[janetteB @replies]

@bendubz11 You beat me to it. I was thinking today that it is possible that Ashildr is the Doctor’s mother and thus he is the bootstrap paradox. He created himself as it were. I admit that I am not overly fond of the theory. Another possibility is that she becomes his daughter in law and hence Susan’s mother and it is Susan who is the hybrid hence the Doctor taking her to earth to hide her. It appears that she does end up on Gallifrey which is where I suspect she is trying to get to though she may not know that herself. She needs a home where those around her have a degree of immortality.

Though of no significance whatsoever I am certain there is a human living on Gallifrey, married to a Gallifreyan and no doubt producing “hybrid” children. Leela and she was the child of a warrior race.

The hybrid prophecy has all the markings of myth about it and myths are rarely accurate, so the hybrid may turn out to be very different to what has been prophesied.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@jimthefish That is indeed a “splendid” interview. I however was rather disturbed by the blurb for part two which includes those dire words, “his plans to leave Doctor Who.” I hope those are long term plans.

@fatmaninabox I just watched the Jackson vid’. It does indeed looks as though discussions are under way for a Jackson directed episode. It would be nice if it was in New Zealand. The Doctor has not visited “down under” for many many years.

@mersey Thank for that link. Moffat’s comments about Sylvester McCoy are echoed by the article about him in Sydney. Sounds like a truly lovely man.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

The veil is Clara, or the imaginary monster inspired by Clara. “Stolen from his nightmares, something that happened to him as a child”. He needs to know that it was Clara under the bed. I was wondering as soon as he referred to his nightmares if there was going to be some linking back to the hand under the bed. That would also explain why the Veil’s hands are emphasised and it is always reaching out to him. IT kills by touch. Of course it might have been that something that inspired his fear of the monster under the bed too. Maybe he watched a really frightening episode of Dr Who. (Ok, I’ll make that coffee now.)

(after last night two cups are clearly inadequate.)

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Five pages now!! I have a horrible feeling I will never catch up. I have just rewatched the first two parter of the series which has given rise to some reflections in no particular order and of no especial relevance. When Clara is threatened by the Daleks she runs. Later she does not run. She has gained in courage through the season. This season begins in Skaro and ends on Gallifrey. The structure of the first two episodes is circular as I suspect will be the structure of the series. (with a few cracks and bumps.) The Doctor betrays his own values, regrets it and makes amends. Maybe that is what Gallifreyan society is doing?

The Doctor as the hybrid is probably a misdirect. Moffat does tend to play with us, like Dalek with its’ prey. However I think it likely that he is the bybrid only the hybrid is not what anyone else thinks or expects.

Think I will make another coffee and take the plunge, page 1 of comments it is..

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@lisa I don’t think it is Danny. Would be nice if it was. AT one time I theorised that there might be a Danny/Orson in every time zone where there was a claricle so that would mean there was a time lord version.

I really hope that it is not the Doctor regenerating. I want at least one more series of Capdoc and I would hate a surprise regeneration. I need plenty of forewarning to get used to the idea. Capaldi did mention his contract for next year.

Too tired after getting up absurdly early this morning to go “marching” for theorising tonight. Nice to see Gallifrey again. I hope we see a little more of Gallifreyan society. Looks like they have suffered from pretty severe global warming though.. Also noted the barn makes a reappearance. Seems likely we are to learn a little more about the Doctor’s past.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Wow. Three pages. I have only just finished watching and comments are already onto page 3.  I will never catch up, well not tonight anyway. That episode has all the makings of an instant classic. Afterwards R.3 (the 14 yr old) remarked that it was possibly one of the best episodes ever. Even the far harder to please R.2 was impressed though he did remark on the lack of science. One thing the episode was not was “chewing gum for the brain.” I was on the edge of the seat and there was more discussion than usual from the sofa as we all unpicked what was happening as it went along.

The only thing we didn’t “get” was his comment just before the “monster” lays its hands on him despite rewinding three times. I will rewatch tomorrow with the headset so hopefully will catch it then.

So who is behind it all? The trap was clearly of time lord origin but was it the High Council, the War Council who presumably take over once the High Council hightail it at the end of the Time War. (I have wiped the final Tennant stories from memory so not sure quite what happened to them), or it is Missy or some other renegade Time Lord? There are echoes of “Deadly Assassin” in this.

