No spoilers until the U.S. broadcast, please -
All in all, a perfectly cromulent episode. Smart, funny, fast paced, scary at times; no egregious time travel paradoxes or unearned sentimentality. A solid episode of Doctor Who and an auspicious start for a new half-season, especially after a weak first half. I’m happy.
Agreed. I found the new companion to be rather less tiresome than I had expected. Quite a sensible starter, enjoyable. It’s not one of the Great Who Classics, but as you say, perfectly cromulent.
Wait, cromulent is good?
Bit formulaic for me, but I don’t know much.
Celia Imrie for teh win.
Didn’t see this thread so I’ll just s/p what I posted in the anniversary thread:
Wow. That was a home run. No, a grand slam home run. Perfectly satisfying story.
Note: spoilers are spoilers. Don’t open until you’ve seen the episode…
[spoiler]Summer Falls by Amelia Williams. (A nice call back.)
“[Chapter] Ten. Eleven’s the best. You’ll cry your eyes out.” (I’m guessing Matt collaborated on the script. )
RYCBAR123 (Run you clever…)
“I’m ever so fond of Alexei. My conscience says we should probably kill him.”
“I’ll inform HR.” (Sounds like my office.)
“It’s like immortality. Only fatal.” (Yeah, that’s a bit of a downside. Remind me to send Ray Kurzweil a tweet.)
“There’s something in the Wi-Fi. OK. This whole world is swimming in Wi-Fi. We’re living in a Wi-Fi soup! Suppose something got inside it. Suppose there was something living in the Wi-Fi, harvesting human minds, extracting them. Imagine that. Human souls trapped like flies in the World Wide Web, stuck for ever, crying out for help.”
“Isn’t that basically Twitter?” (Bazinga!)
“I do love London. So many cameras.” (Hell, I noticed that twelve years ago.)
“Clara Oswald for the win! Oswin!” (Another piece of the puzzle fitted.)
and… “Snog Box!”[/spoiler]Instant classic. Worth the wait and the glacial dribble of episodes this last year. Only five episodes between the last two Xmas eps? Seriously?
A lot of fun. Not amazing, but had a load of funny bits and some nice twists and portents. Solid episode.
BTW, here’s why they got confused at Earl’s Court.
“No one loves cattle more than Burger King.” Snerk
StG
I don’t know why you’d ask. It’s a perfectly cromulent word.
Who? IMDBing Oh. I knew she looked familiar, and we go back clear to To the Manor Born. And that reminds me that the woman I work next to looks just like Penelope Keith.
Wait, the leaf in the book was “page one?” Does Clara keep it as a subconscious memento of the Gamma Forest? Is Clara the young River Song? It would help explain her rebirths as a form of regeneration, though Alex Kingston was never that pretty (nice looking, even smokin’, but not pretty. It would also explain why the Doctor has some uncharacteristic hots for her.
I liked the creepy use of the surveillance cameras around London. Tracking the Doctor from one camera to another as he traveled. We’re not that far away from that technology in real life. London already has the cameras all over the place.
Clara seemed a little simpler in this episode. More like a typical girl. Victorian Clara was very clever. Remember how quickly she tracked the Doctor to his cloud Tardis? She was the first to realize something was wrong with the snow.
I expect that this Clara will get more clever as she travels in the Tardis.
“I don’t predict the future. I just work there.”
Awesome.
Yes, great line!!
Loved it, it went by so fast, I was almost annoyed, but really enjoyable!
THe text popping up onscreen at the beginning was straight out of Sherlock.
StG
Clara: “When you say ‘mobile phone,’ why do you point at that blue box?”
The Doctor: “Because it’s a surprisingly accurate description!”
IT’S ALL VERY SCIENCE-Y.
Oh, I liked this episode.
“I’m the Doctor. I’m an alien from outer space. I’m 1,000 years old. I’ve got two hearts and I can’t fly a plane, can you?”
Me too. Quite a lot. This new companion reminds a little of Sarah Jane. And the name Clara. Is it an homage to Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen?
Why
were the people clapping and donating money when the Dr and Clara came out of the Tardis the next morning?
What did I miss?
Roddy
The bystanders thought they were street magicians. Big blue box appears out of nowhere. Two people walk out. One goes back in and rides out on a motorcycle that was too long to fit in the box.
First of all, I’m not a fan of Moffat. I so wanted to love Eleven and the Ponds, but the ridiculousness of the River Song and the Silence story arcs left a bad taste in my mouth.
A few things which I dread the rest of this season:
That said, I did like this episode. I will probably keep watching if only because Jenna is unbearably cute and for the hope of seeing Ten (or Ten II), Rose, and Captain Jack in the 50th anniversary show. I just hope that it isn’t one giant complicated, twist after twist clusterfuck, because the only question I’ll be asking after that will be “Doctor Who gives a flying *#%@#$?”!!
Clara seemed to have some romantic interest in the Doctor. I lost count of the times she chided him for wanting to get her in the Blue Box. Then she makes a comment like “Don’t be in such a hurry”
She’s projecting some pretty strong interest on the Doctor.
Indeed, did you notice the other busker there? (A living statue)
