# Doctor Who Series Five: UK pace thread \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 3, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851 "2010-04-03T21:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/381 "2010-05-02T15:24:17Z")
And the Doctor was again bringing up the duck pond without ducks. How is _that_ going to become significant? ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/382 "2010-05-02T15:32:55Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > This is veeeeeeeeeeery interesting - I’ve just rewatched that scene and you’re all right, the Doctor’s words and actions seem to be completely outside of the context of the main story of the episode. I had just initially written it off as fevered fan speculation. Now I’m convinced that, as a poster says up thread, that there’s a second narrative being played out in front of our eyes. I think the key to it will become evident in the episode known as Amy’s Choice ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/383 "2010-05-02T15:40:41Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > And the Doctor was again bringing up the duck pond without ducks. How is _that_ going to become significant? Well, the question lends itself to two real interpretations, doesn’t it? One, which he asked in the first episode, is, ‘How do you know it’s a duck pond when there’s no ducks in it?’. I kind of figured that was just him poking fun at something involving people making assumptions or giving them names that don’t necessarily have much to do with what they are. Why’s it a duck pond when there’s no ducks? Didn’t he ask what happened to the ducks? Don’t remember. (Note that I also thought people assuming that question had any sort of importance were just fannerds with far too much time on their hands who analyze every single little thing far too much) The other, of course, could be ‘You’ve got a duck pond, so there should be ducks. But there aren’t any ducks. Why? What happened to them?’. Which means that the actual presence/absence of the ducks is significant somehow. Unless they’re like dolphins (or mice) I’m not sure how it could be important that way. > [@levdrakon](#): > > Supposed to be secretive, but the people of Cardiff got used to seeing aliens fairly regularly, and of course the events of Children of Earth were a pretty big deal, and it’d be really shitty if the whole thing were unwritten. They were also a “secret” organization who had a very distinctive vehicle with “Torchwood” engraved all over it. I love a lot of stuff RTD did, but he never did decide whether or not Torchwood was “secret” or not. -Joe ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/384 "2010-05-02T16:07:36Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > … (Note that I also thought people assuming that question had any sort of importance were just fannerds with far too much time on their hands who analyze every single little thing far too much) > > The other, of course, could be ‘You’ve got a duck pond, so there should be ducks. But there aren’t any ducks. Why? What happened to them?’. Which means that the actual presence/absence of the ducks is significant somehow. Unless they’re like dolphins (or mice) I’m not sure how it could be important that way. … Well like you I thought it was a throw away line at first and had the same fannerd assessment, _but_ he brought it up _again_, so it must be of some clue-like importance. But like you I am flummoxed at even coming up with a WAG at what it could be. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/385 "2010-05-02T16:12:12Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Is that maybe a European thing? I know here in the USA it’s 12PM for noon and 12AM for midnight. Which is something that’s always seemed arbitrary to me. You’re missing the point. The thing is, the clock showed one minute to noon on the 25th then showed noon on the 26th. In other words, a jump of 24 hours in just a second. The clock showing AM when it should have been PM would be a tiny mistake. Lots of people have their clocks showing AM when it’s PM. But the changing date, no that’s a big error. > [@ivan732](#): > > The clock thing I am inclined to think was just a mistake. Some staffer got a bit muddled about the AM/PM clock, perhaps because the 24-hour clock is commonly used in Britain, certainly on digital clocks. Most Brits use the 12 hour clock in their homes. The 24 hour clock is mostly only used for transport timetables. > [@](#): > > Although, it did start on 11:59am, which is pretty unambigously just before midday. > > But it was just a fleeting shot, so I think they mocked up a digital clock (because they needed one with a large date display) and didn’t get it quite right. The main point of it was to tie the date on the clock to the date on the Doctor’s universal time readout thingy. I don’t think it can possibly be a mistake. Clocks are not exactly hard to come by or expensive. It would be very easy to use a real clock and film it turning to midnight. And real clocks don’t behave like that, not even in England :rolleyes: They would need a specific reason to mock it up or CGI it. I think it must have been deliberate. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/386 "2010-05-02T16:17:01Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Unless they’re like dolphins (or mice) I’m not sure how it could be important that way. 😛 Oh God, I hope that’s the reason. Our secret duck-like overlords have left the building. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/387 "2010-05-02T16:23:27Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Most Brits use the 12 hour clock in their homes. The 24 hour clock is mostly only used for transport timetables. Dunno about that **Peter**. Most digital clocks are set to 24 hours, aren’t they? Maybe it’s just me. On your wider point, it seems like a lot of effort was put into that clock scene for such an obvious mistake to not have been deliberate. ---
**Author:** ![ivan732](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aeb1de/32.png) [@ivan732](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan732)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/388 "2010-05-02T16:34:55Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I don’t think it can possibly be a mistake. Clocks are not exactly hard to come by or expensive. It would be very easy to use a real clock and film it turning to midnight. And real clocks don’t behave like that, not even in England :rolleyes: They would need a specific reason to mock it up or CGI it. I think it must have been deliberate. I think they needed a clock that showed both the tine and the date in large format. I’m not sure that such clocks are easy to come by. Of the digital clocks I have encountered, either they don’t show the date at all, or they show it separately when you press a button, or they show it in very small digits that wouldn’t have worked for this shot, in which the point was to show the viewer the time flipping past midnight and the date changing. The AM/PM indicator in the shot is not that easy to make out, and the shot itself is brief. I don’t think it was significant, but rather a simple mistake. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/389 "2010-05-02T16:45:21Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > 😛 Oh God, I hope that’s the reason. Our secret duck-like overlords have left the building. They already did that with the bees though … (not overlords, but actually aliens leaving …) ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/390 "2010-05-02T16:50:09Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > They already did that with the bees though … (not overlords, but actually aliens leaving …) Hah, I’d forgotten about that. It would be just typical if humans turned out to be the, like, 38th most intelligent species on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/391 "2010-05-02T17:06:53Z")
Maybe I’ll read all the comments later about the Angels episodes, but here are questions from someone who’s never seen The Doctor until this series (don’t ask how I get them). I thought the angels were an intriguing villain with an interesting weakness (not being able to move when watched). Why then didn’t they move when the soldiers didn’t look at them? Amy wasn’t supposed to be able to look away at all even at the video, but they turned their backs with no immediate consequences. Were those angels not powered up? Is there any consensus on who River Song is? Could it be possible for The Doctor to get married? Are the producers trying to imply that he was killed? Would they set that so far in the future as to be immaterial now, or will they find a loophole in what they’ve set up? Are the producers just trying to bribe me with an adorable redhead in the cast? How unfair is that? ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/392 "2010-05-02T17:17:47Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > Could it be possible for The Doctor to get married? The first Doctor travelled with his granddaughter, and in the revival there’s been a couple of mentions of the Doctor having been married. He’s 907, dawgs been around. > [@](#): > > Are the producers just trying to bribe me with an adorable redhead in the cast? Yes. Magnificently. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/393 "2010-05-02T17:34:49Z")
> [@ivan732](#): > > I think they needed a clock that showed both the tine and the date in large format. I’m not sure that such clocks are easy to come by. You can find several on eBay in just a few seconds. > [@](#): > > Of the digital clocks I have encountered, either they don’t show the date at all, or they show it separately when you press a button, or they show it in very small digits that wouldn’t have worked for this shot, in which the point was to show the viewer the time flipping past midnight and the date changing. [item](http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Radio-Controlled-Digital-Wall-Desk-Clock-Atomic-BNIB-/290425038066?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Clocks&hash=item439eae64f2) [item](http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Touch-Screen-Radio-Controlled-Alarm-Clock-New-RRP-23-/220594786134?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Clocks&hash=item335c794f56) [item](http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hello-Kitty-7-colors-LED-clock-thermometer-Calendar-cub-/330429042670?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Clocks&hash=item4cef1b0fee) [item](http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DIGITAL-LCD-DESK-ALARM-CLOCK-THERMOMETER-CALENDAR-/120562327575?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Clocks&hash=item1c12132017) plenty of others around > [@](#): > > The AM/PM indicator in the shot is not that easy to make out, and the shot itself is brief. I don’t think it was significant, but rather a simple mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/394 "2010-05-02T17:36:35Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > Could it be possible for The Doctor to get married? Ask Liz 1. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/395 "2010-05-02T17:37:22Z")
I thought it was soooo obvious she’d killed a future Doctor that even if it’s true, it’s all part of some plan. I wonder if River knows Jack Harness? They remind me of each other. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/396 "2010-05-02T17:38:13Z")
To a human? Is this like the conceit that Superman had an actual functional child with a human woman? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/397 "2010-05-02T17:41:38Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > Maybe I’ll read all the comments later about the Angels episodes, but here are questions from someone who’s never seen The Doctor until this series (don’t ask how I get them). > > I thought the angels were an intriguing villain with an interesting weakness (not being able to move when watched). Why then didn’t they move when the soldiers didn’t look at them? Amy wasn’t supposed to be able to look away at all even at the video, but they turned their backs with no immediate consequences. Were those angels not powered up? There’s been more than a little inconsistency with the angels. First time around, there was never any video, so that wasn’t an issue. Further, the whole “quantum locked while observed” deal wasn’t something they could turn on and off or something that operated on instinct, it was something that WAS. If an angel was being observed, they were stone - or more likely, something that was completely unassailable as they were locked in their current state. Period. Which is why you couldn’t just keep your eyes on them and take a sledgehammer to them. They weren’t playing eyeball-freeze-tag. They were trying to move the whole time, they just couldn’t when they are being observed. They also were a very interesting villain because they didn’t kill people. They would basically suck the time energy out of someone, which would end up sending that person backward in time a few decades. Now they can apparently turn off and on their observance ability - they can’t move while they know they’re being observed, but they can choose to NOT move if they THINK they’re being observed. Doctor Who is one of those things its best to not over analyze at times. Also, River Song has made it pretty blatantly clear that she’s the Doctor’s wife in his past, her future. She seems to think she’s got all the knowledge in their relationship, which is funny seeing how he knows how she dies, seeing as how he was there. Normally, I’d say it’s something they can keep in reserve forever. After all, none of us want to watch Mr. and Mrs. The Doctor. Then again, she also implied that it would be soon… > [@Cardinal](#): > > To a human? Is this like the conceit that Superman had an actual functional child with a human woman? Not at all. One is arguing biology, one is arguing whether or not he could marry a human. I have no doubt that Superman could marry Lois Lane, and I’m assuming he did (not a DC Comics fan) - there’s literally no reason he can’t. Just as there’s no reason The Doctor can’t marry a human. -Joe ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/398 "2010-05-02T17:45:12Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Ask Liz 1. 😃 ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/399 "2010-05-02T17:50:55Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > To a human? Is this like the conceit that Superman had an actual functional child with a human woman? Gallifreyans are basically Gods. As old as time. The old Greek Gods were always surprising young ladies while disguised as swans or whatever, so who knows what a Time Lord is capable of? This probably isn’t canon. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/400 "2010-05-02T17:55:10Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > They also were a very interesting villain because they didn’t kill people. They would basically suck the time energy out of someone, which would end up sending that person backward in time a few decades. The _Blink_ Angels were feeding. These ones were killing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851.md?page=21)