5x08 The Hungry Earth (1)

There are a lot more elements i appreciate this time around, 5 years since last watching. I guess it just comes with more life experience and having seen a lot more fiction in general.

The emotion when Amy is taken is good. There's also the good little things like Amy saving that guy from sinking, showing a bit more of her empathetic character. We saw a bit of that with Rory too when he asked everyone how they were doing in the church, but i don't like his characterization in the rest of the episode, and his characterization in general really across the show. Here he's clueless and kinda dopey through the episode, and i don't like it. His character is often played for a joke, a buffoon in the show, and i don't like it.

Contrast that to Mickey in the Russel T Davies era, and while he was sometimes incompetent, he was mentally "with it" in the various plots he was involved in.

I just don't like the walking trope that is Rory. While he has some good moments and development during the show, i generally don't like his characterization. I don't like how paranoid he was of Amy wearing the wedding right either. He should be alright with her wearing it while on their adventures and if it gets lost then that's life, things happen, you're exploring all of space and time, you shouldn't be worried about the cost of a wedding ring.

I liked The Doctor this episode, the range of emotions he went through and sold were really good. The curiosity of what's going on, the inquisitiveness of what's happening and investigating the various things and talking to people, it's all really good and well acted. Good moments like him looking back at the gate and wondering about Rory. But there's also moments him like letting the kid wander off to get his headphones when the timer was close to 0. That showed one of the characteristic flaws of the doctor, and how he was too consumed in the situation to think about the kid.

So many good moments. Nasreen, Amy's feistiness in the pod, Rory questioning the doctor about Amy, the doctor promising people he's going to save them. The creepyness of the situation from the ground swallowing people up to then there's beings coming up from the ground headed for them, to then the doctor preparing defenses. The Silurians themselves are creepy as they stalked the shadows and kidnapped the kid. When we see them proper with the prisoner the creepyness evaporates but it's replaced by a certain curiosity about them, and a menacing vibe given off from them. I liked the doctor's interrogation. I liked the creepy moment where the guy admits to being dissected and we see the proof and then Amy's fear. Some things don't make entire sense, like the few Silurians sent to attack the workers and then they just retreat, and the way the ground sinking phenomena feels a bit hollow, like the way it all works and how fast it works, seems a bit like not making sense. But even with those few quibbles, i think it's a really good episode.