30.06: The Doctor's Daughter

[Tillane]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

(At least it wasn't a parable about the Haths and the Hath-nots.)

*Till shakes his head, refusing even to groan*

Speaking of parables and the like: was the seven days there simply to ring a bell in our heads? As far as I could see, there was no real need for the time period to be so short. A device capable of terraforming a planet with a few phosphorescent gases could have maintained itself for a bit longer than that.

Plays into the God theorem, doesn't it? And into the world-building thing, too. Interesting. Hadn't thought of that...

 

[Dave]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

Plays into the God theorem, doesn't it? And into the world-building thing, too. Interesting. Hadn't thought of that...

It crossed my mind, and I do think it was deliberate.

Cloning - I don't like the way SF TV and cinema produce these adult clones, with full memories and learned skills. However, she wasn't a clone as such, as others have pointed out already. What she was exactly was quickly passed over by the Doctor, and that would certainly be a nifty machine to have. It would be an ideal machine to take along for planetary colonisation, so it fits perfectly with the story. I don't know why they didn't sample Donna either.

I agree that they need to be careful with the number of temping jobs building up for Donna.

As for Jenny leaving in a space shuttle at the end. She is not able to travel in time, so she isn't going to get very far. She will still be found in the year 6000 (or whenever it was stamped on the tunnels) and within a light-year of that planet. But why didn't she change appearance when she regenerated?


The Hath fish-people just seemed like silly aliens to me; someone must have thought them up while lying in the bath blowing bubbles. And why did the nice one who fell in the blueberry slush puppy not survive? He's a fish, couldn't he breath underwater?

I think I expected more from this episode than it provided. It probably will be better on a second viewing. I probably felt cheated by the whole clone business.

 

[Rane Longfox]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

And why did the nice one who fell in the blueberry slush puppy not survive? He's a fish, couldn't he breath underwater?

I would suggest that next time you find a tar-pit, chuck a fish in and see how long it survives, but I'll probably be reported to PETA and they'll murder my family.

 

[PTeppic]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

I don't know why they didn't sample Donna either.

Presumably they would have if the Hath hadn't arrived and tried to kill them all?

 

[Marauder77]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

Heh, i liked the little stab at all Donna-haters out there with Donna's "I'm gonna travel with the doctor for a loooong time" quip to Martha. By the way Donna has grow to be my favorite companion of the "new" Dr Who series, as she actually is able to solve problems, and find clues on her own, not just tag along and help by following the Doctors directions.

As for Jenny not changing appearance after the "regeneration". The Doctor regrew his hand in the X-mas invasion story, claiming it was withing 23 hours of the regeneration process... (some set amount of time anyway). Now maybe the same is true of a time lordy-being for the same amount of hours after birth / creation? That would explain why she didn't change appearance as she didn't regenerate, just healed an otherwise lethal injury while the body was still "freshly made".

 

[Dave]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

As for Jenny not changing appearance after the "regeneration". The Doctor regrew his hand in the X-mas invasion story, claiming it was withing 23 hours of the regeneration process... (some set amount of time anyway). Now maybe the same is true of a time lordy-being for the same amount of hours after birth / creation? That would explain why she didn't change appearance as she didn't regenerate, just healed an otherwise lethal injury while the body was still "freshly made".

You are right, that is the answer.

As for companions, I think I liked it better when the Doctor hand a 'gang' - though I expect that is much harder to write for - keeping everyone occupied within the story and building team dynamics. The single female companion does seem to be the more usual combination.

 

[Ice fyre]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

Well I did enjoy this episode Donna was on fine form and Martha was used well. Wasnt too sure about the aliens and as to the 7 days notion,I would have belived seven years.

As to the mini regenration another explanation could be the Doctor is unable to control his regenration, other timelords can regenrate almost at will. Maybe the machine corrected that flaw in the doctors make up?

Anyway another rather good episode.

 

[Selati]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

I didn't think I was going to like this episode from the trailer last week, but I really enjoyed it after all. Jenny wasn't as annoying as I thought she'd be and I liked how Donna was a bit of a mum to her.

I couldn't work out why the leader didn't know the truth though. Surely he was older than 7 days (he looked around 50 to me) unless the machine just randomly made him older than the others or they age really quickly.

