# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/61 "2010-04-05T22:56:55Z")
After the rather turgid specials that was quite refreshing. The techno babble solution was fairly logical too for such a show, but its hardly a deal breaker for most people I’m guessing. One thing though, I think we might dispense with the “I’m the Doctor, BOO!” routine. Its one that could be turned pretty quickly on him with a “He’s the Doctor, SHOOT!”. Might we also dispense with a young female companion who’s rather unsure of her feelings towards the Doctor? Another Donna please. Although Dad did get a laugh out of the reference to the kissograms other outfits and he usually dreads a dose of science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/62 "2010-04-05T23:00:23Z")
So, it seems the Doctor made a special point to go back and see Amelia as he promised. What does that mean for Amy? Is she still the same embittered & distrustful adult? If she loses that edge is she still as interesting? ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/63 "2010-04-05T23:17:49Z")
While people here and elsewhere have certainly drawn parallels with Moffat’s previous _Doctor Who_ scripts, I thought there was a possible unremarked connection with _The Girl in the Fireplace_. The sense of time travel making it possible for the Doctor to abruptly jump forward through a girl’s life. But rather than repeating himself, I took this as Moffat moving forward. _The Girl in the Fireplace_ is ultimately very sad, so the Doctor has _learnt_ from that experience in the previous incarnation. Realising that something similar is happening again, he takes the opportunity to make her the “it’s a time machince, where do you want to go” offer. He now realises that if he doesn’t offer the companionship, she’s screwed up for life for having met him as a child. ---
**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 5, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/64 "2010-04-05T23:48:47Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > So, it seems the Doctor made a special point to go back and see Amelia as he promised. That was a dream. The noise of the approaching TARDIS while Amy was sleeping induced the event in the dream. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/65 "2010-04-05T23:52:54Z")
safe for work > **[Dr Ooooh! How the Time Lord's saucy, short-skirted new companion sent viewers...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1263583/Doctor-Whos-racy-new-companion-Karen-Gillan-sent-viewers-orbit.html)** > > The revealing outfit prompted a flood of comments on online message boards, with a section of fans accusing producers of 'shamelessly sexing up' the long-running family show and labelling it 'slutty'. Sexy companion Amy and comparisons with previous companions. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/66 "2010-04-05T23:58:08Z")
> [@bonzer](#): > > While people here and elsewhere have certainly drawn parallels with Moffat’s previous _Doctor Who_ scripts, I thought there was a possible unremarked connection with _The Girl in the Fireplace_. The sense of time travel making it possible for the Doctor to abruptly jump forward through a girl’s life. > But rather than repeating himself, I took this as Moffat moving forward. _The Girl in the Fireplace_ is ultimately very sad, so the Doctor has _learnt_ from that experience in the previous incarnation. Realising that something similar is happening again, he takes the opportunity to make her the “it’s a time machince, where do you want to go” offer. He now realises that if he doesn’t offer the companionship, she’s screwed up for life for having met him as a child. …the story is also reminiscent of Moffat’s “What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow”, from the 2006 BBC Doctor Who annual. > **[BBC - Doctor Who - Episodes - Blink](https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/blink_annual.shtml)** > > Episode Guide for the new series adventure blink Fantastic little story, and I loved how it grew to become Blink. Doctor Who is in safe hands with Moffat, I greatly look forward to this series… ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/67 "2010-04-06T06:28:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > safe for work > [Doctor Who's racy new companion Karen Gillan sent viewers into orbit | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1263583/Dr-Ooooh-How-Time-Lords-saucy-short-skirted-new-companion-sent-viewers-orbit.html) > > Sexy companion Amy and comparisons with previous companions. That’s a typical _Daily Mail_ article. On the one had the paper is always going on about the moral decline of the country, but it still publishes sexy photos of nubile young women. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/68 "2010-04-06T11:07:35Z")
Did anyone else get the feeling that the new doctor is a bit of a jerk? Barging into other people’s homes, demanding food, and spitting it on the floor is hardly good manners. There was also that whole “That was 2 years ago? Ah well, whoops.” The doctor always had a slight air of superiority over inferior creatures, but it seems stronger in this incarnation than the previous two. I don’t mind it at all personally, as I think it’s a good way of distinguishing him from Tennant’s version. Even though I’ll probably never stop thinking about the previous incarnation as “The Doctor”, I’m enjoying this one quite a lot. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/69 "2010-04-06T12:52:35Z")
Glad it’s not just me that hated the new chune. I feared I wouldn’t warm to Matt Smith but by the end I had accepted him (despite him looking “like a skull”, according to my sister). Amy’s combination of short skirt + seamed stickings (probably tights, really) was perfectly acceptable. Perhaps a return to the daring days of Leela? ---
