Vincent and the Doctor is an episode that speaks to anyone who has ever dealt with mental health issues. In many ways, its an unusually quiet episode, without a huge amount of action to the main plot. In fact, an argument could be made that they could have eliminated the alien subplot and the episode wouldn't have suffered, making it the first pure historical since Black Orchid way back in the Davison era. It's probably one of the most ambitious (and ultimately successful) explorations of a popular historical figure that Doctor Who has ever attempted. Tony Curran nails every aspect of his performance as Vincent Van Gogh, from his physical appearance to his temperamental nature, his moments of elated brilliance swiftly followed by a crushing despondency. There's a very touching and natural relationship that develops between Vincent, the Doctor, and Amy Pond -- anyone who was complaining about Amy being too harsh and unfeeling must have missed this episode. While some people might find the ending veering too far into cloying sentimentality, for us it hits just the right note. Depressive episodes are often characterized by feelings of worthlessness, so bringing Vincent to an art museum and showing him exactly how much his work meant to the world was the best gift the Doctor could have given him.
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.