I was right about seeing how the confession dial is created indicating that we go full circle this series. I wonder if we will find out why the Doctor was on Skaro too. Maybe that it to come, hence that sense that he knew Clara was to die.

So maybe the Doctor is half human after all, a hybrid of two great warrior races, humans and Time Lords, hence his fondness for earth. Maybe his Dad is a professor at Oxford or Cambridge uni. having set the first “college” up of course way back in the middle ages.

Apologies if I am repeating others comments. Three pages is rather daunting at 10.30 pm after a long day.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@lisa The Californian situation is almost certainly exacerbated by all the Aussie Eucalyptus that have been planted there.

@ichabod It was one hell of wind that day. There was simply nothing the firefighters could do. To make matters worse this year’s wheat crop was damaged by an unseasonal spring heat wave and had been harvested for hay so there were a lot of hay bales to burn. (It may well have been started by spontaneous combustion.) The farmers have suffered the usual double whammy, first drought then fire. I have a friend whose house was directly in the path of the fire. They evacuated with dogs but luckily the wind turned just in time for them. Many of her friends however lost homes including the grandfather of one of our son’s mates.

On a more positive note, yesterday in the Post Office the woman at the counter next to me had a joey in a shopping bag. It seems that people rearing joeys have to take them everywhere with them perhaps because they are very insecure and affectionate animals. Kangaroos would make great pets I think.

cheers

Janette.

[janetteB @replies]

@jphamlore I really think Clara’s death was as accidental as it seemed. It wasn’t planned by anyone else because nobody could have predicted that she would do what she did. I also really don’t think the Doctor would destroy Gallifrey now after the entire point of “Day of the Doctor ” was to not be the one to destroy Gallifrey. Likewise I don’t think the Time Lords are evil rather they are very like humans. Time lord society is like any hierarchical society, rotten at the top.

I have been thinking more about my theory and I really would be surprised if we don’t see some “greying” up of the “baddies” ie the Daleks as a result of the Doctor going back and rescuing Davros from the handminefield.  I think the days of “good humans”, verses “bad aliens” are well and truly past. In recent years we have seen that former enemies such as the Sontarans and Zygons can also be friends. Handles showed a positive side to the Cyberman. I really think that making Daleks as a species capable of good and bad would be far more interesting. They were initially designed to represent a political ideology however from the start that was equated with nationality. I really want to see the series progress beyond that kind of linear thinking. So not predicting this is what will happen but I don’t have the second face required to see into the future, unlike Anna, I am only conjecturing as to what I would like to see happen. And of course I want an explanation for Orson and to see that toy soldier become a bootstrap paradox and if I got even one of those I would think it was Christmas.

Cheers

Janette

ps it seems there have been a lot of posts on this thread since I was last reading so apologies if my comment is a bit behind the times.

[janetteB @replies]

@puroandson Really enjoying reading young Ilion’s posts. It is nice to hear the perspective of someone young.

Puro I am thinking of you and sending virtual hugs.

@ichabod interesting your comment on the scare factor of the sound effects. I think what really frightened me as a child was the music which is why I am certain that particular show that effected me was Dr Who.  I still find the Radiophonics sound track in BGWho unsettling.

@lisa hope normal operations resume soon. I do envy you though. It seems as though the U.S has a lot more celebrations than we do. Celebrations are good and lacking in Aus’ culture.

It is quiet here after Wednesday’s excitement. The fire burnt through 72,000 hectares in four hours. It was on over a forty km front. A lot of homes and some lives were lost plus an enormous amount of livestock so it was very devastating.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@puroandson @miapatrick and @frobisher etc.

I first started watching TV over at my grandmother’s house with a disinterested older brother. It was a rather gothic house, (though decidedly humble) and the garden was very overgrown so scary shows had quite an impact on me. I stopped watching at a fairly young age, until my parents inherited the TV. It was set up in a corner of the mostly unused dining room. TV viewing was not a family thing, there was no sofa to hide behind although the table did have a long, heavy cloth that almost touched the ground, where we sat. There were no chairs for TV viewing. (My parents did not ever really approve of television) As a result of their disinterest I was able to watch what I liked, provided it was on the ABC. I was about thirteen when I watched War and Peace and I Claudius. It was some years later when I discovered Dr Who.

