The Doctor Who Club v.4

[elyvorg]

And yes it’s quite entertaining to see the Doctor has to change the light on top of the T.A.R.D.I.S., but what does that mean for the Chameleon Circuit? Say if it was working (fully), and you landed in ancient Greece where and when it would disguise itself as statue. What becomes of the light then?

Presumably then the light stops existing and wouldn't need changing. I guess this means that the only reason the Doctor even does need to change the TARDIS's lightbulb is because she always stays in her police box form, and therefore the lightbulb exists for a long enough period of time that it occasionally needs changing. xD

And the bedroom scene. Did the Doctor plan that? Was he bored and decided he’d go scare the sh*t out of Amy and Rory by implying there was a possibly fatal event in the near future, ’cause Rory made it sound like it’d happened before.

The Doctor accidentally popping up in the wrong order in an awkward location is something that I have no doubt has happened before and is probably what Rory meant. I don't think the Doctor would ever have done it deliberately, though, because he wouldn't want to unnecessarily worry his best friends like that.

(Besides, what he does when he's "bored" is leave them answerphone messages detailing his recent wacky hijinks, clearly. x3)

(And when I say "bored", I mean "lonely", because he doesn't get bored; he has all of time and space to occupy him.)

Spoiler: Asylum of the Daleks

I was sort of angry when Rory and Amy realized the Doctor didn’t need his nanogene wristband, but didn’t give it to Amy earlier, but then I started wondering if he knew that would get them back together all along. He does claim to be able to see all of time and space, though it seems like he’d have made some better choices at times if that were true. Maybe he just has occasional moments of clarity concerning the whole of time and space?

Spoiler: Reply

I don't think the Doctor can see all of time and space - at least, not in that much detail (it's the TARDIS who can do that). I think he'd simply realised that Amy and Rory were more likely to talk about and get to the bottom of their problems if they believed Amy to be in danger. If they'd known Amy had his wristband and was safe, then they'd probably have just sat in the teleporter room in hostile silence the whole time and never got anywhere.

Spoiler: Crasher

I imagine he does ask himself from time to time:
“Alone on his planet, Answerer sat, waiting for the Questioners. Occasionally he mumbled the answers to himself. This was his privilege. He knew.”
- ‘Ask a Foolish Question’, Science Fiction Stories 1953, Robert Sheckley

I'm personally not that sure the Doctor does ever ask himself that. I don't imagine he's at all proud of the fact that his name is apparently so incredibly dangerous for whatever reason, so I can't see him being smug about the fact that only he knows the answer to the Question.

Spoiler: Asylum

I'm really interested about how the new companion is actually going to join the doctor. [...] so the only plausible explanation I can think of is maybe that the doctor wiped her memory before she boarded ALASKA.

Spoiler: Reply

That explanation had crossed my mind as well. It could potentially work. It would suck for the Doctor, though, knowing the whole time he was with her exactly what her fate would be but being unable to tell her because spoilers. It'd be kind of like his relationship with River in that sense, with a little bit of Donna thrown in, too - which is why, although this is plausible, I don't think it's that likely to actually be the case. I expect Steven Moffat has come up with something new that isn't so similar to some of the Doctor's relationships with previous companions.

So! Dinosaurs on a Spaceship! There is various not-too-spoilery previewy stuff available, such as Karen and Arthur discussing it and a whole bunch of images. Then there's a preview clip, which I've just watched and am still kind of giggling at.

Spoiler: My thoughts on this general previewy stuff

Bahaha, Doctor. What is it with him and being irresistible to Egyptian royalty? xP I guess this is why Nefertiti ends up coming along on this adventure; she insists on joining him. Well, her contribution to this episode should definitely be amusing.

Rory's dad, Brian, should also be a lot of fun. According to Karen and Arthur in that interview, he really loves Amy but isn't quite as fond of his own son. Heh. Seeing the dynamics between Rory and his dad will be great, especially as Brian will no doubt get to see how badass his son can be in between being an adorable normal guy. Then the Radio Times also indicates that Brian protests that he is not a Pond - because of course the Doctor would consider him to be a Pond. Hee. The interaction between Brian and the Doctor is also likely to be pretty entertaining. (It is really weird to think that, technically, the Doctor is Brian's grandson-in-law.)

