Doctor Who The Rings of Akhenaten

[calapine]

I bloody loved this, and I've the horrid desire to write meta about it.

Comments

[nonelvis]

I'd like to offer a more useful comment than "YES, ALL OF THIS," but the latter covers things pretty well. There was something in my eye at the Susan reference, probably. That must have been it.

Okay, one more note: I'd normally find this sort of group singing plot element cheesy as hell, much as I did in "Gridlock," but here it felt like a completely sincere expression of everyone's faith that if they just sang hard enough, they could placate the god. Maybe it's that it was more well-integrated into the plot than Gridlock's moment of random hymn recital, or maybe it's my own issues with the explicitly Christian imagery of the hymn -- but regardless, I was really relieved neither the singing nor Eleven's speech tipped over into eyerolling territory the way they did in one or two previous episodes. *cough*The Satan Pit*cough*

[stick_poker]

I felt I should have been struggling with the singing because that sort of thing does normally also set my teeth on edge, but I don't think I was... but since it wasn't that, or the girl, or the look-at-all-the-aliens, or anything else I can easily put my finger on... arg, I don't know. I'd already run out of eye-roll by the time we got to that speech, and then when we got a second one from Clara I was just wishing for the whole thing to be done with. So maybe the singing was unsettling me after all, at some subliminal level.

[nonelvis]

I was really surprised that the singing didn't bother me, but like I said, it was the level of sincerity I thought came across that made it feel natural and appropriate, given the circumstances. It definitely seems like an episode that either really worked for people or really didn't; sorry it wasn't your thing.

[stick_poker]

I've been trying to work out what it was that did get me on edge, and I think it might have been all the sentimental monologueing, and especially its combination with how little the two main characters know about each other yet. Clara's dad's speech with the leaf already felt wrong and then every one on from there piled it on further. It was an episode made of grand stories, but of sets of stories being told side by side and mainly to the viewer; the characters weren't telling much to each other. What the Doctor's learnt of Clara he's overheard or spied on, like the story of the leaf, and half of what we've learnt of Clara the Doctor wasn't there for, like the story about getting lost. We've had Eleventy do a very Tennish 'look at all my pain' but Clara wasn't there, so doesn't she know that yet? Is it important that she knows? Was it particularly important to remind us, without telling her? Which raises the prospect, and I really hope not, but, are we going to have to sit through another one of those later?

[nostalgia_lj]

I liked that she refuses to be anyone's replacement. But otherwise it was a bit dull. And do we have to go and pick her up from her house every week? That does not leave much space for porn :(

[nonelvis]

Nonsense! It leaves plenty of space for booty calls where Clara just happens to need him to drop by at midnight! "Bring a bottle of something festive, Doctor. No, no need to dress up. You won't be wearing anything for long anyway."

[nostalgia_lj]

Whyyyyyy does she go home every week?

[nonelvis]

Maybe she's not quite ready to make a complete break with things yet? After all, she wasn't willing to just jump in the TARDIS and go with him the first time around.

[stick_poker]

Bah. When laid out like this I can see all these good points, could see at least some of them on the way past to be fair, but I feel like much of it had to be extracted afterwards from its heap of sentiment-drowned narrative mess. (The wee girl was sweet without the sickly, smart without the precocious, true, and many a thumbs up I would give her, but why, for example, could she suddenly give Clara purple glowing mind-handcuffs, exactly?)

[calapine]

Cool alien powers? I like cool alien powers, but I can tots see how that coming out of the blue is a bit "hrrm."

Thing is, it *is* totally drowned in sentiment and the plot, I'm fairly sure (I ain't great re plot) is barely there, and yet...it worked for me. I enjoyed it, I was moved. I cared about the characters, I found myself contemplating stuff about it afterwards. There was a Space Pyramid.

[tau_sigma]

Everything is better with Space Pyramids - and this episode is now inextricably linked in my mind with Pyramids of Mars, and the Nefertiti thing would have fit brilliantly with that, omg. <3

[shinyjenni]

I never usually like the New Who speeches either, but this one really worked for me, too. Possibly because the rest of the episode had already made me somewhat emotional.

Love how good Clara is with kids and that it's relevant again so soon.
Yes! That scene was so lovely, it made the whole episode work.

I WANT CLARA'S SKIRT AND BOOTS. Wouldn't half mind the bag either.
Half an hour into the episode I cracked and started looking at red satchels on ebay. /o\

[calapine]

Yes! That scene was so lovely, it made the whole episode work.

I'm kind of excited cause it's a NEW THING. And being handled so well.

Half an hour into the episode I cracked and started looking at red satchels on ebay. /o\
\o/ I THINK YOU MEAN.

[ladyvivien]

It WAS Tobias Menzies! Thank you, I thought so.

[calapine]

I am SUPER GOOD at spotting actors what have been in Rome, yes.