In the twelfth episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who, the Doctor, in his final days, visits Craig Owens, where the two face off against a familiar villain and Craig proves that he is just as courageous as any Time Lord. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
My brain drifted off to “Rose,” the very first episode of the revival series, just after “Closing Time” finished. There are a few obvious parallels between the episodes: a classic villain is found using a retail store to enact some sort of dastardly plan, and the Doctor takes an unwilling companion along on the journey. Thematically, though, while they are certainly different, I felt that “Closing Time” showcased just what made Russell T Davies’s revival such a success. Truthfully, what I love about the Doctor (and all incarnations before that) is the endless wave of hyper-intelligent, witty, and entertaining dialogue that spills out of his mouth. And each of the ten Doctors before Eleven had their own way of vocalizing their thoughts constantly. I’m sure this works well to help develop the character for the writers, to give us the Doctor’s thoughts through the medium of television, but it’s also in character for the Doctor to think aloud.
“Closing Time” might be the most dialogue-heavy episode aside from “The Doctor’s Wife” during Eleven’s run. Even if you take away the fantastic story and the emotional heart of this particular episode, I’d love it anyway because it highlights the absolutely mesmerizing character of the Doctor and how Matt Smith is the only actor who could play Eleven. In fact, I think the plot of “Closing Time” is stretched thin over what we actually get to see: the magnificent chemistry between the Doctor and Craig Owens.
It’s no secret that I adored “The Lodger” and we see here (again!) how uncomfortable and awkward the Doctor is with domestic life. The Doctor never settles down and the entire concept is just so foreign to him. But there’s something that draws the Doctor to Craig and brings out the same silliness we saw not only in “The Lodger,” but in “The Eleventh Hour,” when the Doctor first met young Amelia Pond. The Doctor’s wit and unknowing sense of humor is what I have come to like about all his incarnations, but…look, I feel pretty comfortable saying this. I love Eleven. A lot. A LOT. Like…I think I love him more than Nine or Ten, even if Nine is my first Doctor and Ten was in some of my favorite episodes. There’s something about the deeply flawed, guilt-ridden, and socially awkward Eleven that speaks to my soul. I THINK THAT ELEVEN MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE DOCTOR.
Oh god, BREATHE, MARK. BREATHE. I feel like I am in therapy. I know I’ve steeped some heavy praise on Eleven/Matt Smith before, but I honestly felt that, after “Closing Time,” that this is my favorite incarnation of this iconic character. I cannot imagine a new Doctor beyond him, and I cannot imagine being so attached to another actor playing him in quite the way I am with Matt Smith. And I recognize that while I do enjoy most of Eleven’s era, we’ve been given some bizarre episodes and a lot of un-solved continuity. Yet I still am completely fascinated by Eleven, this mix of contradictions, weirdness, emotional intensity, and quirkiness that is this Doctor.
We see so much of it come out in “Closing Time,” an episode whose title has a double meaning. Throughout this single story, we’re shown a Doctor who is preparing to die. And as much joy as this episode brings me, it is bittersweet for a couple of reasons, namely the upcoming death of the Doctor. (Which we’ve seen, by the way.) And I know that this series-long plot might not make a whole lot of sense right now (PLEASE CLOSE UP THIS GIGANTIC LOOSE END, MOFFAT), I’m still intrigued by it, so Moffat hasn’t entirely lost me. Say what you will about it (and I totally support people calling it bullshit), but I think that “Closing Time” works really well with the entire subplot of the Doctor’s death hanging over it. I don’t know how long it’s been for the Doctor since the end of “The God Complex,” but it feels like years. There’s obviously an unspoken reference to this when the Doctor sees Amy and Rory in the store he ends up getting a job in; enough time had to pass so that Amy could get a modeling gig. So how long has it been?
Anyway, that’s not important. Well, it was utterly heartbreaking, but LET US TALK ABOUT THE JOY OF “CLOSING TIME” FOREVER!
I REALLY LOVED:
- Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All. This is perhaps the best running joke of any Doctor Who episode of all time. I cannot get over how well this was, how it was used to legitimately deal with Craig’s growth as a father, and that we’d seen continuity of the Doctor being able to speak Baby. I am a proud peasant of Stormageddon, and I will proclaim this loudly until the end of time.
- The K9 reference!!! OMG.
- The Doctor’s ability to shush everyone in the episode. I WANT THIS POWER.
- THE DOCTOR HAS APPS ON HIS SONIC SCREWDRIVER. <3333333
- The Doctor’s magnificent chemistry when working with children. I mean this sincerely: I think the Doctor would make a fantastic elementary or middle school teacher. The fact is that the Doctor is interested in everything, and one of the great things about his character is the fact that he basically infects others with the desire to learn more about the Universe. At heart, isn’t that a basic description of the Doctor’s relationship with his companions? He shows them in just a few hours that the world is not what they thought it was, and he invites them to see more of it. Wow, I can’t believe I just took a moment where the Doctor was playing with a goddamn controllable helicopter and I intellectualized it. my brain.
- Speaking of companionship, let me state that I absolutely adored the way that Gareth Roberts dealt with the gay subtext of the relationship between Craig and the Doctor. I never felt that the butt of the joke was, “LOL MEN ARE SOMETIMES GAY.” Instead, the dynamic straddled the line between being a bit of fanservice, and the beautiful message given to us by Val. (I ADORE VAL. IMAGINE HOW GREAT “CLOSING TIME” WOULD BE FROM HER POINT OF VIEW.) I know that it’s 2011 and it’s not all that taboo to have gay characters or a gay subplot, but the fact that Doctor Who had a character express her joy that a child had two fathers (even if it wasn’t true) is a big deal to me. Even if the line had a humorous aspect to it, Val meant it, and nothing else erases that brilliant, genuine love she had for the Doctor and Craig. And let’s face it: the chemistry between those two men is a beautiful, gorgeous thing. Which leads me to the next point:
- I truly believed that the Doctor had lost Craig to the Cybermen and when the Doctor told Craig he loved him earlier in the episode, you could see he was telling the truth right at the moment that the Cyberman helmet closed up over Craig’s fast. Even thematically, it would have fit just as well as Craig’s love for Alfie saving his own life. The Doctor has avoided companions for so long because of what he did to Amy and Rory, and he had a choice to stay away from Craig, but he chose to stay. Here, he was facing his own actions again, and he was seeing how the very nature of who he was would affect those he cared about. I don’t think it’s a cop-out that Craig did not die, though. The story was just as much about Craig facing his own fears as much as it was about the Doctor’s death.
- You know, I actually do like the Cybermen. I haven’t always been completely sold on them, but I like the way they were used here.
- Stormageddon’s first word is, “Doctor.” YESSSSSS.
- I loved the fact that Craig was the one to give the Doctor the Stetson, and that the Doctor took those TARDIS blue envelopes from Sophie. Small bits of continuity like this make me smile.
So let’s discuss what we all need to discuss dearly. The final minutes of “Closing Time.” Lest we not forget, we have spent an entire series with the Doctor’s death looming over us. I’ve read enough fan theories to make my brain explode at this point, but one of the big “mysteries” of the entire thing is that River Song was indeed the person in the astronaut suit in “The Impossible Astronaut.” I’m still a bit confused as to how River’s programming works, and that’s the biggest thing I’ll need explained in the series six finale this weekend. We’ve seen River in her timeline after this. She ends up in prison because of this act, and it’s also clear that she is no longer under the power of Madame Kovarian, since….well, she doesn’t try to kill the Doctor ever again.
Still, I think that Moffat has a lot of loose ends to tie up in the mythology. Even if it doesn’t satisfy me entirely, I must say that the run of non-mythology episodes we’ve gotten in the second half of series six have been a real treat to me, highlighting some of the best parts of Eleven, Amy, and Rory. It makes me sad to see those two companions gone, and I imagine we’ll only get one more episode with them before they part ways with the Doctor. I mean, it seems that this is the end of their story for the time being, with this weekend’s episode being the last. It’s exciting to think of new companions for the future, but I really have grown to adore Amy and Rory.
oh god only one left SOB.
<img src="http://c0016417.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/354iav.jpg" height="95%" width="95%">
THAT BABY WAS SO ADORABLE.
I WANT ONE.
But like, without the responsibilities that would come with one.
Which one? Apparently there were seven of them.
Praise Him!
So stinking cute…
Stormageddon's cheeks will destroy all <3
My husband and I are gearing up to have kids in a year or two. Our first choice name for a boy is Korben (yes, Korben from Fifth Element). But now that I have watched Closing Time I am giving serious consideration to Stormageddon, maybe as a second middle name! It is just too amazing to pass up.
KORBEN DALLAS MULTIPASS
Awww, now I just really want to watch Fifth Element! 😀
And Leeloo if it's a girl, right?
… RIGHT??
Actually no, I love Leeloo as a character but I'm not as in love with that name as I am with Korben. Sorry!! A girl would be named Gwendolyn [insert maternal grandmother's name here] [insert family name].
I. Craig! "The Lodger" is probably my favorite episode of series 5, so I loved seeing Craig again. I think Eleven is more likeable around him which is something that Eleven desperately needed since I've been growing to dislike Eleven more and more all series. But he and Criag have a vibe that is a joy to watch. LOVE IT.
II. The episode itself was decent enough. A bit standard, but still fun. Eleven is a lot more fun around kids, so yeah. Fun episode. Not going to shoot to the top of my list of favorites, but I enjoyed it.
III. OMG. THE RIVER BIT AT THE END. WTFFFFF? I have SO many issues with what Moffat has done with River. It's just like… idk. It's such a mess and has added absolutely nothing to the show. There are a lot of individual concepts within her character that could be interesting, but then by piling all them into one character and not exploring any of them fully, it just feels sloppy, weird and pointless.
Also, why does River say that she met the Doctor as a little girl in the opening two parter if from what we've seen of her storyline so far, that is completely impossible. Her emotion in that scene was one of the few times I could relate to River, but she had to have been lying because she was raised by the Silence and then she was Mels, so she didn't meet the Doctor until she became River in Let's Kill Hitler and that meeting does not line up with her description in the opening two pater. IDK. I HATE HOW NEEDLESSLY AND POINTLESSLY COMPLICATED IT ALL IS. I hop Moffat is done with River after this series.
IV. I have a feeling that I am going to hate next week's finale a lot. Idk. I can't explain why, but all the build up to it has left me going "srsly?" so… my hopes are not high.
V. Now I feel the need to discuss the whole Amy thing in this episode and why I dislike it so much. Basically, it was just so unclear as to what was actually happening. I've seen people say that ~obviously she owns and runs a perfume company which… no. That was not obvious. The name and tagline COULD have been just the writers having fun. It's not a conclusive "Amy is the CEO of a perfume company". What we actually SAW her doing was being in the ad, modeling for a perfume, and then giving and autograph. What career is "obvious" from those interactions? Being a model. Which pisses me off because in the writing for Amy there have been a lot of issues with objectification, so to turn her into a model- a career that has a lot of issue with objectification of women… It doesn't sit right with me. Especially considering Amy is not an actual woman making this choice for herself. She's a female character written by men.
But then again, no one is famous enough for kids to ask for autographs just by being in an ad for a perfume. So let's go back to the idea that the fragrance is Amy's. People don't just get famous for making perfume. People get their own fragrances AFTER already becoming famous for something else. So maybe Amy's actually famous for something else (but who knows what she's famous for), and then got to make her own fragrance.
In conclusion, it was an asinine plot point and to me it proved how little the writers care about Amy as a character. Apparently they could not be bothered to think of a job that would flow naturally from what we know of Amy as person (other than the fact that she's a hottie and waits for the Doctor which I hope is not all there is to Amy) or maybe Amy is such a blank slate that the writers felt they could have shoved any career onto her (including being a model OR a perfume company person even though Amy has never demonstrated interest in either of those areas OR whatever the fuck her job actually is) and it didn't matter which they chose. Come on. Even I could have come up with a better career path for Amy. We saw in "Vincent and the Doctor" that she was interested in art and in "The Eleventh Hour" we saw all the Doctor and Amy arts and crafts she had in her room. Why not make her post-Doctor career something art related. Maybe Rory could bring in the bucks as a nurse while Amy did art stuff for fun! Or maybe Amy could become a successful children's book author who illustrates stories that she writes based on her adventures with the Doctor. Instead we got… this. Which is just so nonsensical that I can't even deal with it.
Meh. I hope that we find out more about what Amy is doing post-Doctor in the next episode because as it stands now I am deeply unsatisfied. Rose left the Doctor and joined Torchwood, defending the Earth. Martha left the Doctor and became a doctor for UNIT and later a freelance alien fighter. (Donna's memories were wiped, so her experience isn't really comparable.). Amy leaves the Doctor and… idk becomes a model? Makes perfume? Becomes an actress (which is odd because it’s not something she’s ever shown interest in before and even made fun of Leadworth’s community theater in “Amy’s Dream”)? HAS SOME UNDEFINED JOB? I DON'T GET IT. WAS THIS SERIOUSLY THE BEST THING THE WRITERS COULD COME UP WITH FOR AMY?
