In the first episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who, Amy, Rory, and River Song receive numbered blue envelopes from the Doctor, inviting them to meet him in America for some unnamed purpose. When they arrive, they witness the impossible. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
How exactly do you talk about “The Impossible Astronaut”?
I thought about writing a list. Couldn’t figure out how to organize it. Then I thought maybe I should just run through the episode chronologically, but my desire to constantly jump into ridiculous tangents would run that in the ground. I thought about turning this review strictly into a questions/discussion post because I REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU ABOUT THIS EPISODE. I do. I seriously do.
I liked series five quite a bit. Until the very end, it never seemed as grandiose as what Russell T Davies would do with the show, but I was perfectly fine with that. Steven Moffat is grandiose in an entirely different way, because he makes tiny moments incredibly large. I’ll always think back to those opening scenes of “The Eleventh Hour,” where Matt Smith shows us he’s the Doctor, but we his companion when she’s just seven years old. I think there’s a part of a lot of we Whovians who look upon the Doctor in a childlike way, wishing he was real and that he’d come take us away from our lives so we could travel though time and space. (Not to suggest that any of our lives are awful or anything, but traveling to any point in time in space. That’s just better.) And while those moments did end up being part of a larger mythology for series five, that wasn’t what was in your head when you were watching that scene. You were instead relishing in the humor and the excitement of this strange, new man who was visiting a little girl, and the moment just felt so monumental and massive. No explosions, no universes being erased, no warring species using the earth as their battle ground.
There are, admittedly some very Doctor Who-esque scenes of significant magnitude within “The Impossible Astronaut” and I don’t want to ignore that. (AND REALLY, HAS ANY MOMENT IN THIS SHOW’S HISTORY BEEN LARGER THAN THE ONE BY THE LAKE????) But the small moments are what completely sold me on this intriguing, confusing, and COMPLETELY FUCKING HORRIFYING episode of the show.
God damn you, Steven Moffat.
I talked about the appeal of serialized media last week during my watching of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and that applies here, too. To some extent, Fringe is satisfying a very specific thing I love about books and movies and most especially television shows. I love the tension and the obsession that comes from trying to figure it all out. Of course, this all started with The X-Files for me, despite that the show was not at all a serial, but there has been no other show quite like LOST that has inspired the fanatical obsession with details within me. For four and a half years (I was a late bloomer to that show, only coming in two-thirds through the second season), I read so many blogs and comments theorizing about what the island was. 99% of everyone was completely wrong in the end, but you know what? It never mattered. There were so many incredibly well-thought-out plans scattered about the Internet, and I know some of you read all of those as well.
I don’t think it’s easy for a story to inspire that in people, to leave them so emotionally attached to the characters that they begin to feel this strong, pulling desire to know what’s going to happen to them. I watched the series premiere with the fine SpectralBovine, whose name you should recognize if you read the comments. We watched half of the first Sarah Jane Smith serial, “The Time Warrior,” before stopping to watch the premiere. By the time the episode was over, we spent a good ten to fifteen minutes trying to discuss every goddamn detail that was just thrown our way, and then we were Googling all the supposed appearances of The Silence, and then we were watching those specific moments in the episodes, and FOR THE RECORD THEY ARE TOTALLY IN “THE LODGER” oh my god.
And then that is all I did when I got home last night. I had forgotten that there were shows that could do this to me, and I went to sleep an incredibly happy man who HAD A NIGHTMARE ABOUT THE SILENCE BEING IN MY FUCKING APARTMENT and now I need to punch Steven Moffat right in the groin YOU GODDAMN ASSHOLE.
It’s weird to be up-to-date with Doctor Who, since most of the point of the site is to progress through fandoms in utter ignorance, but at the same time, I could not be more excited about the concept. I’m realizing that as we all progress through series six, on the same page for once, I am automatically going to have a community of thousands of people who WANT to discuss the intricate details of the series, who will offer up wildly unlikely but fascinating theories as to What It All Means, and we will all get to express our HEAD SHATTERING SURPRISE at once. And that is beautiful to me.
Before I continue on to discuss many of the finer points of this episode that need further discussing, I do want to facilitate all of our discussing/theorizing, but in a manner that respect that there are also fans who do not WANT to read theories so that they can develop their own. (For example, I stopped reading theory blogs during the final season of LOST so I could experience the show as I wanted to.)
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO POST THEORIES, EITHER YOUR OWN OR ONES YOU’VE FOUND AROUND THE WEB: Please start off your comment with THEORIES ABOUND and bold it. (Use the < b > < / b > tags but without the spaces.) If your theorizing does not come until later in the comment, stick it right before it starts. YOU ONLY HAVE TO DO THIS FOR THE PARENT COMMENT IN A THREAD. We will all assume that all talk from that point on will concern that theory. And to remind you all for the bajillionth time, DO. NOT. POST. SPOILERS. OF. ANY. KIND. ANYWHERE. ON. THIS. SITE. I have a wonderful forum for spoilers and there is a fantastic blog where you may spoil away. Now that you have those, you get NO FUCKING WARNINGS about posting spoilers. I will ban you to a Stormcage Containment Facility if you do.
Because I have Many Things I Want To Talk About and because I Am Not Sure How, I want to sort of separate this out based on specific subjects so that I don’t have to stick to them chronologically. DEAL? Too bad, I’m doing it anyway.
THE LOCATION
This is probably the prettiest episode of Doctor Who we’ve ever seen, and it’s definitely one of the most beautifully shot episodes of television I’ve ever seen. Sick of me talking about LOST? Too bad. That show used Hawaii to create some of the most amazing shots and they did not waste a second of it. I love that about that show, especially since that is where my dad was from and those unique, squiggly mountains we saw so much are visible from the cemetery where he’s buried. For this same reason, I adored “The Impossible Astronaut.” Because Doctor Who used their on-location shooting in America to produce images that will soon be iconic for the entire show. It’s going to be hard to forget anything but that wide shot above the lake, with the red car and the picnic below, especially given how what happens there is so haunting. If they were going to shoot in America, they were going to do so and go all-out, and I love that about the production here. Yes, it’s hard to make Valley of the Gods look ugly. That doesn’t make what they do here any less impressive.
I also love that this episode starts out so bright and colorful, and as we get closer and closer to pure terror and negativity, all the colors seem to wash away, giving us only dark hues and shadows.
THE DEATH
WHO OPENS A FUCKING SERIES THAT WAY? Who does that in the first episode and actually confirms that it happens instead of some trick? I know there was a lot of speculation before this episode aired, thanks to certain promos and stories, that one of the four main characters would die. Of course, every single one of us ruled out the Doctor, since he can’t die.
FUCKING WRONG. How much you want to bet that when Steven Moffat wrote that scene, he cackled to himself in his library office full of bats and demons and forty people simultaneously got flat tires ’round the world? I mean, the man has to have that power because WHAT IS HIS BRAIN.
I haven’t rewatched the entirety of “The Impossible Astronaut” since I downloaded my season pass on iTunes, but you can bet that as soon as I possessed an HD copy, I re-watched the Doctor’s death. Twice. And I still cannot figure this all out.
Something was clearly wrong when, during the picnic, the Doctor mentions that he’s 1,103 years old. Two hundred years passed in his time while only two months passed for Rory and Amy? That didn’t seem to make sense.
I imagine there will come a day (maybe even next week!) when we can watch this scene and every movement will make sense. But for now, it’s one of the most frightening and confusing things this show has ever given us.
A REVERSAL OF ROLES
First of all, I love that when the Doctor appears at the diner as the owner of envelope #1, Rory imitates the way the Doctor poked him during “The Pandorica Opens.” Isn’t that exactly what each of us wanted to do? This Doctor could not be real, but then it’s revealed that he is 909 years old, meaning…the future Doctor was killed. WHAT. I can still hardly wrap my head around the concept, but I can understand what it produces: the official Spoiler Police. Now Rory, Amy, and River all hold the truth to the future and CANNOT TELL THE DOCTOR. Because the balance of power and knowledge shifts, we see the Doctor at his most uncomfortable, unable to tell who is telling him the truth or not. THIS IS SUCH A BRILLIANT PLACE TO PUT OUR CHARACTERS.
“My life in your hands….”
Oh, Amelia Pond.
MARK SHEPHARD
Who expected that he’d essentially take on the role of a new companion? Even after listening to him speak at WonderCon, I assumed he just had a small side role. His character, Canton Delaware III, is a man intrigued by mystery and one who hasn’t lost his sense of humor along the way. But what brings him to Valley of the Gods in 2011? What did he see and experience that would convince him to come all the way out there for the Doctor?
