Doctor Who 8x08 Mummy On The Orient Express

[kerravonsen]

Still behind, yes.
That was good. I liked that.

Lovely Period Costume and creepiness. And the technobabble didn't blatantly violate the laws of physics, either. It was still technobabble, but we didn't have Magically Increasing Mass.

"I'm your worst nightmare."
"You're a Mystery Shopper!"
(oops) (sporfle)

"The answer is three. That's how many deaths it will take before I do something."
I loved that bit.
I also loved how the captain faced his death like a hero.

"You really did hate your grandmother, didn't you?"

The resolution to the monster problem was not predictable, hooray! I liked that. A poignant ending.

Gus-the-computer was evil, and even more so in its cheeriness. Guess we'll never know who was behind it.

For a moment there, I thought the Doctor was lying about having rescued the rest of the passengers. (Kudos to Capaldi's acting) It wasn't until I saw Perkins in the TARDIS that I was sure the passengers were okay.
I liked Perkins. I wouldn't have minded him being a new companion, though I think he was wise in his decision not to come. Why do I think he was wise? Because he didn't refuse out of fear, but out of an awareness that when you go to the World Beyond The Hill, you can never go home again; you may go back, but you have become a stranger to it, so that it is no longer home: "a job like that changes a man". A very canny fellow.

The bit at the end:

Oh, Clara, you fool.
I'm very disappointed that she felt that she had to lie again. I mean, lie about what Danny said. And what the heck was this "Danny's okay with me knocking around with you"... Danny never made any demands that she give it up; he was just pissed off at the Doctor, and Danny is also expecting it to go pear-shaped for Clara eventually, but his attitude to that was "tell me when it happens, because I want to be there for you". Though I suppose one could argue that Danny was discouraging her from staying with the Doctor, because he felt it was bad for her. So... she still feels torn between two worlds, because she feels she "ought" to give up the Doctor if she was "sensible", but she can't bear to, and of course she can't bear to give up Danny either. But dammit, Clara, can you please stop lying? (bangs head against wall)

Comments

[watervole]

I see we loved the identical moments!

[dreamflower]

I loved that episode, mainly because of the Agatha Christie setting--she's a favorite of mine, and along with Sayers and Stout, one of the few mystery writers I still love and enjoy re-reading even now.

I also must once again applaud the direction the show is taking back to the roots of the Doctor. The plot, the setting, the Monster of the Week, all could have happened to Three or Four (though their reactions and solutions would not have been the same).

I'm wondering if "Gus-the-computer" and his progammers might not appear later on in other guises. It definitely seemed like a possible set-up for future episodes.

Up until recently Clara's easy lying always seemed to be spontaneous--a quick way out of a sticky situation. But recently it seems symptomatic of something deeper; she has seemed to rely on falsehood even when it's not been necessary. And she's lying to both the Doctor and to Danny (and as you point out, over something Danny would accept the truth in). I think part of it is that she doesn't know her own mind.

It makes her a more interesting character. Her flaws are more than the impulsiveness and contrariness that have marked most of the previous companions. Those characteristics have come to be almost a requirement for a companion. But the compulsive lying is more symptomatic of something deeper--and I have a feeling that at some point it's going to come back and bite her badly.

[kerravonsen]

But recently it seems symptomatic of something deeper; she has seemed to rely on falsehood even when it's not been necessary.

Yes. That's what's bugging me; the lying isn't necessary.

But the compulsive lying is more symptomatic of something deeper--and I have a feeling that at some point it's going to come back and bite her badly.

It darn well better, or I will be very disappointed at the writers.
I just hope that she comes through it, survives it, learns and grows from it, becomes a better person. Otherwise, I'll be even more cross at the writers.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

This series just gets better and better. I loved the "Are you my mummy?" line from the doctor.

Perkins would have made a good companion, but recently they seem to be limiting it to Companion and boyfriend only.

[kerravonsen]

recently they seem to be limiting it to Companion and boyfriend only

I wasn't expecting Perkins to come along with Clara, but be a replacement if she'd left.