32.07: A Good Man Goes to War

[Lenny]

Demons run when a good man goes to war.
Night well fall and drown the sun, when a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies,
Night will fall and the dark will rise, when a good man goes to war.

---

Because no-one has posted it yet, there are two prequels to the mid-series finale:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011rf7y

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/ne...or_Goes_to_War

---

There's serious discussion that can be had from these three minutes!

First off, the first prequel sees the big blue fella (some kind of black market seller, who sold River her Vortex Manipulator, I do believe) wondering why the people he is selling to are doing this to capture a child. He then goes on to say that the Doctor will be very angry.

We're not explicitly told whose child. The obvious answer is Amy's, because we last saw her in labour, having been told by Eye Patch Lady to "push". But what about the child who regenerated at the end of Day of the Moon? I agree that it's possible for the two to be the same - the kidnap may be to stop her participation in the events that lead to the downfall of the Silence, but Moffat being Moffat, I don't want to bet anything on it.

The second prequel is more about interesting facts, such as Eye Patch Lady's real name: Madam Kovarian. We also learn that she has pricked the side of a mighty beast over a month ago, who hasn't been doing anything, but is most likely calling his debts. The people who took the child have a base on an asteroid called "Demon's Run", which takes its name from an old saying (the quote at the top of the post is from the Doctor Who website and is a voice-over from River Song). We're also told that these people have working for them the Headless Monks, a race the Doctor mentioned, in passing, in The Time of Angels - "Amy, this is the Delirium Archive, final resting place of the Headless Monks. Biggest museum ever!".

---

So many questions!

And whilst I'm here, in the trailer for this episode, River states that "Today, he will learn who I am". Speculation abound in: *EXPECT SPOILERS* The Life of River Song. Join in the sweepstake and add your thoughts!

[PTeppic]

With SM at the helm I am expecting lots of very careful plotting, many clever self-consistent references and answers that generate as many new questions and closing down old ones...

And will it clarify what the other thread he was tracking down, when the Doctor spoke to the President in "Impossible Astronaut".

[Tillane]

As an aside - my own thoughts and wildly inaccurate speculations are still percolating in what I laughingly refer to as my brain - it's interesting that the second of those prequel clips is called "The Doctor Goes To War" rather than "A Good Man Goes To War". Could that be the firmest hint that the Doc is the Good Man, or is it a blind? Or, alternatively, is it just a mistake on the part of whoever set up the clip? Hmm. Guess we'll see.

[Moonbat]

Wow!
How exciting, I do love teasers.
Ok, so at first I thought the 2 robed (jedi looking) guys were the Dr and Rory, but then I guess they aren't, more than liekly that they were headless monks (although something was in the hoods)
The blue fella does say 'I even hear rumours about who's child you've taken. Are you mad?' Who's child, Dr Who's child? Possibly.
Although it seems odd, it isn't impossible that Amy is having the Dr's Baby rather than Rory's, it would make more sense in terms of the possibility that the regenerating child is the baby.
He also says he took the security info from the mind of a Jadoon (sp) warrior, who are the Jadoon, I'm sure I've heard the name before, but can't place it.

Then in the second teaser the woman, seems to have some military assistant and we know that the Dr is gonna go to war to get back Amy's child.
If I remember from the teaser at the end of last weeks episode, the Dr says something about the child being used as a weapon 'she's a child/baby not a weapon' but the eye patch lady is happy to use her as a weapon.
Who will the Dr's debtors be, who can he call on for help that owes him a favour?
Some miners, the ood, the face of Bo, the big eye from prisoner 0. possibly plenty more. Hmm, very interesting. The whole Matt Smith Dr has had a thing about how scary he is, about how much everyone knows not to mess with him, are we about to see (like in the scarecrow episode of Tennant's) how dangerous the Dr can be?

And, Torchwood is coming back soon, I have seen adverts on the TV box, so maybe a Jack cameo to lead into the new Torchwood series would be par for the course.

So many possiblities, so exciting, but I know as soon as I watch it I'm going to be hankering after the rest of the series.

Mid series break indeed, who do they think we are? Americans?!?!?

[chopper]

yeee-haw.

hey moony, that's 999 on the clock! whatcha got lined up for 1000?

[Perpetual Man]

This has just gone up on the SFX Magazine website. They bend over backwards to say they are trying not to include any spoilers, just the whet the appetite for the mid-season finale.

I think they've succeeded.

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/06/01/doct...btinternet.com

[Tillane]

Number 14 is going to have me re-watching the whole of last season. And I'll probably still miss it.

[Lenny]

Originally Posted by Tillane

Number 14 is going to have me re-watching the whole of last season. And I'll probably still miss it.

Ditto!

And to think I was going to play Minecraft today...

---

@Moonbat: The Judoon appeared in the first episode with Martha (Smith and Jones, I think it was called) - we saw them in their role as a mercenary police force with the Shadow Proclamation.

[HoopyFrood]

They are the rhino-headed things.

[PTeppic]

Originally Posted by Tillane

it's interesting that the second of those prequel clips is called "The Doctor Goes To War" rather than "A Good Man Goes To War". Could that be the firmest hint that the Doc is the Good Man

Or, indeed, that he's NOT the Good Man?

Originally Posted by Tillane

Number 14 is going to have me re-watching the whole of last season. And I'll probably still miss it.

That's the whole point: there's 10.5 hours of TV and you're looking for a single line that appears to be a passing comment; worse, may even appear vaguely relevant in the context of the episode or series.

[chopper]

GREAT BIG CRACKPOT SPOILER



imdb appears to name Amy's child as Melody. so, compare and contrast these names: Melody Pond and River Song. Or am i reaching here?

[Tillane]

Hmm. Yeah, that does seem a bit too coincidental to be a coincidence, doesn't it? I also note that a certain "Jenny" is billed to be among the cast. I kinda hope that isn't who I think it is.

Although, thinking about it, it would present one or two interesting possibilities about Amy's baby...

[HoopyFrood]

Stupidly excited. Less than half an hour to go.

For some reason I haven't ever thought that the baby was Rory's or the Doctor's. Maybe Amy is a surrogate? Dunno.

However, thinking on this made me think of the bunk beds line. Maybe that's the significant line? Maybe the Doctor put them in specifically, knowing stuff would go down if Amy and Rory...erm...well, yeah.

[pyan]

Sorry to rain on that theory, Hoops, but I've never heard that bunk beds were any obstacle to any really determined pair...

[HoopyFrood]

Oh, I know, I know. But for the Doctor, who doesn't seem to be able to get his head around humany things like that, it might.