Doctor Who thread II: "I should have a hat like that." [SPOILERS]

[Giggling Ghast]

Did anyone catch the name of Tibbis' species, the "most conquered race in the galaxy," from The God Complex?

[Androgeus]

Did anyone catch the name of Tibbis' species, the "most conquered race in the galaxy," from The God Complex?

I don't think they're name was mentioned (actually Tardis wiki says it wasn't) but they're from Tivoli if that helps any.

[Calemyr]

The problem with Moffat's style is that it's impossible to tell what's a production error and what's a vital clue. The two are nearly indistinguishable.

1) Ms. "I am NOT Amelia Pond, I'm a voice interface" supposedly gives the Doctor the words to keep going, by saying "Fish fingers and custard". However, there is none of the electronic distortion in those words that are found in the rest of the conversation.

2) Rory's use of past tense when talking to the Doctor, then being left behind in the same episode. This reeks of another "Angels Moment" (what my brother and I call the odd conversation during the Time of Angels).

3) The Rubix Cube. This thing really bothers me, for some reason. It's been something of a running joke that the Doctor loves the Rubix Cube and can never resist playing with one, but always gets bored with it and throws it away. Well, naturally he finds another cube in the Complex, but in the scene where the Doctor finally figures out the whole Freak-to-Faith mechanic, the cube is sitting in front of him, solved. He never solves them, why did he do it here?

[Eruantion]

Okay, so I've just gotten into Dr. Who, which has been way too long coming. You may see me more around here, possibly.

Anyway, watch "Forest of the Dead" and use the Inception button for the important exposition bits. It's pretty sweet.

[Aotrs Commander]

My thoughts on today's episode can be summed up in the following:

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Ooer.

Yes, technically, that's just the trailer for next week, but the episode was quite good too...

[Sunken Valley]

One hour and only one post? Good lord!!!

Anyway, hello, I'm Sunken Valley I remember something until you ask for change (yeah sorry can't put up the star wars link, is this funnier? I found out about this guy last week.). It looks like it's time to bring this review to a close...ing time.

So let me take you back to just now in a department store...

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Stuff I liked

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Stormageddon! That was hillarious. The idea that baby views everyone as peasants. So true.

The buddy comedy worked really well again. I was surprised. Thought it would fail.

I liked the Cybermen's return, although I wanted more.

I liked how the Doctor is transforming into ep 1's doctor.

Stuff I didn't like

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First off, I thought the deus ex was bad. It worked last time but not this time. How exactly does love reboot deleted data and blow off a welded mask (I'm talking about Craig's mask, not the others).

Why is Amy on a perfume ad? Did she turn into Karen Gillan overnight? What was the point? Explain TV, Explain!!! (yeah, watched his quest for camelot review).

Finally, River being the Astronaut is too bloody obvious. Why pick a drugged "just cured" River and not a child River (they had the child in 1969)? Why did River shoot at herself in episode 1? Why is this being treated as a big reveal? Mediocre writing!

Fun Fact!

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Sorry not getting one today.

Next time

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Okay, I've given up on this ep. It looks bullsuck and it will be bullsuck. Nevertheless, I will watch it, although I won't be surprised. I'm too sick and tired of Moffat (just as I was with Don Bluth) to be surprised. I'm glad he's not doing this type of story next year.

Overall score: 8/10

[Thufir]

The Doctor speaking Baby is the best thing.

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I also liked the more dramatic and emotional undertones, with the Doctor facing his death, and generally being very down on himself, and Craig talking him back up. An adventure where it really all goes right for him - he doesn't screw up anyone's life, in fact he helped a friend deal with some problems in the process of saving everyone from Cybermen.

Also, this really ties into the idea that the whole second half of the series is the Doctor's fall, seeing the beginning of the episode being somewhat of an extension of his little moment of giving up back in AGMGTW: He was seriously fighting his own impulse to investigate for fear of endangering people, just going off to see the alignment of Exidor instead.

Oh, and on the finale preview: If the Silence is the Doctor's death, my guess as to a possibility of what the Question could be:
"Do you, Doctor, take River Song to be your lawfully wedded wife...[etc]?"

Edit @^: Much of that hour was spent watching Confidential, then I had to see the extras on the website, and check a few things relevant to my post.

[factotum]

I thought it was an OK episode--not a big fan of James Corden myself, though. As for Amy Pond's fleeting appearance:

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I got the impression this is some time after the Doctor last saw her--time travel, remember? With her new-found confidence she somehow got herself a job as a model. Given her looks I really don't see a problem with that!

[Aidan305]

Stuff I didn't like

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First off, I thought the deus ex was bad. It worked last time but not this time. How exactly does love reboot deleted data and blow off a welded mask (I'm talking about Craig's mask, not the others).

Why is Amy on a perfume ad? Did she turn into Karen Gillan overnight? What was the point? Explain TV, Explain!!! (yeah, watched his quest for camelot review).

Finally, River being the Astronaut is too bloody obvious. Why pick a drugged "just cured" River and not a child River (they had the child in 1969)? Why did River shoot at herself in episode 1? Why is this being treated as a big reveal? Mediocre writing!

To answer your points in order:

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1. The Doctor did a bit of Technobabble there to explain it. Craig had been hooked directly up to the ship's computers as he was being made a cyber controller. His instinctive urges to protect his son interrupted the process however while simultaneously overloading the minds of the other cybermen, much in the same way as the Doctor (10) did to the cyberman in "The Age of Steel". They and their computers couldn't handle it so the safeties cut in and released him, slightly too late. I'll agree that the welding is a little strange, so I'm assuming that it wasn't being welded, but more some form of techy electromagnetic sealing process. They're a highly advanced race so I'll give them some leeway here.

