Doctor Who (reboot) S08E08 -- Mummy on the Orient Express (boxed spoilers until aired)

Cafe Society
1

The Rule: no unboxed spoilers until after this episode airs on the west coast of the USA (i.e., “Pacific Time” [sorry Alaska/Hawaii]. In other words, boxed spoilers until 3:00 AM UTC).

BBC synopsis:

The Doctor boards the Orient Express but a deadly creature is stalking the passengers.

Link to BBC page with 4 trailers: BBC One - Doctor Who, Series 8, Mummy on the Orient Express - Clips. Warning: the trailer titled “Doctor Who: An Introduction to* Mummy on the Orient Express*” is a bit spoilery.

Link to thread discussing the previous episode: Doctor Who (reboot) S08E07 -- Kill the Moon (boxed spoilers until aired) - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board

2

Really, really strong episode. I’ll post more once the US broadcast is over, but just one really not very spoilery thing:

This Doctor carries jelly babies about his person in a little cigar case :cool:

3

That was my favorite episode of the season so far.

I loved the Bechdel Test joke.

4

I think that Frank Skinner guy has a future in show biz.

5

Excellent story. Capaldi is turning out to be a first-class doctor.

I noticed they threw in the line:

Are you my mummy?Nice touch.

6

I thought it was OK, but not amazing. I’ll say more after it has aired in the US.

7

“Can we get a new expert?”

8

I thought it was the best episode of the season. Light on Doctor-Being-A-Jerk. Good story line.

9

I guess I’m the only one who thought it fell flat.

Lately the horror movie type episodes haven’t been that scary. The explanation of what the mummy was seemed kind of stupid to me and the doctor figuring it all out in a few seconds was a huge deus ex machina. The only thing I found interesting is wondering who was behind it all. I’m guessing that will be left a mystery.

10

I believe “Deus ex Machina” is on the Doctor’s coat of arms.

11

That cover of Don’t Stop Me Now was pretty great though.

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### BEST EPISODE OF THE SERIES ###

[sup]So far, IMHO & YMMV[/sup] :smiley:

Classic Doctor Who: Survival (S26E02)

The Doctor: [We’ll be] safe from the cheetahs…and the Master.

Ace: “The Master”? Who’s he?

The Doctor: An evil genius. One of my oldest and deadliest of enemies.

Ace: Do you know any nice people? You know, ordinary people? Not power-crazed nutters trying to take over the galaxy?

Pic of Prof. Morehouse, taken when he was working on his Bachelors’: http://cineplex.media.baselineresearch.com/images/274574/274574_full.jpg

[QUOTE=Jragon]
{snip} I loved the Bechdel Test joke.
[/QUOTE]

I’m glad you mention it. I heard the dialog and went, “What? Did they just refer to that female-characters-who-only-talk-about-the-male lead-character thing?”

[QUOTE=RealityChuck]
{snip} I noticed they threw in the line:
Are you my mummy? Nice touch.
[/QUOTE]

I was waiting for them to get it over with! :smiley:

[QUOTE=Jragon]
That cover of Don’t Stop Me Now was pretty great though. {snip}
[/QUOTE]

Gotta disagree. After seeing the preview clip about Foxes’s participation in the episode, I was cringing. I can’t stand listening to vocal fry singing. Glad the singer’s bit was so short in the ep.

[QUOTE=Nobody]
{snip} The only thing I found interesting is wondering who was behind it all. I’m guessing that will be left a mystery.
[/QUOTE]

There’s gotta be a Missy connection. And, did anyone else think GUS’s voice sounded a lot like Max Capricorn’s from Voyage of the Damned?

13

This version of The Doctor really is a cold bastard, isn’t he?

14

GREAT episode! Light years ahead of last week’s!

15

So the smoke out of the train (and the whole concept of a reproduction space train in the first place) didn’t bother all of you who need the science to all make sense?

Why do all the holes and wotnot not bother you this week while they were so unforgivable last time?

FWIW they don’t bother me and I thought this was alright. Great? No. I did expect the engineer to actually be behind GUS as a reveal at the end. (Wondering if GUS was meant at all as a Breaking Bad allusion …?)

I disliked the skip ahead to Clara travelling with him again at the start and thought her sudden decision flip at the end was very off. Capaldi is great and gives me the impression that this is the Doctor’s truer personality with the other’s having been him putting on acts for his companions, putting on youthful idealistic masks as it were.

16

I do get the feeling that someone originally pitched the episode as actually being on the Orient Express, and someone else who still has a crush on the Titanic episode said, “ooh, why don’t we make it a train in space”.

Still light years ahead of last week’s episode, though. I like Capaldi as the Doctor–that element of risk and danger and him being a cold bastard adds hugely–but I wish the scripts were up to the mark. The best of them has been ‘okay’.

17

Inviting all the scientists on board reminded me more of The Goodies episode, where they invited all the fictional Detectives on board.

18

I had trouble with understanding what the train passengers were doing, cosplaying? Roleplaying as passengers on the actual orient express? They were all in period costume and seemed to be in character at least some. But then why was the girl and her grandmother there? Why would the engineer who doesn’t interact with the public be in character?

And the solution to the mummy was kinda silly, they wanted to stick in another soldier reference.

19

Gus (the mysterious ‘computer’) set it up as the latest in a series of experiments.
Remember that a couple of other spaceships had already been attacked.

No doubt Gus got the scientists on board using methods like free tickets (he’s offered that to the Doctor in an earlier episode) and threw in a few passengers with health problems to give the Mummy suitable victims.

The spaceship Orient Express was like a cruise liner - everyone dressed appropriately, even the backroom staff.

P.S. In ‘Doctor Who Extra’, Frank Skinner confirmed he was a massive fan and had been asking to appear for ages.
He also got quite emotional when his character was offered the chance to be a companion!

20

Pretty much clear by now that the Doctor’s new angry, not caring as much personality is directly due to how much he’s seen and how many people have died in front of him that he can’t do anything about. It is a defense mechanism. This new regeneration is all about solving the problem and moving on while trying to hide from the emotional baggage of all of the loss and suffering that he sees as (as this episode pointed out) he makes the impossible decisions and stops the things no one else can stop.

He needs a companion, someone to do that caring, because he can’t do both or it will destroy him. And yes, it is a female, a non-warrior type, because it has to be.

As we saw at the end;

“That sort of thing would change a man”
“It frequently does”

So yeah, this version is an asshole, because he’s trying desperately not to be destroyed by everything he’s seen and done.

The only issue I have, and we’ll have to wait a few years to see how we get there, is how we get back to a more fun, lighter Doctor after this is over.