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DW 8.06. The Caretaker. (Soldiers without guns.)
First and foremost: Happy Happy Birthday to the other half of my brain, someone I quite simply couldn't imagine my life without: The incomparable ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
promethia_tenk.
Your birthday snuck up on me, so the only thing I have is (rather rushed) meta! And - although you'll know it all already - it's something at least? So, I hope you like. ♥
(Everyone else: There are so many things I don't mention. I loved the humour of this episode, loved Courtney, loved how very real the school felt, loved the ending... But it's limited what you can throw together in less than two hours.)
DW 8.06. The Caretaker. (Soldiers without guns.)
‘The Caretaker’ is an episode dealing with a lot of difficult issues, but it is disguised as a comedy.
The main issue being soldiers, and the Doctor’s attitude. (I’ll get to the second issue further down - they’re connected.)
Now Twelve is obviously very different from Eleven, but I think it’s more than just a regeneration. This was more like a re-set and Twelve is, in many aspects, channeling One. But trying to delve a little further, we can ask why now? Ten was very anti-soldiers (and guns etc etc), but then he was Ten. Eleven was far more morally grey, and this was reflected in the show and the stories - see River above. A major part of Eleven’s arc was about letting go of the warrior and healing the pain of the past. And then… he spent the best part of a thousand wars fighting a war that he knew would eventually kill him.
Every regeneration is, in great part, a reaction against the previous one. And this is particularly true of Twelve. I don’t think it’s a deliberate case of ‘Soldiers are baaad, m’kay?’ - more a deep-seated conviction that he must somehow change:
“I’ve lived for over 2000 years, and not all of them were good. I’ve made many mistakes - and it’s about time I did something about that.”
The problem is - he’s the Doctor. And he has a tendency to project his own issues outwards. So, because he is unhappy with his war-faring past, he distances himself abruptly from any soliders. We see this attitude raise its head in ‘Into the Dalek’, when he refuses to take Journey Blue with him as a companion.
And in the same episode Danny is introduced.
So we get the two stories running parallel, exploring both sides at the same time: The Doctor’s issues, that he projects (and not always wrongly), and our actual soldier.
This is not a simple ‘The Doctor is always right’ situation. No, everything has been very carefully set up so that when things come to a head in ‘The Caretaker’ we understand both sides, and know that nothing is as simple as it would seem.
Of course we know the Doctor’s story in great detail, and now - thanks to ‘Listen’ - even the fact that he was a small scared child who did not want to be a soldier, but wanted to go to the Academy instead.
And here it’s important to stop for a moment and consider Doctor Who as a product of British culture. (See this post: Layers in Doctor Who - Allegory Level specifically.) The Doctor was a renegade - someone who rebelled against the system. Someone who did not want to do what society expected. The sort of person who, rather than behave respectably, stole a TARDIS and ran away. And yet - all that breeding, all that privilege… It’s still there. (“Just walk around as if you own the place - works for me!”)
A picture from my Layers in Doctor Who post:
Which also reminds me of this:
(Fromscarlettgirl’s post on Human Nature/Family of Blood.)
Now, Danny. The way Danny has been introduced is very clever indeed. Pretty much the first thing we learn is that he obviously did something he deeply regrets whilst he was soldier. We also learn that he dug 23 wells and that he is very defensive about his days in the army - his defensiveness proving a good tool for the writers to put this across. He worries that Clara has ‘the wrong idea’ about soldiers.
So, as a contrast/mirror to the Doctor we are given a complex and layered young soldier - someone clearly scarred, yet proud of what he has done. Someone very human and relatable.
The fact that these are two sides of the same coin is spelled out explicitly in ‘Listen’, when both of them are given the small toy soldier without a gun. Although as I said at the time - one toy, two meanings. What is the important part - the fact that he is a soldier, or that he has no gun?
Also take into account how the Doctor shaped little Rupert’s dreams - and how Rupert’s soldier shaped the Doctor in turn. These two [stories] are entwined.
And inbetween these two - their connection - Clara. Again: one Clara, two meanings.