2. I'm guessing as an in-joke they decided to give Amy a career as a model. Yes, it's a bit out of nowhere, but I'm not complaining and it gives us a bit more information on Amy's background since the last we knew of her profession she was a kiss-o-gram. As this not exactly considered the best occupation for a parent and married woman, she probably decided it was time for a career change.

3. Wibbly-wobbly Timey-wimey. What I suspect is going on here is that, some time after River killed the doctor here, the vast majority of her early memories were wiped; hence why the version of her we saw in episode one didn't know who the astronaut was, nor anything about the little girl. I have no doubts that it will all be explained next week.

It should really be said though, that Dr Who has never really been about the explanations. The constant glossing over was even lampshaded by Moffat when he wrote Curse of Fatal Death (I'll explain later). It's up to the viewer to work out something for themselves that they can be happy with, and if it turns out they were right, more kudos to them.

Next time

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Okay, I've given up on this ep. It looks bullsuck and it will be bullsuck. Nevertheless, I will watch it, although I won't be surprised. I'm too sick and tired of Moffat (just as I was with Don Bluth) to be surprised. I'm glad he's not doing this type of story next year.

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Really? I thought it looked rather entertaining myself. Aren't you curious as to know how everything is going to lead up to the season premier? Why do these people want the Doctor dead? What's the question? And, of course, how will he survive?

[Weezer]

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Really? I thought it looked rather entertaining myself. Aren't you curious as to know how everything is going to lead up to the season premier? Why do these people want the Doctor dead? What's the question? And, of course, how will he survive?

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I'm mostly just afraid that it's going to be a major let down. There has been a very intricate lead up to this episode, some of it spanning three seasons, some parts subtle, some parts obvious, but all of it intensely fascinating and intriguing and I can't wait to finally see how all the mysterious hints fit together. However, it would be so easy for the resolution to be screwed up, for the plot to hinge on some irritating deus ex or unbelievable plot device. I'm trying to be confident that Moffat hasn't gotten in over his head, but it's getting harder and harder as the episode comes closer. Either way, we shall see in one week.

[Androgeus]

Stuff I didn't like

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Finally, River being the Astronaut is too bloody obvious. Why pick a drugged "just cured" River and not a child River (they had the child in 1969)? Why did River shoot at herself in episode 1? Why is this being treated as a big reveal? Mediocre writing!

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I'd accept this if we had the full story, but at the moment we don't. The end scene was just a pre-credits teaser.

Fun Fact!

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Sorry not getting one today.

erm how about

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These were more likely Mondas Cybermen than Cybrus ones?
or
The name of Amy's perfume is petrichor?

[Aotrs Commander]

erm how about

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These were more likely Mondas Cybermen than Cybrus ones?

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Pretty sure they were "proper" (i.e. Mondas) Cybermen - as they were in A Good Man Goes to War (mostly seeing as the Cybrus ones were more or less totalled at the end of season 2 and they had neither Cybermats, nor starships (or, for that matter, the ability to have be crashed and buried sometime before the 21st century!). This is further bourne about by the Doctor Who adventures game, where they Cybermen are of the Nu Who look but are referred to as Mondasians (as I recall).

[Androgeus]

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Pretty sure they were "proper" (i.e. Mondas) Cybermen - as they were in A Good Man Goes to War (mostly seeing as the Cybrus ones were more or less totalled at the end of season 2 and they had neither Cybermats, nor starships (or, for that matter, the ability to have be crashed and buried sometime before the 21st century!). This is further bourne about by the Doctor Who adventures game, where they Cybermen are of the Nu Who look but are referred to as Mondasians (as I recall).

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Also them having a ship is the big giveaway. Cybrus ones never left earth.

[Jibar]

My best friend has agreed to name her first son Stormageddon.
I see no way this can backfire.

[Kobold-Bard]

My best friend has agreed to name her first son Stormageddon.
I see no way this can backfire.

Give it 5 years & it'll be the most common child's name in the UK.

It's real strength is that it's one of those rare properly unisex names.

[Eldan]

So, I still don't get why exactly river is necessary for that plan. What about someone else in that suit? Or a robot suit? Is there any reason why it has to be her?

[Dogmantra]

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I liked it.

Was I the only one who, when the Doctor said "I can speak Baby", thought of Rule One: The Doctor Lies? That moment really made it feel like a proper eleveny episode for me. I think I shall miss Matt Smith when he's gone.

[Mercenary Pen]

So, I still don't get why exactly river is necessary for that plan. What about someone else in that suit? Or a robot suit? Is there any reason why it has to be her?

My gut instinct is that it'll involve survivability (hence the robot suit and the wearer capable of regeneration) and making the doctor think twice about defending himself (hence River, being someone he actually cares about).

[Androgeus]

So, I still don't get why exactly river is necessary for that plan. What about someone else in that suit? Or a robot suit? Is there any reason why it has to be her?

I know, it's almost like we haven't got the whole story yet or something.

[SmartAlec]

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Why did River shoot at herself in episode 1?

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I'd assumed that seeing the Doctor die galvanised her into acting without thinking - and there may even be a guilt-ridden suicidal impulse in there - but after her bullets do nothing, she mutters 'no, of course not' and realises she can't kill her past self because she's still alive to shoot at herself.

[CurlyKitGirl]

Okay, so I've been feeling absolutely ghastly ill for the past week and then some, and had another bad reaction to a blood test, and am facing another one come Monday.
As a result I just don't have the energy to do this right now even though I've been sleeping for some eighteen hours a day due to aforementioned illness. Haven't had any energy all week.

