Assorted Meta.

[elisi]

Meta cafe time again... Dealing with Doctor Who?, themes in S7 and why Clara is a penguin. (Bet you didn’t see that last one coming! Heee!) ETA: OK, also speculation on finale. (Some of this might be more shorthand than proper indepth meta, because... well, life.)

Spoilers up to, and including, Nightmare in Silver + finale trailers. Please DO NOT post any unofficial spoilers!


Doctor Who?

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Why do I have a feeling that The Name of the Doctor will run along these lines, with minor modifications?


Now the thing is that Doctor Who?’ was also at the heart of the 25th Anniversary. The writers had deliberately been making the Doctor more mysterious, as it was felt he was too well-known after having been around for so long, and the anniversary episode (The Silver Nemesis - a delight of timey-wimey-ness, dark magic, Cybermen and a fabulous villain (Lady Peinforte), as well as Ace blowing stuff up & the Doctor being out-and-out Trickster-y) dealt with this in a very interesting way (italics mine):

RICHARD: Yes, my lady. What will my lady do when you possess the Nemesis?
PEINFORTE: Why, first have revenge on that predictable little man. He will soon arrive, Richard. Oh yes, I expect him. This time there'll be a reckoning with the nameless Doctor whose power is so secret, for I have found his secret out. In good time, I will speak it. I shall be his downfall.

The fall of the Eleventh... Despite my fondness for the Doctor sealing the Time War using his name (and it therefore being v. dangerous), I have a feeling that the danger inherent in his name is... inherent. Oldest question in the universe indicates something older than the Time War, although there is no reason to think the danger is limited to one thing. (After all, his name is the book about the Time War...)

Anyway - Lady Peinforte knows his name and intends to use it against him... Which leads to the end of the episode (spoilers for The Silver Nemesis, btw, as well Remembrance of the Daleks):

(The Doctor and Ace are playing chess in the garden in 1638. The whole episode is interspersed with the Doctor playing a chess game in timey-wimey fashion against an unseen opponent, possibly his past self. Now, however, he’s playing against Ace.)
ACE: So you sent the Nemesis off into space to draw the Cybermen so you could finish them off.
DOCTOR: I suppose I did. How clever of me.
ACE: Just like you nailed the Daleks.
DOCTOR: As I said, Ace. Unfinished business.
(The Doctor tips over his king.)
ACE: There's still one question you haven't answered.
(Richard and a lady lute player approach.)
RICHARD: We have none of this jazz whereof you speak, Doctor, but I think you will like this.
(Richard plays the flute while his companion plays the lute.)
ACE: Professor? Doctor? Who are you?
(The Doctor puts his finger to his lips.)

And my my, there are some gorgeous parallels, aren’t there?





Anyway. We end with a question (THE QUESTION)... and music.

Mmmmmmm.

My main thoughts are that this state of affairs is now reversed. Seven was mysterious and manipulative, always ten steps ahead of everyone else, and generally using people without their knowledge. And currently this is Eleven’s situation - the Silence manipulated events around him (River), so that he had to fake his own death.

But behind - or above - the Silence is someone else manipulating him still. Something which has now sent him Clara... Wonderful, impossible Clara. Something which is is leading him to Trenzalore. (The Somethings might very well be several different Somethings...)

Themes in S7
But before we get to Clara, I shall look at the overall themes of S7. Because it is a very coherent season... If S5 was about re-birth and S6 about death, then S7 is about survival. Not just in the sense of doing what’s necessary to survive, but also about controlling populations. Let me illustrate:

7.01 Asylum of the Daleks. The Daleks employ the ‘Predator’ of the Daleks in order to destroy the crazy, dangerous Daleks which threaten the rest of them.

7.02 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. The Silurians are trying to escape and build a new life, bringing along everything they need (including animals).

7.03 A Town Called Mercy. Jex created his super soldiers in order to win a war and save his people. A few sacrificed for the sake of the many.