Her becoming a children's book writer/illustrator would have been the most amazing thing. Illustrated books about her adventures with the Doctor for children. WANT FOREVER.
Also, the Doctor was in a children's toy store for much of the episode! It would have been so much more natural to slip in her coming in to…I dunno, do a reading or something rather than have this random little girl ask her for an autograph, which really doesn't even make sense.
RIGHT?
Instead she is a… model? Actress? Perfume… maker? Which doesn't reflect ANYTHING we know about her.
Having Amy come in for a reading of one of her books about her adventures with the Doctor would have been adorable and amazing.
DEAR BBC,
I AM CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED. YOU SHOULD HIRE ME. I HAVE GOOD IDEAS.
We don't know WHAT Amy is doing, so I don't see any point in getting all up in arms about it. As you said, you really only get a perfume once you're famous for something else. My assumption was that she was doing something else, and the perfume was an extra thing. Although I don't have any issues with her doing occasional modeling, either.
Honestly her previous profession was being a kissogram so the leap to model or actress wouldn't be THAT far.
She started off working as a kissogram. Modelling/acting is not extremely off-base from that. Especially if it's acting.
Being a kissogram is a different skill set than modelling or acting. But all of those professions piroritize looks which is what bugs me because it reduces Amy down to hot hot she is.
That's a different criticism, though. It is in her character history that she works in fields that have a physical focus, and i'd rather we not criticize Amy for doing it because it's a field many women choose to work in. It's not like the writers pulled it from no where, it matches her past choices. (Their intentions in this being debateable, sure.)
And it's a different skill set, but she wasn't exactly living in a town with a lot of modelling opportunities/job offerings when we first met her. She's older and maybe has decided to develop her skill set.
Uh…. the writers created her past choices. I am confused by the argument you're making here.
The aregument that I'm making is:
1) Having Amy work as a model OR cosmetics business owner is not something the writers pulled out of no where because they couldn't think of anything else for her to do other than look pretty when her story was over. It's in her established character history.
2) While Amy working in such fields was created by writers and may be influenced by writers' sexism, it reflects a choice many women make so it's not automatically without legitimacy.
Personally, I don't see the kiss-o-gram thing being justification for her being a model or whatever now. Amy is in a very different place in her life and she's not the same girl that she was when we first met her (as an adult, of course.) Obviously we all have different opinions, I just don't see Amy, as she is post-Doctor adventures, choosing a career in modeling or acting or whatever the heck we're calling it.
I guess I personally can't see what Amy would choose to do coming out of travelling with the Doctor AND taking her pre-Doctor past into mind. There's no real references to her future desires since she assumes she'll always be with the Doctor. And some people have suggested she could've gone into art, to which I say, well, modelling IS an art if you take it the right direction…
I mean, there's really not much in-show justification for ANY Amy Career, so this doesn't bother me too much. It's loosely related to something we've seen her do before. It makes more sense than most other things I could think of. Maybe the writers should've given us more of Amy's real-world desires, but seeing as they never got around to that either…
I'm not criticizing modeling or acting or kissogram-ing as a career choice for women, but Amy isn't a living and breathing woman. She's a character who only does what her writers (who all happen to be male) tell her to do. So do you see why I have an issue with the career choices the male writers have made for her since they all tend to objectify her?
I do, but your initial point was that it doesn't reflect anything we know about her. I said that it does. If you're wanting to discuss those career choices and their implications you can, but that's not what my first response to you was about.
Right until they showed the poster of Amy with the Petrichor perfume, I had made the guess that Amy became famous by doing children books or something related to her travels with the Raggedy Doctor/Mad Man in a blue Box. To me it would have been much more heart-warming and relates closer to Amy's character. After all, she loved stories and clearly did a lot of crafting on her own time related to the Doctor during her childhood.
However I'm not really up in arms over the writers giving Amy different choices than I would have guessed for her. It's one of those points that is probably a bit hard to swallow when looked at too closely, but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for the emotional punch the scene gives us. If I ignore the obstacles our reality would present to Amy, I like the idea that she took charge of her life and made something amazing instead of continuing to wait for her best friend. The idea of making a perfume that smells like dust after the rain is a novel idea (to me at least). It sounds like such a unique scent that perhaps it caught on very quickly, like a viral video. From there things ballooned into major production and distribution deals, and because Amy is an honestly beautiful woman, why not use her own face for the ads?
It doesn't mean that this perfume associated with her has now defined her entire life/career post-Doctor. You and I can still believe that she is also doing amazing things like art or writing children's books. 😀
I'm just glad she doesn't get her memories wiped TBH. (*weeps for Donna*)
I HATED THIS WITH A FIERY PASSION. And I pretty much never hate anything on DW.
I must admit I'm getting somewhat tired with people seeing everything Amy does as being the writers' attempts at devaluing the concept of female independence.
She's a strong woman, she's got a family that she apparently provides the majority of support for (I doubt Rory's medical worker salary matches her income as a model), she spent most of the past series having the two main male characters treat her as an equal, she's been the girl who defied the laws of the universe itself because she was in danger. I'd say that she, as a character, constantly showed that she could be an equal to the guys (Even when both of them have 1000+ years worth of experiences over her). The choice of career as a model (Let's be honest, not many perfume company CEOs do their own advertising posters) just shows another aspect of her character, just because she gets involved in a career that's controversial for objectifying women doesn't mean that she in any way endorses such thoughts (Given her previous characterisation, she seems more likely to be the type of woman who speaks out against this sexist behaviour.). Judging her simply by the fact that her face is on a poster is a bit like "Judging the book by its cover", we don't know if she publicly opposes the kind of sexist perceptions associated with her profession (Or if she doesn't), there's just not enough there to start judging the people who came up with it as sexist or not.
And on a personal note: Just because the writers are men doesn't mean that the word 'Woman' in their heads is immediately associated with 'Weakness', and I find it offensive that, to some people, men are always sexist.
Well, men are sexist. It's not their fault, the institution rewards them for it. And you're right, men are not ALWAYS sexist in that every opinion they have is informed by sexism and stereotypes, but there's nary a man who is not, on some occassion, sexist. Women fall into sexist ideas as well, which is more sad than aggravating to me.
Rather than take offense to it as some kind of insult to men, it may be smart to wonder why women have become accustomed to be in a position where we feel so threatened by sexism as to suspect intentions. I'm fully aware that there's a possibility the choices are not sexist in origins, but I live in a world where it's smarter, for my interests, to suspect. On that note, I totally agree with your assessment of Amy's character here, I just felt a desire to explain where the criticism's borne from.
"I must admit I'm getting somewhat tired with people seeing everything Amy does as being the writers' attempts at devaluing the concept of female independence."
People aren't implying that this is a conscious devaluation. Breesquared covered everything else more succintly than I could!
I’m pretty sure Amy was a model simply as a nod to Karen Gillan having a modeling career.
Regarding this point:
"Also, why does River say that she met the Doctor as a little girl in the opening two parter if from what we've seen of her storyline so far, that is completely impossible. Her emotion in that scene was one of the few times I could relate to River, but she had to have been lying because she was raised by the Silence and then she was Mels, so she didn't meet the Doctor until she became River in Let's Kill Hitler and that meeting does not line up with her description in the opening two pater."
River described herself as a young girl (not "little", it that makes a difference) meeting the Doctor, and I would absolutely buy that she's going off her perspective as an older woman looking back on her past (this was actually something I wondered when that scene first aired because I thought then that I could totally buy River Song describing her 20-some-year-old self as a "young girl" given that's likely decades in the past for her), especially when she has reason to divide her life into Melody/Mels vs. River. I thought from that episode that she could be describing herself as a "young girl" at an age close to Rose, Martha, Amy, etc. However many years she'd been alive, she was a much younger version of herself then, and she was also describing her entrance to the identity of River Song. She has every reason to want to discount her early life when she's brainwashed. I see no reason to interpret this as her as lying.
IV. I have a feeling that I am going to hate next week's finale a lot. Idk. I can't explain why, but all the build up to it has left me going "srsly?" so… my hopes are not high.
This. I don't even really care how they get out of Eleven dying anymore. I just want a new head writer. Maybe I should go watch some more of The Dalek Invasion Of Earth…
There are a lot of individual concepts within her character that could be interesting, but then by piling all them into one character and not exploring any of them fully, it just feels sloppy, weird and pointless.
I kind of agree with this. I like River, but I wish the show had taken its time with her character, instead of trying to shove five mind-blowing twists about her backstory into every episode.
As for the "little girl" thing, though, I think she actually said "young girl," which to me could imply Mels-age.
I LOVE THIS EPISODE SO MUCH. <3 Despite that, it is as hard to write a full review for it as it was for The Lodger, because there is so much funny and you can't go listing all the funny things, now can you? I will list off some stuff funny and not funny, though.
– I love Eleven's interactions with children, so the scenes with Stormageddon and in the toy store were just an absolute delight.
– OH MATT SMITH, YOUR SADFACE. 🙁 🙁 🙁 It makes me so sad too. He looks so old, too. He is just the best at the "old man in a young body" thing, bar none.
– Can I just say that I love to bits that Craig's response to Eleven professing his love was that he's taken? That whole scene was golden. Doctor/Craig, y/y? The shop clerk that ships them is so awesome.
– Time to be shallow again: I really, really like how he looks in that new coat.
– The scene with Amy and Rory just broke my heart. The look on his face. 🙁 And he avoided them. 🙁 🙁 🙁 Way to twist the knife, Roberts.
– Craig is so hilariously awkward at investigating.
– MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIROOOOOOOOOOOOOOR. 😀 I AM PREDICTABLE. I totally squealed in glee when I saw that. The motif continues! Even better, he climbs down after going through the looking glass – to confront the beast below. Sound familiar? Yeah, it should, and yeah, this gave me much happiness.
– Oh, Doctor. 🙁 🙁 🙁 I seriously just want to give him all the hugs, he's so sad and lonely and down on himself. I was glad Craig told him to stop beating himself up and was a good friend to him. It was just so great, so welcome, to see Craig again and watch him and the Doctor have a (mostly) zany adventure like old times.
– Personally, I don't have a problem with Amy choosing a normal career after parting ways with the Doctor. After all she and Rory have been through, I don't blame her for wanting to get away from all that, and she's perfectly entitled to do so.
– Bitey. <3 <3 <3 Oh, Eleven, you are so adorable I can't stand it.
– This episode, overall, is going down as one of the ones I point to when I explain why Eleven is my Doctor. Kind, awkward, weird, wants to help people, really fun, yet also sad and old, and somehow even dignified, in the way that he's handling his sadness and fear over being old and his impending death. Not to start a wank war or anything, but it makes the whole "I don't want to go" thing look even worse in hindsight. I think the Doctor has grown as a person since Ten, grown into a more mature person that is handling all this so much better. Again, one of the reasons he's my Doctor. He isn't always the nicest person, and he does sometimes do bad things, like in Girl Who Waited. He has a darker side, as Amy's Choice showed us. There is a beast below. But there's also a kind and genuinely heroic person above, who can be so wonderful. This is the Doctor I want to travel with, be friends with. Maybe there was an element of vanity in taking Amy along, but I don't believe that was the only reason, not for a second. I believe that what he said in that Meanwhile in the TARDIS scene from the series five DVDs is absolutely true too: because when she sees the wonders of the universe and marvels at them, he can see and marvel at them again too. I think he had reasons both selfish and good for bringing her along and I do believe he cares about her and Rory. Even when he closed the door on Older Amy, even though some of his reasoning for that was cold and selfish quite apart from the need to avoid paradoxes, it was still emotionally crushing for him to do. I could see it plain as day on his face. I could see all that regret and pain and self-loathing when Craig was insisting on helping him because he thought he was safer by the Doctor's side. So even when Eleven does those things, I still want to hug him, not hit him.
I didn't get into the show early enough to hear any hype from the production team about how he impressed them so quickly, the casting was perfect, blah blah blah. All I knew was that people I knew loved Eleven, and that I'd liked what I'd seen in the second half of Vincent and the Doctor, so I was eager to get to him. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he won me over in the first few minutes, in Amelia Pond's garden, and my feelings have never wavered since. If anything, they've only grown.
– omg the envelopes and the Stetson 🙁 🙁 🙁 Doctor, no, please don't go! ;_;
– WHAT. WHAT IS THAT LAST SCENE. I DON'T LIKE SEEING RIVER SO SCARED. DO NOT WANT EVER. NO THANK YOU.
