The Angels Take Manhattan

The Angels Take Manhattan
by Steven Moffat
Originally Broadcasted: September 29th, 2012

The Doctor takes Amy and Rory for a relaxing vacation to New York City, and while casually reading a book, he realizes it may not be all it seems. Suddenly the book becomes the plot of the episode, as Rory disappears, and River Song and the Weeping Angels return...

The Angels Take Manhattan starts off as a regular Doctor Who adventure, although by the end of the story, it's clear that it is anything but. I thought the idea of having The Doctor read the Melody Malone book and have it be the plot of the episode was incredibly clever. A bit less clever though are the Weeping Angels. First let me say I loved Blink. It was (as everyone says it is) one of the best Doctor Who stories of all time. But I think Steven Moffat has used the Weeping Angels too many times since. I don't think they're a monster that can be stretched for too many different plots. So by now, I'm pretty sick of them. But that didn't subtract from my enjoyment of this story. This is another of Steven Moffat's complex time plots which he does so well. Amy and Rory are really in peril, and eventually leave The Doctor for good at the end of the episode. Their departure was similar in tone and just as sad as Rose's departure in Doomsday. Rory is accidentally caught by the Weeping Angels, and Amy just can't bear to live without him, so she takes a chance and gets caught herself. It turns out they end up back in the same time together, and they live a happy life. It's real sadness immediately made happier because you know they lived a good life. I'm really going to miss the Ponds. Their love for one and other is one of the most touching ever seen, and that is wonderfully put on display through many scenes in this episode. I wonder if one day they'll make a return just like Rose did. It's clear that Amy means just as much to the Eleventh Doctor as Rose did to the Tenth, albeit in a non-romantic way. I think we'll see a lot of sadness from #11 in the second part of the season, which I can't say I'm all too thrilled about. Although the departure of one companion is saddening, it does leave me excited for Jenna Louise Coleman's (second) debut in the Christmas special!

Luke's Rating: 9/10