In a Nutshell

   In a Nutshell will be my ongoing review series on the blog. It will be spread among subcategories that will all share the nature that In a Nutshell encompasses; that being to ATTEMPT to be short and to the point while trying not to be spoiler heavy (although there WILL be some).

   So, for the inaugural edition of In a Nutshell, I present to you...

   Today I am reviewing last night's new episode of Doctor Who entitled "The Curse of the Black Spot", which instantly rings a familiar bell concerning a particular pirate movie. I initially found the title a bit cheesy, as Doctor Who generally never parodies such, but in the end I felt it played well with the substance of the plot.

   So on to the show. In a nutshell, the Tardis senses a distress from a pirate ship in the 17th century. Upon arriving, The Doctor, Amy, and Rory...

These guys 

...find themselves in the company of a now dwindled down crew of pirates...

These guys

...who after being injured in any way, such as being cut or becoming ill, develop a black spot on their palm (hence the title) and then become hunted and eventually taken by what appears to be a siren.

This chick

And by "being taken" I mean being lured by her singing when they touch her hand...POOF...they disappear, presumably dead. So, of course it's up to The Doctor to find out who this shiny singing lady really is and why she only comes after the wounded.

   The first thirty to forty minutes of the show involve the Doctor and crew attempting to escape and hide from the siren. A few plot points happen along the way:

- Rory gets accidentally cut and marked

- The Tardis malfunctions and disappears

- It's revealed that the siren can only appear where water is present

-  ^ That revelation is quickly debunked and the new revelation is, at the time, a big "Whaaa?" moment

   Up to this point I was really enjoying the show, feeling it had a good supernatural/mythological premise as opposed to the general alien vibe. I had become pretty anxious to get to the reveal at the end that explains everything, which this show does very well (right along with Scooby Doo). So we finally get to where everyone finds out what is really going on.......and........

.......it's alien.

   Bah!! Shoulda known better! Denial got the best of me there. I couldn't rightfully complain, though. Complaining about a Doctor Who plot that involves aliens is like complaining about water being wet. It comes with the territory. It's done very well, however, in my opinion. Besides the reveal and explanation being a bit rushed and not what I was expecting, I felt the story was laid out nicely. They also throw you a nice semi-dramatic resuscitation scene in the end that I felt was only seconded by The Abyss (She has a strong heart, she wants to LIVE!!!). 

   Oh, and how could I forget one of the best parts of the episode: Pirate Amy

Arrrrr!

   All in all, a very good episode. Just an extremely minor complaint or two. If any of you guys has never given Doctor Who a shot, I highly recommend it. Hopefully next Saturday's episode won't confuse the hell out of me, and I'll be able to muster out another review for you guys *crosses fingers*