The Midlife Crisis Fairy Tale Of Doctor Who.

A very amusing interpretation of this series of Doctor Who.

 

Well, it was mainly Rassilon and the high council that was behind that. The ordinary soldiers were probably made unaware of what was happening to the Doctor. The Supreme Commander probably realised that what was happening was wrong but couldn't go against the President.

 

Not to mention that the whole '4.5 billion years of torture' is basically horseshit. Yes, the Doctor was technically inside the Dial for that long, but all he remembers is a single session. He's been killing himself and recreating himself which, as horrifying as it is in theory, only makes for a single experience in practice. He doesn't remember all the previous ones. It's not the same body. The body that continues the next session is a replica of the Doctor exactly as he arrived in the Dial, and that last replica, which escaped the Dial, is the Doctor, but he's only really lived one session.

The Doctor isn't really affected or changed by this experience. He wen't in and out in a single session, only he knows other copies of himself (millions and millions of copies) have also done the same. It's no more than a few days for him.

Unless I'm missing something crucial?

 

Well. Technically he's in there at least two, probably three days; we see nightfall while he's digging, then he wanders around for a bit longer, working out how long it takes the Veil to traverse the castle, then it's night again when he finds room 12, then it takes him a day and a half to crawl from room 12 back to the teleport. So at least three days. Your point still stands though, at least from one point of view. Another would be that while he isn't aware of all his deaths, he knows they happened, and he knows that it's taking him 4.5 billion years - that has to have some sort of traumatic consequence.

 

Classic Doctor was never the most rational, responsible, or even the most clever of the classic Time Lords. I think one of the big points of NuWho, which was highlighted in this recent episode as well as in the Tenant special with the Master, is the huge cultural and behavioral shift that Time Lords underwent during the Time War. They are no longer the wise, benevolent, reasonable rulers of space and time. They are now irrational, violent, and afraid, hiding from everything at the end of the universe.

 

Nope you're perfectly right. I just went along with the whole "OMG! 4.5 Billion years!" thing because the acting from Coleman and Capaldi was so good. Such sweet, sweet sorrow.

 

But the events are actually that tightly controlled. Besides, it doesn't really make a difference to him. He knows he'll really only remember one life.

Although, the teleporter is quite a big Deus Ex Machina (Kind of like everything else in Doctor Who). If the Doctor ever dies, someone just needs to find a teleporter, pull the switch and voila. Instant Doctor.

Or even use it on his companions if they ever die. Heck, this thing is betterthan the Resurrection Gauntlet in Torchwood. With the logic of the teleporter, the Doctor could have taken Clara like a day or two before Face The Raven, make her use the teleporter, wipe her mind and drop her off just in time for Face The Raven. Then, use the teleporter and voila, instant Clara.

I hate the fact that she was in this episode though. I appreciated the fact that finally one of the Doctor's companions had actually died (In New WHo at least). Rose was in a parallel world, Martha left him, Donna lost her memory, Amy and Rory were in the past but they were all alive. I thought, finally some actual death. But alas, it was not meant to be.

 

It doesn't work like that. The reason the teleporter kept giving out new versions of the Doctor was that the rooms of the castle in the confession dial, rest themselves and all the information contained within. Using the teleport to make new people doesn't work outside the confession dial.

 

So? Just pop Clara in a confession dial. And besides, the Doctor can probably build the technology that causes the rooms to reset easily enough.

 

It feels like you're trying really hard to find issue with the teleporter. Not that one has to look far for Doctor Who plot holes. I think Gallifrey should be in the periphery for a while. It's back but The Doctor doesn't have to go back there every season, much like the Daleks don't need to appear, just because it's there. I enjoyed this season's use of old Doctor Who monsters and some cool new ones. Would be nice to see the dynamic of The Doctor with a male companion.

 

That might be the transitional next step into Female Doctor with a male companion.
I loved Missy n all...but I don't know if I'd get on board with that though.

 

The Doctor with a male companion wasn't all that uncommon in the old series. I don't get why the creators can't see what a great reception both Rory and Mickey (Not to mention Captain Jack Harkness) received and make another Male companion. You could emphasise on the bromance like a Sherlock/Watson (NOT SLASH).

 

Although I haven't seen many Old Who episodes I am aware. I have read reviews that some of the male companions were really well received.

Totally agree that a male companion would present different challenges for The Doctor as opposed to the recent (Eccleston to Smith eras I mean) ones where the female companions have mostly fancied or been in love with The Doctor.

 

While I was hoping that the "Search for Gallifrey" myth arc would have lasted longer then the whole "Last of his Kind" shtick. I think it was kind of nice to have a return to the whole "Rogue among his own people" I think it's more savior of his own people.

With all this messianic talk for the doctor anyone think they'll do an arc of him re-deeming the Gallifreyains in some manner. They are pretty much hated among the whole of reality. They'd have to do something really big to save.

 

I was so excited for Peter Capaldi, but the writers made him too much of a grumpy old man his first season. It really made me dislike his doctor.

---------- Post automerged at 03:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

This new season he's really come into his own. And I think the writer's are really back pedaling from the grumpy old man from last season. He's so much more relatable and exciting now

 

His first season was really strange. His humor is different than Smith and Tennant, drastically and it was jarring at first. I think the actor might have been afraid to change the character too much and the writer weren't sure how to use Capaldi to the best of his abilities in the first season. In season 9, it's clear both Capaldi and the writers are more at ease with each others. I really liked him in last season.

 

I went through and watched this whole season recently, and I felt that it got better and better.

I honestly didn't like Face the Raven, as I just sat through the whole melodrama thinking "Yeah this isn't the last we see of Clara, so it means nothing". Heaven Sent and Hell Bent were fantastic though.

I'm sad to see Clara go, I think she might be one of my favourite companions.

 

It was a typical Christmas special. Entertaining nonsense that probably lives or dies by your view of River. Quite a sweet finale to her story (if finale it is...they'd have to cheat a hell of a lot to justify any more appearances with Capaldi or future Doctors though), and just all round a fun little romp.

 

Not the best episode, but it was fun nonetheless. They did a small retcon for it, since one minisode showed the Eleventh as the one who took her to the Singing Towers of Darillium.

I fully expect River to show up once more though, maybe again as a ghost, when Moffat is doing his farewell episode as the show's main writer.