Doctor Who – 4x12 – The Stolen Earth (Grade/Discuss)

[Captain Shaw]

This week is so slow
.
Its bad enough having to wait for sga but now with the doctor i just want to be put in a coma till it time for it to air.
Will Wimbledon still be on because if so Murry better hurry up and win/lose.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I'm guessing all the flash and bang in this episode will prompt many to give it a fantastic. It was definitely entertaining but not quite solid enough to earn the top grade.

At the end of the day, you're probably right. I graded the episode after the emotional ride. When I rank the finale against the rest of the series (which won't be until after the second part), I'll probably rank it a bit lower than I do now.

Seeing the cast of all the shows was nice and they actually were used efficiently. Hopefully we can see them in action together in the finale. Having them together on a conference call while the Earth is being invaded was a bit of a let down. I did not by the tough girl Rose image. Just wasn't believable to me. Easily the low point of all the guest characters.

I loved the conference call and I think having them do a conference call rather than having them all show up at one location arbitrary was the best idea. They can all get together in the next episode.

As for Rose, I'm not sure about her. Like I said in my review, for the most part I liked her, but I really wanted to smack her when she repeated her "School Reunion" whining about not being the only companion. Seriously, did she really expect The Doctor to stop having companions after her? She knows he has had many companions before her (thanks to Sarah Jane) so it only makes sense that he would continue to have companions.

I was confused by one thing. Probably just forgetting past events. What was Caan's story. What was his big jump into his own time bubble thing about?

When he last saw him in "Evolution of the Daleks," he made an emergency temporal shift. We discovered in this episode that he found himself back in the Time War, where he rescued Davros. However, because he broke through the Time Lock, he went completely insane.

 

[Mr Awe]

Having given it some thought, I think I know one key scene that will have big repercussions in the finale, but it's a quiet scene that no one's mentioned.

Donna, sitting on the stairs, hearing a heartbeat. The attendant approaches with tea, then says "There is something on your back (or possibly "There was something on your back.). And I'm sorry for your loss. The loss to come".

Mark my words, it'll be pivotal.

Of course it will. And, it's really no big surprise. There's been various hints throughout the season that Donna will pay a huge price.

Mr Awe

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Why did they have to crack open Caan's shell like that? And is he mad or does he have real foresight?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Why did they have to crack open Caan's shell like that?

Maybe it was broken open from the traveling into the Time War?

And is he mad or does he have real foresight?

I bet he does have foresight. Not the first time foresight has been featured on the show or even in this series.

 

[diankra]

I really meant, what did the Ogrons get out of it?

Slaves or mercenaries? Hell, it might even be possible they worshiped the Dalek's as gods like the Jem Hadar and Founder paradigm... It's been 20 years since I watched most of Pertwee's run.

They didn't get exterminated and they did get fed seems to have been about it... (mind you, you had to unwarp the food as they didn't get the idea of packaging).

 

[diankra]

Yeah, I think it's the TARDIS which is going to bite it too, which means reset button.

Hells they could reverse the timewar if Caan left a path others can follow... Which would mean, that we're back to McGhan.

I definitely think the "most faithful companion" is a reference to the TARDIS. Wouldn't it be awesome if the TARDIS sacrificed itself to bring the Doctor back to a restored Gallifrey? And the Doctor would be still be able to travel since the other Time Lords could either fix the TARDIS or give him a new one.

I believe the proper phrase would be grow him a new one.

Smacks forehead in 'two-plus-two may make five' moment. Jack has an infant TARDIS growing on his desk at Torchwood...

 

[RevdKathy]

Why did they have to crack open Caan's shell like that?

Maybe the madness includes claustrophobia. He's more effective waggling his tentacles in mania, anyway.

And is he mad or does he have real foresight?

I would imagine madness in a time travelling creature would almost certainly include visions of other times. So presumably foresight.

 

[USS KG5]

Will Wimbledon still be on because if so Murry better hurry up and win/lose.

