Ursula's fate. (Love & Monsters)

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by SimpleLogic, Oct 4, 2012.

  1. SimpleLogic

    SimpleLogic Guest

    Why did the Doctor think that doing that to her was a good thing? It seems like a very cruel thing to do myself. I rank it as one of his worst decisions.
     
  2. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    Horrible episode of Who and I agree horrible fate for her.
     
  3. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    I've skipped this one, or not paid attention to it in rewatches. Can anyone remind me of how she ended up in that condition?
     
  4. P0sitr0nic

    P0sitr0nic Vice Admiral Admiral

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    halfway absorbed into the blob from Klom.
     
  5. SimpleLogic

    SimpleLogic Guest

    She was absorbed by the Absorbaloff then he melted, and for some reason the Doctor thought it was a good idea to make her a face in a stone tile.
     
  6. SimpleLogic

    SimpleLogic Guest

    I did like Elton and for some reason it does make me laugh when we hear that the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius is Clom.
     
  7. Valin

    Valin Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I agree on both counts.
     
  8. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Well, yea, I remembered that much, I just wanted to know what caused the "slab" condition. I apparently need to watch at least the ending again, because that would be awful of 9 to just randomly decide she should be a stone slab, surely there's more to it than that, he's not a Witch?

    ETA: OOPS, based upon the next post, apparently it's a Tennant Episode, not an Eccelston one :alienblush:
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2012
  9. wamdue

    wamdue Admiral Admiral

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    there was nothing wrong with the episode apart from the end.

    yeah ok there was one thing wrong, and that was that LINDA only seemed to focus on the 10th Doctor, and missed all the other Doctors, yet in Time Crash, the 5th Doctor is aware of them, suggesting they are aware of him.

    The ending however, was basically the 10th Doctors need to save a life, going badly badly wrong, but the show not quite being able to admit that.
     
  10. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    What made it worse was that literally a few episodes earlier Ten had implied that life as a Cyberman was a living death, yet apparently existance as a paving slab is tickerty boo...I guess it isn't that different from being the face of Boe!

    Ah Love and Monsters. RTD at his best and his worst, all in one episodes. There's some lovely stuff in there; Jackie was never better than in this, the notion of people touched by the Doctor wanting to learn more about him, yet deciding they have more in common than just the Doctor, the quite sweet love story between Elton and Ursula.

    It's just a shame about the other stuff unfortunately. The comedy Benny Hill chase at the start, the terrible (and not in a good way) villain, and the whole Ursula paving slab malarky.

    And let's not get started on the "We even have a sex life" line. Do you? I suspect that Elton has a sex life, probably not much in it for Ursula!
     
  11. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I don't know. She seemed to be happy.
     
  12. Redfern

    Redfern Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Some viewers have concocted a fannish theory that severals aspects of the story are really just Elton's delusions. Basically, there's was no Absorbiloff, just Elton's jealous perception of Kay's character as he wooed each of his friends. When he finally swayed Ursula, Elton finally "cracked" and perceived Kay's role as some sort of "monster" who consumed his friends.

    Problem is, the Doctor makes mention of the planet Clom in a later episode independent of Elton, thus cementing its reality.

    Sincerely,

    Bill
     
  13. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

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    Why do people want to reject an episode as a dream or fantasy? It seems like too much work. Just accept that it's a crappy episode and move on.

    Anyway, she seems happy. It's not analogous to becoming a Cyberman because she still has self-control and emotions. So I would say it's better than death. Certainly not good, but I think that's at least fair.
     
  14. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    Given the choice between death and paving slab most of us might choose the more concrete option :) but I imagine it's something that we might regret as time passed (and will she die? Is she immortal?)
     
  15. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Poor Elton's love life never recovered from the injury sustained the night Ursula was taken over by the weeping angels.
     
  16. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

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    "Love and Monsters" can be both a crappy episode and a dream, fantasy, or delusion.

    Ursula never appears as a face-in-a-slab in the video diary, which is the only reliable part of the episode. As I recall, the rest of the story is told in flashback, in the vein of How I Met Your Mother. I think it's entirely possible Elton is completely delusional, and the story is being related to us by an unreliable narrator. It's still a crappy story, but now it's a crappy story being told by a crappy story-teller.


    I just can't see the Doctor leaving anyone to live as a face-in-a-slab. Not only does it seem like something he shouldn't be able to do with a wave of the sonic screwdriver, it also strikes me as something that he wouldn't want to do.
     
  17. The Borgified Corpse

    The Borgified Corpse Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah.......

    This is the only episode of Doctor Who I ever declared totally un-rewatchable. (Although, I made a point of also skipping over "Fear Her" after the 2nd time.)

    I interpreted the stone slab ending as RTD's attempt to mitigate how sad the ending would be if she just totally died. Unfortunately, he miscalculated, VERY BADLY! (I'd say this was probably the worst writer miscalculation since that Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where Spike tried to rape Buffy.)
     
  18. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

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    Can be, but there's next to no reason to believe it is.

    Do you have evidence that it is? Doctor Who rarely uses the unreliable narrator and I see no artistic reason it was intended to be used in this case.
     
  19. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

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    Because Ursula never appears in Elton's video diary. If she had, then Elton's story would be believable. Without an appearance in the video, Elton could be unreliable. Delusional. Crazy. Maybe he's not, but the possibility exists. Many will latch onto that.
     
  20. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Well...Sure, I guess...If that provides comfort...