Doctor Who Series 6 part 2 - the ganger thread

[RustyBear]

Old thread's getting full, so here's a nice new acid-resistant one...

The breaking of the faith between Amy and the Doctor happened before in 'The Curse of Fenric' where the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) has to break Ace's faith in him.

*her faith in him and Amy Williams

Wasn't it little Amy in Dr.'s room? He put the 'Do Not Disturb' up and that's waht we saw when they came out of the room.

I thought it was young Amy as in his greatest fear was ruining young Amy's life.

Tonight's Doctor was in a blue bow tie.

I think that, behind the door of number 11 was a Doctor in a red bow tie, and the "do not disturb" notice was needed because it is vital at this stage that neither Amy nor Rory finds out there are two of them. It is his greatest fear, because he knows real doctor will one day destroy ganger doctor. Ganger doctor is learning about a "good death", including from the minotaur.

The red Doctor in the room is, of course, not real - just as the weeping angels were not real. Perhaps the real red Doctor is hunting baby Melody and the little girl who regenerated.

Amy and Rory had to be left, for they were searching for the Doctor at the start of the Impossible Astronaut, and we are now approaching that point again.

I agree completely with how strange Amy's comment on finding Melody was. Either there's more plot there too, or we just have to assume that being in some sort of state of suspended animation during gestation does rather interfere with the normal bonding process.

I dont know if its some kind of very clumsy attempt to show how great her faith in the Doctor is, but it just comes across as odd.

Amy and Rory had to be left, for they were searching for the Doctor at the start of the Impossible Astronaut, and we are now approaching that point again.
I was surprised when they were left behind and wondered whether they were leaving the series. That's an interesting idea, but how would it work? Surely the doctor dying is in the past for them . They haven't mentioned it recently though whereas at the start of the series, they were whispering about it all the time.

It's somehow muddling up the linear progression of time?

I can remember wondering why, at start of part 1 of this series, why Amy and Rory were looking for the Doctor and how they had ended up in the house they were living in when the letter arrived. Well, now perhaps we know, if they are on some sort of predestined loop. Though I don't see either why they don't seem to be able to remember the death of the Doctor.

What's River doing whilst we've had Doctor/Amy/Rory plots going on? It was she who took them somewhere from Demons Run. How did they lose her and regain the Doctor for this half (have I fogotten something, or don't we know?)

In Confidential SM said the minotaur's speech was poignant because the Doctor knows he's going to die in two episodes time. (well, obv he doesn't know it's two episodes, but you catch my drift). So the time circle should work like that.

Ooh, also, I did not know that was KG's cousin playing Amelia! Rather worryingly, it made me well up, thinking it was so sweet having two people from the same family. Definitely some PMT going on here I think...

And I'm lost as to which is the current River:

a) a lost baby
b) the one in hospital
c) the one who brought them home after Demons' Run (and if so, where the hell has she got to? She was the one in the Stormcage wasn't she?)
d) the one trapped in a computer
e) someone else entirely?

Actually it can't be a circle can it? Because Amy was pregnant.

Or perhaps it can. My brain's hurting!

Yes, Amy was pregnant so I don't see how it can be a circle. Also, River was there and they showed no recognition that she was their daughter.

I didn't hear the minotaur's speech because the children were being noisy......Will have to watch it again in peace!

when the minotaur dies at the end the dr says something like "death is a gift, accept it and sleep well" and then the minotaur says something and the dr in response says "i wasn't talking about myself".

Oo-er

whoops thought the dr was having an actual conversation with it!

no no, don't blush, i think that was the cleverness of it. the doc could have been speaking either as himself or the minotaur, either way it has meaning.

Did I miss the explanation of why the Doctor had to translate the Minotaur? I know Gibbis hadn't travelled in the TARDIS, but that didn't stop the TARDIS translating the Sycorax to Harriet Jones and her aide, neither of whom had travelled in her.

No explanation given in the episode - I've just be re-watching it.

It doesn't translate Gallifreyan or languages older than the Time Lords. I think the minotaur might easily belong to the latter group.

meditrina I have a funny feeling you might be completely right. That'd be weird!

And if there's not Amy and Rory over the next couple of eps I shall be sad. I like them.

I know that for filming/timing purposes they often have an episode with either a) hardly any doctor (like that one with Donna Noble and the weird thing on her back) or b) hardly any companion (like that horrible one with the alien who started to talk at the same time as the doctor and gradually stole his words) or c) hardly any either of them (like Blink). I wonder if next week's is less about the plot development of no Ponds and more about the logistics of filming.

tash i could kiss you i thought i was being completely unreasonable sitting there thinking "why isn't the tardis' translation matrix kicking in?" - to misquote the old face of boe i was not alone

although edith your explanation is a good one and would make complete sense!

i love toby whithouse's writing and had high hopes for this - but i felt it started off well and then went a bit damp squib-ish. tbh, i have felt the second half of the season is misfiring a bit - anyone else feel like that?

i'm looking forward to the next two eps anyway - hopefully we'll have a rip-roaring finale - and some plot resolution

agreed, teej, the script built up tension then just didn't deliver. next week's is a big fat bunch of fun, imo.

glad to hear it aitch

also - t'will be nice to have the doctor just off having an adventure rather than it all being about the ponds.

actually - that might well be my problem with this half of the series now i come to think of it; the doctor seems a bit sidelined by the amy and rory show...

teej - I agree. It is not hanging together well as a series, at all IMO. I have totally lost the thread of the long story-arc, and it is too complicated with all the gangers, plus time loops and the fact that SM seems to have no issue with being inconsistent and then going 'timey-wimey'.

I didn't really like today's, it wasn't especially scary and hasn't added anything to the ongoing plot.

the summer break killed all that pacing, though, it wasn't really their fault, the show just ran out of cash.

The trailers for next week show the Dr. in a red bow tie. If you lot are right about the gangeer, could that be why the Williams-Ponds need to be ditched? So we can't tell it isn't the other version of the Dr. who obviously can't have companions?