Doctor Who: The Rings of Akhaten Review - 9 Themes To Think About

By Mary Ogle / April 8, 2013

WARNING SPOILERS ABOUND: This post is teeming with out of control spoilers and wide-ranging speculation concerning Doctor Who Series 7a and 7b, especially episode 8: €œThe Rings of Akhaten€. (The ridiculousness of choosing one of the myriad forms of episode numbering systems is duly noted.) If you haven€™t witnessed series 7 you need to pop some corn and park yourself in front of the nearest flat screen for an extended marathon of profound absurdity and then race back here to comment on it. €œThe Rings of Akhaten€, written by Neil Cross, is an intriguing mess that never quite finds the rhythm at the heart of the Doctor Who universe. Uneven in pace and tone, the composition never quite gels, and viewers are left always feeling slightly behind or ahead of the beats of the story. Let€™s explore the many, perhaps too many, themes of Cross€™ ambitious yet flawed screenplay and what we learn about the Doctor and his new companion.

9. We€™re All Stories Without End

Merry, the young Queen of Years, is the repository of her society€™s history. History is not a dry list of endless facts but an ever changing story made up of memories and allegories, myths and songs. Music is especially important to Merry€™s people, as they serve an ancient creature who must be continuously lulled to slumber through song. Merry, however, is singing her own requiem as she was chosen to sacrifice herself to the soul eating monster. The Doctor explains to Merry that she and every life form are made up of the fundamental elements that initially formed the universe. If energy cannot be created or destroyed but only transformed then we are all chosen ones €“ we are all keepers of the same, endlessly shifting, story. Songs are one of the oldest ways of passing down history and creating myth and legend. Music (melody) is often used to remember details of a story more easily. Could this be a reference to River Song/Melody Pond? When River finally learns the Doctor€™s name does she also become the keeper of his memories, the teller of his tale?