Doctor Who: Season 32 thread

[Alytha]

I just had an epiphany! The little girl is obviously

The Rani. Ot the Master. Or possibly both...

Here's my impressions, from my blog post:

Impressions:

• 
  
• Really liked this episde too, even if it left quite a lot of questions and plot points open, which we haven't really been used to so far, as usually all big issues get cleared up within a double episode. Looks like there's some good crazy stuff to come though :)
  
• so we have a baby timelady...is she Amy's daughter after all? The Doc's scan of Amy wildly fluctuates between pregnant and not pregrant. Maybe the constant time travel messes with the baby and turns her into a timelady? The only other possibility is that she's the Doc's daughter, and in that case Amy's pretty certainly not the mother.
  
• I like the little fanfare that goes off everytime Nixon shows up ;)
  
• What the hell is up with the creepy eyepatch lady?!
  
• The Silent: creepiest aliens ever. The Angels have nothing on them. Cheers Moff...
  
• The invisible setting on the Tardis definetely has advantages...
  
• Speaking of Angels, in Blink, the 10th Doc was transported to 1969 too, wasn't he? Might have been a nice meet-up ;)
  
• Things not answered: Who kills futureDoc? Why did the Silents keep a little girl in a specially constructed life-support suit? And a timelady at that? Did they know she was one?
  
• Sad moment: River's last/the Doctor's first kiss...she still has the advantage on him, and it's tearing her apart despite her easy-going outer demeanor. He's only met her 3 or 4 times now, and still is bewildered by her apparent familiarity with him.
  
• Rory looked surprisingly nice in 60s nerd glasses ;)
  
• Rory and Amy...so he's been waiting for her for 2000 years, and remembers all of that, although he doesn't want to, and he still can't be sure if she actually loves him back, because the Doctor visibly exercises such a strong influence and fascination on her. Wouldn't every girl want to have a man so blindly true to her, who would still do anything to save her? She really should be a bit less flippant and nicer to him, or he might end up changing his mind. He seems to get along quite well with River lately...
  
• Next week: PIrates! That looks like fun :)

  
  

[Maltaran]

I like the little fanfare that goes off everytime Nixon shows up ;)

If I'm correct, that is from Hail to the Chief, which is the traditional introductory march/fanfare for the President.

[Eyelesbarrow]

Yes! It took me like five minutes to realize, hey, thats Rory! I also loved the little scene with him and the Doctor talking about the fall of Rome. I really appreciate that they're trying to make him into his own character rather than a third wheel, but OTOH, they seem a bit lacklusterly committed to that, what with another Doctor/Amy fakeout.

If there's one thing that jarred me in the episode, it was the Doctor-Amy fakeout. I thought it was all cleared up in the last season. If they keep this up, Rory might come off as an insecure whiner and I will hate him. Which I don't want to.

Yeah, that scene with the Doctor and talking about his 2,000 year wait and the door in his mind...I thought it was a nice touch. Gave his character more depth. In fact, I like all of Rory's interactions with the other characters, especially with River.

Was thinking of the Tardis pregnancy test. Yes it could be that it's a baby with a timehead. I was also thinking that since Amy was time traveling, the Tardis could not give a definite print out of her condition. In some periods, she was pregnant, in some times, she was not.

[Thelonious]

I liked the throwaway line about how Nixon should tape all his conversations in future.

[Dornish]

There was also the last little bit about how it's never safe. The Doctor is apparently responsible for all of Nixon's paranoia.

[Xanrn]

The silence reminded me off thoose Demons from that episode of Buffy, which was mostly silent...

[Alytha]

If I'm correct, that is from Hail to the Chief, which is the traditional introductory march/fanfare for the President.

Of course, but here it seems to come out of nowhere as Nixon shows un unexpectedly. Or maybe the Doc was playing it from the Tardis.

[valacirca]

Possibly: River is Amy's baby.

Whoa, I like this theory. I could see it as quite a possibility.

I may be at a disadvantage here though since I skipped all the first five series of the new Dr. Who.

I really couldn't be bothered with catching up considering all the other stuff I have to do and watch.

[Samalander]

Samalander - why does it bother you so much, that you go to convulted length merely to imagine the possibility of it changing, that River Song is played by a woman who looks, yes, over 25?

