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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Production Code

2.1

Written by

Steven Moffat

Directed by

Toby Haynes

Runtime

45 minutes

Story Type

Two-Parter

Time Travel

Past

Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!)

Amy's Pregnancy, Melody Pond, Silence Will Fall

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Fez

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, USA, Utah

UK Viewers

8.86 million

Appreciation Index

88

Synopsis

Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song and the Eleventh Doctor receive a mysterious summons that takes them on an adventure to 21st century Utah and Florida in 1969.

Along the way they meet Richard Nixon, president of the United States of America, and former FBI agent Canton Everett Delaware III.

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9 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

This has such a great vibe to it. By this point, I feel the series has done a really good job at selling us on Rory and Amy. So now we get this fun little get together with the Doctor and everything has this cozy vibe to it. And sure enough, that nice feeling gets instantly turned upside down. We see the Doctor getting murdered, and sure, the pay-off of all that can be debated, but here it is one hell of a hook that leaves us absolutely invested in what comes next and curious about what Moffat is going to pull this season. Remember, we didn't know his patterns or tendencies yet, so I remember watching this originally and really having no idea what was going to happen this season.

And then I think the rest of the episode basically delivers on that promise of something big, because we go to the White House and meet Nixon, and then the Silence show up. It's cool as hell and I definitely think it is easy to overlook this and Day of the Moon, but the two episodes are strong as hell.


dema1020

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New Who Review #75


The Impossible Astronaut


I love this story so much. This is the start of my favourite series and it's so good. It follows the doctor as he goes to America for a lost little girl and an astronaut in a lake. The series arc this time is one of the darkest but best the show has ever done. The doctors death. I love the design of the silence they're so creepy. The idea of being able to remember something only as long as we can see it. Because what if there is a creature with us right now that we just saw but can't remember because you are reading this review...look up. Overall an amazing first part of this finale and a great opener for series 6. 10/10


Jann

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This review contains spoilers!

Rewatched Apr 23rd 2025

Despite the fact that the episode begins by killing off beloved children's icon Doctor Who, this episode has always felt effortlessly cozy to me. Maybe it's that 11 / Amy / Rory / River companion dynamic which I always love, the effortlessly fun dialogue Stephen Moffat injects into every scene, or even the small mystery of figuring out exactly where the girl is calling from. No matter what, I can always come back to this episode (And its second part) and enjoy watching it just as much every time.


Equilius

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This review contains spoilers!

Wild start to S6, lots of character setup here

The Doctor is murdered by a mysterious astronaut but then a younger version meets them with no knowledge of what will happen

The TARDIS crew visit DC and have some hilarious interactions with Nixon and the government agents there


Jonathan_

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Best season opener of all New Who.


MarkOfGilead19

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Statistics

AVG. Rating932 members
4.02 / 5

Member Statistics

Watched

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Favourited

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Reviewed

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Saved

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Skipped

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Quotes

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DOCTOR: I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool.

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Transcript

[Palace]

(The restored Monarch and his guards charge through the building.)

CHARLES: Out of my way!

(His way is blocked by a locked door. Inside the room, a large unfinished painting shows the naked Doctor as Neptune about to be crowned by a cherub.)

CHARLES [OC]: Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!


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