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kerravonsenOkay, I've finally seen the Christmas special.
Oh, I liked this. There were some bits that were silly, but not stupid. And lots of delightful things.
My quotes aren't going to be exact, because I don't have a photographic memory.
So many things to like.
"I'm the Caretaker."
(good, Doctor, calling yourself something else because The Doctor is supposed to be dead)
"Why have you got a Police Box in your room?"
"It's not a Police Box, it's a... wardrobe that looks like a Police Box."
"It breaks my heart, seeing them happy, when they're going to be sad later."
"But you see, that's why we need to make them happy - because they're going to be sad later."
Narnia checks:
* WWII, big old house in the country
* Wardrobe
* Door to another world, snow
* trees that talk
"She's wearing natural fibre."
"Are you telling me we can't scan through wool?"
"I have mother issues, it's on file."
"How can I interrogate you if you're crying?"
"I'm thinking of the visual, sir."
"Nobody's looking!"
"I'm showing solidarity as a woman, sir."
"There's nothing you could say that would convince me you're going to use that."
"I'm looking for my children."
I so LOVED how Madge turned the tables on those soldiers. And, yes, the soldiers were a bit of a joke, but not a complete joke; I mean, if it took me by surprise that Madge was faking it (and it did) then I don't blame the soldiers for being taken by surprise. For them it was peacetime, they weren't expecting it. For her it was wartime, so she was more prepared.
Classic Who shout-out: Androzani Major!
But I don't know what the relative dates are of this episode and "The Caves of Androzani" (which was set on Androzani Minor anyway). The fact that the soldiers figured that Madge was a time traveller pretty quickly would indicate that it's much later, or at least set in an era where knowledge of time travel is pretty commonplace.
Ninth Doctor shout-out: "The forest of Cheem; she fancied me you know."
The way the forest seemed benign, and then sinister, and then turned out not to be evil after all. And that the "evil" was an "ordinary" evil; corporate callousness, rather than melodrama (and those soldiers were sympathetic folk, really).
The Doctor DOESN"T save the day! Yes, I liked that. The Doctor assumed he could handle anything, and yet he wasn't compatible with the forest's life force.
The other half of the Doctor not-saving-things was the rescue of Madge's husband.This was particularly good because
a) I wasn't expecting it
b) It actually made plot-sense, rather than being a sentimental deus-ex-machina at the last minute. Even though it sort of was.
"You go and tell them you're not dead, right now!"
(and Madge gives him a scolding mother look)
Oh, it's so like Amy to squirt the Doctor with her water pistol, and say she's not going to hug him first. Awkward not-looking is awkward. But, hey, they both hug in the end, good.
"How did you know to set a place?"
"We always do. It's Christmas."
The Doctor has happy tears! That was an awesome moment.
So many things to unpack from that:
a) he thought happy tears were an exclusively human thing (and he was wrong)
b) he thought he was too old to feel feelings like that any more (and he was wrong)
c) he thought he was destined to be alone (and he was wrong)
d) he thought he had no family, but the Ponds are serious about him being family - and hey, they actually have a right to do that, because he is technically their son-in-law, even though the wedding took place in an alternate reality that no longer exists.
I think that bit was my favourite bit.
Oh, I liked this. There were some bits that were silly, but not stupid. And lots of delightful things.
My quotes aren't going to be exact, because I don't have a photographic memory.
So many things to like.
"I'm the Caretaker."
(good, Doctor, calling yourself something else because The Doctor is supposed to be dead)
"Why have you got a Police Box in your room?"
"It's not a Police Box, it's a... wardrobe that looks like a Police Box."
"It breaks my heart, seeing them happy, when they're going to be sad later."
"But you see, that's why we need to make them happy - because they're going to be sad later."
Narnia checks:
* WWII, big old house in the country
* Wardrobe
* Door to another world, snow
* trees that talk
"She's wearing natural fibre."
"Are you telling me we can't scan through wool?"
"I have mother issues, it's on file."
"How can I interrogate you if you're crying?"
"I'm thinking of the visual, sir."
"Nobody's looking!"
"I'm showing solidarity as a woman, sir."
"There's nothing you could say that would convince me you're going to use that."
"I'm looking for my children."
I so LOVED how Madge turned the tables on those soldiers. And, yes, the soldiers were a bit of a joke, but not a complete joke; I mean, if it took me by surprise that Madge was faking it (and it did) then I don't blame the soldiers for being taken by surprise. For them it was peacetime, they weren't expecting it. For her it was wartime, so she was more prepared.
Classic Who shout-out: Androzani Major!
But I don't know what the relative dates are of this episode and "The Caves of Androzani" (which was set on Androzani Minor anyway). The fact that the soldiers figured that Madge was a time traveller pretty quickly would indicate that it's much later, or at least set in an era where knowledge of time travel is pretty commonplace.
Ninth Doctor shout-out: "The forest of Cheem; she fancied me you know."
The way the forest seemed benign, and then sinister, and then turned out not to be evil after all. And that the "evil" was an "ordinary" evil; corporate callousness, rather than melodrama (and those soldiers were sympathetic folk, really).
The Doctor DOESN"T save the day! Yes, I liked that. The Doctor assumed he could handle anything, and yet he wasn't compatible with the forest's life force.
The other half of the Doctor not-saving-things was the rescue of Madge's husband.This was particularly good because
a) I wasn't expecting it
b) It actually made plot-sense, rather than being a sentimental deus-ex-machina at the last minute. Even though it sort of was.
"You go and tell them you're not dead, right now!"
(and Madge gives him a scolding mother look)
Oh, it's so like Amy to squirt the Doctor with her water pistol, and say she's not going to hug him first. Awkward not-looking is awkward. But, hey, they both hug in the end, good.
"How did you know to set a place?"
"We always do. It's Christmas."
The Doctor has happy tears! That was an awesome moment.
So many things to unpack from that:
a) he thought happy tears were an exclusively human thing (and he was wrong)
b) he thought he was too old to feel feelings like that any more (and he was wrong)
c) he thought he was destined to be alone (and he was wrong)
d) he thought he had no family, but the Ponds are serious about him being family - and hey, they actually have a right to do that, because he is technically their son-in-law, even though the wedding took place in an alternate reality that no longer exists.
I think that bit was my favourite bit.
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no subject
Date: 2011-12-28 09:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-29 07:19 am (UTC)Ooooh, good catch! I'd missed that -- it'll be interesting to see how all that manifests next season.
a) he thought happy tears were an exclusively human thing (and he was wrong)
b) he thought he was too old to feel feelings like that any more (and he was wrong)
c) he thought he was destined to be alone (and he was wrong)
d) he thought he had no family, but the Ponds are serious about him being family
yes. All of that.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-28 08:20 pm (UTC)