First Impressions Of A New World

 The Vampires of Venice

“Venice!” “Venetia!”
Six weeks in and Doctor Who has gone continental when the Doctor’s wedding present to Amy and Rory turns out to be more than just a book token, but a trip to 16th century Venice, where they find a group of Vampires who are not all that they seem and a sinister school.
After the drama of The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone it was refreshing for The Vampires in Venice to be a camp yet highly enjoyable jaunt into the past for Amy and the new companion Rory.
Now for many fans this might be a journey into familiar territory with the comparisons between Amy and Rory’s relationship and the Rose and Mickey saga obvious to the ever faithful viewer and there were some very close similarities between this and Toby Whithouse’s last script in 2006’s School Reunion, the last of a dying race taking over the Earth which can shift into the form of a human figure of authority is not new to Doctor Who.
The inclusion of Amy’s fiancé Rory as a companion has been just what the Doctor ordered (ouch – forgive me!) and Arthur Darvill has brought a nice slice of comedy to the TARDIS crew and although he may not be your stereotypical hands on assistant like Captain Jack Harkness but he does have a go at sword-fighting with mummy’s boy Francesco with a broom and earns some tonsil time with his fiancé as a reward. I sincerely hope that Rory becomes more than a recurring character like Mickey Smith was since Doctor Who works better when there are two companions, something we have been starved off for long periods since the show’s revival in 2005.
Matt Smith yet again manages to put in a fascinating performance, although the moment he is electrocuted by the door outside the House of Calvierri seemed a little false and resembled a small boy busting to go to the small boy’s room. But apart from that, he is definitely cemented into his role and his eccentric alien qualities keep on shining, and the inspired idea to have him bursting through Rory’s stag party cake had me chuckling on my tea. Additionally, the moment where he produces the First Doctor’s library card to the vampire girls
Villain of the week Rosanna played by Helen McCrory enjoys a rather flirtatious encounter with the Doctor as two races on the verge of extinction play with the idea of forming an alliance, much to the Doctor’s distaste and her relationship with her son, the sword wielding Francseco verged on being slightly incestuous and at times she seemed almost pantomime villain like as the story wore on.
Expectantly, the location filming is to die for, with the Croatian town of Trogir doubling as a convincing Venice of 1580 was bursting full of colour and splendour, something that BBC drama productions does very well indeed mostly more convincing than space operas anyway.
One of the biggest delights for me so far this series is that episode wise there have been no duds. Every story has been an enthralling well balanced adventure with equal amounts of humour and emotion to keep viewers of all ages gripped, apart from The Vampires of Venice very nearly overstepping the mark for the former.
So then, my one grumble I would have about this episode is the sexual connotations. For a family show like Doctor Who I really do not think that jokes about the size of people’s manhood is slightly below the belt – literally, and I am hoping that later on in the series the humour becomes slightly dryer and less reliant on naughty bits to get the laughs.
Apart from that blip, The Vampires of Venice was a slick effort which delighted throughout, an entertaining Saturday tea time romp and with the introduction of Rory as the new companion - a decision which may divide some fans but is welcome from this one - will add another dimension to the next few episodes as the series gathers momentum. But the silence at the climax is haunting the time travellers and the trailer for next week’s offering has definitely set up an intriguing teaser that leaves us waiting for when Saturday comes.