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Trying to fix plot holes in 'The Beast Below' + some rambling.
Have been run off my feet all day, but am grabbing a few moments to write this down.
First of all, can I just say that I am somewhat gleeful that there *are* plot holes? It's not that I like them, it's just that they were quite the feature of RTD's era, and it's nice to see that they're still around. *pets plot holes* (Since all the character/emotional stuff is spot on I can cope with the plot holes very well - and fanwanking is fun! *g*)
Secondly - am I the only one who thinks that Liz Ten sounds like Liz/Ten? (Which would obviously be the shipping name for the lovely couple in my icon. It pleases me immensely.)
BUT, onto the plot holes... Or rather, my thoughts on them.
Feeding children to the whale.
The little boy (Timmy?) who gets a zero, is told by his sister that he'll have to walk home - if he goes in the 'vator' he'll get sent 'below'. This is obviously common knowledge, so one can presume that if he had just walked he'd have been fine. At any rate, there are obviously ways around the system. (Although the main question is of course who designed the system to be like that? It's very efficient, I suppose, but... hm, yeah, it's clearly been created to serve the plot.) Anyone have any clever thoughts?
When did Amy record her message?
This one struck me as quite simple once I thought about it. It would seem sensible to allow people (after they've chosen to forget) to record a message for themselves, to re-assure themselves that they've not been conned or forced [as such]. The memory wipe doesn't start until they've finished recording.
How did Amy work out that the Doctor was 'very, very old'?
OK, this one isn't so very difficult, and I've seen it answered plenty, I just wanted to include it. :) I think it's a case of Amy putting together all the information she's been given. One, the Doctor was once a parent (that's pretty obvious, so he must be older than he looks). Two, he's the last one of his people. And three, he's clearly been around for a while, considering Liz Ten's stories, not to mention the rooftop scene (not sure how much she'd understand of that, but there's obviously a lot of history there that the Atraxi has access to). Four... four, he's her childhood [imaginary] friend, and thus - I'm sure - has a timelessness about him, in her eyes. To a child, any grownup is *old*, and I think that helps her make that mental leap.
But... I'm going to have to run again. I can't even remember if there was anything else I wanted to address - if you can think of anything, do tell! :)
ETA: One more point - but about the Doctor and his decision. The thing is, he works out what's going on before anyone else (well before Amy and Liz Ten), but doesn't rush into it, just follows along. And I'm sure he'll immediately have seen the three different options open to him, and chosen accordingly. Notice how relatively calmly he lays everything out (well, calm before he snaps). My point is, I don't think he ever wonders if there might be an option 4 - because remember where he's at. He just *died* a very short while ago, a death that he tried to avoid by any means possible, a death that he for one moment thought he had avoided after all... and then came the knocks. His frame of mind was probably very, very fatalistic - whatever you do, horrible things happen. Which is why Amy stuns him so very much.
But - I *must* run!
First of all, can I just say that I am somewhat gleeful that there *are* plot holes? It's not that I like them, it's just that they were quite the feature of RTD's era, and it's nice to see that they're still around. *pets plot holes* (Since all the character/emotional stuff is spot on I can cope with the plot holes very well - and fanwanking is fun! *g*)
Secondly - am I the only one who thinks that Liz Ten sounds like Liz/Ten? (Which would obviously be the shipping name for the lovely couple in my icon. It pleases me immensely.)
BUT, onto the plot holes... Or rather, my thoughts on them.
Feeding children to the whale.
The little boy (Timmy?) who gets a zero, is told by his sister that he'll have to walk home - if he goes in the 'vator' he'll get sent 'below'. This is obviously common knowledge, so one can presume that if he had just walked he'd have been fine. At any rate, there are obviously ways around the system. (Although the main question is of course who designed the system to be like that? It's very efficient, I suppose, but... hm, yeah, it's clearly been created to serve the plot.) Anyone have any clever thoughts?
When did Amy record her message?
This one struck me as quite simple once I thought about it. It would seem sensible to allow people (after they've chosen to forget) to record a message for themselves, to re-assure themselves that they've not been conned or forced [as such]. The memory wipe doesn't start until they've finished recording.
How did Amy work out that the Doctor was 'very, very old'?
OK, this one isn't so very difficult, and I've seen it answered plenty, I just wanted to include it. :) I think it's a case of Amy putting together all the information she's been given. One, the Doctor was once a parent (that's pretty obvious, so he must be older than he looks). Two, he's the last one of his people. And three, he's clearly been around for a while, considering Liz Ten's stories, not to mention the rooftop scene (not sure how much she'd understand of that, but there's obviously a lot of history there that the Atraxi has access to). Four... four, he's her childhood [imaginary] friend, and thus - I'm sure - has a timelessness about him, in her eyes. To a child, any grownup is *old*, and I think that helps her make that mental leap.
But... I'm going to have to run again. I can't even remember if there was anything else I wanted to address - if you can think of anything, do tell! :)
ETA: One more point - but about the Doctor and his decision. The thing is, he works out what's going on before anyone else (well before Amy and Liz Ten), but doesn't rush into it, just follows along. And I'm sure he'll immediately have seen the three different options open to him, and chosen accordingly. Notice how relatively calmly he lays everything out (well, calm before he snaps). My point is, I don't think he ever wonders if there might be an option 4 - because remember where he's at. He just *died* a very short while ago, a death that he tried to avoid by any means possible, a death that he for one moment thought he had avoided after all... and then came the knocks. His frame of mind was probably very, very fatalistic - whatever you do, horrible things happen. Which is why Amy stuns him so very much.
But - I *must* run!