All in all, it's clear - especially from a whole bunch of those images - that this episode is going to be so much crazy fun. In a way, this episode is the one I'm least excited for in this half-series because it seems the least deep and charactery and rambleworthy, but that doesn't mean I'm not still excited for it in a totally different way because of how mad it's going to be. The Doctor in particular will undoubtedly take such gleeful delight in all of this craziness (I'm particularly fond of that one image of him making friends with the Triceratops x3) and aaaaa this is going to be so, so entertaining.

And. While this is probably the least character-arc-related episode of this half-series, there should still at least be a small amount of it. The talk halfway through this American trailer about how Amy is thinking of stopping travelling might be in this episode (his bow tie is at least the right colour for it). What definitely is in this episode is the shot of Amy and Rory looking out of the TARDIS doors while behind them, the Doctor, rather than enjoying the view with them, is looking at them as if he's wondering if they should really be here. D: And generally I'm still not entirely sure what the Doctor's inclusion in their life has been like since the end of Asylum; I mentioned this a bit in my ramble for that episode, but yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how that's developed. It seems the most likely thing is that he has just gone back to occasionally popping in and inviting them on adventures, which is why they're here in this episode, but it could be something slightly different. We'll see.

...oh, and apparently there's more preview clips on the way, one on Thursday and another on Friday. Oh, official site, Pond Life really got you into the habit of stringing these pre-episode tidbits out, didn't it? Then again, I don't really mind, as it gives me a little something to look forward to each day in lieu of more actual Pond Life which there totally should have been. :3

-elyvorg/Amelia

 

[SoulSilverMstr411]

Why do you like Doctor Who?

Because it's the only really successfull sci-fi to come out of the UK. When I think of British sci-fi the only other show that comes to mind is Primeval, and that was created by ITV to compete with Doctor Who.


Who's your favourite Doctor?

Well I'm really only familar with 8 onwards so there's not much choice there. I'm gonna go with 11.


Desired character title?

The same one I had last time.

 

[Aegon]

^ You'll need to add a bit more than that.

Remember the Who bowling video I mentioned? Well, it came out almost a week ago. Whoops. It's terrifically hilarious, though. Oh, Karen.

There's also an interview I've yet to watch, though it apparently contains spoilers. I presume they're Asylum spoilers, since surely Matt and Karen wouldn't reveal anything terribly spoiler-y. (e: Yes, they're just Asylum spoilers. I should have watched the opening of the video.)

Gah, Dinosaurs is on in two days! I've watched the Nefertiti clip so many times now. Just for Matt's voice. That's not strange. Oh, and there are some promo images available. I love the main one; Lee Binding puts so much thought into his designs. The official website's logo has also been updated to reflect this week's title sequence.

Speaking of the title sequence, does anyone else dislike the changes made? I think they're horrendous. The contrast is horrible, and the names look much better in 3D and with the "whoosh" effect (don't laugh). This fan-made opening is just fantastic. It's a great new take on the titles.

-The Eleventh/Rory Williams

 

[Crasher]

Preview clips so far here and here. It's looking good.

Good news, everyone! Neil Gaiman won a Hugo award (yeah, me neither) the other night for The Doctor's Wife and he said in his acceptance speech that "Only a fool or a mad man would try to do it again... so I'm on the third draft." He later confirmed that he is writing another episode, currently scheduled for 2013.

I was reading an interview with Moffat in which he was talking about JLC's character (while still not naming her!) and her impact on the Doctor. While an interesting read in itself (here), he mentions a cut scene from (I assume) The Power of Three which I was compelled to share. I'm not sure whether it's been talked about so I'll provide the premise of the episode as well.

Spoiler: The Power of Three stuff

Everyone on Earth receives a black box. The Doctor moves in with the Ponds to wait and find out what it does. Which is brilliant, since it's more or less extended Pond Life with added Doctor. Anyway, Moffat spoke of a cut scene in which Amy and Rory discuss getting a babysitter for the Doctor. That would be a joy to watch, I've no idea why anyone in their right mind would cut that.

Also, some stuff on JLC and her character's ostensible name.

Spoiler: JLC

It's been buzzing around that her name is Clara. Some people appear to be presuming its true when discussing the new companion (i.e. the new companion must be a relative of Oswin because she's called Clara), but here's something to consider. I read a comment in which the person theorised that Clara is actually an acronym for 'Companion lady after Rory & Amy'. It's an interesting idea. Perhaps it was used on-set as a place-holder for her true name to hide it from the fans watching the filming.

