- This topic has 260 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I think I have this episode figured out:
The octagon slab is supposed to be the “I am in 12.” thing, right?
The Doctor ran around naked the first time. We were spared that sight.
I’m guessing the rooms resetting were a setting by the Doctor the first time, too (in other words, he set up everything for each return). This is where the spades came from. The Doctor set them, so that he could keep using them.
The Doctor was not cloned, he gave up his own matter to be reassembled by the transmat, except his skull. I think the transmit was able to pull additional matter out of the air the fill in the holes, or something.
As for his memories, he remembered everything, but only vaguely; he had to be reminded. This is why he recognized the Veil.
Some people think “The Hybrid is me.” refers to Ashildr, but the Doctor has never referred to her as “Me,” only “Ashildr.” The Doctor is the Hybrid. In the trailers, male pronouns are used. “The Woman” is listed on cast lists — the same identity given to the Doctor’s mother in “The End of Time” — and she even appears in the barn in the trailers. Different actress, but she was one of two female dissenters in “The End of Time,” so the Doctor’s father could have regenerated into a woman.
Speaking of the trailers, one of them has a regeneration. The cast list lists a female General, in addition to the General from “The Day of the Doctor.” I think he is regenerating into a woman.
As for “diner Clara?” Probably an echo.
[adrotate group="5"]The Doctor saying that there would never be a half-dalek hybrid because “the daleks would never allow it” is false because there already was one during the David Tennant run. True the daleks did kill it in the end but the point is there was one.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixWell. I don’t know. I have a lot of feelings (both negative and positive). Up until the last 15 mins or so, I would have said it was an incredibly disappointing season finale but the last 15 mins–when “Me” enters the picture and everything after that–was rather stunning. I admit, I was floored at the big reveal that the Doctor lost his memories of Clara.
With that said, though, the return to Gallifrey was rather cold and bloodless and not what I’ve been hoping for. 10 and 11 used to speak of their home with such reverence and awe. The Doctor didn’t hate Gallifrey and his people. He was sad for what happened, but he loved who he was and where he came from and his people. This Doctor gave no cares about the Shinning City, the Citadel, or any of the people inside (he seems to care about those on the outside which, btw, why were the non-Time Lord’s dressed like 1930s migrant workers from the Grapes of Wrath?). It was a pretty disappointing homecoming.
And yeah, Clara’s going to die, but first she gets to live a bit more with Ashidlr which seems…iffy to me. The lesson wasn’t learned. Sometimes you do lose, sometimes you do have to face consequences. There is no get out of jail free card. So yes, Clara is going to die by that raven, but it will be after she’s had her kicks. Seems…well, it seems totally in Moffat’s wheelhouse to not really kill a character.
But man. Those last few moments when the Doctor entered *his* TARDIS–the one thing that truly remains when he’s lost it all–and grabbed his new sonic (caught it from the sky like the Cosmic Hero he is, in all his archetypical glory)–oh lawd. I cried. Like, that’s him. That’s my hero. That’s the Hero who goes out and defeats evil and keeps us all safe. Ugh. I had some feelings, in other words.
Also, total Katabasis, yeah? Y’all know how much I love a good katabasis.
I’ll have more to say later once I ponder this more and write up some thoughts.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I don’t know how I feel at this moment. I am happy with some things and not happy with others. So I need to process this a bit more.
"I will be kind but I will speak my mind."
I’m still trying to process this one but overall it was a mixed bag for me.
LIKED
–The Doctor’s final moments of the episode. I loved him putting himself back together with his jacket, switching the dials on his TARDIS, and grabbing his Sonic. He’s a bit damaged but he’s still the Cosmic Hero and he’s ready to save the Universe again.
–Maisie! Seriously, this girl brings such a gravitas to the role of Ashildr/Me. Which is rather remarkable given that she’s only 18/19. I wouldn’t mind if Ashildr/Me pops up every now and then so long as the writers don’t overuse her. She and Peter have a fantastic chemistry as two immortals and it’s fun to watch them.
–“You lot? No. You cramp my style, just look at your hats.” I almost fell out of my chair laughing. Those hats are some of my favorite things because they are so epically silly.
—During his conversation with Ashidlr, the Doctor insists that things can last forever and that’s why he stole a time machine. I got quite a whiff of “The Great Gatsby” and Jay Gatsby insisting that you can repeat the past, as he reaches out toward that green light and Daisy Buchanan. Is Clara the Doctor’s green light? Or is it more the idea of being free from fear and loneliness that is his great dream? I’d say the latter, personally.
–Loved seeing the retro TARDIS interior from the Classic Era
–I wonder if the Military Time Lord turning into black woman from a white man is Moffat acknowledging and hinting that the next Doctor might not be a white man.
—“Look how far I went for fear of losing you. It has to stop. One of us has to go.” I will say that this is a nice ending to Clara’s addiction thesis. While Clara might not have learned all the lessons of addiction and abuse, she did learn (and finally understand) one thing: she and the Doctor are bad together when they both go to extraordinary and absolutely mental lengths to avoid losing one another. It’s not good for the universe. So, they must fly apart.
