# Doctor Who S7E8 The Rings of Akhaten

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/61 "2013-04-09T18:39:53Z")

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I don’t think The Doctor is the only one who can open the door, nor is a key required in all cases. River Song showed him he can open it simply by snapping his fingers, and when he’s dubious, she proceeds to show him by doing it herself.

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**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/62 "2013-04-09T19:43:46Z")

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Yeah, it’s confusing because there’s a whole lot of canon running around about it. My preferred fan wank is that if the doors are just closed, the Doctor and companions can enter simply by pushing in as they often do in relaxed settings, but should a Dalek come aknocking, they have no access unless the door has been left open. There is a deadbolt, however, and when that deadbolt is locked, only a key will open the door.

_waits for links to 8 different episodes that show my fanwank doesn’t hold water._

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**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/63 "2013-04-10T04:05:02Z")

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I didn’t really care for this episode. I found it rather boring. The wife liked it, though.

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**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-s7e8-the-rings-of-akhaten/655038/64 "2013-04-10T14:30:13Z")

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It seems like the first three episodes of every companion in New Who follows the same basic pattern.

In the first episode, aliens attack Earth, then in the second and third episode the Doctor takes them to a strange future alien world and some point in Earth’s past. Usually in the second episode the companion doubts the Doctor’s methods but realizes in the end that he’s right.

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