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May 2020

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Loved this one :D I really liked how it brought us another of Moffat's scary childhood monsters, only for it to be more of a character study and to end with the message that there probably were no monsters, it was all connected back to the Doctor not being willing to face that he was once scared of the dark for no good reason. Clara's speech to the Doctor as a boy in the end was so touching and perfect. And eh I've seen many complaints on Moffat reusing the same tropes, but I just feel like it's a show about time-travel, is it really that shocking that a writer and long-term fan of the programme has a fascination with exploring timey-wimeness? I love that type of stuff actually, like the call-back to how the Doctor's fears first got started when we see time-travelling Clara being the one to grab his foot and become the monster under the bed

One small nitpick is that the scene with something sitting on the bed Clara was under didn't play to me at all as someone playing a prank, yet at the end obviously the idea was that there was always a more logical explanation in those moments when they let fear overcome them. But what kid would have kept the joke going for that long (in the presence of two adults as well) and been so calm about it with no childish giggling? Also how did he even get inside the room without Rupert noticing him, or Clara hearing something of him creeping across the room to the bed. But I suppose that's just overthinking it lol, it was clever of them to not attempt to reveal an actual monster in an episode which is playing on people's primal fears of what's lurking underneath the bed, no DW monster could have met the expectations there! (And that scene in itself was certainly a very creepy one)

Not sure what to make of Danny this episode. I can certainly understand him taking offense to Clara's extremely tactless joke about killing people, and I was with him when he was complaining about never getting recognition for the good that he did as well, but I thought he seemed a bit too touchy with Clara in the end when he couldn't just accept her apology and let it go. I get the whole early date awkwardness they were going with (in this episode and in 802), but it just leaves me feeling like they really don't seem all that compatible so far if they find it THIS difficult every time to connect and have an easy conversation. I just feel like I haven't been shown that much yet to explain why they're apparently so into one another, that attempt at a first date would have been it for me if I were in their shoes :P It feels like they are spending the time on integrating Danny's character into the show, so I do want to find him and Clara adorable together and root for them, but so far I'm not really feeling it I guess

I do however think that Clara and Capaldi's Doctor work really together, so far I really like what they bring out in each other (and I don't care what anyone says about her, Clara is one of my fav companions!), and aww the new Doctor not knowing how to return Clara's hugs remains adorable :)

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doctor who

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I loved the first half so much! I kept thinking of the genius that was "Blink". I liked the second half too, but it could have had a little less timey-wimey stuff. Some of it probably didn't even make sense in a reasonable way. XD

I've thought a bit more about the bed stuff since I've seen the episode and my headcanon is that it's a manifestation of the monster imagined by the Doctor (same thing in the future with the door opening on its own). That probably doesn't make much sense either, but I like the idea.

Yeah the first half was so creepy, I loved all of that stuff with Danny/Rupert in the children's home and how scary they made it when you could sense something on the bed and coming up behind them, but couldn't quite make out what it was. Another classic scary childhood monster from Moffat :D

And that does make more sense than my assuming that we were meant to see it as the Doctor being right in his suggestion that another kid was playing a prank, cause that didn't make logical sense to me at all lol

I liked this one! And I also think the figure on the bed may have been a manifestation of the Doctor's fear. Or... something *lol*

I've always wanted to like Clara, I think she has a lot of potential and I feel like this season she's starting to live up to said potential. Yay!

That could be what they were intending to come across I agree, it just seems too out there otherwise for a kid to be able to pull that elaborate a prank. And Rupert and Clara were being really quiet and whispering when the mattress suddenly sunk down, so in a room that quiet there's no way they wouldn't have detected the sound of another kid creeping across the room to the bed. It's the kind of scene that maybe a kid could have been fooled by if it was Rupert alone in the room with the other presence, but I just couldn't buy that Clara and the Doctor would have been taken in by it as well if it really was just a kid of Rupert's age

I have seen more people say that they like Clara this season, so it doesn't seem like she's as unpopular as she was during series 7 at least

But what kid would have kept the joke going for that long (in the presence of two adults as well) and been so calm about it with no childish giggling? Also how did he even get inside the room without Rupert noticing him, or Clara hearing something of him creeping across the room to the bed.

Yeah that was one ballsy kid if that's what it was. And if not... well.

