Review: 'Doctor Who' - 'The Power of Three': Little boxes
The Doctor and the Ponds spend a lot of time together during a slow invasion
Arthur Darvill, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in "Doctor Who."
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A review of tonight's "Doctor Who" coming up just as soon as I mock your log...
Befitting an episode that spanned a year or so in the lives of the Ponds, "The Power of Three" tried to accomplish an awful lot, but it was only successful at some of its goals.
I definitely felt the passage of time and the notion that lots and lots of things were happening over the course of the slow invasion, and I quite liked the notion that Amy and Rory were now old enough that a life of adventure with the Doctor wasn't as alluring as it used to be. Nearly all the material about the Doctor's friendship with the Ponds, Brian's concern for his son and daughter-in-law's safety, etc., was terrific.
On the other hand, because Chris Chibnall's script devoted so much time to that, the slow invasion itself was such an afterthought that the Doctor was able to solve the whole problem with a few flicks of the sonic screwdriver. And even though Amy's narration makes a big deal about how cubes represent the power of three, this was a story where the two companions didn't do an awful lot to save the day.
Mostly, though, I was bothered by the notion that after making their peace, repeatedly, with the idea that Real Life would ultimately be more appealing to them than Doctor Life, Amy and Rory on the spur of the moment (and with only minimal urging from Brian) decide that, no, they're just fine traveling on the TARDIS indefinitely. And while I'm sure Chibnall had to keep the status quo intact so that Moffat can write the two characters out however he intends, the end of the episode didn't track with everything we'd been seeing previously. Even earlier in the hour, they went on a series of adventures during their anniversary party without feeling the tug of ongoing adventure.
I think there was a very good story here, but one that would have been better-served as a two-parter so more time could have been devoted to the invasion itself, to the Doctor's second attempt to stick around on Earth for a while, to his friendship with the Brigadier's daughter and especially to the Ponds' about-face at the end.
What did everybody else think?
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupJackie Tyler
September 22, 2012 at 10:25PM EST Reply to CommentWell said. The episode was great up to minute 57 and then it was like they needed to wrap it up quickly with no thought what so ever. Also, I thought we were getting seven episodes not four.
Jordan Five episodes, then the Christmas episode, then eight more in the new year.
September 22, 2012 at 10:36PM ESTDavid Anyone know if the episodes being split up in the UK?
September 22, 2012 at 10:44PM ESTSazzyMCH Yep, we get one more next week, then nothing until Christmas,
September 23, 2012 at 3:13AM ESTDavid At least we all suffer together in the waiting for new episodes.
September 23, 2012 at 4:40PM ESTSwearin
September 22, 2012 at 11:03PM EST Reply to CommentOkay so I became new-to-Who with this Matt Smith era, so can someone explain the purpose/relationship of the Doctor & the blonde government woman? Was that the daughter of the guy who died in the rest home (and in real life) at the end of last season? And why, exactly, was that guy so important (beyond just being the Doctor's old friend)?
andylevy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigadier_Lethbridge-Stewart
September 22, 2012 at 11:29PM ESTmilaxx The Brigadier was in many of the old Who episodes even though he rarely traveled with the Doctor. He was sort of the Doctor's go to guy and vice versa.
September 23, 2012 at 12:28AM ESTRB And yes, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was the guy who died in the rest home last season whose death made the Doctor realize it was time to stop galavanting about so loudly.
September 23, 2012 at 2:11AM ESTRobert That woman has never been seen before. She's significant because she works for UNIT which in previous seasons have been an agency that typically handles massive paranormal activities and calls the shots during such things.
September 23, 2012 at 5:29AM ESTI'm not entirely sure who you're referring to dying last season. The end of that was dealing with The Silence, and correcting the fabric of time since The Doctor didn't die at the lake in the 60s.
Though its not entirely necessary I suggest you watch the previous seasons, they're all on Netflix, just to have an understanding of the show and certain characters/agencies/monsters etc.
Robert Hmm maybe I should rewatch last season. I don't remember that guy at all lol.
September 23, 2012 at 5:32AM ESTLast season was so filled with shit it's hard to keep certain things fresh in memory.
Lopez For the sake of clarity--Nick Courtney, the actor who played Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart, died last year. In the end of last season (Wedding of River Song), there was a short scene with The Doctor in a nursing home, as a nod to Nick Courtney's death. The character he played, however, wasn't part of the show for a while.
September 23, 2012 at 9:46AM ESTIn the history of the show, The Brigadier was a major character during the John Pertwee series in the late 60's, where The Doctor was stranded on earth and working with UNIT (a military force that existed to fight monsters and aliens) and The Brigadier was his main ally/sidekick. He continued to be a semi-regular character during the Tom Baker series in the 70's and the Peter Davidson series in the 80's. UNIT was important during a lot of David Tenant stories as well.