7.04 The Power of Three. The bad guys try to ‘cull’ a chunk of the human population, in order to keep it from doing too much damage.

7.05 The Angels Take Manhattan. The Weeping Angel literally *farm* humans to live off, in order to gain power.

7.06 The Snowmen. The Great Intelligence wants to convert people into icemen and women. And the humans are ‘food’ for the snowmen.

7.07 The Bells of St John. Miss Kizlet talks about humans being ‘cattle’.

7.08 The Rings of Akhaten. The singers pacify the god, keeping it asleep - if it begins to wake, they feed it people. (Sacrificing one, to save the many.)

7.09 Cold War. Mutually assured destruction.

7.10 Hide. Lots of talk about surviving wars and the sacrifices made (the people killed for the sake of a good cause). Is Emma worth sacrificing for the sake of Hila? Is the TARDIS for the sake of the Doctor?

7.11 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS. A bit of an outlier, although we have an actual book about the story of the Time War. Plus Clara is lost in the TARDIS, and the Doctor doesn’t hesitate for a moment in forcing the van Balen brothers to help rescue her (sacrificing the many for the sake of the one). We also have the TARDIS dying (the last of her kind) - and snarling. (This episode also serves as a mirror for ‘Dinosaurs’, although the mercenaries can be redeemed, unlike Solomon.)

7.12 The Crimson Horror. Mrs Gillyflower is busy ‘recruiting’ pilgrims for her new world.

7.13 Nightmare in Silver. A whole galaxy was destroyed to get rid of the Cybermen, to ensure the survival of the rest of the universe. (If you missed all the previous hints, then this one was a large flashing neon sign.)

Now all of this, of course, points towards the Time War, and what the Doctor did...

‘Porridge’ feels sorry for the poor guy who had to press the button, as he finds it difficult to feel sorry for the abstract trillions. But as a mirror to this we have Ada - the daughter sacrificed so her mother could find the perfect solution to ‘save’ others. Of course Mrs Gillyflower was batshit crazy, but Ada was obviously a River-mirror, and possibly also a Clara mirror... A girl sacrificed ‘for the greater good’. (Hands up everyone who has seen Hot Fuzz and can never hear that phrase without chuckling...)

All of which leads us to Clara.

Why Clara is a Penguin (as well as other things)
First off, then no one can have missed all the egg/bird imagery surrounding Clara. However, it is thanks to the delightful moffat_rocks and her brilliant Tumblr (there is intelligent life on Tumblr! Who knew!) Moffat Rocks that it suddenly clicked together (am so SLOW sometimes, dear god): Clara is a bird! (Link goes to relevant post. And re. that final edit - of course that’s the message!)

Now people are fish, as long established - Victorian!Clara even claims to have invented them, because she disliked swimming alone... Because this bird lives in water (=time), dipping in and out.

And which birds are famous for being able to swim? Penguins!

Ergo, Clara is a penguin. :)

(This was actually Promethia’s insight, it made me laugh for at least a minute solid, so I HAD to share...)

Seriously though, Clara = bird.

And that necklace she wears in ‘The Bells of St John’ is a symbol of Horus, an Egyptian god (with thanks to lonewytch):



From wiki (italics mine):

'Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history, and these are treated as distinct gods by Egypt specialists. These various forms may possibly be different perceptions of the same multi-layered deity in which certain attributes or syncretic relationships are emphasized, not necessarily in opposition but complementary to one another, consistent with how the Ancient Egyptians viewed the multiple facets of reality. He was most often depicted as a falcon, most likely a lanner or peregrine, or as a man with a falcon head.
[...]
Horus served many functions in the Egyptian pantheon, most notably being the god of the sun, war and protection.'