- She is the Doctor’s Impossible Girl, his touchstone, the one who knows him, his self-declared teacher. Their relationship something out-of-this world and unique. She is the girl twice dead, the one who Answered the Question.
- She is Danny’s girlfriend. The slightly odd English teacher that he can’t quite work out, but that he is clearly in love with. Their relationship something normal and grounded. She's a girl from Blackpool - and you don't get much more down-to-earth than that.
So now these two finally meet, and the difficulties start before they even know who each other are. The Doctor is - to Danny’s evident bewilderment - rude and unpleasant as soon as he finds out that Danny used to be a soldier, continually insulting him. (I think the Doctor’s continued insistence on calling him ‘PE’ is that this is probably one of the Doctor’s ultimate insults, as he is not exactly known for his physical brilliance - from his report card from school: Sport: Hopeless - total geek. Again - his own issues rising to the surface. Of course in the end, it is Danny's physical prowess that saves the day at the last minute.)
It isn’t until the scene in the TARDIS that things make sense [for Danny]. It’s clear as day that the second he hears the words ‘Time Lord’ that he can immediately categorise everything and put them all in a framework. And both he and the Doctor understand this, although the Doctor doesn't want to play (Don't salute, Don't call me 'sir') - the Doctor is a rebel, labels like these are what he has refused to adhere to against his whole life. There is a definite sense of Danny calling out the Doctor on his double standards - if he wants the respect that he so very clearly expects, then he's got to own up to what he is.
And that’s what makes this so interesting. We have the Doctor trying to get to grips with his past (which in many ways means running away), but the story, and the characters, very clearly do not intend to let him off the hook easily. He won’t be allowed to just shut away and banish the parts of himself that he dislikes - Danny is a walking, talking criticism of this attempt. I very much look forward to seeing where this goes.
And now to the other side of this: Clara.
The Doctor, bless his little cotton socks, jumps to entirely the wrong conclusion about Adrian, but it’s easy to see why. He wants to keep her. And if she is dating an avatar of his former self, she is very much still his. In other words: Adrian isn’t a threat.
(Nor was Mickey seen as a threat. And Eleven laughed at Rory, before he knew him, not seeing him as a threat either.)
Danny, however, is.
The moment Clara says ‘I love him’ - the Doctor knows he’s lost her. You can literally see his hearts breaking. Danny’s initial leap of insight is spot on: He *is* her Space Dad. (Or grandad.) And since Susan, he has known that sooner or later they leave - or he must leave them behind. He hates endings, and with three little words Clara reminded him that one day she, too, will leave.
And on top of that he is indirectly being forced to face some uncomfortable facts. Danny isn’t the pleasant, slightly ridiculous mirror Adrian presented, where Twelve could kid himself that it was Eleven’s handsome face Clara fell for. No, Danny is a darker mirror. Danny reminds him of all the things he wants to brush under the carpet. And this is the person Clara is seeing. This is the person she declares that she loves. This is the person she will probably leave him for, in the end.
What does that say? About Danny? About Clara? About himself?
Now Danny, on the other hand, is very insightful. He and Clara have a very interesting conversation at the very end of the episode:
DANNY: I know men like him. I’ve served under them. They push you, and make you stronger, ‘til you’re doing things you never thought you could. I saw you tonight. You did exactly as he told you. You weren’t even scared. And you should have been.
CLARA: .. I trust him. He’s never let me down.
DANNY: Fine. … If he ever pushes you too far, I want you to tell me, because I know what that’s like. You’ll tell me if that happens, yeah?
CLARA: Yeah. It’s a deal.
DANNY: No, it’s a promise.
CLARA: OK, I promise.
DANNY: And if you break that promise Clara, we’re finished.
CLARA: Don’t say that.
DANNY: I’m saying it because if you don’t tell me the truth I can’t help you. And I could never stand not being able to help you. Clear?
CLARA: Yes.
By putting their relationship on the line over this, he is literally betting everything on her being honest with him, in order - I think - to make sure she doesn’t end up in whatever place he did. Like I said, we’ve seen that he has some sort of trauma in his past. He wants to spare Clara that.