So, let's kick it.

Koorly's Archive of Her Doctor Who Write Ups:
Classic Who

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Fourth Doctor

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Series Twelve
Genesis of the Daleks Part 1/6, Part 2/6

Nu Who

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Season One - retrospective

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Brief Whole Series Retrospective

Season Two - retrospective

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Brief Whole Series Retrospective

Season Three - blind unless otherwise mentioned

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Ep. 1: 'Smith and Jones' -missing.
Ep. 2: 'The Shakespeare Code'
Ep. 3: 'Gridlock'
Ep. 4: 'Daleks in Manhattan' (part 1/2)
Ep. 5: 'Evolution of the Daleks' (part 2/2)
Ep. 6: 'The Lazarus Experiment'
Ep. 7: '42'
Ep. 8: 'Human Nature' (part 1/2)
Ep. 9: 'The Family of Blood' (part 2/2)
Ep. 10: 'Blink'
Ep. 11: 'Utopia' (part 1/3)
Ep. 12: 'The Sound of the Drums' (part 2/3)
Ep. 13: 'The Last of the Time Lords' (part 3/3)

Children in Need 2007 episode: 'Time Crash'
2007 Christmas Episode: 'Voyage of the Damned'

Bits and Bobs About Season Three
Retrospective - to be written later
Why I Do Not Like Martha/Ten (This was written between my write ups of ep. 8 and ep 9)

Season Four blind unless otherwise mentioned

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Ep. 1: 'Partners in Crime'
Ep. 2: 'The Fires of Pompeii'
Ep. 3: 'Planet of the Ood'
Ep. 4: 'The Sontaran Stratagem' Part 1/2
Ep. 5: ‘The Poison Sky‘ Part 2/2
Ep. 6: ‘The Doctor‘s Daughter‘ Posted in two parts.
Ep. 7: 'The Unicorn and the Wasp'

Season 6 part 2
Ep. 8: 'Let's Kill Hitler'
Ep. 9: 'Night Terrors'
Ep. 10: 'The Girl Who Waited'
Ep. 11: 'The God Complex'

[/QUOTE]

The Nu Who Trek continues. And now, to boldly go where many have gone before. [*cue TNG theme (I love that theme song so much)*]

'The Lodger' (Season 5, episode 11)

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Before I start, this will be in the liveblog format, just like all my season 6b reviews so far because I have no energy. The reason I'm doing this episode is because today is the air date of the sequel episode, so I figure this is important for when I get around to watch . . . whatever 6b:12 is called. Maybe Monday or Tuesday. Possibly tomorrow.
Secondly, my brain had a blank when I was estimating an episode order for these reviews, as I somehow completely forgot that the Moffat two-parter for season four follows 'The Unicorn and the Wasp'. Also known as the only two episodes of season four I've actually seen before I started these reviews.
It's also the debut serial for the mystifying River Song.
As she plays a key part in the narrative, or I remember it that way, and in a sense it's also her last appearance in the series I will almost certainly find myself talking about River in all her appearances, tracing and untracing her development because we've seen her pre-River, her beginning, some of the later-middle and the end.
Seeing as the season finale next week is called 'The Wedding of River Song' I think this will fill in the last big gaps in her life and solve many of the questions we have about her, and season six's overarching plot. Or at least some of them.
Originally when I'd completely forgotten about The Library two-parter I figured I'd maybe do a post just talking about River Song. Then I remembered the serial and thought I'd just skip it. Then it occurred to me: season four has a plot arc and stuff, it might be important. So that's my thing now, review that sometime in October, uni permitting.
Word waterfall out the way, let's do this thing:
Oh wait. Another note: this will be the third full episode of season five, the others, of course, are my Moffatt two-parter. I will probably be more confused than usual; I'm fine with this. So no spoilers people. Also, the only other bits of season five I've seen are from the two-part finale - bits of it. Now that's out of the way, let's do this thing, for real:
Oh wait, did I just subvert the rule of three while lampshading the fact? Thus actually fulfilling the rule of three trope. Well, barrelicious laughter then.

Open to a rather nice neighbourhood, about early autumn. Look at that, gardens and big green open places, I'd love to live somewhere like that. And TARDIS!
Hehe, a Rymans (a stationary shop for non-Brits) is the Big Clue that they're not near . . . Cindacalista? And then the TARDIS ASPLODED! With Amy inside. I promptly flashforward to one of the few things I know about this season's finale: it asplodes with River inside. Must be in the blood.
Poor Idris TARDIS.
Hey. Hey guys, Where's Rory? Also: there's Google Maps there on that screen. So Amy's gone now.
And now a house. Ugh, pink door, what kind of dork.
That music is Ominous With Bell-Piano. This old dude is the bad guy. Atmospheric music and flickering hallway lights . . . and now violins. Yeah, he's the villain.
I'm getting a Hammer horror vibe from this scene . . . Oh look, mould and - what's occurring Smithy? No dudes, what's Smithy doing all up in my Who.
And more plotily importantly: why did that mould patch suddenly get darker and then have an asplosion noise coming from upstairs? And why doesn't Smithy have any care about this? Because for one thing, that patch of mould could be mould and mould in a kitchen is a bad thing.
Oh great. And now the light above the Evil Door is overloading with flickering Evil Light to an Evil Tune. Smithy advertising for a flatmate, and Smithy clearly has the hots for the Chick.
Great Smithy, go and touch that mould - good. Good Chick, save you not-love-interest's life inadvertently. Come on, everyone can see this awkward mutual romance blossoming here. Even the music knows - come on Chick evil noises and silhouettes behind a closed door!
Smithy: "Just tell her. I love you." etc. And headbutts. Heh, Chick forgot her keys.
And "I love you". HA DOCTOR! I immediately ship Doctor/Smithy. Because the Doctor's such an adorkably adorkable dork.
Cue intro theme!
So the writer's Gareth Roberts. Isn't this my lovely 'Shakespeare Code' and 'Unicorn and the Wasp' man? It is! But. But this isn't a historical. He is my Historical Man, and my Historical Man is writing a Contemporary Earth Story. On the one hand: I don't really like CEStories as much as others, but on the other hand it's Gareth Roberts. But Smithy and the Dorktor. It looks interesting at least. You know, blatant villainy, the Dorktor and no magical blue box to save the day.
But on the other hand it's not historical and my Historical Man has proven he's amazing when it comes to historicals and comedy. Can he pull off the comedy without the in-jokes?

