Sometimes I toy with the idea of watching all parts of a serial at once. Then I remember character limits and massive walls of text.
Green lasers! Panic! Ten: "Did they see your face?!" People are following the TARDIS through stolen technology! A time agent's vortex manipulator! They stole it from Captain Jack
SparrowHarkness (still got
Pirates on my mind)! Ten: "I'll have to do it." Do what? He looks reluctant, panicky and fairly reluctant.
"Martha, you have to trust me, do you?" I certainly don't. She MtRM for a reason. "It all depends on you [Martha]." He then goes on to tell her to protect a watch; it's a dull silver fob watch. It is quite literally his life.
And now Ten's woken up in a bed wearing those blue and white stripey pyjamas you only ever see in films.
I am extremely confused!
Is anyone else extremely confused?
Because Ten certainly is. What? A studio? MtRM's a maid now? She brings incidental music and tea with her! In proper maid outfits. And grandfather clocks, astrolabes and tranquil, vaguely period music. Also, check out how Ten says "adventurer" (01.20ish), it makes me smile, he sounds so . . . I don't know the word; but it's kind of quirkily whimsical in a way I can't quite describe. And all the astronomical stuff is made of brass!
And Ten is now a schoolteacher.
The whole room! How twee. In a delightfully Twinings way.
I'm also noting a distinct similarity to one of my favourite
Nu Who episodes so far: School Reunion. The Doctor is posing as a teacher, with his female companion performing a menial job in the school (or board school as the case is today). We've had a cook and a maid. Next up: governess?
Hee~ 01.34. And the word Assistant is officially replaced with Companion.
I'm still confused.
And - oh right. It's Monday, the 10
th November, 1913. Didn't the 'Daleks' series take place Monday, 30
th November 1930? What is it with this show and Novembers? And why is MtRM (although I suppose I should remove the R, as she can't exactly be rude and keep her job as a maid) always the one with the newspaper dating skills. At least it explains the Edwardian interior decorating.
The Doctor is apparently "completely human".
Enter the theme song and I can tell this is one of those puzzle piece plots where we find out what happens only barely before the characters do.
(The writer for this episode (and the next part) is
Paul Cornell. He's something of a big wig in
Who terms, having also written the episode 'Father's Day' for Nine's reign, creating the Coompanion Bernice Summerfield and writing many, many books for the
WHo EU, contributing to webisodes and the
Big FInish audio dramas. He's also written a lot of tellybox and comic books (again, some for the
Whoniverse), having won or been nominated for several awards. This includes the Hugo award for both this two-parter and a comic paperack called
Vampire State. As this two-parter is apparently adapted from a book he wrote for the EU, I'm expecting very high quality writing in this episode.)
Unpausing, let's continue with the episode itself, rather than exposition and expectations.
It's a proper board school, marching, raising the flag,
mortarboards and subfusc! I actually have those myself. Well, not the gown itself, that's the one worn by someone who has Honours in their Bachelor's, or by someone with an MA/MSc. What I have is
this, which is for undergrads in their first degree (and for those who did not achieve overall Honours in their Mods/Prelims). Of course, you didn't really need to know this either, but it can't hurt to have some backstory as to the gown.
And given it's 1913, chances are very high Ten and his fellow teachers all went to Oxbridge, meaning I can tell you exactly what their degree is by the type of gown they have. Given the Headmaster has the standard Masters/Bachelor's with Honours robe, I doubt we'll see any others though.
Huh. Ten's a history teacher. Appropriate. The Napoleonic Wars, complete with a cane. Happy days! What's the bet that Ten was there. And MtMM (Moronic Maid) is scrubbing floors. She is Miss Maid are busy chilling as they do so when two Oiks walk past. Oik One - given he's one of the older boys I'll bet he's Head Boy, Prefect or similar. Anyway, Oik One says "Tell me Jones, with hands like that how can you tell something's clean?"
Aaaaahhh, good old nationalistic racism. I'll be honest though, I love how this series isn't shying away from unPC behaviour in the appropriate time periods.
Miss Maid points out that "in a few years time, boys like that will be running the country." Cue introspection on behalf of MtMM! Because it's 1913 and well . . . yeah.