Tv viewing for our children was a very different matter. When they were young we did not have an actual table so ate in the living room in front of the TV. We very rarely watched what was actually on. (On the rare times they watched television as broadcast they would try and fast forward) One of the reasons was so we had control over what they watched, ie finger on the fast forward button. We watched a lot of Dr Who in those years but also shows like B.5. Some films and shows we watched so often they would know when to fast forward and remind us if we forgot. The only thing that really scared any of them was The AVengers. (TV series) I think it was because the series had a knack of turning the most ordinary and safe things into monsters. As a result we have still not watched the series since and don’t have it in our collection. The only episodes of AGWho that really frightened them were Blink, Silence in the Library and the first cyberman story, “Army of ghosts” (I think) when the cyberman were in the houses. They attacked from the “safe zone”.

I think there is a growing tendency to “over protect” children. It is always difficult as a parent to set guidelines, especially when they vary so much from home to home. One of my son’s friends isn’t allowed on the internet, others have their own FB and Skype accounts. (they are all around your age, Ilion.) As our 14 yr old is the youngest of three he had tended to follow his brothers and we have trusted them to moderate what he does. (They are both responsible and can sometimes be more strict than we are.)

Anyways I could keep talking about this but my head is greatly in need of an appointment with a pillow and I am beginning to ramble. (Late meeting in the city last night. urgh.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@pedant and @frobisher

.. but we can bonkerise endlessly at to the content of the missing post, that is of course if we ever run out of Dr Who to bonkerise about. 🙂

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I have been busy for the past day or so, “out of forum” as it were as opposed to “out of town” so have not had time to catch up with posts but really was impatient to share my latest theory. I am writing here because it was a comment of Moffat’s that has been niggling at the back of my mind for days that is behind it. He mentioned changing something and fearing that fans might not like it. Well we all know that if he changes the scratch on the bottom left panel of the Tardis door fans will screech but I have been pondering what that change might be.

This morning  I was watching “Day of the Doctor” and I spotted a blue print for this series arc. The first two parter introduces the idea that the Daleks are capable of changing, that they may not be all evil. Then the Zygon story shows that peace can be achieved between former “enemies”.

I think what is going to happen is that Gallifrey will return and there will be a truce between the Time Lords and the Daleks, maybe brought about by the “Hybrid” who might still be Clara though I don’t know how. Even the Star Trek and B.5 references, if indeed that is what they were intended to be, tie into this for in both series war was finally resolved by the two warring parties forming a truce. Reconciliation seems to have been the ongoing theme of this series.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@puroandson So glad to have you back with us Puro and welcome to “son”, or Ilion.

Regards

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

So sitting in a cafe earlier this afternoon looking out at a sky mottled with dark grey and brown plumes, watching the CFS trucks belting up the main street and then everyone’s phone pings a message alert at the same time; a CFS warning about potential fire danger. Fire has sweept through a vast swath of farmland north of the town. Right now the Barossa valley in under threat and as I type sirens screech past.

This is the second major fire this year and people say that fires are natural. They just happen. Yes they do but two major fire incidents in the same region in a year is not “normal” any more than having major bushfires in November is normal.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

Reading through all the comments and not much to add but a few remarks. I don’t think Clara had a “covert death wish”, as @ichabod and others have said. I think she was simply “careless of her life”. (quote from Bleak House) That carelessness often manifested as thrill seeking but in the end she measured her worth to others against Rigsy’s. He had a dependent, his child, she had none other than the Doctor. She was not seeking death but certainly undervalued her own life.

The episode seemed to be the beginning of the story to be continued over the next two episodes with no real links to previous stories this season other than the establishing of Ashildr as a character. I suspect however the confession dial has a bigger part to play and I think it will circle back to the first episode. I really need to watch that again before formulating any theories regarding it. I did not really see the dial fully but it appeared closed.

@jammiedodger, I am not really the one to help you as I know nothing at all about Tarot cards other than they make a nice bookshelf decoration but there has been an ongoing discussion this series about potential links between characters and events and tarot cards. I hope that helps. I think if you are really interested you will have to read back though the previous episode discussions.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@Purofilion. I will miss you so much dear friend as will everyone on this forum. You have given so generously to this little community, your thoughts, your passion for Who and music especially, and your warmth.

I also echo @pufferfish request that you keep your account open so that your name and icon remain with us.