And in doing so, he is also drawing direct parallels between them. Danny very clearly positions himself and Clara as the same. He is a soldier, and so is she. (In all but name.)
So far we have usually had family members say ‘Keep her safe’. (This is quite ridiculous when you think about it, as life with the Doctor is incredibly dangerous. *g*) We have also had Rory telling the Doctor that he makes people a danger to themselves, and seen the Doctor take this on board and - as a consequence - send Amy away.
This is different. Danny isn’t telling the Doctor to keep her safe, putting her in an inferior position as someone who needs looking after. (Of course, the companions are generally the ones doing the looking after - I’m thinking purely in terms of what families tend to ask.) He is asking Clara to make sure she doesn’t get pushed too far. He is obviously upset that she lied to him (ditto the Doctor - oh there have been lies all around! She sure has learned something), but rather than throw a tantrum he uses it to ensure her wellbeing as best he can. It’s not an ideal situation, but neither man, I don’t think, want her to be worse off because of them.
And so they reach a delicate balance.
But what happens if (or rather when) it gets upset?
Because - as River showed - the Doctor doesn't get to walk away from his problems. No - he gets to confront them, and deal with them. And that is a good thing. So here's to Danny!
promethia_tenk.Your birthday snuck up on me, so the only thing I have is (rather rushed) meta! And - although you'll know it all already - it's something at least? So, I hope you like. ♥
(Everyone else: There are so many things I don't mention. I loved the humour of this episode, loved Courtney, loved how very real the school felt, loved the ending... But it's limited what you can throw together in less than two hours.)
DW 8.06. The Caretaker. (Soldiers without guns.)
‘The Caretaker’ is an episode dealing with a lot of difficult issues, but it is disguised as a comedy.
The main issue being soldiers, and the Doctor’s attitude. (I’ll get to the second issue further down - they’re connected.)
Now Twelve is obviously very different from Eleven, but I think it’s more than just a regeneration. This was more like a re-set and Twelve is, in many aspects, channeling One. But trying to delve a little further, we can ask why now? Ten was very anti-soldiers (and guns etc etc), but then he was Ten. Eleven was far more morally grey, and this was reflected in the show and the stories - see River above. A major part of Eleven’s arc was about letting go of the warrior and healing the pain of the past. And then… he spent the best part of a thousand wars fighting a war that he knew would eventually kill him.
Every regeneration is, in great part, a reaction against the previous one. And this is particularly true of Twelve. I don’t think it’s a deliberate case of ‘Soldiers are baaad, m’kay?’ - more a deep-seated conviction that he must somehow change:
“I’ve lived for over 2000 years, and not all of them were good. I’ve made many mistakes - and it’s about time I did something about that.”
The problem is - he’s the Doctor. And he has a tendency to project his own issues outwards. So, because he is unhappy with his war-faring past, he distances himself abruptly from any soliders. We see this attitude raise its head in ‘Into the Dalek’, when he refuses to take Journey Blue with him as a companion.
And in the same episode Danny is introduced.
So we get the two stories running parallel, exploring both sides at the same time: The Doctor’s issues, that he projects (and not always wrongly), and our actual soldier.
This is not a simple ‘The Doctor is always right’ situation. No, everything has been very carefully set up so that when things come to a head in ‘The Caretaker’ we understand both sides, and know that nothing is as simple as it would seem.
Of course we know the Doctor’s story in great detail, and now - thanks to ‘Listen’ - even the fact that he was a small scared child who did not want to be a soldier, but wanted to go to the Academy instead.
And here it’s important to stop for a moment and consider Doctor Who as a product of British culture. (See this post: Layers in Doctor Who - Allegory Level specifically.) The Doctor was a renegade - someone who rebelled against the system. Someone who did not want to do what society expected. The sort of person who, rather than behave respectably, stole a TARDIS and ran away. And yet - all that breeding, all that privilege… It’s still there. (“Just walk around as if you own the place - works for me!”)
