vilakins | The Time of the Doctor

Crossposts: http://vilakins.livejournal.com/662129.html

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The Time of the Doctor

I didn't think this was quite as good as The Day of the Doctor though I admit to some mistiness of the eyes and possibly some hand-holding. It was very moving and closes Eleven's story well, but there was just one massive bugbear which stopped me being entirely happy with it.

I was very sad to say goodbye to Eleven, especially when he'd spent over 300 years in one place which must have been a torture of sorts despite the love of the children, and I'll miss him a lot. He brought back my love of the Doctor after the emo self-pity of Ten. I'm happy wait and to see what Capaldi does though; I love that all the Doctors have been so very different.

Questionable

The one thing that bugged me was the village of Christmas. Why? Why did it even exist? Why would it be named after a festival (and not just a winter one either, remember - and Google damn' well should have too) from a planet on the outer edge of the galaxy? Was it created as a trap for the Doctor because he had a special love for the planet and the festival; if so I'd have liked to know more. Where did the people come from, and why did they have to tell the truth. How, for that matter did such a small gene pool survive, and without sunlight? Couldn't it have just been innocent Trenzalore natives the Doctor had to protect without any cultural baggage?

As for the planet, OK, I can believe that Trenzalore rotates very slowly on a second axis so that one pole almost exactly faces the sun throughout its orbit (as the moon turns the same face to us) so that there are only a few minutes of sunlight - after all, the place must have been created. I'd have liked an explanation for the existence of the planet and the one village; was there one that I missed? The fact remains that I was bothered by these nitpicks while watching, whereas I wasn't with The Day of the Doctor.

How, come to think of it, did the Doctor promise to never send Clara away again, then do it, in a truth field?

BTW is the Church the same as the one in the The Time of Angels, but from a different era? It looked fairly militant. I liked Tasha and how she fought being a Dalek puppet.

Good things

Clara, lovely, faithful Clara with her determination to be with the Doctor and her readiness to die, and her demanding that the Time Lords help the Doctor - a perfect solution to the whole regeneration problem. And Amy saying goodbye too, and when Eleven dropped his bowtie, ahhhh. And who knew I'd be affected by the death of a Cyberman's head?

It's just that I could have done without the snow-globe English village.

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I agree with the niggle, but I enjoyed the rest enough to let it go by until afterwards. Fridge logic.

Except that it bothered me while I was watching.

I love your icon! BTW do you watch Once Upon a Time?

Thank you!

I will be watching Once Upon a Time when the DVD arrives.

astrogirl2's squee convinced me.

And I convinced her!

I honestly think the main reason why the village is called Christmas is because it was a Christmas episode, and they seem to feel that every episode that airs on Christmas has to have a Christmas theme somehow, and that (as well as Clara's rather curtailed Christmas celebrations) is only way they could come up with to work it in. It is pretty out-of-the-blue, otherwise, although I do kind of like the nice metaphor/wordplay of the Doctor "staying for Christmas," especially when it was once difficult to even get him to stay for dinner.

I've been thinking about the planet, and I figure, yeah, either it was basically tidally locked (with a bit of wobble that means if they're just about on the terminator, they get a few minutes of sun each day), or else they're very close to a pole, and we just don't ever see the place at the times of year when it's sunny. I can't recall if there's anything that explicitly contradicts that second idea, but somehow I don't think it's quite the intent.

Clara's Christmas meal would have provided the seasonal content. I just have a low tolerance for kitsch and the unexplained. Which also includes why the TARDIS was delayed by putting up a shield to protect Clara - it should only have been slowed in Clara's POV, not arrive 300 years late. Maybe it threw its calculations off, but I can't imagine it's that fragile.

But still, it was very good and moving apart from the quibbles. I hope Clara stays on as she's wonderful.

I may need a Clara icon.

Yes it was kitschy and they never did explain even why the Truth field was there.

As for the Doctor's promise, truth is malleable, He promised not to send her away again while she was greeting him, but he never promised he wouldn't ever send her away again.

The village of Normandy has a hamlet called Christmas Pie, there is also a Cold Christmas in Hertfordshire:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=538500&y=216500&z=3&sv=cold+christmas&st=3&tl=Cold+Christmas,+Hertfordshire+[City/Town/Village]&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf

So it isn't unique in nomenclature, though fairly unique in its snowy snowglobe appearance all year round.

Edited 2013-12-29 00:53 (UTC)

It bothered me how they managed to survive - in spite of their low tech existence.

Given the place was manufactured, and it had to be (but by whom?), the people were probably genetically engineered too to survive without sunlight despite inbreeding. Couldn't we have had an explanation, even just a couple of sentences from Tasha?

