Rewatching Doctor Who: The Angels Take Manhattan

[vivdunstan]

Onto a key episode, and one of my two all-time favourite Eleventh Doctor stories. My other favourite follows it immediately, so I'm interested to see how on this rewatch I rate them relative to each other - I often alternate between them as my absolute favourite, unable to settle firmly on just one. Given how significant the events of this episode are I'm going to put most of my discussion into spoiler space. This is an episode of many parts, some working better than others, and sometimes tonally a bit jarring. However it boils down to the power of love, and never before - not even in The Girl Who Waited - was Amy and Rory's love for each other clearer to see. The framing structure of the Melody Malone novel works well, and the New York setting is a fresh change, and a good combination with the returning Weeping Angels. But ultimately it's a tragedy, with an unavoidable ending, but with twists and turns galore on the way there. River and the Doctor's marriage is also contrasted with that of her parents. Lots of flirting and strong emotions on display, but often a lack of honesty, genuine communication and commitment. True emotion was too often sacrificed for wise cracks. Also a disturbingly angry Doctor at times. Another area where the story was weaker for me was River's interaction with her parents. But as a companion farewell it was a standout story. And still packs a punch on rewatch.

Comments

[selenak]

While I still think it was a mistake to bring the Angels back in general after Blink because dimnishing returns and the significant characterisation shift (in Blink they are not malevolent in what they‘re doing, just utterly alien, but starting with the Matt Smith era they‘re actively trying to kill people), I remember thinking back in the day this was their first post Blink appearance that worked and made their appearance worth it from a storytelling point for me.

Re: River and her parents - sigh, yes. It‘s a general thing with Moffat‘s entire era, I‘ve found - he‘s fantastic in writing children as children, but he‘s either uninterested or shying away from writing relationships between adults and their parents (and adult siblings, too). See also: Amy being given her parents back at the end of her first season…. And then they‘re never heard of again. Rory‘s father later gets introduced and is a sweet person, but I can‘t think of memorable scenes between him and either Rory or Amy. And while we get scenes between River and Amy, and River and Rory, before the big reveal of their relationship status, I can‘t remember any one actually exploring (beyond a hug) what it means that she‘s both their old friend Mels and their daughter and their new friend River Song.

(It‘s the reverse with RTD whose children feel a bit like tv standard kids and never achieve Moffatian individuality and brilliance, but he‘s clearly fascinated by adult family dynamics, both adults and their parents, and siblings with each other, outside of DW (see also: Years and Years, the entire show) and within the Whoverse (starting with Rose and Jackie, Donna and her mother and on a more positive note Donna and Wilf, tragically Jack and Alice in Children of Earth, and now Ruby and Carla and Ruby-Carla-Carla‘s mother). It‘s why I‘m not so secretly hoping he‘ll write a Big Finish special just for the Ponds and River. )

The Doctor and River: I wonder how I would feel now that I‘ve embraced the pairing? Because I haven‘t seen those episodes since their original broadcast, and I remember agreeing with you then, there‘s lots of flirting and banter but lacking trust and genuine commitment, and it also felt very uneven in terms of emotional investment (i.e. much more from River than the Doctor). It was „The Husbands of River Song“ which sold me on the two of them, and on the Doctor caring as much about River as she does for him, and of course „The Husbands of River Song“ has Capaldi and not Smith as the Doctor (and is the only one other than „Let‘s kill Hitler“ where River interacts with the Doctor without knowing the weight of their history/future).

[vivdunstan]

I generally feel very kindly towards the Doctor/River, particularly Eleven and her, though I agree that her one appearance with Twelve was sublime. But it was just rewatching this episode in particular that threw up for me such a stark contrast between Amy/Rory and River/Doctor. And not in a flattering way for the latter relationship.

[watervole]

Yes, Rory and Amy were so devoted to each other - I think they are still my favourite companions (I don't think of River as a companion - I love her in a different way)

[vivdunstan]

Yup I don't view River as a companion. She's something else. Unique to her.