doctor who - 502 - the beast below

[retro_eidas]

• Steven Moffat is a brilliant, disturbed man. The Smilers reminded me vaguely of the Gentlemen. I think it was the grotesque plaster smiles/frowns that did it. The dapper, all-in-black looks also contributed. Nice they were dressed as judges (who also were jury and executioners).
  
  
• Maybe because I work with bratty kids from time-to-time, but I had no sympathy for that kid in the beginning. He didn't have a disability I could see and no inhalers. Take the damn stairs, you whining, lazy brat! I sort of hope they kept him slaving away in the dungeons.
  
  
• I'm going to assume all the adults the Star Whale didn't let go were real bastards and actually deserved it? They weren't spitting on the street or some other petty offenses?
  
  
• I like how Amy is still in her nightgown. Like she's in a living dream (and sometimes nightmare). Which she basically is.
  
  
• Sophie Okonedo as Elizabeth the 10th? Can we keep her? When the Doctor kept going on about how old her mask was, I was suspecting the "growth deceleration" would come into play in a bigger way, but 300 years old? O.O
  
  
• They come out of the boxes too? Oh hey, nightmare fuel! *cringes*
  
  
• "And yes, you're covered in sick." HEEEEE (and ewwwww) Though I might have missed it, I didn't see a place they might have fallen in the end if the whale vomited them up.
  
  
• Talking about all those dead Time Lords and being the last without a 1000 yard stare in sight? I actually felt a little bad for the Doctor there. I never thought I'd say that after Ten AND ALL THE DEAD TIME LORD ANGST AND LET'S SCREAM IT FROM THE HILLS, SHALL WE?! IT WAS JUST THAT SUBTLE!!!
  
  
• But you're not the last Doctor. You have to know you're not going to be at this point. So quit it!
  
  
• "Are you a parent?" That really wasn't very subtle either, but I'll let it slide. Because, so far, when Moffat and this cast get into the big emotions (as opposed to BIG CAPSLOCK EMOTIONS and Murray Gold making everyone deaf), I genuinely feel for these characters. If they get into the Doctor's past, I feel I won't be as inclined to cover my ears as I was in Rusty era. From the Doctor's anger and frustration with what he'd nearly done to save the humans on Starship UK to salvation provided by awesome, smart Amy. And Doctor-Amy being kosher at the end. I was with them all the way. I like this duo, I like them a lot.
  
  
• The Star Whale is a lonely whale grandpa, though also was very martyr-like and paralleled blatantly with the Doctor. I hope that wasn't foreshadowing for Eleven's future. No, I still haven't recovered from Blue Fairy Jesus.
  
  
• I loved how the rhyme started off a fairy tale horror (even using the played out creepy kid trope, though somehow no one can churn out the creepy kids like the British), but the rhyme, and the ep, ended off And they all lived happily ever after. XD

Next week: I'm going to be honest and say I was concerned for Mr. Churchill for those two seconds at ep's end and all despite me liking only one, maybe two, Dalek stories in all of new era, but then I saw the promo. Hmmm? Let me guess! Somebody is going to get a Very Important Lesson? Meh. But hey! Who, namely Moffat, do Blighty in WW2 pretty damn good, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now. I'd like to believe he could make the Daleks interesting again.

Comments

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

I didn't feel we were particularly meant to empathise with Zero!Kid - even if he did have to climb down 10 decks. I think we were meant to empathise with his friend who was worried about him.

[eido.livejournal.com]

If that was their intent, it worked on me. The kid would have rather risked death than take a walk, no matter how long.