EDIT:

The Eleventh and I posted suspiciously close to each other...

The bowling was hilarious. I liked when he told Karen that the wand chooses the wizard. I feel compelled to post this now.

I didn't really mind the new titles. I didn't think they looked bad. That fan-made one is interesting; it's an interesting choice to go for images of the cast in the titles. I believe some of the older opening titles showed the Doctor's face (the fourth springs to mind), but not the companions.

I found a fan-made trailer for the 50th anniversary a few days ago which is pretty awesome and should be checked out.

 

[elyvorg]

SoulSilverMstr11: Like he says, you'll need a good bit more than that. Never mind it being really successful - why do you in particular like the show? (Also last club you seemingly didn't have a character title, so bear that in mind.)


Okay, so. I am kind of in love with pretty much everything in that interview with Steven Moffat that Crasher posted. I have to get this out of my system, so, rambly spoiler time! (And if anyone was wary of reading that interview because it seems too spoilery, so was I at first, but it's really not that bad. All it does is tease for the effect the new companion will have on the Doctor; it doesn't actually mention anything directly about the companion herself.)

Spoiler: That interview; also I mention the premise of The Power of Three

The Doctor is practically like Amy and Rory's adopted son! Aaaaaa that is quite possibly the most adorable thing I've ever heard. I can totally see what Steven Moffat means, and all - the psychic paper did once utterly refuse to claim the Doctor was a mature and responsible adult - but to think that Amy and Rory have started noticing and treating him like this instead of like the idealised hero Amy thought of him as up until The God Complex is just too sweet. I mean, I know he's been technically their son-in-law since he married River, but still. I now cannot wait even more for more of this series because I cannot wait for more glimpses of this dynamic between the Ponds and their Doctor and d'awwww! :3

Not that we haven't already got a certain sense of it already, mostly from Pond Life. Particularly May; Amy's frustrated "Doctor! Bedroom!" and the fact they've laid down ground rules for where and when he isn't allowed to randomly pop up really is kind of reminiscent of keeping an unruly kid under control. x3 But oh, my god, The Power of Three is clearly going to be the best thing ever, as it basically sounds like Pond Life but 45 minutes long and with the Doctor actually living with them! The notion that Amy and Rory have to essentially "look after" the Doctor because he has no idea how to function as a normal person (and will likely be bored out of his mind) is adorably hilarious. If it wasn't before, The Power of Three is definitely now the episode I'm most looking forward to at the moment, even though I know so relatively little about it - there still hasn't even been any footage from trailers that I'm sure is from that episode, but the Doctor living with Amy and Rory aaaaaa. I am totally not an incoherent squeeing fangirl over this.

Meanwhile, I'm also really happy to see what Steven Moffat has to say about the effect that losing the Ponds and gaining a new companion will have on the Doctor. I guess it's not as if I ever really expected they'd gloss over that, but still, to hear for sure that it is definitely going to get a lot of focus and not be taken lightly is so promising. I am so, so looking forward to seeing how the Doctor's character arc plays out here. The Doctor is so hugely attached to Amy and Rory - they've been a part of his life for nearly 200 years now! - that losing them is going to have such a massive impact on him. To think that's going to lead onto the second half of the series and be a big part of why he takes on a new companion; this is going to be heartbreaking and fascinating to see. This is everything I could have ever wanted from this series.

I'm also really interested to read about how the Doctor sort of responds to his companions and becomes a little bit like they want him to be. Now that Steven Moffat mentions it, I can definitely get a sense of how he did that for Amy. I'm looking forward to watching him do that for a new companion, too - it'll be so interesting to see him become a slightly different person. I remember that when I first saw those officially-released filming photos of Matt and Jenna, I noticed how distinctly different the Doctor's outfit looked and instantly thought that it wasn't just for the sake of it but was a reflection of some kind of change in his character ever since losing Amy and Rory. Apparently I was more right about that than I even knew!

I literally shed tears of joy when I read the interview last night; not even kidding. It's made me more convinced than ever that I am going to love this series - both halves of it - so, so much.


Neil Gaiman is writing another episode? 8D EXCITEMENT. Half the reason I love The Doctor's Wife might simply be because having the TARDIS able to speak is an inherently wonderful concept, so I'm wondering what a Gaiman episode will be like when it doesn't involve that, but I'm sure it will still be incredible, whatever it's about.


