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Doctor Who the Complete Fifth Series
Though some consternation followed the
appointment of Matthew Smith to the role of Eleventh Doctor, the
relatively unknown thespian quickly won fans around with his likeable
persona and floppy Hugh Grant-esque hair. Further breathing new life
into the franchise were some markedly more convincing special effects
than had featured in previous outings, and the addition of
world-renowned film and TV writers like Simon Nye (Men Behaving Badly)
and Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually,
Blackadder), the latter penning ‘Vincent and the Doctor,’ what is
perhaps the series most imaginative and fully-realised episode.
The full episode list is as follows:
1.
The Eleventh
Hour
The
Eleventh Doctor
and new companion
Amy Pond
(Karen Gillan) try to save the world in twenty minutes from the Atraxi,
a group of galactic policemen who are after Prisoner Zero, a
shapeshifting alien that has escaped from the prison of the Atraxi.
2.
The Beast
Below
The Doctor takes Amy to the distant future,
where she is somewhat taken aback at finding Britain in space.
3.
Victory of the
Daleks
The Doctor and Amy are in
London
during
World War II,
and meet the
Daleks
and Winston Churchill.
4.
The Time of
Angels
5.
Flesh and
Stone
In this two-parter, the Doctor and Amy meet
sassy space vixen
River Song,
a spaceship crashes and the Doctor hunts a Weeping Angel in the ruins of
Alfava Metraxis. As the angel can only move when unobserved, this
necessitates much no-Doz and coffee consumption.
6.
The Vampires
of Venice
Given the current fad for all things
fang-related, it would have been remiss of the New Doctor not to cash
in. The title pretty much says it all. In
Venice,
which is protected by the House of Calvierri, bodies are being found
with their blood drained out of them. There's something in the Canal
(hint: it’s a vampire), and incidentally the beautiful Calvierri girls
cannot be seen in mirrors.
7.
Amy's Choice
No, Amy is not forced to choose one of her
children to die at the hands of Nazi agitators. Rather the Doctor, Amy
and Rory are travelling between two dimensions, each with a different
deadly danger. One is real, the other is fake, and it is up to Amy to
choose which is which.
8.
The Hungry
Earth
The
Doctor,
Amy
and
Rory
land in the small Welsh village of Cwmtaff in 2020, as opposed to their
slightly more exciting intended destination of
Rio de Janeiro.
Instead of Carnival and the world’s most exotic beaches they encounter a
mining operation, led by Doctor Nasreen Chaudry, studying minerals deep
in the earth that have not been seen for over 20 million years. Much
partying ensues.
9.
Cold Blood
In 2020, Dr Nasreen Chaudry is leading the
deepest drilling of Earth's crust in history. But deep beneath,
reptilian humanoids are drilling up, and the twain is bound to meet.
10.
Vincent and
the Doctor
In
Provence,
the Doctor, Amy and
Vincent van Gogh
join forces to fight a dangerous alien.
11.
The Lodger
The Doctor attempts to pass himself off as
a human by indulging in a little share housing; but there's a mystery
about his new abode, as people have been seen going up the staircase,
but never down.
12.
The Pandorica
Opens
The
Doctor
and
Amy Pond,
following a message from
River Song
engraved on the oldest planet in the universe, arrive in Roman Britain
on Earth in 102 AD, where they find River posing as
Cleopatra.
River shows the Doctor a
Vincent van Gogh
painting titled The Pandorica Opens, depicting the
TARDIS
exploding. River had recovered the painting in the 52nd century, and
travelled to the time-space coordinates on the painting using a Vortex
Manipulator. The Doctor realises the "Pandorica", a fabled prison for
the universe's deadliest being, must be stored in a memorable location
near the coordinates, such as the site of
Stonehenge.
13.
The Big Bang
An assortment of the Doctor's deadliest
enemies descend on
Stonehenge,
as the mystery of the Pandorica is revealed.
Series Five is now available on Blu-ray in its entirety
courtesy of Aunty that comes with a host of special features, including in-vision commentaries,
confidential featurettes, video diaries, teasers and a 6 page booklet.
As mentioned elsewhere on these pages the
episodes are some of the strongest of the franchise’s decades-long
history, and Smith and Gillan more than hold their own against a slew of
murderous reptiles, deranged historical personages, fellow time
travellers, alien vampires and the perennial DALEKS. The faultless 16:9
widescreen transfer is really something to behold, and the accompanying
5.1 surround soundtrack is a suitably robust affair. Longtime fans and
newcomers to the series alike alike will find plenty to enrapture,
entertain and excite. |
