Watching Doctor Who

Well, here is The Doctor Dances, part 2 of Steven Moffat’s scary (and award winning) first season adventure. Oh, and did you know that I have a cat named “Spock“? She’s very…Spock herself. I know. A bit random, but then, I’m like that. On to The Spoilery Stuff!

Episode: The Doctor Dances by Steven Moffat
Rating (1 to 5): 4.5
Baddie: The Empty Child/Gaskmask Zombies…oh, and a German air raid.
Rose is Trapped: In a hospital storage room with The Doctor
The Doctor is Trapped: In a hospital storage room with Rose
The Doctor Enjoys: Bananas and the fact that Everybody Lives!
The Doctor Dislikes: Jack
Doctor-y Strangeness: It seems that he blew up the factory where Jack’s blaster was made…
Scary Stuff: Empty People calling for their mummies. The typewriter typing by itself. *shiver*
Does someone local help out? Nancy, and currently local Jack.
Bad Wolf? On the bomb that Jack is straddling, in German.
What we learn: The Doctor destroyed the weapon factories of Villengard. The special features really drain the battery on Jack’s blaster. Setting 2,428 D on the sonic screwdriver re-attaches barbed wire. Life is nature’s way of keeping meat fresh. Nanogenes from a Chula battlefield ambulance equip you for the front lines. Captain Jack’s emergency protocol 417 involves alcohol. The Doctor can dance!
The Doctor’s Death Wish: Not so obvious this time around. He’s more in a jealous mood, than a “kill me” mood.
The Doctor Apologizes To: No one, because everyone lives.
My Favorite Bits: “Go To Your Room!” “I’m really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words.” The Doctor visited the weapon factory of Villengard…once. The Doctor actually snatched Jacks blaster and traded a banana for it. It’s totally sonic. Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks that it could be a little more sonic? “You will find your feet at the end of your legs, you may care to move ‘em.” “Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one.” “Who says I’m not? Red bicycle when you were twelve.” The Doctor and Rose dancing.

Observations and musings:

What can I say, but to point out that The Doctor “forgot” how to Dance until Rose was going to let Jack cut in. I’m thinking that Rose knew what was going on. Well, once they had that conversation in the storage room, anyway. Actually, if you take into account what she said in “Father’s Day,” maybe she was just trying to goad him into making a move. Who knows? I loved the ‘two guys in the hall, flanking Rose with their sonic items, ready for battle, and she’s the one that saves them’ bit.

Wow. Can I just say that this episode really makes it obvious that The Doctor was a father at one point. I mean, honestly: “Go to your room!” If that wasn’t a dead giveaway, then I don’t know what is. Also, how about that whole jealousy thing that The Doctor has in this episode? It seemed like everything was going fine until a younger, handsomer version of himself appeared in the picture. “…I trust him cos he’s like you. Only with dating and dancing.” Perhaps he *is* experiencing Captain envy? Actually, this episode is a bit of an emotional roller coaster for The Doctor from the look of things. Between the whole Doctor vs. Jack thing, and everybody living, he sort of all over the place emotionally. How happy was he that “everybody lives”, eh? What a nice departure for The Doctor who generally brings death with him wherever he goes.

Nancy is very clever, isn’t easily intimidated, and can think on her feet. I like her. I wish that we knew more about what happened to her later. Jack actually becomes a Companion at the end of the episode, which is quite a far cry from what The Doctor initially thought of him. I guess that saving the day and almost dying in the process is one way to atone for almost destroying the human race. Well, see you next week for Boom Town.

The Doctor Dances, Spock, Steven Moffat, The Empty Child, sonic screwdriver, Doctor Who, 9th Doctor

Image Source: http://www.time-and-space.co.uk/