A picture from my Layers in Doctor Who post:
Which also reminds me of this:
As so many have noted, John Smith embodied so many stereotypical "Time Lord" qualities: arrogance, casual cruelty, racism and an implaccable sense of what is "right". And, when you think about it, 1913 England was a time period when values and morals were very fixed, they had yet to shaken by the class upheaval's brought on by war, everyone knew their place and right was right and wrong was wrong. There was very little grey in that black and white world. For the TARDIS to pick that time and that persona says an awful lot about her knowledge of *her* Doctor. She was looking out for him by placing him in a time and place that he would feel comfortable and adjust to without question because on some, deep level it harkened back to the society he knew as a child and we all know how those deep, primary memories shape us. He wouldn't waste valuable time or resources questioning the society because on an elemental level, it felt *right*.
(From
scarlettgirl’s post on Human Nature/Family of Blood.)Now, Danny. The way Danny has been introduced is very clever indeed. Pretty much the first thing we learn is that he obviously did something he deeply regrets whilst he was soldier. We also learn that he dug 23 wells and that he is very defensive about his days in the army - his defensiveness proving a good tool for the writers to put this across. He worries that Clara has ‘the wrong idea’ about soldiers.
So, as a contrast/mirror to the Doctor we are given a complex and layered young soldier - someone clearly scarred, yet proud of what he has done. Someone very human and relatable.
The fact that these are two sides of the same coin is spelled out explicitly in ‘Listen’, when both of them are given the small toy soldier without a gun. Although as I said at the time - one toy, two meanings. What is the important part - the fact that he is a soldier, or that he has no gun?
Also take into account how the Doctor shaped little Rupert’s dreams - and how Rupert’s soldier shaped the Doctor in turn. These two [stories] are entwined.
And inbetween these two - their connection - Clara. Again: one Clara, two meanings.
- She is the Doctor’s Impossible Girl, his touchstone, the one who knows him, his self-declared teacher. Their relationship something out-of-this world and unique. She is the girl twice dead, the one who Answered the Question.
- She is Danny’s girlfriend. The slightly odd English teacher that he can’t quite work out, but that he is clearly in love with. Their relationship something normal and grounded. She's a girl from Blackpool - and you don't get much more down-to-earth than that.
So now these two finally meet, and the difficulties start before they even know who each other are. The Doctor is - to Danny’s evident bewilderment - rude and unpleasant as soon as he finds out that Danny used to be a soldier, continually insulting him. (I think the Doctor’s continued insistence on calling him ‘PE’ is that this is probably one of the Doctor’s ultimate insults, as he is not exactly known for his physical brilliance - from his report card from school: Sport: Hopeless - total geek. Again - his own issues rising to the surface. Of course in the end, it is Danny's physical prowess that saves the day at the last minute.)
It isn’t until the scene in the TARDIS that things make sense [for Danny]. It’s clear as day that the second he hears the words ‘Time Lord’ that he can immediately categorise everything and put them all in a framework. And both he and the Doctor understand this, although the Doctor doesn't want to play (Don't salute, Don't call me 'sir') - the Doctor is a rebel, labels like these are what he has refused to adhere to against his whole life. There is a definite sense of Danny calling out the Doctor on his double standards - if he wants the respect that he so very clearly expects, then he's got to own up to what he is.
And that’s what makes this so interesting. We have the Doctor trying to get to grips with his past (which in many ways means running away), but the story, and the characters, very clearly do not intend to let him off the hook easily. He won’t be allowed to just shut away and banish the parts of himself that he dislikes - Danny is a walking, talking criticism of this attempt. I very much look forward to seeing where this goes.
And now to the other side of this: Clara.
The Doctor, bless his little cotton socks, jumps to entirely the wrong conclusion about Adrian, but it’s easy to see why. He wants to keep her. And if she is dating an avatar of his former self, she is very much still his. In other words: Adrian isn’t a threat.
(Nor was Mickey seen as a threat. And Eleven laughed at Rory, before he knew him, not seeing him as a threat either.)
Danny, however, is.
