In Which I Review Doctor Who (8x9)

In last week's episode of Doctor Who, we established how Clara Oswald is a TARDIS addict, and an abusive one at that. In this week's episode, "Flatline," we take that addiction idea further--Clara becomes the Doctor. There is a tradition in modern Doctor Who known as the Doctor-lite episode in which the companion plays the larger role in saving the day. More often than not, they are not gifted with the psychic paper nor the sonic screwdriver, two things inextricably linked to the Doctor and his....Doctorness. In other words, they constantly ask themselves, "what would the Doctor do?" instead of knowing and performing actions in the vein of the Doctor. However, this week, Clara names herself as the Doctor and freely uses the sonic and psychic paper--not to mention adopting the Doctor's less than savory tendencies. And the Doctor himself? His gaze is reversed and he sees himself through Clara's eyes, and it's not exactly a pretty picture. This was my favorite episode of the season to date. It was a proper science fiction mystery and spooky story and it presented the audience with some tantalizing reversals of fortune that will likely play out in the weeks to come. And Peter Capadli finally got his "I am the Doctor" moment. 

This image is hilarious. This is like a fun house mirror where suddenly everything is smaller and less focused and you're left wondering what is real and what is a distortion of your perception. The plot this week, which was far more substantial than in the weeks past, was quite intriguing both from a TV enjoyment standpoint and from a metaphorical standpoint. The Doctor and Clara land back on Earth only for the TARDIS to have shrunk considerably, as you can see. There's a lot of science mumbo jumbo that gets thrown around but I'll boil it down here. Clara is sent off to investigate, with the psychic paper and the sonic, after she learns that people have been vanishing from Bristol. The Doctor stays behind to try and learn why something is eating the dimensional energy, hence the shrinking of the TARDIS. It gets so small in fact that Clara carries it around in her purse. It's actually adorable. The long and the short of it is that there are aliens from a universe that only exists in 2 dimensions, not three like ours. These 2-D aliens have crossed over and are, in effect, reducing people and objects to 2-D beings. The Doctor thinks it might be for communication or for study. Now, here's where this is really interesting; I think this is a nice metaphor for the Doctor and for Clara, both as individuals and as Doctor/Companion relationships go. The Doctor and Clara are rather 2-D themselves aren't they? At least as far as staying within the confines of their archetypes.

He's the mythic hero who comes from above to save the day, wielding what is, essentially, a magical sword (the sonic). She's the (mostly) weepy sidekick who keeps him grounded and reminds him why he should be a hero. Honestly, the Doctor and his companions are all a bit like this. There are shades of gray but you'd never have the Doctor presented as a straight up bad guy. Even here with 12, he's not bad so much as he's not wholly good. The writers would never take away the idea that the Doctor is the savior, no matter how much 12 may fight that label and in the final moments of this week's episode, he openly embraced that specific nature of his archetype (but we'll get to that). On the other hand, the Companion will always be in awe of the man from space, always see him as perennially "good" and sadly even in the modern era have that starry/doe eyed wonder about her. Clara has undergone a change this season, but if you're looking at her narrative arc from start to finish, she's mostly a very emotional, dare I say, feminine girl who is inherently less than the Doctor, despite the claim that she's the most important woman in the Doctor's history. Through a pretty anti-feminist lens, her entire life story is wrapped up in the Doctor (a man) and even though she has been fleshed out considerably this season into something more, her main story is still a cliche one of, what I would call, a truly bizarre love triangle. Take out the monsters and the TARDIS and traveling in time and space and the Clara dilemma of "which man do I choose" is a straight up classic TV trope. So what I like about this episode as metaphor is that it's trying to make the 2-D Doctor and Clara into something that is more fleshy, more 3-D. And the writers accomplished this, quite well I might add, by reversing their roles.

