S09.E02: The Witch's Familiar

[Chip]

 

Trapped and alone in a terrifying Dalek city, the Doctor is at the heart of an evil Empire; no sonic, no TARDIS, nobody to help. With his greatest temptation before him, can the Doctor resist? And will there be mercy?

 

[Llywela]

So much retcon. So much OOC. So much posturing and time wasting.

[jaytee1812]

What just happened? I don't actually get any of that. 

 

I liked Clara as a Dalek. Dunno what that says about me. 

[HauntedBathroom]

Loved it! Especially Missy trying to get the Doctor to kill Clara, that was worth the price of admission alone.

[John Potts]

Much better than I was expecting... though it helped that my expectations of all 2 parters tends to be low.

 

Floved Missy using Clara as a "Miner's Canary" - pushing her down holes, wiring her up to daleks and even messing with her to get the Doctor to shoot her (because, you know, evil - but funny!). The Doctor was unusually cruel to Davros when he dumped him out of his chair (OK, he's a Omnicidal Maniac, but he's also a guy in a wheelchair) but I'm glad it turned out he wasn't fooled by Davros' "Seeing the light" (literally!). Although if that was Davros' plan, I wonder what he would have done if the Doctor had simply grabbed his eyelids and pulled them apart.

 

Not that I believe the Master will die here, but I did wonder if this is the Prequel to the TVM, since the Master did canonically die on Skaro.

Edited September 26, 2015 by John Potts

[tessaray]

I don't think so.  I expect we will see Missy again as some kind of Dalek/Time Lord hybrid. Because, you know, prophecies we've never heard of...

[Lokiberry]

If we're stuck with those sonic sunglasses for more than one episode, then they will officially get my vote for The Dumbest Thing Ever. Also, why was it SUPER BAD for the Doctor to use Davros' life support set up to kill all the Daleks, but okay to trick Davros into stealing some regeneration energy, which wakes up the sewer sludge, which kills all the Daleks? In the end, the Daleks are still dead because the Doctor concocted a plan to kill them.

 

I liked this episode a lot, but it was more for the character moments and the acting then the plotting (ha, ha, plotting). Missy is a completely evil, but very entertaining villain; so much better than last season. The Doctor and Davros had some great moments together, even if all of it was a scam on Davros' part .

 

Moffat better not make this Time Lord/Dalek prophecy a thing. Surely his ego isn't so huge that he would take it upon himself to answer questions that have been around for the 50 + year run: what's the Doctor's real name, and why did he steal a TARDIS and go on the run? Those questions are core elements of the show, and should never really be answered. 

[alrightokay]

I thought the acting was excellent, again, but I felt so let down by the ending.  Moffat had a tantalizing idea about friends and enemies actually being hybrids (friends inside enemies/enemies inside friends), a nice way to connect the Doctor/Master, Doctor/Davros, and Doctor/Clara in the Dalek relationships.  But the ending was so silly (the sewer Daleks revolt?). I thought the episode was going to build up to something really thought-provoking, but it ended with sonic sunglasses.  (BTW, it wasn't clear how the Doctor detached the Dalek nodes from Clara's temples; are there going to be long-terms consequences for her?)  I actually liked Part 1 better than Part 2 here.

 

I did like the line about the only other chair in Skaro, though.

[Morrigan2575]

I was disappointed in the Davros betrayal. I think the more interesting story was freinds/enemies.

I did love Missy's betrayal because it seemed to fit that theme and their relationship. I find Missy very entertaining, much prefer her to clara. I wonder what her clever idea is? I hope she doesn't become that hybrid they talked about.

[NeenerNeener]

Not feeling the sonic sunglasses. Do.Not.Want.

Edited September 27, 2015 by NeenerNeener

[Morrigan2575]

Not feeling the sonic sunglasses.

Me neither.

[forum4idiots]

oh no...don't tell me the prophecy hybrid will be missy and not the doctor.........

 

sonic sunglasses.....no.  just no.

missy...love her.  especially the pushing clara scene. lol.  saw that a mile away.