Hmm, maybe he said he wouldn't send her away again, i.e. after this time, so when she came back he couldn't do anything about it.

There are some weird stories about the Hertfordshire village, but frankly, people are awfully susceptible if they've heard the stories before going there. The Normandy one is a field and avenue in Normandy, Guildford, nowhere near as odd as if it had been in the French one!

Yes, I sniffled when the head died, too...

I'd almost forgotten the command to remind the Doctor about the phone; Handles must have hung on till he could give it.

Oh, the bow tie........ *~*

I'll miss Eleven, certainly my favourite New Who.

He's definitely my New Who favourite and rivals Four, my first Doctor. I'd think put them equal now.

Some people were so upset when Matt Smith was cast, but he had that unusual young-old face and I knew he had to be good to be chosen. I wonder how many remember their reactions back then.

Yes, I saw a post about the cycle of fan reaction to new Doctors that started with "oh no, he can't possibly replace .... " through "I guess he's OK" to "but how will they ever find someone to replace him?"

I loved him from his first hello. :)

Me too! He's just so very lovable. I'd like to see him in something else, as someone completely different, as he's obviously a very good actor.

In fact I made this icon very early on, a cap from the first or second of his eps. Yep, 13 April 2010 to be exact (http://vilakins.livejournal.com/521769.html). :-)

Edited 2013-12-30 08:11 (UTC)

His upcoming role in the movie How To Catch A Monster (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/how-to-catch-a-monster-photos-detroit-ryan-gosling-matt-smith_n_3279738.html) will be quite a change for him.

Hmm, not sure if it's my thing. It's also a remake of the Dutch original and remakes aren't usually all that good. I'm sure he'll be in other things though.

It was a moving episode. I had a lump in my throat when the Doctor dropped the bow tie. :(

However, with the town of Christmas I was wondering how they got their food if there was only a few minutes of sunlight... why didn't they all have seasonal affective disorder... etc

Exactly. My theory is that the planet, the village, and the people were designed and created. By whom and why I'd like to know and that annoys me.

Hey, when do you feel like going to Smaug again? Or do you want to so soon?

The village felt a bit designed yes, and who by is the question...

I would like to see Smaug again. :) How about this weekend or Monday?

Monday would be good: Greg is back at work and I go back on Wednesday, yay. I've had a look for high-frame-rate sessions as that's much better for 3D, and got only Sylvia Park. I could pick you up and take you there and back. Sessions are 2:10, 5:30, and 8:00pm. If you fancy one, I can book and we can also have something to eat at Casablanca (Turkish cafe) before or after. :-)

[chooses most Bilbo-y icon]

What about the 2:10 session? :)

OK! Do you have glasses, or do we need to buy them with the tickets? Also, lunch before or dinner after? They do tapas, fairly small meals or larger depending on what you want.

Damn, just realised I have something on on Monday. How's Tuesday or the weekend? The same times apply.

How about Saturday with dinner after? I have 3D glasses. :)

Love the icon!

OK! I have too, I just have to look for them. :-)

[uses Sherlock icon since they're both in it and I've just finished watching the new Sherlock]

OK, I've booked and paid for the tickets. When shall I pick you up, around 1:20 or so (allowing 15 minutes to your place then Sylvia Park)? We need to pick up the tickets 15 minutes before; if we're early we can get them then have a coffee or tea or wander around.

Thanks. :) 1.20 will be fine.

Look forward to it. :)

OK! It is all right if Greg joins us for dinner? Casablanca do a really good tapas plate there we can share - or you can just order whatever you fancy. I imagine we'll get out around 5:30.

That's fine. :)

I thought they did explain the truth field - leaking through from Gallifrey wasn't it? To make sure the Doctor was telling the truth when he told them it was safe to come through?

And I interpreted his promise as "I won't SEND you away", but then he "TOOK her back and left her." Not entirely sure whether I believe truth fields work in such a way as to be fooled by word games, but we've seen the Doctor seems to think they're perfectly valid and presumably it's him being scanned and truth-fielded or whatever.

I liked it overall. Not as much as the 50th, but it was fun enough. I just wish they'd let the regeneration be the Doctor all gleeful and enthused about it for once instead of tagged on another change in the way it works to have him wandering around the TARDIS for a maudlin goodbye.

I really thought we were going to get a happy, looking forward regeneration for once.

I must've missed that bit about the truth field. I'd still like to know who created the village and pseudo-Victorian people. Maybe the truth field works on the speaker's conviction of it being the truth. [shrug]

Yeah, the regeneration did get a bit Tennish. And do we really need wistful goodbyes if the Doctor remembers his past regenerations and companions, and he does once the shock's worn off.

Good point! After all, he thought this was the very end; he should have been delighted at another set of regens.

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