S5E10: Vincent and the Doctor

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/episodes/b00spgsf/galleries/vincent_and_the_doctor_wallpapers

Beautiful episode! Actually.... actually beautiful! I want to cry! It was just one of those episodes... I don't know what the word is..

10/10

I cried.I admit it,I creid.The end..oh,the end!Vincent finding out he was a sucsess,then amy finding out he still commited suicide,so heart-breaking!As where the rory mentions,and amy:"Im not really the marrying type"

Easily, 5/5, no question! This episode was brilliant. It was fun, it was funny, it was touching, it was sad, it was hopeful, it was many, many things.

As an illustrator who struggles with depression (and who manages it pretty well much of the time thanks to my friends, my family, and my medication. Oh, and chocolate *lol*), this episode really struck a chord with me. I have a great deal of respect for impressionists like Van Gogh because of their ability to take the world they live and see, and paint it from the heart rather than strictly from the eye.

Van Gogh was criminally under-appreciated while he lived, and its probably because he (like so many other artists) was ahead of his time. While the whole episode was great, when the Doctor decided to take Vincent to see just how important and valued his art really was, that was the point where I nearly came to tears. It was so touching that one wished it had been something that really happened. If only each of us could see exactly how our lives end up touching so many others...what a gift that would be.

I was concerned that the episode would end on a downbeat note, but I was very pleased that it didn't, and at least in this tale we didn't have to deal with that blasted crack *lol*

Anyway, I really loved this episode, probably more than any other this season, and I'd probably rank it amongst my top-5 episodes of the revived series. It was just that good, and I'm pleased to see that many of you enjoyed it as well.

I loved it, mostly for the ending.

I thought the monster bits were crap. If they were trying to establish a tie between the monster's loneliness and Vincent's they did a horrible job.

But everything else about the episode was spectacular. Watching The Doc fiddle with that ridiculous contraption was awesome. Another "bowties are cool" line, awesome. Anytime we see a previous incarnation of The Doc in the new series, awesome.

So-so SFX didn't spoil this amazing episode. Loved it to bits. Deeply emotional, Amy was great and Matt was in fine form. The end was amazing.

i am going to weigh in with my thoughts, and it's going to be a long one, so buckle in kiddo's. this episode gets 100/10 from me(yes i know, that's more than 10, that's sort of the point). not only is this my favorite episode of this series(as many of you know how critical i am of the new series), i also might think this might be my favorite doctor who episode ever! yes, i really did just say that.

let's start out at the beginning. first we get the brilliant bill nighy, who i along with other's think would have made a perfect doctor. the conversation he had with smith about the bow-tie was brilliant. the travelling back in the past, to a genius who isn't quite appreciated in his time reminded me of the shakespeare code(i know he was appreciated, but it reminded me of the episode), and the unquiet dead(which is one of my favorite "historical" episodes. love dickens!).

the actor who played vincent should get an award. i don't think i've ever seen someone play a tortured genius so well. i mean, sure, i've seen movie's where normal actors act "handicapped", but i never see them pull it off well. this portrayal of manic depression is the best i've ever seen in the visual media(there was an old movie called "mr. jones" with richard gere that wasn't too bad, but wasn't as good as this).

i liked the invisible monster. i think the rear-view mirror weapon was way better than the corner of the eye thing in the eleventh hour(my opinion). even though it was wierd fx(looked like a giant chicken to me), i did like the creature. this was a "classic" doctor who adventure if i've ever seen one on the current series. during most of the show, i've never smiled so much, or laughed so much while they were fighting an invisible monster, or running away from it.

at the end, when they killed it, it was sad to find out why it was here on earth. and reminds us all that not everything is as it seems, and a monster that kills could just be confused and hurt itself(an analogy for some people i suppose). this is where the episode got serious, though.

when the doctor took vincent to our time, and he broke down in tears, hearing how much he succeeded, i cried at the same time he did, and didn't stop untill the episode was over. to me, this episode is everything that doctor who could be, and should be. i know that not every episode can make you laugh, or cry at the same time, but (in my opinion), this episode could almost be a stand alone story.

no crack thread. no amy saving the day. no rewriting history. just a view into a tortured genius's mind, giving him some happiness, if only for a small period of time, and everything is the same as it was before.

i would really like to know what the rest of you think when you see this episode. i know that i have been called critical of this season, but if more episodes were like this, i would love this year more than any other year. to me, this is the breakout story of the year. this writer should get an award. the director should get an award. the actors should get awards. this was a beautifull, funny, heart-wrenching piece that was science fiction mixed with the cruel reality that we live in. i loved every minute of it!!!!

