The Pandorica Opens

"Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 19th June 2010

Series: 5.12

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis 

A Van Gogh painting ferried across thousands of years offering a terrifying prophecy, a message on the oldest cliff-face in the universe and a love that lasts a thousand years: in 102 AD England, Romans receive a surprise visit from Cleopatra Nearby, Stonehenge hides a legendary prison-box. As it slowly unlocks from the inside, terrible forces gather in the heavens. The fates are closing around the TARDIS. The Pandorica, which contains the most dangerous threat in the Universe, is opening.

Verdict 

The Pandorica Opens is a simply stunning opening episode of the sublime two-part fifth series finale! It's the culmination of endless references over the past eleven episodes in a magnificent way. The opening pre-credits sequence is fantastic with major characters from past episodes this series all coming together to warn the Doctor of what was to come. It starts with a throwback to Vincent and the Doctor with the infamous artist in torment about his latest vision which inspired his latest painting, 'The Pandorica Opens'. Then we head back to Victory of the Daleks with Bracewell and Churchill, of which the latter ends up phoning River Song some 3,000+ years in the future. I absolutely love River Song and Alex Kingston is just wonderful and the chemistry she has with Matt Smith is beyond good. Her escape once more is quite comedic which I like. That then takes us back to The Beast Below with Liz 10, who obviously appreciated what the Doctor did and would help him undisputedly. River grafitting the oldest known words in the universe was just typical of the magnificent woman. This leads us to the Romans in 102 AD. I love that setting but the irony of such a primitive setting for all these alien races to arrive is superb. The build up to the opening of the Pandorica was excellently paced and I like how the threat of the dismembered Cyberman offered something else to just simply the waiting game. The humour of the threat of the arm and head was good and I loved the look on the Doctor's face once he realised who was on their way for the Pandorica. The formation of the Alliance was stunning and what a collection of the Doctor's greatest past enemies! Drahvin, Draconians and Slitheen to name a few! The legend of the Pandorica was simply sensational and the description of the Doctor was such an intriguing viewpoint. To the enemies, the Doctor brings them their darkest day continuously and that's why the Doctor didn't know what was contained within the Pandorica. He wasn't the wizard that tricked it into the Pandorica - he was the one that got tricked. I adored the scene where the Doctor gives the speech to the assembled spaceships with Matt Smith being simply marvellous. He really is my favourite Doctor. Rory's return was incredibly good on broadcast, some five years ago now, and the Doctor missing the obvious was so typical of this incarnation. The cliffhanger is one of the best of all time with Rory apparently killing Amy with all the Romans marvellously disguised as Autons. River was in the TARDIS as the foreshadowed blowing up that caused the cracks occurred with her trapped inside. And ultimately, Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and many others assembled together to trap the Doctor in the Pandorica. They would save the universe from the Doctor. It was simply stunning! Just how would the Doctor escape this trap that was perfectly devised from Amy's childhood? We had great references to The Eleventh Hour, Flesh and Stone and The Hungry Earth and I liked the spoilers mention once more. The audacity of Steven Moffat to bring together the most alien species ever in one episode in the form of an Alliance is just genius of the great man! He even chucked in Silurians and Judoon who might not really be associated as being enemies after their TV revival episodes. I remember loving this story on broadcast and after rewatching now, I loved it just as much. I'm once again looking forward to the conclusion once again! That story is where the overall rating will appear.