[Rhetorica]

The Dalecks knew the word "Mercy". They plead for mercy to River. And how were the sewer Dalecks connected? Great acting, loved it til the end. Confused...

[forum4idiots]

something very eerie with clara being a darlek again...first time we met her was a dalek..........where are the writers gonna take this little coincidence?

[Lantern7]

That was neat. Maybe I liked the Clara abuse by Missy. Maybe it was because "Familiar" felt less disjointed. Or maybe it's because the Doctor is still the smartest mofo in any given room at any given time, and it took all he had not to laugh in Davros' wrinkly face when he was belching out what he wanted the Doctor to hear.

 

How did Clara survive a 20-foot drop? I'm not complaining . . . I'm guessing Moffat threw that in as fan service to those who don't like Clara. Also funny to see how a Dalek unit can warp "normal" speech.

[forum4idiots]

The Dalecks knew the word "Mercy". They plead for mercy to River. And how were the sewer Dalecks connected? Great acting, loved it til the end. Confused...

i think the sewer daleks are not connected to the wiring that makes them evil.  remember that episode with the doctor shrinking and fixing the dalek?  so sewer daleks are actually anti-daleks.

oooooo....don't tell me Arya will be the hybrid prophecy........................missy/dalek reborn.

[Commando Cody]

Some Doctor somewhere is going to give a sonic screwdriver to River. 

 

I don't think the fans are going to let the producers get away with sonic sunglasses for very long. It has been the Doctor's thing for 50 years.  I don't know if you can just get rid of that. 

 

I knew something was wrong when we saw the softer side of Davros. It was way too out of character for him to be believable.  At the time, I thought it was just terrible writing. I was relieved when he was faking it.

[alias1]

Sorry, that payoff was not worth the two hours it took to get there.  Nothing actually happened.  We knew he was going to save little Davros.  How else would little Davros have survived the hand mines?  There really was no mystery and, again, no consequences.  The sonic sunglasses are stupid.  

 

So, the Magician's Apprentice was Missy?  And the Witch's Familiar was Clara?  Otherwise, someone please explain it to me.  

[jch323]

I really detest Missy. I hate the writing for her and the actor's performance. I wish she would regenerate post-haste, but sadly I think we're stuck with her.

[angora]

I liked it better than "The Magician's Apprentice" and, probably, better than a lot of Moffat episodes from recent years.  Yes, the ending is ridiculous, the two episodes don't fit together all that well as a whole, and I'm no fan of the sonic sunglasses.  (Though I wouldn't be opposed to doing away with the sonic for a while, a la Five, or even just downgrading its capabilities so it's more of a techie skeleton key and less of a magic wand/all-purpose problem-solver.)  That said, I can't quite tell if the plotting is BETTER than last week, or if I'm just more forgiving because I like the character stuff so well.  Give me something good for the Doctor, and it seems I'm incredibly easy.

 

Even though both these episodes are going again to the "OMG, is the Doctor just as bad as the bad guys?!???!?" well, I like that, this time around, the Doctor isn't having it.  He's clearly affected by his recent actions re: young Davros, but he doesn't get that horrified/mournful look when Davros tries dragging him down into the mud.  He's evidently given a lot deal of thought to last season's "Who am I?" question, because he's ready for it, and I really like what he has to say about himself and what he does.  And I love his assertion that he "wouldn't die of anything" other than compassion.  Bless.

 

I think this might be my favorite Missy episode so far.  I like to see her being clever, and I enjoy her insights into the Doctor early on, but she's also just balls-out evil.  To go from worrying about the Doctor and what's happening when all the Daleks are going glowy, to trying to trick him into killing his friend, just for kicks?  That is COLD.  While she's still outrageous, I feel like she's less whacky-crazy here than she's been in her previous appearances, which helps her a) feel more like an actual character, and b) feel a lot more dangerous.  If your interests align with hers, she may sort-of be on your side, but keep both eyes open, because she'll turn on you in a second when the wind changes.

 

Clara in the Dalek was interesting, but I really, REALLY wanted her to get some sort of flash of being Oswin.  I'd have thought it would've been too good to pass up.