Now, I have a conundrum gentlefolk. I have to instant hand several - that's a lie - I have to hand seven classic episodes of British comedy with which I can pepper this recap, and the next, granted one's not as appropriate as the others. You all know which ones too. The only problem is, how long can I hold out for? 04.49 so far my peeps.
It's Mr. Smith. Ten's name. Ten is being adorably clutzy, and enjoying his conversation with the nurse. They split his load of books. Aaaaawwww, Smith!Ten is so adorkable. Oooh! And they're already on first name basis after a mere two months (two months?!)! And Joan's inquiring into the existance of a Mrs. Smith. Is it too early to ship Ten!Smith/Redfern? Because for the time period, and their relative social staus Joan is
really coming on to Smith!Ten (I'm just going back to Ten now) very strongly. And then she says "Do you think you'll go? [Tennant is flustered] It's been ages since I've been to a dance, only noone's asked me." Tennant stammers adorably.
This is adorable. Ten you're so adorkably adorable!
And then falls down the stairs from flusterment.
MtMM then bursts into the Ten's room and inquires as to Ten's health. Joan understanbly gets snitty and reprimands MtRMM, and then Joan and Ten begin to flirt. It is precious.
Huh? Ten only has one heart. Even though he's a Time Lord. That must be some technotreknobabble. Anyway, Ten's showing Joan his dream journal. It's illustrated, you know what this means: identifying the pictures time! From the beginning: the TARDIS interior; K9; the sonic screwdriver; Doctor Gasmask Child; a Dalek; that guy who spits in Rose's face (awesome) back in 'The End of the World'; a dude, but it's annotated 'plastic men', so autons; as Joan turns the page there's another picture opposite the auton one, but I can't make it out; the clock and clockwork robots from 'The Girl in the Fireplace';
ROSE (MtRMM's face is puzzled and enquiring in a cutaway, implying her surprise that Rose is mentioned); Cybermen; something that seems to be the TARDIS exterior (confirmed by the annotations above and to the left - "It's my hope I know it well, but it is huge, bigger on the inside than the outside." Aaaw, that's sweet, He calls it "my magic box. Nothing can harm me here. Unless I let them inside it. // And there is something to do with the [missing] the police, although when I am inside it I do not think as my self as representing the authorities [I?] feel almost as a fugitive. // It looks like a [obscured] into a [obscured] window [obscured] inside."
I'm getting so many kicks out of transcribing this; I wonder how many people've gone to the effort of actually looking at the text? Lovely easter egg about the Doctor having 'borrowed' the TARDIS from the Time Lords there. Really should go back and do this properly for all the others, but I'm a little busy as of now.
Ten looks so eager and happy describing his dreams to Joan, whom he so clearly has a crush on; he's acting like a little boy who's showing off his new toys. Which he totally is.
Next pictures are of . . . previous incarnations of the Doctor! Left to right, top to bottom, I think we have Three, Eight, [no idea], Four, Five (very distinctive haircuts those two have), and presumably the others are on the other page. Ten: "How magical life would be if stories like this were true." And the stories are true, ergo life is magic. End of. *nods decisively*
MtRMM is pensive. Last pic is of the pocket watch, on the opposite page the word 'who?' is encircled. Next to the watch we have "pocket watch is significant" repeated several times. Guys. Guys. Given this page, and the teaser, and the looks MtRMM gave it, I think this pocket watch is significant somehow.
Just a crazy idea.
CrAzY . . .
MtRMM runs after Joan saying the stories are "silly". Joan gathers something is up as she asks "Who is he?" and says it's like he's always off in the clouds, as if he's forgotten something important. MtRMM's story is that she "worked for the family. He sort of inherited me." Aaaawwwwkward. And then MtRMM's feelings for Ten are mentioned. Beh. Displeasure is rife.
Gentlefolk, I'm only ten minutes in! Anyway, we cut to a dormitory, and it's time to translate some Latin! Hehe, Catullus. At an all-boys school? Well, well, well. (For those of you not in the know, Catullus was a poet who is fairly infamous for one particular poem of his. I'm not going to link to it, but it just so happens to be Catullus 16.) Anyway, this boy is being bullied. Sadness.