Meet Doctor Oswald. But you can call her Clara. Watching our companion become the Doctor was quite interesting and also quite scary by episode's end. The transformation of Clara, the nice sweet idealistic girl who used to quote Marcus Aurelius, is one that turns her into someone who thinks of human lives in terms of balance. She's even got her own plucky little sidekick who is prone to acts of heroism because Clara inspires such things. Rigsy deciding to take the bus and ram it into the monsters reeks of Clara jumping into the light at the end of "The Name of the Doctor." And our real Doctor? Well, as he put it himself "I see what you see." The little scientific earpiece that also connects to Clara's ocular nerve obviously serves a greater metaphorical purpose here--and it's not exactly subtle. What do you do when you realize that you are responsible for fundamentally changing the core of a close friend? By the end of this episode, Clara is more Doctor than she is Clara--by this I mean that she's not the girl who once got super emotional when she realized that, to the Doctor, we are all just ghosts. By the end, she's someone who is thinking in terms of balance: what are the lives of a few humans when you've just saved the whole world? And worse still, Clara's proud of herself. She's more or less reveling in just how well she did playing Doctor. Credit where credit is due, she did come up with the overall plan to return the TARDIS to normal so that the Doctor could defeat the monsters and she did it in "Doctor style." But did she lose something in the process?

Put a pin in the proper review because I need to fangirl over this moment. THIS was a quintessential Doctor Who moment. I've said it before; while the majority of Peter Capaldi's episodes have been enjoyable, they've been lacking something and I think we just figured out what it was: a "I am the Doctor" moment. Every Doctor should have one. 10's was his speech during "Voyage of the Damned;" 11's was his incredible performance at Stonehenge. But thus far, 12 hasn't had one of these; he's been actively fighting these kinds of moments, distancing himself from his role as savior and hero. But this, this right here, this is who he truly is. Who he always has been. Who he will forever be. "You are monsters...so I must play my role...the man that stops the monsters. This plane is protected. I am the Doctor!" Oh, so much fist pumping was going on during this scene. This is the glorious mythical divine hero is all his classical majesty, wielding once more his magical sword as all heroes must (love that Clara threw him the Sonic in a symbolic return of power). This is the Knight slaying the Dragon. This is the Savior of the Universe standing before the demons of Hell and banishing them back to the underworld. Bravo to Peter Capaldi; he nailed it, just as I suspected he would. So if the Doctor is truly the hero, even if he still struggles with it, then what does that make Clara? Where does she go from here, having tasted that little bit of power that is so much more exciting that any adventure?

It's interesting that Clara wants praise from the Doctor. I think, on some level, she's expecting that they are now on equal footing--the hero and the heroine, not the hero and his companion. But what's really remarkable is that she essentially wants what she once rejected and criticized the Doctor for, patting her on the head and telling her what a good girl she is. Now she wants that praise. She wants to know that she did well as the Doctor. I flashback to the second episode of the season, "Into the Dalek" and how the rogue Dalek told the Doctor that he would make a good one of them, and of course this isn't seen as praise by the Doctor. Clara did make a good Doctor, but "goodness had nothing to do with it." Clara took on the Doctor's less than ideal qualities; she's okay with the fact that lives were lost because in the end, the Earth was saved. She looks at this in terms of balance and puts a check mark next to this adventure as a job well done. Not only that, but she is lying. She's lying a lot. Clara questions out loud if it isn't better to lie to someone if it is for their own good, in this case Danny who keeps inserting himself into her perfect little Doctor-fueled fantasy world, asking her to join him back in the real. When Clara is trying to keep the members of her team safe, she embraces the idea that she must lie to them, give them hope and tell them it'll be alright, even though it won't. Feed them false hope, in other words. It's what the Doctor would do. Ah, but as the Doctor tells her in the end, he does this "largely so others won't have to." The divine shoulders can bear the brunt of all those lies and false hopes and dreams shattered and lost. But can a human's? I've speculated before that Clara will leave the TARDIS willingly, having lost faith in the Doctor. But now that the Doctor has got some of his own faith back, might he abandon Clara for her own good? Might he ditch her, tell her to get on with her life without him? It's an interesting hypothesis. At some point, one of them has to be strong enough to break this addiction, and I don't think Clara is going to be the one to do it.

Miscellaneous Notes on Flatline

--A smattering of funnies:
"Don't give me an --ish." "These readings are very ish-y."
"What are you doctor of?" "I'm usually quite vague about that. I think I only picked up the title because it makes me sound quite important."
"This is embarrassing. I'm from the race that built the TARDIS, dimensions are kind of our thing."

--The Doctor becoming "Thing" from the Addams family and moving the TARDIS as a train speeds toward him. Brilliant.

--Some really fantastic CGI effects this time round.

--Oh, did I neglect Missy again? Honestly, I can't be bothered by this. The writers are only going to tease it until the very end and not give me anything to work with, so I'll just sit back and wait. But apparently Apple iPads are available in Heaven now. Well done, Steve Jobs.