Teeheehee, those videos with the cast are so silly and fun. x3 Karen is amazing. (I also can't help but wonder if the Doctor would be any better at bowling than Matt is. He is on Virginia Woolf's bowling team, but...) Oh, I'm going to miss all the shenanigans with Karen and Arthur once the Ponds are gone. Hopefully Jenna will be awesome too, in her own way.

Also that Q&A from the America screening of Asylum was a lot of fun to watch! They did tease a few small things to do with future episodes, as well. Suffice it to say I am now also very much looking forward to the Christmas episode for its developments regarding the Doctor's headgear. Yes. :B

I'll add another video to the pile myself, this one from a Q&A session at Comic Con. In which an adorable six year old girl asks "the Doctor" if he's scared of Weeping Angels. (Matt is also amazing.)


Re: the new opening sequence - hmm. I like the way the logo will have a different design to it for every episode of the series; it really helps with the sense of big, mad, movie-poster concepts for each episode. I'm slightly less fond of the new cast credits, partly because they don't look as cool and partly because the timing of them is slightly different and I'm not used to it. Sounds silly, I know, but I've got so used to Matt Smith's name appearing the instant that the main melody of the theme tune kicks in (and the lightning strikes), such that it just feels off when it's already there a little bit beforehand. But obviously these are tiny nitpicks and I'm not going to pretend like I'm particularly bothered by the changes because it really doesn't matter to me so long as the episodes themselves keep being amazing. Which they are. So much.


Dinosaurs! Third preview clip here. Seems there's a few more different kinds of dinosaur in this episode than I'd originally been led to believe, so yay! And as for the second preview clip from yesterday, I've found myself not quite watching it but listening to it quite a few times already, because I really like the music in it. This is the first time so far this series that I've thought "this is really awesome music and it better be on the soundtrack!"; gotta love variations on the Doctor's theme. This one sounds like it's specifically a variation on The Majestic Tale, which is awesome and I hope there's loads more variations on that piece throughout this series.

Also, yesterday I was poking around Wikipedia trying to figure out exactly who Nefertiti was. In the process, I found out that apparently, all historical record of her vanishes at around the time of her husband's death (which is approximately 1334 BC, as it happens), and no-one really knows what happened to her. Well, hmm. I wonder if we'll find out the answer to this mystery tomorrow? =D

-elyvorg/Amelia

 

[Aegon]

Yes, it is very exciting that Neil Gaiman is penning a second episode. I knew I forgot to mention something in my last post.

That video with Matt talking to the little girl is so cute. It's nice to be reminded how Doctor Who means a lot even to six-year-olds.

Not only does Matt speak of a new hat in that video I posted, he asks Caroline Skinner if he can talk about a "journey to the..." when questioned about the size of the TARDIS. I guess this means we'll be seeing more of the TARDIS interior shortly. At least, I hope so; there hasn't been a lot of the TARDIS interior (beyond the console room) in New Who. Perhaps "Journey..." is an episode title, or maybe there's an actual adventure in the TARDIS.

Dinosaurs tomorrow! Last Saturday's episode is repeated tonight on BBC Three. I for one shall be watching it again.

-The Eleventh/Rory Williams

 

[VampirateMace]

[I'll add another video to the pile myself, this one from a Q&A session at Comic Con. In which an adorable six year old girl asks "the Doctor" if he's scared of Weeping Angels. (Matt is also amazing.)

Also, yesterday I was poking around Wikipedia trying to figure out exactly who Nefertiti was. In the process, I found out that apparently, all historical record of her vanishes at around the time of her husband's death (which is approximately 1334 BC, as it happens), and no-one really knows what happened to her. Well, hmm. I wonder if we'll find out the answer to this mystery tomorrow? =D
-elyvorg/Amelia

Youtube seems to be all freaked out...

Yeah, that's a strange tale that. The common theory is that she disguised herself a man and ruled herself a few years, but then the man who ruled between Tut and his father goes missing... so either way, she goes missing.

 

[The Joker.]

I can't wait for tommorows episode, it's just so surreal. I think the writers went "What are 2 things that will never ever go together" and then they made this.

Btw can I get the title of 'Dream Lord'?

 

[Thecatteam]

Hello, I'd love to join the club!

