DW 6x02 - Day of the Moon

[caz963]

Initial - jumbled up - thoughts (before I've read anyone else's.)



We're left with even more questions than we were left with last week - and right now, I confess I'm feeling a bit cheated. Maybe that'll go away once I've calmed down, but I'll be very surprised if we get any major answers before Ep 7, or even the end of the series, which, due to the split season, is almost six months away, given that the team seems to have opted for adventuring.

Not that I'm all that surprised. I'm sure I used to be able to watch TV shows that had regular cliffhangers or overarching plot elements without getting so frustrated. I don't have a short attention span, I'm reasonably intelligent and I like puzzles. So why do I feel so ... deflated about it?

We found out who the Silence are, how long they've been here and what they've been doing... the Doctor told them to bugger off or else in no uncertain terms, so are we to assume that they do, in fact cut and run? Or is there more to come from them?

We still don't know:

• Who caused the TARDIS to explode at the end of S5
  
• Who shot and killed the 1100 year-old Doctor
  
• Why he was so resigned to his fate
  
• WTF that photo?
  
• Who the little girl is
  
• Amy - pregnant or not, and why it matters

I've probably missed something, so feel free to prod me!

And we've had... nasty things you can only see out of the corner of your eye; creepy phone calls; a creepy space-suit (seriously, I was waiting for "Are you my Mummy? - Who turned out the lights?" and a really dodgy bit of CGI in which the TARDIS catches River before she plummets to her death.

The ending. Is the girl meant to be one of Ten's by-blows or something?! He got stuck in 1969, so perhaps that was one of the ways he found to pass the time!

I dunno - I remember when I first saw the trailer for The Doctor's Daughter that I had a smiliar reaction - DNW!

I have no idea why that is.

I wish Moffat would just STOP with the -Let's make it look like Amy's in love with the Doctor and Rory thinks he's second best- thing.

(I thought the bit after Amy's disappeared when Rory is saying that she knows he'll always come for her was really sweet... until Moffat ruined it by having her calling out for the Doctor and not even mentioning her husband's name.)

Something like that might work on Torchwood, but DW isn't really the place for it, IMO. Amy and Rory are married, and I don't think a show aimed at a family audience should be trying to make us wonder if a major character could be thinking about cheating on her husband. (Or if she has already!)

Reading that back, I realise it sounds a bit harsh, but I can't think of another way to put it right now. I'm not a prude and I'm not averse to seeing those sorts of dilemmas on TV - I just don't think this is the right place for it.

Also - it's confusing my kids who, at those points, have no idea what anyone is talking about!

Things I liked:

• The "three months later" opening and reveal were well done
  
  
• The Eleven/River flirting was fun and sweet; and yay! for teh snogtiemz, but... oh, so sad when River realises that's the last time. Another first and last for them both at the same time :(
  
  
• Badass River in the shoot-out.
  
  
• That whole section in the children's home was really creepy

You know, the episode finished almost an hour ago now, and I'm having trouble remembering much else about it. Does that mean the Silence^* are eating my brain?

* Assuming it's Silence rather than Silents

So to sum up... I sort of liked it, but the suspense is going to kill me.

Comments

[vervet-monkey.livejournal.com]

The ending. Is the girl meant to be one of Ten's by-blows or something?! He got stuck in 1969, so perhaps that was one of the ways he found to pass the time!

Well that never even occurred to me! Although I think it would have killed poor Martha... I went with Amy's child, but then that would assume she had one... and how did it end up in 1969... and would mean she shot her own child which, dark!

Seemed to me to be a whole bunch of questions in that ep and not a whole lot else. Which is not necessarily (oh how I hate trying to spell that word) a bad thing... but I'm not going to be in the country for the second half of the season and given that running water and electricity are not going to be a major feature I think the suspense might kill me!

[thornyrose42.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean. I'm just not used to watching Doctor Who as this sort of on going questions type drama.

Also yeah, have to agree with you about the Amy/Rory/Doctor stuff. It just felt very artificial. But then it did kind of wrap up well at the end. I just hope that this isn't a running theme. Cause ugh.

[nwhyte]

Yes,I'm with you on all of this; and I'm glad you posted it because I was wondering if I was just being grumpy!

[kathyh]

We're left with even more questions than we were left with last week

I did enjoy the episode, but this season long puzzle is the sort of thing that committed fans adore but casual viewers and young children might not be quite so keen on. It also makes standalone episodes seem a bit forced if they don't connect to the seasonal arc.

[canterlevi.livejournal.com]

You know, fine with the River/Eleven romance/whatever. But could SM please stop throwing he flirty anvils at me? Christ on crutches, I think I got whiplash dodging them all.

Are we to assume that since this was River's last kiss with the Doctor, the next time she sees him will be in The Library?

I agree with the sentiment that SM is going to lose viewers if he keeps teasing without giving any real answers soon. It's just not fair to the viewer, who in good faith is willing to play along for awhile. But if he abuses their trust too many times, I wouldn't blame the fans for checking out and watching something else.

[annissamazing]

My favorite Who episodes are the creepy ones. This is well-known. So I loved the marks on the companions as they were each hunted and shot down. I adored the creepy orphanage and the writing on the walls. I'm intrigued by the little girl.

And now I'm thinking about them, none of it makes sense. At least, not yet. I'm willing to believe Moffat will explain it all in due time.

Why were the companions being hunted and "killed?"

Who wrote all the graffiti in the orphanage? Couldn't have been the caretaker. He wouldn't have remembered long enough to write it all.

The little girl? My guess is she's a regenerated Jenny.

I really don't want a Doctor/Amy baby. I can accept, but would prefer not to have a Doctor/Anybody romance. I kind of want Moffat to leave the sexy shenanigans in fanfic. Where it belongs.

[redknightalex.livejournal.com]

Came by to say something as well, although I believe we're on the same page for most of it. However this caught my attention:

The ending. Is the girl meant to be one of Ten's by-blows or something?! He got stuck in 1969, so perhaps that was one of the ways he found to pass the time!

Interesting, very interesting idea, although considering Martha was with him at the time, and how love-torn she was with Ten, I'd feel so horrible if Moffat decided to play around with Martha even more than Davies did. I'm not her biggest fan (although I'm starting to appreciate her), I still think it would be too much, especially considering the whole HN/FoB problem.

And also this:

(I thought the bit after Amy's disappeared when Rory is saying that she knows he'll always come for her was really sweet... until Moffat ruined it by having her calling out for the Doctor and not even mentioning her husband's name.)

Totally forgot about that until now and how terrible I felt afterwards. I understand there's drama of all types, even the ones that make your heart bleed out of your chest, but this was a claw into my chest and ripped it out painfully. I understand a companion's devotion/faith in the Doctor but when Rory thought it was him, the boy who waited and suffered through 2,000 years for his wife thought he'd be her hero, only to have the rug thrown out from underneath him.... Sorry, I think I'm going to go cry now. I'll be over there, with my box of tissues.

[develish1]

I think I'm still reeling from this one to be honest.

I just can;t get my head around a Doctor who first not only condones, but encourages mankind to kill an entire race on sight, but then totally dismisses the child who was such a vital part of the story, and a massive puzzle, and just walks away.

Since when did he EVER walk away from a puzzle like that?