Regards

Janette

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

@hurbleduh You watched a comedy fundraiser “Curse of Fatal Death” made in 1999 written by Stephen Moffat, Produced by Sue Vertue and starring none other than Rowan Atkinson as the Doctor, as well as Richard E Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley. He regenerates rather a lot in a short time. It is well worth a watch. In the extras Moffat expressed his love for the show and when asked if he would be interested in writing for the series should it ever be revived his eyes shone at the prospect.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Diving straight in tonight as it is getting rather late. I was right about Clara being in mourning this series. I think this is really the end for Clara but there are still Claricles out there. I rather hope that the Doctor will keep running into them for a long time yet.  I am certain that Jenna, between other roles, would be happy to oblige.

I am guessing it is the Time Lords who have sent for the Doctor. It seems like their typical haughty modus operandi.

I am still hoping that there will be some resolution to the mystery of Orson Pink as well.

Look forward to reading all the comments tomorrow. I suspect it will take more than a day to catch up with the discussion.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I am firmly “on the fence”. I won’t even jokingly say that “Clara will either live or die” because knowing Moffat she will either do both or neither. In fact I suspect the “both or neither” is more likely than a straightforward, living or dying which is why I really can’t wait until tomorrow night. I am afraid that I will probably succumb to temptation and read Dan Martin’s blog over breaky tomorrow.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@starla Thanks for the link. Oh to be in Sydney right now.

@fatmaninabox Thanks for that link also. I really want to buy those Big Finish stories. Would be great to listen to in the car while doing the long drive to the city.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

When I was a teenager there was one fictional character I hated in a favourite book and the BBC adaptation. Ironically in the TV series he was played by Colin Baker. Needless to say I was less than happy when he was cast as the Doctor a few years later. I have mellowed a lot since then. Now it is only certain politicians and online trolls that I might on occasion claim to hate. Those pollies in question were ones whom I have some experience with from my days of working on functions and saw just how arrogant they were, having to stand and listen politely while they said the most offensive things, being “off camera” at the time. I didn’t even hate cringeworthy “Tony” because hate is a very emotive feeling. I guess Dr Who does arouse a passionate response from viewers because it is so loved. People are inclined to feel very strongly about it a testament to just how special Dr Who is, even if sometimes those responses are deeply negative.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

All this series I have had the feeling that the Doctor knows something, something terrible. That has made for an overall sombre feel though there have been plenty of moments of humour. Every series since the reboot has had a different tone, more so since Moffat took over.  Last series the tone was that of uncertainty, leading to moments of light and shade. The darker tone of this series reflects growing confidence, of the characters and of the actors and writers. (Moffat and team.) Next series, I am certain, will shift in mood again. It keeps things, fresh, interesting, and gives a sense of narrative development. I suspect that it will begin dark but the mood will lift, so just as this series has become steadily darker next series I would expect, will move back towards light but time will tell.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@carrieanne

I just can’t figure out right hatred for a fictional character on a tv show

It baffles me too. But it isn’t just a figure on a TV show. They are directing that hatred at the person behind that figure be it Jenna Coleman or Moffat and that is what I find most offensive. Often when I did read BTL comments on the Guardian I used to cringe hoping that S.M, RTD or the actor was not reading because it must be soul crushing after putting so much personal energy into creating something and making it the best that you can.

@Purofilion Yes RTD did cop a lot of bile but I do think it has got worse. Keyboard warfare is a spreading like cancer. I also wonder how much of it is just pure trolling, how much a concerted attack on anything BBC for political reasons and how much is just evidence of human nature at its worst.

I looked at the article then closed it. Like you PUro I like spoilers that add to the mystery, that give clues which enrich the puzzle, not the kind that outright just say what is going to happen. But it is a source that it known to be unreliable so I will wait until Sunday to find out however I will have tissues to hand.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Thanks for the link @lisa. I did not find it particularly spoilery just Moffat doing what he always does, talking without saying anything. (I meant that in a good way.) He has become expert at answering questions without giving anything away.) My favourite words, and they are not spoilery, (I hope) were  at the end. “Business as usual”. That that finally puts paid to all the rumours that there would be no series next year or a truncated series. Yay for another year of CapDoc. Long may he reside in the TARDIS.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@lisa Thank you from me too for the trailer. Two Aussies on board this series. Must be time for an Aussie set episode. I know of a nice little town with nice historic buildings, some aspiring young actors who would love to be extras, and almost certainly a few monsters lurking around.