Yep! You'd have thought that any normal kid would have been freaked out when the Doctor suddenly appeared, not continue the 'joke' and creeping up behind them/relying on them not to turn around

I would think, if the kid was a bully or something, he would have been completely flummoxed and probably even scared himself with the way they reacted to him. It's like the Doctor essentially turned the tables on the prank and out-pranked the kid. The kid might have been half scared, half confused by not knowing what to do next now that his prank has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

But overall, it did not play like a kid, no.

Time travel... maybe we'll find out later in the season who or what it really was. Though I'm not holding my breath.

Possibly! Moffat does have a tendency to tie up every last thing by the finale, so it could well come up again, even if the episode did heavily hint that it was all imagined fears

As for the "monster" under the blanket: I mean, that was a child's home, right? For abadoned children or orphants or something like that? And if there were older kids, it makes sense that they don't giggle and the figure looked a bit taller than a "little" kid too, so that person (if it was a person) could very well have been already like 15 or such playing a prank on a little kid. It's not THAT unusual...

I agree with you about Danny and Clara. While in the first episode with him I found his awkwardness cute, in this episode I found it quite awful and couldn't understand how in the end they would kiss or something like that. I wonder if meeting Orson made Clara "more open" to the possibility? I don't know. Because after everything he behaved REALLY, really awful in some of the scenes and if that was me I would never talk to that guy again unless he really apologizes, but I don't know what the writers wanted to show with this. I hope, there will be more chemistry whatsoever between them in the future, because right now, I'm not feeling it either...

I agree with you about Clara completely. One of my favourite companions ever too. And I also loved the pretty much hated Rose very much :) :P I think she's my absolute favourite and then comes Clara and Donna :D

I guess, it just seems unlikely to me that they would have carried on the prank with two adults in the room! Maybe if it were just Clara, but once the Doctor showed up as well and they were all turning their backs, I would have expected a kid to make it out of there pretty sharpish, not continue to steadily advance on them...

And yeah it was an awkward attempt at a joke and I could relate to that scene more if it were Danny taking offence, Clara awkwardly apologising, and him trying to brush it off as 'its fine' or whatever. The way it actually played though he just seemed *really* on his guard and defensive around Clara, and at a certain point I would have been so uncomfortable that I would have decided that it's obviously not working out, let's not do this again. I get the feeling that it is intended to come across more as first date nerves and awkwardness, but it just seemed a little too awkward to me. Maybe it's also supposed to be that Danny has PTSD issues, but I was just left feeling like those people really aren't clicking. Clara probably was swayed by knowing that they have great-grandchildren in the future though lol

And Donna is my all-time fav companion :)

Edited Date: 2014-09-14 08:02 pm (UTC)

Yeah, I was thinking about PTSD too... I mean, I've seen lots of TV-shows (especially recently) that deal with that and in cedar Cove there is this soldier coming back from war and he's completely awful like that too. Even worse than Danny was, because one wrong word and he basically exploded...

But yeah, I also thought it was a bit much, I agree. Like I said: The first episode with him I found it really adorable, this time I thought it was a bit "over the top", but I do think they are going to "redeem" him anyway =)

Yeah it seems that they're likely setting up to explore some past issues that he's sensitive about, I get the feeling that he's going to became a third companion like Rory was by the end of this series.

At the moment though the only way I can understand the attraction between him and Clara is that it's mostly a physical one, otherwise I don't really see them connecting much conversationally, but we'll see how that goes I suppose!

Danny's touchiness is very understandable. I think with Danny he knows the misconception of a soldier is that they are tactless and are murderers. But Danny wants them to see what he did do to save lives. Which is why he is so damn frustrated. The fact that Clara forgave him is prertty big.

Overall I loved the creepiness of the episode it was really really fun.

I could understand it being a touchy subject for Danny definitely and him pulling Clara up on her joke, but the way he went off on how many wells he's dug made him seem a bit too volatile and over the top to me, it certainly made for a supremely awkward first date! He does seem like a decent guy though, I'm just not really feeling much of a connection between him and Clara at the moment. It seemed like they were presented as being attracted to one another and determined to find a way to make it work from when they first met, but then all we ever see is them failing to connect and get any kind of good rapport going, so I'm just left wondering what it is they're supposed to enjoy about one another's company

And I agree, it's going to be remembered as one of Moffat's classic episodes like Blink I'm guessing

I have to say when I watched this episode last night I wasn't too into it. I had a horrid migraine and I missed the understanding for a few things. I watched it again this morning and did enjoy it more. I guess I wish they didn't so blatantly make it so apparent that Pink and Oswald are going to get together.

