Doctor Who 6x09

[such_heights]

I really enjoyed it as a standalone - when I wasn't burying my face in a cushion anyway. Creepy dolls and sinister lullabies REALLY freak me out. DDD: 

But like a lot of people the lack of continuity bothered me. Amy and Rory being seemingly fine was okay, though some reference to what had happened would have been appreciated. After all, most episodes in the first half season dealt with Amy's distress over having seen the Doctor's death. I know that this episode got moved in the scheduling, so I hope it's an anomaly. I can buy the Ponds giving up on having an immediate resolution to the Melody issue and trying to put it out of their minds at least a bit and have adventures, but I need to actually see that. 

More, though, the fact this was an episode about parents and kids and didn't bother to actually make the links was bizarre. In fact, every episode this season bar 6x04 has dealt with parenthood. Except for Amy, it's all been fathers and sons, which given the main arc of the season is somewhat disingenuous. At least the mother was actually alive and on screen in this one?

Anyway, it's a big missed opportunity to make these solo stories more significant to the main characters, which is a shame. Especially here, where Claire is a nurse with a kid who's not quite human. She also didn't have a normal pregnancy. But we focus on Alex instead and the Ponds don't interact with the family at all, really. 

Having said that, I did enjoy the episode once I suspended my disbelief! It was a relief that nothing too dreadful happened, and Team Eleven were definitely back on form. And Amy's Rapunzel moment with the frying pan was pretty much the best. Also, Eleven and small kids, omg. <3

Plus, adorable moments like tea in the console room and the group hug at the end, YAY. I needed those thing lots. 

Comments

[pocketmouse]

In my head, there was an offscreen moment of Rory confronting the dad and being all 'you are going to tell your wife about all this, right?' being slightly intimidating, and the dad just goes 'well, yeah, obviously. Though she might not believe me.' And Rory is a little surprised that he actually said yes, and is all 'Oh. Um. Well, good. Cuz I think Amy's copying down your phone number and writing your wife a note, in case you're lying to me. And, uh, here's our phone numbers in case she doesn't actually believe you.' Then he hands him a piece of paper and flees out the door to go have feelings about children.

[such_heights]

AWWW. Man, it's a shame they cut that from the actual episode. RORY.

[shei]

I think that ep was meant to go on the first half of the series? That would explain it. But I'm not sure.

[raven]

Yes, this - it was made before the previous two-parter, as far as I know, and was originally intended to go before.

[ashpags]

Ohhhhh that makes a whole lot more sense. Thank you! I also wondered why there wasn't a bit more continuity/reference to the previous two-parter.

Hmmm...which makes the Doctor's "all together, in the flesh" comment (I'm paraphrasing) even more interesting, if it was intended to be pre-RF/AP, like he was hinting at what was to come. I kind of wondered why he would say that after, since I'd think it would be a sore spot for Amy.

[such_heights]

Yes, I hear this got switched with the Pirates one. So was 6a meant to have eight episodes instead of seven, or was CotBS meant to air now? Because that did have a tag relating to the plot arc, so I do wonder whether they might have been able to have a TARDIS scene or something, but maybe the Doctor's death screen overlay was all they had time for, who knows.

[purplefringe]

The two eps were simply switched. Night Terrors originally had a scene where Amy saw Madame Kovarian through the window, but obviously that was cut and replaced with the death screen. Meanwhile a Madame Kovarian scene was added *into* the Pirates ep (which they were clearly still filming when Moffat decided to make the switch) and I guess the last scene was changed so the Doctor was looking at the screen showing Amy's quantum pregnancy, rather than the screen showing his death. Their conversation about worrying about each other all the time would only have required a minor rewrite. So they were probably quite easy to swap, and I do see why Moffat wanted to vary the tone a little more, and have a 'lighter' ep after the scariness of TIA/DOTM, and a scarier but less personal ep after the comedy and confusion of LKH. HOWEVER, I think that Amy having fun dressing up as a pirate would have seemed strange in ep9 - it would still have been jarring, given that they are supposed to be worried about their daughter.

[serpentpixie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my reaction was the same. It's weird. I'm totally enjoying the whole series (which goes against the grain of a lot of people, I know), but it also deeply upsets me that Amy isn't tearing the universe apart for her baby. It's weird - I know they know she's River, but I also think... they know that time can be rewritten. I'd be fighting tooth and nail to re-write that time if some ran off with my kid, I'm sure? It's unnatural or something :/

But yeah, the episode as a standalone utterly rocked!

[tomsmum]

Any mother would be tearing the university apart even though they know her as River the baby=adult isn't going to work. ALso Amy has just recently given birth her body should be full of hormones (let alone the saggy tummy bursting boobs etc) but I am allowing a bit of artistic licence as that just wouldn't be practical!

[lowkey]

More, though, the fact this was an episode about parents and kids and didn't bother to actually make the links was bizarre.

One of the things I've noticed about this season is that there are these amazing scenes that are completely set-up... and then don't happen.

Like, I mean, Rory could totally have been like "Ganger Jennifer, I totally understand what it means to be an artificial human struggling with selfhood." OR Rory talking with a dying Commander Strax, share this "we're medics and soldiers, and doesn't that suck?" moment.

But I guess that's what fan fiction is for?

[aoftheis]

And Amy's Rapunzel moment with the frying pan was pretty much the best.

YESSSSSSS. This is perfect icon material. :)

I'm having problems with the emotional continuity of Who, too -- in that, uh, there mostly doesn't seem to be any. I like all of the plot shenanigans that Moffat's doing, but I feel like they're largely missing emotional resonance. Partially because it's not coming through in the writing, but also, I think, because they didn't have the plots worked out from the beginning, so the actors have had to update their interpretations of character relationships on the go. So it's not consistent, if that makes any sense.