@bendubz11 I had always assumed that Daigon Alley was just a set for some reason but who needs to create sets when there are actual streets like that about. Do you know the location of the street?

@blenkinsopthebrave  I think you might be onto something there. I keep wondering if the Doctor was going to be shown to be in some way connected to Missy who of course was the Master back then.

I started re watching Dalek Asylum today and something that always struck me as poor scripting now seems like it might be deliberate. Oswin talks to the Doctor as a human until she is revealed to be a Dalek when she begins to “talk Dalek”.  I thought it was purely written that way because the script demanded it but made no real logical sense. I had forgotten it until Clara was put in the Dalek and could only speak “Dalek”. In Asylum of the Daleks  it may be that she can overcome the speech limitations of her containment for a reason other than to deceive the viewer. Oswin was clearly able to overcome the limitations of the Dalek speech circuits until the Doctor pointed out to her that she was a Dalek.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@phaseshift. I want. Looks like a lovely book and the audio sounds rather compelling. I hope it appears on the shelves down here before Christmas.

I would love to see some of those concepts developed as episode scripts.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I rewatched this morning with the 17 yr old and we discussed it at some length afterwards. He loved the concept and execution but like some others here, really felt let down by the “eye booger” monsters. I am still not entirely convinced that the Doctor is correct in his theory about the Sandmen. After all, as has been noted, we are being led by the hand through this episode by an unreliable narrator.

One thing that struck me as odd was that moment when Clara is pulled into the pod. The Doctor appears to be standing there next to her. This could be the result of “Rassy’s” editing and not a slip on the part of the actual editors.

@purofilion I too picked up on the bemused expression on the Doctor and Clara’s faces when the crew “read” the psychic paper.

The episode, like most, I found improved on re watch but left me even less certain of what was real. How much of what we see is simply the work of Rassmussan.

@lisa. I have the same problem especially after reading several pages of comments, so I often take notes as I go or I would have no chance of remembering who said what.

Cheers

Janette.

[janetteB @replies]

@arbutus I agree. We all have “our Doctor” but comparing the various incarnations just seems wrong now. AGWho has given us four wonderful versions of The Doctor, each bringing something unique to the roll and it is not fair to judge them against each other. I am beginning to really dislike the media habit of making lists of “favourite” or “best”. I feel for the poor actor that ends up no 10. Nearly all of the actors have given a lot to the marvel that is Doctor Who, be it through convention appearances or ongoing radio work. There is one exception but he was an exceptional Doctor and at the time he took on the role the popularity of the series could have have dreamed of and without him it might not have happened. (Actually I miscounted. AGWho has given us five, arguably six, wonderful “regenerations”. The minisode really endorsed McGann as the Doctor.)

Of AG regenerations, my favourite is always the one I happen to be watching. Of the older Doctors, Tom Baker will always be “my Doctor”, and I am afraid that Colin Baker will never convince me in the role but after seeing him in The Fivish Doctors I appreciate his ongoing commitment to the role.

Cheers

Janette.

[janetteB @replies]

@mudlark, I second what @Purofilion just wrote. Your wording was “gorgeously said”. In times such as this it is our shared humanity that must be our standard.

@mersey A lovely quote. I had not heard that poem before. (pity about the sexism though but I guess it was the norm for the time.)

I do like the Paris peace symbol.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@purofilion Actually I suspect they are dunces at English, hence their inability to read subtext or to grasp internal narrative logic. From my experience good English marks make one appreciate other’s writing rather than simply dismiss it as stupid. No more likely to be accounting students IMHO.

You are absolutely spot on in pointing out that those incapable of understanding blame it on the script writer and not their own intellectual failing. It really riles me too. What is even more ludicrous is they have the arrogance to go on line and argue that the script is incomprehensible when it is perfectly clear that other’s have no problem with it. Perhaps they think it is a case of “emperor’s new clothes” and they are the only ones honest enough to point it out.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@geoffers I have long suspected that Gallifrey is captured in the painting. I did mention it a little while ago. Curator Doctor is there to look after it.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@frobisher ARRRGh. That is the sound of my brain imploding after considering your questions. The Clara/claricle story is fraught with problems. I am personally convinced that it is best not to think too much about it. Think I will serve dinner instead.

