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[Hot Coldman]

can moffat really deliver on all these loose ends? I'm a bit worried, he's established sooo much already

There's only three real loose ends:
-Who the girl's parents are
-Who blew up the TARDIS
-Why The Doctor was killed (and I guess who's in the spacesuit by the lake, I doubt it's the girl)

I guess The Silence aren't dead for good, are they? They'll show up again, they must do.

 

[Zoibie]

There's only three real loose ends:
-Who the girl's parents are
-Who blew up the TARDIS
-Why The Doctor was killed (and I guess who's in the spacesuit by the lake, I doubt it's the girl)

I guess The Silence aren't dead for good, are they? They'll show up again, they must do.

And also, Amy's 'Schrodinger Baby' and why the guy in the children's home thinks he's living in the past.

 

[BluWacky]

There's only three real loose ends:
-Who the girl's parents are

I'm certain Amy is the mother - the Silence would have killed her otherwise. As for the father it should be Rory - but Rory is hardly a "normal" father, what with having a door in his head sealing 2,000 years of memories off...

-Why The Doctor was killed (and I guess who's in the spacesuit by the lake, I doubt it's the girl)

I'm going with Amy in the suit, just because it's the most dramatically interesting option I can think of. It would make more sense for it to be River, but her reactions in this episode would suggest otherwise (given that the murder she commits has taken place previously in her personal timeline).

I guess The Silence aren't dead for good, are they? They'll show up again, they must do.

The Silence aren't dead at all yet. They'll probably be hunted down and eradicated on Earth from 1969 onwards - but they made it to the Moon, didn't they? And they have thousands of years on Earth before that point.

 

[Hot Coldman]

And also, Amy's 'Schrodinger Baby' and why the guy in the children's home thinks he's living in the past.

That guy was just a lunatic, he'd been told too many things by too many of the Silents, most likely.

Amy's Schrodinger Baby, that's an important thread. Although I'd bet on it tying into the origins of the girl.

 

[Theoris]

Watching the Dr Who Confidential for this episode now, the silent doing the robot was hilarious!

 

[Mr. Sam]

Perhaps that guy spent too long talking to the silents, and thus forgot all that time he spent doing so. He could conceivably lose years depending on how long he spent in contact with them.

 

[mclem]

Gifmakers: About 14 minutes into Confidential, dancing Silent. Probably has potential.

 

[mclem]

And also, Amy's 'Schrodinger Baby' and why the guy in the children's home thinks he's living in the past.

One *massive* loose end: The person talking through a hatch before Amy enters the girl's room. That's gotta be something, because it appears to have no bearing on the actual storyline.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Perhaps that guy spent too long talking to the silents, and thus forgot all that time he spent doing so. He could conceivably lose years depending on how long he spent in contact with them.

Ha, yeah, that's a good possibility. A real loon, for sure.

I wonder how long they'll take to address the girl again. Next week looks like a fun romp, I imagine it'll be short on continuity.

 

[mclem]

Ha, yeah, that's a good possibility. A real loon, for sure.

I wonder how long they'll take to address the girl again. Next week looks like a fun romp, I imagine it'll be short on continuity.

That was sort of implied by the end of this episode; "We've got stuff to deal with... but for now, let's do some adventures!"

 

[Hot Coldman]

That was sort of implied by the end of this episode; "We've got stuff to deal with... but for now, let's do some adventures!"

That felt like a fourth wall breaking moment. "We'll pick this up again for the finale guys!"

 

[Zoibie]

One *massive* loose end: The person talking through a hatch before Amy enters the girl's room. That's gotta be something, because it appears to have no bearing on the actual storyline.

I knew I'd forget something. Yeah, lot's of things thrown out there this ep.

 

[Zenith]

why the guy in the children's home thinks he's living in the past.

Perhaps that guy spent too long talking to the silents, and thus forgot all that time he spent doing so. He could conceivably lose years depending on how long he spent in contact with them.

They explained that one. Being exposed to too many memory wipes fries your brain.

 

[mclem]

I knew I'd forget something. Yeah, lot's of things thrown out there this ep.

Speculation, derived from a bit of additional research:

Spoiler

"Eye patch lady" is played by Frances Barber. She's *far* too significant an actress for a one-off role that minor. There's gotta be something to that.

 

[Raydeen]

One *massive* loose end: The person talking through a hatch before Amy enters the girl's room. That's gotta be something, because it appears to have no bearing on the actual storyline.

Was that Sheriden Smith? Sounded like her (from the 8th Doctor Who audio adventures).