–The way the episode is framed so that it looks as though Clara has lost all her memories but really the Doctor who couldn’t remember. Moffat got me on that one.
–NEW SONIC. PRAISE GOD.
MIXED
–Clara’s ending. Ok, on the one hand, Clara did in fact die when she faced the Raven. But on the other hand, it’s after some indeterminate amount of time spent flying around the universe in her own TARDIS (erm…nope, that’s the Doctor’s valiant steed) with Ashildr. So she’s dead but not really, not yet. That’s Moffat for you, I guess. But, I will say that one of the positive aspects here with Clara is that keeps her agency intact. Clara chose to go and face the raven two episodes back and now she’ll get to decide when she wants to face the raven once more. The Doctor doesn’t decide her fate nor does he get to rob her of her past; Clara decides her fate and advocates for her past. Moffat often gets into hot water for some misogynistic overtones, but I think we can say he subverted that criticism this time.
–The giant crypt. While I love the classic heroes journey and the katabasis feelings, the actual Matrix that absorbs all the Time Lords (or something) and the Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, were a bit much
DISLIKED
–Talk about a disappointing homecoming! The Doctor is supposed to have more mixed emotions about Gallifrey but he doesn’t seem to have any positive feelings at all. 10 and 11 always spoke about their home with a certain fondness but the Doctor is just *angry*
–Rassilon, dude, take a chill pill.
–The Sisterhood of Karn could be very interesting if they were given some development but sadly, they aren’t.
–What exactly does Missy have to do with anything? I was confused by Ashildr and the Doctor’s conversation suddenly turning to her. Missy had nothing to do with Clara and the Doctor meeting? Right? Am I forgetting something? Was she the Lady in the shop who gave Clara the Doctor’s number?
–Not nearly enough funny hats.
Anyway, I’ll have more to say about the season as a whole later on (there’s some of what I’ll say in my blog already) but here’s the Xmas episode trailer
Not sure what to think about this. Doesn’t seem overly Christmas-y and I’ve never been *that* enamored of River Song, but I think she and 12 are going to have fun.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I thought Rassilon was meant to be the guy played by Timothy Dalton in David Tennant’s last episode as the doctor? The one who the master sacrificed himself for to defeat?
I’m glad the doctor has a new sonic screwdriver.
I’m getting fed up of the doctor and his guitar. So Peter Capaldi can play guitar, so what? It’s one thing to have a cheeky nudge to an actor’s talent within an episode, but to do it repeatedly over several episodes is quite another. It’s like Moffat is going “HEY GUYS PETER CAN PLAY THE GUITAR! DID YOU SEE? LOOK, IT’S REALLY HIM PLAYING! WE’LL SHOW YOU THE DOCTOR PLAYING THE GUITAR AGAIN AND AGAIN JUST SO YOU KNOW IT’S PETER REALLY PLAYING THE GUITAR IN CASE YOU MISSED IT THE FIRST FEW TIMES! WE REALLY WANT YOU TO KNOW PETER CAN PLAY THE GUITAR!”
Anyone else get the feeling that Moffat has a real boner for Clara as a character? The show finally kills her off only to bring her back in a contrived way. Imaginary Clara could work trying to convince the Doctor to move on from her because deep down he knows it’s what he must do and that’s what Clara would want as well, but to give Clara her own tardis is stupid. What makes Clara so special compared to the other companions? She is literally a mary-sue. She’s so special the doctor can’t go on without her until she saves him from himself because that’s just how special she is. Did you not know Clara is special ? The show will beat you over the head with how special Clara is to the Doctor until you realise that Clara is special and then you’ll get an extra reminder of how special Clara is because Clara is special. Still not getting how special Clara is? Moffat really wants you to know Clara is special.
Ashildr/me was good.
The Christmas special looks like it’ll be good and it’ll be better than last year because there is no Clara!
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixI thought Rassilon was meant to be the guy played by Timothy Dalton in David Tennant’s last episode as the doctor? The one who the master sacrificed himself for to defeat?
PoM: Rassilon Regenerated. Just like the Master. He was Lord President in both episodes.
LOL, yes. What Jiminy said. And Rassilon has been seen before in Who, in the Classic Era, though I guess we mostly associate Dalton with him.
(Now bring back Omega)
Anyone else get the feeling that Moffat has a real boner for Clara as a character?
I think Moff found her more fascinating than he wrote her. The idea of her–the Impossible Girl who has been through all the Doctor’s regenerations–is a good idea and even a great one, but the way he wrote her early on and then making her the STAR instead of Co-lead makes it hard to warm up to the idea. She also stopped being the impossible girl in S8 once her reason for said impossibility was discovered and resolved.
It’s not uncommon for writers to think their creations more interesting than how they translate on screen.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"The promo photos for the Xmas episode!
LOL “Carol singers will be criticized”
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
The topic ‘The Official Doctor Who Thread: Born To Save The Universe’ is closed to new replies.