In general, there’s a lot to like about both of these episodes. “Asylum” is probably the strongest season-opener since “The Eleventh Hour” and it gets to the action quickly with a twist on the Daleks that is novel and still mostly in keeping with the Dalek stories that have gone before. It’s briskly paced and balances humor and action well. It even throws in a remarkably likable performance from Jenna-Louise Coleman as Oswin that makes her eventual full introduction as a companion something to look forward to.
As good points go, those are all great. It’s the other points that are problematic. The plot, frankly, makes little to no sense and has so many holes as to make full suspension of disbelief nearly impossible for any viewer who has been paying attention. A Dalek prison whose force-field can only be turned off from the inside? That…that’s just dumb. That’s the sort of no thought at all detail that deserves to be roundly mocked. But even that I’m prepared to overlook because it takes a back seat to Amy and Rory angsting about their relationship and whining and Amy approaching Season Two Rose levels of selfishness and self-involvement. Now, I look Amy and Rory, I do. But the biggest flaw with the entirety of the last season was the increasing prominence of the Amy and Rory Show. Starting off with its return is a bad sign.
The other element of the episode that gives me some grounds for trepidation is, actually, Jenna-Louise Coleman’s Oswin. While her appearance was a spectacularly successful secret, it’s been known that yes, she is the new companion and that the new companion is named Oswin. But [SPOILERSS] Oswin is, by the end of this episode, not only a Dalek, but dead. Which means that, when she is introduced, it will either be a cheat, such as a character who just happens to look exactly like a woman the Doctor met earlier, or we’re in for more “timey-wimey” cross-continuity story-telling. Which gives me an uncomfortably familiar feeling, as it’s the same trick Moffatt pulled with River Song. Which, prior to “A Good Man Goes to War” I was okay with, but after that episode…no, no I’m not okay with that sort of thing anymore. At all.
Overall, “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” is a much more successful episode, despite the stupid, fan-pandering title. “Ha ha, like the meme that came out of that shitty Sam Jackson movie.” Yes, and nothing about that sentence should ever be viewed as a good thing. It was another brisk episode that moved quickly and balanced jokes and pathos fairly well. In many ways it felt like an “old school” story, with the fairly claustrophobic setting, the unambiguously evil villain and the one “really interesting idea.” The only major flaw is that it ended up feeling a bit too crowded, with too many characters splitting too little to do. Riddell and Nefertiti as bonus companions made for an interesting and appealing pair, and the backseat they take to Amy and Rory is understandable, but it did leave them feeling rather wasted. That they also had to take a backseat to Rory’s dad is somewhat tragic, because as enjoyable as the character was, he added little to the show save for the resolution to an arbitrary plot point.
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Actually, the new companions name is Clara. After the episode aired, there were rumors that her name was clara oswin, but there was no actual evidence given, just fannish wishing,
“Asylum:” I honestly liked the “marriage problems” version of Amy and Rory and the ultimate explanation about all that. The discussion of sacrifices they’d both made along the way brought a kind of coherence to their characters that felt right for me. I also liked the “Bag of Skin” Darlek creation — practical, interesting, scary… but a force field in an insane asylum that can be turned off from the inside — let alone ONLY from the inside… wow. JLC was really, really twinkly — you could almost literally see the twee sparkle in her eyes with each coy side-glance. I liked her well enough, but even I, who have a really high threshold for twinkle, found it close to too much. Clearly the “Remember” as her last line, delivered directly to the camera, was significant, though whether in the show itself or as a wink to the viewer remains to be seen. If, name issues not withstanding, (like Oswin’s real name is Cora or something) and we again see the death of the companion in our first meeting… well, it certainly adds some gravity to the relationship from the start, but I’m hoping it’s not quite like that.
“Dinosaurs:” Rollicking fun — borderline Three Stooges in a couple of places but that’s just fine since it is, at the end of the day, a children’s show. I agree with you wholeheartedly about the feeling that the episode was “crowded,” but I liked Amy’s asking “are they the new us?” of the Doctor re Riddell and Nefertiti. (Super minor fanboy aside: Am I the only one who had a “buh?” moment when it turned out Riddell was a big game hunter? Anesthetic guns for the Raptors aside that activity doesn’t really line up with the Doctor as I have come to know him — am I off in that?) Also, am I imagining or overthinking to say that when Amy said “I am a Queen” that was telegraphing something? It was such a stand alone, center stage moment. Or not?
As always, thank you for your wonderful blogging on The Doctor.
As with the Silence two-parter last year, my main problem with Asylum was never quite knowing what the big plan actually was. The Daleks are worried about the mad Daleks so they want to let them out so they can blow them up? That’s not very coherent, or compelling, just as I was never sure why the Silence needed to be ‘killed on sight’ beyond the fact that they’re spooky.
The Clara thing is Gallifrey Base hearsay based on someone half over-hearing a scene being recorded on location, innit? I’m not saying it’s impossible that her name is Clara, but the evidence is hardly conclusive.
That picture of Matt Smith – Ugh!
I’m sorry, but he’s two neck bolts away from Karloff’s Frankenstein.
When Smith is acting and in motion he’s charming and lively, but when he gets still he’s Doctor Cadaver.
Just another example of the sloppiness that has infected this series after 6 years.
That’s a mean thing to say about him. If he’s a good actor, his physical appearance should be secondary, especially for a character who doesn’t necessarily have to be a sex god. Plenty of the previous Doctors weren’t exactly gorgeous.
I agree with Mark on the logic problem of the Asylum– since when are daleks nice enough to not just kill their defectives? And how did they have the technology on hand to transfer Oswin into a Dalek body when no one’s done that before?
Actually, at first I thought Oswin would turn out to actually be a Dalek that was well, crazy, and had come up with a complex fantasy of being a cute, peppy human. It would have made sense with the whole asylum thing and I could see the one dalek crazy enough to want to run around with the Doctor and make souffles as being the most terrifying madman of all to the sane daleks.