# Doctor Who - Series Six - Part II **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860 "2011-08-24T03:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/21 "2011-08-28T00:52:07Z")
Not reading any posts yet, but what happened to Rory’s Paddy Hopkirk Replica? A plain, gold Mini? Really? Is this what being married has done to him? ---
**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/22 "2011-08-28T01:03:42Z")
It didn’t work for me. Why couldn’t The Doctor regenerate? So that River could lose her regenerations (and thus die in the library)? If so, that is lazy writing, but I couldn’t fathom a better reason. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/23 "2011-08-28T01:11:07Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > A surprising amount of comedy shoehorned into all that exposition. The antibodies were pure Douglas Adams, methought. Not to mention an unknown, very important question that would have disastrous results if it were ever asked. Another important detail revealed in this episode, The Silence are not the gray memory erasing guys. The Silence is a group that they, along with eye-patch lady, are a part of. ETA: Or maybe not! Did they ever actually say “We are the Silence”? Maybe they’re trying to stop the Silence. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/24 "2011-08-28T01:13:32Z")
> [@Jabba](#): > > It didn’t work for me. Why couldn’t The Doctor regenerate? So that River could lose her regenerations (and thus die in the library)? If so, that is lazy writing, but I couldn’t fathom a better reason. She didn’t need to lose her regenerations to die in the library. When the Doctor was gonna die saving everyone in the library she said that he wouldn’t be able to regenerate after it. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/25 "2011-08-28T01:21:22Z")
There are many, many ways to prevent a Regeneration. I don’t think the Judas Tree was specifically mentioned as one of them before now, but if you were sending an assassin after a Time Lord, would you give them a weapon that wouldn’t actually _work_? Stopping both hearts at the same time, or in rapid succession is one known way to do so - easily done with toxins. No, what’s surprising isn’t that the Doctor couldn’t regenerate on his own, it’s that Melody’s regeneration energy could work in place of his own. And that’s a surprise, not a breaker of suspension of disbelief. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/26 "2011-08-28T01:21:57Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Doesn’t she say: > > she remembered doing it? Not that I recall. When did she say that? ---
**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/27 "2011-08-28T01:24:01Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > She didn’t need to lose her regenerations to die in the library. When the Doctor was gonna die saving everyone in the library she said that he wouldn’t be able to regenerate after it. So: (i) In that case, why couldn’t The Doctor regenerate. Even simple plot necessity can’t explain it, which makes it seem even more arbitrary to me. (ii) I don’t recall the exchange you’re referring to, but that just makes it worse from my point of view. Is regeneration (and when it can be performed) a feature of the Who universe, or is it something that is varied to suit the scriptwriter? ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/28 "2011-08-28T01:25:01Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > ETA: Or maybe not! Did they ever actually say “We are the Silence”? Maybe they’re trying to stop the Silence. True. Never said specifically. They said “silence will fall” which could mean they oppose it. They did say, though, that they honored Amy for “bringing the silence”. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/29 "2011-08-28T01:59:49Z")
51st century. Wonder if River went to school with Captain Jack? I’m loving Rory more and more. “Hitler. Cupboard.” (shrug) “Ok.” ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/30 "2011-08-28T02:08:44Z")
I enjoyed the episode a lot. And I’m not sad that not all questions were answered. The story continues to unfold. Next week’s episode, written by Mark Gatiss, seems to be a standalone. (Not that standalone episodes must be devoid of clues about the ongoing arcs.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/31 "2011-08-28T02:11:58Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > Not enough Hitler killing in my opinion. “Killing Hitler” is one of the great Time Travel Story bait-and-switches. The 1963 _Twilight Zone_ episode “No Time Like the Past” has a time-travelling assassin putting Hitler in his crosshairs, then failing to kill the Fuhrer > **[No Time Like the Past](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Time_Like_the_Past)** > > "No Time Like the Past" is episode 112 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. In this episode a man tries to escape the troubles of the 20th century by taking up residence in an idyllic small town in the 19th century. > Exit one Paul Driscoll, a creature of the twentieth century. He puts to a test a complicated theorem of space-time continuum, but he goes a step further, or tries to. Shortly, he will seek out three moments of the past in a desperate attempt to alter the ... https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ocd96dxS1ig?