Because Clara is most certainly dangerous... (Who killed all the Daleks? Oswin!) And - again thanks to moffat_rocks (post here Idris and Clara (OMFG) - I am now 99% certain that Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS was foreshadowing and Clara will blow up the TARDIS. Because would you look at this (paraphrased from wiki!):

Idris was a giant and is thought to have been killed during a battle with Oswald of Northumbria near the River Severn around 632. The River Severn goes up past Gloucester, which was the closest city to Leadworth.

I just.

(No wonder the TARDIS doesn’t like her... The River is obviously River, and we even have her parents thanks to Leadworth. Good grief. Mostly I'm throwing this out there to see what you make of it. Although it all seems pretty straightforward.)

But - one more thing for now! We know that Clara is being manipulated somehow, but have not been able to figure out how...

I totally owe the following to me_llamo_nic (Crackpot Theory #4815162342 ), even going so far as plain stealing this image:



Was going to leave it there, but had another look at moffat_rocks's Tumblr and... *flails*

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS THIS IS EVERYTHING I LOVE!

So go read [what she re-blogged]: tempus-aeterna: Queens and Chess.

Obviously it's not Rassilon, but Omega, and it's all backwards... ♥ (The killer has become protector and the protector becomes downfall. Eeeep. Queeeeeeeens.)

I LIKE THIS VERY MUCH!

Comments

[honeynoir.livejournal.com]

SEVEN PARALLELS YES

I don't have time to focus, but, yay this post!

[elisi]

ALL THE SEVEN LOVE! ♥ ♥ ♥

(Anniversary! Doctor WHO?)

And thank you! :)

[masakochan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the mental image of Clara running around in a penguin costume. It's kind of a crossover with this clip from Azumanga Daioh where one of the students is wearing a penguin outfit.

I'm seriously loving some of these theories that are cropping up about Clara. I know I've seen another somewhere where they were thinking maybe Clara is Patience (from Classic Who).

And I also just had a thought. It mainly pertains to how Moffat sometimes puts a gigantic hint about the stories ending- at the beginning of it. Maybe the 'main' Clara is trapped in Trenzalore. Just like one of her versions was stuck in the Dalek's Asylum.

[elisi]

Thanks for the mental image of Clara running around in a penguin costume.
My pleasure! *beams*

It's kind of a crossover with this clip from Azumanga Daioh where one of the students is wearing a penguin outfit.
Heh. The Buffy fandom has a whole penguin AU... *points to icon*

I'm seriously loving some of these theories that are cropping up about Clara. I know I've seen another somewhere where they were thinking maybe Clara is Patience (from Classic Who).
Ooooooooh. I had to look her up - the name didn't ring a bell - and although I'd read bits about her in other places, I'd not got the full story. It's utterly fascinating, and I would love it to absolute pieces!

And I also just had a thought. It mainly pertains to how Moffat sometimes puts a gigantic hint about the stories ending- at the beginning of it. Maybe the 'main' Clara is trapped in Trenzalore. Just like one of her versions was stuck in the Dalek's Asylum.
Hmmmmm. Don't think so (going by the trailers).

[purplefringe.livejournal.com]

AAAAAALLL THE LOVE for the Douglas Adams quote! <333

And oooooh I like the Clara = bird = carrier pigeon = outside Time = message carrier metaphor VERY much. That's very neat. Also the Alice parallels are wonderful. Though she mentions all the crowns we've seen this season - I haven't noticed any other than the Rose and Crown and the (sort of) crown-psychic-headgear in Hide. What else is there?

[elisi]

AAAAAALLL THE LOVE for the Douglas Adams quote! <333
It... seemed fitting. :)

And oooooh I like the Clara = bird = carrier pigeon = outside Time = message carrier metaphor VERY much. That's very neat.
Nice, isn't it?

Also the Alice parallels are wonderful. Though she mentions all the crowns we've seen this season - I haven't noticed any other than the Rose and Crown and the (sort of) crown-psychic-headgear in Hide. What else is there?
Queen Nefertiti and Amy claiming to be a queen, Merry is The Queen of Years, and Clara could be Empress. Nnnot sure about other 'crowns' as such.