– However, in a neat reversal of what Matt Smith pulls off, Alex Kingston is magnificent, in those few moments, of seeming so young in an older body. She's amazing. <3 Rot13'd for trailer spoilers: Nyfb, rpuvabqrezngn cbvagrq bhg ba gur fcbvyre oybt gung jr fgvyy unir lrg gb frr gung fprar sebz gur genvyre jurer fur jnf anxrq naq jvaxrq ng fbzrbar. BZT. LRF CYRNFR, PNA V UNIR GUNG VAFGRNQ BS FPNERQ NAQ FNQ EVIRE?
– Can't believe the series is almost over. 🙁
I have to agree with you on the last scene – I'm not even sure why, but seeing River so scared genuinely frightens me.
I admit, I was pretty wary when I heard about Matt Smith's casting and how young he was, but my other thought was "welll…. they wouldn't give the job to anyone who wasn't completely amazing." And you know, they didn't. Matt Smith continues to impress me with just HOW GOOD he is at being the Doctor and his awesome acting in general. And he is so cripplingly sad in these last episodes that I just want to hug Eleven forever. D:
Also: completely agreed on River. I love her squee over getting her Doctorate and then the sudden panic when the Silence and Kovarian show up. The Silence are "her owners"? FUCK NO, DO NOT WANT. D: Seriously, have they been there the whole time? Watching her study? I don't even know and it's really upsetting.
It makes me wonder just how badly flawed her memory is. We saw that having your memory constantly wiped did nothing at all good for that guy running the orphanage, so I can only imagine that, if not quite as messed up, River's memory is still full of holes.
I think the scene is made even worse because she's clearly made something of a study of the lore and myths surrounding the Doctor, and I don't know how many times she's met him between the events of 'Let's Kill Hitler' and this point in her career– if she's met him at all since then– but she seems to like and respect him, or at least be fascinated by his deeds. And then suddenly these people show up and she is shoved into a suit and she's going to kill him. I feel like, if Mels was completely enthusiastic about the idea of killing the Doctor (without really understanding the situation), River at this point is going to be supremely reluctant and angry about it… which is probably going to work against Madam Kovarian.
I don't know. At this point all I want from episode 13 is to get SOME idea of just how River's chronology works and what is going on with her. And to maybe figure out how and when she learned his name.
Sad response to the trailer spoiler:
V urneq gung gung fprar jnf npghnyyl fhccbfrq gb or va Yrg'f Xvyy Uvgyre be fbzrguvat ohg jnf phg? Be znlor vg jnf fhccbfrq gb or va gur svefg rcvfbqr (jurer gur Qbpgbe qvrf) ohg jnf phg. Lrf, gung'f evtug. V guvax gurer hfrq gb or n fprar bs ure va Fgbezpntr gnyxvat jvgu fbzr urnq zvyvgnel thl, naq ur'f fnlvat ubj fur'f oebxra bhg 15 gvzrf nyernql naq fur fnlf gung gung'f bayl vs lbh pbhag unve nccbvagzragf naq fubccvat be fbzrguvat, naq gura fur chyyf bhg ure jneqebor naq fgnegf gb punatr, naq gur jneqebor unf JNL gbb znal pybgurf va vg gb ernyyl svg, naq fur jvaxf naq fnlf gung vg'f ovttre ba gur vafvqr.
Ernq va gur cerivrj sbe n zntnmvar fbzrjurer gung gung jnf gur fprar naq vg jnf phg 🙁
I think Alex Kingston might actually have Time Lord DNA in her and can do that whole aging backwards thing Mels talked about because she's somehow looking younger now than she did earlier this series or last series.
I mean, between that and the way Matt Smith can just, like, arrange his face or something to look so ancient… I think, evil genius though he is, Moffat is simply writing what he sees in his actors and it's all a conspiracy to cover up some real-life timey wimey shenanigans.
Maybe there was an element of vanity in taking Amy along, but I don't believe that was the only reason, not for a second.
I like that Craig says in this episode that the Doctor needs someone, he just won't admit it to himself. He needs a friend, not someone to boost his ego, but someone to be there for him when he needs to bounce ideas off of someone or to help him out in a crisis. His companion usually saves him as much as the other way around.
Personally, I don't have a problem with Amy choosing a normal career after parting ways with the Doctor. After all she and Rory have been through, I don't blame her for wanting to get away from all that, and she's perfectly entitled to do so.
Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis. Seriously, you'd think they deserved a well earned break from everything.
So I have one huge question about the time line of all of this…
THEORIES ABOUND
Did "closing time" come before "impossible astronaut" on amy's timeline, or after?
It's seriously confusing me because of the name of her perfume vs the doctor saying he has to go make his death-day appointment tomorrow.
The timey-wimey is killing me.
The Doctor went back in time for his death day appointment, was how I understood it.
I'm going on the theory that this season is chronological for Amy/Rory, but all out of order for the Doctor.
From Amy's point of view, it could have been after. The Doctor can go whenever he wants, certainly even after the point of time of his own death – I don't think anything would have stopped him from going into Amy's future (and he didn't really mess with anything, as Amy and Rory didn't see him). Like, from the Doctor's perspective, he showed up in Utah for "The Impossible Astronaut" and now after "Closing Time" is about to send the letter to himself and head off to "The Impossible Astronaut" again, this time as the Doctor who dies. From Amy's perspective, she went through "Impossible Astronaut" and then the season as a whole and then was left off at "The God Complex" – we don't know for sure, but "Closing Time" could have been several years in her future from "God Complex."
… I swear that somehow makes sense >_>
I am NEUROTIC about timelines, especially when babies factor in. I'd put Alfie between 3-6 months (clearly not a parent, btw), and it's therefore been logistically at least a year, and realistically (because I really hope Craig & Sophie didn't get straight to babymaking right after getting together) about two or three since The Lodger.
Amy's also had enough time to go get herself a modelling career and build a following, and I don't think that would literally happen overnight, nor do I imagine it having happened in the background of the earlier episodes.
So now I'm wondering if the Doctor has some sort of internal body clock, or his voice interface is just following him around all the time reminding him how much time he has left. Which would be a bit terrifying for two hundred years, wouldn't it?
The timey-wimey really makes my brain explode when I try to reconcile what's going in in Doctor Who with whatever's going on in Torchwood. GUH.
Pretty sure 'Miracle Day' succeeded in writing itself out of the Doctor Who continuity entirely. :/ They didn't even get Jack's immortality right, so I wouldn't try to think too hard about it.
I think I'm just in denial. The whole "baby as timestamp" thing irks me about Torchwood as well, but that's both off-topic and spoiler-y.
Alfie has to be somewhere between 6 months and a year, I reckon. But yeah it doesn't make that much sense, unless the last time he saw Craig was actually in about 2008 or before. Did we get any idea of a date on that episode? I guess the modern day ones could in fact be anything from about 5 years ago to 5 years in the future without the fashions, technology etc seeming too out.
According to the date on Craig's newspaper, the Doctor really does die "tomorrow." Well, a few days after the date of the newspaper anyway. http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/25500000/D…
Unless it's a prop error, there are either two sets of Ponds around in April 2011 or the perfume was just very coincidentally named and the Amy and Rory we saw are pre-TIA.
This is what confuses me. I'm going to have to write it off as a prop/continuity error unless something in the next episode contradicts me, because why would the Doctor drop Amy and Rory off BEFORE April 2011 at the end of God Complex? Given that Amy has this perfume thing going, they have to have been there for a few months at least. In my head, he dropped them off at their new house in or after autumn 2011, went off and had some adventures by himself, and then later, after Amy had had enough time to do whatever perfume thing she was doing, had one last adventure with Craig before going back in time to meet everyone at Lake Silencio.
But see, that's what convinces me that the date isn't an error, because wouldn't it be just like the Doctor to get the date wrong and accidentally drop them off in an earlier time than the one they should be in? Sort of the reverse of "Oops, sorry Rose, but you've been missing for a year."
*Theories abound*
V guvax vg jnf qbar guvf jnl fb gung gur byqre Nzl naq Ebel pna fubj hc va Hgnu naq fnir gur Qbpgbe fbzrubj, cbffvoyl ol ercynpvat uvz jvgu n Tnatre Qbpgbe.
AUGHDJLKSJDSLK. See, this is why I was confused…
There's just too much crisscrossing going on.
There’s something about the deeply flawed, guilt-ridden, and socially awkward Eleven that speaks to my soul. I THINK THAT ELEVEN MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE DOCTOR.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB. WELCOME ABOARD. 😀
Now we need club badges/hats and name tags. 😀
I'll bring the cookies and the punch!
Air kisses for everyone!
Hat: Definitely a fez. NO EXCUSES (except maybe for stetsons)
Badge/name tag: Must say "here to help"
YEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!
BECAUSE IT HAD TO BE DONE:
[youtube xGytDsqkQY8&ob=av2e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY8&ob=av2e youtube]
ilu. thank you for posting this. 😉
FOR SERIOUS.
All I can think of when I see this episode's title. It's been stuck in my head for days.
THIS SONG THIS SONG THIS SONG
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THIS SONG AND IT REALLY COULDN'T BE MORE RELEVANT THAN IT IS RIGHT NOW IN THE CONTEXT OF DOCTOR WHO.
AAAAAAAAAH.
Better reply when I can actually brain – I pulled an almighty all-nighter full of writing last night and haven't been asleep since before 10AM yesterday, and I'm sick. My head's a little off.
But yes. This song.
I KNOW WHO I WAAAANT TO TAKE ME HOME
Semisonic screwdriver?
LOLLLL
Now that I think of it…
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
I think this might work well as a Doctor Who fan video.
Yes Val is an amazing character-not least because she was in Come Outside, only the greatest children's TV show EVER! SERIOUSLY-she flew a polka-dot plane!!!
<img src="http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/auntymabel.jpg"/>
Auntie Mabel! Pippin! My childhood!!!
The memories! :')
PIPPIN! Dear God, far too excited. Also this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wQD-c9fOd0
Get it, Nurse Gladys
I…have no idea what this show is. :/ I feel like I missed out on something.
LOOK UP, LOOK DOWN, LOOK ALL AROUND…
*wipes away a fond tear*
They still show this every day at 12.25 on CBeebies. It's awesome. I like the one where she sets her chip pan on fire and then locks herself in the cupboard and she's all D: OH NOES and Pippin goes to get help.
There’s something about the deeply flawed, guilt-ridden, and socially awkward Eleven that speaks to my soul. I THINK THAT ELEVEN MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE DOCTOR.
I love Eleven now. Eleven is cool.
I had to bow to the inevitable and proclaim 11 as my favourite after watching the season 5 finale.
Eleven is cool.
Basically, the current Doctor becomes my favorite Doctor such that I can't imagine anyone else playing the Doctor. And yet, I felt the same way about Tennant just a couple years ago! Eleven is so…Eleven, though! He has the manic energy of Ten with the gravitas of Nine. I loved Ten as the lonely god, but I also love Eleven as the star whale. The social awkwardness definitely makes him very endearing, too.
Hah! I had the same thing! I think I'm gonna be that person who always throws a fit when the Doctor regenerates and refuses to watch the first few episodes, but then comes crawling back and decides this Doctor is THE BEST EVAR.
Much though I love Matt Smith, I'm kind of excited to see who the next Doctor will be when he eventually leaves. New companions too. One thing I've learnt to love about Who is the constant rotation of characters keeping things fresh.
Yep, I'm that person too lol. Although honestly, I can't imagine loving another Doctor like I love Ten 🙁
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm voting Stormageddon for next companion.
I love Craig and Sophie and now Stormageddon so much. And you're right about their chemistry–in some universe where Craig and Sophie aren't together, I would love to see Craig on the TARDIS for a full season. I wouldn't want it in this one unless Sophie came too (but that brings up the question of what to do with Stormageddon because a baby isn't conducive to the TARDIS lifestyle), but in some other alternate universe in which he's single, I would quite happily watch a whole season (or more!) of Craig and The Doctor bickering and being best friends throughout all of time and space.
And now I can't stop staring at my nephew, listening to his baby talk, wishing the Doctor were here to tell me what his actual name is. Probably not as awesome as Stormageddon, though…
Maybe the doctor will drop by at a later point in Stormy's timeline and pick him up when he's older?
He needs a good solid friend again, like Donna.
I think that's why it was so much fun to see him and craig interact.
Yes! That's exactly it! Donna was my favorite for exactly that reason–I've always thought that above all else, the Doctor just needs a friend.
Meh, small babies are portable. That's what the papoose was for!
The next companion should be a baby. I'm not sure how it would work, but we need to see more of Matt Smith interacting with babies. It melts my cold, dark heart.
Community Spoilers :
V'z xvaqn bire Qbpgbe Jub abj, vg'f nyy nobhg Vafcrpgbe Fcnprgvzr.
for some more community fun: http://inspectorspacetimeconfessions.tumblr.com/
What's really weird is when you read a whole bunch of stuff about Inspector Spacetime (and try to figure out how it all relates back to Who) and then start reading ACTUAL things about Doctor Who. Your brain gets kind of confused.
