Blu-ray Review: Doctor Who: Series Seven - Part One - Page 2

The last three episodes of the set are more enjoyable. “A Town Called Mercy” sets The Doctor, Amy, and Rory in the Wild West fighting a cyborg gunslinger. It’s a fun episode that lets Smith show the conflicted side of The Doctor. “The Power of Three” is probably the most ambitious episode of the set. Its timeline spans over one year and exemplifies the affect of The Doctor’s presence on Amy and Rory’s lives. The Doctor whisks Amy and Rory off to a series of getaways, celebrating their wedding anniversary, though many of them are not quite as romantic as they had hoped. In the meantime, a ton of little cubes have descended upon the Earth. No one knows their meaning and eventually everyone become apathetic to their existence, even The Doctor. Of course, the little cubes are not there without reason. When their purpose kicks in, we get to see some teamwork from The Doctor, Amy, and Rory. This episode nicely demonstrated the ups and downs of their relationship with The Doctor.

The final episode of the set is easily the best. “Angels Take Manhattan” shows the devotion The Doctor, Amy, and Rory have to each other. It also brings back the Weeping Angels, one of the most frightening Doctor Who villains. The episode was an emotional end to the first half the season and brought many surprises. New York is a great setting for a Weeping Angels storyline because the city is filled with statues. Giving them a sinister twist was a cool way to incorporate the city’s existing architecture into the storyline. Not only does this episode showcase the devotion of the three friends, but more importantly it shows Amy and Rory’s devotion to each other as husband and wife. In the past, the companions have had to give up everything to travel with The Doctor. They always seemed to have to make the choice between The Doctor and their real life. Amy marrying Rory added a different aspect to the relation and at times added conflict. This episode nicely wrapped up the first half of the season.

The Blu-ray is presented in 1080i high definition. The image is very strong and is a mild, but noticeable, improvement over the HD broadcast of the television show. The colors are deep and often lush. The Southwestern landscape of “A Town Called Mercy” looks especially detailed. The rust and sandy colors of the land are well represented. Details like the dusty town, the cacti that line the desert, and the wood grain of the buildings are well defined. The black levels have suitable depth, whether they are in space or the deep underground of the Dalek Asylum. The sound is presented as a DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix. The audio quality, like the visuals, improves upon the broadcast with a more expansive sound field. Ambient sounds are well represented in the surrounds.

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Article Author: Sherry Lipp

Sherry writes mostly music and DVD reviews, and on occasion she gets to do an interview. She plays the guitar, loves to read, watch movies, and write. Sherry also is a gluten free food blogger, and enjoys coming up with grain and sugar free recipes.

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