Closing Time.

[elisi]

You know what’s marvellous about this episode from a meta point-of-view? The mirrors finally [begin to] become clearly defined, and I can write a post with lots of subheadings and different topics, rather than something that’s a big tangled ball with no beginning or end.

Please no spoilers beyond this episode (and the trailer)!!!

General Thoughts
People are, not surprisingly, comparing this to The Lodger. Now I loved The Lodger, and it was my squishy. But The Lodger can’t hold a candle to this. Humorous observations on how alien the Doctor is in human society, a companion trapped in the TARDIS, and a will-they-won’t-they romance is fabulous. But compared to bromance, fatherly love saving the day, and the Doctor’s quiet musings on the eve before his death? No comparison, sorry. And before you start arguing - this episode HAD A BABY. All your arguments are invalid. :)

Anyway, there were lots of marvellous touches, Stormageddon not the least. And the fact that Auntie Mabel was in it... (She has a dog called Pippin and a spotty plane. The Doctor would ADORE her.) The shushing. The literal stepping through the looking glass. The stars on the ceiling. The Doctor working in a toyshop. Not to mention that Craig saved the world with LOVE... (Gareth Roberts, the writer, makes NO EXCUSES for this. I like him a lot.) Anyway, the whole thing gave me flashbacks to ‘Doctor Who and the Daemons’, wherein Jo saved the world with LOVE (and the Daemon exploded because of it), and it was ALL VERY LOVELY AND DAFT. Love my show.

Also, Craig is the most wonderful counterpoint to all the harsh accusations that the Doctor has taken onboard this season. Craig is under no illusions as to how dangerous the Doctor is, but he also sees clearly that the Doctor is a good person, that his heroism saves the world a lot, and that he’s worth it.

Which reminds me that, for some reason (did anyone else think this?) Eleven, when saying “I’m old and selfish and I always have been” reminded me hugely of One. Or maybe it’s just that he really always has been selfish (because One certainly was). Anyway, having Craig around was delightful, and just what was needed - esp as he was someone who had gained from the Doctor’s influence.

And what does the Doctor do in the end? Spend his last few hours before going off to die tidying Craig’s house. Nicest man in the universe! QED


The Girl Who’s Tired of Waiting
This is one of the cleverest things I’ve come across:



It says an awful lot in a single image, and the sheer elegance of it pleases me immensely.

Not only is it saying that Amy has ‘moved on’ from the Doctor, but she’s actually done something with her life. (Are people happy yet?) Because given the name and the tag line of the perfume, it’s very clearly her own product. Now who could have foreseen that? No longer Amy Pond, kissogram, but Amy Pond, business woman. Very nice. As for Rory, then owlsie found this on Tumblr and I nearly broke something:



Anyway, it’s obviously not Amy in the spacesuit on the beach (well, never say never, but... River is a walking, talking Chekov's gun). Yes, Amy was mirrored very heavily with the Doctor, but it was to show us the fact that she shouldn’t go down that route. (Darn mirrors, I got all turned around.) Her role is a different one... Which brings me to the next part.


Melody Pond is a superhero.
It occurred to me the other day that Melody has three mothers. Amy of course, her actual mother, but I’ll get to her in a moment.

- The first one to bring Melody up is Kovarian, and Mels is very much her creation. Wild, dangerous, deadly. ‘I’m the woman who kills the Doctor’ is her refrain, and there isn’t much else to her. She’s a weapon, designed to kill. We see it in the astronaut suit - even the cradle she is put in looks like that suit.

- Which brings us to the TARDIS, who shows Mels a different way and helps her to see that there is much more to life. She has layers and skills she didn’t know. And I think it’s very much the TARDIS’s child which goes to Luna University to study (mirrored by the old, old crib the Doctor brought out). It’s a remote place, and River looks almost ascetic in her robes - quiet, studious, careful. She becomes a scholar, without a hint of the wildness that once reigned supreme.

But then Kovarian returns...

