# Doctor Who Revival S08E06 -- The Caretaker (boxed spoilers until aired) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670 "2014-09-26T20:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/1 "2014-09-26T20:03:26Z")
The Rule: Boxed spoilers until the episode finishes airing on the west coast of the USA (i.e., Pacific Time [sorry, Alaska/Hawaii]). In other words, boxed spoilers until 2:00 am UTC. Auntie Beeb posted a trailer for tomorrow’s show. [The Doctor goes undercover - The Caretaker: Preview - Doctor Who: Series 8 Episode 6 - BBC One](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClQlAiP8LiQ) (Not gonna spoiler-box a BBC trailer; just don’t click the link if you want to go into the show totally innocent of the plot.) Links to threads about previous episodes: [S08E05–Time Heist](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734749) [S08E04–Listen](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734065) [S08E03–Robot of Sherwood](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733273) [S08E02–Into the Dalek](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732547) [S08E01–Deep Breath](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731834) ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/2 "2014-09-26T21:51:36Z")
I’m looking forward to this! I thought the last episode was absolutely fantastic. This season couldn’t be more different than the last one - Moffat’s redeeming himself. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/3 "2014-09-26T23:15:40Z")
So, in the above-linked trailer, the Doctor mentions that he and River had a serious argument. Now we can have fun speculating whether the Doctor meant that took place when he was 10, 11 or 12. After all, 10 had the “gap year” after he mind-fucked Donna. (Hey, RTD, I’m _still_ furious you had 10 do that to her!) And, just like Amy and Rory, Clara takes time off. So, 10, 11 and 12 have all had plenty of time in which to meet up for fun, games and mayhem with River. That looks like one of those highly “redacted” documents the CIA sends out in response to a FOIA request. Bwah ha ha! Anyway, FWIW, I was reading a TARDIS-load of threads on a Doctor Who-specific board and the long-timers snarked that every time some mysterious female villain shows up, fans start crying out, “It’s the Rani! It’s the Rani!” I’m sure Moffat is well aware of this so, I don’t know if Missy is _not_ going to be the Rani because it never is the Rani or, Missy _is_ the Rani because Moffat likes perpetrating “gotchas!” in his scripts/story arcs. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/4 "2014-09-27T20:28:58Z")
Anyone seen it, yet? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/5 "2014-09-27T20:29:11Z")
A warm and funny episode, with great interactions between the Doctor, Clara, and Danny. I do like episodes where the Doctor is a fish out of water though, so YMMV. I particularly enjoyed the Eleventh Doctor mix-up. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/6 "2014-09-27T21:56:43Z")
Doctor: You look lovely today! Did you have a wash? Clara (dubiously): Why are you being nice? Doctor (patronizingly): Because it works on you. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/7 "2014-09-28T06:25:54Z")
The Doctor: …and there’s a **_sinister_ puddle**. Band name! _LOVED_ this episode! There are so many good lines in this episode, if I posted them before the time limit, this post would be a huge blank spot on the page, filled with nothing but spoiler box after spoiler box. Well, I loved almost everything about this episode. I could have done without Courtney “Disruptive Influence” Woods. I really hope we won’t be seeing much of her in the future. Although, thinking about it, I suspect she’ll end up being a companion in the Donna Noble/Tegan Jovanka style. And I liked Donna and Tegan. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/8 "2014-09-28T09:21:49Z")
The Doctor’s shirt is ugly. I remember that Danny had been a PE teacher, but both him and Clara vigorously denied it throughout the episode. We’re in an alternate timeline? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/9 "2014-09-28T09:38:26Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I remember that Danny had been a PE teacher Do you mean [this](http://romanaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/into-the-dalek-danny-pink-is-a-crying-soldier.jpg)? I don’t think that’s PE, it looks like it’s a lunch break hobby for some of the kids. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/10 "2014-09-28T12:53:10Z")
I particularly like that both Clara and Danny are shaping up to be strong characters who are capable of butting heads with this Doctor. Any sense of how to make sense of the big arc bit? I also like how they are mixing up the forms. This one is focused on character development and relationships without being afraid to make this Doctor strange/alien and not charmingly eccentric, with a MOW that was a cardboard cut out for the characters to interact about. Every week of that and the thing is a soap opera; we need good monsters and villians too; to be scared and excited sometimes and solving puzzles with answers that make sense sometimes too. Not sure what the perfect balance is but nice that they are trying to find it. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/11 "2014-09-28T14:01:27Z")