THE OVAL OFFICE
Ugh, one of the coolest scenes this show has ever had. From an invisible TARDIS (HOW DOES RIVER KNOW HOW TO DO THAT), to the goofy behavior the Doctor immediately acts out, to Canton Delaware III complimenting the suspect, it’s exactly as wacky and hilarious as I’d hoped it would be. I mean, if you land inside the Oval Office in the TARDIS, you’ve got to have a sense of humor about it, right?
The tape that Nixon plays of his phone call is appropriately creepy, but is only a set-up for what is to come. And we’ll get there.
RIVER SONG
How do you make an already fascinating and intriguing episode even better? Throw in River Song to make things even more confusing. No shame, I love her character, and I love the chance to see her time and time again. Truthfully, there’s not a character like her in television that I can think of: She’s a time traveler who travels in the opposite direction as another time traveler. The more I think about her, the more unsettling questions I have: Why does she specifically travel in the opposite direction as the Doctor? She never meets him randomly, out of order. It’s always in reverse chronological order for her. How did she earn or gain the ability to time travel in the first place?
She’s dropped so many interesting tidbits along the way, such as her relationship with the Doctor, or the fact that she killed a “great man” and earned a spot in prison. And while I most certainly want to know the answer to these questions, that’s not what stuck out to me in “The Impossible Astronaut.” She tells Amy that her worst day is ahead of her, and since she sticks to a strict NO SPOILERS policy (LOVE YOU ~SOULMATE~), I wondered how the hell she could possibly know what was ahead of her. I didn’t expect the answer within this first episode, but she delivered perhaps one of the most ironically tragic lines in the whole show. She originally met the Doctor when he knew everything there was to know about her life, and she knows that there will come a day when she will meet the Doctor and he’ll know nothing about her. And that day will kill her. AND SHE HAS NO GODDAMN IDEA HOW TRUE THAT IS, my creys you all.
THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT
As if we needed yet another confusing element to the story, they don’t show us who (or what) is in the astronaut suit when the Doctor is killed. So when the suit came walking up to the Doctor and Amy, the voice of the little girl clearly inside of it, I expected a dramatic cutaway to black to end the episode, forcing us to wait a week to learn the identity of this impossible astronaut.
Except the screen on the helmet is pushed up and…there’s a little girl inside? What??? Who is that? OH WAIT, AMY JUST SHOT HER. WHAT THE HELL??!?!?!?! Oh god, she’s trying to change the future, which….is sort of possible? We don’t even know if Amy actually harmed the girl in the spacesuit, but if she does kill her and save the Doctor, that’s….sort of good? I DON’T EVEN KNOW. The Doctor assembled them that day in 2011 for a reason, right? And he gave them those specific clues for a reason, so surely that’s to save himself, right? Oh man, we are all totally unprepared, aren’t we?
RORY
Rory’s in a weird place throughout this episode, seemingly equally excited to be with the Doctor and just as reluctant as well. He is the boy who waited and possibly The Boy Who Doesn’t Want To Have To Wait Like That Again, and you can see his hesitance at multiple points throughout the story:
“Rory, would you mind going with her?”
“Yeah, a bit.”
“Then I’d appreciate it more.”
Oh, Rory. Too bad you appear to be electrocuted by The Silence. Please don’t be actually hurt. 🙁
But throughout “The Impossible Astronaut,” Rory’s sadness is kind of distracting because I get the feeling he wants to say something a lot of the time, but chooses not to. Rory’s character has always been reticent and quiet, and I hope he’s not lost in the shuffle.
AMY
SHE’S NOT ACTUALLY PREGNANT, RIGHT? I mean, it could be explained away, but it now seems so OBVIOUS that all the pain and sickness she was suffering throughout the episode was because she was pregnant. UGH WHAT THE FUCK. There’s that scene in the end where River looks sick and is clutching her stomach, so maybe she just is imagining she is pregnant? I DON’T EVEN KNOW.
Amy’s story in “The Impossible Astronaut” is strange. She starts off ecstatic to meet up with him again, then devastated by his death, then mortified by the responsibility of keeping THE secret from him, then fearful of his life. That he loses. In the future.
I loved the scene of her swearing on fish fingers and custard to get the Doctor to trust her. There’s a reason I opened with talk of “The Eleventh Hour.” That episode cements the relationship between as solid enough to make Amy do what she does by the end of “The Impossible Astronaut.” As I said before, I’m fascinated by the reversal of roles in this story, but I worry about what the pressure’s going to do to Amy, especially when you factor in something else.
THE SILENCE
I’ve saved the best for last on purpose. The promos weren’t lying. The Silence are among the creepiest Doctor Who villains we’ve ever seen, and it’s no surprise that Moffat’s brain came up with them. In a way, they’re the polar opposite of the Weeping Angels, who cannot exist IF they are looked at. The Silence cannot exist UNTIL they are looked at. (Er…they cannot be perceived is a more accurate description, but you know what I mean.) The concept of sight being used against a person is what makes them so scary to me. At least with all of the other villains, at some point you know what you’re up against. The very nature of The Silence prevents that: you cannot remember them once you look away. I’ve already seen some spectacularly clever meta narratives made about The Silence, claiming that WE cannot remember them either, sort of how Moffat ruined statues for all of us.
Actually on that point: Moffat sure has ruined a LOT for us. Now I’m going to be terrified by my peripheral vision? THANKS, ASSHOLE.
As I mentioned before as well, it’s been fun exploring the idea that Moffat has seeded these creatures throughout past seasons, possibly even secretly introducing them in “Silence in the Library.” (I personally don’t know if I believe that, but what a cool concept.) It makes me think of “The Eleventh Hour” and Amy missing Prisoner Zero because Prisoner Zero existed in the corner of her eye. And there’s either a huge mistake or a purposeful inclusion in that same episode when Amy is packing for the Doctor’s return and a shadow walks past her door.
The real gigantic and obvious reference in “The Impossible Astronaut” belongs to “The Lodger.” Those are the EXACT same ships, aren’t they? And there’s that strange, desiccated body on the floor that is never explained either. Could much more of the stories we’ve seen have clues to The Silence?
Yet, on top of all this, there’s one thing that makes them even scarier: their power. That scene with Amy in the bathroom of the White House is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Not only was it an outright confirmation that these things were around, instead of brief flashes of them, but Amy watches their operation firsthand, as the other woman constantly forgets what is behind her every time she turns to face Amy.
As if they could not be more terrifying, they can SHOOT ELECTRICITY OUT OF THEIR ELONGATED ARMS AND STEAL…I DON’T KNOW. That tiny mouth thing? I DON’T LIKE IT. IT MAKES MY STOMACH HURT. AND THEN!
“JOY. HER NAME WAS JOY.”
Oh god, the nightmares are never going to end. NEVER.
I am pressed to think of a better season opener than “The Impossible Astronaut.” This felt like a finale, not the first episode of a series, and it has raised my anticipation for this series more than before. In short, that was one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever seen.
THOUGHTS
- So. Now we know that if you are fatally injured during regeneration as a Time Lord, you actually die. That’s never happened, right?
- “How’d you get in here? I mean, you didn’t carry it.” “Clever, eh?” “Love it.” “Do not compliment the intruder!”
- “This is cold. Even by your standards, this is really cold.” “Or ‘hello’, as people used to say.”
- “What’s through there?” “No idea.” “Something bad.” “Almost definitely.” “You’re going to open it, aren’t you?” “Well, it’s locked. How’s a girl supposed to resist?” “Is this sensible?” “God, I hope not.” HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE RIVER FOREVER.
- The “Look how cool this stuff is!” scene is SO FANTASTIC and so quintessentially Eleven. Bless that man. Er….alien.
- “Jefferson isn’t a girl’s name. It’s not her name, either. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, River! “Surnames of three of America’s founding fathers.” “Lovely fellows. Two of them fancied me.” WHO DO YOU THINK IT WAS????
- Most victorious line of the episode: “I’m going to need a SWAT team ready to mobilize, street maps covering all of Florida, a pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers, and a fez!”
- The Legs, the Nose, and Mrs. Robinson. I love you, Doctor.
- “Hippie.” “Archaeologist.”
- “I’M BEING EXTREMELY CLEVER UP HERE AND THERE’S NO ONE TO STAND AROUND LOOKING IMPRESSED. What’s the point in having you all?”
- This line, given what happens to the future Doctor, is very intriguing now: “I’ve been running. Faster than I’ve ever run. And I’ve been running my whole life. Now it’s time for me to stop.”
- AHHHHHHH SATURDAY SEEMS SO FAR AWAY.
I don't even know if this is possible and I don't care because it's the coolest idea of all time.
MODS DON'T DELETE THIS THIS IS AN ACCEPTABLE COMMENT.
The Mods can turn your comment into a Silent.
Does anyone remember what it said, because I want to know.