[Toaster Strudel]

Ah!  I love you, Missy, so funny, collected, clever, and deliciously evil... to Clara!  I love the actress' rendition of the character, which is incredibly resourceful, into something completely deranged.

[truther]

Clara learning how to speak Dalek was cool.  It was neat to see how all those different things would translate into either "I am a Dalek" or "Exterminate!" 

 

I sort of zoned out when Davros and the Doctor really got into things. 

 

The final Missy/DalekClara/Doctor showdown seemed forced.  A nice idea in theory that didn't really work.  There's no way the Doctor would have been so easily duped.  I mean, we've just seen him outwit Davros and claim to have always been a step ahead the entire time, and then he comes across this one Dalek that Missy of all people is exhorting him to shoot, and this Dalek is acting strangely and saying all these weird things . . . .

 

Missy doesn't bother me.  Well, she's a profoundly awful "Time Lady," of course, but her presence on the show doesn't bother me. 

[Chaos Theory]

Maybe I am simple because I don't care about continually on this show I just like an enjoyable episode and this was fun. I really like Missy. I liked the scenes between Missy and Clara and The Doctor and Davros. Clara inside the Dalek was cool and the entire thing worked for me.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[bmoore4026]

Said it on the AV Club comments, I'm sayin' it here:  The Doctor's greatest weakness isn't his compassion....it's his fucking gullibility.

 

Also, my ears must have been playing tricks on me, because I swore Missy "twat" at one point.  Was it just me?  Might catch holy hell, but I'm just postin' what I thought I heard.

[penguinnj]

She said 'swot' at one point- I know I turned on the CC because I also thought she had said something else.

[Galileo908]

I loved that the "only other chair on Skaro" was just a lame folding chair.

[looksee]

Does Davros remind anyone else of the Chinese actor James Hong (you know, the guy who played Cassandra's dad in Wayne's World, and Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China)? I was distracted by this resemblance the whole episode.

Edited September 27, 2015 by looksee

[Ripley68]

Our recording cut out the last few minutes.  Last thing we saw was Doctor telling MIssy to run and holding Clara's head in his hands.  What happened - and I missed the prophecy? This sound is awful, the music and special effects are way louder then the dialogue and I can't hear half the stuff they say.

[Jeffurry]

I have been confused by nearly every episode in the Moffat Era. My big question for this episode was: How did Clara and Missy survive being zapped in the previous episode?

[forum4idiots]

Our recording cut out the last few minutes.  Last thing we saw was Doctor telling MIssy to run and holding Clara's head in his hands.  What happened - and I missed the prophecy? This sound is awful, the music and special effects are way louder then the dialogue and I can't hear half the stuff they say.

while davros was sucking the doctor's regeneration power, davros was saying that there was a prophecy of a (child perhaps) being born of timelord and dalek.

 

not much really happened.  walls collapsing.  missy being surrounded by daleks...then she looks frightened for a second and then she smiles and says she has some sort of brilliant idea.  cut to doctor asking how clara managed to say "mercy" ....banter here and there and then the doctor has a light bulb idea.  back to doctor adn child davros.  he starts shooting the hands one by one and tells davros to come with him.  young davros asks who he is with, the enemy?  doctor says something like it doesn't matter if it's friend or enemy so long as you have mercy, or some garbage like that.

I have been confused by nearly every episode in the Moffat Era. My big question for this episode was: How did Clara and Missy survive being zapped in the previous episode?

the wristband, i suppose, creates a field that absorbs power blasts that automatically powers it up and activates the teleporter.

[call me ishmael]

I have been confused by nearly every episode in the Moffat Era. My big question for this episode was: How did Clara and Missy survive being zapped in the previous episode?

That was supposedly "explained" when Missy told Clara about the time that the Doctor tricked the invisible androids to recharge his teleportation device. It was also a rare moment of humility for Missy since she had to admit she had set it up before hand whereas the Doctor had to create it on the fly.

It wasn't clear to me if the prophecy was of a Time Lord/Dalek hybrid or something else. Wasn't it supposed to be something the Doctor had helped with before he left Gallifrey. I imagine the Doctor has met Oedipus. He would know getting away doesn't always solve your problems.

