Doctor Who 8x06 The Caretaker

[kerravonsen]

I'm nearly caught up!
Mixed feelings about this one, quite possibly influenced by other people's disappointment.

Quotes:

"I lived among otters once for a month... well, I sulked. River and I, we had this big fight..."

"Your name isn't really Disruptive Influence, is it?"

"Last year she was a 'Very Disruptive Influence' so that must be an improvement, mustn't it?"

Danny: "There's just one thing I have to do, don't I?"
Doctor: "Yes."
Clara: "What?"
Danny: "I have to be good enough for you."
Clara: "He did just save the world."
Doctor: "It's a good start."

"I've known men like that. I've served under them. They push you to do things you never thought you could do." ... "If he pushes you too far, tell me." ... "If you don't tell me, I can't help you. And I couldn't stand not being able to help you."

---

Naturally if you see a suspicious-looking gizmo, you'd remove it, wouldn't you? I think that counts as Deep Cover Fail on the Doctor's part, really.

So... Courtney "Disruptive Influence" -- was she meant to be pregnant? Because of her throwing up (twice). (Second time in the TARDIS, first time being the "spillage in Geography") Or was she just sick for some other reason?

I rather do like the father-daughter vibe between Twelve and Clara.

I predict that the Doctor *is* going to push Clara too far, and she *isn't* going to tell Danny. I mean, why raise the issue if nothing's going to come of it? And it isn't unlikely; just ask Tegan or Martha. Or maybe she will tell Danny. Their relationship seems characterised by... attraction, respect, awkwardness, mistakes, apologies, trying-again. I'm glad that they are NOT like Amy and Rory. Because not every relationship is the same, thank goodness.
And I'm glad that Danny got just as angry at the Doctor as the Doctor was at him. I'm not sure why, but it seemed right.

Others have said this already: Twelve's prejudice against soldiers is clunky and over the top. Others have also said that this is being set up in order to be knocked down. I hope that's the case.
(See this post and this post)

People have also pointed out -- and yes, it did seem odd to me too -- that Clara should have been defending Danny more than she did. I mean, at least a few more attempts at "He's a MATHS TEACHER", if nothing else.

I just realized that Clara lied to both Danny and the Doctor. I mean, yes, obviously lying to Danny, but that was kind of expected, because she's really leading a double life. And yes, the sequence at the start is very telling, because she is trying to have both lives, to have her cake and eat it too, and the strain of that is getting to her. Lying to the Doctor? Most obviously, when she gives Danny the invisible watch so that he can eavesdrop. I mean, she's trying to be honest with one person... by deceiving the other? Bad move.
Oooh, some good insights re Clara's double life, her lies.

Consider this: with most companions, they go off with the Doctor, full-time. Often they never get back to their old life; sometimes they are never seen or heard from again, they just vanish one day. Rose was the first companion who actually managed to regularly visit home. But they were visits; she was still living on the TARDIS (until she finally left). Martha's situation was similar; she travelled with the Doctor and went back home from time to time. Donna likewise. Amy and Rory... initially they were full-time TARDIS residents, but then they settled down and it was more in reverse; they had their home, their life on Earth, and the Doctor would drop in from time to time and drag them off somewhere.

Clara is trying to be a full-time Earth resident, and also keep up with the Doctor, who seems to be turning up quite frequently to drag her off... and she can't say no. She has tried to say no (for example, in Listen) but the Doctor ignores her or wears her down. And maybe she feels that if she says no to the Doctor, that will be it; goodbye, end of adventuring. She doesn't ask the obvious question -- nobody ever seems to ask this question -- "Why does it have to be now?" The Doctor has a time machine, surely he can come and drag her off at some other more convenient time?

Speaking of time, if the Doctor keeps dropping her off as soon as the adventure is over, when the heck is Clara getting any downtime at all, any sleep? The more I think about it, the more I feel that she's in over her head and she's making bad decisions as a result. Which is frustrating, because I was liking Clara in this season more than I was last season (as I may have mentioned in earlier episide-reactions.)

Comments

[dreamflower]

I was thinking that perhaps Courtney had "space sickness", (like some people are prone to be carsick or seasick) and so would not be a suitable future companion. But I did not make the connection with the "spillage" that you did.

I like the whole Danny and Clara romance, reminiscent of, but different from Amy/Rory. I think the most telling moment and bit of insight came from Danny when he was discovering the TARDIS and the alien connection: "And he's your Space-Dad!"

The connection between the Doctor and Clara seems much more father-daughter than most of his other companions (at least in New Who; several of the Classic Who Doctors gave off a fatherly vibe).

I think that also goes with the thing Danny said: "I have to be good enough for you." Because that is the sort of thing that happens between the fathers of daughters and the men who hope to woo said daughters.

I also think you are right about the Doctor continuously whisking her away with him--we see it's beginning to tell on her, exhaustion and likely poor judgement as well.

Perhaps that's a spillover from Amy/Rory; he allowed them a lot of time between adventures and they chastised him for seeming to forget all about them for months or years between. He's yet to get this whole thing of allowing his companions a life right.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Disruptive influence came for the towels but it was not stated she was the one sick. Admittedly she was the first recorded person to become travel sick in a TARDIS.

The whole Doctor- Clara thing seems more to be setting up for her leaving than anything else.


The whole tension between Danny and the Doctor bugs me because it seems to imply that Clara has to choose one or the other. The implication being a female can't have more than one man in her life even when one of those relationships is not romantic at all. So a female can't have male friends when she's in a relationship? She can't spend time with another man? Admittedly the Doctor is very attention demanding, but still surely it is up to her to choose how she spends her time?

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

"Last year she was a 'Very Disruptive Influence' so that must be an improvement, mustn't it?"

One of my all-time favourite lines. :)