My thinking is that in the finale River will learn to ‘marry’ these two sides of her personality, which will create the woman we know she becomes. (I once wrote meta on S6 of Buffy, and how Spike and Dawn could be seen as different sides of Buffy’s personality which she needed to merge. The same very much applies to River, except it’s all contained in one person.) Anyway - crucial to this (I predict) will be Amy (and Rory). River has been moulded by others, but not by her actual parents, and becoming their daughter, properly, will be what helps her become whole.

It is possible that this will mean literally re-writing her story and letting Amy and Rory have their baby back, but I suspect not. Here, let me look at the season so far.


We’re all stories in the end
I think there are three story strands. Or rather, one main story but within that two strands:

The overarching story is the one about the Doctor and the Ponds.

This story is then split up into the parts about Melody/River (all the Moffat episodes), and the standalones, all of which centre around children and their parents and acceptance in their resolution.

[Sidebar: Apart from The Doctor’s Wife, which is the season In a Mirror, Darkly. We still have the family theme, but twisted (House is like an evil TARDIS, and smaller on the inside, as well as being a dark mirror of the Doctor), and we have the patchwork family of Auntie, Uncle, Nephew and Idris, all of them dependent on House and unable to escape him, Idris sacrificed without a second thought.]

ANYWAY, would you look at those standalones. The only ones without actual children are The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex, both of which deal with Amy waiting for the Doctor and moving beyond that, as well as confirming her love for Rory. Otherwise, it’s wall-to-wall parent/child bonding, with either the father feeling inadequate, or the child being different and needing acceptance. Do you think maybe that the show has a theme going on here, and that somehow this will apply to the larger story of the Ponds and their daughter? I think so. Oh yes I do.


Look at you! You’re young.
So, here’s where I go all out in my comparisons between End of Time and Closing Time. I am going to be VERY GOOD and look at everything from a very objective point of view, but I have to mock, just a little, so a small comparison before we start, since (apart from all the other parallels I am going to pull out) we have the Doctor doing a farewell-tour before he dies:





Bless you Ten. Guess everyone has an emo phase, even a Timelord. (OK, shutting up now and getting to the meta. He was so young... *pets him*)

Now my first point is that when under pressure, the Doctor will throw his life away for a good cause without blinking. Look at Nine saving Rose's life, or Ten in the Library, or Eleven in TBB...

He sees the solution, and the fact that it's his life in the balance is less important than 'This will work!' Also, in Parting of the Ways, and in the Library, and in TBB, he's in a good place - he's travelling with the perfect companion(s), that he loves dearly, and his sacrifice is partly (or wholly) to save them.

And - as Promethia reminded me - the Doctor is always happiest when he has something to fight for rather than against... Dying for Rose (or Donna, or Amelia) he’ll do with a smile on his face.

But the situation in the Specials, and now in S6, is very different. He has been running from death for a long time. He knows it is coming, knows that he in some measure deserves it (breaking The Laws of Time/losing Melody etc), and he's travelled on his own for a long time - yet there are huge, vast differences.

Firstly (just to get it out there) the glimpsed Ginger Companion(s). Ten sees Donna, Eleven sees Amy and Rory, both of them overcome with longing. But where Donna is ‘making do’, unaware of what she’s lost, Amy and Rory are rebuilding their life, no longer looking back. The Doctor is wistful, but knows that he tried his best to do right by them, and they are no longer pining.

We have a Companion who is not really a companion, since he doesn’t go travelling with the Doctor - he's just an old friend who runs about the place with the Doctor and helps him investigate, and whom the Doctor can unburden himself onto.

There is also the ‘goodbye tour’, which I’ve already touched on. Ten is of course dying already, and doesn’t have much time, but his pain is palpable. Former companions stop and just watch him walk away in the distance, deeply affected by his pain. Eleven - although his predicament is much worse - is focussed out, unable to stop himself from noticing things. “I’m done with saving them,” he tells himself, but is utterly unable to stop. (Again: Ten needed people, Eleven needs to help people.)

