DR Who. Last of the timelords (30/06/07) [ major spoilers ]

[Grog]

I'm also unclear on the relevance of the timing anyway; what difference would it have made when it happened, other than last-minute dramatic timing?

The relevance is that everyone on Earth had to be thinking about the Doctor at the same time. And if (big if, since I don't recall seeing anything to confirm this) the Master's countdown was being seen around the world, that might have been the only way to achieve the kind of synchronicity needed to make it work.

 

[Morrus]

The relevance is that everyone on Earth had to be thinking about the Doctor at the same time. And if (big if, since I don't recall seeing anything to confirm this) the Master's countdown was being seen around the world, that might have been the only way to achieve the kind of synchronicity needed to make it work.

Yeah, but as has been mentioned before - I don't see any way she could have known that there would be a countdown, let alone when it would be, when she began her year long journey round the world.

 

[Pyrex]

Yeah, but as has been mentioned before - I don't see any way she could have known that there would be a countdown, let alone when it would be, when she began her year long journey round the world.

Wasn't that what the Doctor whispered in here ear before she teleported out? Something to the effect of "Use the Countdown."?

Not that in and of itself that's a lot of information to go on...

 

[Felon]

The only thing I didn't quite like about the episode was the musical bit at the beginning. RTD is perhaps a bit too fond for my taste of introducing pop music into the stories and turning scenes into music videos.

Yes, that scene was extreme in its campyness. I'll be very happy if I should never see Joker-Master ever again. I tell ya, Davies gives Schumacher a run for his money in the camp department.

With all this deux ex machina talk, it's worth pointing out once again the doctor saves the day with a "reverse the polarity" move, turning the villains own weapons against them in some fashion. I wonder if anyone has actually sat down and figured out what percentage of the shows actually have him doing some kind of override maneuver?

 

[Chaldfont]

It was nice to see Dobby get some work after all these years. I don't think he's done anything since that Harry Potter movie.

 

[horacethegrey]

With all this deux ex machina talk, it's worth pointing out once again the doctor saves the day with a "reverse the polarity" move, turning the villains own weapons against them in some fashion. I wonder if anyone has actually sat down and figured out what percentage of the shows actually have him doing some kind of override maneuver?

It is a deus ex machina. Reversing the polarity only counts when he actually manipulates the villain's device with his hands and tools, which is certainly not the case here. Here he taps into a psychic field a somehow becomes godlike as a result. We know the Doctor has some psychic ability, but never at this scale, which is why people like me have a big problem with it. While the Doc is an alien as has abilities and powers we'd only dare dream of (regeneration for me ), he's always had an air of vulnerability and having to rely on more of his smarts and wits to save the day.

 

[sniffles]

It is a deus ex machina. Reversing the polarity only counts when he actually manipulates the villain's device with his hands and tools, which is certainly not the case here. Here he taps into a psychic field a somehow becomes godlike as a result. We know the Doctor has some psychic ability, but never at this scale, which is why people like me have a big problem with it. While the Doc is an alien as has abilities and powers we'd only dare dream of (regeneration for me ), he's always had an air of vulnerability and having to rely on more of his smarts and wits to save the day.

They've already hinted that he must have done something 'god-like' to end the Time War. And he was certainly leaning in that direction at the conclusion of 'The Runaway Bride'. I think RTD and company are just ramping up the power level.

After all, the Doctor is a Time Lord, now the only one for all practical purposes. The Time Lords were tremendously powerful, they just chose not to interfere. It's interesting, at least to me, to see the Doctor struggling a little with his darker impulses to use that power however he sees fit now that he doesn't have the controls of Time Lord society to constrain him.

 

[Plane Sailing]

They've already hinted that he must have done something 'god-like' to end the Time War. And he was certainly leaning in that direction at the conclusion of 'The Runaway Bride'. I think RTD and company are just ramping up the power level.

Consider the end of the 'Family of Blood' two parter too...

 

[BrooklynKnight]

It is a deus ex machina. Reversing the polarity only counts when he actually manipulates the villain's device with his hands and tools, which is certainly not the case here. Here he taps into a psychic field a somehow becomes godlike as a result. We know the Doctor has some psychic ability, but never at this scale, which is why people like me have a big problem with it. While the Doc is an alien as has abilities and powers we'd only dare dream of (regeneration for me ), he's always had an air of vulnerability and having to rely on more of his smarts and wits to save the day.

See. I don't have a problem with that. Lets consider a few things. In the REAL world many people believe in ESP, Telepathy, Empathy and other types of psychic powers. One possible explanation for these powers approached by Science Fiction (and Stargate for that matter) is that an individual with these abilities is using more of their brain. The human norm is 8-10%.

So. lets continue this train of thought. It's established in science fiction that using more of your brain = psychic and in some cases God-Like powers (Ori for one example).

Lets take a Time Lord, a race already thought to be naturally telepathic. The Doctor spent a year tapping into a "network" that connected every human on earth. He was able to tap nearly 6 billion minds all at once and utilize their psychic energy. It's not so far fetched. It just needed a far better "in character" explination thats all.

 

[Grog]

One possible explanation for these powers approached by Science Fiction (and Stargate for that matter) is that an individual with these abilities is using more of their brain. The human norm is 8-10%.

Just as an aside, that's a myth. Humans use ALL of their brain. Maybe not all of it during every single second, but over the course of a typical day, an average human will use all or almost all of their brain. See here:

http://www.csicop.org/si/9903/ten-percent-myth.html