So Clara Oswin Oswald, before she dies, says “I remember” and they flashback to Oswin saying “I remember” as well. Help me out here, wasn’t Oswin remembering being turned into a Darlek?
I get the sense that they are wanting to hint that these two incarnations of her are variations of her from some (our experience of her) future time being thrown into other time space locations that have some faint suppressed memory of the Doctor from her past, his/our future - but that seems to be twisting the first “I remember” event post hoc.
Not sure how River will take to this new companion by the way, unless they just drop that whole line unceremoniously. I’d like to see it tied up somehow at least, hard to do since they dropped the difficult to maintain aspect of their timelines running in reverse of each other.
I had also thought the word was less big arc and more free standing eps this season. So much for that.
Still a fun ep so long as you don’t think too hard about it. As for the ladder … a bit of heavy handed symbolism, not something we’ll see as a regular feature and no call back. Not part of the world, keeping himself apart, disengaged, physically detached from the earth. But honestly the Doctor sulking has been done bit too much in NuWho already.
I thought it was a pretty good episode and loved the fate of Clara. You’d figure she was going to pull through, since everyone knew she was the new companion, so her death was a surprise. The plot was less interesting than the character interactions; I think the Lady Vastra has some great potential as a spinoff, though Moffat doesn’t have the time for one.
People have noticed that the day of birth carved on Clara’s tombstone matches the day in 1963 when the series premiered.
I’m guessing that something that the Doctor did back in his first regeneration “smeared” Clara out through the time stream and the 50th anniversary special (which I bet will be called “The Eleven Doctors”) will revolve around undoing what happened to Clara.
No, Dalek Oswin said “Run you clever little man AND remember.” Basically meaning “get the hell out of here before everything goes to shit, but remember me as the human girl I was - not the Dalek I am.” Of course, it was also a little meta wink to the audience that she’d be back later on in the series.
I re-watched the Xrmas special last night and there were two little details that I didn’t pick up on that stuck out to me. First, in the scene when Clara was telling the children about “the man who lives on a cloud”, there is a quick close-up of a candle flickering. That reminded me of the scenes in 'Asylum" where Amy & Rory were abducted. There were flickering light bulbs in both moments. And apparently there was a running theme of lights flickering at some point in all of the fall episodes. There was some online speculation that this was somehow foreshadowing the departures of Amy & Rory, but that didn’t seem to go anywhere. But is this actually foreshadowing something about Clara? Just thinking.
Also, it struck me as odd that the Doctor didn’t remember the Great Intelligence. The dialogue during Clara’s funeral makes it clear he doesn’t. I suppose after1000 + years of fighting nefarious alien beings, not everyone is going to make a lasting impression. But the Great Intelligence? It was during that adventure that he met the Brigadier (one of his closest friends ever.) So why the line “Great Intelligence. That reminds me of something” ? It seems like that was meant to be significant - like memories from the Doctor’s past have been removed.
Strax seems a lot happier. When he showed up in A Good Man Goes To War, he seemed mostly to be humiliated by having been busted down from warrior to nurse. Now he comes off as a fairly good-natured, if gleefully violent, clown.
Finally got around to watching this. I’m conflicted.
I like when the Christmas episodes are stand alone, but since Clara died at the end of this one, it kind of is. I would love it if she dies every episode. It was the first thing I thought when she died in this one.
I would hate if if there was romance between Clara and the Doctor. Bleah! I’m so tired of too much sentimentality. Even though he wasn’t romantic with Amy, there was too much caring. I am ready for a season where the Doctor/companion relationship is more like in the original series.
I hope there isn’t too much of a running story line about Clara. A little information each episode (perhaps as she dies ) would be great, but I am hoping for a season with great adventures all over the universe.
I was totally thrilled to Strax. I love that guy! Vastra and Jenny were good, too.
Doctor: Where is it?
Strax: Where’s what, sir?
Doctor: I sent you to get the memory worm.
Strax: Did you? When? Who’s he? What are we doing here? Look, it’s been snowing!
Doctor: You didn’t use the gauntlets, did you?
Strax: Why would I need the gauntlets? Do you want me to get the memory worm?
The more I think about it the more I like the possibilities in a person who keeps being reborn but in a more traditional, non-Time Lord, way. I hope Moffat has thought about that and didn’t just run out of ideas.
) would be great, but I am hoping for a season with great adventures all over the universe.
