Interesting Links for 25-08-2014

[andrewducker]

• Media coverage of Worldcons: Loncon 3, 2014 and Seacon '79, 1979
  (tags: media conventions scifi )
• This is the biggest thing I disliked about the first Capaldi Doctor Who
  (tags: drwho )
• Fish: smarter than you think
  (tags: fish intelligence )
• Macro-economics. Not really much of a science
  (tags: science economics )
• Video game journalism is having

Comments

[steer]

I thought the episode did explore that to the extent you can... but did it subtly. Clara went through the stages of grief without it being mentioned that was what she was doing. The doctor's illustration of the Ship of Theseus (with the broom) was surely meant to apply to him as much as to the villain. (To what extent is he the same person if he has a new appearance and a new personality?) Clara eventually gets closure and a chance to say goodbye. So for me I thought that the episode did explore regeneration as death as much as it needed to.

I think you can't deal with the regeneration theme too much head on so there's a need to be subtle. Once you start asking questions like "where does the new personality come from?" (it's not nature or nurture after all) then you realise it's a little absurd and to explain it might risk midichlorianisation.

As you suggest elsewhere you could lampshade and some companions have just "carried on" -- in particular I think Sarah Jane in Robot was pretty unaffected by a fairly startling transformation.

(Incidentally, did we see the trailered "am I a good man" sequence? I don't recall but perhaps I missed it and will see it in a rewatch.)

[momentsmusicaux]

> (Incidentally, did we see the trailered "am I a good man" sequence? I don't recall but perhaps I missed it and will see it in a rewatch.)

No, we didn't. I suspect (though I don't recall why I do) that we'll see it next week.

[steer]

I guess it couldn't be too far along in the series. Thanks.