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Dinosaurs on a spaceship. DW 7.2
Very brief thoughts.
If I was not so very tired, I would attempt a comparison of this episode with The Ark in Space (the 2nd episode of Season 12 - 4th Doctor travelling with Sarah Jane and Harry). Or maybe more of a Compare and Contrast...
Anyways, here are Things I Found Interesting/Good About Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
- Rory's dad. The trowel. The eating sandwiches whilst watching Earth. Just... everything. <3
- Rory. Especially the moment where he threatens the robots. Because it's not an empty threat - his father doesn't know that, nor do the robots; but we do. There is some very nice Doctor-mirroring going on there - the surface looks daft, but underneath there's a core of steel. (Nurse/Doctor vs. warrior)
- Amy. Darling Amy who is now very Doctor-y in her own right. All take-charge and confident and brilliant.
- Nefertiti and Riddell. I found them entertaining and a nice addition - already 'friends' with the Doctor, so they didn't need lengthy explanations, but also new to adventuring, so (along with Brian) could fill the more traditional companion role.
- The Doctor and Solomon. So much of the episode was a fun and frothy frolic, but underneath it had a true heart of darkness - genocide and murder and the ever-present theme of death. Solomon was in many ways a very dark mirror for the Doctor (many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
owlsie for this insight): A magpie searching the universe for shiny things, but attaching a monetary value to everything. We have rarely has as truly vile a villain as this, and rarely has the Doctor's response been as unambiguous. He didn't give Solomon 'a choice', didn't try to reason with him [certainly not after learning about how he'd killed the Silurians] - he very deliberately killed him, and just as deliberately let Solomon know that this was what he was doing. ("He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing. The fury of the Time Lord.") My thoughts on this are twofold: One, being anonymous/unknown/worthless is - quite probably - a bad thing, as there is nothing to hold him back [I'm sure this will be a theme] and Two, I love how he owns his actions. No 'You forced me to do this' just 'I am doing this because you are despicable'. And that honesty is good. Dangerous, but good.
There were Other Things, but I am in no fit state to ponder them. Like music and Christmas lists and perception... Was reminded of van Statten from 'Dalek' who was so very excited when he discovered how rare the Doctor was, and the Doctor's verdict: "You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground underneath tons of sand and dirt. And label them. You're about as far from the stars as you can get." Solomon's and van Statten's aims were technically different - one wanted to make money, the other was a collector - but it ended up as the same thing: Only wanting something in order to possess it, and attaching an arbitrary value to everything. The Doctor was priceless/worthless and judged on those terms, no other.
Oh and I loved the matter-of-fact way in which he fixed Solomon's legs.
If I was not so very tired, I would attempt a comparison of this episode with The Ark in Space (the 2nd episode of Season 12 - 4th Doctor travelling with Sarah Jane and Harry). Or maybe more of a Compare and Contrast...
Anyways, here are Things I Found Interesting/Good About Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
- Rory's dad. The trowel. The eating sandwiches whilst watching Earth. Just... everything. <3
- Rory. Especially the moment where he threatens the robots. Because it's not an empty threat - his father doesn't know that, nor do the robots; but we do. There is some very nice Doctor-mirroring going on there - the surface looks daft, but underneath there's a core of steel. (Nurse/Doctor vs. warrior)
- Amy. Darling Amy who is now very Doctor-y in her own right. All take-charge and confident and brilliant.
- Nefertiti and Riddell. I found them entertaining and a nice addition - already 'friends' with the Doctor, so they didn't need lengthy explanations, but also new to adventuring, so (along with Brian) could fill the more traditional companion role.
- The Doctor and Solomon. So much of the episode was a fun and frothy frolic, but underneath it had a true heart of darkness - genocide and murder and the ever-present theme of death. Solomon was in many ways a very dark mirror for the Doctor (many thanks to
owlsie for this insight): A magpie searching the universe for shiny things, but attaching a monetary value to everything. We have rarely has as truly vile a villain as this, and rarely has the Doctor's response been as unambiguous. He didn't give Solomon 'a choice', didn't try to reason with him [certainly not after learning about how he'd killed the Silurians] - he very deliberately killed him, and just as deliberately let Solomon know that this was what he was doing. ("He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing. The fury of the Time Lord.") My thoughts on this are twofold: One, being anonymous/unknown/worthless is - quite probably - a bad thing, as there is nothing to hold him back [I'm sure this will be a theme] and Two, I love how he owns his actions. No 'You forced me to do this' just 'I am doing this because you are despicable'. And that honesty is good. Dangerous, but good. There were Other Things, but I am in no fit state to ponder them. Like music and Christmas lists and perception... Was reminded of van Statten from 'Dalek' who was so very excited when he discovered how rare the Doctor was, and the Doctor's verdict: "You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground underneath tons of sand and dirt. And label them. You're about as far from the stars as you can get." Solomon's and van Statten's aims were technically different - one wanted to make money, the other was a collector - but it ended up as the same thing: Only wanting something in order to possess it, and attaching an arbitrary value to everything. The Doctor was priceless/worthless and judged on those terms, no other.
Oh and I loved the matter-of-fact way in which he fixed Solomon's legs.
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Love the mirroring between the Doctor and Solomon. Piracy and genocide, crimes the Doctor won't forgive?
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Yes, I remember that.
I also think he would have been willing to spare Solomon's life right up until Solomon kidnapped and threatened to "break" Nerfertiti. Which, if you stretch it sufficiently, could also be a sort of dark and twisted mirror, something to do with young women being snatched away.
Although if the Doctor actually sees it like that, I'd start to be very frightened of who he thinks he is right now.
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This dark mirror is like the Doctor plus evil intent.
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Which reminds me of Oswin's How-To-Make-A-Dalek summary. You take a human being, you strip out all forms of love, and you add overwhelming anger. That's it. That's all there is to it. As a sort of parallel, to make a complete monster, all you need is to take the Doctor, take away all compassion, and add ill intent.
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See my response below. :)
I also think he would have been willing to spare Solomon's life right up until Solomon kidnapped and threatened to "break" Nerfertiti. Which, if you stretch it sufficiently, could also be a sort of dark and twisted mirror, something to do with young women being snatched away.
Oh yes. Although I think the turning point came when Solomon told him what had happened to the Silurians. Nefertiti was just the icing on the cake...
Although if the Doctor actually sees it like that, I'd start to be very frightened of who he thinks he is right now.
Oh I very much doubt that the Doctor sees it like that. He seemed startled at how the Daleks viewed him, and I can't imagine that he sees Solomon as anything other than everything he hates.
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Very true. I was more thinking of the end and - in my head - comparing it to Ten offering to save Davros (who had just tried to destroy the whole universe). It's much closer to Ten in Human Nature/Family of Blood - initial lenience, but then absolute condemnation (although the punishment then was far worse and out of proportion). Here it is... 'I gave you a chance/I didn't realise how truly awful you were - now suffer the consequences'. Hope that makes sense> :)
Love the mirroring between the Doctor and Solomon. Piracy and genocide, crimes the Doctor won't forgive?
Oh I think he's fine with piracy (just see Curse of the Black Spot), it's the crime of attaching a monetary value to everything I think.
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And Human Nature/Family of Blood is an interesting one, because it was also about the Doctor's mercy (and his wish to keep his hands clean) and what it may lead to.
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Ten was usually very much guided by his emotions - hence offering to save Davros, and condemning the Family of Blood - whereas Eleven is generally more rational in his decision making.
And Human Nature/Family of Blood is an interesting one, because it was also about the Doctor's mercy (and his wish to keep his hands clean) and what it may lead to.
it was the perfect catch-22.