The Impossible Astronaut – Thoughts And Reminisces

The Impossible Astronaut is tonally very, very different than any other Doctor Who story ever. That is not to say that it is a bad episode, quite the opposite in fact. It’s probably one of the best new series episodes yet.

The Impossible Astronaut is really, very dark, almost pitch black. The main reason for this has to be the fact that almost the whole episode is overshadowed by the fact that the Doctor is dead. There is no get out clause. To a child, one of the comforts of watching Doctor Who is that the Doctor will always be there to fight the monsters. So, when the episode opens with a scene depicting the death of the Doctor, this episode in turn becomes increasingly dark. Also, this is how the season will likely become darker and more ominous. The fact that the Doctor isn’t always going to be there will play on the audience’s mind, regardless of his clear screen presence. That’s not to say that this is the only “dark” scene.

The Silence and what they can do are dead creepy, and very unnerving. The way that they can erase themselves from your memory, even if you turn away for a second, is very frightening. Steven Moffat obviously loves the idea, as the idea is similar to the way in which the Weeping Angels operate. The Silence are better than the Weeping Angels, though. This is due in no small part to their unique design. Taking inspiration from the painting, The Scream, they are absolutely terrifying and made this reviewer jump several times over the course of the episode. If your ever brave reviewer had to pick a scene that defined them as a race, it would no doubt be the White House restroom scene. Amy’s reactions to seeing them are terribly creepy and, just in case you were unaware of their abilities, the reactions of Joy are amazing. One moment she looks at them, she is terrified, next she looks at Amy, normal again, and so on. It’s an amazing and jaw-dropping scene that really sets the Silence up as the best ever new series monster.

But the scene that will really be remembered long after viewing is the Doctor’s death. This is a tour-de-force of a scene and is by far the standout scene of the episode. This is partly due to the way in which it is shot. The location chosen is bright and utterly beautiful, which really offsets the tone of the scene that occurs here. This incredible juxtaposition of the brightness of the location and the terribly dark mood is amazing and to my knowledge has never been seen before in the series. The effect on the viewer is massive. The location adds so much to the scene as it gives a feeling of realism. Dark things happen in beautiful locations all the time in our lives. Also this scene reflects a line from Alice in Wonderland which goes, ‘sometimes places that look safe turn our nasty (the beach) and places that look nasty turn out safe (the White House to an extent).’

The actual death comes as a significant shock to the system. It is completely unexpected and is really very sudden. The effects are magnificent, but what really sells the scene is the conviction in the performances of Karen Gillian (Amy), Arthur Darvill (Rory) and Alex Kingston (River). It is said that Karen cried real tears and it shows, making this an utterly heartwrenching scene. It is a scene of real people coming to terms with the loss of a friend and that is something extra special. This reviewer has a feeling that this scene will grow in importance as the season progresses, and more importantly, this scene will certainly go down as one of the greatest ever in Doctor Who.

The episode is not all dark, though. There is plenty of humour in the scenes set in the White House as the Doctor tries to weasel his way into the president’s good books. It is very funny watching the banter between the Doctor and River and it is one thing I am looking forward to seeing more of.

Speaking of River, this reviewer is loving how well the character is progressing. In this episode we have the chance to learn more about her and it’s wonderful to learn more about this fascinating and complex character. Her characterisation in this episode is wonderful, and her standout scene discussing her past and future with the Doctor is beautiful and very moving. I also love the way she has managed to unknowingly foreshadow her death twice so far.

But, the episode isn’t all great. I still think Rory is a bit of a third wheel on the TARDIS crew. He’s a great character, I just want to see him given a bit more to do. Canton Everett Delaware the Third is a bit of a boring character and I just can’t see why he’s there. Hopefully, he gets more to do next episode and avoids becoming a stereotype. The cliffhanger is slightly weak and after the excitement of the episode it feels as though were ending on a low point. The River and Rory part of the cliffhanger is fantastic and is very disturbing, but the Doctor and Amy aspect is a definite low ebb. Maybe a swap between the two scenes would have been more appreciated.

Overall, The Impossible Astronaut has some weak characterisation, but this is overriden by a feeling of spectacle and several wonderful scenes. It has many, many twists that left this reviewer suffering from a bit of twist fatigue and ideas that are set up here will surely appear again over course of the season. This episode will be best remembered as a change to anything that has ever appeared in the series with a much darker tone and spectacular juxtapositions caused by certain scenes. The season has opened strongly and I hope it continues on this note. Hurry up, Day of the Moon!

VERDICT: 9/10 (because I think the next episode will be even more amazing.)