Now before I go any further I’m going to juxtapose two images/speeches/scenes, which beautifully sum up these two characters and how they deal:





Now a lot of this is due to personality, not to mention age. Ten was never going to go gently into that good night. Ten was Ten - beautiful and brilliant and exquisitely damaged. Despite all his years, he was young by nature - Rose imprinted on him, and that bright, youthful joy was his birth right, and he felt the loss keenly. When Ten reached for age it was always in the context of loss and pain, and when he reached for power it led to The Timelord Victorious.

He went to his death having held the Laws of Time in his hands, able to do anything, and - despite there never being the slightest doubt that he’d sacrifice himself to save the universe/Wilf - he resented the hell out of it. Which of course means that he really needed to die, because he was a clear and present danger who thought (or liked to think) himself above the laws of the universe. Given the relentless misery and loss that had been thrown at him over the preceding years, this was not surprising.

Now Eleven... Eleven was always effortlessly old. Eternally young of spirit, but just old. And where Ten got an old man to rant at, someone with whom he didn’t need to hold back, Eleven got a baby to talk to... And we see that he's turned into Wilf. He’s old, he’s had his time. He looks at Alfie and sees that the world is full of young people, just beginning. And that is good. Life continues, life will always continue, even when he's no longer there, and he (metaphorically) hands over to little Alfie. Death is a part of life, and that is emphasised here beautifully. The Doctor’s acceptance, his acknowledgment that he’s had a good life, that he’s lived his dream and more besides, is very important.

Also important is the snippet from the trailer, where the Doctor asks why he has to die. Because unlike Ten he isn’t sacrificing himself for someone, and whilst he certainly has enough blood on his hands, who has decided to appoint themselves his judge, jury and executioner, and why? Vigilantes are not a good thing, and I don’t think the Doctor is very keen to be a pawn in someone else’s game.

He is at peace with dying, but the why, I think, is going to be pivotal. Because he's the Doctor, and he's here to help.

Comments

[independence1776]

Also, Craig is the most wonderful counterpoint to all the harsh accusations that the Doctor has taken onboard this season. Craig is under no illusions as to how dangerous the Doctor is, but he also sees clearly that the Doctor is a good person, that his heroism saves the world a lot, and that he’s worth it.

YES! Kovarian and co. (and Moffat) have focused on the darker side, it's wonderful to see the lighter, how he changes people for the better. It's the same with Amy, too-- she took her experiences of traveling, made her "nickname" into an inside joke, and runs her own life. She's not waiting around anymore.

it’s obviously not Amy in the spacesuit on the beach

Until canon shows otherwise, I remain convinced it will be. (I know I'm probably wrong, but it makes too much sense to me to change my mind based on what we know now.)

It is possible that this will mean literally re-writing her story and letting Amy and Rory have their baby back, but I suspect not.

I've never thought that. It's too pat, too easy. And it wouldn't be a simple rewrite of giving Amy her parents back-- it would change everything about River's history, and I doubt she'd grow up to be River.

He knows it is coming, knows that he in some measure deserves it (breaking The Laws of Time/losing Melody etc), and he's travelled on his own for a long time - yet there are huge, vast differences.

I thank you so much for pointing them out in a positive light. (I wrote a bit of meta in my 6.11 review, and a stranger came into my LJ with a relentlessly negative opinion, saying Eleven is worse than Ten, and Moffat's arc is unhealthy for/damaging children. I couldn't get her to see the positives.)

I have my own meta on Ten versus Eleven's deaths and attitudes toward that I'm planning to write (have to wait until after the finale airs), but I like how you approach things by mental age. "Not fair" is the refrain of a teenager. Eleven, well, his monologue to Alfie is possibly my favorite part of the episode.

Vigilantes are not a good thing, and I don’t think the Doctor is very keen to be a pawn in someone else’s game.

Even though he's sort of a vigilante himself, but it's on his terms. And he hates being a pawn-- look how he reacted to the Time Lords trying to control him. :D

He is at peace with dying, but the why, I think, is going to be pivotal. Because he's the Doctor, and he's here to help.

Yes. Just yes.