I liked that it was Danny that gave the Dr the clue to resolve this one. Even if neither will admit it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/12 "2014-09-28T14:15:11Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > I could have done without [spoiler]Courtney “Disruptive Influence” Woods. I really hope we won’t be seeing much of her in the future. Although, thinking about it, I suspect she’ll end up being a companion in the Donna Noble/Tegan Jovanka style. I suspect she’ll be a companion in the \*Susan \*style. It’s pretty clear they’re recreating the original crew of the Tardis from 1963: The Doctor + two teachers and a student from Coal Hill School. Of course this time they have English and math instead of history (Barbara) and science (Ian). It’s a good dynamic if they’ve got Courtney right. She needs to be curious one that wanders off and gets into trouble. And she needs to do it without coming across as annoyingly foolish. Carole Ann Ford did it brilliantly. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/13 "2014-09-28T14:46:16Z")
I liked the implication that the Doctor took to Courtney and related to her because she was a “disruptive influence”. Anyone else get the feeling that he was thinking back to a Gallifreyan boy who grew to challenge the system more and more? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/14 "2014-09-28T15:21:32Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I suspect she’ll be a companion in the \*Susan \*style. It’s pretty clear they’re recreating the original crew of the Tardis from 1963: The Doctor + two teachers and a student from Coal Hill School. Of course this time they have English and math instead of history (Barbara) and science (Ian). > > It’s a good dynamic if they’ve got Courtney right. She needs to be curious one that wanders off and gets into trouble. And she needs to do it without coming across as annoyingly foolish. Carole Ann Ford did it brilliantly. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![minionkat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@minionkat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minionkat)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/15 "2014-09-28T17:13:03Z")
I loved this episode. Another eyebrow joke, a reference to River, a look at how disruptive the Doctor is to a normal life. I did not like Danny’s ultimatum about the Doctor pushing Clara too far. What is he going to do about it? She is a big girl. I liked how Clara jumped to the conclusion that the Doctor knew Jane Austen and he just looked at her and said he read the bio at the end of the book. And then called her out on “Boggins”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/16 "2014-09-28T17:30:44Z")
From the very moment I saw him, I figured “Mr. Pink” was a plant. A person out of time and place who was put there to get close to Clara, and thus, the Doctor. The way he kept talking about helping Clara last night only reinforced that feeling. So I’m Wizard Hatting it right now: He works for that woman in “Heaven”. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/17 "2014-09-28T17:39:52Z")
Everyone seems to like the Doctor whistling a line from “Another Brick in the Wall.” But did anyone else notice another little musical shout-out, almost directly before that? When the Doctor muttered, “Kids! What’s the matter with kids today?”, am I the only one who sang, [“Why can’t they be like I was/Perfect in every way?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3PvcpWbUIg) ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/18 "2014-09-28T17:44:05Z")
Could Missy in “heaven” BE Susan? EDIT:I can’t tell if the T-rex in the opening episode was a subtle hint Missy is the Rani, or a misdirection. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/19 "2014-09-28T17:49:27Z")
Completely off the wall, stupid and guaranteed wrong guess at the arc: Matt Smith’s doctor really did die, and this is all being done in the afterlife. He’s seeing his life ‘flash’ in front of him, which is why there are so many call backs to the past. Yeah. I don’t believe it either. But it would be…creative? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670/20 "2014-09-28T18:00:42Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > Completely off the wall, stupid and guaranteed wrong guess at the arc: > Matt Smith’s doctor really did die, and this is all being done in the afterlife. He’s seeing his life ‘flash’ in front of him, which is why there are so many call backs to the past. > > Yeah. I don’t believe it either. But it would be…creative? Good one! Slight tweak to it, the Doctor cheated death AKA Missy and death is pissed about it and trying to claim his soul. Afterall he lived so long and experienced so much, he must be like the greatest game to death or something. There was some BBC thing that said her character was “The Gatekeeper Of The Nethersphere” and that sounds to like either death or satan or something. This is also why we see Missy interviewing dead characters, and all the promised land arc stuff. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-revival-s08e06-the-caretaker-boxed-spoilers-until-aired/699670.md?page=2)