Oh no, bullied boy is younger (sounds it anyway) than the other. Please don't make me have to explain the board-school tradition (especially in boy's schools) wherein the older boys are granted the privilege of having a younger boy be their servant. The term for this system is censored. And, given the fact Catullus was literally just thrown at the boy,
so many jokes about toasting crumpets have just popped into mind.
Okay. Younger Boy knows Older Boy's father might be posted to Africa. Older Boy responds "Have you been reading my post?" as a high pitched chord ricochets up the tension. Younger Boy is an alien. (he also looks very familiar) And so Older Boy gets all up in Younger's face about spying and reading his post as Older'd only just read the word himself. Younger is a psssyyyychic.
Younger is "just good at guessing, that's all. Sometimes I say things, they just turn out to be correct." Followed by more typical stereotypical board-school antics including addressing each other by last name, sneaking out for Teh Booze and degrading the younger boys.
Cut to the pub, and Miss Maid is deriding the suffragette movement. Huh. No wonder. See, I did GCSE History, which involved doing a section on suffragettes and pre-1914 politics in general. And in June 1913 a Miss Emily Somethingsomething got herself trampled to death by the King's horse at a derby pulling off a suffragette stunt. Big scandal. Big. Scandal. And in February of the same year, some other's tried to blow up David Lloyd George's house, even though he wanted women to have the vote. And because I can:
Sister Suffragette's! (even though that's set in 1910)
And
obviously, it's such a London thing these suffragettes. And Miss Maid is called Jenny.
Ah! Alien ship 12.04!
Cue a green light scanning some lady in a lane. I'm getting stereotype alien abduction vibes here sweethearts. Oh! It was Joan. She is wigged. Ten then shows up. Then a "meteorite" shows up. Bet you a penny it's not. And then Ten walks Joan home. D'aaawww. MtRMM runs off to go investigate Cooper's Field (where the meteorite landed), Jenny follows.
Baines is also there. And Lord above, doesn't his expression look
thick at 14.09! (And slightly like Kurt Hummel from
Glee). The alien ship is cheesy. Baines walks off after it, and says "hello!" in the
most plummy accent imaginable. Also the ship is invisible now, probably to save money. Except when you touch it.
Shame Baines is going to get lasered to death. Especially now he's opened a door. And okay. That blows it.
Baines' reaction to the door makes me think so much of the George's from Blackadder it's uncanny. A more relevant clip. I managed fifteen minutes.
Yeah. George is dead now, he just walked into the ship. Moments before MtRMM and Jenny entered the field. So they leave.
George - Jeremy Baines - George is being interrogated by The Family (very raspy, whispery voices they have). And then he's deaded. But not, because he's still alive. Pale faced and why isn't he blinking!
HE'S NOT BLINKING AND ACTING ALL MONOTONE AND ANGULAR AND SNIFFING LOUDLY!! I do not
like George! He keeps sniffing Younger Boy. And if you think what I wrote just sounds creepy, it's much worse when you see it.
Cut to a deceptively cheery cycling scene with perky music, and MtRMM's sneaking into a woodshed to go to the TARDIS.
Cue flashbacks! I'm guessing the Family is who's fallowing the Doctor and MtRMM. "Those creatures are hunters, they can sniff out anyone. [...] Me being a Time Lord they can track me across time and space [...] I have to become human." Then a chameleon arch descends from the ceiling. It's like a chameleon circuit, rewrites every cell in a person's body, providing appropriate backstory and a safe setting. MtRMM however, is screwed,
she has to improvise.
This is going to hurt. Cue screaming. Lots and lots and lots of very good screaming. And then she (in the present) rewatches an instructions video. Ten is very Ten here. "One [...] two [...] four, no wait, three [...] four". MtRMM talks to the video screen, sillily, and the final thing Doctor!Ten says is that the watch must only be opened as a last resort as it literally contains
him. There's a perception filter on it, making people think it's just a watch; do NOT open the watch or the Family will find them.
Younger Boy then shows up at Ten's room - ah, his name's Timothy. There's some ironic discussion, and Timothy hears words from inside the watch. And opens it. And pinches it. Baines the Unblinking smells it.
