Blink [TV/2007.6.9]

★★★★☆

  Rewatching Blink, arguably one of the most popular episodes of Dr. Who's entire history, is certainly unique. It's unique in that it's one of those out-of-left-field adventures where there's minimal involvement from the regular crew (Doctor and companion), an absolutely contained script with seemingly no chance of forcefully extending it because of how well the story begins and ends, bookmarking itself nicely... so of course this spawned a whole pocket universe's worth of its own interlinked stories (I wholeheartedly recommend the video game The Lonely Assassins, brilliant stuff). Strange how Dr. Who works sometimes... but then again, that's why I love the show. Fact of the matter is that in many respects, it's a small miracle that something like Blink caught on with the piblic's liking so well that it got so much critical acclaim. Steven Moffat certainly considers it a slightly confusing affair, seeing as how he speaks about how short it took for him to write this script and how he can barely remember the creative process. Serendipity incarnate, I reckon -- and before anyone asks, yes, I still think Blink is brilliant.

  I mean, how can I not? Carey Mulligan takes the lead role, and she's such a good actor to play the main character. This was before her career really took off and she was working with the likes of Nicolas Winding Refn, Baz Luhrmann and Paul Dano, and I don't know if it's the hindsight playing a part in this (I love most of her filmography), but she's acting circles around everyone else. She's one of Moffat's most memorable one-off characters, certainly, and she's the beating heart that keeps the episode going. Then we have the Weeping Angels, a creepy concept of a monster that turned into one of Dr. Who's most iconic villains. It's all about how they're written, and how director Hettie MacDonald portrays their movements (i.e. following the sights of not just whoever's onscreen but the audience as well); they look creepy as well, which really just seals the deal on their everlasting success. They're the perfect representation of childhood horror turned into an alien race, and I find that endlessly fascinating. Is the climax a bit silly? Perhaps, but I simply don't think about the technicalities about, say, what happens to these Angels after they're trapped like that in the basement of an abandoned house. It's a story, it's all tied up very nicely (one of the cleanest resolutions in a Moffat script, definitely), and I'm happy with it.

  Blink is one of those episodes that I cannot in my heart say is in the absolute top of the pyramid for me, but one that I'd hesitate before saying so about. There's nothing really wrong with it, but I simply don't think it's the absolute best Dr. Who's ever been. That said, it's very nearly there, and it's an incredible piece of television (what with its traditionally being a writer's medium) that still awes to this day. The Easter eggs, the time travel shenanigans, the way outsider Sally Sparrow gets a taste of how getting involved with the Doctor makes her change the lives of so many people without her even knowing it... and of course, the Weeping Angels; it's almost comfortable going back and getting reacquainted with these elements. It's like an old friend you never really forget. Blink doesn't really need any more praise from me (it's getting plenty of that from the rest of the world), but I will say that there's a special spark to this episode that you can't really find anywhere else. 

  This review was first published in Harness of Hopes.