Doctor Who 6x05: The Rebel Flesh
Jun. 12th, 2011 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kerravonsenIn some ways, this is paint-by-numbers horror, but even though I knew what was coming, I still jumped when it came. I'm writing this up before I watch the next part, to get my reactions fresh.
Paint-by-numbers? Yes. Think of all the classic tropes being brought together here:
* Isolated (on island)
* Dark and creepy (monastery)
* Stormy (though why they had to call it a solar tsunami rather than a solar flare I don't know; well, probably because it's not behaving like a solar flare)
* Frankenstein's monster brought to life by lightning
* Doppelgangers - who am I really?
* Melting faces, almost-people; the Uncanny Valley
* Walking corpses (at least, that dead-white flesh makes them seem like walking corpses)
* The "rising tide" of acid; the inexorable forces of nature which they are also fighting.
* 360-degree head-turn.
* Taking refuge in chapel.
I knew that there was going to be a Doppelganger of the Doctor, but that didn't stop him being creepy. I think it was the combination of the melted-face look with his perfectly normal voice. The Uncanny Valley. If Ganger-Doctor had looked exactly like him, then it wouldn't have been so creepy. And we don't know if Ganger-Doctor is an enemy or an ally.
I was expecting the "boots" thing with the Doctor to be important. It may be important next time - if the Ganger-Doctor firms up its face, then the only difference between them could be that they are wearing different boots; that is, if the Ganger-Doctor can't change its footwear to suit.
Another thing I'm not sure about is what is going on with Jennifer. Are there three Jennifers around - the real one and two flesh ones? Or are there only two? And if there are only two, then are they both flesh, or not? Obviously the melty-face one is Flesh, but who is the one that Rory befriended? Because she looked like Flesh, but does that mean that real people can be made to look like Flesh, or that the Jennifer that they thought was real was actually Flesh all along? Is that why she hates getting into the frames?
And we get a teeny bit more about Schrodinger's Pregnancy:
* I think it was a bit clearer this time what was on the scanner; "full body scan" "Amy Pond" "Pregnancy" and flipping between Positive and Negative.
* Another glimpse of the sliding window and the one-eyed lady. Which, of course, only happens when Amy is alone.
Paint-by-numbers? Yes. Think of all the classic tropes being brought together here:
* Isolated (on island)
* Dark and creepy (monastery)
* Stormy (though why they had to call it a solar tsunami rather than a solar flare I don't know; well, probably because it's not behaving like a solar flare)
* Frankenstein's monster brought to life by lightning
* Doppelgangers - who am I really?
* Melting faces, almost-people; the Uncanny Valley
* Walking corpses (at least, that dead-white flesh makes them seem like walking corpses)
* The "rising tide" of acid; the inexorable forces of nature which they are also fighting.
* 360-degree head-turn.
* Taking refuge in chapel.
I knew that there was going to be a Doppelganger of the Doctor, but that didn't stop him being creepy. I think it was the combination of the melted-face look with his perfectly normal voice. The Uncanny Valley. If Ganger-Doctor had looked exactly like him, then it wouldn't have been so creepy. And we don't know if Ganger-Doctor is an enemy or an ally.
I was expecting the "boots" thing with the Doctor to be important. It may be important next time - if the Ganger-Doctor firms up its face, then the only difference between them could be that they are wearing different boots; that is, if the Ganger-Doctor can't change its footwear to suit.
Another thing I'm not sure about is what is going on with Jennifer. Are there three Jennifers around - the real one and two flesh ones? Or are there only two? And if there are only two, then are they both flesh, or not? Obviously the melty-face one is Flesh, but who is the one that Rory befriended? Because she looked like Flesh, but does that mean that real people can be made to look like Flesh, or that the Jennifer that they thought was real was actually Flesh all along? Is that why she hates getting into the frames?
And we get a teeny bit more about Schrodinger's Pregnancy:
* I think it was a bit clearer this time what was on the scanner; "full body scan" "Amy Pond" "Pregnancy" and flipping between Positive and Negative.
* Another glimpse of the sliding window and the one-eyed lady. Which, of course, only happens when Amy is alone.
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no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 06:00 am (UTC)Yes, the horror was paint-by-numbers, but worked for me really well. Especially the doppleganger stuff.
Another thing I'm not sure about is what is going on with Jennifer. Are there three Jennifers around - the real one and two flesh ones? Or are there only two? And if there are only two, then are they both flesh, or not? Obviously the melty-face one is Flesh, but who is the one that Rory befriended? Because she looked like Flesh, but does that mean that real people can be made to look like Flesh, or that the Jennifer that they thought was real was actually Flesh all along? Is that why she hates getting into the frames?
I only had part of this thought by the end of this episode. But yeah, rather confusing here. Intentionally so, I'm sure. :) (I love how Rory is drawn to Jennifer... he's all caring, and then also if anyone could have sympathy for a ganger, surely it would be a former Auton....)
no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 06:03 am (UTC)As I said, I still jumped even though I knew what was coming.
if anyone could have sympathy for a ganger, surely it would be a former Auton....
Oh, good point! I'd forgotten that aspect of it.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 08:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 10:46 am (UTC)