Season 5 Episode 12: The Pandorica Opens

Summary:
Vincent van Gogh has painted a picture that shows an exploding Tardis. River tries everything to contact the Doctor and show him the picture. When they finally meet, it's in a Roman camp in Britain and River is disguised as Cleopatra. Together with River and Amy, the Doctor travels to Stonehenge where he finds the Pandorica. He always thought that it was a fairy tale but now it's standing in front of him and it starts to open. Soon, they notice that Stonehenge is transmitting a message and River finds out that thousands of different alien ships are around Earth. It seems that every race in the universe came together to form an alliance. River tries to bring the Tardis to Stonehenge but she has problems with her and lands in Amy's time. There she finds a book with Amy's favourite stories and also a book with Romans with a picture of Rory in it. Meanwhile in the past, Rory saves Amy from a Cyberman but she doesn't recognise him first. The Doctor wonders how Rory can be there but soon he has other problems because it seems that everything what is happening, is a trap for him.

This episode is quite exciting and we are able to see River again. I don't know, I just love the character of River Song, so I'm always glad to see her again. It's brilliant how many connections to other episodes are made in the first couple of minutes and that the characters reappear. That shows that everything is connected in a way. This episode brings the return of Rory as well, although he isn't human anymore. It's just great to have him back and Amy is able to remember him in the end. They have put so many different alien races into this episode, which I find really amazing. Who would have thought that Daleks, Cybermen and all the others would form an alliance to save the universe but they blame the wrong person for it. I love the little action scenes in this episode when Amy fights the Cyberhead or when River pilots the Tardis. This episode is a great first part of the season 5 finale but it's somehow very depressing because there seems to be no hope that everything will be alright again.

Quotes from "The Pandorica Opens"

The Doctor: You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe.
River Song: You wouldn't answer your phone.

The Doctor: One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down the world.
Amy: How did it end up in there?
The Doctor: You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it.
River Song: I hate good wizards and fairy tales. They always turn out to be him.

Amy: That was my favorite pick when I was a kid. What's wrong?
The Doctor: Your favorite school topic. Your favorite story. Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence.

The Doctor: Yes, okay, okay, okay, okay. Dalek fleet, minimum 12,000 battleships, armed to the teeth. Ah, but we've got surprise on our side! They'll never expect three people to attack 12,000 Dalek battleships. 'cos we'd be killed instantly, so it would be a fairly short surprise... Okay, forget surprise.

River Song: Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run.
The Doctor: Run, where?
River Song: Fight, how?

Amy: It's weird, I feel.. I don't know, something.
The Doctor: They fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things you can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half-eaten meals. Rings. Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered... it can come back.

The Doctor: Hello again.
Rory: Hello.
The Doctor: How've you been?
Rory: Good, yeah. Good. I mean, Roman.
The Doctor: Rory, I'm not trying to be rude. But you died.
Rory: Yeah. I know. I was there.
The Doctor: You died and then you were erased from time. You were never born at all. You never existed.
Rory: Erased. What does that mean?
The Doctor: How can you be here?
Rory: I don't know. It's kind of fuzzy.
The Doctor: Fuzzy?
Rory: Well, I died and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting.

Doctor: Come on, look at me! No plan, no back up, no weapons worth a damn, oh, and something else I don't have, anything to lose! So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little space ships with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way! Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then, do the smart thing! Let somebody else try first.

The Doctor: Go get her.
Rory: But I don't understand. Why am I here?
The Doctor: Because you are. The universe is big, it's vast and complicated, and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles. And that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet, but this would do me.

Amy: Why am I crying?
Rory: Because you remember me. I came back. You're crying because you remember me.