--Poor Danny. I do hope we get a bit more of his story sooner rather than later because he's becoming quite one note as of late.

--The Doctor did a little dance. Adorable.

In Which I Review Sleepy Hollow (2x4)

Choices and curses. That's what you got on this show: choices and curses. This weeks episode, "Go Where I Send Thee," was like taking Sophie's choice and mixing it with a not-German mythology. It wasn't a bad episode, not by any means. It was a bit slower than the last few; honestly, the biggest hindrance was the almost total lack of John Noble as the Horseman of War. Despite this being his first full season and only appearing as a guest star last year, his absence was deeply felt this time around. The one scene where he finally emerged and got to perform his delicious devily self, he shone. The monster this week, the Pied Piper--but not the one from Hamlin--was creepy but his terror was severely lessened by his fast movements and whiz bang effects. It's hard to fear a creature that won't stand still long enough for you to see. But Ichabod drove a car, so that was cool. It was once again a monster-of-the-week type situation but unlike last week, it felt disconnected from the larger mythology and while the mythology of this show takes a back seat to the campy nature of Ichabod and Abby, you can't leave it out wholly.

Told you Hawlie would be back. I think one of the biggest problems this week--apart from the lack of Noble--was that the individual mythology of the Pied Piper (who is not Rumple's father here, just for your information) was explained in such a quick manner that it left me confused and dazed, shaking my head and wondering what I had missed. In essence, back during the Revolution, the Red Coats visited the Lancaster family where they were not well behaved gentleman. The head of the family, angry over the treatment of his daughters, hired a mercenary who had a magical gift for flute playing. The mercenary had sold his soul to a demon and gotten a bone in return that played enchanting music. It's the Pied Piper but not the Pied Piper, savvy? The Pied Piper killed all the Red Coats after luring them outdoors only to be betrayed by the Lancaster head of household. Naturally, revenge is a dish best served cold. Or over the course of a few centuries, whatever floats your demon boat. The demon swore revenge by taking one daughter every generation on her tenth birthday to make himself a new bone flute. Lovely.

The family, a lovely couple, have two adopted boys but then had an oops baby girl. Do you see where I'm going with this? If the daughter isn't handed over for the Pied Piper to to do with as he pleases, then the Curse will take all the children. Sophie's Choice: lose all your kids, or lose just the one. Ichabod and Abby do manage to find the girl only for the mother to march her back out there. Eesh. This little girl will need therapy forever. First she's abducted by a flute playing demon and then her mother decides that she simply must die for the sake of the family. Resentment issues, this girl will have them. It's interesting that Abby can hear the music, but Ichabod isn't affected. I'm assuming it's because Abby is a woman, but she's also not ten years old. Is this part of Moloch's curse on Abby? That she'll be affected by demon's magic like this forever? Rather sucks. Hawlie is there...honestly, I'm not sure why except to ruffle Ichabod's feathers. Hawlie wants the flute bone, but Abby snaps it into two before forking it over--that a girl. Right now Hawlie is just there to create tension and jealousy for Ichabod who isn't fond of the reprobate (his words, not mine). The Pied Piper is eventually stopped by Abby and her gun, which I found a bit too unbelievable. Ichabod sword fighting with The Piper was cool, but why exactly did a gun take him down? Dunno. So, overall, slow, outside of mythology episode but still good because of the Abby and Ichabod interactions. Ichabod drinking a latte. That's gold right there.

Miscellaneous Notes on Go Where I Send Thee

--"We shall be victorious or defeated together." Don't touch me.

--Ichabod was quite adept at driving a car, no?

--Captain Irving finally realized that he sold his soul to the Horseman of War and had quite an interesting little vision of that foretells. Fire. Blood. Death. Woo hoo!

--"Yo, Pride and Prejudice!"

--The bone flute halves were eventually delivered to Jeremy who mashed them up and then proceeded to taste the dust. His report, "that's good." Okay then. 

In Which I Review Once Upon A Time (4x3)

I know it's my tendency to have this review, lately at least, just tear the show to shreds, but to be honest, I quite liked this weeks episode, "Rocky Road." It moved faster, despite all the various plot lines. It had some funny dialogue and most importantly, Elizabeth Mitchell is going to kill it as the Snow Queen. Now this isn't to say that ONCE is "back" or that it resembles in any way, shape, or form the show I was passionate about for so long, but in a world of mediocre ONCE episodes, this one shines like a diamond. I think one of the big themes for this episode is control. Everyone's looking to control their own destiny and the lives of people around them, either for good or for ill. It's not a wholly terrible idea given that our villains and our heroes have always struggled with "letting go" (see what I did there?) and accepting fate as it is. Snow wants to control Baby Snowflake and never let him out of her sight; Emma wants to control who she lets into her life; Elsa wants to control her past and memories; and the Snow Queen? Well who knows what she wants to control but she's got some issues with ordinary people, doesn't she?

