Rate & Discuss: A Good Man Goes to War
In her cell in Stormcage, River Song sadly acknowledges that the time has come at last – today will mark the Battle of Demons Run and the Doctor’s darkest hour. Both sides will make their sacrifices and River Song must finally reveal her most closely guarded secret to the Doctor.
Well, there we have it! The first half of Series 6 has reached its mind-blowing conclusion. There were twists and turns waiting around every corner, but did it live up to the hype?
Tonight’s epic episode has undoubtedly been one of the most highly anticipated of recent years, and, what with the return of several monsters, the culmination of various ongoing plot threads, plus the long awaited reveal of River Song and the fact that it was our last dose of the Doctor until the autumn, you can see why it had so much riding on its back!
Responsible for delivering the goods was Steven Moffat, the man universally acclaimed for his time and space defying brain. He had lots to get through in the mid-series finale, and from start to finish, the story went by at rocket speed, as the Doctor and Rory the Roman raced across galaxies and River acknowledged that her time had come at last…
For poor Amy, it was an emotional rollercoaster at the hands of Madame Kovarian, while all around them the Doctor’s enemies lay a carefully concealed trap as he called in long held debts and solemnly given promises. Both sides made sacrifices, but was it worth it?
We’ve had some exhilarating cliffhangers this series, and this one was no exception, but we’re now left to twiddle our thumbs until the autumn. Among all the shock revelations and surprises that hit us in tonight’s episode, we’ve been given plenty to think about until our heroes return, most notably River Song, whose true identity has at long last hit the airwaves. Was her secret the pay off we’d been promised? Were your theories right?
So, did you love it or loathe it? Were you blown away by the suspense and danger, or was Steven Moffat’s storytelling just too much to take in? The comments are waiting…
Please don’t read the comments if you haven’t yet seen the episode. Spoilers!
That was epic last part.
By the way, im really think that not river/melody shot the doctor. Even that wasn’t the real one who was shot.
What is interests me:
-will lady kovarian come back?
-where’s amy child/rver/melody?
-how could she be a part-timelord?
-who shotted the doctor, and wss this the real doctor?
Any ideas?
I was reading through everyone’s comments before posting my own, but then I got a bit disenheartened and decided to quit while I was ahead.
Of course WE all had worked out that River was Melody! We’re Whovians! We spend far too much of our lives obsessing over things like this! But for the casual viewer, it was much more of a shock – my sister’s eyes nearly popped out of her head!
For me, the best moment was Melody being a flesh avatar. In particular Rory’s “We know.” Actually, Rory was amazing in general this episode – such a BAMF! “Do you need me to repeat the question?”
Amy towards the end – brilliant acting, but equally brilliant writing. Steven Moffat really got into the parent-with-a-threatened-child mentality.
I’m liking the remaining mysteries – how has TARDIS travel affected Melody’s biology so drastically, for one thing. As the Doctor said, the evolution of the Time Lords took billions of years. Merely being conceived in the Vortex – could that have had such a dramatic effect?
River/Melody being able to regenerate solves a few problems, for example how we’re going to see River getting younger. Shame that the implication there is that we won’t keep Alex Kingston forever, but it does write the show out of a problem or two.
Does anyone else think that the Doctor won’t be able to find Melody yet? Taking what we know – that she’s supposed to become a weapon and that she killed the best man she ever knew – doesn’t it seem likely that he’ll only find her once she’s killed… whoever it is?
As for the ‘whoever it is’, I’m leaning towards it being Rory. We’ve had a bit of a theme of confusing Rory and the Doctor this series – I think this would be a brilliant place to continue that theme. It would also be a way for Amy/Rory to leave the show. Not yet, obviously, but they’ll have to leave eventually, and that’s a pretty good way to go.
Right, I’m off to watch Confidential, which I haven’t had a chance to watch yet.
Alex Kingston has been incredible in every episode she has appeared in.
Definitely one of the best characters in DW.
Was there an Ood in this episode? I need to rewatch it as I may have blinked and missed it.
you see when the doctor was making an army and he got the pirate and his son to come. I thought the pirates son couldnt come because if he left the hospital ship he would die.
@geree
1)lady kovarian is in episode 8
2)river is going back to stormcage (i think) and taking rory and amy home.
