Heads up! Dr Who starts Saturday....

[mr magnolia]

you need to watch the 'confidential' stuff immediately afterwards on BBC3.  It always tells me much more than I saw!

I thought it was luverly, and so did my girls (and thats what counts)  I'm slightly disappointed though (from a dramatic perspective) that the tardis crew didn't change completely.  At one point i thought Amy must BE the Dr in the future.
And as an aside, their both a little too glib still for my tastes.  I prefer the 'mind games' type stories, but I think they are concentrating on appealing to the 'sarah jane adventures' viewers for this series.

[TimO]

That was an interesting albeit confusing episode.  I think Kirst summarised some of the complex bits.  I liked the way that Doctor bounced forwards and backwards in time, doing all the sort of things that you shouldn't do in time, like nicking Amelie's drink.   Of course generally that sort of thing isn't done, because of things like "fixed points in time", and was explained away as being OK, since the universe was so small (temporarily).

I'll probably need to watch it again to clarify some things.

I'm still annoyed that we didn't find out exactly why the Tardis did explode, but at least it's been clarified (by the Doctor) that there was some reason, which he intends to work out, and it's not just some big gaping plot hole that's going to be ignored.

Great quote towards the end, at the wedding:

Doctor: ...I'll be leaving the kissing duties to the brand new Mr Pond.
Rory: No, I'm not Mr Pond, that's not how it works.
Doctor: Yeah it is.
Rory: Yeah.... it is.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

That was an interesting albeit confusing episode.  I think Kirst summarised some of the complex bits.  I liked the way that Doctor bounced forwards and backwards in time, doing all the sort of things that you shouldn't do in time, like nicking Amelie's drink.   Of course generally that sort of thing isn't done, because of things like "fixed points in time", and was explained away as being OK, since the universe was so small (temporarily).

Well, not exactly. In every series it's been explained that some things are fixed points in time and have to always happen, but other things are flexible and the Doctor or other people/events can change them. The TARDIS exploding and destroying the universe clearly wasn't a fixed point in time, because if it was the universe would never have happened at all including the TARDIS so it could never have exploded. The Doctor's always been very careful not to meddle with fixed points in time, but he's always quite willing to have a go at saving people if it's not a fixed point in time, so we can assume that all the fiddling he did last night was to things that weren't fixed points in time. But we know none of it was a fixed point in time because it becomes a self-fulfilling non-event - if the universe exploding and being destroyed and never having existed always happened, it would never have happened because it would never have existed, but because it did exist, it never having had existed couldn't happen.

[TimO]

Well, exactly what's meant by fixed points in time is never explained, so very conveniently they can use this excuse whenever they feel like it.  I'm not sure the fact that the entire universe is about to disappear is sufficient to say that events happening there are not fixed point in time.  This is admitedly based on a somewhat vague handwavyness way of thinking what a fixed point is ie something significant which has significant implications for following events.  Arguably not having a future is a way to avoid significant events in the future would imply that there are no fixed points, because there are no points whatsoever.  I tend to think that the universe doesn't know it's not going to exist, so you could still have fixed points, albeit pointless (sic) ones.

I'm pretty sure that the Doctor did make some comment about the universe being so small, that it was OK anyway, the implication being that the Vortex Generator was a bit iffy, and in a big universe could cause disaster, but presumably in the somewhat truncated, star less universe, there was a sufficiently low amounts of material that it was OK.  This seems reasonable, whereas conveniently not having any fixed points sounds a bit of a cop out.

[mattc]

Anyone daft  enough to try making sense of a time-travel story (other than Ray Bradbury's, obviously), should rewatch their copies of:

- Back to The Future
- Bill and Ted.

Possibly not in that order.

Really enjoyed this. Nice lines, good bits for River Song, not _too_schmaltzy .... and possibly the ultimate ' ... Something blue' joke.

What's not to like?!?

[mrcharly-YHT]

. . and . . . I do like the way River Song says "Yes".

[woollypigs]

I loved it and got what he was doing when he was jumping to and fro. Yes if you wanted to you could pick holes in it, but that is not what Doctor Who is about. Looks like (after we watched confidential) that we are going to find out who River is.

Is it xmas yet ?

[TimO]

... Yes if you wanted to you could pick holes in it, but that is not what Doctor Who is about. ...

Sez who, that's half the fun.

[Mr Larrington]

The whole exploding TARDIS wossname made me start to wonder whether there was to be a Collapsing Hrung gag in there, and I was rather disappointed when there wasn't

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I want a Pandorica to put half my caseload in.

[Si]

OK, I can see why Amy had the half memories of the raggedy man - because the doc put them there when he visited her in bed, etc.

But why was River at the wedding?  For her to be there she would have had to remember the Dr, and if she did , why didn't that bring him back rather than having to get Amy to remember him?

Also, River's closing comment: "That's when it all changes" - is she a reincarnation of Captain Jack? 

[Andrij]

Also, River's closing comment: "That's when it all changes" - is she a reincarnation of Captain Jack? 

Or the Master?
 

[Crapaud]

Also, River's closing comment: "That's when it all changes" - is she a reincarnation of Captain Jack? 

Or the Master?
 

or the mysterious elderly Gallifreain (sp?) woman from the end of Tennant's last series? She winked; River winks a lot.

[TimO]

I presume that River has to be female, if she's another Time Lord (Lady), since as far as I know they don't change gender during regeneration.

How about the Rani as another possibility?  Apparently (according to this Wikia entry) "A past relationship between the Rani and the Doctor was hinted at, but never elaborated upon."

Edit:  Amusingly, the Wikia refers to that mysterious elderly Gallifreyan Woman as "The Woman".

[Adrian]

But why did she apologise for whatever it is that will be revealed?

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Because it's going to be all awful and tragic and sad.

[Adrian]

Yes but why, or in what way. Is there a big clue to her identity in this?

[Tourist Tony]

Anyone daft  enough to try making sense of a time-travel story (other than Ray Bradbury's, obviously), should rewatch their copies of:

- Back to The Future
- Bill and Ted.

Possibly not in that order.

Really enjoyed this. Nice lines, good bits for River Song, not _too_schmaltzy .... and possibly the ultimate ' ... Something blue' joke.

What's not to like?!?

Which one?
If you want a deeply unsettling time travel knotwork, try Heinlein's "All You Zombies"

[LindaG]

Making the dalek beg for mercy.  I love that. 

[mattc]

Tony:
A Sound of Thunder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a really well told story, and all time-travel stories since just seem a bit ... lame (but back to the future is still a great film!)

[MattH]

If you want a deeply unsettling time travel knotwork, try Heinlein's "All You Zombies"

For the audio version of this, try Escape Pod

[Tourist Tony]

Tony:
A Sound of Thunder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a really well told story, and all time-travel stories since just seem a bit ... lame (but back to the future is still a great film!)

Of course! [slaps forehead] As ripped off many, many times.....

[citoyen]

It's the Daily Star, so very likely made up by bored hacks one afternoon, but I do so hope this is true...

Daily Star: Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Eric Cantona to join Doctor Who as an evil alien

[Adrian]

It's the Daily Star, so very likely made up by bored hacks one afternoon, but I do so hope this is true...

Daily Star: Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Eric Cantona to join Doctor Who as an evil alien

That would just be being himself then

[bobb]

River Song is Amelia's aunt. What that means, I don't know. But pay attention at the back!!