Doctor Who 8.08
Oct. 13th, 2014 11:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakRunning a fever doesn't stop you from watching tv, thankfully.
I liked this one a lot, though mind you, I wouldn't have if the Doctor actually had been that callous about Maisie and the other other victims. Making it a pretend callousness in order not to give his plan away and saving Maisie by substituting himself for her as a victim kept it on the right side of "saving now, grieve for people later". Also the conversation with Clara afterwards was a great pay off, with him stating that he simply didn't know whether or not it would work and he'd been able to save Maisie. For me, it put Twelve's (consistent) behavior in the context of the Doctor no longer wanting to give the "I'll save you" promise, not because he won't try but because he's aware he can't always. I also liked that when Clara asked "so you were just pretending to be heartless?" he replied "Would you like to think that about me? Would it make it easier?" instead of agreeing, because he doesn't see himself as a good man, and while he has ego, it doesn't express itself in self-justifying ways.
On the darker side of things: Clara didn't know he was determined to save Maisie, he'd made her think he'd already given up on the woman, and she still went along with what she thought was lying to Maisie. In terms of what emerges as a seasonal theme - the moral prize of travelling with the Doctor for Clara - this struck me as more serious and organic storytelling than her sudden decision to lie to both the Doctor and Danny at the end of hte episode, which instead came across as an unconvincing turnaround/fallback on a romcom plot device.(This is the first episode of the season which makes no use of Clara's teacherness, too. She empathizes with Maisie, of course, but on a woman to woman level. Perhaps this is why she comes across as a bit younger and less mature than she's been in all eps so far?) Incidentally, at first I was surprised that this episode had Clara in it - the trailer from last week didn't reveal that, must have been edited deliberately that way -, but we got the explanation - that this was supposed to be a goodybe trip - pretty quickly, and I could buy that, that Clara after some weeks of pondering decided not to let her argument with the Doctor be the farewell but take leave of him in a more friendly manner.
Almost till the end of episode, I kept waiting for the engineer Perkins to be revealed as the puppeteer who put all the passengers and the Doctor into this situation to begin with in order to find out the nature of the Foretold, but I have to say I'm really glad it didn't happen. For one thing, it means that the occasional objection Perkins raises to the Doctor's behavior aren't retrospectively devalued by him turning out to be a villain, and for another, it makes for a great counterpoint: the Doctor after all ends up asking Perkins to come with him, and Perkins turns it the offer down for the same reason Donna originally did, though phrased slightly differently. Note: Perkins is an engineer, which if you ask him would be close to how the Doctor sees himself. Otoh, you have the Foretold, who turns out to be a damaged soldier. And him, the Doctor not only figures out (making good of his claim that he could if only he could see the Foretold) but is able to relate to, and they salute each other as the Foretold crumbles. It makes the point that Twelve's soldier issues are very much self projection a lot better than the OTT behaviour towards Danny in The Caretaker did. (And btw, the interaction between the Doctor and Perkins - which always remained respectful on both sides - was how I'd hoped it would go between the Doctor and Danny when Danny first showed up, which is why I find it frustrating the Moff went another, far less interesting way.)
Was that New New York where the Doctor brought Clara and dropped Perkins at the end? Also, I think this season has far more uses of the Psychic Paper than the previous Moffat seasons put together - it feels very Davies era, this detail.
I liked this one a lot, though mind you, I wouldn't have if the Doctor actually had been that callous about Maisie and the other other victims. Making it a pretend callousness in order not to give his plan away and saving Maisie by substituting himself for her as a victim kept it on the right side of "saving now, grieve for people later". Also the conversation with Clara afterwards was a great pay off, with him stating that he simply didn't know whether or not it would work and he'd been able to save Maisie. For me, it put Twelve's (consistent) behavior in the context of the Doctor no longer wanting to give the "I'll save you" promise, not because he won't try but because he's aware he can't always. I also liked that when Clara asked "so you were just pretending to be heartless?" he replied "Would you like to think that about me? Would it make it easier?" instead of agreeing, because he doesn't see himself as a good man, and while he has ego, it doesn't express itself in self-justifying ways.
