User Reviews

Possibly one of the greatest episode of a science fiction television show ever.

A lot of it just came together for Blink which probably owes more to serendipity. A one off companion who takes the lead and a few years later became a Best Actress Oscar nominee.

Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan) in 2007 goes to a creepy old house to take photographs and sees a mysterious message on the wall asking her to duck. It is from the Doctor.

Later on a her friend Kathy disappears and Kathy immediately discovers that she has been sent back to the past and the mysterious statues are responsible for it.

Sally with some cryptic messages on the DVD extras needs to rescue the Doctor and Martha who are stuck in 1969. All she has to do is not blink in front of the Weeping Angels.

In a re-watch of this episode, I actually closed my eyes and just listened to the soundtrack which is filled with homages to the music of Hitchcock films from composer Murray Gold.

It is wonderfully filmed, director Hettie MacDonald should rightly share the plaudits with writer Steven Moffat, who not only writes a clever time travel tale with nods to Back to the Future films. He also introduces the term 'timey-wimey' and even has a dig at ITV detective shows.

This is, without doubt, the cleverest episode of Doctor Who since it was revived. It's also a contender for the scariest, giving a very definite challenge to last years The Impossible Planet. When I saw that Steven Moffat was writing this one, I knew we were in for a treat, since he wrote arguably the best episodes of the previous two series. But I never thought for a second it'd be this good.

I had already been blown away by the trailer for this episode alone (which is here if you want to see it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHoxfE0Kj80) but seriously, that gives no justice to how good the actual episode is. There's one part where the main character Sally (played outstandingly by Carey Mulligan - let's see more of her in the future!) appears to be talking to the Doctor through a DVD, and that actually had me genuinely wondering how. There's so much of this episode that really grabs you and pulls you in, and you just can't pull yourself away from it. And the final 15 minutes - especially the Doctors incredibly frightening "Don't blink!" speech, is just mesmerising.

Again, hats must be doffed to the writing genius that is Steven Moffat. The BBC MUST hang on to him at all costs.

At my age, I have been watching the Doctor avidly for 40 odd years and, like everyone have had favourite stories. They've all just been blown out of the water.

Moffatt had written probably the best episodes from the previous two series of the re-incarnated Doctor in "Girl In The Fireplace" and the scary "Empty Child", so I had great hopes of "Blink" when I saw he was the writer. I wasn't disappointed.

If you like science fiction, or even if you like traditional British horror, watch this brilliantly performed and written episode. And, oh yes, "Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't Blink".

Have you ever sat down to watch TV, and by a completely unexpected twist of fate, stumbled across something so utterly brilliant that it leaves you speechless? Entirely possible... but even less likely when you're watching a program you like, and think you know, and intended to watch just because its on every week. Honestly, I don't watch much TV; I know and like Doctor Who, but this episode just totally ambushed me. It really, really shows how excellent TV can be, and just how rubbish most TV is. I was on the edge of my seat by the end. Its pretty much a completely independent standalone episode, no prior knowledge or interest of Dr Who assumed. Its thrilling, relentless, ingenious, terrifying, and, once more because it deserves it, absolutely ingenious. Solid gold TV brilliance, and all the more amazing that I found it in the stale Saturday night line-up. Seek it out!

There aren't many superlatives I can use, that haven't been mentioned before, but this episode, even now, is still one of the high points in the show's history, classic or new.

The series so far, has actually been very strong on the whole, the three weaker stories clumped together, Daleks and Lazarus, have been the only misfits in what's been a clever, bold and imaginative series. With Human Nature and The Family of Blood the series had again hit the very highest form, and Blink proves to be even better, a masterpiece.

Blink made such an impact, I can remember actually watching it, what I had for food and drink, where I sat, it was that memorable.

It's creepy, it's funny, it's totally and insanely imaginative. I love the characters, I love the creation of the Weeping Angels, but....the wasted opportunity of not bringing back Sally Sparrow remains my only gripe, but Who knows, maybe one day we'll see a return.

Two of my favourite episodes of all time are two Doctor light episodes, this number 1, and number 2 turn left. They work now and then.

10/10 Perfection!!!

I walk past some of the statues used every day, and I STILL LOOK AND WONDER!!!!

In an episode which was arguably the best of the new Doctor Who episodes yet, the Doctor has to help a young woman called Sally Sparrow, whose life is endangered by an unlikely enemy...despite the fact that he is lost in time.

In an episode which may seem utterly confusing at first, it picks up the pace dramatically and with a multitude of clues, Sally Sparrow is forced to work out the mystery of the Weeping Angels with the help of her best friend Kathy Nightingale and her brother before it is too late.

