ladyofleithian | Status of the USS Hadhafang.

I'm all right. Seriously, for the first time in a very long while, I'm all right. Well, other than getting a really bad headache earlier, which really sucked (had to listen to THE DAEMONS audiobook -- DOCTOR WHO, naturally -- in order to ease up the headache in question). But really, I'm fine. Joined a site called 750-words, where you write 750 words every day, my computer is repaired (and miracle upon miracles, I lost not one file! :D) and I rewatched "A Good Man Goes To War". To sum it up, amazing, amazing episode, but God, so many feels. (Good and bad)

Demons run when a good man goes to war
Night will fall and drown in sun
When a good man goes to war
Friendship dies and true love lies
Night will fall and the dark will rise
When a good man goes to war
Demons run, but count the cost
The battle's won but the child is lost

-River Song, "A Good Man Goes To War".

Yes, okay, maybe including a quote is a little odd, but the quote in question...I think it was that quote (amongst other things) that led me to seek out the episode. And while it was the RTD era that really became My Era, it was this episode that really ignited my love for this show. Amazing acting, awesome dialogue, epic scope...the episode was just all around amazing. I think my only real problem was coming in blind (as it has a lot of callbacks to other episodes, from referencing events from "The Vampires of Venice" and "The Big Bang" (as well as "The Almost People", "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon", etc.) to having previous characters return (the Judoon, for instance *, and the pirate Captain and his son **) and even some new characters (Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, for instance, who are pretty awesome. :3). I think my only criticism of the new characters is...come on, characters this cool and we don't see their backstories? Come on, man.

Second off, the matter of the antagonists. Even people in the army weren't just one-dimensional caricatures (and even Madame Kovarian at least pretended to have some reasoning behind her actions, even if she is, in the end, just a monster. ***), from one of the soldiers in question and his husband to Lorna (more on her later, but let's say she didn't even want to fight the Doctor; she wanted a chance to meet him again. ****) to those guys playing a game of spotting the psychic paper while bored on yellow alert (for three days, poor bastards), to...even Colonel Manton. He was just taking orders from Kovarian in the end, and is even willing to lay down his weapons when -- thanks to the Doctor's trickery -- a fight breaks out between the Headless Monks and his soldiers, and considering both the Monks *and* the fact decloaked Silurians are about to shoot him later (fucking awesome moment, BTW), that's a lot of your safety to risk if only for the sake of your men. I can't recall many villains/antagonists doing something like that to save their soldiers. Manton isn't exactly what you call a good man, per se (he isn't some sort of John Frobisher type wracked with guilt over what he's doing; he believes in what he's doing, and he's dedicated to killing the Doctor *****. In short, he's not doing it for the sake of being evil ******; he has his reasons. But he's not really misunderstood either), but he did demonstrate some incredible nobility. Which I think is important for a villainous character (or at least an antagonist character). Someone who has as much nobility in them as evil. Someone who can be on the wrong side, but not be a one-dimensional caricature. So in short...you are brilliant, Moffat. Thank you.

I also loved how not everyone who was opposing the Doctor was necessarily evil. For example, Lorna. Let's say that I fell in love with this character immediately -- she was kind, she was friendly, she was a tad naive, but she was also very perceptive and very brave. I loved her attempt to offer comfort to Amy (who, at first, is understandably bitter before coming around to Lorna, even warning her to get out before she gets killed. *******) and Amy reassuring her that it's worth waiting for the Doctor. That it's a long time, but it's worth it. (No, I'm not crying, I swear; just something in my eye) And I loved how the Doctor's allies ultimately went from distrusting Lorna to ultimately respecting her in the end. And the Doctor's response to Vastra calling Lorna "brave":

THE DOCTOR: They're always brave.

It's such a simple line, but such a wonderful performance from Matt Smith there. And it carries so much weight because it's true: no matter who they are, they've always been brave. Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Astrid Peth, and so many others -- no matter who they are, they have been brave. And it's really what those like Davros don't understand about those who died "in the Doctor's name"; in the end, what they thought about the Doctor didn't matter. They were *heroes*.

I also loved the Doctor, earlier, comforting Lorna as she's dying. It's a wonderful piece of acting there. And yet there is something heartbreaking about it. Just this exchange:

LORNA: You don't remember me.

ELEVEN: Of course I do, Lorna. I remember everyone.

So yeah, love Lorna. Only complaint? She should have become a companion.

I also loved the opening of the episode, with Amy talking to baby Melody, just reassuring Melody that she will never be alone and such. Karen Gillan...it's just one of those many moments she shines. And then when Rory confronts the Cybermen. Seriously, such a fucking awesome scene. Also? Arthur Darvill was amazing there. Rory doesn't even start shouting, but you know full well that he is pissed off. And seriously, staring down a bunch of Cybermen without batting an eyelash? The "don't give me those blank looks" line? The "would you like me to repeat the question"? Rory Williams, BAMF.

And while I was sort of "What the hell, Doctor?", I really loved the Doctor's "Colonel Runaway" speech. Especially Matt Smith's performance in that scene -- he doesn't raise his voice until near the end, mostly on the "people I love" part (because he really does love Amy and Rory, more than anything. And, considering that River was there also, as Melody, even if he didn't know it until later, I think that includes her too. Probably stretching, yes, but it's true), but you can tell he's pissed. And "Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many." He just sounds so...almost sad, there, even amongst the threatening tone. And considering everything, is it really any wonder that he has so many rules? Not to mention when he explodes in anger towards River for not being there when he needed her, and, later, when she proceeds to shout at him. While I think it's a tad harsh, there's also a hell of a lot of truth in it. Because when the Doctor first left Gallifrey to see the stars, did he think that he would become the man he is now? The man that nearly got sealed away twice, the man who killed Time Lords and Daleks alike to stop Rassilon destroying creation, the man who did what he did to the Family of Blood and the Racnoss and so many others? The man who once declared himself Time Lord Victorious? The Doctor is fundamentally a good, kind soul, willing to defend humanity whatever it takes, showing mercy to even those who might not seem to deserve it (the Master, Davros, etc.), comforting small children, etc. ******** But at the same time, he is a very imperfect man. He can be angry, he can be self-righteous (and I think the fact that the show actually acknowledges it as a flaw definitely makes it one of those cases where I don't mind it much. He is a good man, but it doesn't mean his judgment is always correct, for example), he can be cruel, and yet in the end, he does the right thing. And on a more "The Doctor is a BAMF" note, infiltrating the Headless Monks. Jesus Christ, that was awesome.

