“Heaven Sent” Grade and Discussion Thread

[Starkers]

Trapped in a world unlike any other he has seen, the Doctor faces the greatest challenge of his many lives. One final test. And he must face it alone. Pursued by the fearsome creature known only as the Veil, he must attempt the impossible.


*********

Well if no one else is going to set a poll up

 

[Starkers]

Well I thought that was magnificent. Some plot holes sure, and I did worry the Doctor was channeling Sherlock early on but overall it was brilliant. Inventive, surreal, incredibly dark and a fantastic central (not quite only) performance from Capaldi.

At least we know now how long it'd take to punch through a wall of diamond

 

[Green Lantern]

Probably Capaldi's worst episode so far. Only gave it two our of five due to a few good bits.

 

[Jax]

Average episode overall but the final few minutes were really exciting and next week could be the episode of all episodes

I struggled to hear Capaldi a few times, which didn't help with following the plot that while interesting could of been done better IMO. I have a BIG issue with the technical fact that a copy of the copy is no original so the Doctor as we knew him is kind of dead --- The old Harry Kim issue

 

[Pindar]

I'm going right out to punch me some diamonds.

That was great, the last few minutes on Gallifrey nearly brought my vote down to one man army I would have preferred that to pick up next week as it didn't go with the rest of the episode. Best of the year for me so far.

 

[Mr Soak]

Average episode overall but the final few minutes were really exciting and next week could be the episode of all episodes

I struggled to hear Capaldi a few times, which didn't help with following the plot that while interesting could of been done better IMO. I have a BIG issue with the technical fact that a copy of the copy is no original so the Doctor as we knew him is kind of dead --- The old Harry Kim issue

The Doctor used a transmit as far back as The Ark in Space, and probably before. He hasn't been the original for most of his life. But if you've got all the memories and you're the only "you", does it really matter?

Maybe it was just me, but at times Capaldi's voice sounded a lot like the Fourth Doctor. It hit me during one of the voice overs.

Nice cameo there, too.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Holy f*ck!!!

Best episode since Day of the Doctor. Wow. Roll on the season finale.

 

[Count Zero]

I felt it was a bit uneven and the whole talking out loud thing didn't quite work for me. Liked the scenes in the TARDIS, though. I kind of figured it was the Doctor dying in the beginning but nevertheless I felt the episode really picked up towards the end. The picture of all those skulls actually being the Doctor's was very powerful.

So, is this how the confession dials work for every Timelord? And if they're unlucky they end up spending all eternity inside their nightmare trap?

It's a shame that the hybrid thing wasn't really built up during the season. Yes, there were mentions but not of the prophecy. So the reveal wasn't as meaningful. I did love the Doctor declaring he was the hybrid at then end of the episode. I'm not sure in what way he is a hybrid, though.

 

[BruntFCA]

I felt it was a bit uneven and the whole talking out loud thing didn't quite work for me. Liked the scenes in the TARDIS, though. I kind of figured it was the Doctor dying in the beginning but nevertheless I felt the episode really picked up towards the end. The picture of all those skulls actually being the Doctor's was very powerful.

So, is this how the confession dials work for every Timelord? And if they're unlucky they end up spending all eternity inside their nightmare trap?

It's a shame that the hybrid thing wasn't really built up during the season. Yes, there were mentions but not of the prophecy. So the reveal wasn't as meaningful. I did love the Doctor declaring he was the hybrid at then end of the episode. I'm not sure in what way he is a hybrid, though.

Maisie Williams's character is named Me...

 

[Starkers]

Average episode overall but the final few minutes were really exciting and next week could be the episode of all episodes

I struggled to hear Capaldi a few times, which didn't help with following the plot that while interesting could of been done better IMO. I have a BIG issue with the technical fact that a copy of the copy is no original so the Doctor as we knew him is kind of dead --- The old Harry Kim issue

He wasn't copying himself, each time he was reintegrating the original pattern, printing the same document each time rather than copying the previous document and hence degrading the pattern. The billionth Doctor was reintegrated was as much the Doctor as the first.

I'm going right out to punch me some diamonds.

That was great, the last few minutes on Gallifrey nearly brought my vote down to one man army I would have preferred that to pick up next week as it didn't go with the rest of the episode. Best of the year for me so far.

I agree, but I guess him just walking out into the desert might have been less of a cliffhanger (in fact people might have assumed he was back on Skaro)

Average episode overall but the final few minutes were really exciting and next week could be the episode of all episodes

I struggled to hear Capaldi a few times, which didn't help with following the plot that while interesting could of been done better IMO. I have a BIG issue with the technical fact that a copy of the copy is no original so the Doctor as we knew him is kind of dead --- The old Harry Kim issue

The Doctor used a transmit as far back as The Ark in Space, and probably before. He hasn't been the original for most of his life. But if you've got all the memories and you're the only "you", does it really matter?

Maybe it was just me, but at times Capaldi's voice sounded a lot like the Fourth Doctor. It hit me during one of the voice overs.

Nice cameo there, too.

Yeah he was definitely channeling Tom Baker (and not for the first time) he does a very good impersonation.

Holy f*ck!!!

Best episode since Day of the Doctor. Wow. Roll on the season finale.

I'm going to be bloody well out next Saturday so will have to stay spoiler free till Sunday!

