3 weeks till new Who!

[Mallus]

This time, though, the Doctor grabs it and uses it to deactivate the magnograb so that the events of the episode never take place.

It was like the ST:TNG episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", with the button burn message replacing Guinan's timeline-alteration sense tingling.

I liked Journey to the Center of the TARDIS well enough. But I couldn't shake the idea the Doctor invited the Salvage Brothers along mainly to fix their relationship --which he had no idea was in need of fixing--- making him less a time-traveling space wizard therapist and more of a tripe-y pop-culture angel (cf. American trash TV like Touched By An Angel, Highway to Heaven). Or an acausal Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island.

I also couldn't shake the idea Tricky should have been played by Tricky, with Christiansands playing over the opening spaceship pan.

 

[Richards]

So if the Doctor was the only surviving Time Lord to have made it through the Time War intact (and then later, we find out, the Master survived as well by going through a Chameleon Arch and hiding as a human), just who exactly wrote "The History of the Time War" that Clara found in the Doctor's library? The Doctor seems the likely candidate, but then who did he write it for? And why would he have mentioned his real name in it if he doesn't want anyone knowing what it is?

I'm psyched about Diana Rigg being in the next episode.

Johnathan

 

[jonesy]

Clara wrote it when she was much older and had herself been through the war. She is actually the mother of the Master.

 

[MarkB]

So if the Doctor was the only surviving Time Lord to have made it through the Time War intact (and then later, we find out, the Master survived as well by going through a Chameleon Arch and hiding as a human), just who exactly wrote "The History of the Time War" that Clara found in the Doctor's library? The Doctor seems the likely candidate, but then who did he write it for? And why would he have mentioned his real name in it if he doesn't want anyone knowing what it is?

Perhaps it's not the Doctor's library, so much as the TARDIS's library - and that would also be my guess as to who wrote the book. She saw the whole thing, after all.

I did feel that Clara getting a bottle of "Encyclopedia Gallifreya" dropped on her head seemed like a bit of a lost plot thread - at the time it seemed important, as though it might have info-dumped her with Time Lord knowledge. But there was no further reference to it during the episode, and the time reset would seem to have closed off any future implications.

 

[Guest 85555]

So if the Doctor was the only surviving Time Lord to have made it through the Time War intact (and then later, we find out, the Master survived as well by going through a Chameleon Arch and hiding as a human), just who exactly wrote "The History of the Time War" that Clara found in the Doctor's library? The Doctor seems the likely candidate, but then who did he write it for? And why would he have mentioned his real name in it if he doesn't want anyone knowing what it is?

I'm psyched about Diana Rigg being in the next episode.

Johnathan

Given how advanced timelord tech is, the book may not even require an author. It may have been written by a computer program or some feature in the TARDIS.

 

[MerricB]

I liked Journey to the Center of the TARDIS well enough. But I couldn't shake the idea the Doctor invited the Salvage Brothers along mainly to fix their relationship --which he had no idea was in need of fixing-

Didn't have the idea at all. Instead, I thought that his main motivations were (a) you've created this problem, now fix it, and (b) let's keep an eye on you so you don't muck things up more!

Undoubtedly my favourite episode of the season so far. Particularly enjoyed the Doctor in full-on serious mode when threatening the brothers.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

So if the Doctor was the only surviving Time Lord to have made it through the Time War intact (and then later, we find out, the Master survived as well by going through a Chameleon Arch and hiding as a human), just who exactly wrote "The History of the Time War" that Clara found in the Doctor's library?

River Song? She is a historian/archaeologist, after all!

Cheers!

 

[Guest 85555]

Undoubtedly my favourite episode of the season so far. Particularly enjoyed the Doctor in full-on serious mode when threatening the brothers.

Cheers!

I have to say I am really enjoying Matt Smith as The Doctor, particularly in recent episodes.

 

[MerricB]

I have to say I am really enjoying Matt Smith as The Doctor, particularly in recent episodes.

The last time I watched the End of Time (which was about 6 months ago), I was no longer thinking "Oh, it's Matt Smith" after the regeneration, but now "Ah, it's the Doctor." It took me a while, but I now fully consider him to be the Doctor.

My biggest problem with the series at moment is that there aren't enough episodes each year. Can we have a full season of 13+Christmas Special in 2014, please?

Cheers!

 

[JustinAlexander]

Did anyone else struggle with that?

I was initially confused and thought that, in addition to writing the message on it, he was also using the sonic screwdriver to somehow alter the device so that it would create the time loop. (Which didn't make a lot of sense, but my expectations have been lowered.)

About 30 seconds after the episode ended (so about 3 minutes after the button was pushed), my brain finally clicked over and I said, "Oh! Got it."

One detail I'm still seeing a lot of people miss who grasp the general gist of what happened is that we actually see the Doctor alter the time loop: The first time through, he simply tosses the remote through and hopes his past self will figure it out. He doesn't. (That's the version we see at the beginning of the episode.) The second time through, he says, "I've thrown this through the rift before. I have to make sure this time. I'll take it in there myself." Which he then does, changing the original outcome.

Didn't have the idea at all. Instead, I thought that his main motivations were (a) you've created this problem, now fix it, and (b) let's keep an eye on you so you don't muck things up more!

The problem is that the Doctor makes a really big effort to get them to come along with him... but then he never actually needs them. And it's not just that it turns out that they're (worse than) useless, it's that the Doctor never even attempts to make use of them.

Undoubtedly my favourite episode of the season so far.

Agreed. Unfortunately, that's mostly a commentary on how bad this season has been.