Who thoughts

[yendi]

Well, that sure was a Moffat episode. That said, regeneration episodes are tricky, effectively pilots for the New Doctor, so I'm not judging this run on one episode.

Putting the good, the bad, and the speculation behind a spoiler tag.


The good:

Peter Capaldi gives a fine performance, and is nicely morally ambiguous.

The Doctor's redecoration (and his opinion that it needs more round things) is nifty.

Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax remain the best things from Moffat's run.

Calling back to "The Girl in the Fireplace" was a nice touch.

The hints of a mystery behind the Doctor's face and whoever brought him and Clara together. Mind you, Moffat's always good at setting mysteries up. It's resolving them that's a problem. Also liked the repeated use of mirrors throughout the show. It felt like an M. Night Shyamalan touch in the best of all possible ways.

The "did he jump or was he pushed" thing was nice, even if we saw it thirty years ago with Jason Todd.

As always, Moffat tends to have sharp and witty dialogue (when not dealing with the plot).

Michelle Gomez! Eee! I adored her on Green Wing (and between this and Broadchurch, it's been a good time for GW alums, although I still say Olivia Colman would have been a better choice for Twelve).

The bad:

Oh, jesus, where to start?

How about with Clara's being freaked out by the Doctor changing. I mean, she's the companion most able to deal with this, in theory. She's seen every fucking incarnation of him (and didn't freak out then, either). What the fucking fuck?

So Eleven, a few hundred years before his death, called Clara in her future to make sure that someone who he'd have no reason to doubt would handle a reincarnation would handle it okay?

Also, Clara knows the Doctor best? Really? Aside from her seeing every incarnation throughout time (something Moffat's clearly ignoring, since he obviously believes the writer behind that was a moron), she's got nada. River Song, his wife, probably knows him better. Ditto Amy and Rory, who travelled with him for much longer (or Rose, or Martha, or Donna before Davies lobotomized her for no good fucking reason other than Who showrunners being horrible human beings). Or maybe Madame Vastra herself, given her comments.

Hey, is this the second episode that's killed a dinosaur for cheap pathos? Why yes, I think it is.

Also, Victorian London's lack of overall reaction to a Dinosaur in the Thames is surprising. Especially since a dinosaur with a big enough throat to swallow a TARDIS whole is basically Godzilla-sized. Keeping her in the water wouldn't change the fact that she'd displace enough water to flood half the city.

The Speculation:

I'm assuming the villain at the end is NOT the person who brought Clara and the Doctor together twice now, and that the latter is either someone unknown or River. Given that the Doctor needs his companion, bringing them together seems like something that I'd expect from an ally. Then again, that assumes she's A) a pure villain, and B) that there's not a benefit to having the Doctor survive and thrive for her plans.

I'm also assuming that the questions the Doctor has about his face will tie into the Pompei episode.

As to the villain, if she's not someone entirely new, I could see them going with someone like Romana, The Rani, or The Master. I like that last theory best, frankly. John Simm's awesome (and I've got the pilot of The Intruders still waiting for me), but we should have a new Master, and Gomez would be a great casting choice there, as she's capable of going full-unhinged on the drop of a pin.

Comments

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

So Eleven, a few hundred years before his death, called Clara in her future to make sure that someone who he'd have no reason to doubt would handle a reincarnation would handle it okay?

At a time, I recall, where he was firmly convinced that he would not regenerate and would die forever. And thus would have no reason to call Clara at that time or say those things even if he did predict that she'd take it poorly.

Especially since a dinosaur with a big enough throat to swallow a TARDIS whole is basically Godzilla-sized. Keeping her in the water wouldn't change the fact that she'd displace enough water to flood half the city.

Further evidence that all the people saying "wow, obviously fake. I wonder how it's done?" in the crowd had a point. I mean, it towers over the buildings, is far larger than any actual dinosaur (and they know it and point that out), and doesn't displace water. Okay, sure, you can see it, and you can hear it, but it's SO OBVIOUSLY not real that it's "a fascinating magic trick", not "a dinosaur in London."

I'm also assuming that the questions the Doctor has about his face will tie into the Pompei episode.

And also his being the villain in the third Torchwood series.

(It's certainly a more interesting way of handling "this actor has appeared on this show before" than simply ignoring it.)

[yendi]

At a time, I recall, where he was firmly convinced that he would not regenerate and would die forever

Ooh, good additional point there.

Okay, sure, you can see it, and you can hear it, but it's SO OBVIOUSLY not real that it's "a fascinating magic trick", not "a dinosaur in London."

It's almost like Moffat has unintentionally mastered making "so bad, it's good" into an art form.

And also his being the villain in the third Torchwood series.

I've generally thought of his Torchwood role as less of a villain than a man tragically caught up in things out of his control (not that he doesn't do vile things, but there are worse people on the series). But by the time of Children of Earth, I'm not sure how tied in the Who and Torchwood universes were, and I'm not sure an explicit callback to it would work as well.

(It's certainly a more interesting way of handling "this actor has appeared on this show before" than simply ignoring it.)

To the show's credit (although it was Davies who did it), they've dealt with that before, with Martha.

[jerel.livejournal.com]

(I need to go find some Twelfth Doctor icons...)

I don't know if it will tie in with Torchwood. The Doctor was nowhere to be found during that crisis. Remember, Gwen even had a monologue where she says (basically) this is the kind of thing that he would show up for, but maybe he's so disgusted he's turned away. It may, however, tie in with the Pompeii episode.

Donna before Davies lobotomized her for no good fucking reason

Oh good. I'm not the only one who still has a fit about this.

I am madly in love with Peter Capaldi (from before this), and it may cloud my judgment of everything. But I agree with your observations so far.

And I would also like to see the Rani come back. Romana took a very interesting face/heel turn in the 8th Doctor novels, so it would be cool to see that on screen.

[yendi]

I generally assume that Doctor novels, like Trek (and now Star Wars) are only canon until they're contradicted (or adapted, as with Family of Blood). But doing something interesting there would be welcome.

And god, yes, much as I despise much of what Moffat's done as showrunner, I'll never forget what Davies did to Donna.

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

I think Eleven is making his call from just after he finished with the Daleks on Trenzalore and before Clara returns to the TARDIS. The "reset." Remember when Clara gets to the TARDIS, the phone is hanging off the hook and she puts it back? So it's really only a few hours.

That being said, the fact that they had to make Clara the stand-in for the audience in that instance really annoyed me because she was the one best-suited to understand his regeneration. I understand why they had to do it, but I wish they had found another way or simply not addressed it.

[sdaisyk.livejournal.com]

That's the timing for the call that I had assumed too.

[yendi]

*nod* the entire handling of Clara as stand-in shows just how much disdain Moffat has for both the character and the audience.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

"Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Drax remain the best things from Moffat's run."

Strax, sir.

[yendi]

Fixed. I blame a certain summer blockbuster.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

That *would* be a teamup, wouldn't it?

[yendi]

I bet someone's already writing it.