Into the Dalek

[janetteB @janetteb]

And another enjoyable review @dentarthurdent. Good observation regarding Capaldi’s lines and the way he delivers them. just reading those quotes makes me want to re watch the episode and that is why I find even the “dud” episodes enjoyable. (with the single exception of Kill the Moon whose premise is too absurd)

The story suggests a but of “future history” which, at least in my imagination” might form a loose continuity. I would like to see more story continuity. Hopefully RTD will endeavour to resurrect some.

Danny is a problematic character. I feel that Moffat did not really succeed with the character, perhaps because the requirements of the story arc restricted what could be done. Still I felt very sorry for Danny and would like to have seen a resolution of the mystery of his childhood and future. (ie Orson) I have a theory that he and Orson are the children or grandchildren of Susan, scattered through time, and the toy soldier is circular.

cheers

Janette

[winston @winston]

@dentarthurdent  The 12th Doctor can be a crusty old guy now and then and I love him for it. So sarcastic and  he is bitey like the cold but it is all on the outside. Inside he is soft and squishy. I think he has great lines in every episode but the “carer ” remark is one of my favourites.

stay safe

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

@janetteb Yes, Danny was a bit problematic. Possibly part of this was that he only had a few episodes to develop in. So it seemed rushed even if there were implied interludes between stories that we didn’t see. But he also seemed to be quite demanding – not a good thing when his potential girlfriend was a strong character aka control freak like Clara. Rory had the good sense to let Amy make the running, also Rory guarded Amy for 2000 years. What did Danny do for Clara that entitled him to say what she could do? He was just no fun. Also, I’m probably biassed because he and the Doctor instinctively disliked each other. But I accept that it can’t have been easy for him.

I dimly remember the toy soldier (I guess I’ll shortly be reminded), yes I think it was circular. Not sure why Orson would be related to Susan though.

@winston I think you summed up Twelve well. And Capaldi was perfectly cast for that. (I know they always say that, but in this case it was true and just worked). I love the Scottish jokes, by the way. “Why do you keep talking like that? What’s gone wrong with your accent? It’s spreading. You all sound all English. Now you’ve all developed a fault.” (I’m English).
Part of the ‘soft and squishy’ was, he really did feel responsible for his companions. (And so did Eleven). Even if their unfortunate ends were not directly his fault, it was because they hung around with him that it happened. Hence why he went to such extreme lengths to retrieve Clara.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@dentarthurdent To be fair to Danny was not actually telling Clara what to do, just asking her to be honest about it. she was lying when she said he was being territorial to cover the fact that she was lying to Danny. I did feel sorry for him. Yes he dislikes the Doctor but the Doctor dislikes him initially. they do grow to respect each other, though that did not perhaps come across as well as it could have. Re’ the connection to Susan, there is no reason for it at all other than Orson saying he had an ancestor who time travelled and it is not Clara as she has no children. It was just a bit of nonsense that I devised to explain who Orson was. I would like to see Susan feature again as she is a Timelord left on earth. What becomes of her? Presumably she can regenerate. Surely she will tire of being stuck in the one place and time for eternity. I want to know what becomes of Susan. I have a few ideas for stories but have not got around to writing anything yet.

Cheers

Janette

 

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

You’re probably right about Danny and Clara. I just naturally tend to take Clara’s side because I like her, and she’s found herself in a slightly awkward position trying to lead a double life. I’ll see what I think as the situation develops.

Re Susan, was it canon that she was actually the first Doctor’s granddaughter, or was she just a companion and that was the cover story? My thoughts went to Jenny, the Doctor’s daughter, who was certainly a timelord since she can regenerate. (And of course was a ‘Doctor’s’ daughter in real life 🙂

Umm, Susan, Jenny, Clara and Me, even Bill and Heather, oh yes and Rusty, the Doctor seems to leave loose ends littering the space-time continuum, doesn’t he?

[janetteB @janetteb]

@dentarthurdent Back in the long distant days of 1963, and what a year it was.. it was considered too risque to have a young woman travelling alone with and old man in a cosy police box so they made her his granddaughter. It was done for convenience sake and many fans have questioned the relationship. It seems that RTD and the Moff both decided that Susan was his granddaughter because they often refer to the Doctor as having had children, “Dad Skills”. Nothing is really set in stone when it comes to Doctor Who so Susan may or may not be the granddaughter. I “like to think” she is, at least until there is a convincing story to indicate otherwise then I will have to re write my “head canon”.

Cheers

Janette

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

@janetteb Well, I’m not sure whether “Dad skills” really indicates that the Doc had children, he could have picked up such skills as an uncle or something. He also speaks Baby but then he also speaks Dinosaur (and I’m not sure that indicates anything about his progeny 🙂 And horse. (Where did he pick those up? The influence of the Tardis translation circuits?) Anyway, it’s not a big thing so far as I’m concerned.

I get the impression that every OldWho Doctor was very platonic in his relationships. I recall the kerfuffle when Rose showed signs of getting emotionally involved with Ten (or was it with Nine before that?) In hindsight, it was probably just as well that RTD did address that directly, in a sense he defused it. If he hadn’t, and attempted to maintain the same platonic fiction in today’s suspicious climate, I’m sure the conspiracy theories would have been swirling. Anyway, I liked it, it added some human interest.

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