Now THAT'S how to do a two-parter.
What the hell is going on? How can the library be inside that little girl's head? What's happened to Donna? Who is Dr River Moon? How are they going to get away from the scary walking skeleton in the spacesuit? Seriously, what is the business with the library being inside the girl's head? How are they going to fight against the shadows? How are they going to rescue Donna from whatever the hell it is that's happened her? How does Dr River Moon know the Doctor and is there going to be nookie? Is Dr River Moon is the same person as Dr Moon the psychiatrist, and if so, is there going to be three-way Doctor-Doctor-Doctor nookie in which two of the Doctors are in fact one oscillating shape-shifting hermaphrodite? Should I have a cold shower and a lie down? Was Donna jealous of Dr River Moon? Does it matter, now that she's a face on a stick? How is the little girl with the library in her head going to rescue them? Oh, and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
I always like a Who where I don't know every single thing that's going to happen long in advance of it taking place. It was nasty and creepy and uncanny, and the acting was excellent, and the Doctor wore his glasses which is a Brucie bonus. There was more intimation that Donna is going to die, which I have suspected since the Christmas Special which she wasn't even in, and am therefore feeling quite smug about, and will continue feeling smug about until it doesn't happen.* Suspense a-plenty, in case you hadn't got that. And so I am really looking forward to the second half, which is all you want at this stage.
Predictions for the second half? I have very few. The only thing I can say is that I don't think that the Doctor is going to have a relationship with Dr River Moon across time and space. She could be a future companion, but the implied love story makes me doubt that it's a plotline that the current incarnation of Doctor Who would follow, and she seemed pretty familiar with DT's Doctor, so she can't be from that far in the future. So I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that something is going to happen to change the future and indeed the past so that none of it will take place, and all the Doctor will have to remember River Moon by is a book of memories of events that haven't happened and never will. Therefore, just in case, I will have a box of tissues standing by for the second half.**
* It is fair to say that not all my predictions come true.
** See *
UPDATE: It's River Song isn't it? Not Moon. I thought that seemed weird. I worry about my subconscious, but have left it in because it's funnier that way, even if at my expense.
Posts
19 comments:
I think you're right about Dr Moon's fate and probably Donna's. Mind you - if you're right about Dr M, who seemed to imply something BAAAAD is going to happen to Donna, maybe you're wrong about Donna, cos if Dr Moon stops existing, maybe Donna's future gets changed... And now my head really hurts.
I loved the fact I don't have a clue what's going on. I loved the little girl with the library in the head. Blink/Empty Child likenesses aside, this was great and scary and very intriguing.
I am the only saddo in the family obssessively checking out Dr Who stuff online, so I had an edge over the rest of them when it came to the end and they were being chased by scary man in space suit. Oh NO!!! Was the collective howl (except, smugly from me).
But there was also that bit where Donna said to the Doc that he liked biographies because there's always a death at the end. DOOMED. DOOMED.
I liked it. Now why can't they all be like this?
I loved that I had no idea what was going on, but I didn't feel terribly *involved*, if you know what I mean. It was all a bit sterile, I felt. I have VERY high hopes for next week, but there was too much setting-up this time, and I expected more from Moffatt!
Gosh, this was head-and-shoulders above some of the more recent stuff, wasn't it? I was getting worried. However, as much as I enjoyed (and was thoroughly creeped out by) this episode, what gives with Murray Gold? I kept wanting to strangle him for his ruddy distracting music. It doesn't advance the plot; it's a bloody irritation like a buzzing insect. I just don't remember this being a problem in past seasons.
I have a bad feeling about Doctor Moon. He's told the little girl that the people in the library have to be saved. Uh, like Donna has been saved? Remember the computer message that said 4000 plus people had been saved, "no survivors". I think this people are being "saved" like information in a computer, and I suspect this is not good...
Oh, and don't you just love the fact that River Song is a woman, and not some wee slip of a blond thing? I really hope they don't make her another thing that never really happened...
oh bugger it, Marie. You're probably right. I cottoned on to that biography thing too... And I hadn't twigged you'd got the names wrong till I watched it again on BBC3, as I wasn't paying enough attention, clearly.
