UK DW: Ooh. I did love that. Unlike some of the previous finales, it both made sense and was good. I don't think there was too much handwavium, actually. A bit (like only the sonic screwdriver or Amy's DNA needed to open the un-open-able Pandorica), but the rest was actually well plotted. I liked that some of the questions weren't resolved, and that we still have some paradoxes to explore. Wheee paradoxes. Wheee River (next season for her then?) Did he answer the Doctor's question about whether she was married *to him*, do you think? And does anyone else think her time jumpy armband thingy is Jack's? I think she said recently that she met a man in a bar...

Jars, re: "So basically none of my questions got answered. And yet, I'm pretty okay with the whole thing." Well, it was a lot more satisfying than the LOST finale :P Actually, I think the answers to the questions were (almost) all in there.

And as to whether Rory still has a gun in his hand - no, I think he's human. They rebooted the universe and everything happened again, without everything that happened from Amy meeting the Doctor onwards. Which was what they were hinting at having to do all season. It was just a nice surprise that they remember. Not at all sure *why* they'd remember, but it was set up in pt 1 of the finale that they could and would.

I just have one question that I think must have been answered but I missed the answer to: Why did the TARDIS blow up?! I get that it caused every star in the universe to go supernova at once, and that it had been keeping Earth alive for the past 2000-ish years. I just missed the reason it exploded.

ETA: Fiona: I was already planning a fairly geeky wedding. I think there might have to be some TARDIS reference or other now. If The Girl lets me have one. Will start working on persuading her. Matt Smith in a tux: I know! I also liked the fez. And the various jokes around it & around how badly he dresses.

ETA again: I also loved the little references to/uses of the previous episodes. Including the fact that we were right about the Doctor returning to Amy in the Angels episode was a future Doctor. Nicely done.

Seska, Re. the exploding TARDIS, I got the impression that finding out who set it to explode and why was deliberately left a mystery for the next run, along with the whole Silence thing.

I absolutely adored River and Amy teaming up to destroy the fez. There's something about their dynamic together that I really like. I also have a suspicion that there is some connection between the two that will be revealed next season, but that's more a gut feeling than anything else.

Another thing that intrigued me was the River-Dalek confrontation, and the Dalek's reaction when it dug deeper into its data banks. She got a Dalek to beg for mercy. Damn. While I like River and how the character fits into the overall arc, I'm starting to worry a bit that Moffat is setting us up for a bigger payoff than he can deliver.

Also, my first thought upon seeing the stone Daleks was "Great. Daleks that move when you're not looking at them. THANKS, Moffat."

UK Who: I think it's significant that we didn't actually see River destroy the Dalek when it begged for mercy.

Also, I absolutely LOVED the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" as a way to describe the Tardis. I mean, has that ever been mentioned before? Hard to believe it's been just sitting out there like some low-hanging fruit waiting for a writer to pluck it.

UK discussion for this week's US Who

DW UK:

"I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool!"

LOVE.

US Who... Bill Nighy!

I agree the monster's story was given short shrift but I loved Vincent so much I didn't notice until I read the discussion. I cried when they brought him to the museum.

How many weeks behind the UK are we now?

three.

I'm watching Curse of Fenric right now. I'm trying to be open minded but I think I might not have room in my heart for another Doctor & companion.

US Who: I found this episode so sad. I think I relate to it because it`s kinda how I feel about my students, like I wish I could just show them their potential and value. But it was tragic for me because of the inevitability of Van Gogh`s suicide. It feels like it makes a statement about the inevitability of my students` fates and the futility of my work. I know that`s not the intent, but I can`t help responding to it that way. And I was sad for Amy and her loss of Rory.

Laga, thanks for the link.

Lonely monster, blind, far from home. Resonates rather hard, doesn't it? Both with the Doctor and Vincent.

I felt like taking Vincent to the Musee d'Orsay was a bit much, and Nighy's character laid it on a bit thick, but I suppose it would be hard for the writers and the Doctor to resist going there, for the Doctor especially since he doesn't want to deny Amy anything right now. And what a powerful message for children to hear, that the good things in life don't erase the bad and vice versa*, and that you can't always save people who are depressed.

* unless the bad thing is the crack and the good thing is Rory