 

[radioheadrule83]

Very strange second parter... its going to get terrible write-ups.

My only complaint is that

Spoiler

the Silence were too easily defeated... in fact, I hope they're not, and that the little girl they've been keeping somehow factors into their master plan. It would be great if the Doctor's little victory over them wasn't actually a victory -- he so rarely loses.

The

Spoiler

eyepatch woman

is definitely a big deal, we'll be seeing more of that. It was very surreal, very Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes. This episode will probably seem a lot better when we have an idea of where its taken us.

 

[Linkified]

One *massive* loose end: The person talking through a hatch before Amy enters the girl's room. That's gotta be something, because it appears to have no bearing on the actual storyline.

They explain that though through the NASA description of how they with a guiding hand make stuff through planting thoughts into humans brains. All we know is one could of been off camera shot making Amy lose her shit.

Plus I think its implying since the very beginning of Matt Smith tenure on the show that Amy was special, and no parents/guardians around. I would hazard the belief that Amy created a paradox of herself as in thats why the scanner went positive/negative and that will be the cliffhanger for the summer which will pick up after the break.

 

[Thomper]

They explain that though through the NASA description of how they with a guiding hand make stuff through planting thoughts into humans brains. All we know is one could of been off camera shot making Amy lose her shit.

Plus I think its implying since the very beginning of Matt Smith tenure on the show that Amy was special, and no parents/guardians around. I would hazard the belief that Amy created a paradox of herself as in thats why the scanner went positive/negative and that will be the cliffhanger for the summer which will pick up after the break.

Except, if she were pregnant with herself, and that little girl was supposed to be Amy Pond... why did Amy not regenerate also when she was shot by Auton-Rory?

 

[Dr Zhivago]

Hmm, thought that was a bit of a mess to be honest. The bits in the orphanage were great, like Sapphire & Steel, but the rest felt like I'd missed an episode somewhere. Defeating the Silence by just shooting them didn't seem very Doctor-ish either.
It's funny that those newspaper claims about there being a 'who's the daddy' plotline turned out to be true.

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

I really like how the Silents were dealt with, though I'm quite surprised by how the main narrative arc of the series is the main focus of the first two episodes. I'm wondering how large a role those elements will play in the upcoming "adventure" episodes.

The only part of the episode I didn't like was the doctor's imprisonment and rounding up of his companions. I mean why were they being pursued? They had the president behind them and the only possible criminal thing that they did was trespassing on NASA property. It all made no sense to me and it didn't seem like they offered any kind of explanation.

 

[mightynine]

I think it's safe to assume we're seeing the Slients timeline back to front too, considering they're using a TARDIS-like device.

It could be they tried to blow up the TARDIS because of the Doctor's actions here, put post-hypnotic suggestions in the other races to build the Pandorica, and the Earth wasn't the last to go because they were the last in line - it was all part of the Silents' plan.

 

[Linkified]

Except, if she were pregnant with herself, and that little girl was supposed to be Amy Pond... why did Amy not regenerate also when she was shot by Auton-Rory?

Silents locked her 'gifts' away.

 

[Zoibie]

I really like how the Silents were dealt with, though I'm quite surprised by how the main narrative arc of the series is the main focus of the first two episodes. I'm wondering how large a role those elements will play in the upcoming "adventure" episodes.

The only part of the episode I didn't like was the doctor's imprisonment and rounding up of his companions. I mean why were they being pursued? They had the president behind them and the only possible criminal thing that they did was trespassing on NASA property. It all made no sense to me and it didn't seem like they offered any kind of explanation.

That's the part that left a sour taste in my mouth too. I just don't get it. Was it to keep The Silent from knowing that the Doctor and his companions were on to them, so the only way the gang could get together without The Silent catching on was under the guise of an FBI operation? I'll watch it again tomorrow and see, but I'm probably way off the mark.

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

Hmm, thought that was a bit of a mess to be honest. The bits in the orphanage were great, like Sapphire & Steel, but the rest felt like I'd missed an episode somewhere. Defeating the Silence by just shooting them didn't seem very Doctor-ish either.
It's funny that those newspaper claims about there being a 'who's the daddy' plotline turned out to be true.

That wasn't the actual defeat, that was the silent been poor sports.

 

[mclem]

They explain that though through the NASA description of how they with a guiding hand make stuff through planting thoughts into humans brains. All we know is one could of been off camera shot making Amy lose her shit.

I'm not sure that is an explanation. When we've seen that, it's through the silents actually directly issuing orders (including the very order that formed the basis of the climax). This is something different, it's Amy actually seeing something. Perhaps a silent could have implanted the thought that she'd seen it, but that doesn't quite sit well. I'm going to stick with that this is something still to be revealed.

