One Whacking Kick Up the Backside!

It took me two viewings to fully digest "Day of the Moon," but now I'm ready to pontificate about it. Spoilers beneath the gif.



First of all: This episode took me a couple rewatches. There is no way I could get all of this on one viewing. I have no idea how we would have been able to follow what's going on in this story if it was made in the days before DVR or iTunes downloads.

The Opening: Some stuff is just taken for granted - like how the TARDIS is in the "Perfect Prison" at Area 51, how Amy ends up getting chased all the way to Valley of the Gods (also why River and Rory end up in New York and Arizona, respectively), how Canton knows and follows the plan. It's Steven Moffat - just roll with it.

- Also - Canton's men shot Amy and Rory and stuck them in body bags - did Amy and Rory just fake dead for however long it took Canton to get them to Area 51? That's a long ride in a body bag in a car - likely over bumpy roads.

A PERSONAL NOTE

Before I get on to things beyond the Utah scenes, I have to indulge myself in a little personal giddiness - I was thrilled beyond all reason when I heard that "Doctor Who" would be filming in my neck of the woods.  My favorite show ever - and they're filming in my home state!  To be fair, Valley of the Gods is in southeast Utah and I live close to the western border, but still!  Plus, parts of Southern Utah resemble my hometown a bit (we don't have as much red rock, but there's plenty of sagebrush and desert).  Have some pictures:


This is the view from the pond on my parents' property.


This is the view from the pond looking to the east.  If the dirt was reddish-orange, it would be similar to Valley of the Gods.


This is the view from the lane to my house.  It was rainy and cloudy the day I took this.


This one's off the side of the road about forty miles from my house - close to the geode beds and Topaz Peak. That's as much red rock as we have.

Thanks for indulging me in that. The fact that I now have a personal connection to "Doctor Who" - however remote - is pretty cool to me and I felt the need to share.

Onwards!

Things I Loved -
- River falling into the swimming pool :)
- Rory is adorable in his suit and 60s glasses. Rory is adorable, period. I require more Rory being awesome.
- Second week in a row that the phrase "TARDIS Blue" was uttered. I am now waiting for my TARDIS Blue crayon.
- River shooting Silents. Usually clips in trailers don't live up to the actual scene in the show, but that one did. *APPLAUSE*
- "What's the point of two hearts if you can't be forgiving now and then?" And then the Doctor totally takes it all back.
- "And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silents!" (that sentiment works for the audience watching this)
- "You've got a screwdriver - go build a cabinet!" River gets in on the witty one-liners!
- The (11th) Doctor is still awkward with kissing. Even though it's heartbreak for River, I'm glad that characterization for the Doctor is still there.
- The Doctor asked Amy why she didn't tell Rory when she thought she was pregnant. Because it bugged me when she told the Doctor and not Rory.
- Rory - "I'm a nurse. I'm good with pregnancy."

I'm Calling It Now: We haven't heard the last of the Silents in this season. There is no way you give them so much setup (even from last year) and just off them with a simple post-hypnotic plot device.

(Re: Flashback to Series 5 - If no one ever remembers the Silents, how did Prisoner Zero, Signora Calvierri, etc. remember that they were running away from the Silents? THESE ARE THINGS THAT BOTHER ME! That being said, I am SO happy that they made mention of it - after last week's premiere, I was afraid we'd never get any explanation. It's just nice to get a little acknowledgment. It was like Moffat was saying "Yeah, we know you're curious about this and your patience will pay off... just not now.")

Politics in Fandom: I am going to say it again - I love that the Richard Nixon in this two-parter isn't just a crude caricature that most shows portray.  This version of Nixon just fills the role of the President that the story needs.  Truthfully, any US president would have worked. It just happened that this story is set during the moon landing in 1969 and Nixon was president so that's who they used. For once, low-brow political commentary (apologies for the redundant statement) takes a backseat to the actual story and I find that refreshing. Not that I'm any big fan of Nixon or anything, but I get so tired of wide political statements being made in stories I like. I seek out entertainment to get away from all that crap (especially with people getting geared up for the 2012 elections - shoot me now).  Honestly, I don't care about anyone's agenda or even a perceived agenda - just tell me a good story and keep politics out of it.

One other thing: Rory observes that the Roman Empire fell.  Then we have the phrase "Silence (Silents) will fall."  Just making an observation...

More Questions that Need Answering:

- Why exactly did the Silents need a spacesuit?
- Lodger!TARDIS. Again, why?
- Who is Eye-Patch!Lady? She gets one line in the orphanage and that's it?
- This one's just a silly thing, but I want to know how Amy and Rory met (but that's probably in the realm of fanfiction. Sadly).  Amy's "fall out of the sky" line has me curious.  That's all.

On that note: As much as I do love Rory - he really needs to get over his issues with Amy possibly choosing the Doctor over him. How many times does she have to say it/he has to save her/whatever else happens to reaffirm their relationship before he gets it?

And now, I'm going to address the great big, honking elephant in the room - THE ENDING OF THIS EPISODE!

First, the last scene in the TARDIS: I'm not worried about Amy being pregnant (as "Days of Our Lives" as it seems right now). I'm more concerned with the fact that the TARDIS scanner blipping back and forth that she is pregnant... and then she isn't. So... Amy's body can't decide if it's pregnant or not? Or the TARDIS scanner can't decide if she's pregnant or not? It's likely an issue with rewriting time, but I can't figure it out beyond that.

And now - my reactions to the little girl regenerating:

I'm going to take the obvious inferences the ending has and throw them out the window right now. The girl is NOT the Doctor's child and I really don't think she's River Song.  I find that idea dubious at best, but I may be wrong (please don't eat me).  She does have a connection with Amy, though - but what?  It will be interesting to find out.

One other thought on regeneration: I think this season may possibly seek to address the 12 regenerations thing, though.  But only as an aside. The girl says that she's dying, but she can fix it. I have the feeling that she has done this lots of times before - possibly more than 12 (I don't know that, I'm just guessing).

FINAL THOUGHTS ON "DAY OF THE MOON" - This two-parter was a solid opening to Series 6.  I'm sort of waiting to see how the rest of the season pans out to pass final judgment, but so far I really like it.  This is definitely a story made for an age where people can DVR an episode and rewatch it again and again in order to get the whole story (imagine trying to do this kind of storytelling in the '70s!)  It raises a lot of questions to keep me interested, but not so many that I get overwhelmed and decide to give up on the whole season.  Knowing how Steven Moffat crafts a story, I am confident that all my questions will be answered and answered in a big way - not necessarily RTD-style epic, but enough that I am satisfied.

Color me eager for the rest of the season!