The fact that they were playing "Rolling in the Deep" in the diner scene made me realize that the video for that song is probably the only reason I knew what the Doctor and Liz X were doing with those water glasses in "The Beast Below." Though I didn't attribute the lack of vibration to the absence of a drummer under the stairs somewhere.
Questiony question: Is it just me, or does the fact that River said "Spoilers" to the Doctor's question of who invited them seem like it would be a ginormous hint to him? I mean, I don't think River has ever said that when it doesn't concern the Doctor's future self, has she? Maybe it's not as obvious as it seems from this side of the TV/computer screen, but I think I'm going to be disappointed if it turns out that the Doctor hasn't figured out who invited him yet.
And now "Rolling In The Deep" makes SOO much more sense when you're thinking of River/Doctor, y/y?
I think the Doctor is a smart alien. I think he did figure it out just off of Team TARDIS's reactions to him. I think that's why he issued his ultimatum in the TARDIS. If they told him, fine. If they refused, he'd drop them. If they told him he just had to trust him, it had something to do with him. So then he would just have to trust them, and hope it turned out…however its supposed to turn out. WHY IS IT ONLY MONDAY.
Maybe he was testing them…. Could he actually trust them to keep something like this a secret? Maybe he would have dropped them if they told him. We will never know.
Unless of course they explain it in a future episode
YY, Rolling in the Deep is perfect for River/Doctor. I loved that song anyway, I think I might love it FOREVER now.
-THEORIES ABOUND-
I'm going to try this again, since the Silence ate my comment.
Let’s all revisit one of my favorite episodes, shall we? Here’s a little snippet from “Blink.”
<img src="http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac22/xLiveLoveTossx/1969.png">
1969, did Tennant say? The year of the moon landing, WHICH HE ATTENDED.
<img src="http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac22/xLiveLoveTossx/impossibleastronaut.jpg">
Yes, yes, this is all good. But David Tennant is gone, it’s the Matt Smith show now, what does Ten have to do with— OH SNAP LOOK AT THAT SERIES SIX TRAILER WHAT IS THAT??
<img src="http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac22/xLiveLoveTossx/10tardis.png">
TEN’S TARDIS??
Theory: Ten is going to come save the day. That, or be the person inside the space suit. I WOULDN’T PUT IT PAST MOFFAT TO MAKE THE DOCTOR KILL HIMSELF. That’s how 11 knew who was in the suit in the beginning, BECAUSE HE ALREADY KILLED HIMSELF AS TEN. GENIUS, OR GENIUS?
Now I’m off to try to remember whatever it was I forgot.
<img src="http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac22/xLiveLoveTossx/silence2.jpg">
Your theory is ridiculous in the way that makes me extremely happy. I think it would be awesome to see Ten/Eleven in the same episode.
To which all I can say is:
YES. PLEASE.
Tennant and Smith in the same episode? I think the fangirl in me would die happy.
(Nah, she wouldn't. The fangirl in me is never satisfied. XD)
Wow, that's brilliant. I want that to be true!!
But you know, I think David Tennant was occupied by the birth of his daughter.
Oh my goodness. That's a wild theory and so creative, I love it! I'd be pretty pumped and dumbstruck if it turned out this way!
Great catch, you just made me go watch the season 6 trailer in slow-mo. Now explain to me the part with that horrible terrifying sad clown sitting on the bed.
And Moffat did write "Blink." Could he have been planning this that far back?
And Moffat did write "Blink." Could he have been planning this that far back? (I'm going to say that yes, he could have)
Yeah, those are stands for the sarcophagi, not cloaked figures.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/SwimmingTrunks/6b942ec4.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/SwimmingTrunks/878cca07.gif">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/SwimmingTrunks/64df8365.jpg">
Oooh, how snazzy! 😀
Wait, where do the sarcophagi go then? O_o Those caps are both from BB2, right, so shouldn't it be the same set-up? I'm confused. Shall have to go rewatch again.
Thanks for this though!
And I still retain that in the second cap, that is a figure. I may be wrong – I probably am – but it's just so CREEPY! 8D
Yeah, the second two caps are from Big Bang, and the setup is bare because history's being erased, so the sarcophagi among other things never existed!
Question that is possibly me being stupid but ifnot then it may lead to theories- so possible theories in the thread: THEORIES ABOUND IN REPLIES
The name Matilda is credited, but who was that? The only person I thought it was was the woman in the loos, but the silent said her name was joy? Was there a woman in the fbi parts called matilda or something?
Maybe Matilda is the little girl on the phone/in the spacesuit?
Matilda was the noblewoman in the cold open who was painting/hiding the Doctor.
THEORIES ABOUND
That was the right header, right?
Okay. So this episode got me thinking in circles about the timelines for River and the Doctor again. River says she killed the best man she ever knew (Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone). This suggests the Doctor. Which suggests that in the opening, River was in the space suit? But that seems to easy, and too literally final. Plus. If she actually kills him, and if their time lines are 100% opposite (which I don't actually think they are) then this being the Doctor's last meeting with River should make it her first meeting with him. It clearly isn't, as she knows Rory and Amy. So either their timelines aren't literally opposite, just generally opposite, or the Doctor doesn't actually die and they have more adventures within her timeline. Also, she says that the Doctor will soon learn the truth about her, and that will change everything (The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang)…the Doctor in this episode does not appear to have any new lifechanging knowledge about River yet. So they have more adventures. But if he really is 1103 or whatever (at the opening) maybe his adventures with River were in that time gap. We don't actually know if "old Doctor" knew something more about River, and the man she killed (could it actually be him? I'm not buying it yet…I won't commit to an opinion)-but "old Doctor" certainly was a little more somber than "Young Doctor." Maybe he did learn that about her and that's why he so calmly approached the astronaut, and said he knew who was in there.
Than there's the Silence that makes you forget. I don't know how they're tied into the astronaut plot yet. The "older Doctor" clearly remembers the astronaut, recognizes it, so I don't know if it can be directly related to the Silence/Silents. Maybe indirectly? I am excited to know.
Plus the astronaut is impossible. That's right there in the title. I don't think we really have a clear sense, from just this episode, what's so impossible about it. Other than the obvious, that someone in a US space suit is on earth, rather than the moon, and the mystery of who (several who's?) is inside, it's not quite what I'd call impossible yet. So I hope this gets expanded upon, I hope it's a clue. Maybe it's impossible because it's somehow involved in the impossible paradox River describes-They can't prevent the Doctor's death in the past, because knowledge of it is what made them go to the past in the first place.
I wonder if the beings/Silents/Silence and the astronaut/death are going to be resolved next episode or if one or both are going to be series-long conflicts? EXCITING!!!
That bit always threw me way off, which makes me sad because I like them together. Theoretically, though, since they've been handled badly for the last two seasons. The worst part in that bit is not only that it's not synched, but also that you hear half of what he's saying and only kinda see the other half. I don't know how they did that or how that got past everyone. : (
YANA!
I called them Slendy all the time, until we got the real (equally creepy) name. I was hoping calling them Slendy instead of Slenderman would make them less terrifying.
It didn't work.
:/
I really don't know how I feel about this one, but I'm going to stick to my guns and my gut and say whatever Moffat's doing here was at the sacrifice of making the halves of this story stand on their own. In the past, the two-parters have been directly linked, but also given the pacing and the strength of two separate episodes. The Impossible Astronaut feels more like Moffat closed the book at some random point halfway through a chapter and said, "and that's all for tonight." I really envy the people who went to the screenings who got to see both episodes together- I think they got the experience we were all intended to have.
That isn't to say I didn't like things here- there were great character moments and so many questions set up! I just feel like saying anything about this episode is going to be saying something about a half-processed story, and my feelings are very likely to develop more fully next Saturday.
One more thing:
I really think River's comment that they're meeting in opposite order is just poorly worded and more meant to be a general rule. If we meet River again before the mystery of the 1103 year old Doctor is solved, before the Doctor himself reaches that point, we will know for a fact that she wasn't speaking literally there.
Oooh, true. Hadn't thought of that, but it's a very nice explanation.
THEORIES ABOUND
ok, so after watching the Impossible Astronaut, I watched Silence in the Library again, and here is what I found:
In Silence in the Library, the name of the doctor was Doctor Moon. The next episode is called Day of the Moon. The entirety of Silence in the Library is about remembering and forgetting, which is what the Silence make you do. THE SILENCE WERE IN THE LIBRARY. Donna’s children were not real. They were something that they made her believe. Possibly like the child that Amy thinks she is carrying? River calls the Doctor “that impossible man”; the name of the Season 6 episode is The Impossible Astronaut.
WHAT THE FUCKKKK
THEORIES ABOUND Sort of. It's mainly just a hodgepodge of thoughts that are sort of theories but sort of not.