The moment Clara says ‘I love him’ - the Doctor knows he’s lost her. You can literally see his hearts breaking. Danny’s initial leap of insight is spot on: He *is* her Space Dad. (Or grandad.) And since Susan, he has known that sooner or later they leave - or he must leave them behind. He hates endings, and with three little words Clara reminded him that one day she, too, will leave.
And on top of that he is indirectly being forced to face some uncomfortable facts. Danny isn’t the pleasant, slightly ridiculous mirror Adrian presented, where Twelve could kid himself that it was Eleven’s handsome face Clara fell for. No, Danny is a darker mirror. Danny reminds him of all the things he wants to brush under the carpet. And this is the person Clara is seeing. This is the person she declares that she loves. This is the person she will probably leave him for, in the end.
What does that say? About Danny? About Clara? About himself?
Now Danny, on the other hand, is very insightful. He and Clara have a very interesting conversation at the very end of the episode:
DANNY: I know men like him. I’ve served under them. They push you, and make you stronger, ‘til you’re doing things you never thought you could. I saw you tonight. You did exactly as he told you. You weren’t even scared. And you should have been.
CLARA: .. I trust him. He’s never let me down.
DANNY: Fine. … If he ever pushes you too far, I want you to tell me, because I know what that’s like. You’ll tell me if that happens, yeah?
CLARA: Yeah. It’s a deal.
DANNY: No, it’s a promise.
CLARA: OK, I promise.
DANNY: And if you break that promise Clara, we’re finished.
CLARA: Don’t say that.
DANNY: I’m saying it because if you don’t tell me the truth I can’t help you. And I could never stand not being able to help you. Clear?
CLARA: Yes.
By putting their relationship on the line over this, he is literally betting everything on her being honest with him, in order - I think - to make sure she doesn’t end up in whatever place he did. Like I said, we’ve seen that he has some sort of trauma in his past. He wants to spare Clara that.
And in doing so, he is also drawing direct parallels between them. Danny very clearly positions himself and Clara as the same. He is a soldier, and so is she. (In all but name.)
So far we have usually had family members say ‘Keep her safe’. (This is quite ridiculous when you think about it, as life with the Doctor is incredibly dangerous. *g*) We have also had Rory telling the Doctor that he makes people a danger to themselves, and seen the Doctor take this on board and - as a consequence - send Amy away.
This is different. Danny isn’t telling the Doctor to keep her safe, putting her in an inferior position as someone who needs looking after. (Of course, the companions are generally the ones doing the looking after - I’m thinking purely in terms of what families tend to ask.) He is asking Clara to make sure she doesn’t get pushed too far. He is obviously upset that she lied to him (ditto the Doctor - oh there have been lies all around! She sure has learned something), but rather than throw a tantrum he uses it to ensure her wellbeing as best he can. It’s not an ideal situation, but neither man, I don’t think, want her to be worse off because of them.
And so they reach a delicate balance.
But what happens if (or rather when) it gets upset?
Because - as River showed - the Doctor doesn't get to walk away from his problems. No - he gets to confront them, and deal with them. And that is a good thing. So here's to Danny!
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Thank you! <3
I hope you don't mind if I friend you, because I'd love to read more in the upcoming weeks!
Oh please do! Here, have a cup of tea and a biscuit and make yourself at home. :)
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Thank you
Re: Thank you
My pleasure. :)
I really didn't enjoy this episode, but you've given me plenty to think about - I hope you don't mind me lurking around to keep listening in to your thoughts on DW.
Not at all! The more the merrier - and if I help people to re-think things then I can't ask for more. ♥
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I shall have to give another read tomorrow when I'm more awake, but for now I'll say that this was a tricky episode to know how to feel about, and I think you've done an excellent job of pulling apart the underlying tensions here and laying them to light.
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It seemed the right thing...
I shall have to give another read tomorrow when I'm more awake, but for now I'll say that this was a tricky episode to know how to feel about, and I think you've done an excellent job of pulling apart the underlying tensions here and laying them to light.