Wow, really? I strongly disliked this episode. First I was incredibly bored -- such that I had to stop watching and go to sleep about 20 minutes into the ep -- and then I was insulted by the ending and prolonged epilogue. I always hate crap like this, where I'm expected to feel uplifted or affirmed by the triumphs of others, because their triumphs are not my own and never will be and do nothing to convince me of the possibility of light in my darkness because my darkness is not shared and impenetrable and okay I'll not go further on that point.

I actually feel a bit (more) suicidal having watched this episode. I guess I can appreciate the sentiment and intent, but it's completely backfired in my case.

As a lifelong sufferer of severe depression I can appreciate the story. I didn't know that Van Gogh was afflicted by depression either so this was a good teaching lesson for me.

I was disappointed by the special effects and thought the creature looked like a chicken too. I felt the characters took the death of the chicken creature too lightly and I thought it was going to stir up some deep memory within Amy about Rory. The scene where Vincent mentions to Amy about her crying was a nice touch but it became a loss when nothing was followed up about it.

I don't know why but from the preview I don't have any high expectations about the next episode at all. A first for me seeing that I've been enjoying and looking forward to every episode that's been coming our way this year.

The actual affliction(s) that van Gogh suffered from are matters of some debate. What is certain, is that at times he was a very tortured soul.

I didn't mind the creature effects, or the somewhat blunted reaction to its death, considering it had killed two innocent people, AND given the summation of its race's behavior. It was sad, yes, but not something that should have weighed on them overmuch.

I figure van Gogh's commenting on Amy's loss is going to come up later. It was just a tease here.

And I agree about "The Lodger". I'm hoping we aren't about to end up with another "Fear Her".

Lovely episode...beautiful how Vincent could see Amy's sadness even if she could not. An underlying acknowledgment of Rory, which needs more, but the glimpses were nice. I'm still sad about that, even though spoilers have been somewhat encouraging, for me, that affected my enjoyment of the episode -- I'll watch it again a couple of times and see if I can sort that out, though! Love Bill Nighy and the bow tie exchange...the gazing at the starry, starry night...and the visit to the museum where Vincent gets to hear about his impact.

So, really a first rate episode, and if I hadn't cared about Rory so much, probably would have even been better -- then again, I think that added an even more satisfying emotional dimension, so...to the contrary, the next time I see it, it *will* be better!

i know i'll watch this episode again and again. only other one i liked this season like this was amy's choice.

My review of "Vincent and the Doctor" is now online at my site:

http://corvusonline.net/timewinds/reviews/review-vincent-and-the-doctor

Feel free to take a look

Good review. I've added your site to my favorites list. I read that you regenerated your site. Did it go by another name?

corvus, nice extended review. i like how you go into detail. i also appreciated the actors, and script, and just can't say how much i really did like this episode.

jfh1970...
Nope, that had been its name for many years. The old version was located over at freeservers, and when I brought the new version "live" back in April, I turned the old url into a re-direct. I thank you for adding it to your faves

bret_owen99...
Thank you! I've tried to compress my reviews in the past, and I just can't do it *lol*, so I'll just stay true to my long-windedness and keep em somewhat lengthy. And yes, it really was a good episode.

So who on the production team has a thing for William Hartnell? After 40 years of very little mention we get his image in the Season opener, but then also in a few little sight gags throughout the season. You'd think it would be Tom Baker scarf jokes or an abundance of frilly shirts in the TARDIS. As someone who loves the original Season 1 it's nice to see the man who started it all get a bit of notice.

Troughton made an appearance too.