30.09: Forest of the Dead

[Lenny]

As the shadows rise, the Doctor forges an alliance with the mysterious River Song. But can anyone stop the Vashta Nerada? Starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.

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I'm starting to wonder if we have some Dr. Who scriptwriters on the boards.

Can't stop long, so I'll just say that in some ways, I preferred the first of the two episodes.

And has Moffat set himself up nicely for a story arc when he takes over?

This series theme has to be planets - used to breed on, invaded, blown up, taken over and made into libraries. The Medusa Cascade may be where planets are born, and the SP will probably be concerning the proper usage of planets, protecting them against invaders, like a sort of celestial UN.

[daisybee]

I loved this episode.

I thought the acting was great, and the Miss Evangelista dressed like a widow was cool. And made me jump.

[PTeppic]

I think the underlying situation was pretty much accurately guessed/deduced in "last week's" thread: the little girl was CAL and "as seen" didn't exist, Dr. Moon was some sort of software, the "saved" had been stored, the library WAS real, etc.

Couple of nice scares the for the younger audience ("if there are five of us, how come there are six?"), bits for the older fans to predict over (the whisper turning out to be his name - come on, who didn't guess that?), decent enough explanations about the River Song timeline (especially the sonic screwdriver), nice irony ("Dddddddonna" as she disappears out of sight) and a bit you'd seen in the trailer and forgotten still needed to happen (headlong dive down the gravity well) etc. Loved it that River knew more about the TARDIS than the Doctor did... but doesn't that make it a paradox?

Looking forward to my breakfast re-watch.

[Dave]

As David Tennant would say: "Oh! Yes!"

Actually though, I though my idea was more plausible than the real explanation; that the Vashta Nerada came from the forests that had been pulped to make the books in the Library.

And everyone guessed CAL was the girl, but not that they were her initials: Charlotte Abigail Lux. And some even said Doctor Moon was an anti virus program, though he was more of a Windows Doctor Watson I think.

Wasn't the ending a little like Star Trek: "The Menagerie" where Spock takes his old Captain Pike back to live with Vina in a Talosian illusion?

I really like these two parts, though it did play fast and loose with Doctor Who canon. Meeting Professor Song in the future seems plausible enough. We could even never see her again because it could easily happen in stories between the ones we see, except for one big thing; she knows his name. The Doctor has a name? He never had a name before. He said that he would never tell anyone his name unless... So, Professor Song is obviously plays a very important part in his future life.

[Perpetual Man]

I really enjoyed this one too. A lot of fun indeed.
It had been suggested by a friend of mine that perhaps Professor Song was the TARDIS made flesh somehow, and taking into account the shape of her diary I felt the idea was an incredibly intriguing one.
As the episode moved on I started to find myself falling for that hypothesis, but by the time it ended it was probably not the case. (It could still happen but I very much doubt it)
The Doctor's name has been mentioned in the past, I'm sure of it, referenced in some of the Gallifrey episodes of the past, or some of the later McCoy episodes. Of course the actual name has never been given... could we be heading toward the big unveiling.
Really enjoyed it though, if Moffat can produce as well as he writes we could be in for a great 2010 season!!!

[PTeppic]

Whilst I think the Doctor's real name is a great plot device, I hope they never reveal it... such revelations are generally a let-down (perhaps Morse's being the ubiquitous exception, but we only found that when he died...)

[HoopyFrood]

I can't believe it took The Doctor so long to work out books are made from trees...

A good episode, although I think I prefer the previous one. I didn't think it was his name that she whispered that him...I didn't even think of The Doctor having a name. He's just The Doctor! But I suppose he must have one...I wonder who River Song is. Must be very important. They really must be planning ahead with that one, if they are going to show her in later episodes. Especially as he's "so old" then, and Donna's gone. Apparently. But who knows with Doctor Who.

The beginning I enjoyed, it was very weird with Donna's entire new life. Strange stuff, indeed.

Rather amusing that The Doctor can beat aliens and monster and all kinds of fiends, but here he simply gets knocked out and handcuffed to a pipe... And shows how useless he is without that trusty screwdriver of his.

My goodness, I almost forgot. All this stuff about spoilers. Perhaps it's a hint that what we think is coming up in the finale (or even in future episodes, like the stuff with River Song) is all a stonking great lie -- Davros, the Daleks, Rose, Captain Jack, all the things we think we know turns out to be completely false...would certainly turn things on its head, indeed...

[Ursa major]

The simplest explanation is that River Song is a later companion. (There have been one or two before.) As for the secret (the name) and the sonic screwdriver: the future Doctor knew what was going to happen and provided River Song with what she'd need to get things done. (Even the Doctor is having to guess what's happening in this episode; it's Song who's from "the future".)

[Perpetual Man]

I did read somewhere that RTD slapped the script for the final episode on the tabel and all those reading it were stunned with how he ended the season, saying that 'he could not leave it like that' it was just too bad. (I'm not doing the article credit, but it was certainly a dramatic announcement.

Could this be something to do with the Doctors name, Professor Song or the fate of Donna - cause from what has been hinted at over the last two episodes it doesn't sound good.

[daisybee]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

The simplest explanation is that River Song is a later companion. (There have been one or two before.) As for the secret (the name) and the sonic screwdriver: the future Doctor knew what was going to happen and provided River Song with what she'd need to get things done. (Even the Doctor is having to guess what's happening in this episode; it's Song who's from "the future".)

Thats what I thought was made quite clear- and what made it so powerful.

I feel like I never need the full story of them-she referenced their history (er his future), enough that I can imagine their adventures, and that they meant an enormous amount to eachother...his face when handcuffed said it all, and his reasons for sharing his name too...

The snapping fingers was ace.

[PTeppic]

Stating the obvious, the impression TPTB were deliberately giving (how many examples do you want?) was that she, at some later stage in his timeline, is married to him.

Theoretically I can't disagree, he might have given her the information deliberately, like the sonic. But I'd have thought there was a lot of other stuff he could have said in preference to his semi-mythical non-name. However, as I said in "last week's" thread, he seems to be having much more trouble with mis-aligned personal timelines than he did with Sally Sparrow in the previous Moffatt episode.

(Which reminds me, Moffatt is definitely repeating himself: "everybody lives"...which I think was "Doctor Dances")

[Ursa major]

And something so deliberately given: isn't it most likely that it's a big fat red herring?

[PTeppic]

Not if they never intend to follow it up (like meeting Elizabeth I), and just (like "Face of Boe") make it something big and interesting for the fans to puzzle over....

[byrney123]

They did follow up the face of boe? Its Captain Jack.
River Song sounds like she is the Doc's wife
I hope they bring her up in the next season I WANT TO KNOW.

[Foxbat]

Very good episode. I also think that River Song is much more than just a future companion but will we ever know for sure?

My favourite scene: when Donna realises that her world is not real and that her dieting has been a waste of time. I'm definitely warming to her character.