The Blink Review: The Time of Angels

Although the first three episodes of the series had established the new team, and introduced a new and interesting way of storytelling, none of them had the certain factor to make it a ‘classic’ story. ‘The Time of Angels’ sees a real change in atmosphere of the programme, with possibly the most sinister plot there has ever been in Doctor Who, that is a perfect example of Steven Moffat’s iconic writing.

The pre-titles sequence features the return of the popular character River Song, who was last seen sacrificing herself to save the tenth Doctor in ‘Forest of the Dead’. In this episode we get to learn more about her personality, and the mysterious life that she has led. Alex Kingston is as brilliant as ever in this role, and manages to keep the audience intrigued in style, with her witty and saucy acting.

This episode also sees the return of Steven Moffat’s best-known creation, the Weeping Angels, who have often been placed above the Daleks as the scariest monster. With their new powers and horrific ways of killing, they are guaranteed to continue to be a favourite monster. The decaying statues were extremely effective and morbid, although perhaps they were a bit too frightening for a younger generation.

The actual story itself was a vast improvement compared to the first three episodes, with an original fast-paced plot, full of scares and clever plot twists. The most chilling moments of the story were when the Doctor realised that every statue in the catacombs was a Weeping Angel, and when Bob spoke to the Doctor over the communicator, having had is neck snapped.

‘The Time of Angels’ was a perfect first part to a story, with a completely faultless plot and superb acting from the full cast. The cliffhanger was also very exciting, despite a cartoon Graham Norton suddenly appearing on the screen. The stakes have never been higher for the Doctor and his companions. The Weeping Angels are approaching, and now that the Doctor has shot the only source of light, the gravity globe, their deaths seem imminent. Thought that the Weeping Angels couldn’t get any scarier? Blink again…

Rating: 5/5 stars

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