A Good Man Goes to War
Story 218, Episode 777, Series 6 Episodes 7
Doctor: The Eleventh Doctor
Companions: River Song, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Madame Vastra
A massive reveal drops in a story that examines the Doctor and his actions in a way no story to this point has. Many, many questions remain unanswered, but you can’t help but be swept along.
The Review
Demons run when a good man goes to war. The Doctor started out as just a man unable to control his time machine, careening from place to place, doing his best sometimes just to stay alive. Centuries later, he is something rather different, a legendary, hallowed figure, with an entire army under the auspices of the Papal Mainframe here to take him on. As River asks the Doctor, did he ever expect he would turn out like this? Why the Church is after the Doctor is never answered, what plans they have for Melody Pond, Amy and Rory’s daughter, is never answered, but in this episode, we don’t need those answers. The existence of this group determined to defeat the Doctor raises questions for him and us about just who he is.
The opening to this episode is excellent, starting with Rory boarding a ship and demanding Cybermen tell him where his wife is as the Doctor destroys the legion behind him. Dorium Maldovar is back, and an excellent presence, telling Kovarian and her troops just how afraid of the Doctor they should be. We’ve seen that blue box popping up in various odd places, and when it finally comes for Dorium the silhouette of the Doctor is scary. A young woman, Lorna, is here to see the Doctor because she remembers him as a great warrior. We think the Doctor won the day, but it turns out the real baby Melody has been taken, Amy was caring for Flesh. It’s a loss.
At the end, the reveal comes from River that she is Amy and Rory’s daughter. It’s a cracker of a reveal, Lorna is from a forest and stitched Melody Pond in her people’s language. The only water in the forest is the river, so it comes out as ‘River Song’. It’s an absolute whopper of a reveal, and one of the best in show history. Sure, her being the Doctor’s wife: easy to guess. No one saw this coming though. Despite all the questions left unanswered, this story is an exciting thrilling one with a dark emotional core and a stunning conclusion. It also introduces us to Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, Vastra feeling just like she’s known the Doctor forever. The reunion of Amy and Rory is also incredibly sweet.
The lack of answers to the overall anti-Doctor plot should’ve been a red flag for the rest of Series 6. Here, it just feels us excited for me. Good men don’t need rules, and today isn’t the day to find out why the Doctor needs so many.
9.5/10 I’m a sucker for stories like this that just pour on excitement
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