So. I watched this with a few of my friends, and they pointed out (as did someone in the comments) that if River is a good enough shot to shoot hats off the Doctor, how in the world could she not hit the astronaut?! Then, once we saw the Lodger!TARDIS, I couldn't stop thinking about the creepy creepy hologram-things (the little girl in particular) from The Lodger, and I just wonder if that's what's in the space suit, if that's who's calling Nixon. It's not a real little girl, it's a projection from the Silents (which could also explain why it's a small girl in a big suit). I'm sure they'd be able to make the suit move, if they could buzz people into Craig's building, and I'm definitely sure they'd be able to call the president's private line. So I don't think that Amy would be able to kill the little girl/astronaut suit by shooting it, either. What that means in the grander scheme of things, I haven't the foggiest.
Then, River. I've been thinking a lot about River, especially after somebody brought up (I think in the liveblog? or on some other site) that if River meets the Doctor backwards, wouldn't she already know that they've already made it past this. I think that River is showing up in this episode as she would in the 1103Doctor's time stream (which would mean she's younger than we're used to), and I think they're a lot closer to each other in terms of what they know about the other (the Doctor has his dairy, they've done a lot of things already), so when that Doctor dies and she sees the 909Doctor, she knows less about the Doctor than she usually does (if you assume that the older the Doctor is, the younger River is). I think it's interesting. I think we're seeing this experience as both of their first times, and neither knows what's going to happen after, having not met afterwards yet.I know that, presumably, the first time we met River, she had already done this, but if the Doctor has been running and running, I think you could assume that he had run from this moment before and is making it happen later than it should have (or making something happen that wouldn't have happened at all?)…if that makes any sense (I'm not sure it does to me, and it's my thought!).
And one last really general thought: Just because we've already seen River die, I don't think that means she can't die here or any other time this season. Same with the Doctor (just because River has seen him in his future/her past doesn't mean that those things have to happen). I think it makes it unlikely, because she and the Doctor are both probably staying on the same lines as they have been, but if the Doctor is directly interfering with his past, then that means he's also interfering with River's future. River/Doctor are just the most clear example, but I think it's true for any of the characters. Just because we've seen older incarnations of them doesn't mean they can't die when they were younger, if the time line has changed. Like, I could jump 5 years into the future and read whatever project Mark is working on at the time, then come back to now, but he could still get hit by a bus tomorrow and die (please don't) which would change what I saw in the future. It's like after Rory died and got sucked into the Crack, Amy didn't see him with her future self any more, even though he had been there at the beginning of the episode. He had a future, but it disappeared because he died.
The end.
well wasn't that fun?!
I'm not going to make any theories, or read any, because I don't like to, but I LOVE the amount of questions this episode throws at the viewers from the off. LOST was renowned for building up mysteries and then instead of answering them, creating 20 more, and Moffat's Who seems to be taking steps down this path. I for one could not be happier about this!
A small list of the questions this suddenly throws up, and I assume will be addressed at some point:
Why did the Doctor leave his companions for 2 months? There must have been a spark for this
Has he really been doing something ALONE for 200 years? Why couldn't the companions be involved?
He must have seen Rvier a ton of times in that time to fill a diary? (ok not a question exactly)
How can we possibly take the Doctor's death seriously unless Matt Smith is going to remain the Doctor FOREVER? There has to be a way of changing time. For me, as great as that scene is, it takes a little away that some kind of reset is almost guaranteed, but still a bit genius.
Who is the Astronaut?
How can a child stand upright in that suit?
Is Amy really pregnant? Why is it so important to tell the Doctor that unless they slept together, and why would that happen?
Is River pregnant as well? OR have the Silence convinced them of that?
What the hell are the Silence up to?
And suddenly we have have a set of mysteries frustrating enough to start literal fires on the Internet. Bravo.
Well, guys, here it is; and may I just say I think of still on a post episode high?
It was a very…different season starter, that’s for sure. A good deal of this was the fact that Moffat didn’t need to re-establish the characters in plot. In every new season before this, something needed to be set up. Rose has the biggest task, introducing the show’s concept to new viewers, as well as defining the personality of Nine, Rose and the supporting cast, and the Eleventh Hour had to work nearly as hard, and all the others also had to re-explain the show’s concept. Moffat didn’t have to deal with a blank slate here, and he divided right into the plot, giving this episode a feeling like it belonged in a season finale.
One criticism I have to give is that new viewers are probably feeling so, so lost. Doctor Who is a family show (technically XD), which means you’re getting a slightly new audience each year in the form of kids, and parents who sit down to watch with them. It also sounds like they’ve really been pushing the American market, which means there’s probably an influx of new viewers from there; and good lord, they must be connnfffuuussed. Unlike in other season starters, it’s never said in one big go; “This is the Doctor who is an alien who travels through space and time.” It’s hinted at, said between the lines, or only explained 35 minutes into the episode. Which means I can imagine new viewers sitting there going “Uh, who are these guys? Do they know that guy from the Tower of London? How? What kind of name is Doctor Who? Who the hell is she? ‘Planet America’- is she some sort of alien? Wait, is this Doctor Who guy a kind of alien….is that THING an alien? Why can’t she remember? HOLY CRAP WHY IS THE DOCTOR GLOWING?!?!”
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing of course. All these questions might give new viewers an incentive to keep watching, and I think shows like Lost has certainly proved that audiences are willing to invest in shows with long term, complicated plots. Still, my sympathy goes out to them, since I know this show and I felt confused in the first fifteen minutes. XD
Okay, I have too many points to work them into prose form, so LIST!
1)The Silence Aliens are creepy as hell, and I applaud the costume department. I do feel as though they somehow managed to fuse together the classic ‘grey’ aliens, dementors and that suit that Voldy wears in OotP together. Also, their fingers. Their fingers really creep me out.
2)So, yeah, they edit themselves out of your memories. “Don’t look away, don’t turn your back and don’t- wait, what was I talking about?” I can’t help but feel that the connection between them and the cracks will become all the more obvious and important as the season goes on. Also, I think that Donna and Amy need to get together as the two red-headed companions who can’t keep their memories from being messed with.
3)Canton Delaware III, also known as FBI Dude and Agent Badger- you are awesome. Seriously, I love how quickly he gets on board with all this, and his snarky sarcasm is highly appreciated. “How long have Scotland Yard had this?”
4)The Doctor’s ‘Death’. Okay, Moffat’s said that he’s definitely dead, but who believes that for a minute? There’s going to be some catch. I’m not sure quite what that catch is yet, but I’m waiting patiently for the explanation to be given either by the next episode or the end of the season.
5)I did love watching my family’s reaction to the Doctor’s apparent regeneration. My mom and sister just sort of stared at the TV in surprise, I chuckled to myself thinking ‘Yeah, right’, but my dad’s reaction was a very straight forward; “Well, he was short lived.” Oh, father, you are naive. The day they manage to keep the Doctor’s regeneration under wraps is the day I get my own TARDIS.
(cont)
THEORIESSSS WHHEE
6)Now, I’ve heard some people say that the Doctor seemed a bit off after his death…I disagree. When he first appeared in the diner he seemed spot on to me- all the lines about his fizzy straw and being ‘The King of Okay’. It was only after River slapped him, and in the TARDIS that he seemed different. I think this was for two reasons. One, he doesn’t like being the least knowledgeable, and was feeling miffed. At the same time, I think he was hurt at how his companions were treating him, and also a little bit worried that they were being threatened. Not a pleasant reaction, I agree, but a believable one. We’re just not really used to the Doctor going into ‘Oncoming Storm’ mode on his own companions, which is why it felt off. As soon as he was in the Oval Office, our good old Doctor came right on back.
7)Lodger TARDIS! So, is this from before or after the Lodger, in its own time-line? Did the Silence build it? Another Time Lord?
8)Amy’s pregnant, apparently. I predicted as much, but I thought it would be nearer the end of the season. I sure hope they don’t reveal it to be the Doctor’s kid, because that would make me sad because I ship AmyXRory, and also because I would cringe at the bad biology.
9)Why did Amy and Rory leave the TARDIS in the first place? They obviously expected the Doctor to be back, but I can’t think of any reason why he’d leave them behind. I know in the old series he had to leave Sarah Jane because humans weren’t allowed on Gallifrey at that point, but that’s not an option now….
10)Where’s the ‘dead’ Doctor’s TARDIS gotten off to?
11)Oh, boy, River’s speech. Not a wild River fan, although I do like her- but does that ever put Silence in the Library into perspective? Also, IRONY. Lots and lots of irony.
12)The cinematography seems far more professional, clean and movie-standard than even last season. Loving it!
13)WHO THE HELL STARTS WITH A TWO PARTER?!? CURSE YOU MOFFAT! CURSE YOOOOUUU!
