Discussion Post for "Death in Heaven"

[neuralclone]

I'm surprised nobody has opened a discussion post for the Doctor Who finale, so I'm going to kick things off here.

Comments

[neuralclone]

And just to get things started below the line: did anyone else see Missy's "birthday present" as a callback to "Colony in Space" where Delgado!Master offers Three half the universe?

[philstar22]

Well, I didn't think it was as good as the first part. But on the other hand, the Missy parts were the best parts. They way she mocked the Doctor and played with his hopes and managed to keep playing the game even when captured was just so much the Master.

And I loved the way the Doctor talked about their past and then said "she." She is the Master to him, the person he has all this history with, and gender doesn't matter.

[neuralclone]

I found her a very *knowing* Master--she absolutely knew what made everyone tick, including herself. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen a version of the Master as self-aware as Missy!

[philstar22]

That kind of makes sense. As Twelve is less good with people, less able to read them than his previous incarnations, it would make sense that his mirror with be better at that. Because the Master is the Doctor's inverse in so many ways. The Daleks may be the Doctor's greatest enemy, but the Master is the one that is his equal, his opposite.

[dragonofmemory]

Yeah, I was kind of disappointed with the second part too, but Missy was kind of the saving grace. I like how they played the Doctor and Missy's relationship in this one, but I may be biased because I've written fics about how they both want their relationship on their own terms but can't see eye to eye in them in the past. XD

[unknown20troper]

Feels. So many feels. I wasn't crying, 'cause I'm not a crying type person, but I was shaking.

Like, first off, quite a few people, including the Master, died. And I didn't remember the name of one of them, Osgood - just that it started with "Os" and didn't end with "win" or "wald." So yeah, forgetting her name and then seeing her die made me pretty sad. Like, seriously, I'd have been less sad about her death if I'd been able to remember her name. Which is weird but yeah... I've got this complicated reasoning behind it.

Secondly, Danny sacrificed himself for the kid! Didn't expect that. 'Cause it's Doctor Who, a kids show, the assumption is often that all the protagonists will be alive, that they'll return from the dead. So, even though what Danny did made sense, it came as a shock

[dragonofmemory]

I did love Twelve and Clara lying to each other. XD

I love how people assume that Missy is dead. Like she didn't just spend an entire serial uploading dead people's consciousnesses into a cloud and would therefor have at least one extremely obvious back up plan, if not five more.

Also, on Twelve having to choose, it's the exact same thing Five faced in Planet of Fire. To let the Master live and possibly kill thousands more people, or to let him burn. Basically, he had to make that choice twice, which is lovely angst.

[unknown20troper]

I love how people assume that Missy is dead. Like she didn't just spend an entire serial uploading dead people's consciousnesses into a cloud and would therefor have at least one extremely obvious back up plan, if not five more.

And like, the Master just does not die. It's one of his/her/their defining traits, and a significant part of the plots of a few episodes/serials (Deadly Assassin, Keeper of Traken, for example). You just can't kill him and expect it to stick.

Yep, though in this case, I figure Twelve's choice related more to Clara, specifically, than Five's choice related to any individual people. 'Cause Clara was pretty explicit about it, and I got the feeling that the last eps were very much about Twelve and Clara's emotional connection - how strong it is, how they'd sometimes messed it up, and the conflicts it causes.

[big_n_happy]

Selena Gomez and Moffat had so much fun with the character. Seen comments that she's a bit of a Delgado/Simm mix, just did a Classic S8 marathon and I can definitely see that, but by the end of this week's one she definitely made it her own too. Loved the Mary Poppins moment.

I think my favourite part in terms of their dynamic was offering the Doc a human army. That is such a calculated judgement on him.

Only sad bit re Doctor/Missy is they didn't leave many gaps for fic.

[unknown20troper]

Little nitpick: Michelle Gomez, not Selena Gomez.

Michelle Gomez plays the Master/Missy. Selena Gomez is a Disney Channel star, and a pop singer. Though it'd be hilarious if there was a Selena Gomez Master. Simm!Master would probs be amused by it, anyway.

[big_n_happy]

ah thanks for that, would've probably continued calling her that otherwise

[unknown20troper]

You're welcome! :D:D:D

[anonymous]

I'm in complete denial about the death of Missy (but I was also in complete denial about the death of Simm!Master... Both times!!!! And look how that turned out for me). She had to be teleported out or have a back-up plan or something. It was a very unsatisfying death, too fast, no emphasis. I'm very much hoping she escaped.

[magic_7_words]

Seconded. And even if Moffat doesn't bring her back, I'm confident someone else will. I just hope that when the Master does come back next time, he/she/them? ze? will still be on the same regeneration.