Doctor Who: Volume 2 DVD Review (4.5/5)

With Series 5 of "Doctor Who" having just ended (with a bang! sorry, couldn't resist), returning to earlier episodes in the season actually helps shed some light on many of the twists found in Episode 13, not least the rewinding Doctor's venture into the Weeping Angels story to remind Amy of her dreams, but as stand-alone episodes, every one on offer here is a gem. "The Time Of Angels" (5/5) is to Steven Moffat's first Weeping Angels story "Blink" what "Aliens" is to "Alien": a solid expansion of an already-terrifying adversary, providing a horror-like experience as the Doctor, Amy and River climb through a Maze Of The Dead in search of a lone Angel in the crashed Byzantium (and thus another slot in the Doctor-River saga clicks into place), while "Flesh & Stone" (5/5) turns the story on its head by pretty much giving the Doctor a chance to notice the persistent cracks in time and space that are following Amy, not to mention discovering lots more about River's role in his future (with the final revelation of who she is coming next year!). Some may consider "The Vampires Of Venice" (5/5) to be a Marmite episode, but as a story where newcomers could simply jump in, I thought it was near-perfect, boasting uncommon humour in Rory's arrival on the TARDIS and a gripping yarn featuring fish creatures who had done nothing wrong expelled to Earth by a pesky crack, and a fantastic guest star in Helen McRoy as Lady Isabella. So, if each of these stories are worth top marks, why does this DVD release not achieve top status overall? Put simply, the lone extra of a Monster Files featurette based around the Weeping Angels is pretty lacklustre new material given the pricing of £15 for this set, and does once again make me wonder if it isn't worth waiting for the Series 5 box-set in November (note: I haven't bought this release, merely watched the Monster Files on YouTube). On the plus side, again the cover art is dazzling to look at (as is the back), some rather nice menu screens accompany the episodes, and the removal of the "Next Time" trailers does little to dampen the viewing experience, but be warned that you may prefer the full box-set.