What's that the Dorktor has? A hearing aid? Heh, "an ancient amateur". HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN THAT BAG?!?! WHERE DID THE DORKTOR GET IT FROM?!
And he just did the French version of kissing people. And he doesn't know why people call him the Doctor, or why he calls himself that. People call him that because that's how he introduces himself.
Why's the Dorktor interested in upstairs? Why is the Dorktor - "don't call me the Rotmeister". Is the Dorktor flirting with Smithy? Seriously, because that smoozing in the kitchen was flirting. I was only kidding. Me and my fangirlish tendencies, or referencing of tendencies in general.
Yeah, it is suspicious that the owner moved out after receiving an obscene amount of money from an uncle he'd never heard of. Either the Evil Guy did it, or the Dorktor pulled a Bill and Ted and went back in time after the episode happened to set up events so that he could move in to ensure that the events of the episode happened so he could have a self-sustaining time loop going on.
OKAY SMITHY WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR BRAIN I KNOW YOU'RE NOT THE BRIGHTEST SPARK IN ESSEX BY A LONG SHOT (NOT THAT IT'S SAYING MUCH) BUT WHEN GLASS STARTS SHATTERING BEFORE HAMMER HORROR FRANKENSTEIN'S LABORATORY LIGHT WORKS START GOING ON UPSTAIRS YOU NEED TO GET OUT NOW. Has Smithy been brainwashed or something?
The - Archbishop of Canterbury reference?
The Dorktor's making an homlette. Eggs, pepper, (Smithy's still in denial about Sophie, dude, I could see it five seconds in; it should only take the Dorktor a few hours), cheese, salt, bacon and . . . salad cream.
Okay what. I was with him until the salad cream. And how he didn't do the usual homlettey mix-it-all-upin-a-bowl first thing.
Salad cream?
Salad cream.
Yeah, there's stuff about Smithy talking to complete strangers at will, bad because he works in a call centre, and the Dorktor lampshades people's tendencies to tell him anything; usually evil plans. Must be the hair. It's marvellous.
Hai TARDIS. It's blipping on and off a lot.
The Dorktor learned to cook in the C18^th. Salad cream. The Dorktor just. He called Smithy fat.
And Smithy "fondl[es]" keys. Amongst other pink round things.
The Dorktor's so happy about having his own room. And they had a wink exchange over "bringing someone over. A girlfriend [looks down at the Dorktor's clothing] boyfriend" and I can so tell the Dorktor just has no clue. JUST LIKE SOPHIE'S A FRIEND WHO'S A GIRL.
But the Dorktor clued in eventually and his "shout" to Smithy is "I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS!" And yes, all that was necessary. The Dorktor's such a ten-year-old boy.
Given how he will react to will next season I can see why. So clueless. So dorky.
Now back to the Ominous Rot. Do Not Touch.
Oh. The hearing aid is Bluetooth. Fancy.
Smithy: "He's a laugh. Bit weird. But good weird you know."
Is that a slut? That's a prossie. This aired at seven o'clock in the evening.
There's technoTreknobabble about the Evil Room hurting the TARDIS. Hehe, so a house is hurting the TARDIS again. Now I know where Gaiman got his plot for the glorious 'The Doctor's Wife' from.
The prossie goes up to the Evil Room to Ominous Music, and "anything that can stop the TARDIS is big. Scary big."
Okay, Old Guy is not Old any more. And SMithy's hearing voices. The Dorktor talking to Amy.
"To anyone else hearing this conversation it's absolute gibberish [...] all I got to do is pass as an ordinary human"
A: "Have you seen you?"
Whoa. Time's going wonky. "Localised time loop" apparently. Yeah, eveyr time a human dies an angelTARDIS starts to scream.
Standing position when push/pulling buttons is important.
oh my god the Dorktor has become a crazy cat lady with a shopping trolley and is now singing Italian opera in the shower!
HAI FANSERVICE!
I want a shirtless scene now.
Smithy, don't go upstairs to the - shirtless scene. A small one.
Okay, that's Hartnell hair and a semi-coloured black-and-white scene. Also, Old Guy is now old again.
O.O
The Dorktor fell out of the shower and wow look at that shot 14:56. Let's just make sure the time is right. No, a bit out, replay. 14:54. He's very pale isn't he the Dorktor? And skinny, I can count all his ribs.
My Historical Man writes some nice fanservice.
he just sat up with only a semi-translucent shower curtain covering his gentleman vegetables Historical Man you are good to me. Dorktor, no. Don't use your sonic, you just said you weren't meant to.
Smit
Every time I try to write plot I keep seeing ninety-fve percent of the Dorktor's body. Time to go replay this scene again.
Ha! The Dorktor has a sonic toothbrush! And looks very nice all dripping wet with a blue towel wrapped around his hips and messy hair. He should always be dressed like this.
This is a gloriously magical episode.
Stuff, mucky hair, the Dorktor goes up - his towel keeps nearly falling down. And the Dorktor air-kisses her while holding the towel to his crotch so it doesn't fall down. Also: the Dorktor is going to play football. Soccer for the Americans. Also, the Dorktor's just clued into Smithy/Sophie.
While being barely dressed. To slightly jazz-sounding -
the Dorktor's wearing a shirt with an 11 on it. And it was on back-to-front. And he thinks football is polo.
This is a wonderful episode. The Dorktor's so clumsy it's going to be great.
the Dorktor is freakin' amazing at footie the Hell happened to the clumsy man. Also Smithy's thinking Dorktor/Sophie, but it's clearly so wrong. Also the Dorktor's looking to be a glory hound and stole the glory of a . . . penalty? I don't do things.
Okay. Is Matt Smith a semi-pro or something, because he's Suing up the match in the This Is From The POV Of The Protagonist (Smithy) Way.
Also, Evil Old Guy is Evil Little Girl now. How does - she's evil just from the silhouette!
Also, the DOrktor had an overreaction and pulled a Tennant Putdown on the - is my - my episode's lagging. But now the Dorktor's running off and time's glitching again.
right? I mean, we have the Hammer Horror Flashing Lights again. And screaming.
The Dorktor is obviously lying. All nines is bad. Plus Amy's screaming the the Dorktor's quietly freaking out. The TARDIS "flown off into the Vortex" - okay, fives are good.
Does this mean the Dorktor is using the TARDIS to stabilise time on a . . . country-wide level?
Yay. Smithy's going to put the moves on Sophie, but the Dorktor's still a bit oblivious.
Yeah. The dry rot is dead people.
And this romantic moment's going to be interrupted isn't it. He can't spit it out after all. Come on Smithy. Come on. Dorktor was hiding behind the sofa. irony.
The Dorktor has a screwdriver that isn't sonic. My brain. And now the Dorktor's ballsed up the romantic moment.
