Hmm

[eve11]

NOTE: There are mild spoilers in here from a few two-sentence summaries of the final two episodes that have been floating around in DW Magazine and as released by the BBC.

Amy and the Doctor went to visit Van Gogh in early June, 1890, so the story says. Van Gogh killed himself at the end of July, 1890, so it was indeed not only "less than a year" before he committed suicide but less than two months. Still, he is painting Wheat Field With Crows at the beginning of the episode and we clearly see evidence of something shambling through the field, disturbing the crows.

Question is, is it artistic license? Because scholars appear to agree that while not his last painting, "Wheat Field with Crows" was actually painted in July of 1890, which would have been a month after the Doctor and Amy visited Van Gogh. Is this a foreshadowing? Is there something else lurking in the wheat fields? We also know, for example that "The Doctor's friends unite to send him a terrible warning" in the final two episodes, and from the DWM blurb that in the finale "A Van Gogh painting is ferried across thousands of years." So is it "Wheat Field with Crows"? Timey-wimey-ness, indeed...

PS: If you know for certain because you've clicked on more spoilers than I have (which, um, yeah, the above are ALL I KNOW about the finale), don't send me links or anything, but if you want to speculate spoiler-free in the comments, go ahead ;)

In other news, I did quite like that episode a lot. And am glad. Off to watch again. Further comments to come.

Comments

[tripoli.livejournal.com]

Whoops, actually, that's the spoiler I was trying to paraphrase, which I guess didn't come from the writer after all. Sorry, sorry, my bad. If it was just SFX having their say, then I'm stumped.

They might also just mean Vincent picking up on Amy having a maybe-sort-of-possibly having the Lost Somebody vibe. Makes no sense going by the letter of the plot, but big on the metaphorical warm-fuzzies.

[eve11]

Well, I'm fine with it either way, I think. It might be a clue as to later on, or it might not. In particular, in light of the tiny blurb about a Van Gogh painting featuring in the last two eps, there might still be something to it.

[tripoli.livejournal.com]

That would at least be more interesting than, eh, the dedication to Amy on the sunflowers letting her remember it happened or whatever. Do you remember if this is a 12 or 13 episode season?

[eve11]

13. There are 3 episodes left: The Lodger (possibly named "Don't go up the Stairs") and the two-part finale.

[tripoli.livejournal.com]

Cheers. Well, I guess we'll find out soon, then.