DW 6x12 - Closing Time

[caz963]

I've been looking forward to this one since I heard that James Corden was returning to DW to reprise his role as Craig. I thought The Lodger was one of the best episodes of S5 and I've enjoyed Gareth Roberts' work on both DW and SJA, so I was predisposed to like Closing Time anyway.

And like it I did.

Comments

[nostalgia_lj]

I liked The Lodger more but then The Lodger is one of my favourite episodes in all of Dr Who. I liked the bromance in this one. I SHIP IT A BIT YES.

No surprises re: River.

[caz963]

No surprises re: River.

No. Although weren't we told in DotM that it was the little girl in the suit? I don't think I'd have been able to remember if the series had run straight through, but spreading the series over six months has made it even harder to remember what happened earlier on!

[time_converges]

I liked it a lot - especially Alfie/Stormageddon. Cute baby is very cute, and I love Eleven with the baby, showing him the stars.

and yeah, I suspected it was River in the suit, so not really a surprise, but I am curious how they'll get out of this one.

[caz963]

The thing about the suit is - weren't we told in TIA/DotM that the little girl was in te suit? This is the problem with something this complicated. It would have been difficult to remember everything even in the series had run straight through, but with the break in the middle, unless we've got DVDs to hand, it's hard to remember the-story-so-far.

[time_converges]

I thought the girl in the suit at that time was Melody (young) - so it's timey wimey I guess, or a different suit, or...I don't know.

[topaz_eyes]

I haven't seen the episode yet, but it sounds like a good one! (I have to wait until tomorrow, so everyone can watch together.) Edit: Seen it now. :-) The last few episodes have done wonders for S6.

I'm a bit uneasy about the whole "I'm bad for my companions so I must send them away" thing that's going on - not because I don't like the angstyness or it, or because it's not true, but because I'm not sure how much further they can take it.

After 4 different permutations of it, I think that idea's well played out now. Killing the Doctor "for realz" is actually not a bad way to settle it: if the end of S5 rebooted the universe, the end of S6 will reboot the Doctor. A "replacement" Doctor would likely have a clean emotional slate; if the "same" Doctor somehow arises anew, he would have come to terms with himself over those 200 years.

And finally, a scene at the end to set up next week's finale.

Edit: Hmmm. Was River still gung-ho on killing the Doctor in that final scene? If she was, then I think her decision to save the

[caz963]

I think the last few episodes have saved S6 from lodging in my memory as possibly the worst series of nu-Who ever. Instead I'll remember it as "worst series of nu-Who with good episodes by Gaiman, Gatiss, Whithouse and Roberts in!"

what a lovely parallel of River overcoming her programming to kill the Doctor via Amy, with Craig's love for Alfie overcoming the Cybermen programming!

I admit, I hadn't thought of that. I don't think I'm paying as much attention as I used to :(

TBB last year was a real let down IMO. I have the feeling that TWORS will emgender a similar reaction, although I've now given up waiting to be impressed by Moff's DW. It used to be something I looked forward to watching all week, and now it's more like "oh, Doctor Who is on."

[caz963]

I've enjoyed the last four as well - I said after LKH that I'd more or less given up expecting to be able to enjoy the arc episodes and would depend on these to restore my faith in DW!

It seems to me that there's way too much to pack in to one 45 minute episode next week, so I dno't have high hopes.

SM has said that S7 will be less arc-centered, and I hope that's true - which is a shame, because I normally enjoy overarching stories. I love Fringe and I was a big fan of Babylon 5, both of which manage to sustain multi-season arcs very well. Perhaps the different production methods and constraints of DW aren't conducive to that approach,