21st November, 2021.
Right at the moment … ?
I’ve got dinner on the go.
Whilst — would you believe — the BBC’s Countryfile show is on.
John Craven discussing vegetables is not my usual thing.
You can tell that I’m bored in the run up to tonight’s episode of Dr Who: Village of the Angels.
Once I’ve got through dinner, washing up, tea, John Craven talking about cobnuts, I’ll be watching the thing: and letting you know what I think.
21st November, 2021.
Right … that’s the episode watched, a cup of tea made, and the idea of writing notes, ignored.
In favour of writing this post directly!
Let’s kick off with a summary, shall we?
Chapter 4 — Village of the Angels — opens with the now obligatory summary of previous episodes.
Then shifts.
To 21st November, 1967, in the home of Professor Jericho (Kevin McNally), in the village of Medderton.
Where the Professor is starting what looks like a lie detector test on Claire Brown (Annabel Scholey): one that sees Claire get a (wrong) answer at least once.
It’s only when Claire is asked the year — 1967— that the Professor’s machine goes into overdrive.
And stays in overdrive as Claire goes into a fugue state, telling the professor that “There will be no escape. Not for her, not for them, and not for you.”
And finally … ?
That The Angel Has The TARDIS!
Post titles?
We find the Doctor, Yaz and Dan (Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and John Bishop) are trying desperately to get rid of the Weeping Angel that’s gained control of the TARDIS.
And that the Doctor’s only way of re-gaining control … ?
Is to connect two cables that are sparking in an unnervingly dangerous looking way.
Leaving the Angel … ? Elsewhere.
And the Tardis … ? In the village of Medderton in 1967.
Where the Doctor heads off to see why the Sonic Screwdriver is seriously beeping: leaving Yaz and Dan to deal with a pair of villager looking for a missing little girl called Peggy.
And a woman called Mrs Haywood is warning the Vicar about the gravestones.
And where Claire and Professor Jericho?
Have an image of an angel …
~≈🌰≈~
Now …
Good …
And convoluted … ?
Have you read or seen my review of last week’s episode, Once, Upon a Time?
Which some — me included — have called convoluted.
But can also be seen as both riveting, and complex.
It was a complex piece of entertainment that needed our attention, was eminently watchable, and very well written.
I think we can safely say the same for Village of the Angels.
On the surface? We have a plot that is complex … but actually quite simple.
Claire — the Annabel Scholey character — has a rogue Angel hidden in her head.
The Division sent a group of Weeping Angels to attack Claire, in The Halloween Apocalypse: which sent her back to 1967.
Where the Angels followed her: so they could kill the rogue Angel.
The Doctor showing up? Gives the Rogue Angel someone to negotiate with.
And the Weeping Angel attackers … ? A far more tempting target.
It’s a lot simpler than it sounds.
Simpler … entertaining … with plenty of fan service*†.
And remind us of exactly what the Weeping Angels are capable of being: the scariest things on TV.
Add to that one hell of a cliffhanger: companions left in a village on the edge of space, and the Doctor herself captured by Angels?
You can bet your bum I’m going to watching next week’s episode, Survivors of the Flux.
After all, it looks like Kate Stewart’s UNIT is back …
I’ll be watching it, on the 28th November.
I hope you’ll be joining me!
Village of The Angels.★★★★
* The Doctor uses the word ‘Contact,’ when joining minds with Claire. The ‘The Image of an angel is, itself, an Angel,’ is a lift from The Time of Angels/Flesh And Stone two parter. And the amount of time blinking was mentioned … !
† As an extra thing? The Doctor whips out her trusty psychic paper, at one point: which tells Professor Jericho she’s a member of the Institute for Psychical Research. That is a reference to the real world Society for Psychical Research, formed in 1882.
1 comment:
This is a clearly written and engaging review.
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