 

[JonathanEx]

The only part of the episode I didn't like was the doctor's imprisonment and rounding up of his companions. I mean why were they being pursued? They had the president behind them and the only possible criminal thing that they did was trespassing on NASA property. It all made no sense to me and it didn't seem like they offered any kind of explanation.

He was imprisoned in Area 51, right? Then it'll be as he was found as 'an alien', and the others are his accomplices, and with Canton on the other side...

 

[Dr Zhivago]

That wasn't the actual defeat, that was the silent been poor sports.

Humans turn on and kill the Silence, it's not just the gunfight in the Lodger-Tardis.
Incidentally, is that why the ship in the Lodger was empty? All the Silence had been killed by then?

 

[jump_button]

As long as its not the dalek's who doing it all, I'am all for a new the bad guy's being the main story

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

I've really enjoyed the last two episodes, and much of the last season. DW has become much more interesting to me since RTD passed the reins on to Steven Moffat.

Also, this is a redundant statement, but Karen Gillan is FINE. It's the sort of hotness that creeps up on you after watching a couple of episodes.

 

[Sheppard]

Very good eps. Not sure what to think about the kid. I am sure the way she got out of the suit was because Amy was there.

 

[Zenith]

The Doctor implied it was the Silence who ordered mankind to the moon, but somehow I really doubt they'll ever explain this plot point.

 

[Sheppard]

The Doctor implied it was the Silence who ordered mankind to the moon, but somehow I really doubt they'll ever explain this plot point.

He said they needed a space suit. A certain space suit maybe?

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

The Doctor implied it was the Silence who ordered mankind to the moon, but somehow I really doubt they'll ever explain this plot point.

Wasn't just for the space suits?

Edit
Beaten

 

[Hot Coldman]

He said they needed a space suit. A certain space suit maybe?

Probably just a normal 1969 standard space suit. Of course, that would be state-of-the-art technology, so they needed to implant the idea of the moon voyage in order to start development of the suit.

Maybe there's some function of the Apollo 11 era spacesuits that the Silence need? Something that meant they couldn't use a cosmonaut's spacesuit? We know they're modifying the spacesuits, but I think the need for it to be American-built is important.

They really don't explain anything about the girl.

 

[Lonestar]

It was a hard to figure out episode.

Maybe the Silence are hanging around with Spaceship girl, to make sure people don't know about her?

Took me a minute to realize why The Doctor went with the Moon Landing Video. I originally thought that the subliminal message would only work on the people alive to watch it live. But that wouldn't really work, once all those people pass away from old age. But then it hit me, they put the message on the signal right on the moon, and that anytime, anyone watches it, they get a "recharged command" to kill The Silence on sight. And it would make sense that it would be a moment watched for the rest of human history, the command would too, be watched for the rest of human history.

I imagine the storyline of what bother with the doctor being in Area 51 and the roundup of the companions, was a coverup, to make sure the Silence would be caught off guard, thinking they were in this inescapable box. The Companion's went out to see how far the Silence reach was, then come back in. With the Box built around the invisible TARDIS, they could slip out of there undetected.

 

[2th]

good episode but ultimately left me with more questions than answers. Like if the Silence has been around for so damn long how come he never saw them like when he went back to medieval france and stuff like that. Go go looking for plot holes!

 

[Hot Coldman]

good episode but ultimately left me with more questions than answers. Like if the Silence has been around for so damn long how come he never saw them like when he went back to medieval france and stuff like that. Go go looking for plot holes!

Because he forgot about them. They're beginning to make themselves a bit more obvious now- they've got a plan that involves the Doctor and his friends, he'll definitely notice that.

 

[King of the Potato People]

The best line: “and one whacking great kick up the backside for the silence!”
This episode was greatly directed and I appreciate the ambiguity of the series’ arcs. I have qualms: the episode ran too fast, it wasn’t clear how Dalaware managed to convincingly fake the companions’ deaths when he was operating with the agents. I understand the concept behind the marks but not why Amy felt the need to draw them uselessly on her face.

Presumably the little girl absorbed time energy from the doctor and this will play a part in his inevitable resurrection.

 

[stupei]

So glad it finally aired so there can be theorizing about the damned kid! (A lot of people at the New York screening were theorizing that the girl is Jenny since Moffat is supposedly the one who wanted her to regenerate at the end of The Doctor's Daughter, and all the stuff with Amy's kid, the 9 month timeline, etc was all just a decoy.)