This is bugging me. I've seen Timothy somewhere. Pausing.
He was in Feather Boy and Stig of the Dump! And
Nanny McPhee. And, ironically, a young Hitler. *slaps self*
Shouldn't have mentioned that.
So Timothy's investigating and opening the watch. Ten says "You are not alone" and we have various clips from
Nu WHo; rapid cut to Baines who
I swear to God gasps orgasmically. Baines closes his eyes (for once!) and we find out he's scout type thing, then he openes his eyes unsettlingly wide and whispers "Activate the soldiers."
Cut to a fat jolly seeming gentleman going for a walk. A scarecrow waves out him. He is disturbed. I am disturbed. Nobody likes scarecrows. Unless, of course, said scarecrow's name is Wurzel Gummidge (and now everyone who isn't British is very confused) or The Scarecrow. The scarecrow is scary. But Jolly Guy assumes someone's in a costume. This is not so. More scarecrows appear! Many of them.
Then a girl-with-a-balloon is abducted while walking home! By a scarecrow. However, everyone over the age of about twenty or so is horrified by the fact that this can potentially happen in real life,
Cut to machine gun practice. Let me tell you now, I never had machine gun practice at school. Oh, and yes, this is Historical Foreshadowing. Joan comes out to watch. The Headmaster is a war veteran. To be precise, the people they're shooting are "tribesmen. From the Dark Continent." Gaaaah, must. resist. Timothy's semi-objecting because they "only have spears". Are you sure? Because the Headmaster may have served at
Mboto Gorge where they were armed to the teeth with kiwi fruit and guava halves!
And then the entire audience winces when the Headmaster mentions he hopes Timothy gets to fight in a "just and proper war". I mean, massively wincing. And then Timothy has a flashforward to WWI. He freaks out. I add another to my tally. Because of this Older Boy gets permission from Ten to give the "little oik" a damn good thrashing.
Baines gets all pervy and sniffs the Doctor. And smiles in a disturbing fashion.
FYI: Joan is a widow. His name was Oliver. Ten and Joan go walkabout, and Joan talks about how watching young boys learn how to kill upsets her. And another war reference. "They won't find it so amusing". Yes. Yes, you're absolutely right.
OH NO! The Doctor wrote about 1914 and a "shadow" falling across the entire world. Ten gives a good point: "A great man doesn't need war or bloodshed to prove himself, every day life can provide honour and valour" He trails off as his mind puts together an Bad Thing About to Happen. A baby's going to get squished by a piano. The Doctor saves the day with a cricket ball. I think fondly of Five. Noone aside from Joan notices what Ten did.
And then Ten asks Joan out to the dance! Yay! *ships them*
There's a whistle pitch when the pair walk past a scarecrow. It's ominous because we know what's happened to them. And the Doctor subconsciously let's slip he learnt to draw on Gallifrey. Which is in Ireland apparently. Who knew. Hee! So many in-jokes. The Doctor's parents are called Sidney and Verity.
The scarecrow is still freaky. But accompanied by very obvious scare chords.
The romance (oh, a Slitheen!) continues to blossom. The violin music is sweet. And they kiss! I am happy. Aaaawww, Ten just said, "I've never . . ." and then MtRMM enters. And runs off in a tizz. Hate her. Stupid romantic Companions. She storms off to the TARDIS. She's afraid of being abandoned. Apparently, it
never occurred to Ten he would fall in love, shows he's never really considered it, whether because of Rose or because he just doesn't get romance. "And it wasn't me." You know, I think Martha's creeping up on Rose in my Hate list. At least Rose wasn't a lying liar who lies.
Timothy's still hearing voices. Baines is still freaky in every way possible, and then he meets up with Jolly Man and Balloon Girl; they do a synchronised head tilt and inhale.
I freak out.
I hate children at the best of times, and now there's a freaky balloon carrying girl possessed by something that ramps up the Freaky Factor ten notches. At least she's not Baines. However, the constant scare chords are annoying now. Probably would be worse without them.
