Rate 8x12: Death In Heaven

[Timewalker]

On a whole though this series is going where I want the show to go, I really feel this is one of the strongest series yet. After the episode I heard my dad saying "Peter Capaldi's the best doctor ever" like a child, made me giggle lol. And he was a devout David Tennant fan with me. Capaldi's certainly fighting his way into my magic top three doctors now, I can see him becoming my favourite by the end of his era, if his next series are as good of course.

You want the show to go in the direction of childish storylines that make no sense and the main characters routinely lying to each other?

Classic Who had its "wtf" moments, but the Doctor and his Companions weren't routinely rude and deceitful to each other.

The episode didn't really show an explanation of how the Master came back, did it?

To be fair, that's perfectly normal for the Master.

As per OldWho, sure. But there was only the distant memory of the Master's last appearence back in those pre-VHS days.

Oh, come on. The Master's last Classic Who appearance was late in the Sylvester McCoy era (late '80s). I assure you, we did have VCRs (VHS ones, at that) back in those days. And since a lot of PBS stations had re-run the Pertwee era stories by then, a lot of us had full VHS libraries of all the stories from Pertwee-McCoy, which means we had all the Master stories.


Other than the nod to Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and an oblique explanation of how Orson Pink came to exist (I'm assuming Clara adopted the kid and gave him Danny's last name, thereby the kid was able to pass along the "Pink" last name to Orson), this episode was the usual sort of disappointing mess.

And now Santa Claus shows up. Do the producers not understand that adults watch this show, too?

 

[DarthPipes]

I'm mixed on the whole thing. Some of it was good and some of it wasn't so good. Osgood's death put me in a FOUL mood. She dies and Clara lives...just doesn't seem fair. This episode showed why the Doctor and Clara need to be separated from each other. They bring out the very worst in one another.

Peter Capaldi was excellent. I wasn't feeling Missy but thought her scenes at the end with the Doctor were really good.

I have to admit, the reveal that that had been the Brigadier got my teary-eyed. That was a hell of a scene.

 

[Mr Light]

I did really like the idea of flying Cybermen doing an Iron Man impersonation. That makes them twice as deadly as cool. Just like making the Daleks fly.

I like this Zygon Osgood clone theory. Let's run with that

I'm one of those people who utterly despised the Danny Pink character, on page and on screen, so having him as an undead Cyberman... continuing to be a dick to the Doctor who is trying to save the world... was pretty damn grating... but he's finally gone... it's over... it's finally over...

So... what the point of Clara having post it notes about her life all over the apartment, then? And what was she calling to tell Danny in the opening? I was assuming it was that she was pregnant but they never went anywhere with either of those things.

 

[Mitty]

See, I really think Gallifrey IS there. It's just out of phase or something.

 

[Cutter John]

I just noticed that it was Clara's eyes in the opening credits. I giggled.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

So what are people's thoughts about the paradox in the room?

Was Clara's future timeline (and children) with Danny wiped out? Is Clara pregnant right now? Was Rupert Pink not directly related to Clara after all?

I will say that Danny being dead for good was an option I could not consider until it happened (with the bracelet at the end). That was a good surprise. Really, the episode set up bittersweet quite well. I didn't think Gallifrey would be back so soon, but the disappointment of it not being there was real. Mixed in with finding that Danny was not coming back just when there seemed to be a last chance.

 

[Count Zero]

So, Santa is really a Timelord?

 

[SeerSGB]

See, I really think Gallifrey IS there. It's just out of phase or something.

That's what I thought. The Mistress did say that it had returned to it's original location, but was in another dimension.

 

[diankra]

The idea of making the Doctor the President of Earth in times of crisis is a really nifty idea... but it seems a little late to the table at this point. And would everybody really agree to this a few years after Saxon took over?

Well, putting the Doctor in charge might be a reaction to the Saxon business (and, accidentally or not, a nice reference to the new Starfleet General Order in the post-Nemesis Trek-lit books: it can be summarised as 'In event of Borg, Picard's in charge').

And the 'kidnappping the Doctor' business; it's possible that The Protocols predated Kate taking charge of UNIT, and she's not been able to get them changed, so she has to follow them.

 

[Lowdarzz]

Well beyond the nod to the Brig that was a boring, poorly written disjointed mess.

Michelle Gomez and Missy however have made me realize something. I miss Roger Delgado.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

See, I really think Gallifrey IS there. It's just out of phase or something.

That's what I thought. The Mistress did say that it had returned to it's original location, but was in another dimension.

I thought of Stolen Earth/Journey's End at that moment, when the Medusa Cascade was a second out of synch.

It would be a great way to keep Gallifrey hidden, but accessible once in a while.

 

[1001001]

I thought that was great.

When Clara sonic'd Danny...Niagara Falls, Frankie. Niagara Falls!



