I also found the Doctor's actions creepy in the way he used Abigail. I get the feeling that he knew she was dying and let her out with the expectation that she and Kazran would fall in love. Eleven does seem to have his dark side, doesn't he?
Yeah, true, if you dig into it this wasn't an *entirely* sweet'n'fuzzy happy-fest in terms of Eleven's behavior and motivations . . . but he was still presented in a relatively positive light here, which is interesting (or twisted, depending on your POV).
I don't doubt that Kazran's life was better with Abigail - better to have loved and lost, etc. - but the point is he doesn't have the right to completely rewrite a person's childhood, even if it's for the better.
. . .the point is he doesn't have the right to completely rewrite a person's childhood, even if it's for the better.
Oh, yeah, I totally agree. But that's not made clear in "Carol" the way it was in "Errors," or even WoM. Which is why I think the happy-fluff aspect of "Carol" is a bit warped at its heart.
Where do rights start and end? Do the 4,003 people's right to life outweigh Kazran's right to not have his childhood rewritten? Or are rights "properly" inviolable, meaning that Kazran's right to not have his childhood rewritten should have been absolute...even at the cost of the lives of 4,003 people? Is it kinder (or more/less a violation of rights) to rewrite Kazran's childhood or to create a revolution against his control of the planet, a tactic the Doctor has frequently used against other tyrants?
BTW - This isn't meant to sound like a critique of your statement that the Doctor doesn't have the right to rewrite Kazran's childhood. Instead these questions (as well as the whole issue of paradoxes) have been fluttering through my brain since I saw the episode. Food for thought, grist for the mill, your mileage may vary.
I get the feeling that he knew she was dying and let her out with the expectation that she and Kazran would fall in love.
No, I don't think so at all. Don't forget, the "let's visit every Christmas Eve" was Kazran's idea. Also, it seemed clear to me that Eleven didn't know she was dying either, because he was expecting to come again the next Christmas Eve, and it was Kazran who brought a stop to it because Abigail had told him she was dying. I think it demonstrated that Eleven is fallible, and not as manipulative as Seven.
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Oh, yeah, I totally agree. But that's not made clear in "Carol" the way it was in "Errors," or even WoM. Which is why I think the happy-fluff aspect of "Carol" is a bit warped at its heart.
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Do the 4,003 people's right to life outweigh Kazran's right to not have his childhood rewritten?
Or are rights "properly" inviolable, meaning that Kazran's right to not have his childhood rewritten should have been absolute...even at the cost of the lives of 4,003 people?
Is it kinder (or more/less a violation of rights) to rewrite Kazran's childhood or to create a revolution against his control of the planet, a tactic the Doctor has frequently used against other tyrants?
BTW - This isn't meant to sound like a critique of your statement that the Doctor doesn't have the right to rewrite Kazran's childhood. Instead these questions (as well as the whole issue of paradoxes) have been fluttering through my brain since I saw the episode. Food for thought, grist for the mill, your mileage may vary.
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No, I don't think so at all. Don't forget, the "let's visit every Christmas Eve" was Kazran's idea. Also, it seemed clear to me that Eleven didn't know she was dying either, because he was expecting to come again the next Christmas Eve, and it was Kazran who brought a stop to it because Abigail had told him she was dying. I think it demonstrated that Eleven is fallible, and not as manipulative as Seven.
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