Doctor Who 9x05 “The Girl Who Died”
Doctor Who's 9x05 “The Girl Who Died”. SPOILERS.
Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!
Dear writers, I just found out how you can make me happy: just show me two-second flashback with Tenth and I’m done. Extremely happy. Fangirling all over the place.
No, I’m joking. That episode wasn’t the best episode since “A Town Called Mercy” just because it had a flashback with David Tennant. No, it was an excellent episode because the story of the Twelfth Doctor finally makes sense. It’s amazing! I was so angry with some particular episodes of season 8 when the Twelfth was indifferent; the Doctor might do various things but he has to care, otherwise for me he’s out of character. He has to care and be emotional. That’s why the Eleventh will never be my Doctor: he might be a relatively healthy, stable and functioning version of the Doctor - it’s not a coincidence he lived for centuries while the Ninth and the Tenth had few years each at most - but if he just has adventures and no human feelings are involved, why should I watch it? I know he’s going to survive; it’s difficult decisions, loss, love, friendship, development, feelings I want to watch. But I slightly digress.
So, if this story, the Twelfth story, is about a person with ‘amnesia’ (new cycle, a big reset) who had to partly learn and partly remember who he is, I’m fine. Not sure why we needed such a long time for it but okay. And now he finally realises that he cares. He cared in the previous story and he cared in this one, and I really hope the writers had actually spoken to each other and he’ll care in following episodes, too.
And how he cared! I can do anything! So Time Lord Victorious. But, on the other hand, I’m not supposed to! And, what I like about him and what continues from the previous story, he doesn’t force people to do the right thing or what the Doctor thinks they should do. To do that would very Tenth, and we know it wasn’t either right or healthy for him (but understandable, given the Time War, and very fascinating, and I love Tenth for it). The Twelfth cares - we see him care, what a good sight, I’m not going to shut up about it - and he stays, explains, tries to convince people, to help; but if they make a decision having the full knowledge, that’s it, he’s not going to force them. This is when the Doctor finally becomes healthy again. No playing a god (he said it in season 8 finale - he’s an idiot with a box, not a ‘vengeful god’ like Tenth sometimes was), no abandoning people (Kill the Moon was so out of character for the Doctor that I’m denying it has happened).
Except it doesn’t even last an episode. Because the Time War still happened. Because he still lost all people who travelled with him and people he met and couldn’t save. Because he remembers when he was the Tenth. Of course he had to save the girl. Eleventh was the one who forgets. The Twelfth is going to become, I hope, the one who remembers.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
And so we got the hybrid. Thanks to shivver13, I kept thinking about some other races that could make the hybrid so I figured it out almost instantly. And I’m glad the revelation was already made, I was afraid it was going to happen in the finale and it’s not good when you guess the plot twist weeks back (everyone has guessed the Missy/Master revelation last season, right?). A Viking/Mire hybrid sounds good and I’m really happy we won’t get a Dalek/Time Lord hybrid like I thought we will. What a relief.
And, because it’s the Twelfth and he’s already proved he actually thinks about rules and consequences, I can’t wait to see him confronting Ashildr. It’s going to be very interesting. What’s going to happen to her and how will the Doctor react? He’ll feel responsible but how, to what degree?
And we got rid of the glasses. Forever, I hope.
Finally, a one-part episode. A whole, complete story with no cliffhangers and boring scenes. I prefer them to the two-parters and I hope we’ll come back to the formula of one-parters next season.
The great moment when Odin showed up! I haven’t laughed like that for ages. And when Ashildr defeated the Mire by her imagination. I love such tropes.
Speaking of remembering - the 2000 years diary! I honestly doubt the Eleventh has written anything in it… Well, maybe he did, when he was stuck on Trenzalore. He probably had to write the Ninth and the Tenth’s entire lives as well.
I just noticed the Doctor has one red and two black buttons on his jacket sleeve. Nice detail for cosplayers.
The music! <3 But the rock version of the intro hasn’t lasted. :(
To say something critical: I really don’t believe babies think like that.