Ooh, lovely comments.
I agree with your point 6, and point 7 and the timeline is a good question and one I hadn't considered.
re #13: I think the Stargate franchise has desensitized me to this. Let's just be glad DW doesn't split up multi-parters IN BETWEEN SEASONS. Seriously, every single season of SGA did this.
First, since yesterday was Easter, I wanted to share what a couple of my Whovian friends posted on FB:
"For the past few years, Easter has, for me, been a time to celebrate the return of a man who teaches nonviolence, who saves people, and who dies but is reborn… Oh, and he also travels through time in a big blue box." They are the best friends ever. haha.
Also, I think a lot of other people have said what I would have tried to say, assuming I could form a coherent thought. Plus, I fear if I try to write a comment it will just end up being the episode review for my own blog and I would feel wrong using Mark that way.
Really Obvious Theories Abound: It's River in the spacesuit, killing the Doctor. And she shot at herself to try and stop herself, but she said 'of course' because she knew the bullets wouldn't hit, since that would create the paradox of her not being alive to shoot at herself.
Ok, so I'd be pretty disappointed if it turned out to be that. It's waaaaay too obvious and I don't think the show would go that way. So mayyybe…the Doctor killing himself? And then if he stays in that timeline after killing himself he can continue on?
That probably makes no sense. Urg, time travel makes my head hurt.
This actually really reminds me of an episode of Babylon 5 which deals with time travel. That episode also had people in spacesuits going around so you could never quite tell who was where (and when) at any given time. It's kind of a similar thing – trying to guess who it is in the suit, all the while knowing that it could actually be one of the people who is watching it happen, just in their future timeline. Incidentally, that was an awesome episode and anyone who liked this would probably love that too.
If it was River, she should have recognized the event and what was about to happen before, not right after the Doctor was dead, right? She seemed surprised just like everyone else.
I'm late as I forgot it was Monday. Oh well I'm gonna post my few thoughts and only one theory and then come back to read all the comments.
Ok, I have watched The Impossible Astronaut but NOT THE TRAILER FOR 602 PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL ME FOR IT THANK YOU!!
Mark, your list just helped me to see how much I loved the dialogue throughout this ep, so sharp and crisp. Not a wasted breath.
Noticed the Doctor doesn't have his screwdriver. Hasn't got a replacement yet? Tardis being 'withholding'? Or are we going the Five route and depriving him of a screwdriver to increase the ingenious ways to escape problems?
River's story is like Mel's, all Timey-Wimey. But River's story has vastly better execution is EVERY WAY!
1. Better actress
2. Better writing (poor Six & Seven, saddled with worst writing of all time)
3. Better production values (it's beautiful instead of the "ye gads that is uuuugly" late 80s serials)
4. Better hair (less frizz)
5. Better voice (no screeching)
THEORIES ABOUND
Ok, here's my 2¢ theory about why the Doctor allows his execution. Amy manages to kill the "astronaut" (and if the Moff is planning to coolly off a little girl in his first ep of the season then this really is going to be a DARK ONE) and her life is demanded as payment. But the Doctor offers himself instead. For 200 years he tries to find a loophole but finally concedes defeat and sends the invites.
MOAR THEORIES ABOUND
Hey! I had another thought! The Silence tie into the Men in Black mythos. It would fit, people who see the aliens have their memory wiped but few of them do remember impressions so the MIB myth propagates.
Make sense?
Poor Doctor. Last time you stepped out into America, you got shot by a gang. Figures he's more cautious this time.
Oh Seven… my creys
Oh my gosh, you're right!! *horror*
It didn't make me laugh, and for a moment I was confused as to why that would really matter that they're Americans.
Then I was like OH, IT MUST BE SOME STEREOTYPE I DON'T GET.
Had it say been, "They're Texans!" then I would have duck and covered. 😉
it exists! I just do not have any link handy..
http://store.qmxonline.com/My-Mysterious-Doctor-P…
That last gif needs to be played backwards. Much better, backwards.
Much better indeed….much much better….*ahem*
Oh god, someone needs to reverse that gif asap!
We are such pervs… creepy creepy pervs…
It's not our fault though, stop being so damn lovely, Smith!
He's also a FBI agent from Dollhouse.
The Doctor dying scene is still making me sad. And I know he's not dead, and he can't be dead, but I can't stop thinking of it. I need to rewatch. Maybe it's because I just recently watched The End of Time Part 2, but SAD. SADSAD. Matt Smith as completely vulnerable and old and sad as that, starting his regeneration cycle, and then BLAM. Actually, it was his regeneration that made me sad. I can't deal with that any time soon. Nooo.
I've had a really rough couple of weeks with an internet scam, my car not being picked up to be shipped across the country, an 8 hour exam I finished three hours ago and I feel there's an ulcer eating through my stomach lining.
Watching Doctor Who on Saturday, as MINDFUCK as it is, gave me something else to think about and wonder over, and hate Moffat forever for The Silence.
Did anyone else think that the Silent killing Joy had a double meaning?
I CANNOT WAIT FOR APRIL 30th!!!
Agreed about the timeline.
This. He's got such unique features, and is also such a great actor.
MISSING TARDIS IS A GOOD POINT. The only person I can imagine him leaving her with is Future River? But I don't think that makes sense/is possible.
"And there’s either a huge mistake or a purposeful inclusion in [The Eleventh Hour] when Amy is packing for the Doctor’s return and a shadow walks past her door."
I think this may be on the border of spoiler territory, so I'll pick my words carefully: This may have been discussed on a DVD commentary at some point. PERHAPS.
Apart from that, I totally did not realize we were calling them The Silence now? Were they called that in-episode, and I just missed it?
About the Silents, they were in the credits. Way to kill a reveal, production team :/
And about the shadow in Eleventh Hour, I'm pretty sure it isn't spoilery to explain. Correct me if I'm wrong, someone.
Originally it was supposed to be Eleven, back in time to talk to Amy and tell her about the TARDIS, but then they realized it made it look like little Amy just went outside and immediately fell asleep so they abandoned that. (In my headcanon, the shadow is Prisoner Zero.)
His unofficial fan nickname from page one is Killjoy.
See, with some of us Classic Who fans, the 1,113-year-old foreshadowing went right over a lot of our heads because we figured the Doctor was lying about his age less than usual.
Same with me, I just thought, "YAY finally they've got him having hundreds of years of adventures that we don't see!"
Ok there's something that I've been hysterically laughing at the past month as I watched previews for the new season. In some of the interviews they've shown, Matt Smith is sitting on top of a houseboat…
In the middle of Lake Powell…
In the middle of the desert…
…Wearing tweed.
I just love to imagine any casual American channel surfer who's never seen the show happening upon that and having their every stereotype of British people confirmed with a single shot. "They really do all dress like geriatric professors all the time."
Well, time travelling aliens who like to pretend they're British do. Sometimes. Other spectacular dressing choices would include full length scarves, leather jackets and full pinstriped suits.
I definitely didn't get to sleep until 2-3 AM after watching The Impossible Astronaut because I was freaked out by the Silence then the moment I turned off my light I heard a creak coming from my bedroom door. Definitely slept with my closet light on for the first time since 3rd grade.
kljajksdfklsladf My head exploded during this episode. It was difficult watching it downstairs because there were people around and I was screaming. Not fun. 🙁 Not much to say except one thing: I hate Steven Moffat for what he does to our brains. Evil genius.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaark! So, when the Doctor was killed (I can't believe I just wrote that. MOFFAT, YOU LIFE RUINER!) I said "What the fuck?" in exponentially rising pitches and then proceeded to stare at the tv, mouth agape. I luckily have a DVR and was recording, so I waited several minutes so I could just fast forward through commercials because I couldn't freaking take it anymore.
The Silence fucking terrify me. At first I thought they were just observers of the world with some great, philosophical purpose…right up until they killed that lady in the bathroom.
THEORIES ABOUND
A list of my ott theories:
– River is Amy and Rory's child
-The great man River killed and went to prison for was the Doctor (wat idek it makes no sense, yet it makes perfect sense)
Okay so that's only two ott theories, but they're doozies. I have no idea how plausible they are, but there they are.
So, from the preview for next week, it seems like they are somehow able to remember the Silence. I wonder how? Is it just Amy's picture or something else? I really don't have any theories about that. I mostly just go with the flow when it comes to this show, but the moment by the lake has turned that upside down.
– River is Amy and Rory's child
One of my friends had that theory, too!!! I think it would be totally awesome and kind of hilarious when Amy and Rory decide to name their daughter after River and…whoops, it is River!!
Oh thanks Moffat. Now every time I walk into a room and then can't remember why, I will crap my pants in terror.
But seriously I LOVED THIS EPISODE!