Teeming with references to other time-travel classics such as "Back To The Future", this is a phenomenally written episode where everything takes time to come together but when it all comes together there are shocks and horror in equal measure.

An interesting feature of this episode is its similarity to the Second Series episode "Love and Monsters", because The Doctor is hardly in the episode, yet the episode is so superbly written that it doesn't really seem to matter.

This episode will make any fans beg for answers at several points in the episode due to the confusing way in which the episode is put together, but don't worry, because everything is explained clearly by the end of the episode and the result is immensely pleasing episode.

10/10

Wow! After last week's "The Family of Blood", I was expecting a "filler" episode before the series moved into position for the exciting run towards the finale. "Blink" proved to be a superbly imaginative, and downright scary, delight from the always creative Steven Moffat.

An episode which managed to grip the viewer in a steel vice of mystery, intrigue and behind-the-sofa terror, "Blink" avoided the disappointment of "Love & Monsters" while still managing to keep The Doctor and Martha's appearances to the bare minimum.

Carey Mulligan is gorgeously scrumptious as the girl in peril, Sally Sparrow. Mulligan is pure companion material and captivates the viewer with her plight. Lucy Gaskell is also extremely pleasing as Sparrow's friend, Kathy.

Moffat even manages to throw in some fan-pleasing / teasing lines, including one about police box dimensions. Forum dwellers will probably love this magic touch.

Oh, this scores another 10 out of 10. Loved this episode to bits. Thoroughly clever stuff! I'm off to move some statues right now...

After family of blood, which was frankly excellent, this episode was, in my eyes, truly superb on so many points. It was so good in fact, that I finally signed up to IMDb after having trusted the user's opinions for a few years now, just to give it 10/10 and a smashing review! The story was just perfect, the effects were relatively simple but yet highly effective (exactly how it should be!), and the acting was spot on. This must have been the best episode I've seen probably since the beginning of the next-gen Doctor Who 2 years ago. Don't get me wrong, episodes such as Doomsday in series 2 were really excellent, but this episode really brought back the old Doctor Who feal in terms of sheer simplicity with maximum effect. I'm old enough (in my mid 20's in fact) not to have had nightmares in many years, but after this episode, I came close, having had my first bad dream since I can remember!! Really worth watching; The DVD of the whole series should be out in the autumn I guess, and i'll be buying it just to see this episode again!

So in Series 2 they tried a "non doctor centric" episode. While this idea was intriguing and gave a different dynamic to the series, the writing, in particular the disappointing "absorbaloff", wasn't quite up to scratch (don't get me wrong it was still a great episode!). However, this time round, they appear to have honed their skills and come up with one of the best episodes yet, certainly one of the highlights of this series.

The format of this episode gave us a break from prosthetics, animal heads and spaceships and produced a extremely clever and frightening episode. It was superbly acted by Carey Mulligan (Sparrow) and if she were to return in future it would be great, she fit into the Doctors universe with perfect ease. I look forward to other "non doctor centric" episodes in the future. I also look forward to more episodes written by Steven Moffat, easily one of the best writers the show has.

I grew up with Dr Who. One of my earliest childhood recollections is of Tom Baker falling off Jodrell bank and regenerating. I was abroad when the modern series started, but when I finally saw the Christopher Eccleston stories I enjoyed them a great deal and was just glad to have the Doctor back on the BBC. As for David Tennant I thought he was OK but I never watched Dr Who regularly as personal commitments meant that Saturday nights were no longer my own.

Anyway, I have recently being trying to catch up with all of those Dr Who episodes that I missed. I came across 'Blink' only yesterday. I can say that I'm not easily shaken, but stone me!.. This episode smacked me in the face! I actually jumped in my seat at one point when the angels started to attack! BBC at its finest (along with Sherlock). A must see episode. 10/10 for making me look over my shoulder for the first time in 30 years.

You could always tell if a DOCTOR WHO story was a big success because schoolmates would discuss it with me on a Monday morning at school . You can always tell if a Nu-Who story was a big success because people in the pub would discuss it with me on a Sunday night . I'm not talking anoraks either , I'm talking middle class erudite people who you'd think would have no interest in something perceived as a kiddies programme . Their lack of shame in discussing it in public tells you how much of a success the show in general and Blink in particular is

I'm not much of a fan of any of Moffat's previous work . PRESS GANG was merely okay as was COUPLING while CHALK was absolutely awful and his contributions to the first two series of Nu-Who were rather hit and miss but he nails down exactly what makes DOCOR WHO work and that is imagery . In other stories we've seen lots of everyday objects spring to life with perhaps Robert Holmes Auton stories being the best example . Here Moffat focuses on statues suddenly taking on a life of their own and you'll never look at them in the same way again . In fact there's probably a child somewhere still staring at a gargoyle for well over a year terrified that if they take their eyes off it they'll end back in the twentieth century sometime

