Doctor Who, timelines and that odious episode known as Girl in the Fireplace

[kilodalton]

So I have a new head canon regarding Girl in the Fireplace! Kinda. This is after all, Moffat, who adores timeloops and timeline backtracking.

Basically, my new head canon is that at least a part of the Doctor’s melancholy over the letter at the end of the episode is the thought: “Wow … I honestly thought Reinette was smarter than that, having seen

Comments

[endelda]

You are brilliant!

[kilodalton]

You're too sweet!! XD But that's one of the reasons I've always hated that letter (not to mention the episode, but that would be a novel not a meta lol), and have never understood why people say it's sad or romantic - it is short-sighted and self-defeating at best, and passive-aggressive in the extreme at worst!

[yumimum]

Um, can we try that guillotine route anyway? He's guilty of character assassination and the destruction of a much beloved show. Surely that's reason enough?

[kilodalton]

Well we'd have to bring it in front of a magistrate to be fair but I don't think many people would have a problem with that XD XD

[kilodalton]

Yeah I like fic on it inordinately more than the episode, which granted is a pretty low bar but still XD So many things about it made NO sense, both in terms of plot as well as characterization - which would be one thing if it were ever addressed or had any meaning. Since it doesn't tho ... it's so garish in comparison to the rest of the season.

And thank you!!

[fogsblue]

OK, let's see if I can be more coherent here.

I actually agree with this, which seriously screws up the letter even more. If she was so damn smart, like she apparently was (BUT WE NEVER SEE IN THE DAMN EPISODE) than she would have known this.

But yeah Moffat likes the something written can't be changed thing.

[kilodalton]

Yup precisely...

[tellshannon815]

You know the one that always confused me? The Waters of Mars. The Doctor had made such a big thing about somebody being alive who shouldn't have been in Father's Day yet was happy to save Yuri and Mia, and also attempted to save Adelaide, in TWOM (and he did know they were supposed to have died, because he was seen reading their obituaries).

[kilodalton]

Yeah ... The one thing that I can think of that's different is that in Father's Day, he and Rose saw themselves, and that snapped them out of existence. Maybe that had something to do with it? Idk, that's a good point.