7X04 The Power Of Three (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!)

[Ghost Bones]

Chibnall is on fire this year.

If only!

What's with the Scot bashing? It's offensive, she is Scottish, she has a Scottish accent. She doesn't talk like a bad comedy stereotype.

I'm not Scot bashing, just Amy bashing. And she does talk like that when I'm restating what she said in a comic way that makes its meaning clearer.

She doesn't talk like that. Ever. It wasn't comedic effect you were going for. Also what's wrong with a throwaway joke like that? Don't patronise 21st century children. They're not clueless and they're not innocent.

You're right, I'm just being a prudish stick-in-the-mud. Next week I hope River frigs herself off with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. After all, kids are neither clueness nor innocent.

Given that it only ran 41 minutes I'm assuming that a bunch of scenes that would actually have, you know, explained things properly ended up on the cutting room floor.

For example, as it stands all the other patients on board the spaceship were just left to die by the Dynamic Trio. (And what were they there for anyway?)

That's a very good point. I'd forgotten about that. It's like storytelling's not a concern whatsoever.

 

[StCoop]

Oh, and would it kill people who work in TV and Films to take two seconds to understand what a defibrillator actually does?

Hint: It doesn't restart non-functioning hearts.

 

[Starkers]

Does anyone know what a defibrillator actually does to a Timelord then?

 

[StCoop]

Does anyone know what a defibrillator actually does to a Timelord then?

Absolutely nothing unless one of his hearts is in dysrhythmia. Which it wasn't.

It also doesn't makes you jerk and convulse wildly.

TV lies.

Films lie.

 

[Starkers]

About a great many things...

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

I figured Amy and Rory helped them off the Ship like Brian before they returned to the Doctor. Didn't the Doctor say, get them and yourself to safety or something to that effect?

 

[Pindar]

I figured Amy and Rory helped them off the Ship like Brian before they returned to the Doctor. Didn't the Doctor say, get them and yourself to safety or something to that effect?

You could still see them when they ran for it at the end.

I presume they were being experimented on but it was a story thread that was undeveloped.

The surgical drones or whatever they were, were gas mask face creepy though. I liked them.

 

[Ghost Bones]

Does anyone know what a defibrillator actually does to a Timelord then?

A. Whatever the plot requires it to.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Oh, and would it kill people who work in TV and Films to take two seconds to understand what a defibrillator actually does?

Hint: It doesn't restart non-functioning hearts.

Amy should have pointed the sonic at it for a second or two then it would. Heck, she probably could've just pointed the sonic at the Doctor's heart.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

It was funny, clever, moving, ridiculous, innovative, everything that Doctor Who should be. I loved it. I'm gonna miss the Ponds.

 

[Nightowl1701]

I figured Amy and Rory helped them off the Ship like Brian before they returned to the Doctor. Didn't the Doctor say, get them and yourself to safety or something to that effect?

You could still see them when they ran for it at the end.

I presume they were being experimented on but it was a story thread that was undeveloped.

The surgical drones or whatever they were, were gas mask face creepy though. I liked them.

My guess is they were already dead - harvested by the "drones" and autopsied on to determine the most vunerable points of human beings. Freshly killed too, as the "drones" had been at their grisly work for months and would had to replenish their "stock" as the bodies decayed. Evil Hologram Guy had the info he wanted (go for the heart), he just didn't bother to shut them down and they continued cutting people up on autopilot. They just hadn't gotten around to cutting up Brian yet when Rory showed up.

 

[davejames]

I thought it was a nice, change of pace episode myself. It's always fun watching this Doctor interact with the modern world (since he does it so rarely), and the mystery surrounding the cubes was a good one. The moment where they all start behaving in strange and different ways was perfectly directed, I thought, and genuinely had me wondering "what the fuck is going on?!?"

And the creepy robot girl in the hospital was a nice touch too.

The only shame of it is, is that after such a great setup, the source of the invasion ends up being... just another alien ship in orbit. I would have loved something a lot less conventional than that, to go with the originality of the "slow invasion". But oh well. The Shakri alien was still sufficiently weird and creepy enough to get the job done.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

I figured Amy and Rory helped them off the Ship like Brian before they returned to the Doctor. Didn't the Doctor say, get them and yourself to safety or something to that effect?

You could still see them when they ran for it at the end.

I presume they were being experimented on but it was a story thread that was undeveloped.

The surgical drones or whatever they were, were gas mask face creepy though. I liked them.

You're right... Didn't noticed that on first watch.

Watched it a second time and saw them. Didn't bother me that much though, they were not showing any lifesigns anymore.

I like the episode. It was a nice definitiv characterpiece that showed the Ponds belong with the Doctor.. well at least until next week and their unintentional departure.