How did this get started??
It was a joke on Community parodying Doctor Who with a show called "Inspector Spacetime." The fandom took it and ran with it.
The most awesome thing ever! http://inspectorspacetimeconfessions.tumblr.com/p…
They even have Sprock (Space Master Rock) http://youtu.be/sGjJPaPncIc
All I remember about this episode is the baby and the kiss and the fantastic fuzzy feeling I had in my heart!
Until River came up and all I could think of was DOOM DOOM WE ARE ALL DOOM
I'm just gonna get this piece of criticism out of the way before I comment on the rest of the episode: two redshirts, both black characters, and from what I remember they were the only characters of color with any sort of significant screen-time in the episode. Sigh.
Moving on.
I consider this episode to have been a character piece for Eleven, and I enjoyed this episode a lot essentially because it laid out those traits of Eleven that I value most. He's this person who has lived a long and often-times rough life, but is able to cherish life and take pleasure in things like amusing little kids and playing with toys and wanting to be that sort of genial grandpa little children love. He wants to be happy and make others happy, and he parades out the whimsy and his sort of clumsy charm because I think that's the sort of disposition he wants to embrace for himself. We know the Doctor can go very angry and very cold and very scary, but we see he's so clearly more comfortable playing with a toy in a shop and helping children (and being bored by those boring adults with their lamps and vegetables) compared to his discomfort when he has to face himself and his problems. He wants to be space Santa, not that sad lonely angel/god/oncoming storm. Basically, I feel like Eleven so frequently pushes down his anger and memories of the bad things that have happened because he just doesn't want to be that person that people don't like and even fear. He does his best to consciously reject that side of himself.
And that's why I'm impressed with the Eleventh Doctor because he has this self-awareness of his power and effect that he has on others. He knows the kind of person he wants to be, but more importantly he knows he often fails at being so. The Doctor doesn't really know if pushing friends and companions away is better for them (he thinks it's the right decision with Amy, but this episode is about Craig telling him that he is important and does save people and that Craig would choose for the Doctor to be around than not) but at this point, his fear of hurting people who have relied on him and his guilt of screwing up in the past is enough to make him resigned to his death. I think he knows his general net effect is a good one, where he has good intentions and does save people, but I think the failures have started weighing down on him so much that when faced with his imminent death, he isn't fighting to run in the opposite direction. I think here he genuinely believes it's time for him to die. When he believes that his friends are better off without him, then he's failed at being the sort of person he wants to be so why fight death if his absence means he can't hurt and disappoint people anymore.
Last season the Doctor fought his imprisonment and the danger he faced. But we've seen this season his guilt at the thought of the previous 3 companions, and having disappointed the Ponds (River included), I think he's reached the point where he's just ashamed of himself. I mused at the beginning of this season that we were seeing the Doctor beaten down – chained, imprisoned, dead – but I guess it turns out that this season isn't so much about others breaking him as it is him disappointing himself. There have always been outside forces he fights, but I can't remember him so beaten down that he outright resigns himself to his death in this manner.
"You know, when I was little like you I dreamt of the stars. I think it's fair to say in the language of your age that I lived my dream. I owned the stage, gave it 110 percent. I hope you have as much fun as I did, Alfie."
That's a man who's stopped running and is now saying goodbye to everything and walking towards death. Oh Doctor, I hope your spirit gets revitalized because while I love seeing this side of you, it hurts. And Matt's ability to so completely convince me of the Doctor's ancient sadness and maturity is why I love Eleven the best.
Also, RIVER omg her face!! So many feelings! RIVER RIVER RIVER RIVER SOOOOOOOOONNNNNG
All the hugs ever for writing this, every last word. Made me tear up again.
(Also, yeah, I wasn't comfortable with the two redshirts being black, either. Ugh.)
Okay, it's the ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN. CHOOSE YOUR SIDE NAO!!!
<img src="http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Tauriel/stormageddon_roranicus.gif">
EDIT: I'm firmly in Team Roranicus Fucking Pondicus! 😉
OMG I could never choose between them!!
the more I stare at this the more I start to think they look alike. Mabye it's the big eyes? I also sat here looking at it for a good 5 minutes. Seeing as with Stormageddon I'd have to change diapers I'm team Roranicus.
Can Stormaggedon be Rory's apprentice?
RORANICUS.
Because cool guys don't need to look at explosions.
I'm playing both sides.
They should team up. All evil in all the Universes would spontatiously combust in fear.
If you loved me, you wouldn't make me choose.
I loved this episode dearly, which of course is not news because I seem incapable of hating any episode of Eleven's run (and I don't think I've actually genuinely hated any episode of the new series period. No seriously, I don't even hate Fear Her, wtf). I was really hoping for a little bit of lightness and an ending that was (mostly) not gut wrenchingly depressing, and I got it, so hooray! I don't count the River bit, seeing as that was more a lead-up to the finale than a closing to the story of the Doctor and Craig and Stormageddon (now Alfie. Love so much). And it's kind've weird for me to say that was a remotely happy ending considering he's going off to die, but he just looks so HAPPY about that hat, okay.
PS. Craig, you clearly have hat style.
Also, I'll admit, for a moment they fooled me into believing they were actually going to kill Craig. The look on the Doctor's face when the cybermat is smushed, and then again when the helmet closes up, is just terrible. Poor, poor Doctor.
Okay, RIVER. There is something just wrenching about seeing River Song, a character pretty nearly always in control even when things are completely out of control, being so completely genuinely terrified. That makes the scene scary, because River's scared (also waking up underwater? Agggh, so many nightmares). So apparently they did some memory hijinks on her? She doesn't remember who Kovarian is? And they've been keeping tabs on her THE ENTIRE TIME, so may I chalk up Kovarian's sadistic personal glee in making someone suffer up to two people now, because she was really enjoying that moment.
Also I will happy use any excuse to use this GIF, so dear Kovarian:
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/43.gif">
Also, also, my friend and I have clearly figured out how the finale will go, totes:
Kartikeya200: Amy: Hi, Doctor! I've traveled across space and time to give you this message *BOOT*
Kartikeya200: Doctor: OW
Kartikeya200: Amy: STOP BLAMING YOURSELF FOR EVERYTHING OR YOU GET IT AGAIN
tigriscaesius: This.
tigriscaesius: And then Rory shows up in his Centurion getup and says, 'Next time it won't be a boot. >:('
Kartikeya200: And then there is hugging.
Kartikeya200: Lots.
Kartikeya200: And lots.
Kartikeya200: Of hugging.
Kartikeya200: Because EVERYONE NEEDS IT.
Kartikeya200: Even Kovarian gets a hug. Then Amy boots her in the face.
Kartikeya200: Off a cliff.
Kartikeya200: Into a black hole.
tigriscaesius: Kovarian: Aw, tha–AAAH D: *spaghettified*
Kartikeya200: And the Doctor is like: I mildly disapprove.
Kartikeya200: Oh and River shoots her on the way down.
tigriscaesius: XD
Kartikeya200: Best finale ever, or best finale ever?
tigriscaesius: River: Excuse me, there appears to be something on your face *BLAM* IT WAS PAIN.
tigriscaesius: River: Excuse me, there appears to be something on your face *BLAM* IT WAS PAIN.
THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
I don't usually seriously wish horrible death on characters, but… yeah, I really hope karma catches up to Kovarian and punches her in the face. D: I mean, first I want to find out what the hell gave her such a ridiculous vendetta against the Doctor, but then she needs to die in a fire.
I don't think I've actually genuinely hated any episode of the new series period.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/4he8u1.gif">
Not even Fear Her?
Well, even Fear Her has the Doctor carrying the 2012 Olympic torch.
By the way, DAVID TENNANT BETTER GET TO CARRY THAT THING IN 2012 I SWEAR TO GAD
Not even Fear Her. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty damned terrible, and what isn't terrible is doofy to the extreme, but I don't hate it.
True story: I've only fairly recently started watching Doctor Who at all, and by 'fairly recently', I mean April of this year I watched series 5 (and have been devouring it since). Prior to that I'd heard some vague things. I knew the Doctor was some dude who kept changing his face or something (but not that he was an alien), I knew he had a blue box called a TARDIS that was a time machine, I knew there was some guy named the Master (and for some reason I thought he just rode around in the Doctor's TARDIS being an ass every episode), and I knew there were some aliens called Daleks who were always causing problems, but I had NO IDEA what a Dalek LOOKED like.
So what I"m getting at is that I actually love Victory of the Daleks a whole bunch, while freely acknowledging that it's pretty silly and ridiculous and not remotely the greatest episode. Because it was my introduction to the Daleks and I thought they were hilariously, wonderfully campy for all I'd heard about them, but mostly because it contains the Daleks completely trolling the shit out of the Doctor with tea. I can't hate this show.
Oh man! I actually quite liked Victory of the Daleks, but even if it had sucked, it would have been worth it just for the tea-serving Daleks and Eleven's reaction to them. That was just brilliant.
SPITFIRES IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE
YOU DO NOT REQUIRE TEA??
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/SwimmingTrunks/16f85138.jpg">
I spent 4 hrs on this, I need a job.
This is beautiful.
Petition to have the perfume "Petrichor" actually produced and made available to buy in stores. C'mon, BBC, this is a fantastic business opportunity!
<img src="http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Tauriel/petrichor.jpg">
Sign below, plz. 😛
But does it actually SMELL like petrichor? lol. Because I don't know if I want to smell like dust after the rain.
is it different from that refreshing light summer rain smell? Because I love that one!
Who cares what it smells like (as long as it's nice, obviously)? It's the perfect perfume for a Whovian fangirl! 😉
I would, the smell of wet earth after a storm is one of my favoritest most comforting smells ever. <3 Right up there with old books.
I love those smells, too. Plus the smell of freshly mown grass and the smell of hay… <3 (Thank God I'm not suffering from any allergy… 😀 )
yes! to all of those <3
agreed with EVERYONE.
mine would have to either be the smell of the sea, or the smell of a fresh xmas tree 🙂
I think mine would be the smell of dust after rain, paper, and new electronics.
Look, new electronics straight out of the packaging smell amazing, I'm just saying.
ME TOO.
EXACTLY like old books: http://www.cbihateperfume.com/in-the-library.html
This is probably fairly close to petrichor: http://www.cbihateperfume.com/m2-black-march.html
The smell of snow (which is similar to rain, to my nose): http://www.cbihateperfume.com/walkingintheair.htm…
Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but am I the only one who thought this ad looked…odd? Her head is SO BIG! And so disconnected from the perfume itself! Also, Karen is gorgeous but here I feel like she's staring into my soul and not in a good way. I guess it's better than Amy all oiled up, wrapped around some guy like most perfume ads.
but yes, I would probably buy this even though I hate perfume 😀
Get BPAL to make it. They can make anything smell good.
I was just going to say–BPAL should totally get on this. I would buy it, and I never buy perfume.
This.
…oh man, I didn't even notice that it was called Petrichor. I WOULD SO BUY IT.
Also: Best Confidential ever or BEST CONFIDENTIAL EVER??? XD XD XD
I'd be willing to accept Craig as a regular companion for a full series on the sole condition that Matt Smith and James Corden do those hilarious and silly videos for every Confidential.
And I'll be using this at any and every appropriate occasion (i.e. whenever I feel like it):
<img src="http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Tauriel/annoyed_doctor.jpg">
*waves at image* Hi, Grandpa Grumpy Face! 😀
omg where can i see the confidentials
i never get to watch them 🙁
I got one once in an episode torrent
I think it was for Chrstmas Carol
It was magical
This blog/website thingy has download links to the episodes and their Confidentials each week.
http://www.combom.co.uk/
Here's this weeks Confidential <3 http://www.combom.co.uk/2011/09/download-doctor-w…
Be very careful on the website, as they post spoilers. You might want to scroll down as soon as the page loads, just in case. 🙂
I downloaded this Confidential on a torrent site because I had to see them with the babehs.
They post them up on the doctor who livejournal community too, if you can't find them somewhere else.
Speaking of this ep of Confidential, can any of you Brits tell me anything about Greg James? Because he is CUTE.
This one was FABULOUS. They were so so so adorable together.
As much as I love this episode and how it ended…
I kind of wish Craig was Cyberman-ed.
I know, I know, poor Sophe, poor Stormageddon, but… it would have been totally shocking and would have reinforced the Doctor's fears and pushed him farther towards what's supposed to happen in the finale.
I'm an awful person.
It's EVERYBODY LIVES, incarnate. Which is a rather ironic trope to bring up, considering what happens next episode.
