tenlittlebullets

Eeeeee. Best Doctor Who we've had since A Town Called Mercy. Maybe better? This one was certainly doing more stuff and doing it well, but suffered from some writing problems that Mercy didn't have. Neil Cross needs to keep better track of who knows what and when, and how they find out, because this is the second one he's done in a row where the Doctor goes in not knowing much about the main mystery but apparently gets a series of psychic telegrams over the course of the episode detailing exactly what's going on. However! While that particular weakness completely undermined the climax of Rings of Akhaten, this time there is a lot more packed into the plot and it is better-developed and doesn't throw a big speech at you out of nowhere and demand that you have feelings about it, so the Doctor Magically Knowing Things from time to time is more easily excused as plot expediency.

And I had feelings about it. A lot of feelings. Because Eleven baby, you are so broken oh my god, you were worse than Nine in this one. HOW DO YOU GET TO BE MORE FUCKED-UP THAN NINE. Apparently by getting so far into "when the whole universe is your backyard, that's all it is, a backyard" that the only thing you are even interested in is solving the Mystery of Clara and you barely see her as a human being at all. Eleven. You made a pit stop at the end of the world and didn't even mention where you were to Clara or expect her to be affected by it.

Calling it. Calling it right now. Whatever it is that scattered versions of Clara through time and space, it happened because the Doctor was so focused on solving the mystery that he wasn't paying attention to her as a person and missed something that was right in front of his face.

And yes, she has to be a data ghost or a dream that outlived her dreamer or, as in this episode, a single moment splattered through all of time. By... well... by some immensely powerful... explosion in time and space? LOOK I'M JUST SAYING. It would explain why the TARDIS doesn't like her. She doesn't like Jack either. Maybe it makes her queasy to come into contact with the aftereffects of what happens when her heart is ripped open.

Also this episode was scary as fuck, but... more for series-arc and suspense reasons than ghost-story reasons? Yeah, "I'm not holding your hand" and assorted other thrills and chills were creepy, but as soon as Clara came face to face with herself (or was it earlier, when the Doctor gets to the pocket universe and takes his harness off yeah that's going to end well) I freaked the fuck out and grabbed my friend's hand and pretty much did not let go until the end. AND THE BOW TIE FFFFFFF.

So yes. Will be rewatching this one multiple times.

And I have to say, if this is Moffat's fix-it fic for Martha it's not feeling very fixed right now and I am hurting in the feels, but at least it's really damn clear that Eleven is being a bit of a jerk to Clara and it's because he's a broken fucking mess, not because she isn't Amy Pond.

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but at least it's really damn clear that Eleven is being a bit of a jerk to Clara and it's because he's a broken fucking mess, not because she isn't Amy Pond.
Promethia and I have been talking about this, and I think it's because she is Clara Oswin Oswald. He doesn't see just this Clara, he sees all of her. Someone on Tumblr made this, which illustrates it perfectly, and shows that this is deliberate on the show's part. Clara is bright and very brave, but she's not faced off against an insane Dalek army, nor moved up the social rank in society by impeccable deceit.

And yes, she has to be a data ghost or a dream that outlived her dreamer or, as in this episode, a single moment splattered through all of time. By... well... by some immensely powerful... explosion in time and space? LOOK I'M JUST SAYING. It would explain why the TARDIS doesn't like her. She doesn't like Jack either. Maybe it makes her queasy to come into contact with the aftereffects of what happens when her heart is ripped open.
Oh, that's very nice. Will ponder that.

Ooooh, interesting! I hadn't even thought about it that way--that this Clara is just a little too normal compared to her extraordinary other selves. Maybe whatever scattered all these versions of Clara around was working off a Clara who's further along in her character arc, and who's a little more confident and adventurous?

By... well... by some immensely powerful... explosion in time and space?
/Subscribes to this theory.

:D

It would certainly be tidy, in a way...

Errghh. I did not see Eleven as that badly broken...but he does seem a bit, I dunno, scrambled? By the time we got to Emma's reveal about why he actually came to Caliburn (?) House, I was getting these very Sevenish vibes. Does that make sense? (Although I ended up not liking the whole "long game" arc--and I use that term loosely--of Ace being a pawn in the manipulations of Seven and Fenric.)

Eleven's trying to solve the mystery of Clara, and I think he's doing it very badly. And not seeing her, and not seeing the bigger picture? Therefore hurtung her in the process.

I do like your theory that she's an aftereffect/victim of the TARDIS explosion.

Hm, I think I am reading this episode, and particularly Eleven in it, as much darker than the rest of the Internet is reading it. Especially the "fast forward through the whole life cycle of the earth looking for clues" part. Because there are screaming obvious shoutouts to both Waters of Mars and The End of the World there, and I was very much seeing it as an illustration of how far Eleven has come from being his previous selves. Not necessarily in a good way either.

And yes, I was getting a lot of Seven out of him in this one. Except that, with the exception of Fenric, when Seven dragged Ace off to face terrible shit it was so that she could grow as a person. Eleven isn't paying any attention to Clara's perspective in all this, and I'm sure it's going to come back to bite him.

Hm, I think I am reading this episode, and particularly Eleven in it, as much darker than the rest of the Internet is reading it.

Well, not that you shouldn't. If this half-season is truly leading up to something monumental, it may get darker yet.

I was struck by two things Clara said. Is this the 4th time she's made a remark about something being eleventh? And then there was the "chin" line (which I'm blanking on now). So we have all these echoes...most of which the Doctor is not hearing.

Is Eleven still bringing Clara home between adventures? That would say something in his favor about her treatment of her...respecting her wishes?

Another vibe I got: Tracing Hila through time reminded me of the 192 ree/Sheldon story "The Man Who Walked Home." (The vicim of a catastrophic scientific experiment is seen as an unexplained phenomenon over the course of many centuries.) Spooky.

AND--the whole "I'm not holding your hand" bit is right out of the 1963 film "The Haunting (of Hill House)" which is a classic ghost story.

Edited 2013-04-21 21:59 (UTC)

He's at least not taking it as far as Ten did with Martha, but I agree he is so wrapped up in her mystery he has neglected the person. I blame a lot of this on his being alone, as well. Everyone stressed that he shouldn't do that, yet pain and guilt drove him to it, that same guilt drove him back out and losing Clara seemed to solidify his brokenness.

I discussed this with a friend of mine and we agree - Nine and Ten were obviously broken. But Eleven is scarier because he knows he is, refuses to believe it, covers it up, hides it (well) and only breaks further with each denial and loss. Gods. I love it!!!

*Is terrible*

I actually think the TARDIS is afraid of Clara. I will pound this theory to death...

*HUGS*

OMG,

10littlebullets!

You made me commit fic!

http://hawkmoth.livejournal.com/331707.html

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