Vincent and the Doctor

This episode made me weep uncontrollably. I don't care that Tony Curran plays Vincent with his native Scottish accent. He truly embodied the tortured and suffering man that was Vincent Van Gogh. To have two of my favorite things together, Doctor Who and Vincent Van Gogh was just too good to be true but this episode has some very fine acting and some truly touching moments. I really did not want to like Matt Smith given how enamored I was of David Tennant's portrayal of the Doctor, but Matt has won me over. He plays the Doctor like a naughty, but sweet, child and he really is a fine actor. This episode also shines a light on the the fact that Karen Gillan can do something past her goofy, scolding turn as Amy Pond.

Forget the monster as that was pretty irrelevant and concentrate on the human aspect. Also forget the accents and the fact nobody seemed to know how to pronounce van Gogh properly. Tony Curran gave a really good performance and managed to convey the tortured artist even within the confines of what is essentially a children's programme. As with Chris Eccleston and his Dickens story and Dave Tennant and his Vesuvius tale we saw Matt showing the reverence the Doctor has for Historical characters who are doomed and he is unable to help. Some lovely acting both by Doctor and sidekick and an excellent example of what is best about Dr Who. I still think Matt the poorest of the new generation Doctors but he has shown a few moments as to why they hired him so I would imagine he will improve and show his worth. The stories so far have not been great except for this and the Angel episodes.....and the less said about the Dalek episode the better. Last weeks two parter was garbage apart from the Rory storyline but this one was exceptional and a nice glimpse of the humanity of the central characters. We saw it with Donna in the Pompeii episode and Rose in the Dickens one and Amy does well here. I have been watching this programme since it's first week with William Hartnell and in among the dodgy sets and the unconvincing monsters there have been sublime moments of real poignancy that have been worth all the effort. This was one of them. OK the monster did look silly and yes Vinnie was NOT Scottish but suspension of disbelief is important in programmes like this so why worry about plot holes too much. Every Doctor leaves important episodes behind. Even Sylvester McCoy. Maybe in years to come this one will be among Matt Smiths.

Wow. Few things on TV move me like this episode has. Incredible stuff. The Doctor giving Van Gogh a glimpse of his legacy was just emotionally jarring in a good way. A friend of mine suffered much the same condition as Van Gogh. He had been able to pull out of his sways, which initially were just mood sways, but then as he sought treatment, became real emotions about real abuse he was suffering at the hands of the very doctors trying to help him. His tale is yet to end.

But here the Doctor and his Scottish companion visit the legendary painter and tackle a giant outer space turkey bent on wreaking havoc in the rural country painting getaway that is Van Gogh's home. I have to say, as far as monsters go, I think the production team didn't go the whole nine yards for this episode. They had a budget to meet, so probably grabbed the first thing that came into their head and said "that's our monster" (I'll bet one of the writers was eating a chicken sandwich at the time they were brainstorming the plot).

The space-turkey/chicken (I say it's a turkey, but the guys on the BBS call it a chicken...whatever) never really gives us his motives for being a malefactor. He is in fact a stock villain for this entry in Who-ness, and runs amuck with vengeful thoughts on his mind sparked by fear of being stranded on Earth. Van Gogh helps resolve the plot.

But even though the plot is brought to an end, it's the story of Van Gogh himself that is the focus of this episode. How did a man who was so renown as a painter succumb to the dark recesses of his own self generated despair? We don't know. We will never know. That's one of the mysteries of severe depression. We're given a glimmer of hope in this episode for those suffering this condition, and it is indeed a very real hope. But depression by itself, is not always fueled by logic, and therefore things can go wrong.

It's a nice intimate episode. There are no major alien invasions here. The Earth itself is not on the precipise of disaster. The universe is not in danger of collapsing. There's a giant raptor like aggressor present, but otherwise this is one of the more intimate Who episodes. Think of the few "good" episodes of Season Three original Trek, and you'll know what I mean.

The important thing about this episode is that the historic figure here, Van Gosh, was not mad. He knew the difference between right and wrong, but his personal outlook and inability to keep himself fueled was an interior war that no amount of the Doctor's Tardis nor Sonic-Screwdriver could address.

A good watch.

Richard Curtis wrote this episode. Ostensibly it is about Vincent Van Gogh meeting the Doctor and together they delve the mystery of a monster depicted in one of his paintings.

It really is about the meaning of madness and depression. Van Gogh is the strange madman in the village whose paintings remain unappreciated. Society in his era did not understand depression.

The monster which is invisible (signifying mental illness) is alone, abandoned and blind. Lashing out because it is frightened.

Scottish actor Tony Curran, more often employed to play a heavy on American shows knows he has a role of a lifetime. He takes it by the scruff of the neck. His Vincent is wild, romantic and emotional. Seeing monsters where others do not. The Doctor is the only man he has met who understands his pain.

What makes this episode stand out is the photography, sound and the location shooting. Trogir in Croatia stands in for the fields of Provence. Magnificent use of visuals, look at the way the night sky begins to depict the painting of The Starry Night. The use of the song by Athlete to give it an emotional hook as Van Gogh looks on as people admire his paintings at the Musee de Orsay.

Bill Nighy makes an uncredited cameo as an art expert who reduced Van Gogh to tears as he describes his contribution to art in less than 100 words while wearing another stand out bow tie.

Science fiction at its best.

A moving episode . And the admirable performance of Tony Curran. The presence of van Gogh in the exposition of Musee d Orsay remains, in my case , source of powerfull emotion and the lead gift of the episode in which, maybe I am wrong, Krafaiys is just a pretext. Having his name, as expression of admiration of my father for him, Vincent van Gogh is , in real sense , for me, "the greatest painter of them all". The episode proofs this as a brilliant hommage. And, in same measure, it gives a sort of symbolic justice to a great artist and a so delicate and remarkable person. So, without be a fan of serie, I remain deep gratefull to the "Doctor Who" makers for this admirable episode.