David I would like to see Moffat try and work a story where UNIT and Torchwood bump heads. They seem to exist on parallel plains, never mentioning the other. Surely they would have bumped heads at times.
September 23, 2012 at 4:44PM ESTlazy iggy
September 23, 2012 at 12:07AM EST Reply to CommentI did not like the ending...all the decisions seemed forced and out of character...esp Brian's...felt bad that he took one of the doctor's comments seriously and they forgot about him for4 days... Also who do you think Amy is talking to? She had been narrating alot of things, including past opening credits....everything like she is telling a fairytale.
milaxx My guess is the child she and Rory end up having/raising. At least that's my hope; that Amy & Rory somehow get that human child and the decision to stay is in order to raise her as normally as possible.
September 23, 2012 at 12:31AM ESTToby O'B
September 23, 2012 at 12:17AM EST Reply to CommentI thought the explanation of who the Shakri were and their motivation was a bit muddled. And if Amy and Rory wanted to be contributing something to the power of three, then why didn't they try to get the others on the gurneys back through the vortex as they did with Brian, instead of just standing there watching the Doctor figure out what to do on his own.
For someone who declared that humans are precious to him, he had no trouble bolting for safety and leaving them behind to die in the explosion.....
belinda I thought the same thing. Everybody lives! Except for the dozen of them who everyone forgot about and they exploded.
September 23, 2012 at 12:53AM ESTIt's again one of those MoTW which started out interesting but went nowhere with a flimsy non conclusion that no one cares about. There's a similar sort of vibe throughout these new episodes this season - some better than others - but ultimately all had pretty lame MoTW stories, while the emotional Doctor/Amy/Rory stuff carried most of the eps. It's going to be tough saying goodbye to the Ponds, I'm dreading next week because Moffat will probably rip my heart out, lol - but maybe the MotW stories won't suffer as much once they've done the swan song for the Ponds and we have a new companion.
Margaret I thought the people on the other gurneys were already dead. Brian was the only one of them with medical equipment still attached.
September 23, 2012 at 6:59PM ESTDamien Spot on, Belinda. For what is basically a scifi show with fantasy elements, it consistently fails to deliver satisfying conclusions to story threads which initially sound very interesting. You either end up with a Deus Ex Machina resolution or some wordy technobbable delivered at a million miles an hour (so you don't pay too much attention to it) or something really lame. Like in this ep, when you consider how many more logical and easier ways an advanced alien with vortex transportation tech could have wiped out humans rather then sending them millions of gift-boxes!
September 24, 2012 at 2:21AM ESTThis is why it's often the character moments that are more interesting as they're easier to write, especially if you don't have a good science background (and most writers don't). I'm not complaining about having character moments - they're vital, but every once in a while I'd really like good, logical, technical resolution to the central problem.
J
September 23, 2012 at 3:14AM EST Reply to Comment>>I'm sure Chibnall had to keep the status quo intact so that Moffat can write the two characters out however he intends
Well, there's also just the basic idea that you don't want to tell your audience, for whom the companions are traditionally surrogates, that there comes a time when you grow out of the show you're making.
It's a shame. After a couple seasons over which Pond life has evolved very nicely, their roles this half-season have felt plain and underdeveloped. While a certain amount of herky-jerkiness is at least thematically appropriate, everything else -- Amy/Rory conflicts, Doctor/domestic life conflicts -- has seemed sort of dumped out and quickly wiped up. Sure, Rory's got an important job, but shouldn't Amy demonstrate some sort of real attachment to her day-to-day? It was her cracked head that brought the Doctor down in the first place. We need to see her fully realize herself outside his sphere.
But I look forward to angels ep and hope that it is both scary and a satisfying goodbye.
X Until anout 2/3 of the way through i thought brians conistant observations would play a significant role
September 23, 2012 at 3:32AM ESTI was really dissapointed that he turned out to be the comic relief
Paul C
September 23, 2012 at 6:04AM EST Reply to CommentThis was a terrific episode...up until the final few minutes. I definitely agree that it would have worked better as a 2-parter, or even just an extra 15 minutes.
The resolution of the cubes was incredibly lame, and Amy & Rory's choice to go travelling
completely disagreed with the rest of the episode.
Also wouldn't all the people who 'died' have suffered massive brain damage from their heart being stopped for so long?
Lee
September 23, 2012 at 6:38AM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was a bit rushed and overpacked to be sure. Just been watching Tom Baker in 'The Pyramids of Mars' and it's amazing how well paced and thoughtful it was by comparison,building u the story and tension nicely. I refuse to believe that people have an attention span of less than 10 seconds these days and have to be battered with FX, imagery,plot exposition and music every second
odessasteps While many classic episodes are padded out quite a bit to get to 4-6 episodes, new "Done in One" Who is too much the other way. Having more 2 parts would not be a bad thing.