I thought about this, but I also think that it would've been too much. I don't mean for the audience, I mean for the Doctor. He's in such an incredibly low place right now, believing he's constantly putting the people he loves in danger to the point of having to run away from them in order to 'save' them, that doing this is also unforgivable because he's abandoning them, that he's responsible in some way for every bad thing that goes on around him, and every bad thing he WASN'T there to prevent, and for irrevocably screwing up people's lives even when they don't die.
I think if Craig had been converted, a fate the Doctor has demonstrated in the past to believe absolutely is worse than actually dying, especially when he was only just a short while before talking about how the Doctor shouldn't beat himself up so much because he does good things too, and how he feels safest around the Doctor while weirdness is afoot…I think that may have irrevocably broken the Doctor beyond recovery.
I agree, but also it does work as a message to the audience. So much of what we've seen recently has been saying: the Doctor screws up. And that's true – we shouldn't just forget about something like basically killing old!Amy. But I think we needed Craig, and Craig's survival, to remind us that a lot of the time, the Doctor IS the good guy, and he DOES defeat the baddies (well, sort of. Technically it was Craig, but he couldn't have done it alone)
This. I completely agree with you.
I was actually prepared for this and when it didn't happen that shocked me more than if the Craig did get Cyber'ed. When the suit closed I literally yelled out "JOSS WHEDON YOU BASTARD GET OUT OF MY SHOW!"
And then miracle of miracles he did (the rat bastard), and Craig was saved with LOVE and massive responsibility of being a parent.
I wanna know what the Doctor's been doing for 200 years. I want to think he's been hanging out with River- later in her timeline, obviously- falling in love and getting married. But he says he's been alone for a while (he says that a lot when he picks up his latest Partners, like Donna, Martha and Amy), so maybe not. But the thought of him being ALONE for that long makes me very sad. Maybe he was visiting everyone, like the Ood and the Cat Nuns too.
Also I'm a new aunt and as far as I'm concerned my nephew is my Overlord and Master. I'm sorry, Stormaggedon, but I got Ty to laugh hysterically for 5 minutes with a Hobbs (of Calvin and fame) doll. He wins my devotion.
well, he has to have spent *some* time with her, because by the time he dies they have to have been to Easter Island together
True, but I guess I wanted to see that. I mean, yes that's what fan fiction is for, but I'd love to see the Doctor and River actually fall in love, by themselves, fighting crime.
Really?! Oh cool, I didn't know that. That's an awfully spoilery title. I wonder if it's a fake out like "The Doctor's Wife".
Closing Time was a great episode, until the end at least. Craig and Stormageddon were hilarious and I loved every minute of that. However the whole answer to who was in the astronaut suit was…O God was it disappointing. To find out that it was River the whole time, unless there's some last minutes trick, well let's just say I was hoping it wouldn't be her. It was just to heavily foreshadowed for me, like banging you over the head foreshadowed. Just another example, again to me, that I've place Moffat on a storytelling pedestal I'm beginning to think is too high for him. Now he only has one more episode to answer most if not all the questions from this series and the last. Answers Moffat promised we would get next week. I…I just don't see that happening in a coherent streamline story that's only 45 minutes long. Unless Moffat is the worlds greatest writing genius, something this season has shown me, repeatedly, he isn't. -_- I'm beginning to get the feeling were going to get another reset and wish the world better ending.
Eh, adult River in the suit was really the only thing that made any sense whatsoever. I thought it was a little obvious in the reveal, but I didn't have any real expectation that it was going to be someone else.
I'm pretty sure that we will not get all the answers next episode, but I'm also pretty sure that this plot is going to continue at least partially into Season 7, so…
In regards to the questions I will be ok if all the questions aren't answered, I guess. Mostly because I've resigned myself to the fact that were not going to get all the answers. ( I've been hearing a rumor that all the questions from last season remain unanswered at the end of this one.)
As far as River being in the suit goes…well no she wasn't the only option. I've been hearing fan theories since TIA that are more creative and better thought out then what we've been given. Unless something changes next week Moffat took the easy way out. He even says as much in the Confidential. I've never seen the man so blase and bored about his own story and his favorite character. Here watch it yourself.
http://youtu.be/sblcXAQdxVY
There’s something about the deeply flawed, guilt-ridden, and socially awkward Eleven that speaks to my soul. I THINK THAT ELEVEN MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE DOCTOR.
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ls232ng8hL1qztax3o1_500.png">
Never would have guessed, Mark. 😉 Really, mustering up the courage to proclaim your favorite Doctor made me laugh. It's a momentous occasion! I waver between them, and I'm in a Nine-loving moment right now.
I never really thought about it, but he would be a good teacher for little kids, as long as his moments of social ineptitude didn't weird them out. Like, I can clearly picture kindergartners adoring him. He and Roslin should hang out.
OH MY GOD for about 2 seconds I was like you look EXACTLY like Mark
*FACEPALM*
Oh dear Lord, when did this picture happen? It's beautiful.
I stole it from Mark's tumblr which I hope is okay, because it needs to be spread far and wide. It's pretty magnificent.
THAT PICTURE
FLAWLESS
BEAUTIFUL. *applauds* 😀
Wow Mark, this picture of you makes me want to give you a hug…you look very huggable! 😛
*hugs*
D'aww Mark, I just want to hug you.
Is it just me or does Mark vaguely resemble Stanley Tucci?
(This is totally a compliment btw)
OMG TOTALLY. I knew he reminded me of someone! XD
Huh, he does kind of look like Stanley Tucci.
And now I want to see Captain America again. (Everyone should see that movie anyway.)
I was overjoyed to see this on my tumblr. SO CUTE MARK.
I like all the Doctors in different ways. I think the end of Ten's run kind of spoiled him for me as my favorite Doctor, but he's still so iconic and he's the longest-running Doctor of the new series so far, so in some ways I can't NOT love him. Eleven is delightful, but I'll have to wait until the end of his run to decide. Nine was awesome and I'm only now beginning to fully appreciate him, as I didn't have anything else to compare him to when I first started watching.
tl;dr–Love ALL the Doctors!!
That's the only appropriate reaction, honestly. They're all wonderful in their own ways, even the ones without eyebrows 🙂
Also, I blame Matt Smith. That man has chemistry with the air that surrounds him. It's amazing.
Was that the RTD era Cyberman era music that played when the Doctor found the ship?
It played in The Pandorica Opens too. It's just the Cybermen leitmotif.
How differently Ten and Eleven deal with their death. The current Doctor seems resigned to it, though I wouldn't be surprised if he had a trick up his sleeve. Ten was raging hard against the dying of the light 😉
This.
Ten was raging hard against the dying, all big teeth and bigger speeches, but at the end he turned into a big wuss: "I don't want to go, boo hoo!"
Eleven seems quiet and resigned about it, but I'm 100% sure that he'll come up with some trick to survive (after all, we all know that Matt Smith already signed up for Series 7 and they're filming the Christmas Special now 😉 ).
O come on, that's not fair. Their situations are entirely different.
10: Had resigned himself to dying, he said as much to Rassilon. He then survived that situation and was so excited he was like a big kid. Then Wilf knocked and he realized he hadn't escaped. On top of everything else he'd been through that day, you know what, he DESERVED to rant about it all. I would had have, you would have. Not to mention the fact that he'd said many times over the course of that regeneration that he LIKED being 10 … so yea. (lets not even go into the fact that it was as much a send off to DT and RTD as it was 10. 11's death is not the end of MS or SM's therefore it is being handled differently)
11: Yea, you know 11 has been running from his death for over 200 years according to the episode summary. So he's had lots of time to come to terms with the situation. Plus, with everything that's happen the last two series, he's been beaten down, he's ready to die now. That's vastly different from the life loving 10 who never wanted to stop adventuring.
Will he survive, a yea he has too, but personally I don't think it's a trick HE has at all. 😛
lets not even go into the fact that it was as much a send off to DT and RTD as it was 10.
And what a poor sendoff it was, because it doesn't do the next guy any favors in terms of fans receiving him well, and that's just not what the show is supposed to be about. It was as undignified an exit as you could get. Plus, really, it's just regeneration. The Doctor lives on; but this particular perspective, this point of view, if you will, is simply getting changed out to another. He's been through it so many times before, it feels off to have him suddenly afraid of it.
As for the ranting, hated it. Saying what he did to Wilf undermines what he'd previously said about humans looking like giants to him, and makes his subsequent "It'd be my honor" line ring so, so false to me. No, I too prefer how Eleven has thus far handled not only this seemingly permanent death, but being faced with allowing himself to be erased from ever existing back in Big Bang.
"Maybe you will! And maybe I will. But not like this. I might never make sense again! I might have two heads! Or no head. Imagine me, with no head! And don't say that's an improvement. But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're gonna end up with. […] Time Lords have this little trick – sort of a way of cheating death. Except… it means I'm gonna change. And I'm not gonna see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go – Rose, before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And d'you know what? So was I."
UPVOTE UPVOTE UPVOTE
Nine's final moments were, to steal his catchphrase, fantastic. I was genuinely sad to see him go, but it was a very well-done exit.
I love his whole last episode, really. And his parting moments were indeed fantastic. Oh, Nine. Your run was short but lovely <3
The more I watch this show the more I appreciate Nine. When I first watched his run, I had never seen Who before, so I had no idea what the Doctor was like or whether Nine was any different from other Doctors. But now that I've seen other Doctors I have a much greater appreciation for Nine. Christopher Eccleston was amazing.
HI NOTEMILY.
I find the more who I watch the more I appreciate all the Doctors. I'm like I LOVE ALL OF YOU <3 <3 <3 FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT HATING ONE BACK WHEN I FIRST TRIED HIM, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAAAAAND, I LOVE YOU ONE, THE DOCTOR IS MY DOCTOR
THIS. SO MUCH THIS.
Nine's final moments were brilliant. Full of hope for the future. Ten's final moments reduced him to a self-pitying wuss. I fully blame RTD. (And judging by that episode's Confidential, it looks like David wasn't too happy about that final line, either…)
Yes. I loved Ten, I really did! But by the end of EoT I just wanted him gone. LOOK YOU WENT THROUGH THIS TEN TIMES BEFORE, REGENERATE ALREADY!
I will NEVER get tired of Nine's final speech. All the upvotes!! 🙂
I wish Ten had been able to approach his own end like this. From a writing standpoint his end felt icky to me, very childish and petulant. But from an in-universe perspective I suppose that is part of Ten's personality, especially when we know that all of his companions have had to leave him.
I can understand Eleven's reaction because it isn't just a death to cause a new regeneration. It's a kill meant to end his life, period. That's sooo different than just getting a new personality/perspective/body. Eleven speaks with the age and gravitas of somebody who has lived a very long time. While I love David Tennant, Matt Smith does a far better job of pulling off somebody who is extremely old but wears a mask of a very young body.
NINE MY LOVE I MISS YOU
THIS. THIS. THIS.
He's been through it so many times before, it feels off to have him suddenly afraid of it.
^^^^ so much
I actually liked Ten's exit. I really don't care if that makes me an idiot or a sap or what, I liked it.
Besides, even with "I don't want to go", how could i possibly dislike Eleven with an introduction like that? "GERONIMO!!"
This this so much this.
I’ve read enough fan theories to make my brain explode at this point…
STORY OF MY LIFE. I feel like that’s all I’ve done the last two days. I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND AND KNOW THE ANSWERS ALREADY! Why are they making us wait till Saturday!?! I just need to understaaaaaaand.
I thought the episode was great. It provided a nice break from all the heart-wrenching pain of the last few weeks (even though you still felt the doom and gloom looming ahead) with all the laughs. Craig and Stormageddon = so much love I cannot take it.
Matt Smith holding Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All, in a star-filled nursery…well…I'd almost have my fallopian tubes untied for a chance at that. Is all I'm sayin'. (That's normal, right? RIGHT?)
My 64 year old mother is visiting this week–she's never seen a single episode of Doctor Who, yet wanted an introduction to the series. We watched "Vincent and the Doctor" this morning because, obviously. She wept, because…obviously. She loved Matt Smith & everything about the episode.
And then she wanted to watch, "The one who was in Harry Potter."
So we watched "Silence in the Library." ("Oh, look–that girl from ER!" Bless my Mama's heart, y'all.) Of course we had to finish up with "Forest of the Dead," which then led to "Midnight." And now Mama is hooked. On David Tennant. As a daughter I could not be more proud than I am at this very moment, because Ten is MY Doctor.
So I'm not burned by Mark's, "Eleven is MY Doctor" proclamation. Not at all. I love Eleventy! Matt Smith is brilliant & amazing & no one is more excited about his return in Series 7.
And I cannot comment about this episode because my overwhelming suspicion is the lingering feeling that my favorite badass, River Song, is not long for the world of Who after next week's finale. AND I JUST CANNOT SPEAK OF THIS AT ALL.
Oh, please God…I hope I'm wrong.
