{"id":5598,"date":"2016-05-27T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5598"},"modified":"2016-05-16T23:24:13","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17T06:24:13","slug":"mark-watches-doctor-who-s09e02-the-witchs-familiar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/05\/mark-watches-doctor-who-s09e02-the-witchs-familiar\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S09E02 – The Witch’s Familiar"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second episode of the ninth series of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, THIS WAS GREAT. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of genocide<\/b>.<\/p>\n

So much to talk about! But let me just say that this was both a lot of fun\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0emotionally intense. Bravo on the balance,\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Missy<\/b><\/p>\n

Look, I think it would be a crime to have Michelle Gomez\u00c2\u00a0not<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0use her brilliant sense of comic timing, so I appreciated that amidst a fairly terrible atmosphere, she spends the bulk of this episode enjoying the chance to be chaotic. More than ever before, she feels like the Trickster, a character who exists solely to keep everyone else on their toes. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfect at it, too, and I daresay say that keeping her alive after series 8 was a damn fine choice. I do want to see her get her own storyline, though, especially if she can interact with the Doctor in a way that will shed light on their past. DID SHE MAKE REFERENCE TO A DAUGHTER IN THIS EPISODE? Like I said in the video, I am not all that knowledgable about\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0canon as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to be, so THIS CAME AS A SURPRISE. Tell me more!<\/p>\n

Hubris and Debris<\/b><\/p>\n

Okay, I am both utterly disturbed and immensely impressed with the introduction of the Skaro sewers. What a gross way to show us how flawed the construction of the Dalek society is. Because the Daleks are genetically designed and bred for one purpose, it makes sense that over time, Dalek bodies had to do\u00c2\u00a0something<\/i>. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever die if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re killed, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re also not constructed to be invincible. Thus, Skaro is built over a living graveyard; Dalek bodies break down until they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re nothing more than a web of goo that lives underground\u00c2\u00a0forever<\/i>. FOREVER. Of course Davros doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about it, and neither do any of the Daleks. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just evidence of their hubris.<\/p>\n

Clara<\/b><\/p>\n

I know that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve not been the biggest fan of the Daleks in recent series. I feel like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a challenge to write them in interesting stories because there is just SO MUCH CANON. How do you write new stories with antagonists that have thousands of hours worth of material behind them? So, here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s me appreciating the fact that Moffat found out how to write about Daleks by putting a person inside of a Dalek shell. Which might not be a new thing in\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>canon, of course! I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T KNOW EVERYTHING, THERE IS SO MUCH I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122VE MISSED. But seeing how the Dalek technology filtered out emotion and individuality was super fascinating, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.<\/p>\n

It does mean, however, that Clara gets no real growth herself. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a problem with her characterization in general over the course of her tenure on the show. A lot of times, I feel like stories happen\u00c2\u00a0to<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0her, rather than her being involved\u00c2\u00a0in<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0them. I know there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a thin line between the two of them, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need a character to constantly evolve with every appearance. However, does this episode change if you remove Clara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story? Only sort of; until the Doctor interacts with her in the Dalek shell, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say it would unfold exactly the same. She does influence the Doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision to offer mercy to Davros. But what else? I definitely want a more personal story for Clara this season.<\/p>\n

Mercy<\/b><\/p>\n

The strongest element of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Witch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Familiar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is the theme. At the end of the last episode, the Doctor ponders whether or not Davros is right about compassion. Long ago, the Doctor did not offer Davros compassion when he came across him as a boy. Now, in the present, Davros is on his last breath. Look, I BELIEVED IT. I bought it without question. Julian Bleach\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s performance as Davros was so convincing that I never doubted that I was watching the final moments of Davros. On top of that, Capaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s moving performance as the Doctor led me to believe that I was watching something special. Despite that the Doctor had fought Davros for centuries, despite that his arch-nemesis had killed billions of Time Lords, and despite that there was no reason for it, the Doctor gave Davros compassion in his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153final\u00e2\u20ac\u009d moments. He helped him to see the sun rise on Skaro on last time.<\/p>\n

Of course, it was all a ruse so that Davros could steal the Doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s regeneration powers for the Daleks, but that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t negate how meaningful those scenes were. I say that because the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Witch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Familiar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shows us that the Doctor knows that compassion is his weakness, and he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care. If this had not been a trap, I think the Doctor would have behaved the same way. He would have given Davros kindness before he died. Why? Because it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter what side he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on, as long as there is mercy.<\/p>\n

BUT LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ALSO TALK ABOUT HYBRIDS. Because I really hope there is\u00c2\u00a0some<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0future story to address them. What a fascinating concept! Did the Doctor create the Hybrids? Some other Time Lord? What do Dalek\/Time Lord Hybrids even\u00c2\u00a0look\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>like? PLEASE TELL ME MORE, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122D LOVE IT.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Witch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Familiar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be Death Note<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/em>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"