The only things I see in common for the pair of them is that they are both teachers and they feel a sexual attraction to one another. Unless Daniel (Rupert) is going along on future trips of time travel, I can't see how he fits in.

All the episodes I enjoyed the Robin Hood one the most this season.

It feels like maybe Moffat is attempting to recreate the team of three that the show had when Amy was bringing Rory along. I do think that's where it's headed, especially after all of the foreshadowing on the Doctor having a problem with soldiers and setting up a future conflict there. But it feels a little bit too signposted with Clara and Danny, a show like DW is inevitably not going to be able to spend a ton of time on building up a romance between a companion and a supporting character, and the way they set up the attraction and planning for a date as fast as they did just felt slightly forced to me. I would have preferred seeing something like Danny join the Tardis and then gradually develop a flirtation with Clara as they travel together, but oh well.

The Robin Hood episode was a fun one :) So far there haven't been any dud episodes for me actually, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they can keep that up!

Clara is definitely coming into her own this season. With Eleven, she suffered by being the post-Amy/Rory/River companion, but with Twelve, she's shown much more independence and individuality. I just didn't care that much about her; now I actively like her.

The episode was nicely creepy overall and I continue to adore Twelve. Or as my husband said, "that's a proper Doctor."

Yeah I've heard a lot of fans commenting that they like Clara more with the 12th Doctor! :) They seem to really be clicking together, although I did like her with Matt's Doctor as well

Your husband is still enjoying the show then I take it? *g*

Yes, what you said. Definitely the strongest episode this season.

The creature on the bed FUCKED ME UP. I WAS STILL THINKING ABOUT IT WHILE LYING ON MY OWN BED IN THE DARK.

The same for me, I was terrified from when I first heard the mattress sink down, if I'd been watching as a child I would have been hiding behind the sofa for sure! :P

Yessss. I loved that moment with the creature on the bed and I loved the show even more for never definitively saying or showing what it was. When the mattress started to sink down above Clara, I was saying, "Ohhhhhh, HELL, no!" aloud to myself. I definitely thought about it while trying to sleep that night. At some point, while half-awake, I had the vague impression that a figure was standing right beside the bed and you'd better believe I jolted awake. And didn't put my feet over the edge of the bed.

Exactly the same for me, from when I heard the mattress spring my face was all o_0

I don't know how kids get through episodes like this without nightmares!

I do however think that Clara and Capaldi's Doctor work really together
Her character always seemed like a cipher to me before this season. Now she seems like a "real" person and I think it's due to the dynamic with Capaldi. With Eleven, she was Amy Redux; with Twelve, she's come into her own, IMO.

I do think that Amy felt more like the 11th Doctor's companion than Clara did, he was always so attached to her.

I'm just hoping that the rumours aren't true, it would be nice to keep Clara around for a little longer now that she's clicking so well with Capaldi's Doctor :/

I loved, loved, loved that Clara ended up unwittingly being the monster under the bed. I was enamored of this entire episode, really. Definitely my favorite so far this season. I love a good ghost story and this one worked much better, I felt, than last season's Hide.

I loved, loved, loved that Clara ended up unwittingly being the monster under the bed

Yep! I love when Moffat does timey-wimey twists like that and you see how the story all comes together, he's really good with single episode stories on childhood fears too

It was so good. Loving the rapport between Twelve and Clara. It did reuse some familiar Moffat tropes but this was one of the occasions where I felt it worked and actually enhanced the story.

Loving the rapport between Twelve and Clara

Yep, even Steven Moffat has recently spoken about that, “Peter and Jenna absolutely belong together in Doctor Who. To be absolutely honest, there’s also the problem of … you look at Matt Smith in a bow tie and you’re looking for Karen Gillan. You just are. So it was tough for Jenna.”

this was one of the occasions where I felt it worked and actually enhanced the story.

Those tropes do seem to work best in the one-off storylines like Blink or Listen

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