Looking forward to any more thoughts you might have. It helped that we've been over things so much, and that my head was full of thoughts just bursting to get out! ♥
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It's just occurring to me now how . . . shallowly the Pond era dealt with the idea of war and soldiers. It was brought up, of course, in A Good Man Goes to War, with the soldier/healer dichotomy, but the emphasis was more like healer/something not a healer. As you say, it was about trying to move beyond while, at the same time, not looking to closely at what we were moving beyond from.
And then… he spent the best part of a thousand wars fighting a war that he knew would eventually kill him.
I wish I'd had time to finish my rewatch before this season started because when we first found out what Trenzalore was, I remember how shocking and ominous and . . . un-Moff-y that felt. We'd devoted so much narrative effort to moving the Doctor beyond his past only to find out that he was going to die, properly die, for the last time, in battle. And then we got to the Christmas episode and it never quite managed to feel like a war? Yeah, there was the odd and amusingly diverted attack, but mostly it was whittling toys and crayon drawings and the Doctor going old and gray in seeming peace If there was anything to suggest that this should be traumatic for the Doctor, it was more in the idea of him actually staying in one place for any length of time.
Of course the Doctor is certainly one for pretending things are fine and keeping up a good front. But like I said, there was never much to indicate that this was properly traumatic for him. If what we're seeing now is meant to be the fallout from that, it's gonna take some pulling together.
“I’ve lived for over 2000 years, and not all of them were good. I’ve made many mistakes - and it’s about time I did something about that.”
Mmmm, nice connection. I read/heard something somewhere pointing out the uniqueness of what this Doctor seems to be doing, which is that he has a project. He is trying to work out something deep and it is bubbling out all over in a way that the Doctor's worries and self-doubt don't usually surface. Usually he just bumbles around and broods in quiet, but it's like we see him actively working on it.
Of course we know the Doctor’s story in great detail, and now - thanks to ‘Listen’ - even the fact that he was a small scared child who did not want to be a soldier, but wanted to go to the Academy instead.
Well, we don't know that either, frankly. I think all we can take from that is that his parental figures assumed that he didn't have the chops for the Academy so the only socially acceptable option for him would be the army? (Is there a suggestion in that scene that the Doctor might have been in some kind of children's home/boarding school situation? They asked him to come back in with the other boys, and the show was making parallels with Danny/Rupert.)
The Doctor was a renegade - someone who rebelled against the system. Someone who did not want to do what society expected. The sort of person who, rather than behave respectably, stole a TARDIS and ran away. And yet - all that breeding, all that privilege… It’s still there.
Just as the Doctor defines himself in opposition to the Daleks (and we see how this is a problem because, inextricably, this makes the Daleks a part of him), so the Doctor also defines himself in opposition to the Time Lords, and this makes the Time Lords, and the whole institution/empire/set of values that they represent, an inextricable part of him as well.
Now, Danny. The way Danny has been introduced is very clever indeed. Pretty much the first thing we learn is that he obviously did something he deeply regrets whilst he was soldier.
Piecing this together with his discussion with Clara at the end, it sounds like he did something he regrets because he followed the orders of a superior who pushed him farther than he was comfortable.
Better break this up.
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I was so focused on Clara's role in shaping the young Doctor that I hadn't quite thought of this reciprocity here. That is an interesting summons to a new life--like Amy's crack is, like River is in the Library. Someday you will met Dan the Soldier Man Without a Gun. And then you will not be the same again.
(I think the Doctor’s continued insistence on calling him ‘PE’ is that this is probably one of the Doctor’s ultimate insults, as he is not exactly known for his physical brilliance - from his report card from school: Sport: Hopeless - total geek. Again - his own issues rising to the surface. Of course in the end, it is Danny's physical prowess that saves the day at the last minute.)
This is reminding me of Eleven and Rory (somewhat more contentiously). Rory was everything the Doctor wasn't: stable, cautious, reliable. And the Doctor had problems dealing with seeing his own shortcomings like that.
And both he and the Doctor understand this, although the Doctor doesn't want to play (Don't salute, Don't call me 'sir') - the Doctor is a rebel, labels like these are what he has refused to adhere to against his whole life. There is a definite sense of Danny calling out the Doctor on his double standards - if he wants the respect that he so very clearly expects, then he's got to own up to what he is.