Again, she is to die looking like she looks now (younger, even).

If they want to extend her character arc into the Doctor's future (her past) they are going to need to find an actress that looks, yes, under 25!

[Datepalm]

Again, she is to die looking like she looks now (younger, even).

If they want to extend her character arc into the Doctor's future (her past) they are going to need to find an actress that looks, yes, under 25!

Er, from the Doctors perspective, their whole relashionship has taken place over the course of like maybe a year or two at best. (I'm not actually clear of internal Tardisian chronology. I tend to think an episode starts like a couple days after the one before it ends, but theres no real evidence to base that on, I don't think. They must sleep sometimes, and occasionaly stop for lunch and so on.) It could easily be, say, five years in total for River. Or even ten, without really streching it in terms of appearance. Its even possible River met the Doctor when she already looked older than him. Woah!

[Werthead]

I was not particularly engaged by these first two episodes. Definitely the feel of Moffat getting too clever for his own good, far too much random stuff going on that will only half-make-sense when we get to the end of the season and no real charm or wit to the episode itself (though Mark Sheppard is as great as expected). Doctor Who has always suffered when it's gotten too self-indulgent rather than telling a good story and it's in danger of doing that now. Hopefully the next few stand-alones will reverse this trend. I'm also irritated by the fact that we got a whole episode in Ecclestone's season telling us that if the Doctor crossed his own timestream the consequences could be horrendous, yet he now does it with wild abandon with no consequence.

River falling into the TARDIS and landing in the pool (because she still has momentum and would still be killed if she just flew into the console room) was quite amusing. Though I believe it's been done before in the books and comics.

[valacirca]

I was not particularly engaged by these first two episodes. Definitely the feel of Moffat getting too clever for his own good, far too much random stuff going on that will only half-make-sense when we get to the end of the season and no real charm or wit to the episode itself (though Mark Sheppard is as great as expected). Doctor Who has always suffered when it's gotten too self-indulgent rather than telling a good story and it's in danger of doing that now. Hopefully the next few stand-alones will reverse this trend. I'm also irritated by the fact that we got a whole episode in Ecclestone's season telling us that if the Doctor crossed his own timestream the consequences could be horrendous, yet he now does it with wild abandon with no consequence.

Maybe his older self dying was a consequence of crossing his own timestream in some way?

If so, I would call that a horrendous consequence.

Also, I did get the same feel of the first two S06 episodes being quite indulgent. I've actually been considering re-watching both again to see if it "comes together" easier on repeat viewing. But then, I was under the impression that Doctor Who generally has a feel similar to this. I guess not.

Just the .02 of a newbie to the forums and to Doctor Who. Take what you will with a grain of salt.

[Brude]

There was also the last little bit about how it's never safe. The Doctor is apparently responsible for all of Nixon's paranoia.

Yeah, I caught that too. I said to my friend when we watched it, "you kind of can't blame him for all the paranoia, knowing what he knows." In fact, considering what he's helped with, he's kind of heroic. His paranoia and failures as a consequence are downright excusable under the circumstances.

[red snow]

There's something weird going on and I'm hoping Moffat has a good explanation for it all. For one there better be a good "get out" for the Doctor dying in episode 1. The other things were eyepatch lady and Amy being pregnant/not pregnant. I was left with the impression that the child was river and Amy's daughter but it almost feels like there's some kind of alternate dimension or paradox in the making going on regarding the child/river/amy's pregnancy. It may make sense at the end of the season much like some of the scenes from last season appeared to be continuity errors only for it all to make sense.

I also got the impression from last season that River was in jail for killing the doctor but i can't see how she could be the astronaut as that would mean she'd remember and therefore cause havoc with her receiving the envelope. The astronaut could be pretty much anyone or even no-one. Babylon 5 leaves me with the impression that it may actually be the doctor himslef in the suit.

As for River knowing how to control the Tardis, she clearly spends a lot of time on the TARDIS at some point so she can pick it up. Even more paradoxically she might pick it up from the Doctor (after future her showed him how to do it).

[mormont]

There's something weird going on and I'm hoping Moffat has a good explanation for it all. For one there better be a good "get out" for the Doctor dying in episode 1. The other things were eyepatch lady and Amy being pregnant/not pregnant. I was left with the impression that the child was river and Amy's daughter but it almost feels like there's some kind of alternate dimension or paradox in the making going on regarding the child/river/amy's pregnancy.