Aaawwww, Sophie wants to work abroad with primates, but no qualifications. And Smithy seems to have no aspirations.
Th Dorktor just spat red wine out into his glass. I lvoe this man. I will bear his babbies. Also, he reverse psychologied Sophie into going to work with orang-outangs who are most definitely not monkeys. Weird picture there on that wall.
And more Evil Flickering Lights.
It's a swirly whirly not-quite-a-TARDIS thing. And something can be "too normal".
And Smithy touches the Evil Rot. Silly boy. It electrocutes people and this is very urgent because the score says so.
Okay. THE DORKTOR IS BRINGING SMITHY BREKKIE IN BED. I can haz ship noaw? Yeah, he does the ranty thing I did earlier.
Also, call back to 'The Christmas Invasion' with Magical Healing Tea. This show is so British sometimes guys. Also, must taste very strong.
Okay, now there's touching scenes of the Dorktor reassuring Smithy. Ship. It's
cat look at that lovely cat ohmygiggyaunts.
The Dorktor is working at a call centre! And blowing raspberries down the phone at rude people.
^^
Guys. The Dorktor moves into a house with Smithy, tries to be normal, has romantic scenes with his housemate and works in a call centre.
Sheer magic.
And Smithy wears glasses now.
Probably Boss: "Leave off the Dorktor. I love the Dorktor. he's brilliant, especially in the planning meeting." Yup, this is Sue Dorktor. And Sophie wants to do primate volunteering and poor - who cares about plot or character. The Dorktor is trying to be a human and is magical but Sue's things up.
And that adorable act/
THE DORKTOR SPEAKS CAT!
THE DORKTOR SPEAKS CAT!
I can't even - magical.
And then Smithy kicks the Dorktor out. Smithy's rant at 30:30 is pretty much
Heh. He calls his whirly thingy modern art.
The Dorktor headbutted Smithy into seeing "general background" and hi previous Doctors and knows about the TARDIS. And second headbutt is detail! (And they hurt) MAGIC!
Ma. Gi. Cal.
Does this mean Smithy knows all about TIme Lord history and stuff now, or just the tellybox and movie stuff. Well, he knows the swirly thing is a scanner and stuff. So in between perhaps?
And the Evil Girl is back. Even though Sophie knows an Old Guy lives there. Doesn't anyone get this?
Yeah. I think Smithy is basically a Time Lord in human form. Okay, time warped again.
And Sophie's dying. People are not happy.
A: "You can't be upstairs [...] it's a one story building. There is no upstairs."
TARDIS.
THAT'S THE THING THE SILENCE - THE SILENTS WERE IN IN SEASON 6A! Wait what.
But TARDIS is TIme Lord tech. How can the Silents have TARDIS. Where did TARDIS come from? How did the TARDIS of 1969 move to possibly-Lancashire? Is it the same one what? TARDIS?
Doing this backwards forwards in the middle is weird.
Are there Silents in this episode?!
Dudes. There maybe is. 33:53 there's something in the bottom right corner. It can't be Sophie I don't think because there's a suit maybe, and the head seems disproportionate to the body. I'll full-screen a mo'.
That is definitely a suit I can see a Silent onscreen and dead foreshadowing good evening!
Why did the Silent die? HEY HEY! That's like how Joy died! She got lightning'd into ashes and that's what's seeped into the kitchen downstairs that is oh my god that is terrifying. Even the ashes of people murdered by the Silent are poisonous because they contain Evil Lightning that can kill people.
They screamed because the saw the Silent. And then died.
But why are they here in . . . 2010? Wasn't a hypno-kill given in 1969? I mean, obviously some survived because in 2011 Amy saw one, but that still doesn't mean they - they followed Amy. They must have. Her or the Dorktor.
She saw one at Lake Silencio in 2011, and then they stole her in 1969, and now there's a Silent TARDIS in 2010 when Amy's stuck in a time warp in probably-Lancashire.
Why are the Silents vaporising people this time? Clearly they have a plan this time. But we only saw the Silents for the first time in season 6a so the enemy isn't a Silent Silent right?
Confuzzlement.
Is this an Evil TARDIS then? Screaming Sophie with a thingy. One of those static ball things. You know, with all the static in them that makes hair stand on end. So the nega-TARDIS is eating people.
Great.
Her hand is smoking.
Okay. The thing that looked like a Silent is a dried husk of a corpse. But it can't be a human because they turned into poisonous electro-ash. So it's a Silent corpse then.
34:36 indicates so because it's only got three fingers and a thumb, and still looks like it has very big head even though the Conveniently Obscure Angle is hiding it from me; but all the body proprtions are wrong so I still call Silent.
Where's it's suit? IS THE SUIT ITS SKIN AND NOT CLOTHES AFTER ALL?! Gross. Naked Silent.
And now there's an emergency hologram that is so Ha - "Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue." The Dorktor is a fan of Supermarionation. I mean, Captain Troy Handsome and International Rescue. This episode is genius.
It's appropriate too because the Dorktor also saves humanity (or other) while operating extremely advanced technology. HA! I just compared the Dorktor to the Tracy family and WASP! Amy is so Lady Penelope and Rory is Parker. Seriously it fits. AMy can't drive, neither can Lady P; and Parker is calm and stoic and awesome just like Rory.
I just - wow. I cannot believe I did that.
I Thunderbirded my Who. Crossover. Now. Cannot believe . . .
And the Evil Emergency Hologram is willing to kill humanity one person at a time. Who is the voice of the EMHD? He sounds like Monty and co.
Also, why can't Smithy work the Nega-TARDIS? "It wants people who want to escape". And Smithy wants to stay so he didn't work.
Smithy is Dortoring up this episode. He asked if [technoTreknobabble] was a lie (Rule #1: The Dorktor always lies) and then says "Geronimo". Yeah, Smithy's part-Dorktor now.
D: "Why. Don't. You want to leave?!" It's the power of love. So hurry up and kiss the girl. This shorts out the Nega-TARDIS because true love conquers all! To some very pretty music.
The TARDIS and Amy are hunky-dory now, and I think the Dorktor is weirded out by kissing. Also the nega-TARDIS is imploding which is veyr much a big no. It's quite scary how the EMH is freaking out.
Hai Silent Ship! Looks like a Sontaran ship in miniature.
But now there's no rot and much kissing. Also, they're moving and the Dorktor is so very weirded out by kissing so he goes to "sneak off" but is caught.
S: "I want you to keep these [keys]", and though Smithy thinks the Dorktor won't come back, I know he will because future knowledge!
The Doctor Rocks.
Crack in the wall! That is bad. And finally, the
- why does Amy want to find a fella?? She has Rory. And why is the music all freaky when she finds the ring box? Wher - what? Expanding crack.