I think we're also continuing the pattern of basically going through the Pond era again, but deeper. The Pond era was, in many ways, about addressing/correcting the Doctor's present. If it took a 'historical' view, then it was about what he did as Ten. The post-Pond era has gone deeper, though. It's about where he's from.
No, Danny is a darker mirror. Danny reminds him of all the things he wants to brush under the carpet. And this is the person Clara is seeing. This is the person she declares that she loves. This is the person she will probably leave him for, in the end.
I'm sitting here suffering a minor crisis of Doylist/Watsonian conflict. Of course on a Doylist level this is all about the Doctor and the episode reads best in this light. On a Watsonian level, to quote Tasha Lem: 'this was never about you, you fatuous egotist!'
(Aside: heh. Actually, in retrospect, that quote is ironically amazing. Trenzalore, the defining idea of the Eleventh Doctor's entire existence. The question. River Song. The cracks. All of it. So perfectly, carefully crafted (on a Doylist level) around the Doctor and his issues. Well . . . it was never about him!)
I'll have to be back. Work again /o\
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WOOOOOO.
Moffat seems to love his "love triangles" but this one is actually just as compelling as Eleven/Amy/Rory was.
It really is, although the dynamic is so very very different. I like how he always gives everyone perfectly understandable emotions and motives, so no one is 'right' or 'wrong' so much as they all need to come to a mutual understanding. (Usually by claiming each other as family.)
And that last quote about the Doctor lighting the fire -- TOTALLY APPLIED TO THE ELEVENTH ERA TOO and I'm pretty sure the Doctor knew it.
Oh yes. I very deliberately chose an image from AGMGTW.
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(Hello, I've friended you recently because your Who reviews have been a highlight of my post-viewing experience.)
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Thank you. :)
I think this was perhaps my favorite episode with Twelve to date, in large part because it was such a characterization-rich one.
This. So many layers, and Danny brings out so many things the Doctor wants to hide... I really love it.
(Also, because tonally, there was a lot that reminded me of the early Tom Baker era, which will always win me over.)
I've only watched three Tom Baker stories, so I do not have an informed opinion, but I'll happily take your word for it. :)
(Hello, I've friended you recently because your Who reviews have been a highlight of my post-viewing experience.)
Hello to you too, and welcome to! Also, thank you, that's one of the loveliest things anyone has ever said. <3
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*Squishes you*
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Always happy to help! And I know some people found this one a bit awkward, but that, I think, is because they're awkward issues - forcing the Doctor to examine his own privilege. And unlike Ten he can't charm and angrily angst his way out of it... (Eleven always knew someone would call him on it, I think. His Ponds never let him get away with anything.)
<3
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I wasn't sure about this episode, as a lot of it felt heavy-handed and unnecessarily grating, but your analysis (as usual) made me completely re-think it. I try to reserve final judgment on episodes until the end of the season, as the resolution of the season arc can sometimes make me see individual stories in a completely different light.
Your walk-through of why the Doctor (this incarnation in particular) dislikes soldiers so ferociously is spot-on. It'll be interesting to see how Twelve's attitude toward Danny evolves over the season.
More than ever, Who (Moff's who especially) isn't something a casual viewer can just jump into without having seen everything that came before. The actions and attitudes of the characters would make no sense at all. When you can look back over the previous 7 seasons of New Who, and even back into the original series, the viewing experience becomes that much richer.
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:)
I wasn't sure about this episode, as a lot of it felt heavy-handed and unnecessarily grating, but your analysis (as usual) made me completely re-think it.
Wooo! *dances*
I try to reserve final judgment on episodes until the end of the season, as the resolution of the season arc can sometimes make me see individual stories in a completely different light.
What delights me so much about Moffat Who is that if you look beneath the surface you can usually tell where the stories are going. And if this whole thing of soldiering (and the Doctor's privilege) isn't going to be a major theme I'll eat my cat.
Your walk-through of why the Doctor (this incarnation in particular) dislikes soldiers so ferociously is spot-on. It'll be interesting to see how Twelve's attitude toward Danny evolves over the season.