I thought this one was okay. I was really put off when it looked like Davros was softening. That seemed too emo for me. So I was happy there was a twist although the ending seemed forced (since when can't Daleks die? Didn't the Dalek in "Dalek" just die not to mention the millions of others). So you had a forced solution saving yourself from what would have been bad writing.

I enjoyed Clara. But i generally do (he says ducking).

Edited September 27, 2015 by call me ishmael

[MadMouse]

This was the first time I actually liked Gomez's Master, still waiting for a flashback with Simm and Dalton. Haha who I am kidding RTD era doesn't exist in Moffat's head.

 

The Doctor and Clara Oswald in the Tardis, really? Sorry that line belongs to Rose and the Doctor. Actually I'm surprised how much of the last two series character moments have been lifted from the Doctor/Rose era. 

[catrox14]

I have no idea what the heck I just watched. And that's really disappointing after last week's great start.

Is Davros dead?

How did mercy become a factor if Davros the young still became Davros the murderer?

How were Missy and Clara alive?

I do not understand.

[futurechemist]

The Clara in a Dalek scene would have resonated more for me if we hadn't already seen A - Clara having a normal conversation with 11 as a Dalek (Asylum of the Daleks) and B - Daleks asking for mercy (River Song in the Big Bang).

 

I liked this part better than the first because the plot seemed more coherent, and for once we had a Master who could be clever without being so over the top.  And I'll admit that I was tricked too, I didn't see Davros's betrayal coming.

[Llywela]

 (BTW, it wasn't clear how the Doctor detached the Dalek nodes from Clara's temples; are there going to be long-terms consequences for her?)

Consequences? In this era? Don't be daft. Clara is fine and there will never be any mention of the Dalek nodes in her head again - that line from Missy was just to sound scary in the moment, it wasn't leading anywhere.

i think the sewer daleks are not connected to the wiring that makes them evil.  remember that episode with the doctor shrinking and fixing the dalek?  so sewer daleks are actually anti-daleks.

But Daleks aren't ruthless because they are connected to wiring (they aren't connected to any wiring, they are all free-standing!) but because their genetic make-up was futzed with to remove all 'soft' emotions. Including pity - which, y'know, more or less the same thing as mercy, and way back in Genesis of the Daleks they all turned on Davros and killed him (he's got more lives than a cat) and when he begged them to have pity on him, they specifically stated that the word has no meaning to them, because he removed it from their vocabularies and emotions. So if Davros removed all pity from them then, I find it a pretty huge retcon that he'd allow them a smidgen of mercy, because that flies in the face of everything he ever intended them to be.

 

Got to admit, I can't remember anything of the point of Into the Dalek - I mean, I remember all the floundering about inside the wretched thing, but not what it was meant to accomplish.

 

Some Doctor somewhere is going to give a sonic screwdriver to River. 

 

I don't think the fans are going to let the producers get away with sonic sunglasses for very long. It has been the Doctor's thing for 50 years.  I don't know if you can just get rid of that.

I'm almost certain the 11th Doctor already gave the sonic screwdriver to River (but off-screen, in one of those minisodes).

 

The Doctor has gone without his sonic screwdriver before - it was destroyed early in the 5th Doctor's era and he never bothered replacing it. I'd rather see him go without and have to improvise than see 'sonic sunglasses' again. So gimmicky and cheesy.

 

I have been confused by nearly every episode in the Moffat Era. My big question for this episode was: How did Clara and Missy survive being zapped in the previous episode?

Missy explained that, but in such a roundabout way you can be excused not understanding what she was going on about. She'd used an old trick of the Doctor's to set-up hers and Clara's wristband to absorb the energy and use it to teleport them out of dodge.

 

 (since when can't Daleks die? Didn't the Dalek in "Dalek" just die not to mention the millions of others).

Daleks have always been able to die. The notion that they can't is an enormous retcon.

 

I have no idea what the heck I just watched. And that's really disappointing after last week's great start.

Is Davros dead?

How did mercy become a factor if Davros the young still became Davros the murderer?

How were Missy and Clara alive?

I do not understand.