On the darker side of things: Clara didn't know he was determined to save Maisie, he'd made her think he'd already given up on the woman, and she still went along with what she thought was lying to Maisie. In terms of what emerges as a seasonal theme - the moral prize of travelling with the Doctor for Clara - this struck me as more serious and organic storytelling than her sudden decision to lie to both the Doctor and Danny at the end of hte episode, which instead came across as an unconvincing turnaround/fallback on a romcom plot device.(This is the first episode of the season which makes no use of Clara's teacherness, too. She empathizes with Maisie, of course, but on a woman to woman level. Perhaps this is why she comes across as a bit younger and less mature than she's been in all eps so far?) Incidentally, at first I was surprised that this episode had Clara in it - the trailer from last week didn't reveal that, must have been edited deliberately that way -, but we got the explanation - that this was supposed to be a goodybe trip - pretty quickly, and I could buy that, that Clara after some weeks of pondering decided not to let her argument with the Doctor be the farewell but take leave of him in a more friendly manner.
Almost till the end of episode, I kept waiting for the engineer Perkins to be revealed as the puppeteer who put all the passengers and the Doctor into this situation to begin with in order to find out the nature of the Foretold, but I have to say I'm really glad it didn't happen. For one thing, it means that the occasional objection Perkins raises to the Doctor's behavior aren't retrospectively devalued by him turning out to be a villain, and for another, it makes for a great counterpoint: the Doctor after all ends up asking Perkins to come with him, and Perkins turns it the offer down for the same reason Donna originally did, though phrased slightly differently. Note: Perkins is an engineer, which if you ask him would be close to how the Doctor sees himself. Otoh, you have the Foretold, who turns out to be a damaged soldier. And him, the Doctor not only figures out (making good of his claim that he could if only he could see the Foretold) but is able to relate to, and they salute each other as the Foretold crumbles. It makes the point that Twelve's soldier issues are very much self projection a lot better than the OTT behaviour towards Danny in The Caretaker did. (And btw, the interaction between the Doctor and Perkins - which always remained respectful on both sides - was how I'd hoped it would go between the Doctor and Danny when Danny first showed up, which is why I find it frustrating the Moff went another, far less interesting way.)
Was that New New York where the Doctor brought Clara and dropped Perkins at the end? Also, I think this season has far more uses of the Psychic Paper than the previous Moffat seasons put together - it feels very Davies era, this detail.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-13 11:12 am (UTC)I'm altogether a bit frustrated by Clara's issues this episode, because the Doctor really was right - if he/they had been more humane and grieved, etc., more people would have died. Yes it would've been nice to comfort the soon-to-die rather than bombard them with questions, but the questions came from a real practical need. Ditto the Maisie situation. It wasn't as if she was safe staying where she was (if she had been, it would've been a much more convincing dilemma!), and Clara lying to her gave them a chance of saving her or at least gaining information from her death. I know that as a family show DW maybe doesn't want to say "lying is okay sometimes! and not caring about people is okay sometimes!" But... really it was a necessity in these circumstances.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-15 12:46 am (UTC)I was a bit disturbed by Clara's sudden about-face at the end of the episode. I mean, sure, I want her to keep travelling with the Doctor. But she had managed to navigate her regular life and her adventures with the Doctor quite well to date (aside from lying to Danny for a year, which isn't great). And now suddenly she's lying to everyone and we're supposed to believe TARDIS travel is an addiction? I didn't buy it. It seemed so random. She couldn't have changed her mind without blaming Danny? Too proud to admit she'd changed her mind, or what? Your motivation is pastede on, Clara. Meh.
I did, however, love love love her costuming in this episode (hotness!) and of course the whole thing where the spooky mummy turned out to be tech-based.
ETA: That DID look like New New New (New New) York to me, too!
no subject
Date: 2014-10-16 08:21 am (UTC)