What happens when you have a technologically advanced race living in the pre-historic era, an oncoming destructive meteorite and some dinosaurs? A Noah’s Arch, of sorts, in Space! And that’s precisely what this episode was about. Well… kind of.
An unusual concept for an episode, and something that proved somewhat iffy when the title was first released to the public, but doubts were definitely quashed as the episode played out. With the likes of Queen Nefertiti (nicknamed ‘Neffy’), Rory’s own dad and a fantastically portrayed huntsman, the episode proved that an ensemble cast from all walks of time really work! The beginning of course felt a wee bit rushed, adding to the likes the beginning of Season Fives’ ‘The Pandorica Opens’ with River Song going around all of space and time rounding up clues as to the destruction of the TARDIS, as this proved similar to the Doctor rounding up this oddball gang and, of course, getting the information needed off of the Indian Space Agency.
Now there’s something no one would have thought of – the Indian Space Agency – but what a fantastic thought! The future of space travel in the hands of the Indians, now I’m not racist at all but I love the idea and the casting, not to mention the set of those scenes set at the ISA, the human-ness of it all. Brilliantly planned out and scripted by Mr Chibnall. And of course, that’s not all with the casting of David Bradley as Soloman – such a dark character, knowledgeable and with just a tint of evil thrown into the mix; the character having caused mass murder to the Silurian crew JUST to get to his ‘prize’ of the Dinosaurs on board along with help from his Mitchell and Webb robot minions. How fantastic and funny were those robots, though? They were the perfect casting for the perfect characters; a great duo for a brilliant back and forth.
Of course I cannot leave out the masterly casting of Mark Williams as Rory’s dad, Brian. Such an expressive actor too, especially when the TARDIS materialised around the trio and he was just left standing on the stepladder with no explanation. The reluctant-yet-spirited companion proved his worth throughout the episode, though, what with his fold-away trowel, hidden golf balls – a moment of panicked confusion on Rory’s behalf – and the comedic performances of both Mark and Arthur that pulled of this fantastic father/son duo, especially for their revelation of flying the spaceship together nearer the end of the instalment, their joy at such freedom and of course, their fantastic back-and-forth moments like when every comedic father/son moment should be! And let us not forget his somewhat bond with Tricey. Did anyone else fall madly and deeply in love with Tricey the Triceratops? What a brilliant work of mixed-models and CGI (for all the dinosaurs in fact) and so masterly put onto the screen – a giant pet for the average Timelord… and Brian.
Oh a side note, is anyone else just slightly disappointed that Rory’s still a nurse? He’s a kickass nurse definitely with an awesome nurses kit (that will be on my Christmas list!) but still with no progression in his life. Although maybe it could be noted that Amy, even though a model, is now between jobs herself, having apparently quitted due to the Doctor himself! Amy, the Girl Who Waited… the girl who’ll always wait. It’s sad, yet somehow true.
Does anyone else want to spend the day with Queen Nefertiti of Egypt now? After Riann Steele’s fantastic performance of the Desert Queen you just – well, that is to say ‘I just’ – want to send the day fighting monsters with her at my side, possibly with Amy Doctoring over us too as she proved in this episode, the laugh-out-loud moment where she complains about ‘her companions flirting’ as Nefertiti and Riddell indeed did start chatting one another up. That wasn’t the only ‘romance’ found within this episode too as many Doctor/Rory Shippers (that being fans whom write and fantasise about those two being ‘together’) were proved to whoop for joy as the Doctor planted a big one upon his companion’s lips – if only momentarily and for entirely unromantic reasons… Indeed it makes the whole thing a wee bit disturbing when one remembers that the Doctor is married to Rory’s daughter. Nevertheless, the last time this sort of kiss happened was way back when Jack kissed the Doctor in farewell in ‘The Parting of the Ways’.
Something to think about also, although this episode was meant to be about the laughs, it really did have it’s dark moments: first off, there was Soloman murdering the Silurian crew; then there was the Doctor and Amy’s saddening moment, with Amy joking that one would end up outliving the other; and of course there was the darkest moment of all with the Doctor basically murdering Soloman by leaving the missile tracker in the Pirate’s craft and setting him loose – the Doctor really can be fearsome at times! But it’s not just the dark moments this episode pointed out, it also proved a long-thought-of belief that the Doctor has untelevised adventures outside of the episodes screened, leaving many of us in hope of the canonicity of some of the ‘outside’ material to be more true than first believed.
You know, I barely feel like I’ve gotten started with this review and yet I don’t know what else to say! Although, the titles are actually proving not to be sparkly, but to take the ‘theme’ of the episode with Dalek Sphere’s last week and Dinosaur scales this week. Apart from that wee note, it seems the episode was just so fantastic that it simply speaks for itself – it was just brilliant really, wasn’t it? The companions, all five of them, were amazing, perfectly cast and thoroughly written, the ‘baddie’ was just amazing and the Doctor himself… wow! There’s a deep sorrow on it’s way for the Ponds now, you can feel it with the wee hints representing themselves within this episode, and I suspect next week’s episode too. Nevertheless, I happily call excitedly for them to bring forth the Cyborg Cowboys!
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