Davros isn't dead, no - he used the Doctor's regeneration energy to rejuvenate himself, and he'll inevitably survive the destruction of the Dalek city, because he always does.

 

The mercy factor makes no sense if you know anything about the history of the Daleks, so don't try to puzzle it out.

 

Missy and Clara were alive because Missy rigged their wristbands to absorb the blast and teleport them away.

[whoknowswho]

I have no idea what the heck I just watched. And that's really disappointing after last week's great start.

Is Davros dead?

How did mercy become a factor if Davros the young still became Davros the murderer?

How were Missy and Clara alive?

I do not understand.

 

I have no earthly clue what just happened. Though some of the parts I could hear clearly- others I couldn't/didn't hear. Some parts were mildly funny- the pointy stick for instance, and I do love the crazy Scary Poppins that is Missy.

The last bit though lost me- things got too loud and busy and they speak so fast, I don't always catch what they are saying.  But- it interested me more than any episode from last season- enough that I'll watch it again to get a grasp on what transpired. I still haven't re-watched one ep. from last year. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Agree with other that the sound/editing is borderline atrocious on this show.  The music and sound effects blare, while the dialogue is at a normal volume - if either music or SFX are going at the same time as voiced words, you might as well just forget it (or fill in the blanks in your mind).

 

I like Missy, but for the love of Gallifrey, over-act much?  I know MG's only doing as directed/written, so this on much more on them than it is her.  But when she gets really wound up - which is 90% of the time she speaks - it just grates.

 

We waited a week to see that the Doctor played Davros/Snakeface like a fiddle.  This storyline really needed to be told in 2 parts?  Clara in a Dalek, boy, never seen that one before!  

 

As far as the whole G/D hybrid prophecy stuff, I can only react with 'wtf!?'.  Is this a Gallifreyan who had its mind/conciousness replaced by a Dalek, or melded with one?  A Dalek who had a Gallifrey mind/conciousness implanted/melded with the Dalek's, in it??  *throws up hands in a big shrug, with a look of strong confusion on my face*

 

 

Call me a bad fan, or whatever it might make me, but if this series is going to be made of mostly 2-parters (right?), I think I'm only going to watch every other week, and watch both parts of the "story" after the second part/conclusion of its entirety.

[wayne67]

I liked the parts where Missy treated Clara like she was disposable because I'm so sick of people in the show treating Clara like some super special snowflake of specialness.

 

Other than that the episode was odd, disjointed and full of contrivances by the bucket ful.

 

I think I'll tune in if there's another Missy episode or when we get a new companion but otherwise I can't tolerate the haphazard plotting, the lack of cause and effect and random characterisations and monologuing of this era any more.

[Kalliste]

If we're stuck with those sonic sunglasses for more than one episode, then they will officially get my vote for The Dumbest Thing Ever.

 

I liked this episode a lot, but it was more for the character moments and the acting then the plotting (ha, ha, plotting). Missy is a completely evil, but very entertaining villain; so much better than last season. The Doctor and Davros had some great moments together, even if all of it was a scam on Davros' part .

After the episode the first thing I said was "if he doesn't have his screwdriver back next episode I'm going to be pissed" 

 

I also wondered whether those sunglasses would become 12's 'thing' as all current era doctors seem to need.

 

I think I've liked Missy more this season than in the entirety of last season. I like how she treated Clara (especially throwing her down a hole) and didn't just assume she was so smart and would know everything.

 

I also liked her trying to convince the Doctor that Dalek Clara had killed Clara.. it was obvious that it wasn't a real dalek though. I really would have liked a few episodes that were the Doctor and Missy though. Oh well.

[cardigirl]

I was unimpressed with this episode. Sigh. As has been said before, the sound editing is awful and you have to rewatch several times to get all of the dialogue. Which really ruins the viewing experience.

I like Clara, and I thought she did a good job of realizing, again, that she couldn't really trust Missy's intentions. I, too, hoped for a callback to the Oswin episode. Not sure how that would have worked, in the timeline and all, but would have been interesting.

The daleks rather bore me (never have scared me) and all the back and forth conversation between the Doctor and Davros was hard to listen to. I hope they are on a proper adventure next week.

