Television Doctor Who

ha_rooney

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Good episode.

It was obvious that River is Amy's daughter, in that regard I'm disappointed this turned out to be the 'cliffhanger that would shock us'. As River is a semi-timelord was she the little girl who regenerated in episode 1?

The post-credits scene was interesting, a skeleton hand with the sonic scredriver's little light being extinguished and a message 'time runs out'. Could mean that River will still kill the Doctor as we haven't yet been told why she ended up in prison.
 

Silva

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Great episode.
My theory: The first time River meets the Doctor she will kill him, as a nice little irony.

The girl in episode is River after meeting the Doctor but the astronaut that kills the Doctor is River meeting him for the first time, in a timey-wimey time travel way.
 

phelans shorts

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I liked the Stevie Wonder joke I must say.

The kid's identity was well speculated and said in this thread many times, however the name was the final nail in the coffin, Melody Pond was clearly going to go through a minor change to River Song.

However it does seem like River may also go on to be the Doctor's wife, which gives us some interesting future storylines, as for where this will all end up with the return god knows yet, probably something happening in the Gamma Forest or whatever it was.

It was clear that the baby would have been a flesh too, Rory should have known anyway, they knew the Doctor would "rise higher than ever before then fall much lower" so when all seemed won why not mention it? Not difficult.

The Sontarin made me laugh a few times too, "I hope to kill you in battle sometime soon sir" :lol:

All in all a good mini series ender.
 

RK

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Does the Doctor-River timeline make sense? It seems like the general rule was violated in this episode. I'm very not sure though.
 

ha_rooney

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Does the Doctor-River timeline make sense? It seems like the general rule was violated in this episode. I'm very not sure though.
I'm finding it confusing trying to keep up with their respective timelines.
Why did River have to wait until that moment to tell the Doctor who she really is? And is this the last time the Doctor & River meet?

Also if River was the girl who regenerated in episode 2, how did she end up with the Silence in the 1960's and why didn't Old River realise the little girl was herself?
Hopefully Moffat can clarify everything, I like him as a writer but I feel Russel Davies storylines were easier to follow and understand.
 

phelans shorts

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I'm finding it confusing trying to keep up with their respective timelines.
Why did River have to wait until that moment to tell the Doctor who she really is? And is this the last time the Doctor & River meet?

Also if River was the girl who regenerated in episode 2, how did she end up with the Silence in the 1960's and why didn't Old River realise the little girl was herself?
Hopefully Moffat can clarify everything, I like him as a writer but I feel Russel Davies storylines were easier to follow and understand.
Well all we know is that River has been taken, she might have been taken anywhere, River couldn't go earlier because she was already there, in child form, touching the child which there is the risk of would cause a paradox.

Maybe she didn't know the child was her as she was in the suit or under control of the silence, who I expect will be involved in the return episode, maybe just being in their influence you'll forget about things, that said River did say she shot the best man she ever knew, which is either Rory or the Doctor.

Moffat is a fantastic writer, I'm sure all will be explained.
 

Gambit

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Did anyone else burst out laughing when they saw at the end the Doctor will return september 2011 in "Lets kill Hitler!"
 

Rooney1987

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I read a rumour about that title I thought it was a joke. As long as the episode is good I won't really care.
 

Gambit

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I fell asleep during it, anything interestign happen afeter River made the Tardis appear in terminator ginge Amy?
 

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Keeping my thoughts spoilered from now on

Thinking back, I understand more of it now, but I can't remember much of episodes 1-6 to connect everything together. All that episode really was was showing how River Song actually became River Song.

The stuff they said about the Silence - not a species but a religion, and that silence will fall after a particular question has been asked - will be important.

Bit disappointed with the whole Hitler aspect though, wasn't really needed.
 

Ubik

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I haaate deus ex machina.
 

rcoobc

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Keeping my thoughts spoilered from now on

Thinking back, I understand more of it now, but I can't remember much of episodes 1-6 to connect everything together. All that episode really was was showing how River Song actually became River Song.

The stuff they said about the Silence - not a species but a religion, and that silence will fall after a particular question has been asked - will be important.

Bit disappointed with the whole Hitler aspect though, wasn't really needed.
Yeah.

There is often too much going on in these episodes.
 

ha_rooney

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Brilliant episode, although it was difficult to keep up with things.

I guess Melody (the assassin) is now River Song (the good person) who can no longer regenerate but has the spoilers so she can stay one step ahead. The Doctor now knows he is going to die but if Melody is now River, she can't be the person in the spacesuit? Also, I wonder if it was his name he whispered in her ear as he was dying or something else.

The Silence still want to kill the doctor and I suppose they'll kill him when the 'question is asked'.

I wonder what the oldest question is - 'where the feck is Sneijder?' could be a possibility :D
 

Urbanned

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Brilliant episode, although it was difficult to keep up with things.

