C+Q - The Vampires of Venice (2010)

Generally speaking, a Doctor Who adventure starts with the TARDIS landing in the middle of someone else's story. The Doctor himself is rarely the focal point of the story despite his name being in the title of the show. Instead, he and his companions sweep in, sort out a problem they get caught up in, and sweep out again at the end. As much as I enjoy that basic set-up, I'm also way more engaged and interested by the adventures the Doctor initiates willingly. Usually, the idea of the Doctor proactively seeking a particular goal is reserved for finales like The Pandorica Opens (the Doctor chooses to go to Planet One) or Dark Water (the Doctor chooses to go looking for the afterlife). The Vampires of Venice is an example of the Doctor setting the adventure into motion as part of the main series arc. No longer is he being swept along as a passive observer to all these cracks in time and references to weird buzzwords like "pandorica" or "silence". This episode, he's taking something he's learned (that the explosion in time will happen on the day of Amy's wedding) and using it to shape his actions (deliberately sending Amy and Rory off on a date to Venice to mend their relationship).

This episode is weird in hindsight due to its unique interpretation of what "the silence" actually is. The way it's spoken about by Rosanna Calvierri makes it sound like some huge unstoppable force that consumes entire worlds. The exact properties of each crack in time seems to differ, so it's possible that the crack that devoured her homeworld was a direct link to the exploding TARDIS, like the crack from Cold Blood. In any case, it's one of the few instances where a little bit of work is required from the viewers to retroactively fit it into the overall storyline of the Eleventh Doctor era. The episode ends with a pretty weird silence-related moment that doesn't seem to contribute to anything either. It would've been a way more effective tie-in to have the TARDIS dematerialise to reveal a crack in time on the wall behind it. Or perhaps the camera could've panned away to find the crack in another part of the city so as not to repeat the ending of Victory of the Daleks exactly.

Venice in 1580 is absolutely gorgeous and it's brilliantly utilized. Unlike Victory of the Daleks which trapped us in Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, The Vampires of Venice lets us get out and explore the city. We see everything from bustling marketplaces to quiet canals to dark dungeons to inviting homes, and all of it looks stunning. This is easily the most immersive historical setting of Series 5. The sets and costumes are really spectacular and there are plenty of wide establishing shots to help bring the vibrant city to life. That being said, some shots do look super awesomely fake (but not as super awesomely fake as the clear ADR line from about the 15 minute mark, which is almost as good/bad as "It'll overload!" from Dimensions in Time).

In other news, the 2010+ TARDIS exterior is gorgeous. I have no idea why so many people prefer the old, rusty, battered box because to me the strikingly crisp shade of blue on the current model looks much more pleasant. When the Doctor, Amy, and Rory first step out of it and into the middle of Venice, it really does look like a work of art.

This episode sees the addition of Rory Williams to the TARDIS team and he's excellent here. Unlike the childlike Amy, Rory isn't disillusioned by how whimsical and wonderful the Doctor's life seems and instead is more concerned by the dangers they face. After five episodes of pure fairytale, reality has entered the TARDIS, and just as the Doctor planned, it's making Amy realise that she can't just run away from her adult commitments forever. There's a brief moment of levity where Amy convinces Rory to relax and enjoy their date, at which point there's immediately a murder and reality comes crashing back again. Series 5 as a whole is definitely on par with Series 8 or 9 is terms of arc quality. The characters and the way they develop over time is incredibly well thought out and the idea of having a new companion join the team midway through the series really helps to freshen things up and prevent the filler episodes from being purely filler episodes.

Another thing that elevates this story is the writing of Toby Whithouse. He manages to take a fairly standard Doctor Who story and make it so much more enjoyable with some excellent scenes (like the Doctor's first encounter with the vampires) and hilarious one-liners ("I'm a Time Lord. You're a big fish. Think of the children."). The plot has a lot going on and it keeps ramping up so it's never boring. As a result, the ending feels like there's a lot more at stake than there actually is. Firstly, Amy, Rory, and the Doctor have a high-octane escape from the Calvierri school. Then, Guido kills himself in a spectacular explosion which takes out all the vampires. Then, Rory gets into a swordfight with Ezio from Assassin's Creed. Then, the Doctor climbs to the top of a tower and stops Venice from being flooded. And finally, the main villain feeds herself to her children. Five huge crescendos in one 45-minute adventure. This, combined with the sheer amount of variety in the Venice settings, make this episode feel huge and substantial, distracting from the fact that the premise is fairly standard for Doctor Who.

What could've easily been a small historical adventure to pad out the middle of the series ends up as a really entertaining and thoughtful critique on the Doctor's lifestyle; a critique that plays a large part in the Eleventh Doctor's arc which reaches its pinnacle in A Good Man Goes to War. Series 5 really is a great run for Doctor Who and the introduction of Rory to the main cast brought with it a second wind.

Next: Amy's Choice