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DW 6.06. The Almost People - review/analysis.
Spoilers for The Almost People, but no further. Might do a post about the trailer/prequel for episode 7, so please keep all speculation out of this post. Thank you.
This one requires a couple of subheadings.
Doppelgangers.
EVERYTHING with the two Doctors was just love. I've re-watched the first five minutes an embarrassing number of times, and could happily spend the rest of the season just watching Eleven and Eleven.
But to talk about the human Gangers first... Some of them chose good and some chose bad and there were no sweeping generalisations about Otherness and lo, it was GOOD. Jennifer (at the end) reminded me a fair bit of the monster Lazarus turned into, and his transformation came from a wish not to die. (The intentions are good, the methods not.) Jennifer talked with Miranda about how she remembered all the times she'd been de-commissioned, and Miranda stated that personally she chose not to remember. I think this actually worked very well. Victims turning into monsters is a trope, yes, but that doesn't make it less true. Also it showed the flipside of memory. From when Ganger!Doctor is trying to adjust:
Ten!voice: "Hello, I'm the Doctor."
Eleven!voice: "No, let it go! We've moved on!"
It's something that's pretty central to the Doctor (and which was explored beautifully in the 'Hurt' vid) - the fact that you need to let go in some measure in order to function. If you allow loss/tragedy/victimisation to define you, you end up like Ten. Like Jennifer. Monster or victim [both?neither]? You decide.
I also liked how Miranda, especially, developed - it was all pretty organic, and ending up as the spokesperson for the Gangers was a very nice ending. And her Ganger was a wonderful counterpoint, as well as a nice mirror to the two Doctors, beautifully confirming that they were the same person.
Now back to Ganger!Doctor. There was some technical mumbo jumbo about the sonic possibly keeping a 'memory print' (or similar), so it's more than probable that he will come back/has come back. Here, let me illustrate:
I am willing to bet pretty much anything you like that it's Ganger!Doctor in that space suit. Notice that reflection? VERY SUBTLE! Plus... Ganger!Doctor is the Doctor and wouldn't need anything explaining or convincing. Who does the Doctor trust more than anyone else in the universe? Himself. (Plus there's an insane amount of mirroring going on in this show. In this two-parter a lot of the overarching themes begin to come together, and it's wonderful. It's not all clear yet, but I can see shapes taking form. Mmmmm, metaphors.)
And no, it's NOT Ganger!Doctor who dies on the beach, because - apart from all the other reasons which I'm not going to spell out because I don't have the time - Ganger!Doctor turns into white goo when he's killed. ETA: At least, I'm pretty sure he can't regenerate. But that's beside the point, because if it's not real!Doctor who dies then the whole story is pointless and falls apart.
But - going back to my starting point: It's made clear that it is people's choices that define them, that take them down certain paths. And some paths, if followed for long enough, will make turning around virtually impossible - and you don't get to blame circumstances, or history, or the situation. There is always a choice, and you need to own it.
Amy
The text is some of River's cut dialogue from 'Time of Angels', and exceedingly insightful. Because consider this: It is obvious that the Doctor has spent MONTHS trying to work out how to deal with Amy. And what does he discover? That The Flesh is sentient, and Gangers can feel their deaths.
Remember it is real!Doctor - not unstable has-just-been-created-Ganger!Doctor - who completely loses it with Amy. He is the one who is so desperate and furious that The Flesh keep asking 'why'. And the main reason (apart from the general atrocity of the whole thing) is that he knows that it is what he must do to her. So that scene? Is the Doctor for just a moment letting Amy see the real conflict inside him. He is very good at pretending that things are OK, able to lie through his teeth with perfect ease. But underneath there is endless conflict ("I am always worried about you.")
Also see the very end, when he tells Rory to step away from Amy. He is angry, actually shouting at them.... and you can literally see the guilt and pain in his eyes. It's horrible, but he has to do it, no matter how much he hates himself for it.
As for the baby thing - like I said, I'll leave all that speculation to another post.
ETA: Further clarification of my thoughts here.
This one requires a couple of subheadings.
EVERYTHING with the two Doctors was just love. I've re-watched the first five minutes an embarrassing number of times, and could happily spend the rest of the season just watching Eleven and Eleven.