Evil Milk

Even though this episode was much better than previous weeks, the flashbacks were still largely uneven and ranged from interesting to dull. Did we really need Hans? My thought is no. He was there because fans of Frozen insist that he be there. His purpose was really just as canon fodder; whether or not he plays a larger role and comes back I don't know, but I honestly hope not. He was rather one note. The thing about Hans in the movie is that he is a sociopath; he was capable of sweeping you off your feet and being charming and then he would leave you to die of a frozen heart. But in ONCE, he just felt flat. Or maybe that is in comparison to Kristoff who, along with Sven, stole the show. Kristoff is probably the best part of the Frozen ensemble. He's witty and charming and he gets the best lines and I love that he doesn't take Elsa's attitude and "I am the Queen" nonsense. By the way, that has to stop. I get it; you're royalty. However, that doesn't give you license to be rather rude to your future in-laws. The flashbacks this week are plot heavy so a quick rundown: Hans, the villain from Frozen, is on the Arendelle boarder and getting ready to invade. Hans is planning to go after an urn (yes, that urn) and trap Elsa inside so that she can't stop their forces. Kristoff gets wind of this and he and Elsa manage to get to the cave and urn before Hans but of course, Hans shows up and sword fight. Naturally.

Like I said, I think I would have preferred if Hans wasn't here at all. Why couldn't Kristoff and Elsa have accidentally opened the urn? Isn't that really a better story? The heroes who unleash villains through their own ineptitude and attempts at doing the right thing? If you think about it, that's actually what ONCE has often been about. Hans, in this case, just adds to the already overwhelming amount of characters I don't care about...yet. Except Sven. More Sven. Now, with all that said, the interactions between Elsa and Kristoff here are nice. It's like Elsa finally warmed up (ha) to Kristoff and sees him as more than just "the guy my sister is marrying." He's a friend; and even if it costs him his life, Kristoff doesn't want Hans putting Elsa in that urn or getting to Anna. Do you realize that we haven't seen Anna and Kristoff together at all? But, the fact that I can tell Kristoff loves Anna very much is a credit to the actor and the writers. Did I just compliment ONCE? The world. It hath ended, folks. So what is inside the urn, which obviously is going to be opened. You don't present an urn with mystical runes on it and then not open it. Chekov's Gun. Look it up. Evil milk is inside. As someone who enjoys her milk, I can assure you that this is my worst nightmare.

Of course the evil milk is the Snow Queen. She makes ice cream for a living! It's a pun! It's a not so clever pun, but it's a pun. Hm, back to disrespecting the show, eh? I giveth and I taketh away. Does the Snow Queen have a name? Not yet. But until then, I shall call her...Helga. Helga sounds like a good "cold" name. So Helga freezes Hans and Elsa is instantly grateful to this magical woman who has powers just like her. Oh, Elsa. Have you never seen ONCE before? Did you lose your DVDs? The woman is clearly going to be a villain (and a family member). She reeks of the ONCE villain trope: she was trapped, she feels misunderstood by people not like her, and she speaks with a nice quiet voice that isn't at all alarming or makes you want to peel your skin off. Did you guess that they were family? Cause you should have. We've had evil mothers, evil fathers, evil half-sisters so what comes next: evil Aunt! OF COURSE. Play a new song ONCE. This one is getting old. Yes, the Snow Queen is Elsa's aunt, on her mother's side. Helga gives some song and dance about how she was trapped in the urn by people who didn't understand her which is villain code for "I did a bad thing and people put me in a prison cause justice and that's how the penal system works." Ten bucks says she caused the storm at sea that killed her sister. No, don't ask me how. Just trust me on these things. Now, I must admit that I'm glad they aren't beating around the bush about this. They aren't trying to give us some big mystery about who this woman is or how she is related to Elsa and Anna; they came out with it, just like last season not keeping Zelena's real identity from us. I appreciate that in a show that often keeps the "big reveal" for the final few episodes. What does she want? To hell if I know. But I think Emma is right about one thing (and Emma is seldom right about anything anymore): The Snow Queen was in Storybrooke before Elsa came over by accident. She wants something else.