 

[throwback]

For me, when I start the evening by watching a well-crafted story, such as A Town Called Mercy, any episode after it had better match the quality or it's gonna be a letdown. The Power of Three was a letdown. They spent a long time doing exposition, then they rushed quickly through the ending. The medical science in this episode was poorly handled. The people who had died would remain dead. Getting a heart going is not the same as turning an on-off switch. We may be mechanical, but we are not that mechanical. And I still attempting to piece what happen in the seven weeks that Amy and Rory were with the Doctor. He takes to them to a 1890's hotel room where they will be pampered, then suddenly they running for their lives and Amy gets hitched with King Henry VIII. Huh? And what is it with the 1800s' that has sci-fi writers thinking this is a great century? It was a lousy century. Why not some future time and place? Certainly, there are places that are more pleasurable and relaxing than a stuffy 1890s' hotel, even if it is posh by 1800's standards like the Savoy. And, can someone please tell me why Amy and Rory needed the blessing of Dad Rory for them to go an adventure? It wasn't important before, and, since one hopes that they are adults, they can make choices for themselves. I felt the father was handled poorly. Though I understood how Rory can be patient for 2000 years, I feel that the father was a source of comic relief. I didn't like it at all. There was only one moment that I felt worked, and that was when the Doctor was having a frank discussion with the father about past companions. For the life of me, I can't remember which companions got left behind. Overall, I think this is one of the weakest episodes for the eleventh doctor. I am hoping that next week can be better. It can't be worse.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

For me, when I start the evening by watching a well-crafted story, such as A Town Called Mercy, any episode after it had better match the quality or it's gonna be a letdown. The Power of Three was a letdown. They spent a long time doing exposition, then they rushed quickly through the ending. The medical science in this episode was poorly handled. The people who had died would remain dead. Getting a heart going is not the same as turning an on-off switch. We may be mechanical, but we are not that mechanical. And I still attempting to piece what happen in the seven weeks that Amy and Rory were with the Doctor. He takes to them to a 1890's hotel room where they will be pampered, then suddenly they running for their lives and Amy gets hitched with King Henry VIII. Huh? And what is it with the 1800s' that has sci-fi writers thinking this is a great century? It was a lousy century. Why not some future time and place? Certainly, there are places that are more pleasurable and relaxing than a stuffy 1890s' hotel, even if it is posh by 1800's standards like the Savoy. And, can someone please tell me why Amy and Rory needed the blessing of Dad Rory for them to go an adventure? It wasn't important before, and, since one hopes that they are adults, they can make choices for themselves. I felt the father was handled poorly. Though I understood how Rory can be patient for 2000 years, I feel that the father was a source of comic relief. I didn't like it at all. There was only one moment that I felt worked, and that was when the Doctor was having a frank discussion with the father about past companions. For the life of me, I can't remember which companions got left behind. Overall, I think this is one of the weakest episodes for the eleventh doctor. I am hoping that next week can be better. It can't be worse.

Of course I can understand it if you didn't like the show. The rushed ending for example is an obvious flaw of the episode, and I guess it may ruin the whole thing for some people. But non-convincing depiction of medical science and poor taste in centuries? Now that's a very unusual selection of grievances.

 

[StCoop]

My guess is they were already dead - harvested by the "drones" and autopsied on to determine the most vunerable points of human beings.

Character stuff aside wasn't the whole point of the episode that that was what the Cubes were doing?

And how did nobody in the hospital notice a little girl sitting there all day every day for a year?

(And how amazing was it that out of all the places in the world they could be they were in Rory's hospital?)

***

And don't forget kids, when Moffat does move on Chibnall's almost certainly going to get his job...

 

[Mr. Adventure]

My guess is they were already dead - harvested by the "drones" and autopsied on to determine the most vunerable points of human beings.

Character stuff aside wasn't the whole point of the episode that that was what the Cubes were doing?

And how did nobody in the hospital notice a little girl sitting there all day every day for a year?

(And how amazing was it that out of all the places in the world they could be they were in Rory's hospital?)

Definitely a case of cart pulling the horse, I think the cube plot was just an afterthought, the villain necessitated by series madate.

Almost could be seen as a satire of the worst of the new era. Evocative but empty imagery like the girl and orderlies that are discarded when done. Tacky cardboard villain behind it all ends up just being typical ugly old dude with hoary sub-Earth Stood Still motivations. Everything is reversed with no consequences (look how much people are worked up the Doctor might have missed six people, we know what Tennant would have said...."I am SO sorry."). Even Brian just sitting around for days until summoned seemed like some a bit of a jibe.

My favorite part is during the Shakri's speech they show Stewart saying "Tell the Secretary General it's not just hospitals and equipment, it's people. Our best hope now is each other.". Sooooo inspiring.

And the Doctor sure hasn't done a good job keeping his identity quiet has he. I have a feeling that subplot will soon be forgotten as well.

 

[Deckerd]

You're right, I'm just being a prudish stick-in-the-mud. Next week I hope River frigs herself off with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. After all, kids are neither clueness nor innocent.

Oh well you should have said you weren't serious about the criticism either. Humour; a delicate thing.

 

[doubleohfive]

About the only problem I had was the very rushed ending and Amy's very rushed narration, as if including the line about "cubed = the power of three" was an afterthought the day she went in for ADR.

On the positive side, it's nice that Amy's not just a model anymore but actually writing for a travel magazine... I guess I wasn't the only one thinking it was a bit of a slap in the face to make her a model (someone valued by her looks), at least, when stacking her up next to the former companions and their ultimate career choices.

 

[Starkers]

My guess is they were already dead - harvested by the "drones" and autopsied on to determine the most vunerable points of human beings.

Character stuff aside wasn't the whole point of the episode that that was what the Cubes were doing?

And how did nobody in the hospital notice a little girl sitting there all day every day for a year?

(And how amazing was it that out of all the places in the world they could be they were in Rory's hospital?)

***

And don't forget kids, when Moffat does move on Chibnall's almost certainly going to get his job...

You don't know that, in fact not so long ago you were saying Whithouse was a shoe-in to get the job. He's written eps in every Moffat series after all? Chibnell hasn't.

I'm not sure I want either of them, but frankly Chibnell has written two enjoyable episodes this year, so if he did get the job I'd at least give him a chance.