The Time of Angels

River Song is back, her return is big, bold and wonderfully over the top, as it should be, hallucinogenic lipstick, red high heels, guns, shades (a STRAIGHT man has written this?) The Doctor takes Amy to a museum and discovers a message left by River, simply 'Hello Sweetie, together with some co ordinates.' River was on board a ship, but has given the Doctor her location, she escapes into the TARDIS. River requests the Doctor to follow the Ship she's just left, as there was something nasty on it. They land on Alfava Metraxis next to the crashed ship, the scene is a disaster. Only one survivor, a Weeping Angel. River is joined by warrior monks, Amy stares at an image of the Angel, but something worrying happens, as an image of an angel itself becomes an Angel, she has something in her eye. All go into the maze of the dead, a fabulous cavern adorned with fabulous statues, the Angel is hidden somewhere inside, or is it?

The video effects of the Weeping Angel looks so good, very iconic. Amy's staring at the Angel is so creepy.

Big story, big effects, big everything, it's just brilliant. Nice to finally have a follow up to Blink. After the atrocious Victory of the Daleks, this has been a huge return to form, I honestly cannot highlight a fault. A humdinger of a cliffhanger too, could not wait for the conclusion.

While the return of an old Who-villain didn't quite work in last week's "Victory of the Daleks", the comeback of the Weeping Angels in this episode is brilliant. First introduced in the season 3 episode "Blink", the Angels again warrant a tantalizing 40 minutes, firmly reasserting their position as the most terrifying creatures of the revived series. Being the first half of a two-parter, it is too early to tell if the plot will match Blink's delightful ingenuity, but it certainly had me on the edge of my seat again for the whole length of the episode.

Another return is that of River Song, the Doctor's future wife, first seen in season 4's "Silence in the Library", and another of Steven Moffat's brainchilds. It seems Moffat has a fondness for strong sassy female characters. In itself there is nothing wrong with this, but the combined forces of River and companion Amy Pond do have the potential to become something of an overdose. Overall River's presence is interesting for the greater story of the Doctor, with some plot revelations hinted at (perhaps for the second part) but as a character she doesn't add much to the episode, especially with Amy already filling the role of the feisty female. This never actually becomes disturbing, however, with every minute filled with action and suspense that will make your heart race like any classic Doctor Who episode, which is what The Time of Angels is.

After Victory of the Daleks, I was somewhat cautious of what the series' future might hold. However, after this episode, my faith has been totally restored. This is, without a doubt, the best episode I've seen so far, since the show's revival in 2005. Brilliantly written, incredibly clever, genuinely terrifying, and a complete joy to watch.

The highlight of this episode, I can't decide; whether it's the Doctor himself, the perfectly cast River Song (played by Alex Kingston), or the Weeping Angels. The Doctor becomes far less bumbling in this episode, and transforms into a much more self-confident, trustworthy character. River also makes a welcome return, bringing to light a chemistry between herself and the Doctor which, for lack of a better word, is brilliant. Like an old married couple, and it's a joy to behold when the Doctor meets his match. River is just as intelligent and as accomplished as himself.

The Weeping Angels, on the other hand, are the opposite. In their debut episode, Blink, they were by far the most frightening creatures in the entire history of Doctor Who. Now, although I was doubtful of it actually being possible, they've become much worse. They gain additional abilities and tricks up their sleeves which make them the ideal villain for a darker-toned episode like this.

On a final note, the production values in this episode are far better, thereby making it a well-conceived episode in a technical light, also.

I seriously recommend this to anybody who's ever taken a shine to Doctor Who, or science fiction in general. This episode is an absolute gem.

This is a show that should have been shot when Donna was still at the Doctor's side; however, we shall forgive the show for its latency in getting us back to the juicy bits about The Doctor and Professor River Song...

If you nearly shat yourself watching "Blink" (which I myself did almost 4 years ago), then you're going to find this episode just as thrilling and, given the fact that it is a two-parter, you'll find yourself watching those statues just a wee bit closer in the next week... (Remember, "don't blink.")

Moffat has shown himself to have the ability to write a wickedly frightening story on-par with Stephen King and still nicely manages to write the witty banter between River Song and The Doctor ala William Shakespeare. (Lest any of us forget "The Taming of the Shrew".)

The best one so far in my opinion! Steven Moffat once again brings the angels and the fear, to the new doctor along with the mysterious River Song. The angels were, as last time, terrifying and River Song was delightful. I'm not giving anything away, but the angels are something a little different this time and the next episode I'm sure will deliver the same amount of thrills as did the first! Matt Smith is becoming even more brilliant as the new doctor and I hope to see more of these kinds of episodes from now on. Amy Pond takes a slight back role in this, but that may be because of River. My favourite episode so far, oh, and remember, DON'T BLINK!