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9X02 "The Witch's Familiar" Grading/Discussion)

Grade "The Witch’s Familiar"

  • Kidneys!

    Votes: 38 44.7%
  • Eyebrows!

    Votes: 37 43.5%
  • Lasagna

    Votes: 9 10.6%
  • Pudding brains

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Exterminate!

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Total voters
    85
  • Poll closed .
I couldn't believe Davros had eyes! I always thought they were empty sockets.


I really enjoyed this episode, and together with the first was a good start off to the season.

There were a few things that didn't really work, but really not too bad.

The Daleks seemed to yell SHOW NO MERCY!
 
Davros freaked me out quite a bit. During the majority of his scenes I had to close my eyes and just listen to the dialogue.
 
Based on rumours I've heard, the Cybermen's season 9 appearance is going to be part of one of those grand alliances Moffat always does which consists of nearly every alien they have costume access to. And indeed, the rumour also suggests Daleks, Weeping Angels, Ice Warriors, Hath...


Oh great I sense another Pandorica alliance. ...
 
I couldn't believe Davros had eyes! I always thought they were empty sockets.

Yeah. Based on the audio "Davros," I was under the impression that Davros' eyes, tongue, taste buds, ears, and just about everything else was burned off when he was caught in a Thal nuclear attack. Granted, Davros is a good enough scientist that he would have been able to clone new eyes for himself long ago. But then, if he's that good, he'd be able to fix a lot of his broken bits and he hasn't.

When the Doctor sent his regeneration energy through the Dalek city, I half expected all of the Dalek casings to open up with healthy, regenerated Kaleds inside. I think that would have been interesting.

I thought I was insane for pointing out Missy's ring is the same one Donna had in the 4th series. Thought there might be some kind of connection.. What if Missy can fix Donna so she remembers and use that against the Doctor?
Google Donna Master Ring and see what happens...
If I turn my google safe search off, will the results be less Who related?

Nothing that interesting. It's mostly a lot of speculation circa 2008 that Donna is really the Master, or at least has some connection to him, because there are some shots where she seems to be wearing a ring that supposedly looks like the Master's ring from his funeral pyre in "Last of the Time Lords." It doesn't really but you know the internet. Here's a lame video on the subject...
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfo2HX_Y5WU=[/yt]

It was ok, it didn't build on the momentum of last week, sort of just stopped and got talky.

What momentum? Last week's episode was just a lot of random scenes of continuity porn: Kate Stewart, Karn, the Shadow Proclamation, Dorium's bar. Then the rest of it was random snake henchman, pointless references to the Doctor's death, and the Doctor playing guitar on top of a tank in the middle ages. And while that's a cool image, it doesn't really have anything to do with the episode. They could have easily condensed this down to a 1-part episode if they just ignored all of the random continuity filler in the first half.

Why did the sewer Daleks attack the other Dalek, but ignore Missy and Clara?

(Don't tell me: you'll explain it later.)

Because the sewer Daleks were trying to seize control of the Dalek's casing. Once they had done that, they might have exterminated Clara & Missy for the hell of it but they weren't the concern at the moment. (Although, this doesn't explain why they didn't make a move towards the Dalek casing once Missy opened it to put Clara inside.)

I thought it was strange that they had partially dead Daleks just rotting in the sewers instead of being recycled as fuel for the organic portions of the current living Daleks. We know from the "Davros" audio that the Kaleds had already resorted to organized cannibalism much earlier during the war.

Also, why is it such a significant plot point that a Dalek can say mercy? This too has already been done, in The Big Bang the Stone Dalek begged River for mercy.

And the Dalek in "Dalek" asked the Doctor to "Have pity!" which is kinda the same thing. So, at the very least, a Dalek selfishly pleading for its life is nothing new.

Also, I grinned at the depiction of different Doctors in the "flashback" sequence. The Fourth sneaking to one pillar, the First emerging to slip to the next with Capaldi finally emerging from that one.

I liked it. And I guess using Capaldi is the cheapest option. Although, one of these days, they should use McGann or Tennant for one of these flashbacks.

Not sure how I feel about "sonic glasses" yet. How are they supposed to work? Can't the TARDIS just make another screwdriver? It did for Eleven.

I think the 11th Doctor got at least a couple new screwdrivers from the TARDIS, one in "The Eleventh Hour" and another copy of it after the first one was pretty well ruined when it was eaten by the flying shark in "A Christmas Carol."
 
What about Turn Left?

If Donna was the Master, would the TARDIS have perked up, any port in a storm, or willed itself to die of a broken heart faster?
 

Ah.... Nice video but it was 2008 and seems a bit of a desparate theory even for back then.

Even still, I don't think it's entirely impossible that Donna is still connected to The Doctor in a way we don't quite understand yet. Maybe I'm grasping at my own straws her but I can't seem to shake the glance in Donna's direction at her wedding.

If that's true does that mean someone has fixed Donna so she won't burn up?
 
Ah.... Nice video but it was 2008 and seems a bit of a desparate theory even for back then.

Even still, I don't think it's entirely impossible that Donna is still connected to The Doctor in a way we don't quite understand yet. Maybe I'm grasping at my own straws her but I can't seem to shake the glance in Donna's direction at her wedding.

If that's true does that mean someone has fixed Donna so she won't burn up?

Well, there are a lot of things The Time Lords can do that The Doctor can't do on his own. Maybe they help him with her after he gets back home.
 
Another good episode, not quite as good as part 1 but a good start to the series.

It did really bug me that Dalek Clara never said "Run you clever boy, run."

I hope Missy is back later this season.
 
One thing I did appreciate about this episode is that they didn't bother to show us Davros and Missy getting "killed", since we all know they're always going to be brought back, sooner or later.

The rest wasn't bad, although I got very concerned by the "good" Davros for a while! Glad he was his old self after all, manipulative as ever.

I think the Doctor's "it was my plan all along" line was just him gloating over what he realised was a fortunate happenstance with the sewer Daleks. There's no way in hell he would ever give up his regeneration energy otherwise (unless he really does have an unlimited supply now!)

Still, a much much stronger start than the previous year in almost every way. Looking forward to more.

P.S.
Still don't like the incredibly roomy interior of the Daleks - and now Davros' chair as well!
 
The one Ian drove was for a different kind of Dalek (one that had a clawed hand, plus various other appendages no doubt) so I'm not sure it qualifies for a comparison.

I guess I was hoping that all the silly flapping hatches and empty shells in Manhattan had been left behind and forgotten about (plus I could rationalise that it was a specially modified design or something, given Dalek Zek's plans). Now it seems that Daleks are not only driving around with literal empty skirts, they also feature human-friendly seats!
 
Another good episode, not quite as good as part 1 but a good start to the series.

It did really bug me that Dalek Clara never said "Run you clever boy, run."

I hope Missy is back later this season.

"And remember."

I think it's probably because the Doctor's appearance at present, doesn't resemble a boy. But it still would have been a nice nod to Oswin:)
 
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