34.12: Death in Heaven

[Lenny]

Trailer:

Synopsis:

With Cybermen on the streets of London, old friends unite against old enemies and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role.

Can the mighty UNIT contain Missy? As the Doctor faces his greatest challenge, sacrifices must be made before the day is won.

---

After doing so well with their pattern of five minutes earlier each week, the Beeb appear to have grown impatient - hour-long finale starts on BBC One at 20:00.

 

[Dave]

I'm sorry, but I really can't watch any more of this. I don't understand Mrs. Doyle's plan. It was obviously planned for a long time - two Seasons ago even - but is incomprehensible to me. Also, they changed Cybermen again - they have humans inside them, not just their consciousness, but they can also fly at 30,000 to 40,000 feet and still breath. And they people in the Nethersphere were not really dead, so what were they? I'm sure I saw Danny Pink in a RTA! This whole Season has been pretty much garbage but I hoped for some explanation of that tonight.

 

[Brian G Turner]

It was...interesting. More focus on entertainment than realism. Some good insights into the doctor, but...too much focus on the companions and sentimentality again.

I do like Capaldi's characterisation, but it would be nice to see some different ideas behind the helm - and no companions for some while.

 

[Glitch]

It's hard to put into words what I thought about this episode

 

[Lenny]

It's hard to put into words what I thought about this episode

How about: "meh"?

This has been a weird series. PCaps has been fantastic, Jenna Louise Coleman has finally had things to do, and she's been very good (enough so that I'm going to miss Clara), and even Michelle Gomez as Master Missy was fun to watch, managing to give us Simm-Master crazy without going over the top. But a lot of the stories have been so weak** -- if they were stories for the Eleventh Doctor, I'd have switched off, but PCaps is just too good to not watch, and I've been forgiving -- this one particularly so. Rather than building on the fairly decent base built last week, Moffat apparently decided that silliness and pathetic attempts to mirror end-of-the-world action films were a better substitute. This is Doctor Who, dammit, not Transformers.


**With the one superb exception being 34.04: Listen.

 

[Ursa major]

For a few brief moments towards the end, when we got a few hurried clips from episodes earlier in the season, I thought that we really might get a plausible explanation of the cr*ppy drivel the season's been lumbered with. But no. That cr*ppy drivel was just cr*ppy drivel.

And then Santa appeared to kick whatever credibility might have survived the intelligence-free nonsense dumped on the show in the goolies.


The only saving grace has been Capaldi, but it hasn't been enough.

* Wonders what dark secret the BBC must have on Capaldi to make him agree to perform these dire scripts. *

 

[Jesse412]

Episode 12 "Death in Heaven" was alright but I don't think it was as good as the previous episode. Loved Osgood's opening scene. Flying Cybermen now they are even more like Ironman. The Doctor being the president of Earth is kind of funny. Clara mentioned Jenny from The Doctor's Daughter. I think that's the first time she's been referenced since. Turning the dead into Cybermen is pretty diabolical. RIP Osgood. I liked seeing Cyberman Danny unmask. Glad Kate survived. I thought both of Danny's sacrifices were kind of touching. Looking forward to the Christmas special. "Permission to Squee!"

they changed Cybermen again - they have humans inside them, not just their consciousness, but they can also fly at 30,000 to 40,000 feet and still breath.

Dead people don't need to breath.

And they people in the Nethersphere were not really dead, so what were they?

Digitally cloned consciousness

 

[TheDustyZebra]

For a few brief moments towards the end, when we got a few hurried clips from episodes earlier in the season, I thought that we really might get a plausible explanation of the cr*ppy drivel the season's been lumbered with. But no. That cr*ppy drivel was just cr*ppy drivel.

And then Santa appeared to kick whatever credibility might have survived the intelligence-free nonsense dumped on the show in the goolies.


The only saving grace has been Capaldi, but it hasn't been enough.

* Wonders what dark secret the BBC must have on Capaldi to make him agree to perform these dire scripts. *

Yes, all of that, exactly.

It turns out that none of the idiocy had any purpose whatsoever? That's just wrong.

I do think Clara slipped that bracelet thing to the Doctor during the untrustworthy hug, which will probably be the mechanism of bringing Danny back later on. Back from ... ? ... I don't know. I don't get it.

And Santa is undoubtedly not Santa, since he never is.

 

[Harpo]

Whatever Santa is, I'd like to see Nick Frost's character meeting up with Simon Pegg's character from a few years ago

But yeah, daft rubbish with some great moments.

 

[farntfar]

OK so overall unimpressed but I think Missy was terrific.

More amusing than some, but the bad physics of the previous episodes remains unexplained.

I’m afraid I’m cooling on Capaldi despite thinking that with the right stories he could be great.
Clara has swung from being very good in spots to just being a bit annoying in others.

Loved the references to Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, and Missy coming down to the graveyard à la Mary Poppins.

And although Kate Stewart is saved, which is good, presumably Osgood isn’t, which is a shame. (Although they can always find a miracle if they want, I suppose)

 

[Dave]

Digitally cloned consciousness

Sorry but I gave up before the end if that was made clear somewhere. Digitally cloned dead bodies as well? I think that's it for me. We've had alien Santas already a few Christmas' ago.

 

[Jesse412]

Digitally cloned dead bodies as well?

No real dead bodies. They showed them crawling out of their graves (after being converted).

 

[Serendipity]

There's a awful lot of loose ends to this series.... like...

Where did the nethersphere end up?
Where did the Master/Mistress end up as time lords are... ahem.. rather difficult to kill?
What about the grandson of Clara and Danny Pink - does he exist any more?

Happy pontifications, considerations, speculations...

