[Constance @replies]

@missrori I think all in all the “sometimes all we have are bad choices, but we still have to choose” is a good thing to do in a show, and it was well shown in the Thames frost party episode with Bill, the moon egg with Clara, and the Liz 10 and the space whale(?) ep back with Amy – can’t remember the episode names. The right choice has generally been one that preserves life. So further proof that the Doctor is going darker? Of course, if his aim really was to show that sometimes life is expendable or must be sacrificed for greater good, he still chose his own life as the one that must go. I guess finding out the timelords are still around didn’t do much to eradicate his core of self-loathing for what he did in the war.

I agree, though, that it was probably more for the trailers and not really meant for deeper analysis.

ETA: only just noticed this is basically what you just said in the previous post – sorry, I usually try to check earlier posts before sending but totally missed that one! So feel free to ignore, or take as an emphatic agreement.

[Constance @replies]

@ichabod I also really liked the episode and I generally like the volatility of this Doctor. I think for me it was just a problem with the particular scene involving shooting. As <span class=”useratname”>@nick mentions earlier, the Doctor specifically told Nardole that he is teaching Bill and what he taught her here is that sometimes the best course of action is to shoot people point blank and kill them dead. As lessons go, it’s a far cry from “there’s always another way”.</span>

[Constance @replies]

Writing here for the first time but I had to sign in (after years of lurking), because I was wondering if anyone else got a weird sense that the “test” on Bill was really a kind of punishment for not doing what the Doctor ordered. The Doctor was telling her not to consent over and over again but she did it anyway, to save his life. So what does he do? He puts her in a situation where she has to kill him anyway.So maybe a punishment or maybe a test – but a test of whether she would let him die if it really, really came to it.

This interpretation doesn’t show the Doctor in the greatest light but it just felt so overtly cruel and pointed that I thought there must be something else to it. It would kind of mirror some of the stuff with Clara where they became so co-dependent at one point that they were willing to do anything and everything for each other. And his relationship with Amy just before that was very intensive as well, so maybe he just doesn’t want that level of commitment from anyone right now.

My alternative theory is that he’s spent a lot of time with Missy, and maybe something of him is rubbing on to her and she’s changing, but maybe some of her is rubbing on to him as well. Gazing into the abyss and all that.

My theorising isn’t usually particularly bonkers but just felt like putting that out there for consideration!

[Author]

Posts