6.5X012 Closing Time (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!)

[Allyn Gibson]

The newspaper is dated April 19, 2011.

And Rory's hospital ID badge was dated 1990, because the person printing it made a mistake.

Unless Amy was a successful model/entrepreneur between 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Impossible Astronaut' and just forgot to mention it, 'Closing Time' takes place a year or two after the end of 'The God Complex' from her POV.

The Doctor's a time traveller. His own personal tomorrow could be a thousand years from now or a million years ago.

For what it's worth, I agree with you. I said upthread that I think that "Closing Time" takes place circa 2014, and the date on the newspaper doesn't change that. The Doctor may make mistakes sometimes, but he's not going to drop Amy and Rory off before their younger selves leave for Utah and "The Impossible Astronaut."

 

[Lonemagpie]

The newspaper is dated April 19, 2011.

And Rory's hospital ID badge was dated 1990, because the person printing it made a mistake.

Unless Amy was a successful model/entrepreneur between 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Impossible Astronaut' and just forgot to mention it, 'Closing Time' takes place a year or two after the end of 'The God Complex' from her POV.

The Doctor's a time traveller. His own personal tomorrow could be a thousand years from now or a million years ago.

If they hadn't had so many "I die tomorrow" related lines then it'd be on par with Rory's badge. But in this context it clearly supports CT being supposedly set the Earth day before TIA, rather than just the Doctor's day before.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

When was the episode filmed? The only reason for it to be a production error that I can think of would be to have the date of the newspaper right around the date of filming.

We're talking about something that can't even be seen on TV unless you pause the episode and probably not even then if you're not watching the HD version.

Which still doesn't address the question of whether it was an Easter Egg or production error. If the newspaper had said July 3, 1926, it would probably have to be intentional. Nonsensical, but intentional. This newspaper was something like three days before the Doctor's death. The only way that is a coincidence is if it was filmed around the time of his death. I can't think of any other reason.

 

[Lonemagpie]

The newspaper is dated April 19, 2011.

And Rory's hospital ID badge was dated 1990, because the person printing it made a mistake.

Unless Amy was a successful model/entrepreneur between 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Impossible Astronaut' and just forgot to mention it, 'Closing Time' takes place a year or two after the end of 'The God Complex' from her POV.

The Doctor's a time traveller. His own personal tomorrow could be a thousand years from now or a million years ago.

For what it's worth, I agree with you. I said upthread that I think that "Closing Time" takes place circa 2014, and the date on the newspaper doesn't change that. The Doctor may make mistakes sometimes, but he's not going to drop Amy and Rory off before their younger selves leave for Utah and "The Impossible Astronaut."

He might drop Amy off from the point where she'd been replaced by the Ganger, but that would still leave two Rorys.

It's a big blooper...

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

He might drop Amy off from the point where she'd been replaced by the Ganger, but that would still leave two Rorys.

Killing Rory is easy enough.

 

[Checkmate]

It's a big blooper...

No, the date on the newspaper is the only problem, and that's a minor blooper at best. Especially since it's only visible to people who stop and stare at every frame of the show in intimate detail.

 

[Lonemagpie]

It's a big blooper...

No, the date on the newspaper is the only problem

apart from the umpteen times the Doctor mentions he dies tomorrow...

 

[Stevil2001]

^ But it's clearly tomorrow in his personal timeline, otherwise, he could just swan off wherever he likes and put it off. Also, the end of the episode indicates that he uses up the time he could have spent seeing the Galaxy Alignment cleaning up Craig's apartment, which wouldn't be a factor if they meant in the universal timeline. And there's the Petrichor thing, a word neither Amy nor Rory knows in "The Doctor's Wife," and Amy's not the face of a perfume (probably) before, and it has to be at least 21 months since "The Lodger," which was set in 2010.

There's only one bit of probably specious evidence that points to a universal tomorrow, and everything else indicates the Doctor's tomorrow, and that the episode's set in 2012 or so.

 

[StCoop]

apart from the umpteen times the Doctor mentions he dies tomorrow...

"Closing Time" finishes on a Sunday; that makes tomorrow Monday. The Doctor dies on a Saturday. If it's not his own personal tomorrow he's talking about explain that one!

 

[Shazam!]

In the RTD-era humans were partially slaughtered with chainsaw-like machinery to get compatible with cybermentechnology.

They were different Cybermen from a different universe with different conversion techniques

 

[tomalak301]

I liked the episode last night quite a bit. It was fun, and it was nice seeing Craig again. Both Smith and Cordon worked well together and the baby was just so cute. I agree the Cyberman ending seemed off but other than that, it actually did remind me of old Doctor Who episodes.