[elisi]

YES! Kovarian and co. (and Moffat) have focused on the darker side, it's wonderful to see the lighter, how he changes people for the better. It's the same with Amy, too-- she took her experiences of traveling, made her "nickname" into an inside joke, and runs her own life. She's not waiting around anymore.
*nods* I think this foray into darkness was very deliberate, and one that didn't show darkness as 'cool', but as something problematic. And from that the Doctor has been able to grow and learn and has hopefully gotten rid of his god complex for good.

Until canon shows otherwise, I remain convinced it will be. (I know I'm probably wrong, but it makes too much sense to me to change my mind based on what we know now.)
Something I'm beginning to learn is that Moffat takes the obvious route, the one that's been signposted to death, but that that's never the end, it's just the beginning. Amy will, I'm sure, play a huge role, but mostly as River's mother I should imagine.

I've never thought that. It's too pat, too easy. And it wouldn't be a simple rewrite of giving Amy her parents back-- it would change everything about River's history, and I doubt she'd grow up to be River.
M-hm. It's all so very specific, plus - she tells him not to change a thing before she dies. I think (based on all the standalones), that it'll more be about acceptance of who she is.

I thank you so much for pointing them out in a positive light.
It is my particular gift! :) Also, I remember far too well all the negative reactions to EoT, so although I can't help mocking a tiny bit, I can't see any reason to say 'This is good, and so much better than that.' If I can only make something look good by making something else look bad, then I am standing on flimsy ground.

(I wrote a bit of meta in my 6.11 review, and a stranger came into my LJ with a relentlessly negative opinion, saying Eleven is worse than Ten, and Moffat's arc is unhealthy for/damaging children. I couldn't get her to see the positives.)
O_O As a *mother*, I find Moffat's stuff infinitely better for the kids than RTD's. And you can quote me on that. (Not putting RTD down, but...)

I have my own meta on Ten versus Eleven's deaths and attitudes toward that I'm planning to write (have to wait until after the finale airs), but I like how you approach things by mental age. "Not fair" is the refrain of a teenager. Eleven, well, his monologue to Alfie is possibly my favorite part of the episode.
I can't for the life of me remember where I first read this, but someone talked about how Nine is like a child, Ten like a teenager and Eleven like an adult (young adult - and now older). I always liked this.

Even though he's sort of a vigilante himself, but it's on his terms. And he hates being a pawn-- look how he reacted to the Time Lords trying to control him. :D
Indeed. Although I think this season has really, really taught him to look at himself more carefully. (Oh Demon's Run... <3)

Yes. Just yes.
It makes me sniffle, just thinking about it.

[independence1776]

And from that the Doctor has been able to grow and learn and has hopefully gotten rid of his god complex for good.

Yes, and it will be quite a different show (especially from RTD's era). And it will be better for it-- the mad man in the box off to see the universe.

Something I'm beginning to learn is that Moffat takes the obvious route, the one that's been signposted to death, but that that's never the end, it's just the beginning.

I've thought that for a while. So many people are going "Moffat is complicated; everything is twisty; multiple timestreams and the Ponds will get infant!Melody back" that I've basically kept my mouth shut in order to keep from going mad trying to prevail against much of fandom's opinion.

It is my particular gift!

And it's why I keep reading your LJ. I love Who; I don't want to be dragged down by negativity.

If I can only make something look good by making something else look bad, then I am standing on flimsy ground.

I agree. It's one thing to criticize in comparison, but it's another thing entirely to bash. (And you mock out of love, anyway. There's a subtle difference there that nevertheless comes across.)

O_O As a *mother*, I find Moffat's stuff infinitely better for the kids than RTD's. And you can quote me on that. (Not putting RTD down, but...)

That was pretty much my reaction. (Minus the mother bit-- not one and have no plans to be.) I told her that I would have loved this storyline as a kid; I've always liked the darker side to stories. Plus, it's one of the "we must protect the children" things that really gets me riled. Hiding darkness won't help anyone, least of all the ones who are growing up and needing to know that stuff. (I have an entire rant on this-- it's an attitude that's prevalent here in America-- so I'll stop now.)

