7X07 The Rings of Akhenaten (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!)

[JRoss]

Not sure what I just watched but I think it was a long sequence of Clara whispering at a child followed by the Doctor telling a story to a Jack-o-lantern to kill it. Props to the Mos Eisley scene, though. Nice to see a Douglas Adams reference.

Cannot wait for the Moff to go. This season isn't just bad, it is boring. This episode was flat, and I seriously cannot remember what last week's episode was about.

 

[lennier1]

Once again a mediocre episode which only managed to stay above water thanks to some nice effects and an amazing child actress (the latter seems to have become a recurring pattern).

And the TV stories really seem to be afraid of touching the subject of Susan's fate after her departure while the audio adventures have at least tried to do her justice.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

And the TV stories really seem to be afraid of touching the subject of Susan's fate after her departure while the audio adventures have at least tried to do her justice.

"Afraid"? Susan left the show nine years before I was born. No one cares.

 

[Starkers]

Surprised no one has mentioned (unless I missed it) the Blade Runner homages? "I've seen things you wouldn't believe" which I would have let pass if they hadn't followed it up with "Home again home again jiggedy jig."

...I feel ashamed that missed these quotes considering Blade Runner is my favorite film of all time. When were they spoken?

He says I've seen things you wouldn't believe (or possibly a slight varient of it) during his speech to the "God". home again home again he says as the Tardis touched down at the end.

 

[throwback]

For myself, I miss the days when the companion was someone who saw traveling with the Doctor as an adventure. I am not interested in the mystery that is named Clara.

On Doctor Who wiki, they are having difficulty in identifying what that red whatever is. Is it a planet? Is it a sun? The episode is not clear - for in one instance, the Doctor refers to it as a planet; then later, he refers to it as a sun. Where was the continuity adviser on this episode?

 

[Starkers]

I miss the days when somone travelled with the Doctor (initially at least) not through choice (ala Tegan) or because they pretty much had nowhere else to go (Nyssa). I also kinda miss the Doctor not being fully in control of the Tardis

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Where was the continuity adviser on this episode?

I miss the days when somone travelled with the Doctor (initially at least) not through choice (ala Tegan) or because they pretty much had nowhere else to go (Nyssa). I also kinda miss the Doctor not being fully in control of the Tardis

Well, there was Mickey.

And the Doctor is better at piloting the TARDIS, but only slightly better. He still gets it wrong from time to time.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

For myself, I miss the days when the companion was someone who saw traveling with the Doctor as an adventure. I am not interested in the mystery that is named Clara.

On Doctor Who wiki, they are having difficulty in identifying what that red whatever is. Is it a planet? Is it a sun? The episode is not clear - for in one instance, the Doctor refers to it as a planet; then later, he refers to it as a sun. Where was the continuity adviser on this episode?

It kind of looked like a brown dwarf, which is intermediate between a planet and a star.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_dwarf

Supposedly, brown dwarfs should look magenta coloured to the eye, and ordinary main sequence stars would be able to illuminate them.

 

[Mr Light]

I watched the episode again Sunday and he says that the seven planets orbit around the star which they think created all life in the universe. That makes it sound like a star, to me...

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I watched the episode again Sunday and he says that the seven planets orbit around the star which they think created all life in the universe. That makes it sound like a star, to me...

Yeah, that's a conundrum. If it's a planet, can it be hollowed out and used as a ship by the Daleks, and if it's a sun, did the Usurians build it?

But we all know it was Azatoth, right?

 

[Klaus]

^^Well there's still some of that, he was impressed [and a little surprised] that he managed to get it w/in the the same day....

 

[Psion]

For myself, I miss the days when the companion was someone who saw traveling with the Doctor as an adventure. I am not interested in the mystery that is named Clara.

On Doctor Who wiki, they are having difficulty in identifying what that red whatever is. Is it a planet? Is it a sun? The episode is not clear - for in one instance, the Doctor refers to it as a planet; then later, he refers to it as a sun. Where was the continuity adviser on this episode?

It kind of looked like a brown dwarf, which is intermediate between a planet and a star.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_dwarf

Supposedly, brown dwarfs should look magenta coloured to the eye, and ordinary main sequence stars would be able to illuminate them.

I was originally leaning towards labeling it a super-jovian, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it wasn't a star or planet at all, but some kind of space entity that the locals mistook for a planet.

Hmmm ...

Forgive me for going wibbly-wobbly on everyone here, but might we have just witnessed the birth of the Great Intelligence? The Doctor poured all his memories into it, but it wanted more. So Clara gave it all the things that could have been, but weren't, and then it ... what? Vanished? Died? Went somewhere else? Somewhen else?

 

[Samurai8472]

Anyone watching expect the doctor to say something like

Clara- What just happened?

The Doctor- I sang a song and the daleks went away

 

[Konata Izumi]

Wrote a full review.

Was kinder to it after a rewatch.

It's fun as always but makes no mention to its allegoric storytelling.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I watched the episode again Sunday and he says that the seven planets orbit around the star which they think created all life in the universe. That makes it sound like a star, to me...

That's exactly right. But the rings are around one of the seven planets, which may happen to be a brown dwarf.

Doctor Who isn't as pedantic with the technobabble as Star Trek. They didn't spend 5 minutes explaining the layout of the system while showing it on a viewscreen and encouraging input

 

[Saul]

The way Clara talks to that little girl is almost like how the Doctor talks to little kids in need.

 

[od0_ital]

Just finished watchin' it, and gotta say, that was a bad episode.

A "scooter" that can cross from one asteroid to another in the vacuum of space...really?

And when the "grandfather" is full from the possibilities that the leaf represents, it imploded? Or something? So..what happens to a star system when their star is gone? Seven planets, all with intelligent life, are about to get a very long, very cold winter...

I agree that the aliens looked cheap, all rubber masks & such.

And the bazaar felt too small, as did the temple.

Hopefully next week's episode will be better, since a submarine should feel claustrophobic.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I don't think the aliens looked cheap. In fact I can't remember ever seeing so many different, fully realized alien species in a television series.

 

[Admiral2]

Seriously, though, are they gonna jump on a bike every single episode?

 

[Konata Izumi]

Watched again, it felt like the time that passed was.. five minutes, five fucking minutes Denny.

Okay.

I think it's because it's made of just a few very long scenes, so if you get caught up in the story, you won't notice how long they run, only that it was only a few scenes long, but if you don't get caught up in the story, you feel the length.

I found no plot errors this time around, but see everything connected, well-rounded. It's just a very heartfelt story of a civilization finding out about their potential, they have already nearly realized. The leaf, as an embodiment of concentrated negativity, is the final tic with all the positivity it can create, when channeled correctly. I like to think there weren't nights before with the planet, plus sun, but now there are. The planet just let them take the easy way out with its endless light. Or less symbolically, cure-all religion.

I found the Doctor's speech more of a lament about the sunny planet having taken an arrogant position, that it should not only take, but give like everyone else, and the even cooler, more experienced Doctor does. Arrogance led the planet think it can handle anything, and information overload ensued. A good thing to bring up, in a story cherishing experiences and stories.