Count me in as not a fan of the sonic sunglasses. I want the screwdriver back.

So, in summation, there were bits and pieces of the each episode that I enjoyed but never did I feel that it was cohesively a good story. Maybe my opinion will change over time (and the course of this series) but for now, not one of the good ones.

Edited September 28, 2015 by cardigirl

[cambridgeguy]

I wonder if Moffat is a fan of Starcraft.  The whole idea of a Time Lord/Dalek hybrid is a lot like the Protoss/Zerg hybrid, complete with the implication that such a thing would be a harbinger of doom.

 

If the Doctor really can donate bits of regeneration energy to heal people then isn't he kind of a jerk for not doing it more often?

 

 

(since when can't Daleks die? Didn't the Dalek in "Dalek" just die not to mention the millions of others).

Maybe they're like elves in LOTR - they won't die from old age but they can be killed in battle.

[Primetimer]

The Doctor's oldest frenemy comes into her own.

Read the story

[benteen]

I have to admit, I really enjoyed this episode.  Loved the Doctor and Davros interaction and I'm glad the Doctor was playing a long-con on Davros and let him embarrassed once again.  Julian Bleach was terrific as Davros here, even if the character was faking.  Still think they are missing a golden opportunity to have Young Davros become the Doctor's new companion.

 

The Dalek sewers were a fun idea and I liked the look of the Dalek city as a whole.  Missy treating Clara as a canary was funny, particularly pushing her in the hole.  Clara adapting to the Dalek suit was interesting.

 

Noticed that Missy mentioned a daughter.  If she is as old as the Doctor, it's certainly possible she/he had a wife and kids on Gallifrey back in the day.

 

I really do NOT want Moffat answering the question as to why the Doctor left Gallifrey.  I'm sure it will turn out to be an arrogant, incoherent and disappointing retcon.

 

Sonic Sunglasses?  NO!  Awful idea.  When Capaldi puts them on, I feel like he wants to scream out "LOOK!  I'M COOL TOO!"  Capaldi was a lot better in this one but he still tends to try too hard.  Michelle Gomez REALLY tries too hard as Missy and it can come across as a mess.

[GenieinTX]

I enjoyed it for the most part, but agreed the show is a mess and sonic sunglasses have to go.

River knew the Daleks could say Mercy, but the Doctor missed that.  Now, did Moff wait all these years to come up with a story about how the Dalek's learned mercy or is he just recycling ideas?  I really really hate that he doesn't tie this stuff to previous episodes.  Like Clara in the Dalek - this is the second time he's had an opportunity to reference the Dalek Asylum and he doesn't?  Why not?  Why have no reference at all?  Just Look, I put Clara in a Dalek again!  Isn't it cool?   Or the Doctor could have had a throwaway line "River told me a Dalek begged for mercy, but I didn't believe it."  Just something!

And the poster asking about River's screwdriver, that was for sure Eleven and for sure off screen.  They leave for Darilium in one of the minisodes and if that is where he gave it to her, it was offscreen.   Most of their relationship is offscreen.  That's why there is so much fanfiction for them. ;)

[patchwork]

Missy's "brilliant idea" might be using the same trick again with the wristband teleporter but the fact I really don't want this TL/Dalek hybrid thing to mentioned again pretty much guarantees it not only will be but it's the big plot of the season. 

 

I don't mind the screwdriver being retired for a while, it's become a Deus Ex Machina over the years, but sonic sunglasses are an awful idea. Too try hard imo. 

[tv-talk]

I liked this episode well enough but mainly in the sense that it's obvious next week's show will be lame. This was the type of episode that is "easy" to do because it involves Classic storylines from way back, in this case the indomitable Davros and hearkening directly back to all-time episode Genesis of the Daleks. So this was the kind of episode you could find easy to like, even if only for Davros' attempt to trick the Doctor and the interesting, emotional scene that entailed. Also Missy may have her flaws but she is head&shoulders more enjoyable than Clara...and dare I say it, the Doctor as well. Capaldi's rendition still doesnt quite do it for me, he is very forced. The big entrance on the tank and playing electric guitar coupled with the utterly LAME sonic sunglasses and it's like he's old but desperately wanting to appear younger. Matt Smith was much, much better at being a physically young Doctor who seemed wise and mature than Capaldi is at being an older Doctor who seems youthful on some level.