Despite the acclaim of this episode it is rather uneven and probably doesn't deserve the tag of " Best Who episode ever " that a great number of people have given it . Granted the last 20 minutes are truly terrifying and director Hettie McDonald does inject the mis en scene with atmosphere and startle moments , but what lets much of the story down is the introduction of a CID cop called Billy Shipton who is without doubt the most unconvincing cop ever seen in the show and probably the most unlikely policeman in the history of television . The way he starts to chat up Sally Sparrow within seconds of meeting her are downright embarrassing . What makes it even worse is the fact that Shipton is a totally unnecessary character and the episode would have worked much better if he wasn't included and Moffat had just concentrated on the story proper

Steven Moffatt is a genius. Fact. I have loved his work since Press Gang Oh so many years ago. Sadly this series of Doctor Who hasn't been patchy so much as utterly forgettable, with the exception of a few episodes. 'Blink' is an episode which not only stands out for Doctor Who, but also as one of the best pieces of television I have ever watched.

The writing was razor sharp, the characters lovable and fully-rounded, the plot was tight and gripping, interweaving intrigue with poignancy and humour. Carey Mulligan who plays Sally Sparrow should surely be the Doctor's new assistant as she's caring, intelligent, witty and an attractive companion. You instantly liked this girl.

It was scary in a way which reminded me of the old drama series from my childhood and I loved every minute of it. I will buy the DVD with this episode on even if it does cost £14 for just 4 episodes! An outstanding piece of drama.

I am writing this comment straight after watching the episode. Having seen a lot of Doctor Who in my time, I can say that I have never seen beings as genuinely creepy as the weeping angels in this story. They are done so simply, yet there is created an amazing tension and air of foreboding. Full marks to the writer for his imagination (as evidenced by his Girl in the Fireplace story from the last series). Much as I love watching David Tennant, his limited presence in this episode did not detract from my enjoyment of it. This is a truly compelling, brilliant piece of television that takes the series to a whole new level.

I wouldn't be sure what episode to introduce the world of Doctor Who to someone who doesn't know what it's all about, until know. Tom Baker episodes still have a special place in my consciousness, but with this episode, among a few others, David Tennant really makes his mark as the, uh, sixth or seventh doctor (maybe eighth). This doesn't show a viewer some of the iconic characters like the Daleks or K-9, and in fact it doesn't even really make the Doctor a major character like in other episodes. He appears mostly on a 'screen', talking to the real protagonist of the episode, Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan), via a time travel device, sort of. But he makes his appearance wonderful in the episode, like a mystic or something, and helps Sally Sparrow realize her potential: that is, to get the Police Box back to the Doctor in time and to never blink at the statues.

There's some mind-f***ery in the episode as well, at least at the start, but this is part of what I loved about it. At first you see how Sally Sparrow is pointedly singled out, like people come to her with the knowledge that she'll need to know what they tell her, be it a certain 'grandson' character, or a black dude who in one scene asks her out, then time travels and then appears to her years later (though she's still the same age) as an old man in a hospital bed. What the gist of it is is that Sally Sparrow is important, and that she can help the Doctor with her 17 DVDs, and all she has to do is to elude the "Weeping Angels", a group of assassins in the guise of statues who, when you're not looking at them (or blink) creep up on you and kill you. And when I say 'creep' I'm not being facetious.

What starts as coincidence for Sally Sparrow becomes something like fate, as if for a few minutes she becomes apart of the Matrix or other, and the Doctor's role in this is explaining only so much of the "Big Ball of Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey" (simple when he says this it's a laugh riot for some reason). But the time-travel paradoxes and craziness is just one part of what makes the episode great. It's the story's construction, the acting, the humor, the action, the suspense, and the horror (yes, horror) that make it so memorable and exciting. And for Carey Mulligan she could have done no other acting except this performance and be set for a long time as a quasi-reel. She's so good here that she nearly usurps Tennant when they finally have their "real" scene together (that is when he's out of 1969 talking to her via transcript and DVD). The dialog is fresh and witty, and its well self-contained in its 45 minutes; you almost wish it would go longer, but in a way it doesn't over-stay its welcome like a few other Doctor Who episodes (you know the ones, like in seven parts or something).

It's surely a fan favorite, but if you've been looking for that one episode to show the friend or family member who isn't sure about the show or character, here's as good a place as any to start.

