REVIEW - "The Time Of Angels"

What, you may wonder, am I referring to? Well us lucky blighters north of the border (along with those west of, over the water from and watching in HD) were not treated to the sight of an Aardman animated Graham Norton buffooning across the screen advertising the following show during the final moments of the latest installment of the world's greatest television show. Yup, all you poor bastids in En~ger~land got it bad. So even though there was no mention of Scotland in The Time of Angels, it appears The Moff's Scottish Agenda has taken another form... Now, if you ain't seen the episode then I suggest you stop reading - spoilers follow... (Though not physically spoiling it like the aforementioned vomiting gargoyle that is Mr Norton.)


We're a lucky bunch us Who fans. Week after week we are treated, not just, to tremendous episodes but also to some genuinely great actors and actresses. Last week, Bill Paterson, this week, Alex Kingston. Alex flippin' Kingston! The beautiful, brilliant and, e.r., worldwide famous Alex Kingston. We are truly spoiled. She's got bags of charisma and she's not afraid to use it, and - as she expertly demonstrated in the Silence in the Library two~parter - Alex steals the limelight every time.


River Song is already an engaging addition to the world of Who (I will NOT use the term Whoniverse) but Moffo doesn't use laurels for relaxing, instead choosing to expand on her mythology. Will we find out next week why she was in prison? Perhaps, though Paisley may well choose to leave that little nugget 'til later *coughs* Anyway, Amy's joy at seeing how The Doctor and the, erm, Doctor interacted was delightful. "You sonic'd her" and "Heel" were two particularly well delivered lines from Miss Gillan.


I have to say Kazza was on top form in The Time of Angels. From the light~hearted japery in the opening scenes to the quick~witted defeat of the her angel attacker to her rather spooky eye~dust action, Gillan was astounding. Even more so given the fact that this was the first story actually filmed for the series. Likewise, Mazza also demonstrated just why The Moff & Co. chose him. Faultless. Unlike his actual character who, again, proved that Gallifrey's finest can eff up now and again. Also, his impression of the TARDIS sound was a moment of pure tit~tugging joy.


The story itself was typically Moffo in its timey~wimey opening (DVD~pausingly good) but, as with River Song, he's quite happy to expand on another of his creations, the Weeping Angels. They're a completely different entity now they've been revealed to have these 'new' powers, an entity that you wouldn't want to be stuck alone in a dark alleyway with. Or with an armed group in come creepy caves for that matter.


The perfect episode? Well, no. What bothered me? Well, a couple of things. Should I tell you? Probably not, but I will. These following points are so inconsequential, not to mention trivial, that they may seem larfable but honesty demands that I deliver the truth. During the 'beach' scenes at the start Matt's hair went from dry to wet~style in the blink of an eye (I know why pedants, so don't bother going on about the rain~soaked shoot!) and, wait for this one, I wasn't too keen on the make~up job on Alex Kingston. A noticeable line around the neck highlighted the orangey~ness of her face (though whether or not this was the fault of her character is not made clear or, indeed, needed). Yup, they were the only "bad" points - wet hair and make~up. I must seem like the proverbial tool~a~tron.


And, to be fair, my hair and make~up aren't that impressive at the best of times. The Time Of Angels manages to not only to be a damn good episode but allows two already memorable creations to grow and become even greater. Combined with three magnificently entertaining performances from the leads, some truly cinematic direction AND a blummin' gun~wielding cliffhanger, this has got it all.