But to talk about the human Gangers first... Some of them chose good and some chose bad and there were no sweeping generalisations about Otherness and lo, it was GOOD. Jennifer (at the end) reminded me a fair bit of the monster Lazarus turned into, and his transformation came from a wish not to die. (The intentions are good, the methods not.) Jennifer talked with Miranda about how she remembered all the times she'd been de-commissioned, and Miranda stated that personally she chose not to remember. I think this actually worked very well. Victims turning into monsters is a trope, yes, but that doesn't make it less true. Also it showed the flipside of memory. From when Ganger!Doctor is trying to adjust:
Ten!voice: "Hello, I'm the Doctor."
Eleven!voice: "No, let it go! We've moved on!"
It's something that's pretty central to the Doctor (and which was explored beautifully in the 'Hurt' vid) - the fact that you need to let go in some measure in order to function. If you allow loss/tragedy/victimisation to define you, you end up like Ten. Like Jennifer. Monster or victim [both?neither]? You decide.
I also liked how Miranda, especially, developed - it was all pretty organic, and ending up as the spokesperson for the Gangers was a very nice ending. And her Ganger was a wonderful counterpoint, as well as a nice mirror to the two Doctors, beautifully confirming that they were the same person.
Now back to Ganger!Doctor. There was some technical mumbo jumbo about the sonic possibly keeping a 'memory print' (or similar), so it's more than probable that he will come back/has come back. Here, let me illustrate:
I am willing to bet pretty much anything you like that it's Ganger!Doctor in that space suit. Notice that reflection? VERY SUBTLE! Plus... Ganger!Doctor is the Doctor and wouldn't need anything explaining or convincing. Who does the Doctor trust more than anyone else in the universe? Himself. (Plus there's an insane amount of mirroring going on in this show. In this two-parter a lot of the overarching themes begin to come together, and it's wonderful. It's not all clear yet, but I can see shapes taking form. Mmmmm, metaphors.)
And no, it's NOT Ganger!Doctor who dies on the beach, because - apart from all the other reasons which I'm not going to spell out because I don't have the time - Ganger!Doctor turns into white goo when he's killed. ETA: At least, I'm pretty sure he can't regenerate. But that's beside the point, because if it's not real!Doctor who dies then the whole story is pointless and falls apart.
But - going back to my starting point: It's made clear that it is people's choices that define them, that take them down certain paths. And some paths, if followed for long enough, will make turning around virtually impossible - and you don't get to blame circumstances, or history, or the situation. There is always a choice, and you need to own it.
The text is some of River's cut dialogue from 'Time of Angels', and exceedingly insightful. Because consider this: It is obvious that the Doctor has spent MONTHS trying to work out how to deal with Amy. And what does he discover? That The Flesh is sentient, and Gangers can feel their deaths.
Remember it is real!Doctor - not unstable has-just-been-created-Ganger!Doctor - who completely loses it with Amy. He is the one who is so desperate and furious that The Flesh keep asking 'why'. And the main reason (apart from the general atrocity of the whole thing) is that he knows that it is what he must do to her. So that scene? Is the Doctor for just a moment letting Amy see the real conflict inside him. He is very good at pretending that things are OK, able to lie through his teeth with perfect ease. But underneath there is endless conflict ("I am always worried about you.")
Also see the very end, when he tells Rory to step away from Amy. He is angry, actually shouting at them.... and you can literally see the guilt and pain in his eyes. It's horrible, but he has to do it, no matter how much he hates himself for it.
As for the baby thing - like I said, I'll leave all that speculation to another post.
ETA: Further clarification of my thoughts here.
no subject
Thank you! :)
I really loved how you pointed out that it's the real!Doctor who loses it with Amy- because he knows what he must do to her. I think it's definitely true that in that moment we get to see how he's really feeling, and we rarely get to see that.
It also highlight why he so very rarely lets the mask slip...
I always love looking at the contrast between Ten and Eleven, they provide this great juxtaposition- and that's definitely true in their outlook on loss and death.
By now I tend to see Ten as a long, slow attempt at dealing with all his issues from the Time War. And it's ugly and painful and difficult and drives him halfmad, but then he can move on, and Eleven, as a consequence, is much more like the Doctors of old.
And the Gangers were so very like their human counterpoints, but all the fighting started from the humans thinking they were Other, and the gangers reacting to this and wanting to live. So I did like seeing the recognition from both sides of the other group's worth
Someone in their review made the point about real!Doctor pretending to be Ganger!Doctor and - quite literally - being 'put in the corner' and made to feel his position. The more I think about it, the better it works.
And I loved the point you made about there always being a choice, and the need to own that choice. I think that's something we'll see more of, as the series progresses.
I think so too - particularly re. the Doctor and why he dies. Because his death is a willing one. Mmmm choices.