Doctor Who s8e10 - "Dark Water" [spoilers]

Morrus said:

...it might be a Dalek plot...

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The BBC has defended the dark themes of its most recent Doctor Who storyline after complaints from some viewers.

Saturday night’s edition of the show – the first of a two-part climax to the series – saw the Doctor and sidekick Clara Oswald caught up a plot dealing with the afterlife, which then led into an invasion of earth by the Cybermen.

In the episode, Clara’s boyfriend Danny appeared to have been killed in a car accident and viewers heard references to how the bodies of the dead could feel the pain of being cremated.

In a response to the complaints, the BBC said it was stated within the episode that some of theories about the afterlife could be “distressing” and later proved to be a “con”. And it said the themes were considered to be “appropriate”.

In a statement, the BBC said: “Doctor Who is a family drama with a long tradition of tackling some of the more fundamental questions about life and death. We were mindful of the themes explored in Dark Water and are confident that they are appropriate in the context of the heightened sci-fi world of the show.

“The scene in which a character reveals 3W’s unconventional theory about the afterlife was preceded by the same character warning the Doctor and Clara several times that what they were about to hear could be distressing.

“When the Doctor does hear these claims, he immediately pours scorn on them, dismissing them out of hand as a ‘con’ and a ‘racket’. It transpires that he is correct, and the entire concept is revealed to be a scam perpetrated by Missy.”

The storyline reaches its conclusion on Saturday.

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MarkB said:

Interesting yes, but also rather revealing of next week's episode. Perhaps a link or sblock with an appropriate warning would have been more appropriate.

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Morrus said:

They were only taking about last week. There are no references to next week.

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BBC Article said:

“When the Doctor does hear these claims, he immediately pours scorn on them, dismissing them out of hand as a ‘con’ and a ‘racket’. It transpires that he is correct, and the entire concept is revealed to be a scam perpetrated by Missy.”

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MarkB said:

As of the end of last Saturday's episode, it was still very unclear how much of the concept was a scam, to the extent that we have spent the majority of this thread speculating upon that very subject.

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Morrus said:

The BBC feels it was clear from the episode it was a scam. I agree that wasn't as obvious as maybe they think it is, but that's a clarification of the episode, not a spoiler for next week's. Just highlights a bit of poor editing or scripting, I guess. The BBC isn't in the habit of giving major spoilers to major newspapers.

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MarkB said:

The way I read it, they were intent upon reassuring viewers that the "dead are still conscious" concept wasn't true, even within the fiction of the series, and they put that ahead of concern over spoilers.

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