The Big Bang

"Memories are more powerful than you think."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 26 June 2010

Series: 5.13

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

The Alliance has trapped the Doctor in the Pandorica. The TARDIS has exploded with River inside. Rory has shot Amy and the cracks have swallowed everything but the Earth and the Moon. 

The fate of all existence lies in the hands of a little girl who still believes in stars.

Verdict

The Big Bang was an excellent episode to conclude the fifth series of the modern era and the finale as a whole that started wit The Pandorica Opens. It’s a really strong story and I was quite surprised that my partner Gemma thought it was better than the previous episode! I wholeheartedly disagreed, but this was a little better than I actually remembered. After such a strong cliffhanger with the assembly of so many past villains and monsters, I do feel a little let down that the only thing we get in that regards is the remnants of a stone Dalek in the close to present day museum. I do think the Underhenge imagery of some of the monsters provided us with some legendary action figures, but I think something akin to seeing the combination of Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians and Sontarans alike trying to fix the cracks in time would be tremendous. What we get instead is fine and definitely some strong humour with the paradoxical nature of the Doctor being freed from the Pandorica, and it really does have Matt Smith at his very best. He goes from the comedy and humour of the fez and mop whilst giving Rory the instructions to free him to the serious and emotional man we see when giving instructions to his former self about initiating Big Bang 2. It’s a bold plan that’s for sure and I like how he manages to save River from within the time loop of the exploding TARDIS that set the universe into destruction. That shows the power of the Doctor’s time ship which is tremendous! I think River’s on top form here (when isn’t she?) and I love the moment she and Amy have an understanding regarding the fez. She coolly shoots it into oblivion. Rory’s story in this episode is obviously an incredibly emotional one as he makes the decision to stand guard for two millennia whilst Amy is kept alive and healed within the Pandorica. It’s an incredible sacrifice and the humour from the Doctor when they embrace is excellent. No breathing allowed during that kiss! It’s nice to get a little return for Amelia and it’s lovely that she believes in stars despite there not being any in the sky. The way she is guided to the Pandorica is very well done even if it is something of a bootstrap paradox. The Dalek threat from a museum piece is brilliant and I like that it actually succeeds in exterminating the Doctor. His using that as a diversion was very clever to set himself off into the Pandorica and have the light revitalise the universe and bring the original back. Talk about a rejuvenation! I think it’s lovely that Amy gets the parents she never had and actually getting to her wedding day with Rory is most welcomed. I love that she remembers the Doctor and the way we link back to Flesh and Stone in particular with the Doctor making use of Amy’s blindness to ask her to remember what he told her when she was seven was tremendous. The little memory tour through the Doctor’s past was good and it’s quite sad that he needed to be on the other side of the cracks for the universe to fully heal. I love the way things end as whilst the mystery of the Pandorica is over and the Doctor is returned, the threat of the Silence is still out there to set us up for the next series very nicely! Overall, a fantastic finale!

Rating: 9/10