Preview thoughts: River Song narrates about "the end of all things" and . . . these are clips from all of season five. Great. I'm spoiled by a season preview. And Romans at Stonehenge.
"There is a goblin or a warrior or a trickster, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos." And it's you. Sorry, but that point I most emphatically remember.
Pandorica's box.
Daleks. Cyberships. Sontaran. Slitheen. MANY MANY NAMES.

Best Moment: Fanservice. All of it. And the Dorktor speaks cat. And tries to live as a human being.

Worst Moment: The opening scene at Smithy's was rather weak, but it did pull off a good atmosphere.

Best Special Effect: Nega-TARDIS

Worst Special Effect: The ship at the end, it just felt a bit too video gamey to me.

Best Actor: A tie between Smithy and the Dorktor. I've only ever seen James Corden in one role (surprise surprise), and yeah, he's good in that; but I didn't realise he was this good of an actor.
He's very much the ordinary man, and the way he pulls off the bewilderment to friendship to jealousy transitions are very smooth and work really well with how I think many humans would react when confronted with the Dorktor trying to be human.
He's just too good at many things, and has a lot of charisma. And I've just realised much of this could go into Thoughts Overall.

Worst Actor: Evil Little Girl Hologram.

Most Punchable Character: It's an odd one to pick this episode, but in a way, though I wanted to punch most of the victims for not noticing the Extreme Suspiciousness of the trap; really, the most punchable person is Smithy when he overreacts to how the Dorktor accidentally made Sophie leave him.
So the most punchable character is also the most sympathetic character this time around.

Death Count:
Seventeen wasn't it?

Kink of the Episode: Matt Smith. Dripping Wet. Messy haired. Mostly naked. With a slippery towel. And romantic chemistry with his housemate.