It would make sense if she appears in each incarnation exactly when she is required rather than being born and growing up, as splinters of Clara were spread through the Doctor’s timeline. The image of the baby in Victorian London implies the later however which makes much less sense.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@purofilion That was really well said. I don’t think there has been a single episode of AG Who that I have not been able to find something to like in. That isn’t to say I have enjoyed the episode as a whole but there is always something, maybe a mere snippet of dialogue or a concept or character that stands out. There are plenty of episodes that, when rewatching  I tend to skip. Funnily enough The Doctor’s Wife is one of those. I just didn’t warm to it at all. Tastes vary and it does not surprise me that some people disliked this episode while others really enjoyed it. I am in between, neither really liking or disliking. I watched it on the edge of my seat. That is good. I need to re watch. That is also good. The only episode from last year I did not re watch was Kill The Moon though there was much in that story that was good. In the end we  will find and focus on the positives because we love the show. There is something unique and special about Doctor Who and we will defend it. Doctor Who is defended.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I wasn’t going to bother to post this and as most trolls don’t bother to go into details it hardly seems worth it but there is one criticism I have frequently seen popping up in discussion of this episode that is countered in the script, but I only realised it on a recent re watch. Kate goes alone to Truth or Consequences because, as she states at the beginning, they have only a handful of people they can trust. When your enemy is capable of assuming the face of your best friend, family or trusted colleague it is wisest to act alone.

@purofilion I understand why you reacted so on the other thread. It is tiresome, like fleas really and they always come out in plague proportions at this time of year. The only negative to having a wonderful series of Doctor Who on our screens.

@kharis I think it is another sad case of “Anticippointment”. (My new favourite word.)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

I am with those who loved Robot of Sherwood. It is one I frequently re watch because it is so much fun and every so often Dr Who needs to be simply fun. I was just bemoaning the lack of simple, fun episodes this series last night. I have really enjoyed this series and think the standard has been remarkable but it has become rather serious in tone.

Something I have commented on before is Clara’s outfits this season. No more bright or rich colours. The skirt, (I think it was @kharis who commented up0n it) was nice but a very sombre tone and that was the first time I think she has worn anything with any colour at all. (I think) I note next week it is black and grey again. Earlier on I wondered if it was a kind of mourning for Danny but now I suspect the costume choice is telling us something about Clara or her fate.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@countscarlioni

But by this point, SM has thrown so many pieces onto the table along no doubt with many red herrings, I’m open to almost anything in terms of how it all shakes out….

I echo that. I seem to be drowning in theories and possibilities. I think Moffat has left so many red herrings lying about that, to mix the metaphor, it is like wading through a fish sorting factory. I am enjoying reading everyone else’s inventive and clever theories and waiting to see how it all unravels. (I blame the metaphors on Moffat. I can’t even write a coherent sentence now, reflecting my current state of confusion.)

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

That was a lovely blog article and always good to expand the vocabulary. Anticippointment. That would have fitted nicely into last week’s writing exercise.

Thanks for the link @pedant.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Finally got to watch and enjoyed far more than I expected after reading all the comments this afternoon. Certainly not one of the best but that does not make it bad and  I suspect it will improve on re watch but might not be an episode that invites repeated re watches.

@phaseshift, That uniform did indeed seem like a nod to B.5 There have been several times this series where I have picked up on B.5 references but thought it probably only coincidence. Maybe not after all. The mural was definitely a Star Trek reference. I wonder if it means anything or is simply a nod to other cult sci fi for us fans.

@ozitenor Moffat did say that not all of the stories were two parters in the conventional sense. Some are only loosely linked so I am guessing that there is going to be some kind of connection, tenuous maybe, between this ep and next weeks. Perhaps the Doctor will work out what is going on or have to deal with what is happening to Clara.

@denvaldron I wondered if S.M had the original idea for this story and wanted Gaiman to script it. It does seem to reference the Sandman comic from what I have read.

@jimmyp I too was thinking that this seems to be a stand along before the next big three.

What a inventive way to convince children of the importance of sleep. I noted that our youngest turned the lights out straightaway tonight when sent to bed. No sneaky reading or drawing. So thank you Gatiss.

@phaseshift, interesting comparison to the Sun Makers. I did not realise that it was set at around the same time. I always liked The Sun Makers and was surprised by the bad reviews it received.

