subtlety we’ve come to expect from him (most notably when it becomes clear that he definitely knows about his impending doom). Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are relegated to “run and scream duty” through much of the episode, which is nothing unusual, but they are still amusing to watch, and the flashback scene of them pre-relationship is wonderful. Alex Kingston chews up the scenery with utter glee, but, considering the circumstances, it’s a delight to watch.
At the very least, the episode is fast paced, entertaining as hell, and will certainly accomplish the task of regaining one’s interest after it may have dulled from a long, summer hiatus. I have a feeling we’re in for a very satisfying sixth season of Doctor Who.
Next time... "Night Terrors"
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