Doctor Who “The Angels Take Manhattan” Review
Spoilers ahead
As you guys already know, I’m a pretty honest guy when it comes to what I write. I like to speak my mind and be as honest as possible. I say this because I want everyone to know just how difficult writing an introduction to this episode of Doctor Who has been for me. I haven’t had to completely rewrite an intro numerous times like this in a while. Why? Because “The Angels Take Manhattan” is one of those TV moments that hit me so hard, it’s left me almost speechless.
This episode mostly takes place in the 1930s in my home city of New York. The terrifying weeping Angels have turned every statue in NYC, including the LARGEST one, into one of their own and it’s up to The Doctor, Amy, Rory and long missing River Song to stop them.
This was one of the surprisingly rare instances where Doctor Who tells a time travel story that is filled with the rules of time travel and about paradoxes. The weeping Angels are back to their original form and are sending people back through time so that they can feed off the energy from the potential life that that person would have had. It was cool to see the Angels as rampaging monsters during their last appearance but I like them better as creatures that only move when you don’t look at them. They feel more frightening this way. Also, because they send people backward through time, it creates some good opportunities to get creative with the story as this episode did masterfully.
The Angels storyline sets up the departure of Amy and Rory from the Doctor’s and the viewer’s life in a very clever and bittersweet way. The Angels were one of the first foes that Amy and Rory ever faced so it’s fitting that their ultimate fate lies with the Angels. The show tricks you too since you see Amy and Rory essentially die twice. These scenes were extremely powerful and were the main reason I had such a hard time doing an intro for this review. We’ve seen The Doctor lose companions before and in very sad ways but this is one departure that will stay with me, and the rest of the fans for a long time. I’ll admit that the final monologue from Amy make me choke up a little.
This was without a doubt one of the most emotionally powerful television moments I’ve had this year. I expected the episode to be heavy but it took things to a whole other level in terms of the story, writing and acting. But as the old saying goes “endings always lead to new beginnings”. Although Amy and Rory are gone, we all know that a new companion is waiting for The Doctor and I cannot wait to see how this show (and The Doctor) will change with her onboard.
Goodbye Amy and Rory. Thank you for the great memories.
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