Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S09E05 – The Girl Who Died

In the fifth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who, THIS SHOW HAS GOTTEN SO GOOD AND I AM VERY PLEASED. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who. 

I honestly don’t even know how there is a second episode in this arc. I’m ecstatic that this is now the third two-parter in a row; the show appears have to returned to the days of doing serials!!! NO ONE SPOILED THIS FOR ME, IT IS SO WONDERFUL. And Maisie Williams AND AN EXPLANATION FOR PETER CAPALDI SHOWING UP ON THE SHOW BEFORE AND HELP ME.

Vikings!

I believe that this is the first historical setting since “Robot of Sherwood,” and it’s such a cool idea to do VIKINGS. Not just Vikings, but Vikings invaded by ALIENS who appear as A BEAUTIFUL REFERENCE TO MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. There is no way that Odin in the sky isn’t a reference to that. I reject any other interpretation. But I think the setting works perfectly with the theme since “The Girl Who Died” so directly addresses the challenges of being a time-traveling hero. By sticking the action in a time without any technology at all, it highlights the difference between the Doctor and the communities he interacts with. That difference is something he always has to be cognizant of.

Well, maybe not always.

The Impossible

“The Girl Who Died” also taps into one of the most pervasive storytelling tropes in history: the story of David and Goliath. When the Mire abduct all the warriors from Ashildur’s village in order to steal their testosterone and adrenaline, the Doctor gives up. Understandably so! He advises the villagers to go hide, far away, and let the Mire view this battle as a victory. Even if Ashildur challenged them to a fight, there was no chance of them winning. We all knew this! The Doctor knew this, and he reasoned that his intervention could skew history in some terrible way if he did anything.

Which we all know is kind bullshit, isn’t it? In fact, I’d argue that the point of this episode is to make it clear that the Doctor has continually chosen to break the rules over his life in order to save others. So why stick to the rules this time?

Fuck the rules! Because babies. Look, I know it might be a bit cheesy, but I really adored the use of the Doctor’s understanding of baby talk in this episode. Babies are really poetic, aren’t they? But the scenes worked for me because it pushed the Doctor to realize that there was no honor in leaving people in a helpless situation. If he helped them out and then they helped themselves, wouldn’t that be the best outcome? Can’t he give them a chance to succeed rather than just let them succumb to their fate?

SO HE TRAINS THEM. THERE IS A HILARIOUS MONTAGE AND IT ENDS WITH A BARN CATCHING FIRE BECAUSE THIS EPISODE IS ABSOLUTELY 100% OKAY WITH PLAYING ALL OF THIS FOR HUMOR. It’s perfect. And it’s also a clever red herring: I believed so fully in this episode being a victorious, adorable story that when it turned dark, it felt like a slap in the face.

Oh god, let’s talk about that.

The Girl Who Died

Ashildur doesn’t get that much development in the episode until she dies, but that’s not a critcism. She’s bubbly, brave, and eager to prove herself, but I’m guessing that the show is going to REALLY dig in to her characterization in the next episode. For now, though, this episode drops one hell of a twist on us.

Why does the Doctor have to let Ashildur die?

He doesn’t travel through time for her. He doesn’t fuck with the timeline at all. He figures out a way to use the Mire technology to revive her and… well. Technically, he’s made her immortal. MAYBE. And while the ramifications of this aren’t dealt with aside from the stunning closing sequence, the show does give us a fantastic motivation for the Doctor. I honestly didn’t need the show to further explain Peter Capaldi’s presence, at least not anymore. He’s the Doctor, plain and simple. But that flashback to “The Fires of Pompeii” is so goddamn immense! The Doctor realizes he chose that specific face to remind himself that people are worth saving.

Given what we’ve seen of Twelve’s growth over series 8 and 9, I feel like this is a fitting development. Twelve is so much colder and closed off than his last iteration, and he knew he would be. His face was a reminder of that, something he would see every day so he’d never forget it.

Yet I don’t imagine that this is going to be a happy story. Even with a second Mire chip, Ashildur may not find immortality to her liking. Who would? What if the Doctor has done something immeasurably horrible to her??? Y’all, I’m writing this with a cold. It’s not the worst I’ve had, and I don’t feel hopeless. But I should really go to sleep and rest and I CANNOT. I NEED THE NEXT EPISODE NOW, AND I AM GONNA GO WATCH IT, SLEEP BE DAMNED.

The video for “The Girl Who Lived” 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.
– I will be at numerous conventions in 2016! 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 Death Note and Neon Genesis Evangelion. 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!