Interestingly enough, one of the most acclaimed episodes of Doctor Who barely even features the Doctor. He's present in a few very memorable video clips, and the very end of the episode. But for the most part, Blink succeeds on the strength of both its heroine Sally Sparrow and its truly inspired monsters. The one thing that Nu Who hadn't really cultivated until this point was an iconic alien enemy of its very own, and that's what the Weeping Angels accomplish. They're memorable, visually stunning, and we have a deeply rooted psychological fear of a threat that can only hurt us when we inevitably turn our back on it, so to speak. And they're never better served than they are here in their debut episode, when the director made the clever choice in having the audience never see the Angels move. Their impact may have been diluted upon subsequent appearances, but you can't deny that it became a little bit harder to trust statues after watching Blink.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
