# Doctor Who S7E8 The Rings of Akhaten **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038 "2013-04-06T21:13:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/21 "2013-04-07T17:24:33Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > If the Tardis doesn’t like Clara, and it went a gajillion years into the future because it didn’t like Jack, does that mean we’re getting a hint of how Clara has been repeating in different lives? My wild speculation: Clara _is_ a “baby” TARDIS, or at least the sentient core of one, now adrift across all of time and space because there are no Time Lords left to build her “body” machine. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/22 "2013-04-07T17:44:12Z")
I personally loved this episode and think it might be one of my favorite new-series ones. It had a very old-school sci-fi feel to it and it managed to pull of a “power of love” ending without it being cheesy, and there were a few points I seriously got teary-eyed over. > [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I happened to notice that the tombstone for Clara’s mother’s grave listed her birth date as September 11th. True it was Sept. 11th, 1960 (rather than 2001), but given the to-do about Victorian Clara’s birth date on her own tombstone (Nov. 23, 1966 - the same month & day, but not the same year that “Doctor Who” premiered in the real world), is this meant to be a clue of some kind? > > Not that Clara’s mother is somehow related to the Sept. 11th tragedy, but that Clara is somehow related to some great, profound cataclysm. Didn’t notice that, but I did notice something else - her mother died in 2005, and according to the numbers scrawled in her book, Clara is 24 (or was it 23?) That would mean she ought to have been 15/16 when her mother died - except that she’s visibly a preteen when she’s seen visiting the grave. Possibly a piece of the puzzle with the missing years in her book? ---
**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:** [April 7, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/23 "2013-04-07T19:07:24Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I thought the stalking of Clara’s past was…stalkerish. If it’s any comfort, Clara does, too. > [@](#): > > And way to make every child feel like a snowflake: From the Big Bang through billion and billions of cataclysm, just to make _you._ Well, Young Mr Oswald was a guy who was trying to get laid. Maybe it was hokey, but it worked. > [@LawMonkey](#): > > Very meh, I’m afraid. Singing little girls and silly planet-faces just do not do it for me. Another thing to Never Forget is that Doctor Who is a show for the whole family and there is a need for fan service for people other than the dads. For instance: > [@Smapti](#): > > I personally loved this episode and think it might be one of my favorite new-series ones. It had a very old-school sci-fi feel to it and it managed to pull of a “power of love” ending without it being cheesy, and there were a few points I seriously got teary-eyed over. > > …That would mean she ought to have been 15/16 when her mother died - except that she’s visibly a preteen when she’s seen visiting the grave. I went back. She looked like a youthful 15, like Clara looks like a youthful 24. ETA: Just one more thing… What happened to the planetoids that were revolving around Pumpkinhead after he promptly vanished in a puff of logic? Being on the bad side of the Doctor is bad, but being on his good side won’t do you much favors, either. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/24 "2013-04-07T21:04:06Z")
You know, I’m really starting to think that the decision back in the classic series to take the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver away from him was a pretty good idea. It’s one thing if he is going to use it to open locked doors and perform scans, but he was able to hold off that creepy trio of enforcers with it, and that’s more powerful than it ought to be. And I had the same reaction as **gonzoron** did regarding why they needed to bother with the rental. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/25 "2013-04-07T21:10:24Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Well, Young Mr Oswald was a guy who was trying to get laid. I was thinking of what he was saying to Merry when convincing her not tho through her life away to save the solar system. StG ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/26 "2013-04-07T21:11:21Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I happened to notice that the tombstone for Clara’s mother’s grave listed her birth date as September 11th. True it was Sept. 11th, 1960 (rather than 2001), but given the to-do about Victorian Clara’s birth date on her own tombstone (Nov. 23, 1966 - the same month & day, but not the same year that “Doctor Who” premiered in the real world), is this meant to be a clue of some kind? > > Not that Clara’s mother is somehow related to the Sept. 11th tragedy, but that Clara is somehow related to some great, profound cataclysm. Doubt it, unless the scriptwriter is American - 9/11 frankly doesn’t mean much to most Brits. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/27 "2013-04-07T22:17:45Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > ETA: Just one more thing… What happened to the planetoids that were revolving around Pumpkinhead after he promptly vanished in a puff of logic? Being on the bad side of the Doctor is bad, but being on his good side won’t do you much favors, either. I would like some additional explanation for this too! I’m also a bit confused as to what effect Grandpa Pumpkinhead’s light show had on the Doctor…I take it that it was feasting on memories/stories, but because these things are not made of matter, the Doctor didn’t actually lose them? That seems to be backed up by Clara’s leaf, which (being a physical object) was consumed along with its story. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/28 "2013-04-07T22:38:17Z")