3)it was something to do with the tardis time rotor or something.
4) as for that one we know its not river cause we know now that she was the girl in the first 2 episodes and the girl escaped from the astronaut suit.
@David
There was no Ood in the episode. I know in the credits it said it was created by Davies but there was no Ood at all
I enjoyed this episode quite a lot actually – and I think it managed to overcome all the hype it had recieved before hand.
The building of an army and repaying debts I thought was a brilliant idea that was not explored enough – although with time constraints I suppose it is understand able. And Im not sure on who the doctor picked to join him. Ok, so the silurians (although including the relationship between Vastra and ‘jenny’ seemed to be just there for cheap gags) and sontran nurse strax were there because of their abilities in battle – but I wonder why not bring back in one old companion in particular – Captain Jack Harkness I mean if I was going to war id want someone I knew to be battle-hardened and oh, immortal on my side (especially when neither barrowman or moffat have said he couldnt return)
But hey hoe – I still enjoyed the structure of it and the way the doctor was tricked twice by the same method, I thought was a neat way of undermining him
oh, and the gallifrayian crib
Just excellent
But I think we are forgetting quite a major event here, and something that was said to be explained this series
The reason for the TARDIS exploding at the end of last series hasn’t been explored at all this series in the slightest which means that the explaination is yet to come – this also ties in with the whole omega signs making an appearence and I quite like the idea of the whole church working for him under his banner but unknowingly.
I was quite surprised that River Song was Melody Pond, but I was half expecting it. When the astronaut shoots the Doctor, I think that the Doctor (the one that is 200 years younger) finds out about it and makes a copy of himself (flesh?) or manages to make a different reality or change the course of time so that it doesn’t happen. Can’t wait until “Let’s Kill Hitler”!
@Ewan
in the ganger episode amy told the doctor he was going to die thinking he was the ganger.But the doctor has died in some part of time in the future already theres no saving him but no one said that was the original doctor that died it could be a ganger or something big and complicated.
I hate it when Moffat brings us speeches in episodes that makes us think the Doctor and Amy are an item. And then he has to bring Rory into it or joke about it!
It’s not even funny! he builds all of our hopes up and then crashes them to pieces thats all he’s done in series 6, especially in ‘A Good Man Goes To War’ – when Amy is talking to Melody/River about who her father is…
“He’s lived for hundreds of years and is the last of his kind” etc
we/everyone immediatly thinks “Oh my god! It’s the Doctor’s baby!”
and also in the first two parter with Amy’s whole ‘I love you i know you think it’s him but its not’ speech. And the Doctor and Amy saying that it wasnt Rory’s child, it was the Doctors and then he made a joke out of that.
Im not just saying this cause im an eleven & amy shipper but he has focused waaaaaayyy too much with Rory and Amy this series. It’s like every episode now is about both of them as a couple and how they love each other etc. it is nice every now and again but he’s using too much of it. And don’t even get me started with the Doctor, he’s obviously in love with Amy – Moffat knows that, so why does he show the Doctor having such great affection for her and knowing they cant be together. I dont see the point in it, and there are also scenes where Amy feels the same way for him too and they dont or wont do anything about it!
And finnally on River Song…it was so damn obvious! at least 70% of the world had that idea in their head straight away. But her being their daughter just wont work for me, River is nothing like Rory in any way and tbh i just dont like the whole idea of her being Amy’s daughter. I liked the whole friends connection they had before we found out they were mother and daughter. ALSO when River first meets Amy when she is 21 years old – she showed NO emotion whatsoever. If I went back in time and saw my mum when she was 21, I know i’d get a bit emotional im sure anyone would for that matter. I was just a bit dissapointed with the episode, dont get me wrong I love Doctor Who and im still a die-hard fan of it. But this series is WAAAAAYYY different from series 5. This series isn’t as good I don’t think – the only main episodes i’ve enjoyed so far is the opening two parter. I do like the other episodes up until now but they just dont feel like Doctor Who for some weird reason…
@blakey
Of course River didn’t react when she saw Amy at 21 – she’d already seen her at 21! We haven’t seen their ‘first’ meeting with River as an adult yet. And as for Moffat ‘making us think the Doctor and Amy are an item’, I think it’s more about stating that Rory is just as good as the Doctor, just as special.