Why do you like Doctor Who?
I love the sheer idea of it. That the Doctor can take you anywhere, and have any adventure imaginable. That anyone, provided they're clever enough, could be his companion. Also its positive take on the universe in general. Sure, there are aliens out there, but they don't all want to kill us. A lot of them do, granted, but not all of them.
It's British. That's a good thing. As an acknowledged American, I have to say I'm a fan of British-ness.
I also like the history; the show's forty-nine, going on fifty! Wow! Plenty of material to watch!
I think the thing that does it for me is the humor. Doctor Who has just enough jokes to make it seem light-hearted most of the time, but when it wants to be, it gets serious. Really serious. Sometimes over-the-top, but that's never really an issue for me.

Who's your favorite Doctor?
David Tennant. I know, it's the popular choice, but he was my first Doctor, and he wooed me with his sideburns and hair and glasses and trainers.
I'm currently working my way through Classic Who (By "working my way through" I mean "stuck in a rut after completing 'The Web Planet' and hating it," so I haven't gotten very far), so my opinion might change. I'm liking the First Doctor so far, though!

Desired Character Title?
Can I be a Torchwood character? Is Torchwood technically cannon? I've only watched through partway through the second series, so...
Anyway, my choice is Toshiko Sato. Because she's a bit shy and science-y, kind of like me.
If I can't have her, then Chantho. Because I watched "Utopia" with a friend and they were very emotional over Chantho. As was I. *bawls* But she's eager, and science-y, too, so it works.

And am I supposed to highlight all instances of "Doctor" and "Who?" Is that the way things are done around here?

 

[VampirateMace]

I can't wait for tommorows episode, it's just so surreal. I think the writers went "What are 2 things that will never ever go together" and then they made this.

I know, I'm freaking out. Three of my favorite things, Dinosaurs, Ancient Egyptians, and Doctor Who. And I know I’m probably not going actually to get to watch it tomorrow… I’ve thought over it many times, if I was a companion and he asked me where we should go, I probably blurt out Cretaceous, and assuming we made it back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. alive, we’d immediately start arguing that the other one should have known better. I knew what was waiting for us there, and he was old enough to know better.

 

[elyvorg]

I always assumed what Steven Moffat did was he looked at Snakes on a Plane and thought, "We can do way, way better than that." Mhmm.

The Joker.: Yep, sure. I know the Dream Lord is arguably the same character as the Doctor, but I remember letting someone claim him as a separate title in the old club, so I'll let you do so here, as well. Oh, how I love the concept of the Dream Lord and Amy's Choice in general.

Thecatteam: Hi there! Welcome to the club. I hope you enjoy it here; feel free to join in the discussion or start some of your own. And Torchwood is absolutely canon (as is The Sarah Jane Adventures), so of course you can be Tosh!

And am I supposed to highlight all instances of "Doctor" and "Who?" Is that the way things are done around here?

No, not at all. o.o Did you find this thread through a forum search for "Doctor Who", perhaps? Because that would have made all instances of those two words appear bolded. It's not something we're doing ourselves.

VampirateMace, what's this about the Doctor being "old enough to know better"? I know he's going on 1104, but that still doesn't mean he's anything close to a mature and responsible adult. The psychic paper even once shorted out rather than claim him to be as such. =P

I'm rather fond of dinosaurs, too. Yay for them being on a spaceship in only four and a half hours!

-elyvorg/Amelia

 

[Aegon]

I'd say DoaS will deal with Nefertiti's disappearance, since Riann Steele, the actor playing her, mentioned it in an interview. She could just find the fact interesting, but since Who writers love filling in the blanks with historical figures, I'm guessing otherwise.

Speaking of DoaS actors, I've just spoiled something for myself, thanks to the BBC's cast list. Damn it.

Spoiler: DoaS actor; you'll probably prefer to find out during the episode

Richard Hope (Malokeh) will be appearing in the episode, playing a character called Bleytal.

Silurian(s)! I wonder how he'll show up. I think the Doctor will return the dinosaurs to the past, and that may involve his appearance.

Just over three hours!

-The Eleventh/Rory Williams

 

[The Joker.]

Spoiler: Dinosaurs

I really enjoyed that episode, and I especially enjoyed Mitchell & Webb as the robots, I thought they were hilarious. Although this episode did have it's sad tones, like when Amy and Dr. talk about how she's always waiting and that he'll see the end of her. This was really important IMO as it shows how the doctor has to live with the fact that his companions end up moving on and then ultimately demising, the face he gave during that conversation really conveyed his sadness about that.

I might edit this with more later.