Sally Sparrow happens across a message in a derelict and disused residence cascading a sequence of events that delivers one of the best, perhaps the best story of the saga of the Doctor when...

Angels of stone gather to weep, the rest of your life they are looking to reap, if you keep your eyes peeled, your mind firmly steeled, there's a chance to prevent a time leap.

Imaginative, engaging and unique with elements that effortlessly blend together alongside the promising young woman Carey Mulligan who is the key. An episode that will never let you go.

As a kid I used to hide behind the sofa when Patrick Troughton fought the Shop Dummies or Jon Pertwee the sea monsters , I never thought that in my 40s I'd be scared by watching a new episode of Dr Who , but Steven Moffat surpassed all my expectations with this intelligently written and truly frightening episode. There will be adults 25 years from now scared to look at a stone angel in a cemetery as a direct result of what they saw as a child, due to Steven's continued ability to tap into what frightens us at so many levels. The best Dr Who episode ever written, and I say that well into my forties.

Pete

An avid reader of other user comments, I had never signed up for an IMDb account. Until now. The reason being? This episode.

Being American, obtaining the episodes can prove difficult. But on a whim, I decided to watch the video online rather than wait a week. My expectations weren't particularly high; filler episodes in the past have been just that. Filler. A few good ones here in there, but otherwise not very good.

Within the first few minutes, I was proved wrong. Gripped in my seat, I watched the episode play out with genuine terror, a sensation horror doesn't often bring me. I cared about the characters, I wanted them to be okay, and the end left me with a thrill.

Episodes like these are the reason why I love Doctor Who. The whimsical, the terrible, the funny and the gruesome all mixed up in one. And this episode, even though like Love & Monsters, it was largely an alternate viewpoint, had everything. From the quips to the tension, Blink mixes all the elements that make Doctor Who wonderful and emerges with the best episode of the new series so far. The fact that Tennant wasn't there much didn't matter. The writing and the execution excelled. The acting was excellent; I would be much pleased if Carey Mulligan showed up again or even became a companion.

I hadn't noticed Steven Moffat's name before, but I was also a fan of the equally creepy The Empty Child. After seeing this episode, I'm tempted to find other shows he's written for and watch his episodes, even if I've never seen the show before. As for Blink, not only will I be sure to be in front of the television Friday to see this episode on a larger screen, I will drag everyone I know to see it, whether they are Doctor Who fans or not. It is just that good.

"Blink" is probably the most praised episode of "Doctor Who" in existence. Think about it- is there any episode with such enormous popularity among fans of both the 'new' and 'classic' series? Very few people really dislike "Blink", and guess what? It deserves every bit of praise it gets. "Blink" is ingenious, complex (though it wears its complexity on its sleeve, that's kind of the point), smart, original, creative, and very, very entertaining.

I've now seen "Blink" more than ten times, and it's still as captivating and enthralling as it was on first viewing. Steven Moffat's script is genius not only as a piece of "Doctor Who" but as a piece of genre writing. Moffat plays with genre conventions throughout this episode, and the structure of the script is complicated and ultimately rewarding, it's one of the finest pieces of time travel fiction in television history, and certainly only bested by one other television script recently- "The Constant" from LOST, which had similar complexity but even more power as a result of the character writing within that episode.

"Blink" is just wonderful, and the script isn't just content with dazzling the audience with its storytelling pizazz, there is much effort put into creating compelling guest characters- Sally Sparrow and Larry Nightingale are more interesting and fun characters than most of the Doctor's companions have been (not an insult to the companions, but praise for Moffat's striking ability to write convincing and memorable guest characters), whose stories are ultimately very emotionally involving. The guest cast are superb and the direction by Hettie McDonald is wonderfully atmospheric.

"Blink" exudes charm, the Weeping Angels are terrifying, ingenious monsters, possibly the best ever in "Doctor Who" (and as if they hadn't tortured us enough they added that montage at the end *shudder*), the characters are memorable, the dialogue is wonderful, and "Blink" is ultimately no less than an absolute masterpiece.

10/10

This is by far my favorite Dr. Who episode ever. The suspense is Hitchcockian, I wanted to change the channel out of fear, but still wanted to find out what happened. The acting is top notch, as is the writing and the photography. Like a great move, it transported me and I believed it. The only thing that could have made it better is to include more of The Doctor, but, I'm not sure how that could have happened without ruining the episode. Because you don't even have to know Dr. Who to appreciate this episode, I recommend this to everyone, even those that don't appreciate sci-fi or quirky entertainment. This episode stands on its own; it's brilliant in every sense of the word.