Edited to add that I think Martha is a bit of a meany for leaving the Doctor after he thinks his daughter has just died!

 

[Dr.Jackson]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

Thinking about the offspring-generating machines this morning it occured to me, correct me if I'm wrong, that since they rework the DNA sequence into a new being of the same race - isn't that a form of 'genetic loom' as referenced in Lungbarrow?

 

[Harleyquin]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

Jenny Regeneration conspiracy theory 3.. (though I really like the 23 hour explanation myself Marauder)...

female timelord, perhaps they dont regenerate in the same way as males do - aka new body, but instead just recreate themselves as is... though this is going to suck when the acresss moves on to a different role

 

[thaddeus6th]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

That's not the case: Romana regenerated into Lalla Ward (who was quite delightful).

Mind you, she did try out a number of bodies before settling on one.

 

[Interference]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

I can definitely see the Doctor's daughter returning (though I hope not in another spin-off).

Totally agree.

And while I naturally dread the intent, the execution worked ok for me.

 

[PTeppic]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

Having just watched for the third time, I've realised something about the "Jenny regeneration" discussion... did we miss a trick and fall foul of Occam's bladey thing: she was shot dead in the midst if a cloud of super-duper planet resurrecting terraforming gas... designed with the soul purpose of bringing life to the dead (planet). I was prompted by the artistic content of the tongues of gas which escaped her mouth: I thought they so closely resembled the "source" that they might just be...

Edit: I've also just watched "The Christmas Invasion" and the Doctor's energy exhalation was different, no "tongues" as with the "source" gas, just a solid stream of particulate energy

 

[Dave]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

...did we miss a trick and fall foul of Occam's bladey thing: she was shot dead in the midst if a cloud of super-duper planet resurrecting terraforming gas... designed with the soul purpose of bringing life to the dead (planet).

Just like the Genesis device in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. By George, I think you've got it!!!

 

[thaddeus6th]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

I'd forgotten about that, PTeppic. Makes perfect sense, as does the regenerative thing the Doctor used to grow a new hand.

Hmm. It does make me wonder slightly why the Master didn't survive and had to regenerate.

 

[PTeppic]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

I'd forgotten about that, PTeppic. Makes perfect sense, as does the regenerative thing the Doctor used to grow a new hand.

Hmm. It does make me wonder slightly why the Master didn't survive and had to regenerate.

I'd say they were both different mechanisms, though in their own way both new canon detail.

The Doctor explicitly said that he had "residual cellular energy" because he was still within the first 15 hours of his regeneration. This would be the closer of the two to Jenny's miracle, though she was progenated rather than having regenerated into her current form. Would have been within 15 hours though.

The Master implied (if not said explicitly) that although he was dying he CHOSE not to regenerate, probably with some quite specific bio-mental control. <conspiracy="on">Or, he knew he was only a clone (or possibly stand-in), and that Mrs Master was the real Master, or some other twist that means he'll reappear next season... <conspiracy="off">

 

[Ursa major]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

The Master implied (if not said explicitly) that although he was dying he CHOSE not to regenerate, probably with some quite specific bio-mental control. <conspiracy="on">Or, he knew he was only a clone (or possibly stand-in), and that Mrs Master was the real one, or some other twist that means he'll reappear next season...<conspiracy="off">

I started to post just as you added the conspiratorial comment.

I think he was probably up to something.

 

[PTeppic]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

He's the Master - of course he's up to something...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

I couldn't work out why the leader didn't know the truth though. Surely he was older than 7 days (he looked around 50 to me) unless the machine just randomly made him older than the others or they age really quickly.

I wondered about why he looked so old, too. As you say, if he had been one of the original settlers he wouldn't have accepted the mythology. And if they all age that much in less than 7 days, why didn't we see anyone aging during the course of the episode? Besides, if the machine is supposed to populate the planet after the terraforming is complete, wouldn't you think it would make them more durable?

 

[PTeppic]

Re: 30.06 The Doctor's Daughter

As I think's already been alluded to, the feasibility of the entire landing party having been killed, and indeed probably several entire early generations, is one of the biggest flaws in the episode. But if they can do that they can have differently aged clones.