@mudlark    I had completely forgotten the plot of The Abduction from the Seraglio, so all I can say is “wow”. I wonder what they thought the odds were that anyone would pick up on that?

@thommck   Nice diagram, but no red arrows?  🙂

@PhileasF   That bit of physics is fascinating! The world of physics is really so much deeper than what I was…[Read more]

@thommck – I like the diagram. It matches my understanding of the episode.

The phone number is in a ‘Moffat loop’, as the cast and crew apparently call it. Old Karabraxos phoned the Doctor. The Doctor time-travelled into her past and gave Young Karabraxos his phone number. Young Karabraxos became Old Karabraxos and called the number.

Star Trek:…[Read more]

@Thommck

The paradox is actually Karabraxos.
She couldn’t have called the Doctor without getting his number but she couldn’t have got his number without calling him!

Yup, that’s the paradox. It’s a self-consistency variation of Polchinski’s Paradox, which Moffat uses so often he must have Professor Polchinski on speed dial. 😉 Polchinski’s ori…[Read more]

@thommck  Oh don’t get me wrong, I like that Clara has a separate life!  I even like that it’s being fleshed out a bit more and being given substance.  I only meant that surely we don’t have to see every week what he goes through to convince her to join him THIS time.  Unless there’s a point to that.  Moffat makes me paranoid!

@purofilion  I’m…[Read more]

@Thommck

Anyone else spot how the Doctor was visibly out of breath after the traditional run through the corridors sequence.

Yup. It’s noticeable that they’re asking the 50+ Capaldi to do a lot less running than the 20+ and 30+ previous AG Doctors 😉

But if they don’t adjust stuff to fit the actor, we’re going to be permanently confined to…[Read more]

Well said @thommck

@handles @purofilion I’ve moved your conversation to the Rose and Crown (starts here). A time consuming business, and I have about an hour on the internet today because of work. (@arbutus @janetteB I’ve moved your responses as well)

Please show some restraint on topics. As you know – the Sofa is where newbies can say hello.…[Read more]

@purofilion

There’s a devil and Beltane,

That confused me at first. Our cat is called Beltane. 😉

@Thommck

Also, we like to have our boys shipped off by 9pm so we can get the wine out!

Very sensible.

As we get Dr Who a day late we choose when we watch it, which is usually when dinner is cooked. I always hated having someone else dictate my tv v…[Read more]

@thommck I know exactly why Clara likes to hug her mug of tea; the same reason I like to hug my coffee mug. Jenna Coleman really, really feels the cold. Whenever I see set pictures she is bundled up in a huge coat while others are wearing light shirts. The way she was standing below the window also showed that she knows what it means to suffer…[Read more]

@Thommck – I don’t think ‘risque’ – but I do think that there may be some plot points coming up where the Beeb would prefer parents of smaller children to have advance knowledge.

@Blenkinsopthebrave – nice to have you back. At least it was the right cellar! 😉

@TheBrainOfMoffat     That is an interesting idea, and opens up area for further speculation about what regeneration energy actually is.  Is it like a blood transfusion? And what might it do if you get the wrong kind?

@Serahni    Wow, that’s a workload! Hope the performances went well. Yes, it’s true that some fans have a harder time letting…[Read more]

@thommck – The more I think about it, the more suspicious I am about Orson Pink as well.  I’m not sure this was mentioned before (although I don’t recall seeing it), but doesn’t it seem odd that his mission went so colossally wrong?  You get in a time machine that is supposed to take you one week into the future (and, presumably, not move in sp…[Read more]

@thommck Good point! Maybe the monster wrote it because it can only see at night? IDK, I need more coffee my ideas are drying up!

@Purofilion and @thommck – thanks for the welcome back!

@raeyeth04 – Hi raeyeth04, I also assumed the young Doctor’s guardians were not his parents. I think you’re right — the reference to ‘the other boys’ strongly suggests he is in a children’s home, not among his own family.

It seemed odd to me that a frightened child would want to leave the…[Read more]

@Bluesqueakpip

He is the darkness without which we can’t see the stars.

That’s beautifully phrased, love it. (I also much prefer the jumper to the white shirt, but that’s just me 🙂 )

Also loved the big close-up on the young Doctor’s pupil at the end, showing it full of stars. (Continuing the seeing/not seeing and eyes imagery which people h…[Read more]

@thommck Your theory is very very convincing, but I don’t know if Clara knows Danny as a soldier when they first met, or maybe I just missed on when some of the teacher mentioning it, anyway, does this mean that Clara has a danger complex?

@Joehovah exactly, why would the ship has 2 seats and able to sustain living for 6 months, if it’s only…[Read more]

@TheBrainOfMoffat  (love that!)   @thommck

I don’t think the Doctor was thinking it through. Clara was trying to tell him that she got distracted, he didn’t want to hear it. If he was so uberfocused on his plan as to ignore her statement that she had never been to this place, he certainly wasn’t taking the time to think logically about what he…[Read more]

@thommck

One part I don’t really understand is why Clara is lying so much. To Danny, Orson and the Doctor. Is she just scared of the timey wimey repercussions our does she not really trust the Doctor anymore?

I think it’s because she’s just started dating Danny – it’s not even going that well. She’s not ready at this stage to open up to the Do…[Read more]

@chickenelly Moffat got his budget cut? Reason?

@Juniperfish Hello you! Still not well? It’s about time you kick that thing in the b***.  Yeah, I’d also say it’s been ‘Dad skills’ -we also know what he did. He did it to himself in Deep Breath, remember?

@JimboMcMaster We will have to wait and see if he is still bothered by those questions. He…[Read more]

I agree about the ‘breath’ motif, @Tetropolis.

And we can still champion the ‘eye’ motif too, @Thommck …

https://twitter.com/TheM0ffatMinion/status/510882992450195456/photo/1

@Whisht @Fatmaninabox Glad I’m not alone……

It’s like… And they did… And the Doctor….. And Clara…. And the child… and crying! …. And just….. awesome. No coherent thought. I am not even sure if I should watch it again or let it sink in first…. such a huge difference in what we know about the Doctor!

And I had 2 surprises (The…[Read more]