I'm sure they'll both come to a deeper understanding - nothing ever works just one way. And considering that the little soldier signifies both of them... Oh yes, it's going to be important.
More than ever, Who (Moff's who especially) isn't something a casual viewer can just jump into without having seen everything that came before. The actions and attitudes of the characters would make no sense at all. When you can look back over the previous 7 seasons of New Who, and even back into the original series, the viewing experience becomes that much richer.
I think a first time viewer could probably pick up on the basic gist, but as to *why* character behaved the way they did... yes, they'd be completely lost.
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Oooooh. Nice catch. And yes, you're spot-on. Class is something so ingrained that it can't be gotten rid of. (Love the idea of Vastra as a samurai.)
And this series is going to explore the difficulties of class, and how hard it is to shake, and the inherent conflict of the Doctor being a little bit of an anarchist, who believes with both his hearts that everyone in the universe is important—but also knows, deep in his bones, that they should all be listening to him.
Everyone should read Kim. (Soldier without a gun - the one in charge.)
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Very interesting meta! Honestly, this episode just made me like Danny more.
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Internal conflict showcased externally. :)
Very interesting meta! Honestly, this episode just made me like Danny more.
Oh yes, very much so. You know where you are with him. (Plus, anyone who calls the Doctor out is great in my book!)
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Yes, very much so. When Danny began to salute and act up, I thought "There's nothing that privileged people hate more than having someone point out their privilege." (I say this as a privileged person myself.) And the Doctor proved me right straight away. You can't say "Don't salute me, don't call me 'sir'" then keep acting like an officer and yell at someone they're dismissed. That's not how it works.
Some people were really down on Danny for what he said to Clara at the end of the episode. I can't understand why. Danny wants to protect Clara but he also has the right to protect himself. Clara has lied to him from the beginning of their relationship! Even when he'd nearly been killed by an alien robot, even when he'd worked out what was going on, she still tried to lie to his face! Of course he wants a promise that she's going to stop the lying (to him, she might have some difficulty with stopping the lies to herself).
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I've been meaning to edit the post to include this line from 'Have His Carcase' p 131. Lord Peter Wimsey being the one speaking:
'In face, he drove me to the indescribable vulgarity of reminding him who I was and why I did not require anybody's money.'
And the Doctor proved me right straight away. You can't say "Don't salute me, don't call me 'sir'" then keep acting like an officer and yell at someone they're dismissed. That's not how it works.
It was excellent. And worked simply by everyone being themselves.
Some people were really down on Danny for what he said to Clara at the end of the episode. I can't understand why.
Because people do. They always do.
Danny wants to protect Clara but he also has the right to protect himself. Clara has lied to him from the beginning of their relationship! Even when he'd nearly been killed by an alien robot, even when he'd worked out what was going on, she still tried to lie to his face! Of course he wants a promise that she's going to stop the lying
Exactly. And this is one of the ways in which the Doctor isn't a good influence - Rule One states that very clearly. Is it any wonder they all follow suit?
to him, she might have some difficulty with stopping the lies to herself
Well that's a whole different kettle of fish!
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♥ ♥ ♥
I love all your thoughts about the Doctor's psychology (that quote analysing the choice of England 1913 for John Smith is so spot-on),
That whole post has been one if my go-to posts since 2007. It never stops being relevant.
his wanting to distance himself from the parts of himself that he hates, and all the implications regarding Danny.
I love it when shows introduce someone who's such a sharp contrast, someone who will - by their very nature - disrupt things.
How Danny is different, with more sharply lucid insight, how he asks Clara to make sure she is okay and spare herself instead of just relying on the Doctor.
I think the difference between Danny and other 'companion family members' is that Danny understands the Doctor's role: His aim is to save the day, and will do whatever it takes. Asking him to keep someone safe above all else is an oxymoron.
It's all great. Danny has so much potential, I can't wait to see how the story goes with him… ♥
I like him so much! Especially because he's not stupid or impulsive. (Not in that way - their first date was... not good *g*) If there is an issue he sits down and talks about it.
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