32.04: The Doctor's Wife

[thaddeus6th]

Dave, I share your dislike of extensive retconning.

If the cracks in the universe were caused by the Master, who then lets himself die (despite being the most selfish, hungry-for-life fellow imaginable previously) and cries like a girl, I shall be disappointed.

 

[Marauder]

I cannot be the only one thinking that somewhere along the line Amy will disappear in some literal or symbolic forest, and have the Doctor looking for a Pond only to realize the only water in the forest is a River?

 

[Marauder]

Compassionate parental oversight: "I always took you where you needed to go" (c.f. "You didn't always take me where I wanted to go!").

I understood it more as the TARDIS saying "I'm not unreliable, when you don't end up where you intend always its because I know best where you need to be..."

 

[chopper]

We are seeing many things recently that I would have expected to have seen before, if they had ever existed, the Time Lord mail-boxes for instance. I'm not sure I like this level of retconning.

Yes, Rory dead again! Snore!

when he does die properly, i'm not sure i'll actually notice....

the mailboxes have appeared before, apparently - back in the Troughton era of the War Games.... before my Time though.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Just reading through the Guardian's review of this episode (somehow I ended up there through various link hopping...the Interwebz a dangerous place...) and apparently in the comments section on last week's episode, people were musing Rory's 'Kenny' status (which is how it's described there!) Someone suggested that, considering what happened to him last series, he shouldn't exist, and it is Amy's love that continues to allow him to survive.

*Shrugs* Dunno what all this would mean, just thought I'd mention it here!

 

[Lenny]

Here's the clip from War Games:

Apparently the Doctor has thrown together a console before, too!

Neil Gaiman really went digging, didn't he?

 

[Foxbat]

Surely, it isn't spoiling unless you have access to the actual written plot, have already seen the episodes, or you are a Time Traveller yourself. Otherwise, it is all speculation. If perchance, you happen to be correct, then it was a bit too obvious.

I think, perhaps, I was being a bit too cryptic. The comment I made was in reference to an outburst from Moffat about some internet 'fans' revealing plots and how much he hated them for doing it. As we are fans (and debating on the internet) I just thought I'd get in a twist of my (obviously very poor sense of humour). These so-called fans had indeed seen previews set up by Moffat.

Ah well, things could be worse...just think if I were trying to make my living as a professional comedian.....I'd be starving and homeless by now

 

[PTeppic]

I understood it more as the TARDIS saying "I'm not unreliable, when you don't end up where you intend always its because I know best where you need to be..."

Yes, I agree. Since such a claim is ascribed to deities as well as parents, if the TARDIS were considered to have deity-like abilities then we are setting up the deus ex machina card for later.

 

[Dave]

The comment I made was in reference to an outburst from Moffat about some internet 'fans' revealing plots and how much he hated them for doing it.

But you haven't been given a private screening. Or have you? Internet spoiling is now regular with all shows. It began with the soaps. You can't turn it off no matter how much he hates it. He could however, stop giving private screenings. I don't see why there couldn't be some written contract upon people not to reveal after such a screening. Anyway he should stop moaning and do something.

the mailboxes have appeared before, apparently - back in the Troughton era of the War Games.

I'll have to yield on the mailboxes (though they never knocked on the TARDIS door before and that earlier one looked a little more boxy.) My comment was more a general impression than one specific thing - the cloaked TARDIS would be another specific thing.

 

[chopper]

yeah, and i'll yield on the cloaked tardis

i think there's always going to be retconning (or if there isn't they'll make it like there always has...) - TV influenced by the comics and by the need to reflect more modern tech and attitudes. like, why didn't Tom Baker have a mobile phone?


("helloooooo?")

 

[Perpetual Man]

I cannot be the only one thinking that somewhere along the line Amy will disappear in some literal or symbolic forest, and have the Doctor looking for a Pond only to realize the only water in the forest is a River?

I did think this too, but afterwards I thought it was probably more likely to be a reference to the episode 'Forest of the Dead' where River dies and is resurrected within the Library computer.

The only water in the forest is a river... seems to fit that, but I'm prepared to be wrong.

Tom Baker didn't have a mobile phone? What did he want one of them for?

He tricked people into eating Jelly Babies, which were in fact Symbiotic Telepathic Connection Modifiers that allowed him to keep contact with whoever ate one.

It's how he knows what every one of his companions has been up to, when asked in The Sarah Jane Adventures...

There you go sorted.