If there is any pattern emerging this series it certainly appears to be Clara becoming something else, Dalek, Zygon, Sandman.. If she is the hybrid then she is a multi being.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

I think the child who regenerates in New York is too old to be Clara but she is also too old to be Amy’s contemporary. I have to watch those episodes again to be certain but I always assumed that there had to be a regeneration between that child and Mels.

@kharis that is indeed a creepy thought.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@Margaret-Blaine. That is a very good theory. It sounds just like something Moffat would do too. Maybe she lured the Alaska down to the planet because she was desperate for some human company. The wreck of the Alaska is certainly real enough but there is no strong evidence linking her to it. The escape vent could have been used by anybody. Given that much of what we see regarding her is an illusion it is quite possible her escape from the Alaska maybe too. Or maybe she was a Dalek on the Alaska being used to entertain children. Moffat is very intent on showing that no “villain” is entirely evil and even Dalek’s can be redeemed. Maybe Clara was a “good Dalek” because if he could not save her from becoming a Dalek the Doctor would ensure that she did not loose the capacity to have emotions. He would make her a “good Dalek”. And as such she might be immensely powerful, changing the black and white, good verses bad way the universe currently works. It might be a “Good Dalek” that Davros fears most. The Hybrid is a force for peace and that is why they eventually capture and imprison Dalek Clara. That would explain why they were so afraid of her which I always thought a little overdone. After all she was only playing Carmen at them. Umm. I think my theorising has tied itself in knots again. I seem to have ended up in a slightly different position to where I began. Always my problem with essay writing.  I think as I go.

Oh and welcome back too. It has been a while since you have been posting I think.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@kharis  I think a little humour is much in need today.

My attempts at souffle making thus far have been worse than Clara’s.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@purofilion I am as “discombobulated” as you as to whom Florence is and also a little puzzled by The Stig whom I thought was someone in a driver’s helmet whose identity was never to be revealed. So I will join you in being “he he’d at.”

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Some random musings, it seemed rather in keeping that a poem by Shelley about war and government should be released this week. (not bad from a poet dead for over two hundred years.) I am still reading through it but the last lines reminded me of the Doctor’s speech beginning to disclaiming the horrors of war and ending with the positive line:

“And error’s night be turned to virtue’s day”.

@starla I think some of your questions are ones which it is left to the viewer to fill in. I think Kate’s memory wipe is only of the previous few minutes, not the entire episode. Surely all she forgets is what happens in the Black Archive and I am certain that the Doctor would have filled her in with what details were necessary.

As to the lack of recognition of the dead, as has been pointed out, governments routinely repress details about war causalities. I was just reading yesterday that the death toll from Gallipoli was not reported truthfully in Australia at the time. Mind in these days of social media I am sure that hiding deaths is far more difficult. However if nobody knows that some of the population are Zygon they will be aware that there have been deaths but will not know who is responsible or why. Hardly a recipe for a healthy, secure society.

Bonnie’s questioning of whether she can be forgiven reminds me of something I once heard someone say, a Chilean I think but it could just as well have been someone from any number of countries around the world, “How can you  forgive someone when they are not sorry for what they did.” This same question has been asked more recently by the East Timorese. People can forgive but only when the perpetrator of the atrocity shows contrition. Even by asking that question Bonnie demonstrates an awareness of what she has done. She demonstrates her contrition by becoming Osgood.

Now back to transcribing Shelley’s poem for tomorrow’s writing group..

Cheers

Janette

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

@lisa lots of thoughts too many, they are all swirling around in my head in a crazy cocktail. I do think that Doctor knows what is to become of Clara. I do think though the reason he doesn’t give Clara the immortality chip is because it is not a wise thing to give to a mortal. He questions the wisdom of giving one to Ashildr but he does so because it is the only way to revive her and her death was his fault. I don’t think immortality chips are something that the Doctor would give away lightly, even to someone whom he cares deeply about. Having given Ashildr the chip he has to give her another to make her longevity bearable. He knows the pain of out living everyone else and does not wish that upon anyone else.

@jphamlore I rather like that theory, that Gallifrey is in the Tardis. I have always wondered if it is in  the obvious place though, the British Museum. Gallifrey is in the painting, hence the Doctor being the curator.