*Am I the only geek who got off on the Doctor merely saying the words "Star Trek" in this episode? Not even ashamed to admit this. The Doctor said STAR TREK. When fandoms collide, y'all.
I don't even really want children, but yes, Matt Smith + baby = a Stormageddon child in my future. My future husband better be thanking him now for changing my mind about kids – he also has to get on board with the name Stormageddon like right now.
And I love your mom, because I'm a girl obsessed with all television (and Harry Potter), and when I started on the series, that's exactly how I came to appreciate the characters.
AND I SECOND ALL YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT RIVER SONG.
I have 2 daughters but the baby shop is obviously closed, as I mentioned the tied tubes in my initial comment. But eventually there will be a Stormageddon in this family…he'll just be feline. Lest anyone think of shortening his name to "Stormy," I'll be quick to shoot that mess down straight away.
I have a cat named Alfie. From now on, I will call him by his chosen name, "Stormageddon".
Bless your mother's heart, may she be a Whovian forever.
And you are not alone in squeeing when he said Star Trek! I was going "SAY TRICORDER!! SAY PHASER!!!!"
No shame.
That story reminds me of how I got my sister and mum. My sister joined to watch Smith and Jones, and was immediatley hooked, because nothing gets her happier than a spot of romance.
My mum joined for 'Human Nature'. We finished the two parter, went on to Blink- sold then and there. Score!
I think we'll still be seeing some River Song, don't worry. I suspect she'll drop in from later in her time-line.
(There have been a lot of Star Trek references. Three this season, I'm counting).
Wait. Stop. THREE Star Trek references? I'm ashamed I've not caught them. You must share. Please! A Star Trek reference on Doctor Who is when awesome collides.
Well, let's see. The space ship in 'A Christmas Carol' is meant to be a reference to the re-make, due to layout, lensflare and the ship's name (Galaxy Class). Apparently the virtual doctor in Black Spot's one as well, but I'm not seeing it.
In 'The Impossible Astronaut' right before she's killed, the random old woman asks if the Silence is "A Star Trek thing". And in the God Delusions, the geek's nightmare (of mean preppy girls) tease him about speaking Klingon.
Ah, yes. Now I am embarrassed because I do remember those references. STILL…having the Doctor himself utter "Star Trek." Well that's just golden.
Virtual Doctor? In "Star Trek: Voyager" The Doctor (one of the funniest characters on the show, IMHO) was a hologram who developed his own personality and then some!
The Tesselecta in "Let's Kill Hitler" reminded me of a Star Trek's ship's bridge, so I count that as a reference, too,
"How do you say 'loser' in K-K-K-Klingon?" Those girls were so mean! If B'Ellana Torres were there, she'd clock 'em for that!
Yeah, but did that Doctor sing? Also, while the Doctor from Star Trek had a personality, I didn't think the Siren really had one. Which was why it didn't feel like a full on reference, just a coincidence.
He's a fan of opera, actually. But I agree with you, I think it's probably just a coincidence.
Worf would pull out his handy-dandy bat'leth and go to town.
Ten is my Doctor as well (though I wouldn't mind a genderbent version of 10 for dating purposes)! I haven't seen all of his run (then again, this season is the only one I've seen every episode of.), but I just adore him.
Stop what you're doing and watch all of Ten's episodes as the Doctor. Then watch his performance in Hamlet, opposite Patrick Stewart. It is one of the most perfect interpretations of Shakespeare I've ever seen.
Hear, hear. It's a fantastic production. It made me really GET Hamlet.
*Am I the only geek who got off on the Doctor merely saying the words "Star Trek" in this episode? Not even ashamed to admit this. The Doctor said STAR TREK. When fandoms collide, y'all.
Not NEARLY as much as I exploded over Abed watching "Inspector Spacetime" on Community. Or COugarton Abbey. Seriously, my three favorite shows. ALL IN ONE.
Inspector Spacetime!! That was my favorite part of the episode!
He has at least two TVTropes pages already!
1 .http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InspectorSpacetime
2 .http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/InspectorSpacetime
This episode! I was really glad to see that Craig and Sophie stayed together and had Stormaggedon, Dark Lord of us all. Because really, the Doctor speaking baby is something we all needed to see more of.
I like that Craig was so eager to help the Doctor despite his saying how the Doctor sticking around means not only trouble but really weird, alien trouble, but at the same time I was like, YOU HAVE A BABY STRAPPED TO YOUR CHEST. I'm very pro-keeping kids safe so running 'round the shop in pursuit of Cybermen… well.
When the episode started with the Doctor making a social call, all I could think was, "Will he make others? Is he lying about it being his first social call? Will he say good-bye to older companions, from long, long ago?" It's amazing how old Matt Smith looked this whole episode. A man marching steadily to his death, looking at life and feeling so terribly worn out. Matt Smith is really a brilliant Doctor and I'm ashamed now that I didn't believe in him from the start. I will later rescind this and say I was justified by his lack of visible eyebrows.
I think the presentation of the Cybermen too reflected the Doctor, in a way. Isolated and desperate to survive. Granted, they had a way to multiply, what with stealing people in dressing rooms (FOREVER MOURNING YOU GEORGE) and turning them into Cybermen. This transformation was really quite horrible, in contrast to the assembly line feeling from series 2.
Craig being turned into a Cyberman brought me to the brink of tears because I was expecting him to be saved, or to get out, or for the Doctor to do something but then the helmet closed over him… and then Alfie started to cry and then I really started crying because OMG YOU GUYS. POWER OF LOVE.
Of course, the end just fills me with dread because really, WHERE IS THIS GOING? I KNOW THERE'S A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL AND ANOTHER SERIES SO WHAT THE FUCK GUYS?
This episode was wonderful, and really highlights what I like so much about the Doctor, in particular Eleven.
Its a wonderful combination of laughter and sadness. On one hand, you have Stormaggedon, Dark Lord Of All (whom I shall forever worship) on the other hand, you've got a man preparing to face his death. While this juxtaposition seems strange, its the heart of every Doctor Who episode. You've always got quirky humour in the face of horrible villains and death. Its like the main theme of the show distilled.
Honestly, I have almost nothing to complain about this episode for. People have pointed out the mammary gland thing might not make sense; too small to really notice. As for Rory holding the bags, I mostly think it just made it easier to film if we didn't seem Amy holding the bags giving them to Rory, and then signing the autograph. That would have looked clumsy.
On the other hand, everything else about this episode was wonderful. Cybermen, who I don't usually enjoy, were used wonderfully here. Its probably my favourite time I've seen them. Craig resisting the programming using love was cheesy, and a bit of a rehash of 'Night Terrors' but it fit his arc, especially when the Lodger was about him gaining confidence to get together with Sophie. The speaking baby parts were all pure joy, and I wish we could have an entire series with a baby companion. As Mark said, the Gay Subplot was different than the way Who usually did it, but despite the lack of actual gay romance, tasteful and sweet. (I love Val forever, btw).
Finally, Rory and Amy's appearance was as wonderful as it was brief. I love the closure we got for them, and hte look on Matt Smith's face was agonising. He looked touched, happy and heart-broken all at once. I wanted to give him a hug.
Theories Abound
What will we see in 'The Wedding of River Song'? Who knows. But I can certainly guess.
– Ganger!Doctor will return or be important in some form. They mentioned he could maybe reform, and I don't know why they would have included it if not for a reason.
– Rory and Amy will come back. Apparently both past and present Ponds are existing at the same time, so I think the present Ponds will go and do something to help the Doctor.
– Wibbly Wobbly. Judging by the trailer, River's confusing time-line, and Moffat, our heads will be twisted.
– Moar Canton pwease?
"The Doctor’s magnificent chemistry when working with children"
Matt is utterly fantastic with children. His performance just instantly gets ten times better when he's around a kid because he can be a bit cheekier and more childish. Of course the Doctor has always been just a big child himself and I think Matt gets that instinctively.
Theories Abound
The Doctor will really die in the next episode, but will be brought back by Amy rediscovering her belief in him. I know it's like last season but Amy has pretty much been the focus of Eleven's tenure, she will find some way of saving him.
I don't know why I love the Doctor speaking Baby so much. I like that it has nothing to do with the TARDIS's translation capabilities, he just innately knows how to speak baby language. And the fact that there are no talking babies make this even better, because so often something like the wonder and whimsy of a baby thinking of himself as Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All is ruined by some adult actor voicing the baby. This episode warmed my heart so much. It blew it up with love. And then crushed it a little bit at the end, because oh, RIVER.
But has anyone else noticed just how much this season has focused on father/son relationships? As if family wasn't the theme of the season already, we've had four different narratives of men grappling with how to be a dad to their sons, with mothers either permanently or temporarily absent (Sophie, Claire and Mrs. Avery), or just not mentioned (Adam's mom). And I loved each of these stories, but it does feel a bit odd to have so many stories with plots or sideplots about parenting when the main storyline renders the two lead companions robbed of a chance to parent their daughter.
It is a really weird dichotomy, isn't it? I keep trying to think about how this theme of reluctant fatherhood would relate back to our main characters, but I'm drawing a blank. It might just be a coincidence, but it is a very odd one if so!
All four fatherhood narratives were written by different writers, so it could definitely be a coincidence. I think the juxtaposition is mainly why I didn't like Night Terrors – it occurs right after Good Man Goes to War/Let's Kill Hitler, yet Amy and Rory, who have just suddenly become parents and had their baby snatched away, show NO emotional reaction to the narrative of a child feeling rejected by his parents. (And the absent mother thing is a bit odd, as well.)
However, a quick jaunt to Wikipedia reveals Night Terrors was one of the first episodes shot, which means the production team and cast were likely operating without the knowledge of the whole pregnancy/Melody/River plotline.
Dragging over my thoughts from my LJ:
There was some melancholy, angst, POOOOOONDS <3 outta nowhere, 'love will save the day', even moar father-son bonding, srs moments, and bucket loads of:
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/11ttyqe.jpg">
The only issue that I really had was pretty much that both of the black characters in this episode ended up dying. Episode, why do you have such utter FAIL?
And here's what I thought about Madame Kovarian (who is amounting to SO MUCH DNW. PLZ TO BE FOREVER STAYING AWAY FROM RIVER, you massively creepy person) :
She's like the evil version of the trollface.jpg.
River: *doing research*
Suprise-creeper!Kovarian: *trollface.jpg*
River: *perks up* "INFO ON DOCTOR? :D"
Kovarian: "ONLY THAT YOU KILL HIM. :]" -insert combo of trollface and U MAD?.jpg-
Audience and River: FUUUUUUUUUUUU.jpg
Ughhh- Madame Kovarian is starting to make my skin crawl whenever she pops up.
Oh, and Eleven quoted Two! "Oh, you've redecorated! …I don't like it." TWOOOO. <3
Also- Aleeeex! Your faaaace when you were so excited about info on the Doctor, and in your graduation robes.
That gif is mesmerizing…
….What?
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/5efg3m.jpg">
SPOILER/THEORIES ABOUND for end of episode & teaser trailer:
Gur Qbpgbe'f jrnevat n ybat pbng naq erq objgvr ng gur raq bs guvf rcvfbqr naq va gur grnfre genvyre sbe rcvfbqr 13. Va Gur Vzcbffvoyr Nfgebanhg, OBGU Qbpgbef ner jrnevat gur fubeg pbng naq n oyhr objgvr. Pnyyvat vg abj: Tnatref.
Doesn't the colour of bow-tie signify something? Like, blue is future stories and red is past/present? I wonder if that features into it.
I'm with you on the other part, though.
I heard so as well (other way around, though – red is future, blue is past). Seems to hold true most of the time. The exceptions I found are Curse of the Black Spot (red), The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People (blue, although it's tough to say whether it's past of future – it's "early technology", but definitely after our time), Night Terrors (red – again, hard to say), and The God Complex (blue). I'm going to say the pattern is broken enough that I'd be surprised if that's what it is.
I've been wondering if his bow tie is significant to the timeline, but I'm too lazy to go back and watch every scene and check what color his bow tie is. 😛
I'm thinking red is definitely future and blue is past. I remember hearing in some interview somewhere, either from 10's turn or this one, that in the beginning montage of every episode (the TARDIS flying through the time vortex) the red tinted vortex meant it was traveling toward the future, and the blue meant the past. Wait, that must have been 10's right? Does 11's even do that? I fast fwd through that part, and never remember, lol
!!!
Still not over Auntie Mabel popping up in this ep. Anyway, I think I enjoyed the ledger more but this was still excellent and I am extremely excited for Saturday!
I also love Val. Lynda Baron is a legend. LEGEND.