[janie-aire.livejournal.com]

So, with this prequel,there are two parts.

Set up two instances of this video, play the two different parts in parallel, and be amazed at the mirroring.

[elisi]

Will try - although it's pretty obvious, even just on a casual viewing. :)

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

OOOOOOOOOOH.

At this point I'm so confused and uncertain about where everything is leading that all I can really say is SHINY. But yes, I am enjoying the crazy and ambiguity. /rolls around in your spec

[elisi]

I had some ideas and then other ideas come along and write all over them...

I'll just stick with what my icon says. ;)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

OMG, those pics!! HE SHOULD HAVE TURNED RIGHT, THEN!!

And...hasn't the Doctor said 'Clara is a bird?'

Can't remember...arrgghhh! REWATCH!!

*HUGS*

[elisi]

OMG, those pics!! HE SHOULD HAVE TURNED RIGHT, THEN!!
IKR? OK, mostly Time Beetles are used to fix a certain moment - Donna just happened to have a whole AU appear around her. But it certainly looks like there are SHENANIGANS afoot!

And...hasn't the Doctor said 'Clara is a bird?'
“Do you think I’m going to start investigating just because some bird smiles at me?” (The Snowmen)

:)

*sends lots of hugs*

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Ahh, yes!! Brain-fritz, lol!! It was just such an...ODD thing for him to say, it emblazoned itself on my memory - just not where it came from *grins*

[the-royal-anna.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of Clara as a penguin - especially when I think of them all huddling together for protection from the icy winds, and taking turns standing on the outside. She's suitably protective of her chicks, not to mention the penguin at the centre of the circle.

Hee, and if she'd accepted last week's proposal, never mind queen of the universe, she could have been an emperor penguin. :)

[elisi]

Hee, and if she'd accepted last week's proposal, never mind queen of the universe, she could have been an emperor penguin. :)
Genuine gigglesnort at that! Oh Lord, will we have to create a Doctor Who all penguin AU?

[the-royal-anna.livejournal.com]

Oh Lord, will we have to create a Doctor Who all penguin AU?

I think you've hit upon the perfect plan for this year's Christmas special!

I love how you have an appropriate icon for every occasion. :)

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

Despite my fondness for the Doctor sealing the Time War using his name
Ohhh, really liking the theory! Though your following points explaining why it didn't make so much sense were very right… =P

I love the way you explained the coherence of s7! Fascinating stuff :)
Clara is a penguin. Rofl. I love it. And the Alice parallels :)

So yeah, MORE fascinating thoughts! Duh, I want to find out already, but I'll miss your thinky theories after the finale ;)

[elisi]

Ohhh, really liking the theory! Though your following points explaining why it didn't make so much sense were very right… =P
Well it could be LOTS of things (in Moffat Who everything is usually ALL THE THINGS). It is more than hinted that he sealed the rift in the Medusa Cascade using his name, so it would make sense for him to use his name for the Time War also...

I love the way you explained the coherence of s7! Fascinating stuff :)
Once you see a pattern, it's EVERYWHERE!

Clara is a penguin. Rofl. I love it. And the Alice parallels :)
Clara the penguin. It's too good. And Alice. Oh love Alice. (Have delved into that whole aspect already wrt Ace, so it's riiiiiiiight up my street!)

So yeah, MORE fascinating thoughts! Duh, I want to find out already, but I'll miss your thinky theories after the finale ;)
Oh, but then I'll have time to really draw out everything that's there. Remember my TWORS post... ;)

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

Well it could be LOTS of things (in Moffat Who everything is usually ALL THE THINGS).
^_^

Oh, but then I'll have time to really draw out everything that's there. Remember my TWORS post... ;)
Ohhh yes. Looking forward to that then ;)

[promethia_tenk]

*forehead!slap*

Not a penguin. A duck.

The mystery of the duck pond solved at last!