Now that's retconning

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Please can we sack the script writers.. "Lost in Space" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" have more interest than what this motley crew are churning out. Do they ever look at the older episodes or have any knowledge of the traditions and national institution they messing about with.

All that money and effort and career low points the actors will endure just to get a cryptic message that is of no use to anyone, let alone Who, which in the past would have been displayed on the screen/terminal.

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY would something of the supposed ability of the TARDIS resort to leaving a load of nonsense in this way.

Why not just say

Hey Who, Yes you over there; this is what's going to happen to you and this is what you need to know.

 

[Brian G Turner]

When I saw the title for this coming episode was "The Doctor's Wife" I was looking forward to finally seeing more of the River Song plot develop in a sure and solid way.

As soon as I saw Neil Gaiman on the credits, I knew we wouldn't get that, but that we should get something good anyway - and wasn't left disappointed.

It was a good strong filler episode, but the teasing about other timelords ... is a tease. It's great to hear of them, it's frustrating we never see any of them.

Plot problem though - why did the creature need the Tardis when it had already had a few? And as Dave mentioned, if there were no more left, what was the advantage of the creature moving into our universe?

Also:

Enjoyed this episode and I'm also thinking the obvious about River and the forest. I'm wondering if it might be an oblique reference to a place without any water (apart from River) rather than a literal forest (some kind of structures in a desert or building as in the Library)

I did think this too, but afterwards I thought it was probably more likely to be a reference to the episode 'Forest of the Dead' where River dies and is resurrected within the Library computer.

Got this, too - the library was described as "a forest" and River was there. An obvious connection - but misdirection?

 

[hanzy-popz]

Something I've just noticed is missing from this episode (well, two things) unless i've missed it:
Eye-patch lady
Amy's pregnancy.
Perhaps something to do with the fact that they're outside of the universe? Is Amy only pregnant when she's in the universe?

Also, another conversation about how Rory waited 2000 years for Amy. Perhaps we'll see Rory leave at the end of the series, either dying (again) or just going home for the simple reason that, he's waited 2000 years for her before, he can wait a little bit longer.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Eye Patch Lady (which now seems to be her official name, saw in on Wikipedia and everything!) wasn't in this episode, but pretty sure I spotted her in the trailer for the next one. Creepy woman. But definitely a talking point!

I think House finally cottoned on that he could take over a TARDIS rather than just chewing them down ("I should have done this millions of years ago..." or something similar I recall him saying) and I guess, not being a Time Lord or anything, he couldn't actually build one despite having all the parts there. I guess his deciding to go off was just playing his final card. If the Doctor was telling the truth about being the last, if he stayed where he was, he'd die of...hunger? But going off, he could at least check for himself, or find a new source of food. Maybe that's another reason why he's only just decided to go off in a TARDIS. Before, it was a lot easier to coax the food to him -- now he's got to go off and find it instead.

 

[Foxbat]

Just a thought on Amy's pregnancy.....I wonder if she could be the mother (or grandmother) of Riversong?

It could be a kind of Darth is Luke's father moment.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Please can we sack the script writers.. "Lost in Space" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" have more interest than what this motley crew are churning out. Do they ever look at the older episodes or have any knowledge of the traditions and national institution they messing about with.

I don't think I've ever seen you enjoy anything on TV, TEiN.

 

[Dr.Jackson]

This was an interesting episode, referencing a few things from the past and also putting into canon the fact that a Time Lord can change gender when they regenerate. That certainly ends the argument of whether The Doctor could be played by a woman.

I'm sure we'll all be able to go over all the episodes this series once it's finished and pick out important bits of information that we didn;t even know were there. I am in agreement that the "The only water in the forest is the river" must be about River Song. If it isn't, a lot of people are going to look foolish!

New running joke in our house: "Has Rory died again?"

There's actually a meme going around on Tumblr - "Rory died? It must be Saturday." And there's the comparisons to SG-1's Daniel Jackson, who died about 16 times, and Captain Jack Harkness.

And for those following the Fourth Dimension hidden messages on the official Doctor Who website, we got an extra treat this week.
The new message reads "to see what I saw, click on the spot beyond the Doctor's home planet" - click on the full stop at the end of the message and you will be taken to a short video (highlight to read)

 

[Rodders]

Just watched this now and it really brought a tear to the eye. I don't really have much exposure to Dr. Who, but this makes me want to get more involved, including the older Dr. Who. Matt Smith is superb.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Neil Gaiman publishes a Q&A on the research, scripting, and production of The Doctor's Wife here:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/06/fairly-humongous-doctor-who-q-mostly.html