So, everything’s nice and fluffy at the moment. Well, almost everything. Because Peter Capaldi was also in Torchwood ;)
Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!
Dear writers, I just found out how you can make me happy: just show me two-second flashback with Tenth and I’m done. Extremely happy. Fangirling all over the place.
No, I’m joking. That episode wasn’t the best episode since “A Town Called Mercy” just because it had a flashback with David Tennant. No, it was an excellent episode because the story of the Twelfth Doctor finally makes sense. It’s amazing! I was so angry with some particular episodes of season 8 when the Twelfth was indifferent; the Doctor might do various things but he has to care, otherwise for me he’s out of character. He has to care and be emotional. That’s why the Eleventh will never be my Doctor: he might be a relatively healthy, stable and functioning version of the Doctor - it’s not a coincidence he lived for centuries while the Ninth and the Tenth had few years each at most - but if he just has adventures and no human feelings are involved, why should I watch it? I know he’s going to survive; it’s difficult decisions, loss, love, friendship, development, feelings I want to watch. But I slightly digress.
So, if this story, the Twelfth story, is about a person with ‘amnesia’ (new cycle, a big reset) who had to partly learn and partly remember who he is, I’m fine. Not sure why we needed such a long time for it but okay. And now he finally realises that he cares. He cared in the previous story and he cared in this one, and I really hope the writers had actually spoken to each other and he’ll care in following episodes, too.
And how he cared! I can do anything! So Time Lord Victorious. But, on the other hand, I’m not supposed to! And, what I like about him and what continues from the previous story, he doesn’t force people to do the right thing or what the Doctor thinks they should do. To do that would very Tenth, and we know it wasn’t either right or healthy for him (but understandable, given the Time War, and very fascinating, and I love Tenth for it). The Twelfth cares - we see him care, what a good sight, I’m not going to shut up about it - and he stays, explains, tries to convince people, to help; but if they make a decision having the full knowledge, that’s it, he’s not going to force them. This is when the Doctor finally becomes healthy again. No playing a god (he said it in season 8 finale - he’s an idiot with a box, not a ‘vengeful god’ like Tenth sometimes was), no abandoning people (Kill the Moon was so out of character for the Doctor that I’m denying it has happened).
Except it doesn’t even last an episode. Because the Time War still happened. Because he still lost all people who travelled with him and people he met and couldn’t save. Because he remembers when he was the Tenth. Of course he had to save the girl. Eleventh was the one who forgets. The Twelfth is going to become, I hope, the one who remembers.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
And so we got the hybrid. Thanks to shivver13, I kept thinking about some other races that could make the hybrid so I figured it out almost instantly. And I’m glad the revelation was already made, I was afraid it was going to happen in the finale and it’s not good when you guess the plot twist weeks back (everyone has guessed the Missy/Master revelation last season, right?). A Viking/Mire hybrid sounds good and I’m really happy we won’t get a Dalek/Time Lord hybrid like I thought we will. What a relief.
And, because it’s the Twelfth and he’s already proved he actually thinks about rules and consequences, I can’t wait to see him confronting Ashildr. It’s going to be very interesting. What’s going to happen to her and how will the Doctor react? He’ll feel responsible but how, to what degree?
And we got rid of the glasses. Forever, I hope.
Finally, a one-part episode. A whole, complete story with no cliffhangers and boring scenes. I prefer them to the two-parters and I hope we’ll come back to the formula of one-parters next season.
The great moment when Odin showed up! I haven’t laughed like that for ages. And when Ashildr defeated the Mire by her imagination. I love such tropes.
Speaking of remembering - the 2000 years diary! I honestly doubt the Eleventh has written anything in it… Well, maybe he did, when he was stuck on Trenzalore. He probably had to write the Ninth and the Tenth’s entire lives as well.
I just noticed the Doctor has one red and two black buttons on his jacket sleeve. Nice detail for cosplayers.
The music! <3 But the rock version of the intro hasn’t lasted. :(
To say something critical: I really don’t believe babies think like that.
So, everything’s nice and fluffy at the moment. Well, almost everything. Because Peter Capaldi was also in Torchwood ;)