 

[markpud]

I actually enjoyed this episode (although I did have a few beers in me).. I suppose it fits the Master's overall psychology that she's so obsessed with the Doctor that she'd go to so much trouble to gift him a Cyberman army. And she really thought he'd embrace them and go on a Crusade (intentionally capitalised) with his new army to right the wrongs of the Universe. The graveyard scene between the 2 Timelords was fantastic stuff!

As for Missy's plan all along being to put Clara & Doctor together so that Clara would umm, no I lost the thread of that part, but it was something to do with controlling the man who shouldn't be controlled?

Cybermen taking over the dead bodies but needing a conciousness from the recently deceased to power it - OK I can deal with that, but why was Danny the only one not under Cyber-control? Because of love - ah nu-Who strikes again....

Did Danny kill the Master at the end, or did she teleport away? The effects were pretty similar so that can be easily retconned in. Was the Doctor really about to kill her though? Bit of a turnaround from him begging her (him) to regenerate last time...

The final scene between the Doctor and Clara was quite fitting - both lying to each other til the end. And unless Clara is secretly pregnant then future grandson Pink from "Listen" is going to have a hard time coming into existence...

 

[HoopyFrood]

Danny didn't kill Missy, it was the Brigadier, after saving Kate and finally getting a salute from The Doctor. So more sentimental stuff, but it was very touching. Same with the stuff that happened with Danny, didn't expect his arch to end in such a way, it was sad. He is the noblest noble to every noble, especially with the kid, but it tugged the heartstrings nonetheless.

And they killed off Bowtie girl, argh!

But anyway, I enjoyed it. I thought Missy was just excellent, delightfully batty and evil. I think Moffat and co have been trawling Tumblr again, as it's long been pointed out the similarities Mary Poppins has with Time Lords and Ladys

Liked the little twist with Clara's eyes in the title sequence!

Glad that Nick Frost popped in halfway through the credits to say "it can't end like that!" cos that's exactly what I was saying

 

[markpud]

Danny didn't kill Missy, it was the Brigadier,

Oops yes you're quite right there. Having his portrait framed on the Presidential plane was kinda ridiculous though... Wait did I just say the portrait was ridiculous when Missy can escape her handcuffs via her glowy bracelet and 2 soldiers stood behind her didn't notice, or do anything at all when she made her move?

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

It's hard to put into words what I thought about this episode

I'm surprised Glitch! I can think of lots of things.

Where to start - need I bother - Why not who knows someone from the BBC may read our comments.

In which case - You should all resign and hand over to someone that has an inkling what SF is about.

Or bring back Tripods.

Or the test card.

Was the reference to Captain Scarlet (more royalties no doubt) really a pre-empt of Captain Christmas?

Or Andy Pandy - at least that was credible.

OK!!! Captain Scarlet - really!

Mary Poppins? How much will that cost the licence payers in royalties I wonder?

As I mentioned last time - Stamp on the whole worlds religious beliefs. No matter what their specific sensitivities are they can all be summed up in a Who plot. Who cares (No he doesn't) that some beliefs have respect for and care of their ancestral predecessors.

Why would you need to kill an AI interface?

As mentioned above why have guards if all they are, are statues?

Where ever Danny was, it was time lord tech that put him there - why no rescue? Why didn't who notice he wasn't around? Oh wait he was dead so stick a stamp on the dead and 'post' them back!

Why would Who salute the dad - He never would before and what's more he hated the military rank salute thing all his life - But these newcomers that write the script think they can trample on the who traditions like dried dag turds in the street - They have no love of the character IMO and are just looking for a quick script reward and if the series is crap so what.

Personally Capaldi's Who is rubbish but there you are. I think he could do better but lets be honest, he's not got much material to work with. If the scrip says in this scene "Who acts like a half brained idiot" what hope has he got. I think he has the talent to pull of a good" Who dun it" but not the support.

Finally I see the racist caard was yet again played - this time with the Kumars guy. Oh he's Asian - He can get dragged out the plane's window. But the white girl from Essex - We'll make sure "her" dad is around to save her.

People need 'sacking' IMO.

The only saving grace form the series - Clara and she's now gone.

So what next?

Looking forward to "Picture Book".

 

[Overread]

I'm kind of wondering if they write this by getting ideas on a dart board and throwing the dart at them to see what hits for each next scene.

I mean I don't get it. The Master's long term plan for over 2 seasons was to offer the Dr. an army he knew that the Dr. would reject and then - nothing. I mean the cybermen were already dead so no one died - no major revelation nor problem. About all the emotion and influence and events were small personal emotional events; but again its small scale. There just doesn't seem to be any long plan nor ideal nor concept at all. Just sort of "lets do this now cause no reason".

Galafray being back might be a bonus, although it seems to be that its back but without Time Lords - or with Time Lords without their technology (otherwise I'd have expected them to come after the Dr. Though long term this might mean the next season sees the Dr. more in his element - being one of many Time Lords - just one breaking the rules.

Santa at the very end is just plain odd. I mean sure there have been creatures and aliens to walk into the Tardis or draw it to places casually like that before - but never quite so jarring as to use Santa Clause...

 

[Brian G Turner]

Oh - the point about Gallifrey - I found that odd: I thought the Doctor always thought it was locked in a time trap, in the same place it had always been??

 

[markpud]

Yeah and Who said it was lost in another dimension, in the episode. That said, going to a set of coordinates and sticking your head out of the door isn't the most thorough investigation. Planets actually orbit pretty fast so you'd want to check the whole arc of it's solar orbit I guess.

Also noticed that the Doctor referred to Danny as P.E. up to the end. They clearly intended it to become a term of endearment but it never sat comfortably with me.

I didn't mention Santa earlier and well, I think this year's Christmas special is going to be hard work!