Boy, that post should go right into that MPSIMS “not dirty” thread… :eek:
It just attracted their attention.
Cassandra just fulfilled a memory she had. No paradox there.
I am not sure, I remember the scene, I thought it just drew more of the creatures to the church. I think it was only bad as she had already caused a problem, not bad in and of itself.
Sorry to ressurect this thread, but I just managed to see the eps in question.
I wasn’t crazy about the swordfight. Besides being rather cliched, it seemed a bit out of character for the Doctor. Has he ever actually fought with anyone before?
OTOH, I thought the speach was terrific. During the whole episode, but especially then, he seemed to be channeling Tom Baker (who managed every episode to stop–or at least delay–the bad guy from killing everyone by saying something like, “Now, just hold on a minute!”)
As for New Earth, I didn’t think it was that bad, despite the pathetic excuse for a resolution. I loved the end at the party, and the whole thing was much better than the first Cassandra ep. I was puzzled, too, by her ability to change bodies at will, but I wasn’t bothered by her ability to meet herself. Having a new body does seem to make a difference, after all. The Doctor has never (AFAIK) interacted with himself in the same body (and I think is prevented from doing so) but has met previous Doctors on numerous occasions.
I am most curious how his six words to the assistant managed to bring down Ms. Jones. I get the connection, I’m just not sure how he did it.
Here’s the clip BwanaBob’s talking about - it’s set directly after the regeneration.
I have seen a few comments like this, wondering how “don’t you think she’s looking tired” whispered to an aide could bring down a Prime Minister. Probably less puzzling to a British audience, though, who are accustomed to the idea that the head of the government can be deposed by his or her own members of parliament, without the electorate being involved. Such political coups often start with “whispering campaigns” in the corridors of Westminster, and that’s what the Doctor Who line was about. It’s what brought Thatcher down in the end, and Blair had a narrow escape recently too.
This perhaps seems strange in America where, barring impeachment, it is the people who get to dismiss a president, and nobody else, AIUI.
But he wasn’t whispering it to an ambitious MP hoping to move up in the party, he said it to Jones’s loyal and trusted “right-hand man” who had just heard the Doctor threaten to bring down the government.
Was it maybe a sort of joke, suggesting that the position of PM is so vulnerable to whispering campaigns that even such an obvious and misplaced one would inevitably succeed? If so, it’s a bit silly. The Doctor implied that he, as the Doctor, was in a special position to bring her down, not that she could be brought down by anyone voicing a mild doubt about her fitness.
Perhaps it wasn’t the aide who did anything. Perhaps Ms. Jones herself went into defensive mode, as she did in front of the Doctor, and suddenly gave what whispers that already existed more credence than they would have otherwise received.
I’m glad the thread was resurrected, because I just watched the episodes last night.
I’m really excited about the new Doctor. I think he’s much more expressive than the last one, and he has a dark streak that is intriguing. I also think there’s better chemistry between him and Rose. I’m eager for the next episode.