No photo this time since the only promotional photo I found looked like a photoshopped variation of last week's, which I haven't seen it so I don't know what photos on Google were seen last week.
Enjoy more Zygon hunting! I'll catch up tomorrow.
"The Zygon Inversion" Grade and Discussion Thread
- Thread starter The Nth Doctor
- Start date
No photo this time since the only promotional photo I found looked like a photoshopped variation of last week's, which I haven't seen it so I don't know what photos on Google were seen last week.
Enjoy more Zygon hunting! I'll catch up tomorrow.
1. The Osgood cosplay shtick worked in the Day of the Doctor but seems out of place in a normal episode.
2. The Doctor's monologue was almost certainly written as BAFTA-bait.
3. There were very strong Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky vibes in the tone of this two-parter.
4. The dilemma with the boxes felt reminiscent of the forget/protest/abdicate buttons in The Beast Below, or even the levers at the end of Spy Kids 3.
2. The Doctor's monologue was almost certainly written as BAFTA-bait.
3. There were very strong Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky vibes in the tone of this two-parter.
4. The dilemma with the boxes felt reminiscent of the forget/protest/abdicate buttons in The Beast Below, or even the levers at the end of Spy Kids 3.
That was top-drawer television and some pretty scintillating drama.Twelve's speech may turn out to be his defining moment. Nice to see his relationship with Clara encapsulated so well - she's in his head and has never really left.
I like that they found time for a little whimsy - The scene where Bonnie walks by a mirror and her reflection is Clara was a highlight.
Speaking of Bonnie, my one reservation about the episode was the ease with which she was accepted as an ersatz Osgood. From terrorist leader to presumably working alongside UNIT in what can't have been more than a few days - Doesn't really wash.
Still, this was NuWho at pretty close to its zenith and doing exactly what good mythology should - exploring real-life issues through the lens of escapist storytelling.
I like that they found time for a little whimsy - The scene where Bonnie walks by a mirror and her reflection is Clara was a highlight.
Speaking of Bonnie, my one reservation about the episode was the ease with which she was accepted as an ersatz Osgood. From terrorist leader to presumably working alongside UNIT in what can't have been more than a few days - Doesn't really wash.
Still, this was NuWho at pretty close to its zenith and doing exactly what good mythology should - exploring real-life issues through the lens of escapist storytelling.
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Great story, perfectly rounded off.
Bloody brilliant!
Did I hear right, did he really say when he thought Clara was dead it was the longest month of his life?
So if Bonnie is now one of the Osgoods, does it follow that the other Osgood has to be human? Two Zygons both pretending to be the same human is crazy!
Anyway, not quite as sledge hammer as last week, the plane being shot down was a little near the knuckle given the events of a week ago, shame about the crew but you gotta love that the Doctor has a Roger Moore parachute!
The Zygon who killed himself was sad, powerful stuff for a family show. Loved Clara vs Clara (here's a thought, does the Betchdel test apply when you're effectively talking to yourself?
)
Loved the bit with the boxes, very Doctory and crikey what a speech by the Doctor!
I really would love to see Osgood as a companion!
Anyway great story about the horror of war, shown via one man's performance, very poignant timing given it's Remembrance Sunday tomorrow
Re next week, that's hopefully an intentional Babylon 5 homage re Reece Shearsmith's costume!
Did I hear right, did he really say when he thought Clara was dead it was the longest month of his life?
So if Bonnie is now one of the Osgoods, does it follow that the other Osgood has to be human? Two Zygons both pretending to be the same human is crazy!
Anyway, not quite as sledge hammer as last week, the plane being shot down was a little near the knuckle given the events of a week ago, shame about the crew but you gotta love that the Doctor has a Roger Moore parachute!
The Zygon who killed himself was sad, powerful stuff for a family show. Loved Clara vs Clara (here's a thought, does the Betchdel test apply when you're effectively talking to yourself?
) Loved the bit with the boxes, very Doctory and crikey what a speech by the Doctor!
I really would love to see Osgood as a companion!
Anyway great story about the horror of war, shown via one man's performance, very poignant timing given it's Remembrance Sunday tomorrow
Re next week, that's hopefully an intentional Babylon 5 homage re Reece Shearsmith's costume!
I friggin' loved that. Wow. Tension throughout. Jenna knocked it out of the park. The Doctor's monologue went on a bit long, but he drove the point home. This was some seriously good TV. Excellent, easily.
Wow, this was a massive improvement on last week. Almost certainly PC's finest moment as the Doctor yet. Indeed, I had a previously-unconvinced friend texting me to recant on all his previous doubts after seeing it.
Also kept up this season's interesting pattern of part 2 improving on part 1; with nuWho, it's usually been the reverse.
Also kept up this season's interesting pattern of part 2 improving on part 1; with nuWho, it's usually been the reverse.
i had the same thought.
Welcome to Babylon 5. You'll never leave.
Excellent. I love a good morality tale. A great two-parter.
During the Doctor's Picard-esque monologue, I noticed the helmet from 'The Girl Who Died' behind him. I also heard Osgood refer to herself as "Me, me". I was expecting some sort of revelation that she was the immortal. But as that revelation never came, I fully expect it to foreshadow something important to the season arc.
I've seen people speculate on here about the season arc being something to do with hybrids. I would speculate that it's actually about duality.
During the Doctor's Picard-esque monologue, I noticed the helmet from 'The Girl Who Died' behind him. I also heard Osgood refer to herself as "Me, me". I was expecting some sort of revelation that she was the immortal. But as that revelation never came, I fully expect it to foreshadow something important to the season arc.