As for River herself...this was one of my favorite episodes for her. I know stuff like her talk with Rory about her birthday and such and what she did (although it kind of takes on a heartbreaking edge because...well, Rory didn't really get to be a dad to her, and...well, it kind of hurts), and, even though she's in the midst of her talk with the Doctor, she takes time to reassure Amy that it's going to be okay. And her speech to the Doctor -- I love how she's just sort of angry, yes, but there's kind of a layer of sadness underneath, like, "It shouldn't have happened this way." And considering everything, it's as if she's calling out her husband on everything that happened to her. In a way, because of the Doctor, she didn't get a proper life. And the worst part about it is that it completely makes sense considering everything else. As River says, "If you carry on the way you are, what will [the name Doctor] come to mean?" Considering how dangerous the Doctor can be, it's almost a warning telling him to turn away from the path he's on before it's too late. See also Adelaide defying him in "The Waters of Mars" and Rose's "What are you changing into?" in "Dalek", as well as why Donna refuses initially to travel with him in "The Runaway Bride" and Joan's condemnation of him in "Family of Blood" (saying, basically, that if he had never come to the village, would people have died). Even Davros himself points it out, and he's probably one of the biggest monsters in the Whoniverse. And River's right -- because he can't go on doing some of the things he's doing.

And yet there's an element of heartwarming in there also, what with Eleven finally finding out who River is (his reaction, along with River's, just sells it), and River revealing to Amy that yes, she is her daughter. Alex Kingston has always been amazing, but she really shone there. Hell, River provides so many Crowning Moments of Awesome, Funny, Heartwarming, etc. -- there's a reason why she's one of my favorites. I also loved Amy and Rory's reunion (before everything went to shit), and Amy calling Rory and Eleven her boys; it was a really lovely callback to "The Vampires of Venice". And Strax's death (seemingly, though, I believe) -- I already really liked Strax (he was pretty awesome, and funny; I know his "I hope to see you on the field of battle" moments were awesome), and his saying that he lived a good life and such (and his "only twelve" thing, which was also...damn), and Rory trying to comfort him -- I don't know how they managed to make "I'm a nurse" that damn lovely, and yet they did. I also loved Kovarian ultimately tricking the Doctor a second time (even though it was horrific -- just...poor Amy, Rory, River and Eleven. *Hugs them*), and earlier, finding out about the Time Lord DNA. Also, the Headless Monks (wonderfully terrifying, and highly underrated, IMHO) River reciting the poem of Demon's Run as everything goes to shit, etc. Honestly, the episode in general was amazing. It's also highly underrated, IMHO.

* I can picture the Judoon mostly being there because...well, for all intents and purposes, Madame Kovarian and co. are criminals, and criminals have to be punished.

** Because distance really doesn't matter a damn when the Doctor's in deep shit.

*** I frankly would love to see how she became who she was. Why she hated the Doctor and such. Hell, even if they sort of pull a "Genesis of the Daleks" and pull Eleven back in time to see how she was made, I'd love to see it.

**** Long story short, she met the Doctor when she was a child (thanks to wibbly wobbly timey-wimey), and she figures she might meet him in battle because the name "Doctor", in the language of her people, means "mighty warrior". So she figures...well, where else can one meet a warrior than the battlefield? So yeah, Lorna's not even against the Doctor -- poor thing is just in the wrong place at the wrong time for the right reasons.

***** And considering "Turn Left", that's a pretty big risk to take. And considering how angry the Doctor can get (see also "The End of the World", etc.), it's phenomenally boneheaded.

****** Also known as pretty damn good on Moffat's part, because...well, as a wise man once said, the mark of a good villain/antagonist is basically, a normal person who happens to be on the wrong side. (From what I can remember) True, some villains can be a force of nature, etc., but the best villains/antagonists tend to be those types: people as capable of as much compassion as cruelty, people who have good traits (courage, loyalty, determination, etc) as well as bad (cruelty, greed, cowardice, etc.), people who have as many good intentions as bad, people who...well, actually have reasons for their actions, and not just "evil because they simply are". Even some villains/antagonists in the past had those reasons, really, e.g. a hell of a lot of villainous characters in classic literature. So yeah...very important. And archetypes are all well and good, but rely solely on archetype and...well, they're not characters. They're just cardboard. Plot is all well and good, but characters give us reason to give a shit. And if we don't give a shit...well, why should we continue reading/watching/etc.?

******* Which really makes Lorna's death all the more heartrending.

******** And even after all he's gone through, he's still very kind. True, he can veer towards the dark side at times, but it does not make him any less kind, or heroic. He's not perfect -- it's really one of many reasons I love him, honestly -- but he is fundamentally good. And that's really what matters in the end. In general, I don't think any of us have to be perfect, really -- I doubt any of us could ever be. We're all too much of a tangle of...human things to really do that. We're complicated. We can be better, but not perfect. I don't think that perfection is what humanity in general should be striving for. Just be good people. That's really all that matters, in the end.

So yeah, overall? Really holds up. Very recommended.