 

[Will-powered Spriter]

Man, there's the Doctor Who I know and love. Last episode just seemed like Melodrama, this one was just having fun.

Spoiler: Dinosaurs

I was a little confused about what was going on at first, I'm still not sure when this is set or who they group defending the Earth were, but meh. I quite liked how Brian ended up with the group. I also liked the references: Typically its Towels everyone should have with them but Trowels are close enough. And robots singing when they malfunction. No "Clever Girl" though, which is a shame. From what little I know the portrayal of dinosaurs was scientifically wrong in every way, Pterodactyls have feathers and don't attack Humans in sight, Triceratops are not dogs, but whatever. Hunter guy deserved to die, he killed poor Tricie, but I think the robots should have been allowed to live. Talking about the robots, they were also hilarious. They wouldn't have been out of place in Hitchhiker's Guide either, or maybe a Sonic Cartoon.

All in all, hilarious episode. Would watch again.

 

[Thecatteam]

No, not at all. o.o Did you find this thread through a forum search for "Doctor Who", perhaps? Because that would have made all instances of those two words appear bolded. It's not something we're doing ourselves.

...right. I should have realized that. Oh, well.

I can't wait for "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship!" After the seriousness (well, sort of...) of "Asylum of the Daleks," a light-hearted episode will be appreciated!

 

[Becoming]

Spoiler: Dinosaur on a Spaceship

Well that wasn't mind blowing or heartbreaking like Asylum of the Daleks, but damn was it funny. Especially Rory's dad ahaha. But apart from the funny there's a couple of interesting things . . .

The Doctor let Solomon get blow up . . . no, he went out of his way to make sure he got blow up. This isn't really like the Doctor, well kinda, but I reckon this kind of decision making is gonna be important to the next episode. Interesting . . .

And the conversation between the Doctor and Amy near the end about who'll be there at the end was probably foreshadowing And we know that Amy leaves after episode five

Also Nefertiti was damn awesome! And the robots. And Tricy . . . oh, poor Tricy

Next week looks cool. I wanna see how things play out.

 

[Aegon]

Well, that was pretty good.

Spoiler: Dinosaurs! On a spaceship!

Indeed, there were Silurians. They fitted in quite suitably. What a cool spaceship.

There were so many things going on. I loved the Doctor's gang. Thankfully, Nefertiti didn't end up with Solomon, as I had begun to think. It's nice to see a happy ending for once; I find that many dramas are become too predictable with gloomy outcomes. Rory's dad was brilliant. He is Mr Weasley, after all.

Gah, the innuendos! There were several DoctorxRory moments, too (or maybe I just made those up as I watched the episode). There's a certain moment I'll be watching again and again and again. Matt was really fantastic; his deliverance of some lines (like "I do hope so!" when replying to Brian on Dårlig Ulv-Stranden the beach) was impeccable.

Queen Amy (Yes. Yes she is.) was definitely on top of things. She's travelled so much, I suppose. I liked seeing her in charge due to her knowledge of the Silurians, and also her being able to tell Rory simply that it's a Silurian spaceship. It really showed how far she's come. Amy and Rory just keep getting older by the episode; Rory's thirty-one! This plays into their final episode, as Moffat teased that the Doctor's noticed they're no longer so young, as Amy now requires reading glasses. Sad, in a way. Moffat must have had this planned since the beginning. Now it's really time for Amy to grow up. );

I was quite shocked when the Doctor killed (he did!) Solomon. I hope this is alluded to in some way, or at least leads into the problem he faces in Mercy. Amy will have to sort him out. I love how this series and the past two have linked together so beautifully. The story of the Ponds is such a strong, memorable, thrilling tale. I don't want to see it end.

Oh, and that scene with Brian overlooking the Earth from the TARDIS was glorious. Those are the kind of moments I dream about. I love seeing characters doing things like that for the sake of doing it. Who wouldn't if they had a TARDIS?

I'm very excited about next week. It's moral dilemma time!

-The Eleventh/Rory Williams

 

[Will-powered Spriter]

Spoiler: Additional thoughts and a question.

Actually, yeah, the fact the Doctor killed him seemed pretty shocking, but its offset a bit by the fact the guy really really REALLY deserved it. He committed genocide, shot someone instead of saying "I don't want to answer that", treat people as objects, held them at gun point when he could have just escaped, did not act grateful after the Doctor healed him, boasted about how he was going to break Nefertiti's spirit and shot Tricey. He was a jerk and clashed pretty badly with the Doctor's view points. Maybe an ironic fate worse then death wasn't practical at the time?