Thoughts overall?
This is a Companion-light bottle episode, although Amy is more present than most Companions are in such an episode.
We have two main characters and one tertiary one. Smithy and the Dorktor, and then Sophie. They work together very well. Especially our two main characters, really this episode is about forty percent from Smithy's POV, forty from the Dorktor's and ten from everyone else.
And this means we get to see the Dorktor as a muggle does, and a muggle who doesn't know anything about the Dorktor aside from his name.
Their chemistry is basically bromantic with a bit of romance on the side, and even though Smithy and Sophie are clearly made for each other I can still easily see them as an OT3 even though I ship Dorktor/TARDIS so much because Sophie and the Dorktor also have a spot of chemistry going on.
It's definitely just friendly, but recall: Sophie and Smithy are Just Friends. Don't think it would take much.
The big draw here is the character interaction though. Corden and Smith work so well together, and Corden in particular does a marvellous job of showing the ordinary person utterly stymied by someone who is so easily and charismatically better at him in so many ways without even trying.
The power of love triumphing over the nega-TARDIS is a bit clichéd - more like a lot - but it works here because it was foreshadowed from the very beginning. From Smithy's adoration of Sophie to the "sofa-man" comment to the comment about aspirations and the lack of them. Smithy had everything he wanted right there, so he didn't need to leave or escape from anything. Conversely, other humans wanted to enough that the nega-TARDIS was attracted to them; but it took the Dorktor with his endless wonderlust and desire to escape his past to be a truly viable pilot.
So this means TARDISes are piloted by wonderlust?
All things told this is a magical episode driven by whimsy in the best way ever and yet manages to ominously foreshadow season six and that with love you can do pretty much anything. Because yeah, Rory and two thousand years and - Rory isn't actually a Roman so how did he become a Roman and - is prefigured by Smithy using the memories of the love of his life to overcome a great obstacle.
Also: the Doctor had an almost-entirely-naked-scene. As critical as I try to be (yeah right) that did earn a few points from me.
Best episode of season five so far.

AND WHERE IS RORY?! I thought he travelled with the Dorktor in season five for a bit too! WHY DOESN'T AMY KNOW WHO RORY IS?! They are so clearly made for each other and they got married but now she's forgotten him. Why?
And how did Rory become a Roman?

[Sanguine]

Curly, I can't wait to see your reaction to Closing Time.

[Thufir]

Okay, so I've been feeling absolutely ghastly ill for the past week and then some, and had another bad reaction to a blood test, and am facing another one come Monday.
As a result I just don't have the energy to do this right now even though I've been sleeping for some eighteen hours a day due to aforementioned illness. Haven't had any energy all week.

*Hugs*

So, let's kick it.

Huh? That distinctly sounded like you were not about to post a review, but OK.

'The Lodger' (Season 5, episode 11)

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And "I love you". HA DOCTOR! I immediately ship Doctor/Smithy. Because the Doctor's such an adorkably adorkable dork.

However, as I remember someone pointed out when this episode aired, Gareth Roberts missed a trick there. He could have had the Doctor say "Well that's good, because I'm your new tenant!"
It would have been the most glorious of puns.

Dorktor

This just puts it in a broad Scottish accent when I read it. Like Bracewell- wait you haven't seen that episode. Well, like a Scottish character from an episode you haven't seen yet but more so.

HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN THAT BAG?!?! WHERE DID THE DORKTOR GET IT FROM?!

Sonic'd a cash machine presumably.

oh my god the Dorktor has become a crazy cat lady with a shopping trolley

In light of later events I find it amusing that you called him a cat lady at this early point.

*Snipped fanservice*

It's pretty good, yeah. Though I find my attention held more by the Doctorish-ness of how he does it than the amount of him we're seeing.

Okay. Is Matt Smith a semi-pro or something, because he's Suing up the match in the This Is From The POV Of The Protagonist (Smithy) Way.

Matt Smith originally wanted to be a professional footballer before he got properly into acting, and as I recall he only gave it up because of some injury or something. *Wiki's* Yeah, a back injury forced him out of the sport apparently.

cat look at that lovely cat ohmygiggyaunts.

N'aww, you're so adorable.

Does this mean Smithy knows all about TIme Lord history and stuff now, or just the tellybox and movie stuff. Well, he knows the swirly thing is a scanner and stuff. So in between perhaps?

Just what he needs to know I think. So he knows who and what the Doctor is, and has a decent insight into his psyche (Hmm, may have to consider that point in conjunction with the most recent episode), and he knows the details of the specific situation - Amy, TARDIS gone, something's upstairs.

Are there Silents in this episode?!

I don't remember seeing any...

really this episode is about forty percent from Smithy's POV, forty from the Dorktor's and ten from everyone else.

I hate to be pedantic about your arithmetic when you're feeling ill and horrible, but that only adds up to 90%.

AND WHERE IS RORY?! I thought he travelled with the Dorktor in season five for a bit too! WHY DOESN'T AMY KNOW WHO RORY IS?! They are so clearly made for each other and they got married but now she's forgotten him. Why?

Oh wow I didn't realise how little of series 5 you knew. But obviously I can't tell you.
The Roman thing was a mystery at the time though.

Curly, I can't wait to see your reaction to Closing Time.

Likewise. Especially in one particular scene.

Also, I think I may have to go back and appraise Closing Time again while bearing in mind pertinent points from The Lodger, but not right now because it's excessively late and I need sleep.

[Starscream]

Finally got a chance to watch. Been waiting all day.

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Liked it. I really enjoyed the Lodger, and this one works on the same level. I really do think that Smith is the funniest of the Doctors, so putting him in a buddy comedy works pretty well.

I was planning on griping about the Cybermen being underused, but in retrospect I kinda get it. If they introduced a new monster we would've needed time to have it explained to us. Whereas we already get the Cybermen, only Craig needed it explained. So there's enough of a recap for those who have somehow become fans of the new series without ever encountering the Cybers before, but the rest of the episode can focus on the funny stuff.