@blakey
Steven Moffat dosnt make all these twists because in the end 1000000s of children watch the show im one of them .Younger children dont want to see marriages breaking up and one there favourite characters leaving because there wife is breaking up with them.We want happy endings not break ups and tears.The jokes are put in for kids so everything isnt all serious and complicated, so they can have some sort of understanding.
@blakey
I get what your saying about how alot of the episodes are centering around the relationship between rory and amy and I also find it reasonably frustrating, especially with all the indescsion surrounding the real parents of melody.
But I cant see the doctor every having a relationship with any of his human companions. I mean its just the ageing – while the doctor never dies everyone he loves does. Also while I do think the doctor loves amy, i dont think it in the same way as you. I think its more a protectional (not sure if thats a word but you get what i mean) love with him deeply caring for her
And I think it does have a point. If he didin’t show affection for his companions how could you show any depth to the relationships.
Double Comment!!
Actually saying that, I quite like how the relationship of rory and amy has spaned over the 1 1/2 series and I think rory really came into his own this episode.
But I just want to get back to having a mad man and a blue box and perhaps a little less of it
@Patrick
Thanks Patrick.
I noticed the Ood credit at the end and thought I was either going mad or had missed an Ood somewhere.
@David
i agree she is the best character in doctor who and im happy she hasent turned out to be evil r like other people have said the rani lol
@blakey
I think a lot of that is just your personal perception. The Doctor is not “obviously in love” with Amy. If he was, why was he so freaked out when she jumped him at the end of Flesh & Stone last season? Why did he go to great lengths to make sure he wasn’t breaking up another relationship, like he did so blithely with Rose and Mickey? Personally I’m glad Moffat and Matt have steered the Doctor back to being more ambiguous when it comes to human emotions.
I for one don’t think its completely outside the realm of possibility for the Doctor to develop deeper feelings for someone, but I think it should also be a very rare occurrence.
Everyone is saying how can River be part timelord… they did explain it! The “army” was monitoring the baby since birth, being conceived in the TARDIS during flight in the vortex gave a kick start but since then the “army” were modifying the DNA to make it more and more timelord. One thing which is puzzling me is the Dr’s reaction to when the silurian said “Is Melody human?” and just how he reacts in a false surprised tone… Is that just bad acting or on purpose… If on purpose maybe the Dr knows more than we think he does.
Someone mentioned how River knows the Dr’s real name, I think as she is part timelord she can read galifraian and so can read what is on the cot
Oh and I loved the whole “big reveal” even thought I saw it coming. People who were disappointed by the ep. then why read spoilers? My little sisters were all surprised by it, so it must have been a surprise for most people.
Sorry for double post… But we still don’t know who is conducting this “raging war with the dr.”!!! I love how that is now the big cliffhanger for the second half.
AND one more thing: Is Torchwood gonna be on like the whole of the 3 months DW is off air?? Or just for the part of it? Cause it’d be good to keep us busy and occupied until DW continues so we don’t spoil it for ourselves by over thinking and thinking of all the possibilities.
I suspected River was Amy’s daughter as soon as she uttered the word “pregnant” in “The Impossible Astronaut”, but the reveal was still beautiful, moving and powerful.
This episode was brilliant, but I can’t help thinking it should have been a two-parter. The events which took place here were epic, moving, thrilling, funny, but WHY did they take place ? Why does Madame Kovarian want to destroy the Doctor ? Why did she choose the (underused) Headless Monks to set this trap ? They were suitably creepy, but not THAT dangerous after all, and after all the hype from Colonel Manton, they could have explained why they were chosen as allies.
Also, the whole “rising higher than ever then falling even further” was underwhelming, to say the least. What did the Doctor get ? One little disgusted look by Amy, and then River pops out again and saves the day because she’s the living proof Melody will be saved after all, and the Doctor leaves smiling and laughing. This episode was supposed to be his “darkest hour”, but some 9th and 10th hours were way darker than this one.
All in all, a little disappointed, but still very much in love with the show (Alex Kingston is a goddess, she deserved to appear in the opening credits, what are they waiting for ?) and looking forward to the 2nd part of the season. In Steven Moffatt I still trust.