When we last saw Amy Pond in last week's "The Hungry Earth", things weren't going so well for the Doctor's latest companion. Taken hostage by an ancient race of reptilian humanoids called the Silurians, it seems that live dissection is, quite literally, on the table for her and fellow captive. Not to fear, as the Doctor and engineer Nasreen have managed to infiltrate the underground Silurian city looking for them, when they're not being entranced by the magnitude of their subterranean surroundings, that is.
Meanwhile, Rory, Tony, and worried mum are on the surface, charged with the safe keeping of their Silurian hostage, Alaya, who has become morbidly prophetic. Not helping is Tony's vicious wound, inflicted by Alaya's deadly tongue-lashing that's slowly creeping through his increasingly emerald-colored veins. It's a deadly game our heroes are playing this time around, and let's just say that not everyone makes it through alive this time around - including a major character.
If all this sounds like a right mess, that's probably because you skipped last week's equally-exciting opening chapter "The Hungry Earth". I'll wait right here while you catch up (go ahead), and when you think you're ready to proceed, simply keep reading for the rest of the spoiler-ridden of the Doctor Who "Cold Earth" micro-review!
"Cold Earth" may be just the ninth episode of the Matt Smith-starring reign of the show, but I can't remember when so much was packed into a single episode, even if it is a concluding chapter of events that were previously set-up. An awkward opening narrated retrospective from the future opens things in almost historical terms (shades of last season's epic two-part "The End of Time" serial that closed out David Tennant's reign), as we learn a great deal of what's to happen in some version of the planet's still-undetermined future. It seems a peace was brokered between the humans and Silurian race, although much was to happen before then, and the events of this episode only detail the very beginning of what's surely been a very long process.
Many of the long-held beliefs in the Doctor Who universe of thought make appearances here, including the notion that first appearances can be deceiving. While other science-fiction shows would be more than content to portray the mysterious reptilian warriors as some invading force, here they become more sympathetic, as the first intelligent masters of Earth who fled the surface to survive what their scientists predicted would be a catastrophic collision with an incoming planet. That planet turned out to be the moon, and in their absence the mammals - led by the ape-like human race - would go on to evolve and become the dominant species.
Alaya's sister Restac (Neve McIntosh, playing both parts in some great make-up) has plans to rid the surface of humanity (apes, she calls them) and reclaim the earth for Silurian. Despite their first impression otherwise, however, not all Silurian are bent on destroying humanity to reclaim the surface. Led by the aged Eldeen (Stephen Moore), the Doctor and Crew are freed and invited to discuss things in further detail. As the Doctor attempts to hold the first conference of Human/Silurian peace talks (to decide about sharing the surface of the earth for both species), Restac arms her forces and plans to override Eldeen's apparent sympathy of cohabitation with humans.
As I mentioned in the opening blurb, not everyone survives the events of "Cold Earth", which takes on much deeper concern when one of those is a major character. If you're not interested in surprises, or simply can't stand to wait until you see the demise of a key player in the recent series disappear from the plot (literally), stop reading now and you'll be safe.
Still grieving over the loss of her sister Alaya, Restac manages to escape the poisonous gas warnings that frightened her soldiers, and just as we think the Doctor and Crew have made it safely back to the TARDIS, shoots and kills Rory (Arthur Darvill). But even more intriguing is his body's proximity to the surprise appearance of the integral ‘crack in time' from previous episodes, which has manifested itself deep within the bowels of the Silurian's underground city.
As its glowing vines begin to tangle onto Rory's body, Amy realizes that she's about to lose not just Rory, but all memory of him as he's erased from existence. The Doctor tries to keep some semblance of his memory alive, but as Amy cheerfully waves to a future version of herself (alluding to the opening moments in last week's episode), it's clear the damage has been done. Whether the crack in time is being used as a future plot or convenient ‘forgetful' device at this point remains to be seen, but at the very least erasing Rory's existence from time probably saves us from having to watch Amy grieve in the immediate future.
Those with attentive eyeballs shouldn't be all that surprised that Rory's time was up, as his death was essentially foretold a few episodes back in "Amy's Choice", where they toyed with the idea of a Rory-free Amy Pond. But as we've come to expect this show, it's probably best to expect the unexpected (which seems like a logical paradox all its own). The last moments showing the Doctor clasping what appears to be a burned piece of his own TARDIS suggests that we're in for another mind-melting storyline involving the mysterious crack in time, and I'm pretty sure that we haven't seen the last of Ms. Pond's now-deceased fiancé.
What a fantastic closer to last week's opening part, and one of the best episodes of the show I've ever seen. There's literally so much packed into its short 45-minute running time that I'm astonished that it never felt rushed or compressed, perhaps aware that lingering thoughts and story arcs would be free to express themselves fully in future episodes. The Matt Smith-era is turning out to be one for the ages, and truly excels when it continues to chart its own course and on its own terms. Doctor Who has always been a show that lives and breathes on the imagination of its crack writing staff and actors, and with Matt Smith, Karen Gillam, and the rest they've got one hell of a team. Let's see where they take us next, as the best sci-fi/drama/whatever on television continues to blaze new adventures.
As the concluding chapter of an exciting two-part saga, the official BBC website gets a pass for having a relatively weak set of bonus features and fun downloadable goodies to play with. As such, the same Silurian PDF mask they posted last week will have to suffice, although a minutely updated case file of the reptilian humanoids themselves is there if you're curious to know more about them. That'll have to do for now, at least until next week's interesting looking romp with Vincent Van Gogh in "Vincent and the Doctor" starts up. Check out all the fun right HERE!
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