Stormageddon is an awesome name for a baby.

Thoughts on the trailer:

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Looks pretty neat. I caught a glimpse of a Dalek, guess they found a way around that whole "use them once a year" thing after all. Winston Churchill returning as well. And a pyramid. And...pterodactyls? At the very least they have caught my attention.

No sign of Amy or Rory. Are we to have a Companion-light season finale? I mean, we know they were present at the Doctor's death, so they will presumably be there at least for that part. But none of the new footage featured them.

I actually trust Moffat to pull this off. I went into the season 5 finale very similarly confused as to how all this was going to fit together, and was pleasantly surprised. And he has still yet to write a single episode I didn't enjoy.

He and Davies have opposite strengths when it comes to this stuff. Davies was extremely good at setting stories up, but tended to lose me at the endings. I usually loved every minute of his big epic finales, right up to the last act. Then he'd hit the reset button via some extreme deus ex machina like Jesus-Tinkerbell-Doctor or Magic-The-Daleks-Go-Away-Now button. Which is fine, at that point in the story there was usually so much at stake that only a freaking miracle could save the day at that point.

Moffat usually has me scratching my head and wondering "where's he going with this" for a while, but it comes together eventually. Of course, he only has one previous series to base this on, but it goes for his individual stories as well. This is especially true of his two parters. At the end of part one I always go "why don't I have any idea what's going on yet?!", but part two usually explains it well enough that part one becomes retroactively much more fun.

[Yanagi]

So, I still don't get why exactly river is necessary for that plan. What about someone else in that suit? Or a robot suit? Is there any reason why it has to be her?

Seems to me like they're operating according to a sense of prophetic criteria...certain time, place, people, et cetera...and much of their planning incorporates that. Another possibility is that they're forcing a fixed point in time by harnessing every detail of the Doctor's death they can find, creating a bottleneck of how events resolve: thus whatever information they find, they alter their conspiracy to incorporate (yes, I know that sounds paradoxical).

More diffusely, its seems like their anti-Doctor agenda has an edge of old-fashioned revanchism: the set-up incorporates a lot of time to fret over his death, and also to dwell on who's going to kill him and how that's going to hurt her (and her parents). It reminds of the Count of Monte Cristo.

I'm looking forward to next week.

[factotum]

Curly, you really ought to watch these in order--the thing about Rory would be perfectly explicable if you'd seen a certain earlier episode in season 5!

[Sunken Valley]

However, Moffat is playing a dangerous game. Writing an overarching plot is like borrowing money from a bank. You borrow the money to make the story, but then you have to pay it back to please the bank (fans). You also have to pay extra as interest (in the shape of good characterisation, emotional impact and humour). Rusty borrowed his money and always paid it back on time (although in his later years he forgot about some of the payments). JK Rowling borrowed a gigantic amount of money and then paid it back in little bits and then borrowed some more, but she paid it back in the end. Rich Burlew is currently paying all of the interest first and then pays the main amount back in big gulps. Moffat, with the big bang, delayed his payment. This means that when he pays back on future occasions, he’ll have to pay extra interest. So far he has been missing payments (Day of the Moon) or delaying his payment even further (Let’s kill Moffat).

Why I am I quoting this handsome fellow? Well this is what I believed a couple of weeks ago and I still believe it. Moffat is putting big money into Wedding of River Song. But will it pay off? I say no.

@Curly: You want to know where Rory is do you? I'm not going to spoil that! But I will spoil other stuff!

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Bruce Willis is a ghost

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So is Nicole Kidman

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Snape Kills Dumbledor

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Darth Vader is Luke's father

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The aliens are vulnerable to water

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The chick's a dude

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Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze

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Kevin Spacey also got himself on the death penalty on purpose to prove they kill innocents

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Roy Greenhilt dies in strip 443

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Norman Bates and his mother are the same person

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Manfred Von Karma killed Gregory Edgeworth

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Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are the same person

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Statue of liberty? It was earth all along

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Soylent green is people

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Judge doom is a toon and he killed Eddies Brother

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And finally...She's her sister and her daughter.

@everyone else: What is this one scene you're all looking forward to hearing Curly talk about?

[Thufir]

@everyone else: What is this one scene you're all looking forward to hearing Curly talk about?

By "everyone else" I'm pretty sure you just mean me.

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Given her enjoying of the kind of romantic chemistry between the Doctor and Craig, I'm thinking the "Doctor are you going to kiss me?" scene will provoke a very interesting reaction.

Also, while lying in bed this afternoon an interesting thought occurred, based on Curly describing the Doctor as being like a ten-year-old boy:
You could make a case for the Doctor in some ways at least regressing in the age he acts. Because while you do have the moments when his full age becomes noticeable and he's very serious about it (In fact, a significant element of series 6b has been the Doctor kind of growing up), Eleven does act like a child a lot of the time. Then Ten was in some ways rather like an angsty teen or maybe early twenties. Hormones and emotions all over the place and drama. And then Nine was more like someone a bit older, maybe late twenties or early thirties, and bitter about how his life hasn't gone quite how he would have liked it to.

Of course this only really applies to the revival. I imagine once I progress further in Classic Who I'll find this doesn't really apply to that and he just dots about a bit more.

[Aidan305]

And then Nine was more like someone a bit older, maybe late twenties or early thirties, and bitter about how his life hasn't gone quite how he would have liked it to.

Nah, early forties. The Doctor's mid-life crisis.

[Thufir]

Nah, early forties. The Doctor's mid-life crisis.

But the whole point of a mid-life crisis is you try to act younger than you are.