And yes, I assumed from watching it in real time that Missy transported away. I don't think she was killed.

 

[Cutter John]

Teaser for the Christmas special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGuPg0RTPsg

 

[Alidar Jarok]

See, I really think Gallifrey IS there. It's just out of phase or something.

That's what I thought. The Mistress did say that it had returned to it's original location, but was in another dimension.

She said both of those things, but not at the same point (the dimension one was first, a long time ago). While it's certainly possible it's there, it's also just as likely that the Master was lying.

 

[Marc]

Not sure what to make of the ending where you have them lying to each other but very different from other companion departures.

But overall enjoyable enough.

The Doctor looked different at in that last scenes with Clara - was it the haircut?

Does it mean Doctor Who has really hit the big time when you hear in an NHL broadcast (late in the 3rd period of the Ottawa/Winnipeg game) - they played "I Am The Doctor" if I remember the correct track title.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Not sure what to make of the ending where you have them lying to each other but very different from other companion departures.

But overall enjoyable enough.

The Doctor looked different at in that last scenes with Clara - was it the haircut?

Does it mean Doctor Who has really hit the big time when you hear in an NHL broadcast (late in the 3rd period of the Ottawa/Winnipeg game) - they played "I Am The Doctor" if I remember the correct track title.

Can the Doctor help Winnipeg finally get a Stanley Cup victory? Is that why Santa Claus is in the special this year?

 

[starsuperion]

What a glorious episode! I was wrong about Clara and danny.. the last few episodes, I did feel there was true love there.. But I could just imagine the first few seconds of the new episode, everyone's head must have exploded.. Clara is the Doctor?? LOL! that was fantastic red herring misdirection..

Tho secretly we all (and I mean fans who truly know the doctor) knew she was lying to escape, otherwise, why the previous episodes had her doing what she did.. the doctor can't help but show off himself.. he couldn't do undercover for that long..

On another note, the Mistress Death mystery is definitely a teleport in my estimation.. compare danny's laser blasts of other cybers, and the red destructo ray of the master's PDA device, and you will see a distinct difference, and also, why would one cyber remain behind not blown up unless a mistress contingency plan, even tho it/he saved Ms. Stewart..

Let's not forget the ruse of Season 1, finale with the supposed death of satellite five people which ended up being a teleporter, and since Mistresses PDA was lost, the contingency plan would have been to have a back up cyber for escape.. the mistress/Master may be a psychopath, but not suicidal, even in female format.. lest we forget becoming human to escape death of the daleks in the time war.. the Mistress/Master is a psycho, but not suicidal..

Brilliant! Excellent episode!!

All the doctor's Kids are presumed missing, but married four times, all deceased?? Interesting.. I know of two.. Susan's Mum...River song..

the others then?

Marilyn Monroe?
Elizabeth the first?

the dead girl with the bowtie..

I think she is a cloned assistant to Stewart.. Like there will be more of her..

Just my theory.. could be wrong.. But I think she will be back..

One last tid bit that I found profoundly awesome.. I have never in all the years, episodes and anything I have ever seen of the Doctor, beat his fist on the TARDIS console like that.. He was PISSED!!

I mean yes, he has hit it once and just to get it to work.. But not like that.. Awesome!!!

back to the bowtie girl.. the Mistress was talking about her smell..
Did she actually die, or was that a left over doppleganger from the 50th special?? will we see more of her in the future as a captive of the Zygons?

 

[diankra]

All the doctor's Kids are presumed missing, but married four times, all deceased?? Interesting.. I know of two.. Susan's Mum...River song..

the others then?

Marilyn Monroe?
Elizabeth the first?

I think that was the intention. Nice to have a confirmation that young Hartnell was married to Susan's grandmother...

 

[DeadmeatDiggory]

Well, after all that, so much for finding out why The Doctor looks like the Roman Father and the dude from Children of earth. As usual, Moffat is full of gimmicks and bullshit.

 

[Chris3123]

I voted Good. It would have been great if not for a few really dumb bits.

A couple thing didn't make sense.

1: In this episode Missy confirms what many of us already suspected, that she is the one who gave Clara the Doctor's number and placed the ad in that paper back in Victorian London. Why then, in Dark Water, does Clara never recognize her?

2: About Danny sending the boy back. It had been pretty much made clear that the inside of the Nethersphere was a virtual construct, as are the "bodies" of the people inside. So how could that boy enter the real world?

I was really mad that Missy killed Osgood and Kate.

Kate isn't dead. CyberBrig saved her.

Obviously Missy just teleported away as she got shot or something. Because otherwise she would have just regenerated.

That doesn't make any sense. You can't have regeneration if there's no body to regenerate. She was disintegrated by CyberBrig's arm blaster.