Doctor Who Catch Up Reviews Again

[daibhidc]

I was really hoping that after my last one of these I'd be back to doing them every week, but nope. Let's get it sorted before I have to process the finale.

Lucky Day

Well, this was some heavy going. I was on the edge of my seat. (And not just because the Sky box is acting up[1] and I watched this perched on the computer chair in the kitchen.)

I don't actually remember what I made of the first half of the story, because it's completely overshadowed by how absolutely awful Conrad turns out to be post-reveal. He's not even a "love to hate" villain; there are more than enough Conrads in real life, and I really hope that whatever the plans are for his reappearance tonight they don't involve him talking and maybe do involve melting him down for spare parts. I appreciate Doctor Who addressing post-truth assholery, and the idea that in the Whoniverse, they're claiming the government is hushing up the absence of aliens is kind of clever, but ugh, he's just terrible.

Another interesting point is that I think this is the first time we've had a "where the former companion is now" episode that's also a Doctor Lite episode, and the companion and Doctor never actually reunite.

[1]I know exactly what the problem is, the trouble is doing something about it. There's a tree growing in front of the dish, and since last year, the summer foliage has been thick enough to block the signal until September. But it's in next-door's garden, so somebody would have to talk to them before it could be pruned, and I never have the spoons.

The Story and the Engine

The Sky box started at least allowing me to download stuff again, then stopped before I could actually watch it. But then I realised I could get iPlayer on the X-Box, so I was able to watch this one in the living room again. And it was intriguing. A fascinating setting, a claustrophobic mystery, and surprise appearances by the Fugitive Doctor and ... Captain Poppy?? What???

Criticism? Well, if we're still doing the whole Pantheon of Chaos thing (and there's been no indication we're not), it feels like suddenly throwing in gods who don't appear to be part of the Pantheon, but more conventional Eartth gods, is confusing things somewhat. But I'm a Discworld and Moffatt fan; I'll always be a sucker for a "the world is a story, and the characters know that means it runs on story logic" story.

The Interstellar Song Contest

This was mostly fun, but felt a bit undercooked in places. The problem, I think, is that it wants to do "It's Eurovision in Space, isn't that cool?" and then it also wants to do Questionable Political Undercurrents, but they don't really map onto the Questionable Political Undercurrents of actual Eurovision in any way, because that's on next, so why would you do that? Also, did we mention how cool it was?

So we end up with one of those "the villain has a valid point ... but is also going to kill everyone" stories that seems to end by suggesting the systemic racism and exploitation backing the Interstellar Song Contest is ultimately best fought within the Interstellar Song Contest. But never mind that, Mrs Flood is the Rani! I suppose if the internet is going to keep guessing every mysterious female character is the Rani and Susan (and there's another surprise return I wasn't expecting), it was bound to be right eventually.

Or rather, by the end, Mrs Flood is a Rani. Look, I accept bigeneration is now a thing that exists, but two in a row, to completely different Time Lords, suggests that this is just what happens now, and I refuse to accept that. I'm also not clear why the bigenerated Mrs Flood is subservient to the new Rani -- Tennant Mark 4 wasn't like that.

Still, on to the finale. Let's hope Rusty sticks the landing this time...

Comments

[scarfman]

I think Mrs Flood willfully dropping to minion status was RTD tryna blow off all the fanboys who argued that the Doctor who went off with the Noble-Temples was the real Doctor and the one in the jukebox TARDIS is somehow a different character and doesn't count. "This is how bigeneration works - the new incarnation becomes the primary self and the old incarnation becomes a secondary self and that's why the anniversary Doctor was able to go off and have the domestic life that the Doctor's always said was out of reach for the proper Doctor, you bigots."

On the other hand I saw an interview with RTD which suggested Mrs Flood has her own agenda and this week she wasn't quite so servile, so I dunno, whatever

I hope we also see Mrs. Flood ultimately merging with the Rani like a Watcher in the way that was implied for the Doctor when Mustache said to Old Teeth, "I'm better because you fix yourself," to make that explicit canon, but maybe that's just me because I'm depending on it in my work.

[daibhidc]

That's a pretty good interpretation. And I think you could have Mrs Flood having her own agenda without losing that, maybe -- she knows she's not the "main" Rani any more and, unlike the Doctor, she resents it.

[julesjones]

Two things I've thought from Mrs Flood's earliest appearances - she breaks the fourth wall when Dr Who doesn't *do* that; and she knows she's a villain and enjoys it, but also has something vaguely resembling empathy and liking for at least some of the humans. There's something very odd going on there, and I think the latest Rani might do well to watch her own back. Mrs Flood is a walking, living, story in a storyline that's all about whether our universe or the Doctor's universe is the real one.

And one of the Master's regenerations killed another one...