**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 6, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/70 "2010-04-06T13:49:59Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > Did anyone else get the feeling that the new doctor is a bit of a jerk? Barging into other people’s homes, demanding food, and spitting it on the floor is hardly good manners. There was also that whole “That was 2 years ago? Ah well, whoops.” The doctor always had a slight air of superiority over inferior creatures, but it seems stronger in this incarnation than the previous two. I think that was intended as part of his state of flux so soon after the regeneration. He hadn’t settled into a suitably empathetic personality level. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/71 "2010-04-06T14:14:37Z")
There’s also the part that implies that the Doctor was lying about his reasons for wanting a companion. He says it’s just because he’s lonely but the scope in the background implies he’s lying. 33 secs into the video > **[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Mg1sf0TvdiE&feature=related)** > > Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/72 "2010-04-06T14:24:11Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > There’s also the part that implies that the Doctor was lying about his reasons for wanting a companion. He says it’s just because he’s lonely but the scope in the background implies he’s lying. How so? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/73 "2010-04-06T14:30:32Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Yeah, that combined with the cracks are going to be right up there with the stars going out and the four-tap rhythm, I’m sure. > -Joe Speaking of cracks, I assume everyone spotted the “crack” pattern in the oscilloscope thingy at the end, which the Doctor quickly switched off.I’m all for recurring themes but it was a very “Joe vs the Volcano” moment. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/74 "2010-04-06T14:41:35Z")
They didn’t reveal much in the Dr Who Confidential. I had gotten spoiled watching Russell T. Davis on Confidential. He usually explained references or at least pointed them out as important. The last Doctor never got over Rose. He reluctantly accepted Martha Jones and Donna. After that, no more companions. The show is better when he has one. I’m glad the new Doctor is willing to start fresh. One bit of triva from Dr Who Confidential. The little girl that played Amelia is the real life cousin of Karen Gillan (Amy Pond). That’s why there is a real resemblance. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/75 "2010-04-06T14:46:58Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > How so? He says the reason for bringing her is that he’s lonely. She says “Just that?” He says, “Just that, I promise.” There is a ominous note in the soundtrack and the scene focuses on a scope behind him showing a dip in a line. The note is continued and he turns the screen off. It’s pretty clear to me there’s some foreboding there. The dip in the line may not be directly because he’s lying, it may be a result of something happening for which she is needed but either way it’s clear (at least to me) that there is a lot more there than he is saying. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/76 "2010-04-06T14:49:38Z")
This article is repeating what was said in Dr Who Confidential. > [@](#): > > Karen Gillan begged ‘Doctor Who’ bosses to cast her cousin in the show - even though they had never met. > > The Scottish actress - who portrays the Time Lord’s new assistant Amy Pond in the upcoming series of the sci-fi show - met her young relative, 10-year-old Caitlin Blackwood, for the first time on the set of the BBC One show after urging producers to let her play a younger version of her character. > **[The Edit](https://www.virginmedia.com/the-edit)** > > Squeeze the very best out of your TV with Virgin Media Edit. Chock-full of telly highlights and blockbuster movie recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/77 "2010-04-06T15:06:07Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > There is a ominous note in the soundtrack and the scene focuses on a scope behind him showing a dip in a line. The note is continued and he turns the screen off. > > It’s pretty clear to me there’s some foreboding there. > > The dip in the line may not be directly because he’s lying, it may be a result of something happening for which she is needed but either way it’s clear (at least to me) that there is a lot more there than he is saying. Correct me if I’m wrong, somebody, but as noted above I thought the “dip in the line” matched the shape of the crack in the wall and that this was going to be a recurring thing throughout the series. (I don’t know why I’m still spoilering that, but better safe than sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/78 "2010-04-06T15:14:44Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > He says the reason for bringing her is that he’s lonely. > > She says “Just that?” > > He says, “Just that, I promise.” > > There is a ominous note in the soundtrack and the scene focuses on a scope behind him showing a dip in a line. The note is continued and he turns the screen off. > > It’s pretty clear to me there’s some foreboding there. > > The dip in the line may not be directly because he’s lying, it may be a result of something happening for which she is needed but either way it’s clear (at least to me) that there is a lot more there than he is saying. Yeah, I can sort of see some cues there. I’m not sure I’d go so far as you, though. To me it looks like it was showing something and he turned it off - but not that it was linked to what he was saying at the time. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/79 "2010-04-06T15:37:39Z")
When he turns it off, there’s a sort of buzz, a flash, and the whole screen jumps. The Doctor looks surprised. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851/80 "2010-04-06T17:05:04Z")
Amy’s bf Rory’s badge says it was issued Nov 30, 1990. Nineteen years earlier. That would make him nearly 40 (assuming he got the job at age 20). Yet he doesn’t look older than 25. I think the crack did something to time in that village. The Doctor seemed genuinely shocked that 12 years had passed. Then 2 more years passed that the Doctor didn’t expect. I haven’t worked out why Rory hasn’t aged much since 1990. I think we’ll see him again this season and learn more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-five-uk-pace-thread-edited-title/534851.md?page=5)