Also, why was the Doctor not on the database? He's one of the most infamous people in the universe. Did the Dalek mindwipe extend way farther then we've been led to believe or do the Dalek's run space argos themselves?

 

[Aegon]

Spoiler: Additional thoughts and a question.

Actually, yeah, the fact the Doctor killed him seemed pretty shocking, but its offset a bit by the fact the guy really really REALLY deserved it. He committed genocide, shot someone instead of saying "I don't want to answer that", treat people as objects, held them at gun point when he could have just escaped, did not act grateful after the Doctor healed him, boasted about how he was going to break Nefertiti's spirit and shot Tricey. He was a jerk and clashed pretty badly with the Doctor's view points. Maybe an ironic fate worse then death wasn't practical at the time?

Spoiler: Reply

Still, the Doctor went out of his way to kill him. That's not his style, as Amy will note.

[SPOIL]Also, why was the Doctor not on the database? He's one of the most infamous people in the universe. Did the Dalek mindwipe extend way farther then we've been led to believe or do the Dalek's run space argos themselves?[/SPOIL]

[SPOIL]I'm not particularly sure. Perhaps Solomon was exaggerating his capabilities. I was expecting him to want the TARDIS instead of Nefertiti, so maybe Solomon's machine didn't even recognise the TARDIS. Hmm, even then, he'd have to know the Doctor has a time machine, since Nefertiti was accompanying him in 2367. Surely a time machine's more valuable than an Egyptian queen?[/SPOIL]

-The Eleventh/Rory Williams

 

[elyvorg]

Heeee! That episode was so much giddy fun. 8D

Spoiler: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

So many silly and fun and delightful things happened this episode I barely know where to start. The Doctor, Rory and Brian riding a Triceratops! Tricey was adorable. Amy trying to high-five Nefertiti! Historical celebrities always end up being fun one way or another. Amy and Riddell shooting down a pack of Velociraptors like total badasses! I was generally grinning like an idiot throughout most of the episode. Only in Doctor Who could things like this happen as if they were the most normal things in the universe. 8D

Nefertiti and Riddell were both great characters to have along for the ride. Their bantering and competing with each other was priceless, made even more so by having Amy as a mediator (but one who knew that Nefertiti was clearly more awesome). Amy herself was very impressive, too - without the Doctor around, she practically took over his role, figuring stuff out pretty effortlessly with a few helpful suggestions from her "companions". =D It's really great to see how much Amy has grown. Rory, too, has clearly got used to the Doctor's long-winded explanations and was able to translate them into simpler terms for his dad. (I found it a really neat concept how the ship used wave power as a generator; also yay for Silurians.) Brian was awesome! For suddenly being whisked from changing a lightbulb to a spaceship full of dinosaurs, he took things remarkably well - though maybe that was only because his brain had kind of shorted out and the only way to deal with it was to just shrug and get on with it. Or perhaps it's just that being an awkward badass in the face of utterly ridiculous circumstances runs in the family somewhat. He fought off a pterodactyl with a trowel! And yay for him having started travelling loads since the adventure - I always love how the Doctor's influence encourages people to live their lives to the full. Apparently the Doctor's even been taking him on a few trips himself. x3

Speaking of trips in the TARDIS, it looks like the Doctor really has gone back to just visiting Amy and Rory every now and then to take them on one-off trips whenever he thinks something might be extra-fun and wants to share it with them. That's adorable. :3 It seems he might be making a habit of sharing adventures with various other people he's met, too, but it's clear that Amy and Rory are still special to him. ("They're just people; they're not Ponds.") Yet he's also trying to let them keep living their ordinary married life, therefore leaving big gaps in between his visits. I get the impression this is not the first time the Doctor's popped in since the Asylum; Rory's thirty-one, and if Amy and Rory are the same age then that makes it ten years since Amy ran off with the Doctor on the night before her wedding! That's quite something; to think, they've probably already gone back to Cwmtaff to wave at their past selves from the hill. The sad part is that I don't think the Doctor even realised until his talk with Amy here that they're slowly getting older and that one day he's bound to outlive them. Poor Doctor. D: This isn't even remotely his fault, for once; it's just the sad truth of being essentially immortal and having mortal friends. The way he was looking at them as they gazed out of the TARDIS at the end, I now believe he was thinking more along the lines of how he knows they're not going to be there forever. Aww. :< (And yes, this is definitely a running theme of the series judging by preview stuff I've read about the final episode. I love that we're getting a sense of it already.)