As for the final 3 minutes and the finale, I think the thing I'm looking forward to more is all those unanswered questions to tie this season togther. For example:

1) Are there currently 2 Amy's and one Rory on earth because the Amy that went to North America was a duplicate. Are we actually going to see the Kidnapping?

2) Just who the heck is Madam Kovorian. I was thinking last night when she showed up that we don't know much about her. If she was set up to be the big bad this season, than she's been poorly developed. Yeah so she's angry at the Doctor by why. Is she the leader of the Silence organization, and is the Eye patch a way to always remember those alien guys even if she turns away?

3) How the Doctor dodges the bullet, or at least get's away.

4) Who the old guy was from the first episode that looked like Data's father from TNG's "The Schizoid Man."

5) The whole tying up lose ends with River/Melody

I hope it's a good episode but it almost seems like a 2 parter is necessary to tie all this up. Hopefully they do and we can move on in the Christmas Special and Season 7.

 

[Lonemagpie]

apart from the umpteen times the Doctor mentions he dies tomorrow...

"Closing Time" finishes on a Sunday; that makes tomorrow Monday. The Doctor dies on a Saturday. If it's not his own personal tomorrow he's talking about explain that one!

I already said the days of the week don't line up anyway - The date's a Friday .... (Good friday - if this was RTD he'd have him rise from his tomb on the Sunday...)

Ergo, production blooper...

This thread's wandering, I feel the urge to reiterate that I mostly loved it apart from the appalling resolution... The goofs are just a geeky sideline

 

[Worf2DS9]

I thought the episode was fun. Smith was great, and his rapport and banter with Corden continues to shine. In the end, there wasn't really much to the Cybermen plot line, though I though their rusty, dirty look was a nice touch. I still wish they'd be a little less "stompy" though. As some have mentioned, I thought the ending with River was a little long, almost as if that was the prequel to the finale tagged on to the end at the expense of the actual episode.

 

[davejames]

Definitely have to agree with the majority here. I thought this episode was fun as hell, with tons of great lines and moments throughout. I think I probably liked it more than The Lodger in fact. And for once, the Cybermats actually came across as a genuine threat. Didn't expect those scary ass teeth.

The ending didn't really bother me as much as it did others. Unlike with the RTD/Tennant era, Moffat's more romantic, fairytale style does a better job of allowing for things like this, I think.

Besides, this was clearly meant to be just a fun lark-- getting bent out of shape over how the bad guys were disposed of seems to be kind of missing the point.

 

[Checkmate]

I already said the days of the week don't line up anyway - The date's a Friday .... (Good friday - if this was RTD he'd have him rise from his tomb on the Sunday...)

The episode took place over a few days. Sophie was gone for the weekend, leaving moments before the Doctor shows up and moments after he departs.

Ergo, production blooper...

No, it's a minor prop problem. With the newspaper. With a fine printing of the date that you can't even see without pausing and searching for it.

That's it. The rest of it works just fine. And there's no indication that "tomorrow" is anything other than tomorrow from the Doctor's perspective. Your desire for it to mean something else to "prove" your desire for a major gaff notwithstanding.

 

[The Doctor]

That was quite a bit of fun. Didn't make a lick of sense, but who's really tuning in for that anymore, eh?

I'm about halfway convinced that The Doctor will die next week. No cheats. There are two hundred years of Eleven's timeline to work through before the thorny issue of Utah comes up. Perhaps they'll save the cheat for the next season.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Your desire for it to mean something else to "prove" your desire for a major gaff notwithstanding.

Oh, look, internet telepathy and attempted psychoanalysis!

Personally I just call it paying attention and not being spoonfed, actually. All part of the fun fandom and viewing experience.

 

[davejames]

I'm about halfway convinced that The Doctor will die next week. No cheats. There are two hundred years of Eleven's timeline to work through before the thorny issue of Utah comes up. Perhaps they'll save the cheat for the next season.

Oh I'm sure he'll die, but there's nothing saying he can't come back to life afterwards (in some non-regeneration way, of course).

 

[captcalhoun]

4) Who the old guy was from the first episode that looked like Data's father from TNG's "The Schizoid Man."

were you not paying attention to The Impossible Astronaut? that was the older version of FBI Agent Canton Everett Delaware III. THEY TOLD US THAT.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

No, it's a minor prop problem. With the newspaper. With a fine printing of the date that you can't even see without pausing and searching for it.

Which brings up the same question I asked before. Why would this particular prop problem come to exist, especially so close to the stated death date of the Doctor? Do you have any information, such as the date the episode was filmed, that would suggest a reason for this error to end up coincidentally so close?