I have spent way too much time thinking about this episode today, lol. But it was just so good.
Danny’s death was heart-breaking. But he doesn’t seem like the sort of guy to not be aware of his environment and step out in front of a car. The lady on the phone said the car came out of nowhere, so Missy likely arranged it to get the Doctor/Clara to the Nethersphere. After all, she did say last episode that she ‘chose well’ with Clara, so the whole thing must be planned.
We know Danny has a descendent who time travels and met the Doctor and Clara, so Danny can’t die here. Unless Clara was already pregnant … I read that some people think this, and that was the bad news she referred to in the phone call, especially as one of the post-it notes said THREE MONTHS. I thought the phone call was more about Danny’s request to talk at the end of the last episode, but maybe she actually is pregnant. Hard on viewers for Danny to die and leave Clara a single mother, so I assume there will still be a happy ending for them both. Well, I hope.
The Doctor’s loyalty to Clara was touching, I was so happy. Presuming this is Clara’s swan song, it is great for us to see the unconditional love he has for her. And Danny’s loyalty to Clara by not giving her confirmation that it was really him was beautiful too. Men in DW are very loyal to their loved ones (Rory waited for 2000 years for goodness sake) and I love the writers for it.
How chilling to think that
when you die you are still conscious, even during cremation. That has to play into our most basic human fears. I’ve been wondering for a few weeks which is the episode that is too much for the kiddies, thinking it must have been the mummy episode, due to the scary skeleton torso and the dead bodies out the window, but this new concept of death has to be it, it’s unapologetically terrifying. When I was in early primary school, a teacher told us that when you are buried worms eat your body, and I literally had nightmares for years, so the BBC may not have wanted formative minds to see this episode.
Then
the Cybermen finding a new way to upgrade via the dead, so they have unlimited recruits; they are already dead so maybe they can’t be killed (?); and they are working with the Master. Could they get any worse?
The Master returning was mind blowing, she's going to be lots of fun. And the Master kissed the Doctor, eww. Once the Doctor knew who she was, that has to be traumatic. Too many times in modern DW the Doctor is on the receiving end of unwanted kisses. Those scenes are clearly written by men, because girls know from experience that it generally takes a SPLIT SECOND to get out of an unwanted kiss, but the Doctor seems to just cop them, lol. Although I did giggle when Missy kissed the Doctor’s nose and the look on his face when she finished.
I read a few interesting points, most of which I didn’t notice myself:
- Danny said the date 23 November which was the date of the first episode
- The afterlife technology was invented by Dr SKAROsa, the Dalek’s home planet
- The Doctor has been opening the TARDIS by clicking his fingers, so the key scene was flawed
- One of the keys was hidden in a copy of The Time Traveller’s Wife
- The swearing on the psychic paper was a nod to Capaldi’s recent role as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It
- A lot of people thought ‘abandoned’ Missy was the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan, but that would have made that kiss awkward, or more awkward than it already was, lol
- As Capaldi was in the Pompeii episode, that might be why he said volcanoes are ‘rubbish’
- Steve Jobs is a Cyberman controlled by an iPad, lol
- Missy’s sidekick Seb is comedian Chris Addison, I knew he was familiar but couldn’t quite place him, he looks so different
- In the last scene where Danny is contemplating DELETING his emotions, there is a boy behind him reflecting in the iPad
- Moffatt wrote the DW comic relief parody where the Doctor and the Master kiss, so that pash was a long time in the making, watch the video below if you've not already seen it
So I loved this week's episode. In fact, I’ve loved this whole season. Sad as it is to see the end, bring on the finale!!! (sorry about the essay length post, couldn't help myself)
