The Doctor's Wife

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Writer: Neil Gaiman
Format: TV
Broadcast: 14th May 2011
Series: 6.04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

The Doctor receives some impossible mail from beyond the Universe. Is there another Time Lord alive? Upon arrival, the disturbing truth is revealed and both the Doctor and the TARDIS are under attack. With Amy and Rory helpless, can the Doctor and the mysterious Idris, who bares some striking knowledge and familiarity, save the TARDIS?

Verdict

The Doctor's Wife was a wonderful episode of Doctor Who and it really does rank right up there with my all time favourite stories, particularly from the modern era of the show. The idea is just simply superb and seeing it come into fruition is even better. The TARDIS. As a woman. Does it get better than that for the Doctor? We know that Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor is quite flirty and out there when it comes to his interest in sexual activity due to what we have seen so far with River Song and even Amy, but Idris allows him to gain all kinds of feelings and joy. Now, I have blogged this episode before, a few years ago, but as my girlfriend has been watching the series from the start of the reboot in 2005 I thought I'd join her in watching this one as it really is one I could never tire of watching. She has never watched any of the Classic era so some of the elements in this story I don't think she appreciated like I did on my first viewing but she still very much enjoyed and it was just lovely for us to watch this great show together. And with most of my time being spent with her now I figured this would be a good opportunity to get a blog done between university work as well! The arrival of the hypercube at the TARDIS doors was a magical moment and as The War Games is my all time favourite story, their return always puts a smile on my face. The Doctor believing that there was another Time Lord alive somewhere was fantastic and I loved his reaction when Amy said that he wanted to be forgiven for the Time War. Who wouldn't want to be? Matt Smith was simply phenomenal in this episode and perfectly displayed why he is my favourite Doctor. He really is just outstanding. The emotion he portrayed once he found out that he had simply been lured to House in the Bubble Universe was excellent and he really was angry, something we don't often see. He had hoped to meet the Corsair and once he arrived he heard more pleas for help from Time Lords long dead. The collection of hypercubes angered him even more and he really was on the war path. However, he had already sent Amy and Rory back to the TARDIS because this concerned Time Lord stuff but they weren't safe there. By now, the matrix of the TARDIS was placed inside Idris and the TARDIS was now in human form. Bonkers and magnificent. The conversation between the Doctor and Idris throughout the episode was incredible and it really does rank as some of my favourite dialogue ever. Idris telling him that she always took him where he was needed was beautiful and I loved the idea of him stealing her rather than the generally assumed alternative. The Doctor building a TARDIS out of a junkyard was magnificent and it really did look terrific. Amy and Rory exploring the interior of the TARDIS was great and I liked how they entered the old control room of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. The junkyard TARDIS's arrival there disintegrated Nephew and that was another Ood the Doctor failed to save but the way the Doctor and Idris worked together to outsmart House was brilliant. They were nearly left in a dying bubble universe but soon emerged and saved the day, with the matrix returned to the TARDIS. An incredible episode - it really is. This was the time that the Doctor and the TARDIS talked and the emotion behind that is simply sensational. One of the very, very best.

Rating: 10/10