Murray is up against Nadal tomorrow so it would be the biggest shock in the history of the tournament if he is still in it on Saturday.

 

[wamdue]

Smacks forehead in 'two-plus-two may make five' moment. Jack has an infant TARDIS growing on his desk at Torchwood...

I wonder what would happen if you throw that bit in with the Doctor whilst he was regenerating.

come to think of it what would happen if Jack got his time travel wrist watch thing working, and time travelled inside the TARDIS, would he go back to the TARIDS of previous Doctors.

 

[starburst]

Why did they have to crack open Caan's shell like that? And is he mad or does he have real foresight?

Well for one the part of Caans shell that was removed has his weapon...wouldnt you want to disarm someone who has gone insane (hes also chained up)

 

[Sean_McCormick]

[...] And is he mad or does he have real foresight?

[kosh]Yes[/kosh]

 

[jbny67]

Smacks forehead in 'two-plus-two may make five' moment. Jack has an infant TARDIS growing on his desk at Torchwood...

I wonder what would happen if you throw that bit in with the Doctor whilst he was regenerating.

come to think of it what would happen if Jack got his time travel wrist watch thing working, and time travelled inside the TARDIS, would he go back to the TARIDS of previous Doctors.

He did get it working. He got the info he needed from Martha. That's how he was able to leave the Torchwood hub and join The Doctor.

 

[Brent]

wait wait wait wait wait

so if dalek caan was able to break the time lock and save davros, that means the time lock CAN be broken, and as such gallifrey can be saved

 

[David cgc]

If you're willing to go insane and make swiss cheese of the boundary between universes, resulting in the ultimate destruction of time and space, sure.

 

[wamdue]

Smacks forehead in 'two-plus-two may make five' moment. Jack has an infant TARDIS growing on his desk at Torchwood...

I wonder what would happen if you throw that bit in with the Doctor whilst he was regenerating.

come to think of it what would happen if Jack got his time travel wrist watch thing working, and time travelled inside the TARDIS, would he go back to the TARIDS of previous Doctors.

He did get it working. He got the info he needed from Martha. That's how he was able to leave the Torchwood hub and join The Doctor.

I think that was just teleport, not time travel. Its funny Jack is allowed to teleport or Time Travel on Doctor Who, but heaven forbid he should use his fancy wrist thingy for more than speaking to the James Masters character in Torchwood.

 

[starburst]

Well depending on what happens in the next episode in terms of time resets or the Doctor using the Sonic Screwdriver on it again Jacks 'wrist thingy' may be able to teleport in the next season of Torchwood

 

[biotech]

If Jack had that thing working on torchwood every episode would be about ten minutes long.

I just wonder if when Caan saved Davros, if it was at the moment when the (presumably) 8th version of the Doctor was also trying to save Davros, because who knows, it might have pulled him along for the ride, along with his tardis, a handy thing to have around when or if the 10th/11th Docs tardis goes boom.

Caan did describe him as the three fold man, and if the 10th becomes the 11th, the hand becomes another 10, and then a parodox version of the 8th shows up, you have a threefold man.

 

[Faylinn]

I think that was just teleport, not time travel. Its funny Jack is allowed to teleport or Time Travel on Doctor Who, but heaven forbid he should use his fancy wrist thingy for more than speaking to the James Masters character in Torchwood.

Yeah, no kidding.

Those 'emergency teleport' things are so convenient on Who - why not find a few that fell through the rift and give them to the team so that if, say, they are stuck in a nuclear power station when it's going into meltdown, they can transport out. (Perhaps some one-time use emergency transports so they have to use them wisely or something.) Working at Torchwood is dangerous enough, they deserve at least one get-out-of-danger-free card for their troubles. It might not prevent them from getting shot, but no plan is perfect.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

If you're willing to go insane and make swiss cheese of the boundary between universes, resulting in the ultimate destruction of time and space, sure.

So we just need to find a scrape goat to save Gallifrey. I wonder what would happen to Jack if he tried it...