Persephone, totally agree - how come that doctor knew what was going on??? Mighty spooky if you ask me...
Anyone else think that Steve Pemberton was woefully underused though? If you're going to have LoG actor, make him CREEPY... Mark Gatiss was used to much better effect.
I also watched Dr Who Condfidential tonight and Russell T Davies was saying they'll know it's been a success when the kids start doing the zombie walk in the playground. Given that mine still say Are You My Mummy? and practise being statues to horribly scary effect, I'm sure it's only a matter of time...
I liked it, but agree with the worry that it re-hashes previous work. Alex Kingston was fantastic; what a great, classy actress, and so hot as well.
I'd say that the little girl is the Library's central computer (the planet's core). She probably shut down in self-defense when the shadow things came along (computer virus?), but when asleep (some kind of maintenance mode?) she/it still interfaces to its peripheral systems (eg the camera ball thing).
The psychologist is therefore a computer program sent by the Doctor/Ms Song back in time to interact with the core computer and keep it from going into meltdown.
No idea how it ends, but fun to try to guess who amongst the crew are not going to make it home ;) No one is wearing a red top, so it's hard to call!
Bro
I was going to mention the Time Traveler's Wife thing. The episode with Sophia Miles' breasts in was very similar to the key set up of the novel but when you are writing about time travel I guess that is bound to happen. But now this whole meeting in the library thing where one character has know the other for years but it is the other's first meeting (still with me?) is far too close to comfort.
Having said that it was the best episode of the series by a country mile.
Oh and the kids were shitting themselves by the end of it.
Donna theories - when Catherine Tate was announced as the new assistant I assumed that, as a very popular and successful comedian with a significant career elsewhere she was only ever going to be in one series. A doctor's assistant hasn't died in ages. She's a goner.
I reckon the little girl is Dr River Song as a youngster. Almost certainly wrong but worth a shot.
Malcolm's theory is that Dr River Song is the doctr's daughter but he doesn't know that he has a daughter yet. Don't know if that holds water but I like it.
Agree that defniitely the best episode of this series.
I thought it was more Borges than Niffenegger - even my 19 year old shouted 'Library of Babel!' at the telly. I grudgingly like Donna - how many left in the series?
Ohhh. I had nightmares last night... So now I have to add shadows, libraries and little girls to the things Steven Moffat's made me scared of.
"she seemed pretty familiar with DT's Doctor"
Ah, I don't agree. She said something about his eyes being really young at the beginning, and a few other thing,s which implied to me that she'd never met this incarnation of the doctor (hence not knowing where he was in his own lifeline) - and had only met future ones.
I loved all the Time Traveller's Wife references, blatant though they were. I also love the idea that Ms Wotsit From ER is his future wife. They could get away with it by saying he doesn't see her again for another twnety incarnations of himself, or something. But yes, I do also like the idea of him changing the future and making their relationships never happen after all and only having a book of non-existent meetings to show for it.
But anyway. Fabulous episode. I agree.
uh, please edit out all the typos in the above, in your own heads. Thankyou.
HAS ANYBODY NOTICED IT IS PROFFESOR RIVER SONG..YA DINGBATS..LOL.
Vide Bro's* comment, I note that there is only one letter between CAL and HAL...
*starts whistling Daisy, Daisy*
Also, given I think Donna's current predicament adds weight to the theory; she has been saved a la a computer file to the unpleasant sounding fleshbank.
AS for the sameyness with Blink et al, I did feel that a bit, but there's only so many ways you can do proper hide behind the sofa scary in a programme aimed in large measure at kids.
Finally, anyone else feel all the stuff about spoilers was a dig at the way so much is given away in the teasers?
*Not my Bro, obv...
Em... am I the only one who thinks that Alex Kingston might be the next Dr Who?
I don't know anything, it just seems to fit the scenario so well...
Nice idea, but then she would have recognised Donna.
I like girl-as-computer a lot. Good work Bro.
i liked the part where most of your predictions were wrong lol
Post a Comment