September 23, 2012 at 9:08PM ESTdj
September 23, 2012 at 9:09AM EST Reply to CommentI liked Brian being so concerned for his families safety, but if he REALLY knew what has happened to Amy and Rory during their travels with the Doctor, I doubt he'd be so encouraging of them continuing their travels. Amy and Rory have paid a huge price as companions, and it bothers me that this is glossed over.
Lopez
September 23, 2012 at 9:33AM EST Reply to CommentJust for the sake of clarity--Nick Courtney, the actor who played Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart on Dr. Who for many years, died last year. In the last episode of Matt Smith S2 (Wedding of River Song), there is a short scene where the Doctor is in a nursing home and says goodbye as a not to Nick Courtney dying. The Character he played hadn't been part of the show for a while, however.
His character (the Brigadier) was a main character during 3-4 seasons in the late 60's (the John Pertwee seasons) when the Doctor was stranded on Earth and worked with UNIT (a government/military agency that existed to fight extraterrestrial threats and the like), and the Brigadier was the Doctor's main ally in UNIT and his second sidekick in most stories. He continued to be a semi-regular character through the Tom Baker series in the 70's and the Peter Davidson series in the 80's. UNIT, as an entity, was significant in the David Tenant series as well.
Lopez Crud. I didn't realize that this got posted. I thought it was lost in space and time, so I reposted it above. Sorry about that.
September 23, 2012 at 9:49AM ESTUnHoly Diver
September 23, 2012 at 12:30PM EST Reply to CommentParts of this episode had me scratching my head, and others made me laugh out loud, most notably, the cube playing "The Chicken Dance." Karen Gillan's deadpan reactions are priceless in situations like this. The ending surprised me, as well, since there's been such a build-up about the Ponds leaving. With that said, I am looking forward to next week. I just hope Moffat doesn't let us down.
MarioD
September 23, 2012 at 4:47PM EST Reply to CommentA couple episodes ago, Amy said her friends are starting to notice that the Ponds are aging faster than them. This episode then opens with the Ponds trashing spoiled food presumably the result of being gone on their last adventure. Then Rory is criticized for going missing for months at a time. Finally, they go on their anniversary adventure for weeks, and return (though in different clothes) just a minute later.
So which is it? Does the Doctor return the Ponds to exactly where he picked them up or the real time equivalent later?.
odessasteps THere seems to be a bit of conjecture about time in this season. Like they mentioned a few episodes ago about Rory losing his phone charger with Henry VIII and this week, we see it.
September 23, 2012 at 9:11PM ESTTHere's a theory going around these episodes have been in reverse chronological order as they've been shown. Not sure I totally buy that, but it's out there.
There has also been large gaps of time between episodes. In one episode, Rory said he was in his thirties and they've been travelling with the Doctor for about a decade.
eligas I agree with Odessa, I think the episodes can be watched backwards and make more sense, and if you throw the pond life minisodes in there it might be an AHA moment. After next week, i'm going to put that theory to the test and let you know
September 24, 2012 at 3:54PM ESTodessasteps
September 23, 2012 at 9:06PM EST Reply to CommentThis episode felt like a throwback to the RTD era, with the celebrity cameos, the use of newsreaders as info dumps and even the way it was shot.
Also a call back to Old Who with return of UNIT and the Brig's daughter (who had been mentioned in some non-canonical stuff before). And a reference to the Zygons!
The plot with the cubes and the alien felt like just a Macguffin, while the main story was all about the Doctor and the Ponds.
ALso curious how this version of UNIT jibes with the RTD version of UNIT. Couldn't they have worked in a token mention of Martha Jones?
I am a fan of the Ponds, but ready to see them go. "How can I miss you when you won't say goodbye?"
Certainly the best Chibnall episode of the entire rebooted series.
Damien
September 24, 2012 at 2:37AM EST Reply to CommentAnother thing that gets me, and not just with Who, why is it that every time a TV is shown displaying content, it always has these horrible horizontal venetian blind-type lines across the screen? If my TV picture looked like that, I'd return it back to the store as defective!
Heck, even old CRT screens didn't look that bad!
Ian
September 24, 2012 at 9:29AM EST Reply to CommentWhat was the point of the porters / nurses with the square mouths? And why did they take people onto the spaceship? I would like to have seen cubes shoot out of the porters mouths - at least explaining where they came from. Why did the cubes all do different things anyway? And why isn't a third of the population brain damaged after having been killed? Too many ideas - not very well thought through.