I heard the scooter silliness was thrown in simply as the tech said they could do a cool scooter cheaply and asked for it to be written in. Sadly it was not written in well. I really thought you needed a key for the TARDIS to open normally or a [tow truck and a lot of determination](http://8.asset.soup.io/asset/3119/8440_bf6d_450.gif) in that [one early episode for the new series](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_Parting_of_the_Ways). Why are so many making such a big deal out of the TARDIS not opening for Clara? I don’t she knows she needs a key? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/29 "2013-04-07T22:41:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Its more than curiosity. He didn’t react like this even with Amy’s crack. I would react differently if I saw Amy’s crack, too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/30 "2013-04-07T22:44:57Z")
My family loved the episode, thought it was great. I liked the song - for some reason, when DW does music (this episode, the girl who sang to the shark) I enjoy the pieces. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/31 "2013-04-07T22:59:38Z")
I liked the Doctor’s speech to the parasite “god” a lot. I think Matt Smith is now my favorite Doctor. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/32 "2013-04-07T23:14:28Z")
I suppose it’s too much to think in terms of the sun as Wall Street/City of London … ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/33 "2013-04-07T23:23:26Z")
Reference to the Doctor’s granddaughter… ---
**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:** [April 8, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/34 "2013-04-08T00:00:26Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > It’s one thing if he is going to use it to open locked doors and perform scans, but he was able to hold off that creepy trio of enforcers with it, and that’s more powerful than it ought to be. They were attacking using sonic power (singing and roaring seemed to be a big part of their culture), so coincidentally (too much coincidence in this story) it was actually the ideal defence for it. ---
**Author:** ![CorneaGenii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@CorneaGenii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorneaGenii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/35 "2013-04-08T00:12:24Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > …Why are so many making such a big deal out of the TARDIS not opening for Clara? I don’t she knows she needs a key? This. (btw, the tow truck was to open the TARDIS console, not the door) It seems that while the Doctor can open the TARDIS without a key, companions have always seemed to need to have one on their person, or given one at least (though I can’t seem to recall Eleven giving Amy a key). I haven’t seen many of the old serials to know if that’s only in NuWho. Remember that Victorian Clara dropped hers, and the Doctor hasn’t given present-day Clara a key. Also, I keep hearing that the TARDIS doesn’t like Clara, hence the failure to translate. I think that’s just an oversight in the writing. Moffat has thrown out canon details of Who trivia before for the sake of a story (Weeping Angels, anyone?), and it may have just been to highlight the alien-ness of the marketplace. The only thing that establishes this is Clara herself saying the TARDIS doesn’t like her and the shot of the TARDIS looming ominously in front of her. However, as far as I know, the Doctor’s never made mention to Clara in any incarnation that the TARDIS is alive and sentient. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/36 "2013-04-08T00:40:26Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Reference to the Doctor’s granddaughter… Who is…? I really am terrible at television - I can never remember anything long enough to be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/37 "2013-04-08T00:41:08Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Didn’t notice that, but I did notice something else - her mother died in 2005, and according to the numbers scrawled in her book, Clara is 24 (or was it 23?) That would mean she ought to have been 15/16 when her mother died - except that she’s visibly a preteen when she’s seen visiting the grave. Possibly a piece of the puzzle with the missing years in her book? Note that her mother died just a few weeks before the premiere of the New Who series. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/38 "2013-04-08T00:42:41Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Who is…? > > I really am terrible at television - I can never remember anything long enough to be useful. The very first Doctor traveled with his “granddaughter”. [Susan Foreman](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Susan_Foreman) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/39 "2013-04-08T00:47:24Z")
> [@CorneaGenii](#): > > Also, I keep hearing that the TARDIS doesn’t like Clara, hence the failure to translate. I think that’s just an oversight in the writing. Moffat has thrown out canon details of Who trivia before for the sake of a story (Weeping Angels, anyone?), and it may have just been to highlight the alien-ness of the marketplace. I think Clara was wrong about the TARDIS not liking her - I think the TARDIS just wanted Clara and the Doctor to confront the old god, and thus kept Clara and Merry from hiding. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/40 "2013-04-08T01:22:17Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > I really am terrible at television - I can never remember anything long enough to be useful. What? You can’t remember TV from 50 years ago? Note also that it’s TV, not anything useful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038.md?page=3)