[elisi]

\o/

(Quack)

[lyricwrites.livejournal.com]

Hello, this is Lyric's sleep-deprived and squirrelly brain bringing you some wild-ass guessing. My theory of the moment is about the Doctor's greatest secret: I think he's the rightful ruler of Gallifrey. Mind you, I'm not entirely sure if this is my theory of the show's plot or the novel that I'm gonna write for BBC Any Day Now when they recognize my genius and pay for my babysitting. But, hey, here goes.

Okay, so. Imagine an alternate history, like "Turn Left." In this one, the Doctor didn't leave Gallifrey. He didn't give up his name. So, why didn't he leave Gallifrey in dissatisfaction? Well—what if he were in charge of it?

(He actually had several chances to be Lord President in the classic series. IIRC, he put his not-a-name in the ring because of an old, obscure rule that said you couldn't execute a person running for office until the votes were tallied. Later on, they tried to make him take it because he was the only one standing. Lord President was much like Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, in those days; pick any two, evil, incompetent, or at least mostly dead. The Doctor's response, as I recall, was something along the lines of, "Uh, yyyeah, I'll just, um, pop into the TARDIS and fetch my, um, presidenting hat out of the wardrobe, won't be a minute . . ." *TARDIS noise*)

Except here's the thing. The Doctor is still the same man, in this AU, so he's going to meddle. But in this AU, he never met Barbara, the person who first startled him into listening. Or Ian, who pointed out that clubbing a caveman when he's down isn't the way to do things. Or any of the rest. Oh, he might still have compassion, of a sort, but what is compassion without paying attention to other peoples' opinions? What do you get when the not!Doctor couldn't care less what you think?

Well . . . Take up the White Man's burden/The savage wars of peace— You get Imperial Gallifrey, that's what you get. Fixing your problems, no matter what they have to do to you. The laws of time are theirs, and you will obey them.

Except that didn't happen, did it? Because, at a crucial point, the Doctor made the decision to erase his name and live as an outsider. He left Gallifrey. He semi-accidentally stole a couple of humans, who called him the Doctor. And all the rest. Perhaps he used his "claim to the throne" somehow during the Time War—hence Clara's reaction to the book—but he never took his name back. It isn't the same if the name isn't there.

(Actually, when the Doctor named the horrors of the Time War, one of them was "The Could-Have-Been King." Which is nowhere near as impressive-sounding as the Nightmare Child—unless you envision it as a vicious Alternate!Doctor brought into reality by some dark paradox art so that he can use all his skill at conquest against the Daleks—you know what, I'm gonna go with that as head-canon even if I'm totally off the wall with this. Because yummy, that's why.)

Now, what happens if the Doctor is forced or tricked into taking up his name? Not someone else saying it, not giving it to River via telepathy or something else, but actually saying, "I am ________." What if it means that he is __________, and always was? What if it means we snap back into the universe where he has one?

'Cause here's the main point of all this ranting: I don't think our universe is necessarily the "original," if there is such a thing. I think it's what happened when the proto-Doctor got a premonition or a prophecy of what he could become, and ran for his life. I think that the fiftieth anniversary episode is going to be about making the Doctor's timeline happen. For his next trick, Moffat creates Doctor Who. Retroactively.

[elisi]

Hmmmmm.

*pokes*

I am too sleepy to have an opinion yet. Will get back to you in the morning...

[lyricwrites.livejournal.com]

Aww, you aren't going to tell me that I'm crazy right away? (I kid, I kid.)

[lyricwrites.livejournal.com]

*watches finale*

*boggles*

Wow . . . okay, I am shocked to the core at how many things I actually got right.

The Doctor's name did grant access to his past, although not in any way I had considered.

I think that the fiftieth anniversary episode is going to be about making the Doctor's timeline happen. For his next trick, Moffat creates Doctor Who. Retroactively.

Okay—not the fiftieth, I stand corrected.

Oh, and dark!Doctor all the way! *wibbles excitedly*