 

[TommyR01D]

1. The away-facing Clara ghost was like the hallucination of Marge in El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer.
2. If Clara doesn't get resurrected somehow, her third-to-last onscreen word will be "arse".
3. A lot of the castle sets looked rather familiar (in fact I think the dining room might have been used in The Woman Who Lived).
4. The rotating wings of the building rather resembled the Hogwarts staircases.
5. The Doctor is several million years old now... or maybe only a few weeks if we count his teleport duplicate as a separate person.
6. Will this whole episode later turn out to all have been in the Doctor's mind - or will it be erased from time?
7. The prison is meant to be in a closed energy bubble, but although the Doctor burns the rest of his body, there's still the matter of the millions of identical skulls piling up (and the extra set of clothes - did the original walk around nude for a while?).
8. Is next week going to be a very belated sequel to The End of Time? They were nearly six years, two Doctors, three companions (and two general elections) apart!

 

[Lonemagpie]

Well, that was...different. Good, sometimes hard watching if you have lost someone, but also reassuring... well played, atmospheric, but... I figured out where he was and what was going on from the bloody pre-credits, and the basic resolution felt like, frankly, a (good!) episode of Voyager...

I want that red jacket.

 

[Starkers]

I felt it was a bit uneven and the whole talking out loud thing didn't quite work for me. Liked the scenes in the TARDIS, though. I kind of figured it was the Doctor dying in the beginning but nevertheless I felt the episode really picked up towards the end. The picture of all those skulls actually being the Doctor's was very powerful.

So, is this how the confession dials work for every Timelord? And if they're unlucky they end up spending all eternity inside their nightmare trap?

It's a shame that the hybrid thing wasn't really built up during the season. Yes, there were mentions but not of the prophecy. So the reveal wasn't as meaningful. I did love the Doctor declaring he was the hybrid at then end of the episode. I'm not sure in what way he is a hybrid, though.

He's half human

 

[Paul Weaver]

That was good. Although not convinced about being trapped on Azkaban and hunted by a dementor. Given last week was Diagon Alley there's certainly some Harry Potter channelling going on.

A very good episode, let down by a brief interruption from the useless one.

So re-watch episodes for next week: The End of Time and Day of the Doctor?

 

[kirk55555]

That was brilliant. It was an interesting idea, done very, very well. It took me a bit at the end to figure out what he was doing, but once I did I was blown away. Capaldi did an amazing job. This episode is one of the best NuWho. I'd call it an instant classic, at least for me. I liked every part of it, from the monster to the Doctor's conversation with the chalkboard to even Clara's small cameo. I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[Count Zero]

It's a shame that the hybrid thing wasn't really built up during the season. Yes, there were mentions but not of the prophecy. So the reveal wasn't as meaningful. I did love the Doctor declaring he was the hybrid at then end of the episode. I'm not sure in what way he is a hybrid, though.

Maisie Williams's character is named Me...

Now that you mention it... That's not nearly as powerful as it being the Doctor who will stand in the ruins of Gallifrey, though. And how would she get there?

I guess we'll find out next week.

1. The away-facing Clara ghost was like the hallucination of Marge in El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer.

I had the same thought.

8. Is next week going to be a very belated sequel to The End of Time? They were nearly six years, two Doctors, three companions (and two general elections) apart!

Good question. I must say the timeline is a bit blurry. The Gallifrey parts of Day of the Doctor took place in between the Gallifrey parts of The End of Time and probably afterwards (because Gallifrey then vanished from time). It would be a bit awkward if the Doctor had arrived before those events.
What about The Time of the Doctor? I always assumed the Timelords had called through that crack in space-time after the events of Day of the Doctor.

This show has become a bit too complicated.

 

[TommyR01D]

It's a shame that the hybrid thing wasn't really built up during the season. Yes, there were mentions but not of the prophecy. So the reveal wasn't as meaningful. I did love the Doctor declaring he was the hybrid at then end of the episode. I'm not sure in what way he is a hybrid, though.

Maisie Williams's character is named Me...

Now that you mention it... That's not nearly as powerful as it being the Doctor who will stand in the ruins of Gallifrey, though. And how would she get there?

I guess we'll find out next week.

1. The away-facing Clara ghost was like the hallucination of Marge in El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer.

I had the same thought.

8. Is next week going to be a very belated sequel to The End of Time? They were nearly six years, two Doctors, three companions (and two general elections) apart!

Good question. I must say the timeline is a bit blurry. The Gallifrey parts of Day of the Doctor took place in between the Gallifrey parts of The End of Time and probably afterwards (because Gallifrey then vanished from time). It would be a bit awkward if the Doctor had arrived before those events.
What about The Time of the Doctor? I always assumed the Timelords had called through that crack in space-time after the events of Day of the Doctor.

This show has become a bit too complicated.

9. The Doctor seemed to recognise the creature - was it the Watcher from Logopolis, the Master in pre-Tremas form, the death creature from Dead Man Walking?
10. How old is the Clara portrait? Does it not get the timeless solidity of the rest of the place. Surely if it alone isn't immune to entropy, it would crumble away before the million year mark.

 

[Cutter John]

Also the first time someone has said "ass"on DW. The Daily Fail will not be pleased.

 

[TommyR01D]

11. Didn't the Doctor have some John Hart-esque device around his wrist at the end of Face the Raven? I don't see it in this episode.

 

[Count Zero]

I think he said that it was a creature from his nightmares. Then again, I didn't catch all of the dialogue.

The most important question of course is: Doesn't the Doctor wear underpants? I didn't see any on the thing by the fire.