Jenny gets accosted by a scarecrow. They're like zombies. She's going to get possessed by the Family too. Uuuurgh, Baines has a psychotic smirk that would put the Joker to shame. Apparently the Family doesn't have names
per se. So we have Mother/Wife of Mine (Jenny), Father/Husband of Mine (Jolly Guy), Sister of Mine/Daughter of Mine (terrifying girl) and Son/Brother of Mine (psychotic, unblinking Baines). The Family are made of smoke.
Joan looks very pretty. Ten's wearing a bow tie. Cue the meme. Also, he doesn't know if he can dance.
Jenny now sniffs and things. And Ten is leaving in a few weeks. So it's like a magic spell. Jenny is way too demanding, and MtRMM gets a clue. She legs it. Jenny now has a laser gun.
MtRMM runs to Ten, telling him to open the watch because the aliens have found them, but the watch is gone. It's all down to "cultural differences" (because she's black and doesn't understand stories). Joan points out he did have a watch. Timothy's all freaking out.
The Family's after Ten. Because of MtRMM. 38.28 is horrifying in that close up, those
eyes and expression. Joan mentions Martha's infatuation. Timothy spies on Ten at the dance. I love the waltz music, beautiful oboe. Meanwhile, the Family is ransacking Ten's room, until Father/Daughter finds them at the dance, and all the while scarecrows gare out of the shadows.
A woman to woman chat happens where MtRMM tries to convince Joan that ten's hiding things. She apologises for what she's about to do. Showing him his sonic screwdriver. And telling him his name. Well, as far as we know.
The Family arrives with the scarecrows. People are lasered.
Baines is psychotically smirking and palely, condescendingly, hammily evil. Especially when he starts yelling. MtRMM is held hostage, as is Joan, Ten is terrified.
We cut to a cliffhanger as Baines smirks and gloats psychotically offering a sadistic choice!
My fingers now hurt from all this typing.
Preview thoughts: Ten gets married and has children! Scarecrows are shot! Epithets of scariness for the Doctor. Dudes. Ten has babies. Whut? I don't get it. What happened to, you know, the Family of Blood?
Best Moment:
Any time Family!Baines is onscreen. And the sweetly adorable romance between Ten and Joan.
Worst Moment:
Martha mourns that Doctor fell in love with a human who wasn't her.
Best Special Effect:
Scarecrows. But there wasn't all that much on the special effects this time around.
Worst Special Effect:
The ship because it doesn't exist.
Best Actor:
Baines!
Worst Actor:
They're all really good. But . . . Daughter because she only has two lines.
Number of Times Rose Is Mentioned:
One.
Number of Time MtM Obviously Hits on the Doctor Or Their 'Romance' Is Mentioned:
Five.
Number Of Times the Upcoming War Is Referenced Deliberately, Ironically Or Otherwise Invoked:
Nine.
Number Of Times I Failed At Not Inserting the Clips:
Three.
Thoughts overall?
MOAR. NOW.
Seriously, this is fantastic. Period details are accurate and charming (except when they're not) and the war references will keep us wincing throughout.
This is just an excellent story, and I can't really find any true faults with it. The in-jokes (historical or show orientated) are charming, the plot is tightly written and dribbled out so that we the audience know scarcely more than the Doctor himself, many plot threads are introduced, but so tightly controlled I doubt any will be left unresolved. Characterisation is wonderful, especially for Tennant having to play Smith who occasionally remembers aspects of Ten, points also to Timothy and Baines for their performances. Shame about Martha, but it's Martha.
We only have the vaguest idea of why the Family is hunting the Doctor, and I like the tense mystery behind it.
I think the largest fault is the music. The scare chords are too repetitive and obvious. That and the Martha romance, but that's a mandate from on high, and is thus a fault of the season so far; and is probably a personal thing rather than something that can objectively be protested.
Best episode of the season so far. In fact, it's one of the best of
Nu WHo so far because of the research, in-jokes, care to detail, acting and plot. For me personally, only 'Dalek', 'Empty Child/Doctor Dances', the season one finale, 'School Reunion' and 'The Girl in the Fireplace' are better than or equal to this episode. So far.
Re: Doctor Who (again) [SPOILERS]
Originally Posted by V'icternus
Bathatar!
Reply With Quote