I've seen people speculate on here about the season arc being something to do with hybrids. I would speculate that it's actually about duality.
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I watched the bit at the end between Clara and the Doctor again.
"So you must've thought I was dead for awhile."
"Yeah."
"How was that?"
"Longest month of my life."
"Month? It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes."
"I'll be the judge of time."
Now, you could just take this as the Doctor experiencing time differently than others, or...maybe (if you put your "other" hat on) this is more proof that the theory some people have that Clara has been dead for awhile, and the Doctor is going back in her timeline as part of his "mourning."
The weight in his voice, the way he looks at her...I dunno. It's the same sort of look he had when she said "I'm not going anywhere, you daft old man," a couple episodes ago.
"So you must've thought I was dead for awhile."
"Yeah."
"How was that?"
"Longest month of my life."
"Month? It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes."
"I'll be the judge of time."
Now, you could just take this as the Doctor experiencing time differently than others, or...maybe (if you put your "other" hat on) this is more proof that the theory some people have that Clara has been dead for awhile, and the Doctor is going back in her timeline as part of his "mourning."
The weight in his voice, the way he looks at her...I dunno. It's the same sort of look he had when she said "I'm not going anywhere, you daft old man," a couple episodes ago.
Twelve's speech is precisely why we had a two-parter. This couldn't have nearly worked as well as it did in single episode, not without the threat seeming too tame for this speech to have any weight.
Well, that was horrible. This two parter was so bad, it would have fit Series 8 perfectly. I mean, its not quite Kill the Moon or In the Forest of the Night bad, but its the first story of this series I'd never watch again. Also, its ruined the Zygons. I never want to see them in any story ever again, not even as a cameo. There wasn't a second of this episode that wasn't atrocious, but evil Clara was one of the worst parts. I guess the only thing worse than one Clara is two, especially when one is a horribly written zygon impostor.
The Doctor's horrible speech wasn't even interesting. Maybe he should skip over to a parallel universe and ask Captain Picard how a big morality speech is done. Or, maybe Moffat could just have a higher standard for scripts, and never hire the idiot writer of Kill the Moon ever again.Also, its getting to the point that I'd be happier just pretending Kate Stewart isn't connected to the brigadier. She's completely incompetent, and obviously has none of her father's leadership ability. The writers have really made her irredeemably useless.
Also, what the hell is up with erasing memories AGAIN? Is it so we can have another intolerable continuation of this story in the future? I wish they'd just killed the damn zygons and got it over with, but the very least they could have done was give the planet a choice. Kate Stewart and the Doctor don't have the authority to let a bunch of psycho aliens squat on Earth. This is easily the most screwed up thing the Doctor has ever been a part of, and its more arrogant than his "Timelord Victorious" breakdown was. Overall, this was a rubbish two parter, and probably the worst two parter in NuWho.
The Doctor's horrible speech wasn't even interesting. Maybe he should skip over to a parallel universe and ask Captain Picard how a big morality speech is done. Or, maybe Moffat could just have a higher standard for scripts, and never hire the idiot writer of Kill the Moon ever again.Also, its getting to the point that I'd be happier just pretending Kate Stewart isn't connected to the brigadier. She's completely incompetent, and obviously has none of her father's leadership ability. The writers have really made her irredeemably useless.
Also, what the hell is up with erasing memories AGAIN? Is it so we can have another intolerable continuation of this story in the future? I wish they'd just killed the damn zygons and got it over with, but the very least they could have done was give the planet a choice. Kate Stewart and the Doctor don't have the authority to let a bunch of psycho aliens squat on Earth. This is easily the most screwed up thing the Doctor has ever been a part of, and its more arrogant than his "Timelord Victorious" breakdown was. Overall, this was a rubbish two parter, and probably the worst two parter in NuWho.
You are Donald Rumsfeld, and I claim my five pounds.
Oh my god, you and I actually agree on something. Kate Stewart being completely incompetent and close to useless. But as far as the rest of the episode goes, I'll have to disagree with you.
I said that while ignoring all political allegory this episode was attempting. The zygons are literally shapeshifting aliens who arrived on earth, after trying to invade it at least twice, and then had another random alien and a woman whose authority seems to reside in about a dozen soldiers worldwide saying they could make the Earth their home. I don't care what stuff the writer was trying to say about real world events, from a purely in universe stand point, the zygons are on Earth uninvited, and just shown that they could easily kill everyone, and humans wouldn't know because they were never given a choice.
The Doctor gave humans a choice over the stupid moon egg monster, but didn't allow anyone but some random military woman with practically no authority to say yes or no to the zygons. In the Doctor who universe, there has got to be dozens if not hundreds of planets suitable for the zygons. The Time War destroyed their planet, not humans. The Doctor might feel responsible for them, but he's dragging Earth into a situation it should never have been in.
Related to this, I believe the exact opposite of the Silurians and the Sea Devils, who have as much of a claim to Earth as humans. I wish the 11th Doctor 2 parter with silurians had lead to seeing Silurians on Earth, even though the various versions have tried to kill humanity probably more than the Zygons have at some point. I don't want to see innocent zygons killed, no more than I want innocents to be killed off in shows. But, as a sci fi fan, I don't feel bad about seeing evil aliens get killed. I didn't have a problem with the 3rd Doctor mowing down alien goons with a laser gun, and I wouldn't feel bad seeing Kate Stewart use the gas weapon or something similar on evil zygon Clara and her friends.
And nobody's batting an eye at the Doctor giving his first name as 'Basil.' I'm assuming we all think he's lying. 
And nobody's batting an eye at the Doctor giving his first name as 'Basil.' I'm assuming we all think he's lying.
Rule #1
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