Just…I can’t even..WHAT. NO WAY. There is literally no way Moffat is going to close up the River Song timey-wimey. THERE IS ONE MORE EPISODE LEFT. I’ VE SEEN THE TRAILER. AND IT’S NOT A 2-PARTER. I honestly have no coherent thoughts about this episode except Matt Smith+babies=CUUUTE<3<3 and MOOOFFAAATTT!! Just another thought, how did River go from being brain washed into killing the doctor into not recognizing Madam Kovarian? I mean we all know she's the type of villain to pop up and rub it in your face that she's watching you and there is nothing you can do about it( with the wall panels) , so it strikes me as odd that River had never seen her before. And we know she couldn't have been taught by the Silents cuz ya know, she'd forget everything she learned. Headless monks maybe? IDEK
She could have been taught subconsciously by the Silence with their hypnotism. It would make her brainwashing even more effective.
I think what she says in let's kill hitler about "not remembering much of it" is definitely the loophole the doctor's gonna use to save his skin 😀
THEORIES ABOUND… SORT OF
I highly doubt that I can predict what's going to happen on the Doctor/River/brain melting part of next week so let's look at some of the other stuff from the trailer:
The chess playing dude with and eyepatch looked like a Norse God to me and a bit of googling revealed that Odin lost an eye somewhere and wears a distinctive patch. Furthermore Odin is the god of wisdom and logic but also of warfare, remind you of someone? He has two raven servants: Huginn (thought) and Munin (memory). The genus name for raven is Corvus but, since were dealing with Norse stuff, I'd say it's fair we replace 'C' with 'K' which gives us Korvus which maybe resemble Kovarian a bit? Okay, that one's a bit of a stretch. Then again the Silence (species), who appear to be Kovarian's have significant powers over thoughts and memories.
Now, to make make a completely unfounded guess: if we can change Corvus to Korvus why not Kovarian to Covarian? As in the book "The Covarian Copperhead"? This is what it says on the back:
This timely spoof explores numerous variations of man's worst nightmare. Hell bent on seizing control of the U.S.A., a mysterious Godmother has toiled forty years to build the Silent Sisterhood. One Capovarian, however, challenges her sovereignty and conspires to destroy her invisible empire. This roadmap to Karmageddon gives the reader a bleak and startling snapshot of the Final Conflict-male against female-brute force against Covarian cunning
Far fetched? Yes
Completely impossible? Off course
Fun to come up with? Definitely!
Also, 22/04/11 (the Doctor's death) is exactly 111 days from now
Funny that you're talking about Odin, since he's become rather important over on Reads right now.
RIGHT???? i was like I KNOW ALL OF THIS.
For a minute I thought I had accidentally clicked on Mark Reads, heh.
I personally wouldn't consider this a spoiler, as it's based on (officially released) cast listings and character labels on promo shots. However, for those who want their minds blown on who plays the Odin-ish character in the credits, I'm putting this in ROT13
Gur Bqva-vfu punenpgre vf cynlrq ol ZNEX SHPXVAT TNGVFF. Doctor Who makeup team FTW.
"I know I’ve steeped some heavy praise on Eleven/Matt Smith before, but I honestly felt that, after “Closing Time,” that this is my favorite incarnation of this iconic character. I cannot imagine a new Doctor beyond him, and I cannot imagine being so attached to another actor playing him in quite the way I am with Matt Smith. "
This is how I felt about Ten. He was my Doctor. Eleven is yours. I didn't think I could ever watch another episode after Tennant left, but I did, and I've enjoyed myself (even if I do prefer Ten to Eleven). It's just a different kind of love.
Yeah, Ten will always be my Doctor. Not necessarily because I personally identify with him, but because I find him to be incredibly compelling to watch.
This is what I like to see. So often if someone says "this is my favourite Doctor" they get back-lash over "No way! Why don't you like *insert here* more?" We all have our Doctors. We don't fight over ice-cream flavours, do we?
ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM IS THE BEST. What, GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT, PUNK???
jk jk, how could you ever choose just one? (Ice cream or Doctor. Most of both are awesome in their own way.)
OH, DAMN, ANOTHER ONE OF YOU DAMN ROCKY ROAD FANGIRLS. Why can't you just understand that ice cream has moved on? If you don't accept cookie dough, you're not a true fan!
UGH, YOU'RE THE WORST. Sometimes things are already as perfect as they can be and nothing will ever be as good by comparison. Also I saw the promo shots of this new ice cream and it looks like it doesn't even have any nuts. That's just weird and I can't accept a new ice cream, especially one without nuts.
WHY DO WE NEED NUTS? Chocolate and vanilla didn't have nuts. You new fans need to learn to respect the classics. Besides, SOME PEOPLE ARE ALLERGIC TO NUTS.
Well then I guess SOME PEOPLE just don't know GOOD ice cream when they see it.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/6Tdop.gif">
so… hungry…
You win. The Willy Wonka gif cannot be argued with. XD
Come to think of it, Wonka probably IS the Doctor – Chameleon Arch, maybe? I'm not sure, but that glass elevator is mighty suspect.
Haha, it's been so long since I saw that film that at first I assumed the gif was one of the classic doctors.
Nicely said.
This episode was so joyful and exuberant. It is full of childlike wonder and hope. I almost forgot what is coming as we head to the end of the season. Almost. Then the last few moments with River >.< I shut my eyes and prayed that it would go away!!!!! I wish they had saved those scenes for the opener for next week. I did not want to see it!
You know, all that episode did was delay the inevitable… So something must be said. Something that was a long time coming. Something that should have been said a long time ago.
BUMBUMBUM.
I'm holding off on DW thoughts until I see the finale because MY BRAIN HURTS TO MUCH Y'ALL.
However, relevant to past Mark Watches project, I thought some might be interested in knowing that Sean Maher, Simon on Firefly, has made public that he is gay. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/26/firefly-playboy…
I think it's awesome that he talks about not wanting to have to tell his daughters that he's closeted, because it SHOULDN'T be a shameful thing to be gay and adopt kids. And it's just heartbreaking when he talks about how he wished he could have been out on Firefly because he loves the other cast members so much.
I hope he gets lots of success in his professional life and shows people that you don't have to be in the closet to get roles. <3.
Jewel's @reply to him is the sweetest.
I KNOOOOWWWWWW.
Pottermore is currently being a buttmunch and won't let me back in (somebody hold me while I sob!), so I thought I'd hang out here instead. 🙂
I loved Closing Time, it was a good fun romp before the Moff and Matt Smith stomp on our hearts on Saturday.
Matt Smith needs to procreate. Like. Now. He'll be the best dad ever.
Thanks to Doctor Who Confidential, I now ship Matt Smith and James Corden. <3 <3 They made me laugh so much I snorted. I have no class.
Matt is so good at the emotional story lines, every possible emotion a human being could have is right there in his face and eyes, he plays it so perfectly that I just want to give him a bear hug! Oh, god. We are so not prepared for Saturday!
I think he's becoming my favourite Doctor…………..I feel like I'm betraying David Tennant by saying that, but I can't deny that it's the truth.
Stormageddon for ruler of the universe. Though, I think Voldemort might have something to say about the whole 'Dark Lord of all' thing.
I thought the Cybermen were a bit secondary to everything else that was happening, which is good for me as I'm not a big fan of them.
I thought Craig was a goner when that helmet closed around his head, which was really shocking to me! So glad he didn't die, it means he could come back one day. No idea what else they'd be able to do with his character, though.
I've been reading (and enjoying the hell out of) 'A Game of Thrones' for the last few weeks, so when the Doctor said "would that I could", I mentally high-fived him!
Seeing Amy and Rory again made my heart happy………….but then they walked away without noticing the Doctor, and my heart broke. Again.
I want some Petrichor pefume…..which Is probably a bad idea as even the slighest sniff of dust makes me sneeze like there's no tomorrow!
And finally:
Eye patch lady, I am speaking directly to you right now: IF YOU HARM A HAIR ON MY BELOVED RIVER SONG'S HEAD THEN I WILL SMACK YOU INTO NEXT WEDNESDAY, BITCH.
Please don't use "bitch" on this site (even for someone who has the audacity to hurt my beloved River).
I wrote an enormous comment about this episode and why I loved it and then I accidentally hit refresh. 🙁
OK I loved this episode and everything that was fantastic and heartwarming about it has been said by other people and much better than I could buuuuut….
The series story-arc and mystery are feeling like they're too big to be answered satisfactorily. I'm reminded of Lost and not in the good 'character journey' but the 'endless plot mysteries' way. The episodes of this series have been amazing but with every episode comes more questions and they just keep piling up:
What is it tomorrow he has to die? What does 'tomorrow' mean to a time travellor? What there some off-screen event that happened to tell him it is 'tomorrow'? If so, then I hate it when important things happen off-screen. Is he hundreds of years older now as he implied in the Impossible Astronaut? If so, the I'm seriously pissed off about many decades of story and character development happening off-screen. Show me these events, don't tell or imply to me. Also why? It seems really pointless to age him up. He was already old. Was that line just to put the idea of him being old in our head? Who is Lady Kovarian? had she ever been called that in series? Why does she hate the Doctor? If the Killjoy aliens aren't called the Silence then what are they called? Who are the Silence made up of? What do they want to 'ask the question'? To kill the Doctor? Is the question Doctor Who? How did they blow up the Tardis? The Doctor seems to be willingly walking to his death so why are they getting River to do it? It could be anyone to do it then and they wouldn't have to wear and spacesuit and sit at the bottom of a lake in America. All she does is shoot him with a laser, anyone could do that so why her? Why is River in a spacesuit at the bottom of a lake in America? Since the Doctor seems to be willingly dying then why? Is it because for 'an ancient creature drenched in the blood of the innocent, drifting in space through an endless shifting maze. For such a creature, death would be a gift'? If so then that's very suicide-y and problematic and not done well at all for a kids show. If not willing then why is he going? Is it because some off-fucking-screen event is forcing him to? If he doesn't want to die then, I just… wtf is going on?
(btw I looked up the God Complex on the Doctor Who wiki for that quote and the picture for the page is a load of puppets. staring. right . at. you.)
I'm sure some of these question aren't that important or have been answered but I haven't copped on. I'm not actually that annoyed but because of all his I'm not optimistic that it's going to be wrapped up well so I'm not as excited as I would be for next week.
The thing with the Stetson and the envelopes felt like they were saying: 'Nah-ah, we're not gonna give you any answers, we're just gonna tense you with continuity nods.'
Aside from that I want more Craig and more babies in future episodes. The Cybermen were genuinely scary this thing and I thought Craig would die. Stormageddon is what I'm calling my eventual cat/dog.
Not that this really matters, but I think they're ventriloquist dummies rather than puppets. [/irrelevant]
I always thought that puppet was the generic term for hand operated doll-like things. My father used to do string puppets and ventriloquist dummies for me when I was a kid and we called both 'puppets'. I wonder if it's a dialect thing?
Also I've read over what I wrote and seen the many typos. How did I mix up 'tease' with 'tense'? I don't even use the same fingers for 'e' and 'n'.
It may well be. Dialects are weird.
THEORIES ABOUND!
I wrote this on my tumblr already but I'm copypasting it here because I NEED TO DISCUSS THIS WITH PEOPLE.
What I wonder is WHY. Why does River Song, the adult River Song, need to be the one to kill the Doctor? They tried brainwashing her to kill the Doctor. It worked, except she decided to save him afterwards. Now, the Doctor is not someone she wants to kill, but they need her to kill him anyway? Why?
Why her? The person in the space suit just shoots the Doctor a few times. He doesn’t even resist. You don’t need to be part Time Lord to do that. Maybe the suit even does it on its own, without River’s consent. It could be anyone in the suit! But for some reason, it has to be River? (Maybe River killing the Doctor is what causes the Question to be asked, bringing about the Fall of the Silence?)
I also want to say that we have seen a few things this season that could look like people: The Flesh, obviously, but also the Tenza, who can look like any species and presumably any person? And then there are those Justice people from Let’s Kill Hitler, who can inhabit a person-suit and make it look like anyone. This season has been all about reflections, duplicates, mirror-universes, etc. I’m not saying it’s not the Doctor who gets shot at the lake, I’m just saying that Moffat is definitely trolling all of us in some fashion. The question is how.
I have a feeling that the Doctor that gets shot isn't a duplicate of some sort of the Doctor, but I like the idea that some sort of Doctor duplicate will end up saving the original Doctor. I don't know if this is plausible or even possible, but I just like the idea.
Personally, I feel like the Doctor is going to end up making it APPEAR for all the world like he's dead, and then somehow reviving or something. That way all of the events that happen after the Doctor's death from the point of view of Rory, Amy and River can still happen, sort of like a "fake" time loop. Like Doc Brown pretending to get shot to death again at the ending of Back to the Future. There's a trope for it, even.
I HAVE ABSOLUTELY BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THIS AS WELL. (Why River?) I talked about it with my friend whose theory was that perhaps it has to be her because she's part Time Lord, but I find that eminently flimsy. A) It's a gun, and B) a significantly large tunnel collapse has been proven capable of killing the Doctor.