I guess Melody (the assassin) is now River Song (the good person) who can no longer regenerate but has the spoilers so she can stay one step ahead. The Doctor now knows he is going to die but if Melody is now River, she can't be the person in the spacesuit? Also, I wonder if it was his name he whispered in her ear as he was dying or something else.

The Silence still want to kill the doctor and I suppose they'll kill him when the 'question is asked'.

I wonder what the oldest question is - 'where the feck is Sneijder?' could be a possibility :D
Yeah, it looks like Melody Pond was some kind of Time-Lady who could regenerate. Somehow (which will be revealed in coming episodes) she gets sent out to search for the Doctor, brainwashed into wanting to kill him. She decides the best way to find the Doctor is to hide with the people she knows have had prior contact with him - her parents Amy and Rory - as their best friend. Then as seen in the episode she finds the Doctor but gets shot and regenerates (hence her being some sort of Time-Lady) into River.

No idea what the Doctor could tell her that would cause such a change of heart, but it made her somehow transfer her regeneration energy to the Doctor, saving his life, and also turning her into the River that we've known in the past.

I reckon the question will be Harry Redknapp asking his backroom staff - 'Hey guys, I reckon our squads complete and I don't need to sign anyone else - what do you reckon?' BOOM instant universe implosion
 

Silva

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Yeah, it looks like Melody Pond was some kind of Time-Lady who could regenerate. Somehow (which will be revealed in coming episodes) she gets sent out to search for the Doctor, brainwashed into wanting to kill him. She decides the best way to find the Doctor is to hide with the people she knows have had prior contact with him - her parents Amy and Rory - as their best friend. Then as seen in the episode she finds the Doctor but gets shot and regenerates (hence her being some sort of Time-Lady) into River.

No idea what the Doctor could tell her that would cause such a change of heart, but it made her somehow transfer her regeneration energy to the Doctor, saving his life, and also turning her into the River that we've known in the past.

I reckon the question will be Harry Redknapp asking his backroom staff - 'Hey guys, I reckon our squads complete and I don't need to sign anyone else - what do you reckon?' BOOM instant universe implosion
That particular reveal happened in the last episode of the the first half of the season.
 

Silva

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What reveal? I can't remember the first half of the season in detail much, only really vaguely. Rewatching it will make everything seem much clearer!
The woman with the eye patch steals melody pond.

the doctor says "They'll have tkane her away, given her an upbringing made her a weapon ja da ja da ja"

In the controll room the doctors friends (big blue guy and green lady) tell the doctor that their scans show that Melody is part timelord part human

Headless monks kill everyone but the main 4 or 5

In the last couple of minutes of the episode, River Song appears from out of nowhere as everyone in the room sulks saying "Hello Soldier" (I loved that line)

Pond hints to the doctor who she is. The doctor gets excited.

Doctor runs off in his little tardis

Pond tells Rory and Amy he's their daughter.

Melody hinted in this episode that she was the little girl in the space suit (a realisation that the doctor had in the controll room in the last episode) (unless thats a double bluff)

This was effectively the story of how Pond became River. The character not the name. The name happened because the people of the gamma forests don't have a word for river, hence the revelation last time through the tardis translating words.

Not sure if any of that is going to make sence, i'm a bit high and everything is slightly off.

oh and
It's good to finally know what the Silence is. That will hopelly be wrapped up in the next 5 episodes.
 

Silva

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I can it imagine it being a shit episode if you've not watched the last season and a half. If you want a good stand alone New Who episode try watching 'The Doctors Wife'
 

Ubik

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I wasn't that great (for me) even after watching all the Moffat episodes.
 

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It's like the emperor's new clothes.

Most people are just too scared to admit they don't have a bloody clue. :D
 

BahamaRed

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There's so much going on in each episode that one viewing is never enough. I watch each episode several times and am amazed at how much I've missed in previous viewings. All sorts of timey wimey loose ends around but I'm sure it'll all become clear. Hope Hitler's OK in the cupboard.
 

phelans shorts

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One thing that annoyed me a bit.

Mels grew up at the same rate as Amy, then when it comes to after that she regenerates and becomes the River we all know, all is well and good. How come she stops ageing at this point? Seriously, while she could regenerate she aged and now she can't she doesn't? It makes no sense even in a fiction story.

As others have pointed out I felt sorry for Hitler at the end there, no one likes being stuck in a cupboard.
 

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One thing that annoyed me a bit.

Mels grew up at the same rate as Amy, then when it comes to after that she regenerates and becomes the River we all know, all is well and good. How come she stops ageing at this point? Seriously, while she could regenerate she aged and now she can't she doesn't? It makes no sense even in a fiction story.

As others have pointed out I felt sorry for Hitler at the end there, no one likes being stuck in a cupboard.
If I remember correctly there's not that much time spent between River's first appearance and her last (this is obviously all complicated with their intertwining timelines), only a year or so. Not that much visible aging there.