Exactly my first thought when I saw the positive/negative thing on the TARDIS screen. How can you be pregnant and not pregnant at the same time? Because the pregnancy itself is a paradox. And any child that results is going to be a walking time paradox: presumably making them ideally suited as a nemesis for a Time Lord, and thus explaining why the child is useful to the Silence. (Or is it actually Silents? I wasn't sure.)

Anyhow, I'm guessing that the Doctor's death scene in the last episode was him sacrificing himself after realising this was in some way vital to resolving the paradox (making it very likely that it is Amy's daughter in the suit), but with a get-out clause similar to last season's business with the memory thing. I need to think this through a bit more, and there is clearly more to be discovered about the Silence: I'm sure we're still short of all sorts of vital information. But the speculation is fun. ;)

[red snow]

Exactly my first thought when I saw the positive/negative thing on the TARDIS screen. How can you be pregnant and not pregnant at the same time? Because the pregnancy itself is a paradox. And any child that results is going to be a walking time paradox: presumably making them ideally suited as a nemesis for a Time Lord, and thus explaining why the child is useful to the Silence. (Or is it actually Silents? I wasn't sure.)

Paradox sounds like a good name for a doctor who villain. No doubt there has been one at some point over the decades.

Your'e right about there being potentially tons of hidden scenes/clues with the silence in that episode.

The next episode looks like a bit of fun. Eerily similar to the new pirates of the caribbean trailer too.

[Lord Baelish]

The Silence told Amy that she would "bring the Silence, but your role shall soon end". Makes me think that the little girl is vital to their plans, whatever those plans happen to be, hence why they built that suit to keep her alive. River describes them as parasites, leaching off other civilisations and not creating anything of their own. The "vampires" in the Venice episode last series said they were fleeing the Silence, so obviously they're active on a lot of planets. Whoever they are, it's clear they are going to be the main villains of the series. Thank God it isn't the Daleks again.:P

Also, next episode has the foxy Lily Cole in it. Looking forward to that.

ETA: Also I remember reading somewhere that James Corden is coming back in this series. For those that don't remember, he was in the episode The Lodger last series, where one of the Silence's abandoned command centre things was. It'll be interesting to see why that one was left behind by them.

[polishgenius]

Yeah, I caught that too. I said to my friend when we watched it, "you kind of can't blame him for all the paranoia, knowing what he knows." In fact, considering what he's helped with, he's kind of heroic. His paranoia and failures as a consequence are downright excusable under the circumstances.

The Doctor is also directly responsible for telling Nixon to tape everything that goes on in his office.

I was not particularly engaged by these first two episodes. Definitely the feel of Moffat getting too clever for his own good, far too much random stuff going on that will only half-make-sense when we get to the end of the season and no real charm or wit to the episode itself (though Mark Sheppard is as great as expected). Doctor Who has always suffered when it's gotten too self-indulgent rather than telling a good story and it's in danger of doing that now.

I liked the episodes, but there is a danger that the ideas rush will start overwhelming things if it carries on, even in the context of the attempt to make the story more modern-telly long form. Moffatt's going a bit Grant Morrison in that respect. Hopefully the later arc episodes will set to answering more questions than they ask. There's a lot here for the season to work off now, getting a lot of setup out the way now is hopefully to give a more satisfying payoff later.

Hopefully the next few stand-alones will reverse this trend.

The standalones are also important for the fact that these two episodes have been in no way kid's telly, and no matter how ambitious Moffatt gets with his wider stories, he still needs to keep the initial audience, who came into it on RTD, engaged. There's already a worry that audiences are falling, though the weather and wedding may have had to do with that.

[Xanrn]

Maybe the Girl is the Silence everyone is shitting their pants about.

Hence Amy bringing the Silence.

I don't like the ruling from the Shadows bit, sounds like someone trying to make excuses for the Insanity of Man.

[Foreverlad]

I've already started losing track of things this season. Could someone clear something up for me?

If the girl "dies" in episode 2, how is she in the space-suit to kill the Doctor in episode one? Is that an earlier version of her? Was it actually her? I could have sworn the visor came up so we could see there was a girl inside when she killed the Doctor, but now I can't be sure.