FANBOY SQUEE!
BEST CLIFFHANGER EVER??? Y/Y
THEORIES ABOUND
Okay not so much with the abounding, but I did have one thing I wanted to bring to the main thread (I already commented in a reply briefly, but I want to expand) that hasn't already been discussed to death. Does anyone here have any input on why exactly CED3 might have left the FBI? And what it's relevance to the rest of the episode might me. I mean, wanting to get married = a crime in 1969 seems to imply (at least to me) that he's gay (someone earlier suggested interracial marriages as a possible culprit but the supreme court ruled anti-miscegenation laws as unconstitutional in 1967) but I'm not sure how this would be relevant to moving the plot along, although it certainly ads to his dimensionality as a character. I guess what I'm trying to get at here is does anyone think CED3 not being an agent anymore is going to actually be important to the plot? We could have skipped a lot of stuff in the beginning if he was just a special agent the president called in with the possible bonus of actually making this feel more like a full episode–No offense, Moffat, but the pacing here just was not up to your usual standards of excellence. Any thoughts as to the reason or it's relevance?
I thought that maybe… he wanted to marry someone else in the FBI. I know that's not allowed. The gay marriage thing doesn't hold up because the Defense of Marriage Act wasn't passed until 1996, so it was technically legal until then. And interracial marriage was legalized in 1967. So that's my theory. Or maybe FBI agents just aren't supposed to get married at all :/
But I'm thinking he wanted to marry a woman in the FBI, and he wasn't allowed to.
While the Defense of Marriage Act wasn't introduced until the 90s, there were Sodomy laws which made it a crime to be gay, along with other sexual acts, which a quick look at wikipedia tells me didn't really start to change until the 70s and even then the date varied from state to state.
I imagine though that we're all just going to be stuck speculating and inserting our own head canon so really everybody's right.
I really really wanted to love this as much as everyone else does, but I just don't.
Stuff might happen in the second half that makes me appreciate this but right now I am not feeling it and this is really a first for me as far as Moffat goes. I just think he can and has done better than this.
I might get more specific once I've seen the next episode but I don't really think there's a point going into detail at this point, it'll just get a lot of people saying "oh I really liked part X" when really it's not like anyone is going to change my mind, or vice-versa.
Just so everyone knows about it–
My Mysterious Doctor Poster:
http://store.qmxonline.com/_p_127.html
Oh my LORD, the description. Maybe it's midnight and I'm tired, but that is hysterical xD
That was a big ball of Timey-Wimey fun, but it didn't touch me emotionally at all. The Doctordeath actually took me out of the story completely, because I couldn't help going meta and thinking: "There's no way in HELL they'll cement Matt Smith as the last Doctor ever, so where are they going with this? Stop the mourning BS, get on with the story already!" Lovely funeral, though.
The Silence were a little too WE ARE SCARY CREEPYFACES BE SCARED NOW for my taste.
Still, good performances and enough WTF for five episodes.
When River had her little prophetic moment, I imagined David Tennant watching this episode (which he definitely did because he's ONE OF US) and grinning from ear to ear.
Ah yes, reading all of the Doctor Who comments instead of doing my speech outline due tomorrow. THIS DOES NOT MATTER AT ALL BECAUSE I'LL BE THINKING ABOUT DOCTOR WHO MUCH LONGER THAN I'LL BE THINKING ABOUT THIS SPEECH!
Also, as a nerd of many colors can I just say Hello Star Trek reference! You are always welcome in my media! Now that is a crossover I can get behind, the Doctor meets the crew of the enterprise! I'd even love it if the Doctor just met the cast. The Doctor meets Shatner. So lovely.
As a whole I love the episode! I love River/Doctor flirting and I love Rory being Rory and I love the mystery surrounding everything and how it was somehow scary and funny at the same time. What didn't really sit too well when I stop and think about it is River's speech to Rory.
I'd always liked to think that the Doctor inspired all of this badassery in River, that he made her want to go out and see the stars and have adventures. The way she tells it here it sounds more like she goes out to look for the Doctor. I think I maybe saw her in a way like Christine De Souza (This is probably horribly misspelled. I apologize.) in that she was this strong woman who loved to go our and have a good time and get an adrenaline rush with just better placed attentions. When the Doctor happened to pop in she loved to have him, because he made her adventures that much more special and exciting and she loved him for it. I saw her as my woman version of Indiana Jones. Now her career as an Archeologist seems to be put in a whole new light. I can't help but think that she decided to become an archeologist not because she was interested in history and wanted to learn, but so that she could look for the Doctor, and that makes me sad. I'm far from giving up on River as a character, but I hope that they introduce some non-Doctor point for River soon.
MINOR THEORIES ABOUND!
…Well, it's not so much a theory as a hope.
So… we're all worked up over 10's Tardis and the possible Tennet/Smith crossover right? I kind of hope that it isn't 10's Tardis. I want it to be 9's. I think it'd be interesting to see a pre-Rose 9 come in to save the day and give himself a little hope that there is going to be happiness for him after the Time War, that he will move on eventually. And maybe 11 could give 9 a suggestion of where to go to cool his head, say, London 2005? Granted they would have to work around some tricky points, namely how 9 can't see Rory and River, and a lot of this probably comes from the fact that I'm sad that Eccleston left so soon. Still, a girl can hope.
Want Nine immediately.
…that's about as eloquent as I'm going to get on the subject.
As soon as I realized that Nine and Ten had the same Tardis so there's really an 'equal' chance at it being either of them, my brain had a similar reaction. I'd like Nine of many Norths now please and thank you!
I've considered the possibility of Nine showing up, and would love it if he did- I'm just not getting my hopes up since I know Eccleston didn't seem to have the greatest relationship with DW. But I would love me some big-earned Northern to buffet tweed's zaniness.
I think that's unlikely to happen-a pre-Rose Nine. I remember in "Rose" Nine clearly hadn't seen himself in the mirror (he flapped his ears and was like "….eh") yet, so there wasn't a lot of time between regeneration and meeting Rose.
I remember that now too. Still, if it were to be Nine (Which I know the chances of this are slim to none) it would kind of have to be pre-Rose Nine. Othwise Rose is with him which would open a whole new can of worms. Though I have always been curious how Rose would react to Eleven…
I would explode out of sheer joy if Nine came back. So, so much more than if Ten came back. I know it's about as likely as McGann showing up as Eight, but oh god do want.
It actually felt like one of the old serials… Episode 1 of Attack of the Silents, cutting off at the appropriate cliff hangery place.
Yes! You nailed another thing I love in this ep. The real old skool Doctor Who feel. As I am fresh off a Seven binge, I'm LOVING IT!
I echo your Rory Love. HE IS THE BEST HUSBAND EVAH!!! I need a Rory to snuggle for next week if it's even more scary…
Yes yes YES. Honestly, Rory is my PERFECT dream man. Seriously. Can I has?
THEORIES ABOUND
Why was the Tardis exploding back in The Eleventh Hour? Many Doctors have regenerated in it without exploding. Was it cause and effect, or just correlation? What happened (if anything) between the Doctor's tenth and eleventh incarnations?
I was wondering that too…. Thought about it long and hard actually. Finally came up with something that kind of makes sense: It might have been RTD's way of saying 10th Doctor was sooooo hugely attached to his current incarnation that it took an explosion of the body to get him to move on. Speculation, blither, and so forth 🙂
More abounding theories. I think RTD and Moffat worked perhaps more closely on the Ten finale than we realized, and there are clues in there. What made the Ood progress so quickly? Why were the Ood singing him to his sleep? Was something controlling the Ood, manipulating them? (wouldn't be the first time. In fact, it seems par for the course with them). Did anyone notice the shadow in the back of the church in EoT? Plenty in that ep was unexplained, along with the exploding TARDIS. Something has been after the doctor for awhile.
Many Doctors have regenerated without exploding, but none of them held their regeneration back for several hours so that they could go and say goodbye to everybody. If you picture the regeneration energy building up behind a dam or something like that, it makes sense that when he finally let go it exploded out.
"So. Now we know that if you are fatally injured during regeneration as a Time Lord, you actually die. That’s never happened, right?"
It happened in Turn Left remember? The Doctor Drowned.
THEORIES ABOUND
This hypothesis predicts:
-Why people get sick after seeing the Silence
-Why nobody can remember the Silence
-Why the TARDIS from the Lodger is in this episode and appears to belong to the Silence
-Why the Silence blew up the TARDIS in the previous season
-Why River meets the Doctor backwards
The Silence are creatures that live backwards in time.
