In the eleventh episode of the eighth series of Doctor Who, I can’t. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
Trigger Warning: For PTSD/trauma, death, grief, body horror.
Oh my god, this episode is so fucked up.
Danny Pink
I don’t know what Danny’s endgame is, and I don’t know if this is it for him. The Doctor has rewritten time often; Moffat’s written characters back to life plenty of times, too. But I’m still going to be raw about his death because it came out of nowhere. The unfairness of it all is the point, though, and I think that’s what ultimately might make this easier to deal with. Danny is ripped out of this world in an instant, and there’s a gaping hole where he used to be. Now, I’ll touch on the ramifications of Danny’s death in the next section, since I wanted to stick solely to his plot within “Dark Water.†Danny has a much different journey than Clara does, and that’s all because of the Master.
I have a better idea of what’s actually happening within the Nethersphere after this episode, and I think that much of what Seb tells Danny once he’s died makes way more sense now that I know what the Nethersphere is for. If you accept that the ultimate goal of that place is to “improve†the human mind by removing emotions, then you can easily see how Seb – and all the people who have the same job as him – exists solely to convince people to willingly delete their emotions. When Danny arrives, he’s thrust into a confusing world, and I bet that’s by design. He’s bewildered and confused, and then a form is thrust in front of him. Seb provided Danny with few answers, and when he finally started telling the truth? It was done in a very specific manner. He’s shown the Nethersphere and his new life; he’s introduced to his ties to his physical body and the horrors of cremation (MUST YOU RUIN EVERYTHING); and then Seb asks if he’s ever killed someone.
It’s such an abrupt question, and it’s spoken so casually by Seb. But that’s what is so nefarious about what happens here: Seb quietly and methodically manipulates Danny to the point where he seriously considers deleting his emotions. That is not to suggest that Danny should not feel guilt over what he’s done, and I think that “Dark Water†allows that guilt to exist without coddling Danny through it. It’s brutal to watch, of course. Is the young child he killed real? I suppose it doesn’t matter since the affect is still the same. It something that Danny did – explaining the “bad day†he referenced before – and that’s on his conscience, no one else’s.
I think that’s part of the reason that Danny tricks Clara into breaking off contact with him at the end of the episode. He simply doesn’t want her to suffer as he’s done. There’s a part of me that thinks he might want to suffer alone in order to atone for his past. But I can’t imagine a more Danny-esque thing for the man to say to Clara than to refuse to identify if he’s real, all so he can save her from the fate of the Nethersphere. Ugh, I really want Danny to be fine because I ADORE THIS CHARACTER SO MUCH.
Betrayal
My gods, the opening scenes of this episode are among the most disturbing and upsetting things I’ve ever seen on Doctor Who. Danny’s death was bad enough, but Clara’s numb and methodical attempt to trick the Doctor into fixing Danny’s death was heartbreaking, y’all. The thing is, I don’t feel like that whole sequence at the volcano is out of character for either the Doctor or Clara. They’ve struggled this entire series to trust one another, first of all. I think that certainly contributes heavily to the confrontation we see here. But I also think you can see Clara demanding the Doctor respect her – all of her anger and rage and sadness included – without relying on his usual dismissiveness or humor. Notice that she flaunts the TARDIS keys specifically to get his attention, and notice that he immediately gives it to her.
I think she got what she wanted.
Unfortunately, caught up in the grief of Danny’s death, she betrays the Doctor. The Doctor’s reaction to this act is… hmmm. I have struggled how to describe this without denying what we’ve seen before this. But when he tells Clara that her betrayal does not discourage him from being her friend, I broke a little inside. Right there, in that moment, Twelve felt like the Doctor. There was a kindness to him – even if it was laced with the brutal truth of Danny’s death – that reminded me why people traveled with the Doctor. Twelve has a much different way of expressing that, and it’s taken me a while to understand that. But Twelve… he feels like the Doctor, and I can’t deny it anymore.
Missy
OH MY GOD
THERE ARE JUST
SO MANY GREAT THINGS HERE
THE MASTER IS BACK. THE MASTER IS A WOMAN. THE MASTER IS USING THE NETHERSPHERE TO UPGRADE HUMANS FOR A CYBERMAN ARMY
THE
MASTER
I CAN’T
I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE THIS.
IT’S SO INCREDIBLE.
WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.
THE MASTER IS A WOMAN.
(Please don’t mess this up, Moffat.)
The video for “Dark Water†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S. this summer and fall Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of The Legend of Korra, series 8 of Doctor Who, and Kings. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