Like @pedant and @jimthefish I am not so keen on the possibility of the return of Captain Jack, a character who only worked in small doses and was somewhat tarnished by Torchwood. However I am also confident that with Moffat at the helm it will work. More interesting is the suggestion that Clara was there. Makes me wonder if it is a final scene about her that will pop up in the next series. It would not surprise me as I sense that J.C.  has a good rapport with Moffat and Capaldi.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@purofilion Back in the past the Brigadier was answerable to various cabinet ministers, whom often turned out to be untrustworthy but Kate seems to operate very independently. There is an element of “fairy tale” about that. The world the Doctor inhabits is somewhat divorced from the real world; a reality where peace can happen because they have the Doctor and our world doesn’t. Also in making the Doctor nominal “President of the world” they are able to bypass governments. (I am no more enthusiastic about the Doctor as world president than he is but I did love his rock star stint at the plane door. Capaldi is really beginning to wear the role well and clearly loving it.)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@carrieanne Yes we tended to be spoilt, firstly back when Who was originally aired in Oz it was shown four days a week and then in the intervening years we watched pre recorded episodes and would tend to watch an entire “story” usually of four episodes in one sitting. We would say, “one episode only” but those cliffhangers got the boys hooked every time and they just had to watch the next episode, and the next. I found the wait for this episode particularly difficult mostly because I had no clue where the story was going to go. The situation at the end of the previous episode seemed so hopeless. That is testament to the strength of the story telling.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

This series just gets better and better. I felt last week that we had pieces of a puzzle that did not fit together. However the shape of the picture was there but without the conclusion it lacked meaning and what a conclusion it was. I have yet to rewatch, preferring to leave a day or so between viewings.

Everything I could say has been said and said well however there was one thing I noticed, that when the Doctor mentions the damage done to children in war the camera hovers over Clara’s face, a reference maybe to the boy whom Danny kills and saves.

The relationship between the Doctor and Clara certainly feels “off kilter” now. Even the boys have remarked upon it.

I initially thought that all the Doctor meant when it said it had been a long month believing that Clara was dead was that it had that feel to him, in the way that intense emotion can distort one’s sense of time. On reading through all the comments there are some exciting theories as to alternative interpretations.

@ozitenor I like the suggestion that Clara did not survive being put into the Dalek and hence for the Doctor it has been a month. I have been a Clara still in Dalek skeptic however I think I am beginning to warm to the theory. I wonder if she is indeed infested with Dalek nanos and is slowly dying inside. That would explain the meaningful looks he gives her though that hug in the first episode before she goes into the Dalek was equally loaded. Certainly something non lineal and timey wimey might be afoot. (that was just a shameful excuse to use that phrase again.)

@countscarlioni You get the golden Jammy Dodger award this week. Well spotted/theorised.

@mudlark, I have three victims of adolescence to deal with. (mostly they are wonderful) Even as adults we still have out adolescence moments. The Doctor’s speech was one of the finest ever penned in Dr Who.

@mudlark again, The sharing of consciousness makes the physical origin of the Osgoods unimportant. Once the consciousness is shared they become of one mind. The physical origin is irrelevant and so it is indeed odd that the Doctor is so fixated upon it.

@geoffers Sheer brilliance. Not sure my brain can cope either but I like it. If Clara is a future Doctor she can’t die, just go off somewhere else or regenerate.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@purofilion This two parter makes me nervous too. I feel as though we have been handed random bits of a puzzle and can make no sense of it at all. Tonight’s episode could be brilliant or a massive let down. I have peaked at the Guardian blog, trying not to be “spoilered”. and it seems like it is the former. I am waiting until dinner tonight to watch with the family. (have just been to a meeting in the city where we had to deal with a 3d troll. They are even worse in person.)

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip Thank you for that link. I am looking forward to watching it when I get home this afternoon. (I am off to an annoying meeting right now.)

@pedant You are doing a fine job of keeping the trolls in order. A “no nonsense” comment is just that, not abuse and certainly not a reason for the other person to become abusive.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@craig thanks also from me. I have not had time to look at the scripts but like @papermoon will enjoy them very much when I do. Also thanks for dealing with the recent infestation of trolls.

Welcome to new members, @spud and @carrieanne

I suspect that there is as yet no replacement for Clara on the horizon. Of course Moffat may well be planning a surprise. It would certainly be rather like him to do so. Still the lack of announcements re’ next series does concern me.

Cheers

Janette

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