 

So anyway, guess I liked Davros and Missy and have lowered expectations to the point I'll take this as a "good" episode knowing full well some stinkers must be on the horizon when Moffat gets back to not pulling heartstrings from the show's past for relatively cheap effect.

 

edit: and to agree with everyone here, the sunglasses are awful and the Doctor's complete and utter reliance on either sonic device has got to go. Write a good story that doesnt rely on tech at the last instant to fix everything.

Edited September 27, 2015 by tv-talk

[ketose]

This show is far too paint-by-numbers to be very surprising or interesting anymore. I assume that in part 1, the Doctor who met kid Davros was not Twelve. In this episode, we saw that it doesn't matter what the Doctor's face is, all the flashbacks will be retconned to Capaldi as needed. Showing someone mercy to make them nicer goes back to "A Christmas Carol" at least. I know all about the Dalek "mercy" scene because the S5 finale is one of the only rewatchable episodes in recent years. Clara's already been a Dalek, but that was back when she was The Most Important Girl. Now she's a regular girl who gets pushed down caves and shoved into tin cans and can only say Exterminate.

 

And, of course, the Doctor is never bloodthirsty. He only commits genocide if someone starts it. We're all supposed to know that apocalyptic retribution is a fair price for trying to trick the Doctor.

 

We all know the Doctor is a half-human hybrid, as much as we try to forget it.

[Bruinsfan]

Noticed that Missy mentioned a daughter.  If she is as old as the Doctor, it's certainly possible she/he had a wife and kids on Gallifrey back in the day.

I believe the Master may be subjectively even older. In "The Deadly Assassin" he had aged to the point of mummification at the end of his last regeneration, the Anthony Ainley version was the beginning of a whole new regeneration cycle (just as Capaldi's is), and we don't really know if there were more incarnations between the Eric Roberts and Derek Jacobi incarnations.

[bmoore4026]

She said 'swot' at one point- I know I turned on the CC because I also thought she had said something else.

 

Thanks for clearing that up.  I know you can say some dirty words on BBC shows for families, but I'm sure the "T" word isn't one of them.

 

I think I know why I don't like this incarnation of The Doctor - every time it looks like he's been outsmarted, he suddenly "Ha!  I knew this would happen, because this, this, and this would occur, and thus you lose.  Yay me!"  I mean, other Doctors were similar but at least they did something that, at first, would be inconsequential but later ends up saving everybody.  With this Doctor, they just come out of left field without set-up.  Deus Ex Machinas aren't fun or clever if you're Deus and rewrite shit to your liking, leaving us peons in the dark.

 

Am I missing something?

[penguinnj]

I don't know how I feel about this episode.  Really liked the first half and really loved it after a couple of more viewings, particularly the Missy/Doctor stuff.  This one had so many "sorry, what?"  moments that it took me out of watching it.  This may be OK on re-watch because I won't expect an answer.

Daleks can't die? Um, yes they can.  I agree with  cambridgeguy.  I'm assuming they can't die of old age.  But Missy needed to say that, because I'm saying sitting in my LR saying "Yes they can"

Daleks can't say mercy?  Again yes, they can- River heard it.

Clara in the Dalek definitely was begging for some reference back to Asylum.  And she could definitely speak properly there.

And yes this is way too reminiscent of A Christmas Carol- and I'd much rather watch it with Michael Gambon. Davros is so hugely important I would rather they had told an entirely different story.

Upon re-reading Moffat & Co's comments, I'm not sure I am as excited to see this season unfold.  If this is the Last Best Party of the Doctor and Clara during their Lost Summer of the Greatest Times Evah then I'm not sure how much in the way of character development is going to happen until the end. This makes me think this would be a great binge watch but may be slightly painful to go through in "real time"- I sound like 11- lol.  

Edited September 27, 2015 by penguinnj