Spoilers Doctor Who 2024 (spoilers)

[overgeeked]

Literally the opposite. Pointing out that the TARDIS working perfectly drains drama

So you agree with me. Good. That’s nice.

And you're still not addressing the specific complaint about Rogue's ending that you first replied to.

For the second time: What is your complaint?

 

[Necropolitan]

So you agree with me. Good. That’s nice.

No, you just misread what I wrote. The closest anyone got to saying The Doctor should use the TARDIS fix everything was @Morrus saying it would have made sense for The Doctor to use the TARDIS to go a few days into the future to save the Finetimers once they realized they couldn't survive, which also isn't the same as saying it should have happened.

For the second time: What is your complaint?

You said it was unreasonable. Did you not read it?

 

[Hussar]

So you agree with me. Good. That’s nice.

For the second time: What is your complaint?

The complaint is that the ending is jarring because it’s completely contrived. There is no drama here. There’s no time limit - just don’t push the button. Even this idea that the aliens can’t be stopped if they get out of the trap is ludicrous. These aren’t Daleks or other really powerful aliens. They’re just shape shifters. It’s not like the Doctor hasn’t stopped lots of those before.

So Rogue sacrifices himself for what?

Look, I’m very forgiving of plot holes in Doctor Who and I’ll go to bat for a lot. But this was a badly written plot ending. It was pointless.

 

[Morrus]

The complaint is that the ending is jarring because it’s completely contrived. There is no drama here. There’s no time limit - just don’t push the button. Even this idea that the aliens can’t be stopped if they get out of the trap is ludicrous. These aren’t Daleks or other really powerful aliens. They’re just shape shifters. It’s not like the Doctor hasn’t stopped lots of those before.

So Rogue sacrifices himself for what?

Look, I’m very forgiving of plot holes in Doctor Who and I’ll go to bat for a lot. But this was a badly written plot ending. It was pointless.

I agree that the "shall I push the button" device didn't seem to work. Like you said, they didn't seem enough of a threat -- I mean Rogue could have just, like, shot them or something (though the Doctor wouldn't have let him, but that's by-the-by--Rogue wasn't exactly scared of them before, as they weren't particularly powerful).

Started off well, the Bridgerton stuff was good, but once they all started running away from some bird face people who didn't feel all that threatening, I felt it didn't quite stick the landing.

But in the long run, they weren't the point of the episode. It was a character piece with some Bridgerton fun.

(Also why do the bird people in their natural form get played by actors of the last people who they mimicked? Did they not fully change back to their actual form?)

 

[Hussar]

Started off well, the Bridgerton stuff was good, but once they all started running away from some bird face people who didn't feel all that threatening, I felt it didn't quite stick the landing.

Thank you for saying this better than I did. It's not a bad episode. I certainly don't regret watching it. It just wasn't a particularly good one, IMO.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

By that reasoning in Dot and Bubble The Doctor should have just traveled forwards in time to when the Finetimers were desperate enough to accept his help (a few days at most) and save them then.

People had being going missing for about a day, and it was already on P (I suspect deliberately chosen as about half way through the alphabet, 50% of the population are dead at this point). And it may well have been continually manufacturing more monsters so the rate of ingestion would accelerate. Everyone would have been dead in just a couple more hours.

Not that they didn't have it coming.

 

[Hussar]

People had being going missing for about a day, and it was already on P (I suspect deliberately chosen as about half way through the alphabet, 50% of the population are dead at this point). And it may well have been continually manufacturing more monsters so the rate of ingestion would accelerate. Everyone would have been dead in just a couple more hours.

Not that they didn't have it coming.

I think he means that the Doctor could come back in a couple of days after they sail off down the river, and they'd be willing to accept his help then.

However, that would largely make the point of the episode kinda moot, so, not really a plot hole. It's more a, "Yeah, he coulda done that, but, he didn't, so move on."

OTOH, we know that there was no actual time limit on the trap - since that was very clearly demonstrated when the Doctor was trapped. It requires the trap to actually be triggered. So, sure, it's not great that Ruby is trapped in the trap, but, it's not immediately dangerous or something that MUST be solved right away.

Was it a totally horrible episode? Nope, not at all. But, I do think it's a weaker one. The conclusion is really contrived and it's actually contradictory to what came earlier in the episode. I mean, heck, Ruby tosses the psychic earings to the Doctor, the Doctor disarms the trap, and proceeds to kick all the bad guy's butts. It's not like the Doctor is incapable of kicking ass when needed.

 

[MarkB]

I enjoyed this episode more than most this season. The chemistry between the Doctor and Rogue was great, nice to see an updated Captain Jack style character.

I loved the contemporary music snuck into the party scenes, had to do an aural double-take when I first heard "Bad Guy".

Rogue saying to the Doctor "find me" is a clear indication that this will be an ongoing quest, not just a sacrifice and done, though probably it won't be revisited this season.

 

[John R Davis]

I really enjoyed it.
Nice balance with the quirkiness.
Plus Rogue needs a spin off ( so he can meet Cleric, Ranger and the rest of the gang!!).

 

[Necropolitan]

People had being going missing for about a day, and it was already on P (I suspect deliberately chosen as about half way through the alphabet, 50% of the population are dead at this point). And it may well have been continually manufacturing more monsters so the rate of ingestion would accelerate. Everyone would have been dead in just a couple more hours.

Not that they didn't have it coming.

It had been happening for weeks, not days. Gothic Paul mentioned it in his first scene. And @Hussar was right about my point.

I think he means that the Doctor could come back in a couple of days after they sail off down the river, and they'd be willing to accept his help then.

However, that would largely make the point of the episode kinda moot, so, not really a plot hole. It's more a, "Yeah, he coulda done that, but, he didn't, so move on."

Yeah, my point was how doing that would have removed the drama, I wasn't saying that should have happened. The Doctor's entirely willing to let people face the consequences of their own actions and that's what the Finetimers got.

It was jarring to see The Doctor go from despair at the end of Dot and Bubble to happily partying in Rogue though. I realize it's a shorter season but it would have been good to let him have at least part of an episode to process those feelings.

Was it a totally horrible episode? Nope, not at all. But, I do think it's a weaker one. The conclusion is really contrived and it's actually contradictory to what came earlier in the episode. I mean, heck, Ruby tosses the psychic earings to the Doctor, the Doctor disarms the trap, and proceeds to kick all the bad guy's butts. It's not like the Doctor is incapable of kicking ass when needed.

Absolutely. The Doctor's an expert practitioner of Venusian aikido (the 13th Doctor showed off her moves so it's still canon), Ruby easily held her own against one Chuldur, and Rogue's a bounty hunter.

There was no time limit, they could turn off the trap, take out the Chuldur, and then toss them back in.

I have no complaints about the rest of the episode, but the contrived ending made it less enjoyable.