And I mean, I realize that the Doctor is protected by the narrative, but there are so many points at which Madame Kovarian or her mooks could have just shot the guy if they were capable.
People don't impel other people to make babies in time machines via subliminal messaging, steal the pregnant mother and replace her with a doppelganger and keep the mother under sedation for nine months, force her to deliver her own infant, then raise the child to go back in time, get into a spacesuit, climb out of a lake and shoot a guy, when those people are capable of shooting the guy.
(unless it's Moffatt)
It's possible that it has to be River BECAUSE she's the only one the Doctor would allow to shoot him. As in, he doesn't fight back for River, when he would fight back if it were anyone else. But I'm just guessing now.
Someone said earlier that the question might be "Doctor Who?" and while I thought that was a bit obvious at first it just might work. After all, River has to learn the Doctor's name somehow.
The trailer featured the Doctor asking "why me? Why do I have to die? Why is it MY silence that causes this to happen?" so I think we'll at least get an answer there.
I've heard a rumor there will be three Doctors in the next episode. I'm guessing young!Doctor (watching), old!Doctor (getting shot) and probably Ganger!Doctor.
And yes, Moffat is definitely trolling us all, somehow. I'm sure inside he's cackling madly.
You just made me think of something…
River Song's timing seems a little weird. Let's Kill Hitler is earlier in her personal timeline than The Wedding of River Song/The Impossible Astronaut (where she's in the suit), correct? Because she just regenerated? I think I'm following that right so far.
Well, if Let's Kill Hitler is first in her timeline, then she's already tried to kill the Doctor and had some sort of epiphany thingy that made her stop trying. Because TARDIS POWER, I guess? Anyway, isn't the implication that she was able to override her "programming"? What compels her to carry it out later? I get that the Silence (Silents?) have crazy mind powers, but it seems unlikely that they'd be able to compel someone to act so against their own wishes without ruining the person's mind. (I think I stole that idea from some other sci-fi, can't remember which.)
It makes more sense this way rather than the other way around (LKH later), but it still bugs me.
bloody hell. this was meant to be a reply to notemily up there. my bad.
That's what I mean! If she broke through her programming and saved the Doctor in LKH, then why are they forcing her into the suit to go and kill the Doctor now? What is it about her that they need HER to kill him?
To make it an extra punch in the gut? "Ha-ha, we still made your companions' child kill you even though she saved you that one time"?
My current working theory is that Kovarian is just a Terrible Person. I expect this will be elaborated on in the finale (I hope!)
I'm with drippingmercury, I think they just want to hurt the Doctor as badly as possible, and forcing River to kill him (again!) after he saved her and when he's despairing the most is a good way to do it. It's obvious Madam Kovarian has some major hate vendetta against the Doctor, so I do really think she wants to kill him in the most painful way possible.
Haha, that is pretty much exactly what you said, isn't it? I started off thinking that LKH was after TIA for River but then realized the regeneration thing makes that impossible, so I wound up rewriting it and sort of restated your point. Oops.
Please don't use the word "crazy" on this site.
Sorry, force of habit. I'm trying to think more about the effect of words now (thanks to this site and Mark Reads) but I still slip more often than I'd like. Thanks for catching it.
When the Doctor said that Stormy refered to Craig and himself as "Not Mum", did anyone else think of "Not the Momma!! *Frying Pan*" (<–Now must go find gif of this)
I am really liking Moffat's extended season story arcs rather than everything being wrapped up nice and tight in a single season like RTD. Most shows tie everything together in their season finale, maybe setting up the story for the next season in the last part of it, but Moff is giving us extended, multi-season arc that are spread throughout rather then a quick set-up (eg Silence falling). Yes, we are left with a bunch of questions but (so far) Moff has given us just enough to satisfy the main season's arc, while still leaving stories and questions open so that we can speculate about it all and look for more clues until the next season comes around. (Another point, if the plotline only fits a season you dont get very many new, in episode clues beforehand)
All in all, this is just me saying I am optimistic that Moffat is going to give us(aka me) just enough to be content with this finale.
When the Doctor said that Stormy refered to Craig and himself as "Not Mum", did anyone else think of "Not the Momma!! *Frying Pan*" (<–Now must go find gif of this)
I was watching it with my parents, and all three of us quoted this RIGHT AFTER that line. It's fun having a family full of total dorks.
And just for you:
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/not-the-mama-o.gif">
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/not-the-mama_o_GIFSoupcom.gif">
YAY!!
I'm glad I'm not the only person who remembers "Dinosaurs"!
I just hope the finale will make sense. Is that hoping for too much? (I'm new to Who).
Oh, and there was a physical inaccuracy in this episode: Male mammals, including humans (not sure about Time Lords :D) *do* have mammary glands and can produce milk. The glands are regressed and male milk production is rare, but it's possible.
SPOILERY LINKS TO FOLLOW
So I found a few "next episode promo pix" on tumblr.
Post One
Post Two
BX, fb jr'ir tbg Jvafgba Puhepuvyy, n qhqr jub ybbxf yvxr n yvgreny gebyy, naq… n cgrebqnpgly?! V'Z FB PBASHFRQ.
Myfanwy?
I loved this episode! I was *so* not expecting much – I'm getting really annoyed by how often certain villains are being recycled. I know they're part of the heritage but there's a big fat universe of bad guys out there, the Cybermen and Daleks can't be the only ones intent on taking over/enslaving/converting/etc-ing earth. But they were well-utilised here (i.e, not too much) so I forgive it. Because the rest was so well done.
I'm worried about next week though! Finales always bring the epic but even with the two-parters, I don't think there's been one since Nine's time that I didn't find unbearably rushed. Now it feels like we've got more plot than ever to wrap up, and in half the time :/
ZOMG MARK ELEVEN IS MY FAVORITE DOCTOR TOO
GIF PARTY FOR ELEVEN IN HERE
<img src="http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz180/mrsporkington/GIFS/35asufo.gif">
<img src="http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz180/mrsporkington/GIFS/ou5a89.gif">
<img src="http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz180/mrsporkington/GIFS/6og8x2.gif">
(ps sorry i
stoleborrowed these from comments on this blog)Borrowing implies the intention to eventually return the thing. How would these gifs ever give you up?
They're never gonna give me up. They're also not going to let me down or run around and-
Okay, no, I have to stop myself before I get out of control.
As far as I'm concerned, if Amy is a red-headed model, that makes her analogous to Mary Jane Watson. Mary Jane Watson is (*is*, Marvel! Your retcon will not change that for me!) married to Peter Parker.
Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Therefore, Rory Williams Pond is Spider-Man.
As if he weren't cool enough before, now he's a superhero!!!
Didn't Peter have a daughter at one point? Spider-Girl? Or was that destroyed by One More Day as well?
Either way, that clearly proves that River Song is a super-hero, too.
Yes. I thought that would be too geeky to mention, but since you brought it up…
Peter & MJ had a baby girl in Marvel 616 (Main Universe) canon. They were told she died, but it was revealed at the end of the comic that an evil nurse had kidnapped the baby and taken her on a ship somewhere…
That was completely ignored by mainstream Marvel, but in the "Spider-Girl" Alternate Universe, MJ & Peter find their daughter, raise her, and as a teen May "Mayday" Parker uses her powers to become Spider-Girl!
So, obviously this all fits. All that's left is for Rory and Amy to find their daughter as a baby and raise her to be a superhero themselves!
(And if you say: "But they'll have to re-write time to do it!" I'd say: "So? THIS IS RORY WILLIAMS POND AND AMY POND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! They've both re-written time before, and they can do it again!" All the hope!)
This belongs on the top of the Insane Troll Logic TVTropes page.
(Not meant as an insult.)
The woman who plays Val was in Doctor Who years ago, in a story called "Enlightenment." She played an Eternal who are just about my favourite DW aliens.
"I mean this sincerely: I think the Doctor would make a fantastic elementary or middle school teacher…"
Who says a future regeneration isn't one?
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eT4EjYVLdSc/ToGqMcUFn2I/AAAAAAAABMw/u_C6Qthyyfw/s800/01-frizzle.jpg">
I'm just sayin'.
THIS. FOREVER.
AND GINGER.
OH MY GOD!!!!!! YES EVERYTHING IS PERFECT
At the end of The God Complex, Amy says to the Doctor, tell our daughter to come visit sometime. So your timeline wouldn't make sense, because they already have a daughter then.
Aww, I must have missed that line.
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. Screw Moffat, haha.
I was hoping someone could clue me in on how to decode the gibberish writing that is used to hide theories/spoilers. I have been searching for an answer to this for the better part of an hour and I'm starting to lose my mind!
http://rot13.com/index.php
Haha I googled it up to read the spoilers too 😛
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Is it posted somewhere here on Mark Watches and I just didn't search hard enough?
I think it was, back in the early days when they had the Mark Spoils blog? But somehow I lost the link and forgot all about it. Apparently there's a Firefox extension for it as well, but it doesn't work with the latest version of Firefox 🙁
Okay, here we go RANDOM THEORIES ABOUND.
So several people are pointing out the 'why River?' angle on killing the Doctor, which is a very good question. Maybe Kovarian's just a TERRIBLE PERSON WHO SHOULD DIE IN A FIRE. Or possibly she's that, plus she has a reason.
We know the Silence are part of the Academy of the Question, who believe that when the question is asked, silence will fall. It is 'the oldest question' that has been 'hidden in plain sight'. The most obvious candidate for this is 'Doctor Who?' (my other random guess would be 'why?' simply because it's been asked an awful lot this season, but that doesn't fit my theory so I'm going with Doctor Who? for this post).
Right so, what if that is, in fact, the question? Because if it is, we know who has, or will have, the answer. It's the person currently stuck in Lake Silencio in a space suit. And the Doctor knows that at some point, River has to learn his name, so that when she goes to the Library she'll be able to use it to get past!him to trust her. And that means she has to learn it before he dies, and he seems very very sure he's going to die in this next episode.
I mentioned in Let's Kill Hitler that I think what he whispered to her was his name. I still do, but it's possible it was something else. And if what the Silence are looking for, for some reason, is the Doctor's name, that would certainly be a big reason as to why they've let River run around doing her own thing for quite some time.
And if she doesn't know his name yet, it stands to reason that he's going to have to tell her before she shoots him. He knows she has to know it.
I have no idea how the Doctor's name is important enough to lead to all of this weirdness, but I remember some quote from Moffat a while back about how he thought there was some terrible secret to why the Doctor never tells anyone his name.
Also, released picture spoilers:
V'z cerggl fher jr'er trggvat ng yrnfg gjb Qbpgbef va gur svanyr, naq V qba'g zrna whfg va Hgnu. Gur cvpgherf ba gur bssvpvny fvgr fubj ng yrnfg gjb qvfgvapg irefvbaf bs uvz, bar jvgu gur arj wnpxrg naq fubeg unve, naq bar jvgu uvf bevtvany wnpxrg naq fvtavsvpnagyl ybatre unve. Cbffvoyl gurer'f n guveq jvgu n orneq, ohg gung bar nyfb unf gur ybatre unve, naq cerggl zhpu ybbxf yvxr ur qvq va gur ortvaavat bs Qnl bs gur Zbba.
Nyfb, vf vg whfg zr, be qbrf ybatre unve!Qbpgbe ybbx engure fvavfgre? Be znlor vg'f whfg gung cebzb cvp jvgu gur rlrcngpu, orpnhfr gung rlrcngpu guvat znxrf RIRELBAR ybbx rivy. V'z whfg jbaqrevat nobhg gur 'raqyrff ovggre jne' yvar ntnva. Ner jr frrvat n Qbpgbe jubfr anzr ernyyl qbrf zrna 'zvtugl jneevbe' gb zber crbcyr guna whfg gur crbcyr bs gur Tnzzn Sberfg?
Well, someone on tumblr pointed out that in The Shakespeare Code, the bad guys have no power over the Doctor because they don't know his name. I haven't watched that episode in a long time so I don't remember what the exact situation was, but it is certainly possible that Kovarian and the Silence need to learn the Doctor's name so they can have power over him somehow. (Although if River's going to kill him, why would they need power over him after that? I'm so confused.)
The woman who played Val has actually been in Doctor Who before – she sang the backing track in "The Gunfighters", and played Eternal pirate Captain Wrack in "Enlightenment". Mark, if you haven't seen Enlightenment already, do it. It's beautiful.
I love Eleven. A lot. A LOT. Like…I think I love him more than Nine or Ten, even if Nine is my first Doctor and Ten was in some of my favorite episodes. There’s something about the deeply flawed, guilt-ridden, and socially awkward Eleven that speaks to my soul. I THINK THAT ELEVEN MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE DOCTOR.
There, there, Mark. You're not alone. *pats*
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