The only part of the episode I didn't like was the doctor's imprisonment and rounding up of his companions. I mean why were they being pursued? They had the president behind them and the only possible criminal thing that they did was trespassing on NASA property. It all made no sense to me and it didn't seem like they offered any kind of explanation.

Well when the Silence command you to do something, you obey without thinking, presumably even if that thing is to kill innocent people like the Doctor and his friends. Surely the Doctor wasn't sure if they would want them all dead now that they know more about the Silence's plan, so getting Canton to round all of them up and bring them to a secure newly built room guaranteed to have no Silence in it at all was probably the best way to plan a strategy and keep away from any military interference. They can't be pursued by an army that already thinks they're dead.

 

[The Elite]

So glad it finally aired so there can be theorizing about the damned kid! (A lot of people at the New York screening were theorizing that the girl is Jenny since Moffat is supposedly the one who wanted her to regenerate at the end of The Doctor's Daughter, and all the stuff with Amy's kid, the 9 month timeline, etc was all just a decoy.)



Well when the Silence command you to do something, you obey without thinking, presumably even if that thing is to kill innocent people like the Doctor and his friends. Surely the Doctor wasn't sure if they would want them all dead now that they know more about the Silence's plan, so getting Canton to round all of them up and bring them to a secure newly built room guaranteed to have no Silence in it at all was probably the best way to plan a strategy and keep away from any military interference. They can't be pursued by an army that already thinks they're dead.

Moffat never said he wanted that. He merely suggested that as a clever alternative to letting her simply die.

 

[Gowans]

Well that Dr Who was awesome! Feel sorry for little kids not sleeping tonight.

 

[stupei]

Moffat never said he wanted that. He merely suggested that as a clever alternative to letting her simply die.

Thanks for the clarification. I'd never actually heard that before but apparently quite a few people there were really into the idea of it being Jenny and kept using that as evidence. (I'm not sure how I would feel about that, honestly.)

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

HOLY SHIT!

So awesome, but man it will be nice to get back to more simplier structure next week.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

The way this episode started threw me for a loop, put me firmly in the camp thats confused about why the Dr and everyone else where fugitives. Also put me in the camp that wonders why the president aided a 'fugitive'.

It was pretty cool that the Silence were referred to a few times last season, but that ALMOST seems like a shoe in. I hope when the explanations come that things are a lot more solid.

Also getting rid of the Silence by killing them off doesnt seem like a very 'Dr'ish' thing to do - I wonder how Tennants life loving Dr would have dealt with it lol.

Im also frustrated that the weird tally marks were never explained, last week the idea of the silent was so amazing simply because I wondered how they were going to overcome the obstacle of not knowing they existed. Seeing how they figured out they even existed and were the idea to keep tallys came from would have been interesting. This week there power was essentially gone.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

It seems to me that the 'back to forward' idea seems the most promising.

(while not required, I spoilertagged this for US viewers just in case)

Spoiler

I mean, 'Silence will fall' seems to go both ways. Their return with the second Big Bang (presumably meaning that they really were somehow 'in' the TARDIS) and the fall of their 'empire'.

I wonder what they were trying to bring back in their interaction with Amy though. They said 'the silence' but that doesn't make much sense if they are that already. So either they were referring to something else or this was actually the / an end for them, not the start.

The Doctor even wonders out loud why the Lodger device was abandoned, as the current one is not.

 

[Arnie]

What a brilliant episode, the writing is just top notch, even if sometimes the acting is kind of bad(not Matt Smith, he's fantastic).

Really enjoy all of these long spanning mysteries so it'll be hard to revert back to the run of the mill episodes from now on. Although like usual I'm sure there'll be a hint as to the ultimate arc in each episode.

Oh and I'm at the point now where they've dragged River Song's story out too much that I couldn't really care less who she is, and I don't really like her as a character.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Sidenote: the regeneration effect has now been shown 5 times, and it is still always a genuine 'OH SHIT' moment.

 

[Eteric Rice]

The Silence aren't dead at all yet. They'll probably be hunted down and eradicated on Earth from 1969 onwards - but they made it to the Moon, didn't they? And they have thousands of years on Earth before that point.

And they seem to have a Tardis.

Also, holy shit at the ending!

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

I see the story will be stretched out until the end. I doubt this episode will make much sense until then.

 

[ZombieFred]

Got to praise the direction in the first two episodes, speaking of how heart-pumping the show was, time just went by like if it was minutes. Also Smith really does make the doctor feel old, a great feat that is hard to do and not many of the previous Doctors aclompished this.