Amy still can't stop herself waiting for the Doctor! And it's still messing up her life a bit, even though it's nothing like the way she used to be waiting for him. I feel like it's now less for her sake and more because she worries about him; she waits for the Doctor to show up so she can be reassured he hasn't got himself killed since she last saw him. I'm really starting to get the sense that Amy has begun to see the Doctor as kind of like a son to her, what with her looking out for him like that. :3 Rory, too, gave me a little bit of that vibe here, with his quiet exasperation at the Doctor's mad, almost childlike antics. (He has a Christmas list! 8D And we know what's on it: aggressive stairs.) This all serves to make me even more eager for The Power of Three. Even though it wasn't the main focus, this episode has shown how well Chris Chibnall writes the Pond family, and so everything will be even more adorable in an episode where the Ponds are in the spotlight!

Then there was also a bit of the whole "Doctor who?" running theme, what with Solomon's scan not recognising the Doctor. I assumed the fairly obvious implication was that, ever since Oswin gave him the idea last episode, the Doctor's been busy erasing all record of himself from every database he can find. The universe's Argos catalogue couldn't have been difficult for him to hack into. (I also thought for a moment that Solomon wanted the TARDIS when he actually meant Nefertiti, but I guess if the Doctor's erased himself from the records then he's erased his TARDIS from them, too.) I really liked that moment! It's so great to see the Doctor finally starting to sort things out after the mess on Demons Run and everything he realised there. He appears to be somewhat enjoying this newfound anonymity of his; he seemed pleasantly surprised when it turned out Solomon only thought he was a medical doctor, nothing more. Also, I was rather struck by how very insistent he was to Nefertiti that nobody should owe him anything - no doubt another view that he's gained thanks to everything on Demons Run. He's really beginning to change and learn from his mistakes.

I rather enjoyed all of the Doctor's confrontations with Solomon - it's always something to see this Doctor go all quietly and politely threatening like he does so well. And while Solomon had proven himself to be a very nasty piece of work (threatening to hurt the Doctor's friends just to get him to do what you want is not a way into his good books, let alone committing genocide) and there quite possibly wasn't any other way to save the day, I do agree with everyone that how the Doctor dealt with Solomon was rather noticeably merciless of him and could indeed make a good lead-in to next week's episode. I think it's possible that part of the reason he flat-out killed Solomon rather than showing him some kind of mercy was so that Solomon wouldn't remember him. The Doctor's trying to lie low now - the last thing he needs is the people he's defeated going off and telling others about him, potentially starting off that whole cycle of everyone growing stronger in fear of him again. I wonder how much of the universe's fear of him before he started deleting himself could have been avoided if he hadn't let so many of his enemies live. I mean, this is just speculation, but I was thinking that this might perhaps have something to do with why the Doctor has started being less merciful than he used to be. I guess we'll see next week.

Spoiler: Next Time

Yeah, so it's no secret how intrigued I am for this episode, even if this particular trailer for it doesn't really show that much of why. There is a hint of it, though - apparently Rory is happy to go along with the Doctor's quick and easy solution to things, so that Amy is the only one opposing it. Interesting. Lots of explosions and stuff, too, so I guess it'll be an exciting episode even aside from all the charactery moral-dilemma stuff. Plus there's a Stetson. Stetsons are cool!

I'm also really looking forward to seeing Amy's part in this episode. What with her recent form of knowing the Doctor better than ever and kind of looking out for him, what she says to him and the effect it has on him should be very interesting to see.

Actually, speaking of something I mentioned in my spoiler but not to spoil anything here: are Amy and Rory the same age? In The Eleventh Hour, Amy was nineteen, and Rory was already a nurse; can you be a nurse at nineteen? It's just I always assumed, especially from the flashback in Let's Kill Hitler, that to have been childhood friends the way they were they'd have had to be in the same school year. I can't quite imagine Amelia having been the dominant influence she clearly was over Rory if she were notably younger than him.

Will-powered Spriter -

Spoiler: About dinosaurs

I'm pretty sure Pterodactyls didn't have feathers; did you actually mean Velociraptors, which probably did? I imagine feathers would have been extra-hard to do in CGI, though, which is presumably why these ones didn't.

-elyvorg/Amelia