Another excellent episode of Doctor Who last night - visually stunning in the various references to the paintings of Van Gogh and moving in its examination of depressive madness expressed through art. I had initially thought that the invisible monster was the weak link in this story, but on second thoughts I think it is a theme of this season emerging.
I think that Stephen Moffat is examining the best and worst of humanity. The 'monsters' are simply trying to live their lives and survive their contact with humankind - the whale being exploited by the citizens of Starship UK, the stranded vampires of Venice trying to reproduce on a hostile planet, the Silurians who have prior claim to Earth. Even the Daleks could not have succeeded in their scheme without the collusion of Churchill being willing to use any weapon to win the war, regardless of the risk. The Doctor is constantly being forced to question his love of humanity as they continually let him down, demonstrating their short-sightedness, greed and brutality. It takes an encounter with the flawed genius of Vincent Van Gogh to show that humans are indeed capable of great things.
Not bad for a kids show, I think.
In games news, I am now south of the border in Red Dead Redemption with a whole new set of challenges to face. After a shootout on a raft drifting down the river, I went exploring for a while and found myself caught in a storm at night with lightning casting shadows across the desert landscape while the thunder gave the surround sound speakers a good workout. I was also pleased to have unlocked a Clint Eastwood style poncho which is highly appropriate for duking it out with the various banditos and revolucionarios.
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