For them/around them time works the other way around. When you see one you get stuck in their (backwards) version of the time stream and when you look away time returns to normal. The “feeling sick” is a result from time jerking back and forth. As Ten said in Blink: “Time travel out of a box, nasty. Catch your breath, don’t go swimming for half an hour.” (Coincidentally, Blink also dealt with looking directly at aliens)
This also explains why you can’t remember seeing a Silence: when the time stream restores, what used to be memories of the past (seeing the Silence) suddenly becomes the future. And you can’t remember the future (Unless you’re Amy and you’ve had a crack in time and space in your bedroom, messing with your sense of reality/space/time/stuff)
During this season the Doctor will defeat the Silence (maybe just a small victory, I don’t know) and their TARDIS will take off. Since Silence naturally travel backwards in time the empty TARDIS will end up in The Lodger episode. (Then again, a TARDIS can travel in time anyway so…ehm…yeah)
The Doctor’s conflict with the Silence in this season will be the reason they blow up the TARDIS in the previous season. This forms a closed time loop: The Doctor’s action in season 6 causes the Silence to set the events for season 5 in motion, which will cause season 6,… (The Doctor’s actions are “Cause”, the Silence actions are “Effect)
Amy forms a second loop, going the other way: having had the Crack in her bedroom( caused by the Silence blowing up the TARDIS), will help deal with the Silence. (Silence actions are “Cause”, Amy’s actions are “Effect”)
I think the little girl in the astronaut suit is River, the man she kills in the future is the Doctor (as seen at the beginning of this episode) and prolonged exposure to the Silence messes with her time stream so that she keeps meeting the Doctor backwards.
This is just based on one episode and I fully expect next week’s episode to prove me completely wrong, I just like to speculate.
I have no idea if any of this will pan out, but it's a very exciting theory, and I'm impressed by how well you've thought it through!
*Fingers crossed for Saturday…*
This is the best theory I've seen so far!
In the Confidential, Moffat was talking about story arcs for the series and he said that one of them was going to be related to 'that pregnancy'… so something interesting is bound to come of it whether or not she really is pregnant. IDK though, to me 'that pregnancy' sounds like she actually is but there will be complications (OBV)
I loved it!! You've covered it in your review but there was something else…
How can Amy and Rory afford the house they live in? Seriously, he's a nurse and I'm not sure what Amy is doing now but it's not enough for such a nice place.
Theories Abound:
Right there was this moment in the Eleventh Hour, after Amelia is outside in the garden, waiting for the Doctor. In the kitchen you see this dark figure run across the screen. I've seen people say that it was either Prisoner Zero or the Doctor but that never felt right to me, even then. What if it was the Silence?
in america, nurses make good money.
…so it's not like that in the UK?
maybe amy's parents are rich or something. or rory's parents for that matter.
or maybe that's rory's house from before they got married?
Well around here (Ca) nurses make about $40 an hour, so that's more than enough to afford a nice place! Ugh, WHY didn't I finish nursing school again???
how do they afford their house AND just on a plane from wherever they live in the UK to Utah, USA? It could be savings and they don't really have to worry about missing work since the doctor can return them to When they left. but in reality, it's simply a TV convention i suppose.
ABOUNDING THEORIES ABOUND
This is clearly Eleven out-Sevening Seven and pulling off a Batman Gambit that not only manipulates River, Amy and Rory, BUT ALSO HIS TWO HUINDRED YEAR YOUNGER SELF.
The thing is, I cannot believe that 908-Doctor won't work out what's going on. In fact in wouldn't surprise me if it turns our that he's known since "Amelia Pond. My life in your hands" and is playing along., which 1103-Doctor would either anticipate or remember….
We already know that Time Lords can be "properly" dead and still come back, that's what End of Time was all about, so the mechanics of the Doctor's resurrection are not the mystery or the macguffin. Instead the story is about what will bring the Doctor to allow himself to be killed, in front of his freinds, and for him to invite his 908-year-old self to investigate.
Shot the astronaut five times, and the hat once.
This plot reminds me of one subplot in "Lost in a Good Book" by Jasper Fforde. I don't want to spoil it though.
The whole time travel thing again…seeing a person far in their future, then having to live with the current one…
So good.
See, I was thinking that, that they must be crewmembers or shadows or props or something, but I can't figure out why they would move?! So I've decided they must be Silents, because that's creepier, and I like creepy :X
But the clothing bit, I'm not sure at – personally I think it might just be a production gaff? Not sure though, you can never know with Moffat! 😛
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
Just ran across some pretty diabolical theorizing and I wish I never saw it because Moffat may damn well do this. HE'S THAT MUCH OF AN EVIL GENIOUS. I'm not even going to put it in the parent thread.
HERE BE THEORIES
Someone say they thought River could be Amy and Rory's daughter.
That's all I read because I didn't want more proof. It has just that right amount of implausibility and crazy awesomeness. Now I don't want to be true because I'm thinking about it. PLEASE BE SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
Ran across this in a forum TOTALLY UNRELATED to Doctor Who.
I am SO GLAD I'm not the only one who had nightmares about the SIlence after watching the new episode.
Also it's really freaking SCARY to notice The Silence in earlier episodes. YOU CAN HEAR THEM PURRING IN ONE CLIP IN BEAST BELOW. do not want. we are never safe. geeze, moffat, first you made statues terrifying, now it's just STUFF YOU CAN'T REMEMBER THAT'S SCARY.
I have no theories, because my mind is BLOWN. Such a good episode, and I have a feeling the complaints of extraneous details and random stuff will be tied up in the next episode.
And now I officially love River Song.
I sort of liked Future!Doctor being a bit of a jerk. The comment about her weight reminds me of Amy's Choice, which was probably intended.
All I can say is DAMN YOU MOFFAT. *shakes fist*
Pingback: The Secrets of Healing Sciatica | Best Natural Remedies
I have nothing to add except:
Is is Saturday yet?!
Hmm…. Fascinating idea! That really makes sense, too, since The Doctor likes to go back in time just to prove to the companion that it actually travels through time (i.e. Martha "Like this!")
Mark Sheppard is Manservant Neville!!!! I knew I remembered him from somewhere! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLofH7ZiphE
I was watching this episode and then Mark Shephard turns up and then I realised he was that guy in that episode of The X-Files where he could generate fire. AND I THOUGHT OF YOU MARK.
THEORIES AND SPOILERS MOST DEFINITELY DO ABOUND, DO NOT READ ON IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN UNSPOILED
James Corden, who was in the Lodger, said in a radio interview he was back this series.
gfha;lm;ljw;eltry';klmknkdsf
I've picked up from context that "The Silence" is the name of the monsters/aliens here, but I don't remember them being named in the episode. WHERE IS EVERYONE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION?!
Someone else mentioned that one of them is credited as "The Silent" on IMDB.
Regardless of whether or not it's some kind of good business sense to cast someone attractive (and yeah, I'll agree it is in film and television), why SHOULDN'T people get angry at that sort of comment? Tongue-in-cheek or not, I don't think it's the greatest move to basically say "thank god this woman wasn't dumpy, or else we couldn't have cast her." How often is something like that just outright said about a male actor?
And whether or not people point out that RTD has also said some shitty things (and he has), that doesn't negate being upset about something Moffat has said. It's not a contest.
All that being said, I too find it hard to believe that Karen Gillan got cast only for her looks, haha. She's doing a great job in her role. (And while she's beautiful, she's not, like… Nefertiti or something, haha. She's very talented).
Because it's an over-reaction and completely unrealistic and people REALLY should consider context? Just a thought…
Oh and on the male actor thing… actually it was said about Matt Smith. Too young, not pretty enough was a VERY common comment and question that Moffat got asked in interviews.
Anyway enough, I've tried to have this conversation in the past and been voted down to ridiculous depths (while being personally attacked for good measure) and have no wish to repeat the experience.
I love how, like… everything seems to be ON PURPOSE in this series. When 200-years-older!Doctor first appeared, I was thinking, "Huh, it looks like Matt Smith aged a little?" And then it was revealed he was older, and the younger!Doctor came out looking younger again… Basically, there were a lot of things in season 5 that I noticed but didn't begin to think were related to the story, then later turned out to be. I'm curious to see what those things will be this season. 🙂
Pingback: Remedies for Anxiety Attacks | Best Natural Remedies
DOCTOR WHO HAS RETURNED! PRAISE EVERY GOD! IT'S BACK IT'S BACK IT'S BACK!
Also! The Silence have been around for a lot longer than we all realise. Apparently they're everywhere and we see them every day but always forget. Ever had that sudden chill where people say someone just walked over your grave? It's actually the residing fear from seeing on of those creatures. But of course, you forgot, and now you just feel the left over terror but have no idea where it came from.
And it is definitely the same spaceship from the Lodger! I could have been knocked over with a feather when I saw that! The Silence have been all through season 5 though. Like The Lodger again – when Amy is changing the numbers on the screen after the Doctor plays football, and they're all 5s, she turns around, does a double take, becomes terrified, get's distracted… and then continues on. Guess what she say? Uh huh.
