Hi @FiveFaces – ype as @Apopheniac says ‘Robot’ is from ‘worker’.

I have heard of Carel Kapek but never read anything by him – it was he (or his brother) who first used the word as the name of sentient automatons (R.U.R – Rossum’s Universal Robots stageplay – the robits of which are a bit closer to being part-organic-part-mechanical;…[Read more]

Hello @FiveFaces

Robot is from the root verb “to work” in both Czech and Russian.

Im not sure about a socialist bent to the series so far.  Moffat is milking Scottish independence though, and thats being written about as a more left-leaning ideal north of the border.

Clara is reading minds a lot so far.  But its always portrayed as something that can be read as something else, like with Robin Hood she knows the story very well, with Danny Pink she was joking that a moral dimension to soldiering means crying after killing people.  (Did she do a mind-reading in Deep Breath?)  Theres the psychic link to River So…[Read more]

@janetteB     The Doctor likes to play the mythical hero and does not appreciate competition.  This is interesting! I read that competition as more of a general “two big egos meetup”, because as I said earlier, I am definitely getting the feeling here that the Doctor is not at all comfortable in the hero role (although he seems to burst into it…[Read more]

@FiveFaces   My favourite bit of the Sheriff’s monologue was actually the first part: “After Nottingham… Darby.”  A bit anticlimactic. But he got there in the end.

I wonder if all these callouts to BG Who that people are finding are going to end up part of the Missy/Promised Land arc in some way? Or if they are more related to the Doctor’s p…[Read more]

Hello everybody.

I seem to be one of the few in his forum who thought this episode was just ‘meh’. Not terribly bad but not really outstanding either.

I can’t put my finger on why. I don’t think PC is another league as an actor than 9, 10&11 (as someone said in this thread). To me this episode is a bit of what people complained about in “…[Read more]

@FiveFaces

I’d agree that the Doctor uses Ross’s death in a very utilitarian way. However, Moffat has previously delivered a resounding ‘No!’ on utilitarian ethics for the Doctor – in The Day of The Doctor.

The difference with Ross is that it wasn’t the Doctor’s fault he dies – he just can’t save him. However, what he could have done was…[Read more]

@Pufferfish you can see his side-eye, whereas the dormant droids are facing forward, unseeing. So he never *quite* abandons her in the ‘larder’.

You’re right.  And he is also the “droid” who dragged her away.  I bet that was the Doctor who put the dream in her mind of the kids screaming, so she would start the ball rolling.  He believed in her, t…[Read more]

Cybermen are Robots too.  Death in Heaven.  I’m liking this.  Thanks for the Toymaker thought @FiveFaces

This is why forums are so awesome.  Ideas lead to ideas.  Bean from Ender’s Shadow said it best “One mind can think only of its own questions; it rarely surprises itself.”  Good reason for the Doctor to bring along companions.

Gotta love McCoy 🙂

It started with a phone call. It ended with a phone call…
https://twitter.com/MiraShareif/status/504202422886338560/photo/1

I hadn’t thought of that, @FiveFaces …

And here’s the obligatory River conspiracy. Remember, the episode featured the…[Read more]

btw – really enjoying your bonkerising @Serahni ! TL’s (actually anything) exploding from the clock face would be a visual treat!

and yes, it does seem that clocks are a motif (is that right? or theme? hmm)

Now, I kinda have a new hat to throw in the ring…

[takes a not-so-ironic-Deep-Breath]

Missy is the SS Madame de Pompadour.

@FiveFaces…[Read more]

@FiveFaces

‘the Doctor is basically a bad person’ idea that M0ffat seems to have been pushing;

Sorry – have no clue what the basis for this assertion is.

The idea that Moffat has explicitly stated is that the bad people don’t know they are bad, but I don’t see the opposite as a corollary – the Doctor is always wracked with doubt, even if he woul…[Read more]

@FiveFaces: my problem with Earthshock is that it’s one of the most plot-hole filled stories in the shows history. On first viewing, I didn’t notice because I was enjoying the ride so much. But, on rewatching, I found myself wondering all sorts of things. I will just go into the biggest: other than something mumbled about alien technology, there…[Read more]

@wolfweed oh that’s classic and the frightening thing is I actually remember the advert. @FiveFaces lol you know I’d almost forgotten that aspect hehe

@FiveFaces   Whoever she is, the idea that Missy might have put the Doctor into that situation to find out whether he is capable of killing is rather neat.

@Bluesqueakpip    Interesting point about the two previous owners of the Twelfth Doctor’s face. I agree that “saving people” must somehow be the connection, especially given that Gallifrey…[Read more]

@fivefaces – no problem, we’re all independently coming to (some) of the same conclusions around here, and it’s impossible to keep up with who was first to spot what!  I’m @cathannabel here I think (so many identities – hard to keep track!).

Over on Reddit they’ve identified the specific location that was used in The Girl Who Waited and other…[Read more]

Gosh, this place is good! So many theories in such a short space of time 🙂 Forgive me if I don’t name-check the brilliant people whose comments have inspired these ramblings of mine – I’ll only get confused, and unlike the Doctor I don’t have the excuse of regeneration to blame…

The new theme tune, which I decided instantly I loathed, is…[Read more]

@FiveFaces Okay, strange theory here, but what if Missy saying “I think I might keep it” is in some way suggesting she knows future/other incarnations of the Doctor, but prefers this one because of the accent? As I said just a weird theory… :3

I like how the discussion got started again immediately =D! And some of the replies are just so long that I am sure I will miss bits and pieces I wanted to comment on while reading your opinions.

It is really interesting to me that there is such a wide array of opinions! Usually most in this forum agree on the general tone of the episode. This is…[Read more]

@FiveFaces
Sorry I left out your Moment theory.
And I like your ‘Mistress of the Land of Fiction’ theory. Fairly bonkers but plausible.