Where’s the parrot?

So another week goes by and once more we are treated to a visually superb episode of Doctor Who — The Curse of the Black Spot, but is that enough? My continuing sequence of reviews of  the latest Eleventh Doctor TV series continue (see elsewhere in this blog for others, including last week’s Day of the Moon).

Rather inevitably I will have enjoyed it yet found enough holes to make it look like a Swiss Cheese…

This week’s exciting new adventure

First the good bits (IMHO)

Superb sets, more swashbuckling than you shake a sonic screwdriver at, beautiful siren and another fun packed episode of Doctor Who rushes past our brains at top speed. Top that with Hugh Bonneville as the pirate Captain Avery and what’s not to like?

We also had a glimpse of mysterious eye patch lady!

Now the lesser bits (IMHO)

First let me remind readers that I do like a bit of Doctor Who pirating – see for example my review of the Moorcock book The Coming of the Terraphiles or the classic Doctor Who and the Pirates. This does not mean I turn off my critical faculties. So, here is a list of gripes:

• Whilst I like pirates in space, these are 17th century seamen; could they really fly the ship and keep it running?
• Hadn’t the space ship been stuck for a long time? Where were the other suspended animation seamen it had encountered?
• Aliens suddenly need jabs; realistic but not previously dwelt on in the show
• The TARDIS has no cure for Typhoid? Really?
• Where was the Doctor? All he did was get things wrong?
• The TARDIS suddenly was no use – if only other baddies knew how easy it was to disable…
• Rory didn’t die; there was no need to drag the resuscitation on given he lived. This and the TARDIS doesn’t work sequence were just fillers as far as I could tell.

Series Arc Speculation

I don’t believe this was part of the main arc, just in to give some variation during the season, and no harm in that. I also don’t think next week’s Doctor’s Wife will tell us a lot mainly as it was written for the first season. However, my latest thinking is:

Amy’s baby: an actual birth would surely mean leaving the show. One day there will be a child, a girl. Its middle name will be River as a tribute but she will actually grow up to be River Song [I wasn’t far off with this]

Mystery girl: part Time Lord so one parent probably the Doctor (though may change after next week’s story). We know the Doctor gets intimate with River so therefore it is their child given to Amy to look after by River then given by Amy to the care home in 1969 (not ideal I know, but you think of a theory!)

Who killed the Doctor?:  I still think Amy will end up doing it. This might lead to her leaving the show…

Anyway, these are my thoughts, catch up with you all next week!