The Eleventh Hour – when she first goes into the TARDIS at the end, she jiggles a switch, looks around in awe, looks past the camera, suddenly looks horrified, turns to tell the Doctor… and forgets. Also! Big Bang! When she first meets little Amy, look behind the sarcophagus' behind them! Those aren't shadows! The shadows are on the walls! And something leaves the right side of the screen just as the camera pans across. OMG THEY'VE BEEN THERE ALL ALONG AND WE JUST FORGOT! :O !!!
Thanks for the nightmares S.M. But it's like a drug! I can't wait for the next episode!!!
NASA is were the spacemen live. LOL
ugh I am so hoping Amy isn't really pregnant. I've seen so many interesting female characters destroyed by pregnancy/babies and it just makes me want to cry. I thought it would have been really cool if she was sick. Hell, even if she was just having horrible cramps, I would have been happier!
Sorry, I'm going to have to delete this because it contains spoilers for a future Mark Watches project.
Theories Abound, and Season 5 spoilers
I have a theory about The Silence/Silents, one that rests in part on that very homonym. Prisoner Zero said, The Pandorica will open, the Silence/Silents will fall. If we use "Silence" then it falling would easily be a metaphor for the end of all things, which is a similar threat (in tone and context) as "The pandorica will open" was a threat.
But what if it is spelled with a "t?" Then the treat being that The Silents Will Fall, could imply their fall is the bad thing. I admit the one that killed Joy definitely paints them as the villains, but what if they are so alien that they merely have a different morality? Doctor9 mentioned that to Rose on their second trip together (to see Dickens, and the Gelf). I know that is from the Davies era, but the idea has not really been seen in a while. Life out in the universe requires a different morality than standard 20/21 century Western Earth norms. What if The Silents are here to guide, or control, towards a largely benevolent end (for humanity as a whole, or the universe), and simply have different morality about individual affects? Think of the overseers in Childhood's End as an example of a well intentioned, very powerful, and very alien kind of alien.
The Doctor Succeeded in finding and opening The Pandorica, only to have it fulfill its role as his trap, and rip the universe apart. What if he also succeeds in fighting-off The Silents, only to have that also be not the best thing? As creepy as they are, ever-present, ever forgetful, ever stylish, what if they are just supposed to be a fundamental part of what makes the world work? If that is the case, them falling would be quite the bad thing, no? 'Cause here's the thing, the voice in the TARDIS that repeated "Silents will fall" in season 5 didn't sound at all like the voice we heard in the ladies' room.
I'm by no means wedded to this theory, but it is an idea I had, and a sort I haven't seen discussed anywhere.
By the way, this is my first time to the site, I'm impressed at how thorough the discussion is. Almost reminds me of the old Lurker's Guide for Bablyon 5.
Well, I'm not going to be just 'rant rant rant OMG this episode is AMAZING' like everyone else because I know you must be sick of that now. XD
So, I'm just going to state MY thoughts, no spoilers. Heck, I'm in Australia. I saw this episode TODAY.
Okay, well for a start.
The Doctor can't die. I mean, lolwhut. He. Just. Can't.
What we are seeing now, is a FLASHBACK sequence. From the start, when he was hiding under that lady's dress? In… 1960s? That's AFTER…well..
It's far away
lol
Okay? It didn't even HAPPEN in the first episode. It's probably happened in the 2nd ep but I don't know because I haven't seen it because Aussie is crap sometimes, it gets stuff from Britain a whole BLOODY week after it airs. (omgomgomgomogscrewyouscrewyou, Britain, seriously sometimes you are a …)
Though I can't really complain. Britain is like this. And it's awesome for bringing us stuff like Doctor Who.
Right, that's my first point. I don't know how many points I'm going to have because I'm typing as I think but it's probably going to be 4 max so dw, I'm not going to be ranting chunky paragraphs like I usually do.
Second point – the girl.
Two POSSIBLE theories. NO SPOILERS. It's. All. Based. On. Links. And. Facts. From. The. Past. Episodes.
Okay?
Now
90 percent sure…no, '95' percent sure; it's Amy's daughter.
Heck, she's pregnant. She JUST mentioned it WHEN we get a glimpse of the girl. I mean seriously, I felt like punching the television when it came up with the credits. We don't even KNOW if she DIED.
omg
anyway
that remaining 5%?
Look, the spacesuit? The…idk, face?
It's the girl from the silent library.
Now, the reason why it's only getting FIVE percent. Is because of the following reasons:
1) She's clinically dead.
2) She lives in a COMPUTER
3) Even if she did get OUT of the computer, how was she supposed to get a space suit and FIND the doctor and lolwhut?
4) Honestly, there's not much point talking about her now. There might be SOME sort of LINK. Since this is the space suit, this is NASA, this is a DIRECT LINK to 'Silence in the Library' and stuff. Heck, RIVER is playing a major role here.
Also, River.
LOVE HER
I disagree with Mark of what he thought the best line was. YES, it's so EPIC. But my personal favourite was when he cleverly made up EVERYTHING to cover his identity and called his friends STUPID names.
"Mrs. Robinson."
"*undertone* (OH, I HATE you…)"
XD XD
Also, just the good fluffy mature moments between him and River. So sweet. I'm actually going to somehow troll around the internet and DOWNLOAD that episode just to make a video tribute with some fricken song.
I made video about the weeping angels that scared some people into nightmares. (namely close friends)
I'm serious. You can go check it out if you WANT to. Just search up 'ChihiroAyasato' in YouTube and look for Doctor Who.
Sorry for the self promotion. I'm new here, so I haven't read the actual rules and whatnot. I just can't contain myself because OF THIS BLOODY EPISODE.
So yeah, enough said. Those are my BIG thoughts.
Oh, one more thing. Those monsters.
ARE THEY THE DEMENTOR'S COUSINS???
I MEAN SERIOUSLY, BLUE SPIRITS? MOUTH GAPING OPEN. CONTORTED FACE.
OMG
They. atm. Are. My. FAVOURITE. Monsters.
The PERFECT defense mechanism. FORGETTING.
I mean WHAT (Tennant Style). NOBODY CAN BEAT THAT.
Cybermen can't beat that. Nor can the Daleks.
NOR CAN THE BLOODY WEEPING ANGELS. – and they are GOOD.
Oh yes, they are so clever. And good. It's not funny.
Okay, end of rant.
Hope you enjoyed my hopefully valid points.
NEXT SATURDAY. NOW.
lolwhut sorry I took up so much space like that. XD
I just completely pwned the other comments with my spacing.
But seriously, NO ONE wants to read chunky paragraphs at 11:30 at night, which is when I'm typing at my Aussie. XD
Haven't watched episode two yet (I'm so behind), but now that I've seen the first one, I get to read and comment on your review. Yay!
My main thought on this episode is that I hope to God Amy's not really pregnant. I'm not as worried about the Doctor's death for the pragmatic reason that this is a really successful show, and I doubt they are going to end it with Eleven. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey. But if Amy is pregnant, it means her and Rory's days with the Doctor are numbered. You can't go gallivanting around space and time with a baby, or while heavily pregnant. If true, this makes me very sad. They are great companions.
As for the rest of it, I am SO confused, and I can't wait to see where this all is heading.
Edit: I also wanted to say that when Eleven first appeared in this episode, the first thing I noticed was that he looked older — enough so that I was a little worried about it. The explanation that he had aged almost 200 years was sort of mind bending.
Pingback: Jtosme Movie
Pingback: Check out my FB profile
Pingback: Sears Printable Coupons
Pingback: My Blog Title
Pingback: Brother SE400
Pingback: Janome 8077
Pingback: Electronic Cigarette Reviews
Pingback: Simonton Windows
Pingback: Solar Power For Homes
Pingback: Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight
Pingback: Forex Trading Strategies
Pingback: Colon Cleanse
Pingback: Colon Cleanse Recipe
Pingback: Super Colon Cleanse
Pingback: Remanufactured Transmissions
Pingback: Acai Berry Scam
Pingback: search engine ranking services
Pingback: Mauritius Self Catering villas
Pingback: Location Ile Maurice
Pingback: Villas in Mauritius
Pingback: Social Security Calculator
Pingback: Location Villa Ile Maurice
Pingback: Location Villa Ile Maurice
Pingback: Villas in Mauritius
Pingback: ISO Audit Checklist Tips
Pingback: Mauritius Holiday Villas
Pingback: property and casualty license california
Pingback: Best Diet Plan
Pingback: http://www.xfruits.com/network/Wine_Making/
Pingback: Self Help
Pingback: http://www.ankaweb.com/technology/alternatives-your-next-best-internet-tool.html