As for the RTD versus Moffat, I agree wholeheartedly. Moffat truly seems to care about family and relationships between people that *aren't* antagonistic.

how Nine is like a child, Ten like a teenager and Eleven like an adult (young adult - and now older)

Ooh! That's an awesome thought (and so believable).

I think this season has really, really taught him to look at himself more carefully.

It has. The 6.11 meta I mentioned was all about how the Doctor choosing to kick Amy and Rory off the TARDIS meant he could no longer hide from himself in the emptiness-- he had to face what he'd learned, and choose how he was going to live in the future. (Did I mention I love this arc?)

[elisi]

Yes, and it will be quite a different show (especially from RTD's era). And it will be better for it-- the mad man in the box off to see the universe.
Just like it was in the olden days... :)

I've thought that for a while. So many people are going "Moffat is complicated; everything is twisty; multiple timestreams and the Ponds will get infant!Melody back" that I've basically kept my mouth shut in order to keep from going mad trying to prevail against much of fandom's opinion.
It's funny, because obviously SOMETHING will need to happen so we get the Doctor back/he doesn't die/[insert other explanation], but if we look at the story of Melody, then 'River is Amy and Rory's daughter' was by far the simplest explanation, and it turned out to be the correct one.. Her *story*, kidnapping etc, is complicated yes, but the basic premise is still ridiculously straightforward.

And it's why I keep reading your LJ. I love Who; I don't want to be dragged down by negativity.
I live in my own little happy corner, and have no desire to explore beyond that. Fannishness is my Happy Place, why would I want to grumble, I have enough problems in RL...

I agree. It's one thing to criticize in comparison, but it's another thing entirely to bash. (And you mock out of love, anyway. There's a subtle difference there that nevertheless comes across.)
Let me guess - it's the dancing Barrowmans... *g* (Also I'd hate to harsh anyone's squee.)

That was pretty much my reaction. (Minus the mother bit-- not one and have no plans to be.) I told her that I would have loved this storyline as a kid; I've always liked the darker side to stories.
My girls LOVE it. And they generally don't find it scary, to be honest. Plus, it sparks brilliant discussions. (We watched TIA tonight, and the way they connected older Doctor from Closing Time to the one at the beginning of TIA, and were THRILLED with how clever it all was... Oh, this is what TV is for!)

Plus, it's one of the "we must protect the children" things that really gets me riled. Hiding darkness won't help anyone, least of all the ones who are growing up and needing to know that stuff. (I have an entire rant on this-- it's an attitude that's prevalent here in America-- so I'll stop now.)
Preaching to the choir.

As for the RTD versus Moffat, I agree wholeheartedly. Moffat truly seems to care about family and relationships between people that *aren't* antagonistic.
RTD has many talents, but he readily admits that Moffat is better at family stuff. And as for kids in the audience, then my girls are STILL upset about Donna's fate, and I had to explain Water of Mars. That was tricky. (Oh the Doctor went mad and sort of became evil...)

Ooh! That's an awesome thought (and so believable).
Neat, isn't it? And I think we can take the Time War as a reset for the character.

It has. The 6.11 meta I mentioned was all about how the Doctor choosing to kick Amy and Rory off the TARDIS meant he could no longer hide from himself in the emptiness-- he had to face what he'd learned, and choose how he was going to live in the future. (Did I mention I love this arc?)
Will have a look later, if I remember. (Head slowly dying of cold.) But that is an excellent point, and yeah, I love this arc too. <3

[promethia_tenk]

I can't for the life of me remember where I first read this, but someone talked about how Nine is like a child, Ten like a teenager and Eleven like an adult (young adult - and now older).
You probably got the specific wording from me--I've used it a lot. But it's a notion I culled out of the ether, and I can't quite remember what's mine and not.

[elisi]

I'm pretty sure it predates you, since I remember it in the context of Nine and Ten primarily, and was happy to find that Eleven did indeed hold the pattern. :)