Doctor Who: Why The Weeping Angels Are Still Some Of The Greatest Villains In The Show's History

'Once, Upon Time', the most recent episode of Doctor Who: Flux, brought back classic enemies the Weeping Angels once again, first when an Angel emerges from Yaz's video game, and later in the episode's massive cliffhanger ending, in which a Weeping Angel takes control of the Tardis.

The Weeping Angels made their debut in the series three episode 'Blink', written by Steven Moffat, who eventually went on to become the Doctor Who revival's second showrunner. After that first appearance, they quickly became fan favourite monsters, as well as one of The Doctor's most terrifying adversaries. Following Moffat's departure from the series, the Angels were on hiatus until a brief cameo in 'Revolution of the Daleks', and finally made their official return in Flux's first episode, 'The Halloween Apocalypse'.

After 'Once, Upon Time's cliffhanger ending, The Weeping Angels will take centre stage in next week's episode, 'Village of the Angels'. Here's why they are still among the greatest villains in Doctor Who history.

The Concept behind The Weeping Angels is simple, but effective

The way in which the Weeping Angels operate is very simple. If one catches you, they will send you back in time to 'live to death', feeding on the temporal energy of the life you left behind. However, they can only move freely when absolutely nobody is looking at them. So, all you have to do if you find yourself facing an Angel is to not blink or turn your back while in it's presence. As the Tenth Doctor explains at the end of 'Blink', the Weeping Angels first appearance:

"Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink."

Avoiding death at the Weeping Angels' hands seems simple enough, but that's part of what makes them so scary. Nobody can avoid blinking permanently. And, as the closing scene of 'Blink' implies, through a montage of real life statues, any statue could possibly be an Angel. Everyone probably knows of at least one creepy statue, and after 'Blink', a little part of them will always wonder.

Simple, but definitely effective.

Everyone is afraid of The Weeping Angels.. and we mean Everyone.

The Weeping Angels are very different from most Doctor Who villains. They cannot be spoken to, manipulated, or reasoned with. All they want is to consume ever more vast amounts of temporal energy. And of course, the image of an Angel becomes an Angel, so it is likely that people are accidentally creating new angels on a regular basis.

All of the above factors make The Weeping Angels relatively difficult to outwit or strategise against. As such, quite a few usually unflappable characters find themselves quite frightened when faced with The Weeping Angels. River Song clearly panics when first faced with the Weeping Angels in 'The Angels Take Manhattan'. Usually, she is afraid of very little apart from the day The Doctor may no longer remember her, and her kidnapper Madame Kovarian, a fear discussed in further detail in Big Finish's Diary of River Song audio drama series. Even The Doctor is a little extra troubled when the Angels show up.

If The Doctor is afraid of Weeping Angels, they must be scary, which makes it okay for viewers to be scared of them too.

The Angels have beeaten The Doctor, more than once

It is generally accepted within the world of Doctor Who that by the end of the vast majority of stories, The Doctor will have successfully saved the day. Things may sometimes look bleak, particularly halfway through a two-part story, but whether he is facing Daleks, Cybermen, or some other threat, The Doctor almost always comes out on top in the end.

That is not so often the case when The Doctor faces the Weeping Angels. Before the beginning of 'Blink', The Tenth Doctor and Martha have already been zapped back in time by the Angels, and he is forced to rely on the efforts of Sally Sparrow to retrieve the Tardis. The Doctor wins in 'The Time of Angels'/Flesh and Stone', but in 'The Angels Take Manhattan', Amy Pond and Rory Williams are lost to the Angels, in what is probably the biggest defeat of The Eleventh Doctor era. Then, in 'Time of The Doctor', The Doctor is said to have lost his leg to a Weeping Angel.

The current scorecard stands at three to one, in the Angels' favour. Those odds alone confirm The Weeping Angels as being some of the best, most dangerous enemies in Doctor Who history.

Good luck, Thirteen. You're going to need it.