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque Then the second revival of _The Twilight Zone_ from 2002, “Cradle of Darkness”, had another failed attempt to kill Hitler: > **[The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_of_Darkness_(The_Twilight_Zone))** > > The Twilight Zone is a science fiction horror anthology television series presented by Forest Whitaker. It is the second of three revivals of Rod Serling's original 1959–64 television series. It aired for one season on the UPN network, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host. It was a co-production between Spirit Dance Entertainment, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Joshmax Productions Services, and New Line Television. It premiered on September 18, 200 Bro... I’ve seen the idea elsewhere, too. It never works, and you end up doing something else instead. Heck, it’s got its own TV Trope page: [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitlekz83hawz?from=Main.HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitlekz83hawz?from=Main.HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct) ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/32 "2011-08-28T02:17:59Z")
The sudden introduction of Mels/River seemed kind of jarring. Also, why did the people controlling the robot just let Amy use her sonic screwdriver to shut off their wrist devices? No-one fought to stop her or anything. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/33 "2011-08-28T02:19:22Z")
If it wouldn’t upset my wife and daughter so, I would be quite happy to stop watching this series after the latest episode. I haven’t read this thread yet, but is anybody else as fuckin’ confused as I am? Which Amy was in this episode: real Amy or Milk Amy? Where’d this “Mel” character come from, and why the idiotic back story? Am I forgetting the entire resolution to the Amy giving birth in the bizarre hospital ward plot? I thought Rory was sandy blonde? (Not to mention a trained nurse - “I think he’s injured, Doctor!” And etc, etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/34 "2011-08-28T02:25:46Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > 51st century. 52nd, I think - I wasn’t paying that much attention to that detail, but I’m pretty sure the date was 51XX, not 50XX. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/35 "2011-08-28T02:25:56Z")
In short, I don’t want _Lost_ season 3, but that’s what we now have. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/36 "2011-08-28T02:28:57Z")
I’ve never watched a single episode of Lost. What don’t we want? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/37 "2011-08-28T02:30:23Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > If it wouldn’t upset my wife and daughter so, I would be quite happy to stop watching this series after the latest episode. I haven’t read this thread yet, but is anybody else as fuckin’ confused as I am? Which Amy was in this episode: real Amy or Milk Amy? Where’d this “Mel” character come from, and why the idiotic back story? Am I forgetting the entire resolution to the Amy giving birth in the bizarre hospital ward plot? I thought Rory was sandy blonde? (Not to mention a trained nurse - “I think he’s injured, Doctor!” And etc, etc, etc. Uh, yes I think you are forgetting the entire resolution to the Amy giving birth plot. Ganger Amy was melted back before they went to Demon’s Run. Mel was one of Melody’s regenerations, sometime after Amy gave birth to her but before she became River Song. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/38 "2011-08-28T02:31:51Z")
I thought it was a great episode. [spoiler]The Tardis taught River/Melody to fly the Tardis? Brilliant! I liked the brief appearances by the former companions. Where did the Doctor get the longer jacket? The short jacket was still hanging inside the Tardis. [/spoiler] ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/39 "2011-08-28T02:32:46Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I’ve never watched a single episode of Lost. What don’t we want? A bunch of damned plot points that confuse the casual audience and end up never\* getting resolved. \*Asterisk placed here because the season is still progressing, so there’s still hope. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860/40 "2011-08-28T02:36:21Z")
My first thought was that it felt like things resolved too quickly, actually. The 30-second transformation from psycopath-Melody to ethical River seemed a bit quick, just on an emotional level, and storytellingwise, it felt like everything was wrapped up a little too quickly. At least Rory didn’t die this episode, for a change. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-series-six-part-ii/593860.md?page=3)