Why Couldn't It Be Follow The Butterflies?

Ice cream is evil. Bad, bad ice cream. There are many things about the present day that I didn't like, or rather they left a bad taste in my mouth. But they also worked well and flowed together which is why I'm not tearing this episode into smithereens. The biggest issue is the number of plots running concurrently: there's Snow White and her need to be wonder woman while wearing some truly heinous clothing. Seriously, what is up with that skirt and shoes?? Did she dress in the dark? I mean, I know she just gave birth so she wants to be comfortable, but that's why God invented sweat pants. Put those on; no one is going to judge you, Madame Mayor. And speaking of Mayor-ing, it's your job now. Hand Baby Snowflake off to Charming and do your work. You don't need to be holding the baby and the list of things to do and try to conduct a "fireside chat." You are not actually FDR. The Archie and Snow scene was both nice and bizarre. So here's Snow, trying to be super mom and here's Archie dropping in for a nice little chit chat and then LEAVES without actually helping Snow White with what she's struggling with? Pick up the stupid stroller and fix it for her, Cricket!

And then there is this bloody awful love triangle. Now, look, I hated the love triangle of the past. It ended up destroying my insides and killing about 95% of my love for this show. But this love triangle is completely out there and stupid. So Robin and Marian's love isn't good enough anymore? Just because Robin is now in love with Regina after just--what--a week? Ok, sure. So here is this woman who was brought back through no fault of her own, to find her husband and kid shacked up with the Evil Queen, and now she gets Frozen by an ice Dairy Queen? And while she lays dying of a frozen heart, Robin confesses that True Love's Kiss won't work on Marian because he's in love with Regina? What kind of twisted, stupid moral is this? It's terrible. TERRIBLE. I can't support OutlawQueen now or ever. And I was a supporter of it; I liked the idea of it, I did. This is exactly the kind of twisted morality tale that ONCE has become. Love conquers all, including justice, morality, ethics, and good sense. Oh, and story telling.

There is a lot more going on in this episode, but I guess it will have to be saved for notes, because I want to get to the real meat of it all: Elsa, Emma, and the Snow Queen. And a bit of saucy Rumple. But, first, a confession: I was madly cheering and hoping for one of those icicles to break off and plunge right through Hook's head and kill him. Hate me if you must, but when I saw that pirate trapped and in trouble, some part of me clapped gleefully and rooted for his demise. Of course, it'll never happen. ABC is in love with his dashing self...or should that be meself. Yeah, Emma. You picked a real winner. The guy is a keeper! Can't even speak proper English. Great catch. Am I bitter? Yes. Moving on. The Snow Queen and Elsa have a lot of catching up to do and there is a lot of PLOT thrown at us in exposition form--naturally. Basically, Elsa can't remember anything about who put her in the urn because the rock trolls took her memories and then Elsa ended up in the urn because Anna put her there. Yeah, sure. I believe you, Blondie. Not. But then there's a twist: The Snow Queen knows Emma. And it was quite an emotional reunion...for The Snow Queen. Emma obviously has no idea who this woman is. So who do I think she is? Emma's foster mother. We know Emma had a lot of foster parents growing up, but she did have one that kept her until she was three years old. I think that's who The Snow Queen is. How did she get to our world? Good question. But I'll be pretty unhappy if she magically got to our world whereas Rumple and Regina and Snow/Charming had to cast the Dark Curse in order to get here. Oh, and you know, sacrifice Neal in the meantime. And most confusing aspect of all--or rather, adding to the confusion--is the fact that Rumple and The Snow Queen know each other. They've obviously had dealings before. So it's all a mystery. As it usually is. The episode was plot heavy but since it managed to flow nicely and connect some dots, I'm okay with it. I have major issues with some relationship stuff on all fronts, from Rumbelle to OutlawQueen to that which shall not be named. ONCE needs to exercise some control over itself and somehow manage to combine plot and romance without forsaking moral and good storytelling. Of course, that probably went out the window some time ago...

Miscellaneous Notes on Rocky Road

--Will Scarlet is finally in town and it's VERY nice to see him. But heaven help me if they retcon his entire Wonderland story. They've already done it a bit by saying that he was never anything but a thief. He wasn't. He was a king.


--Operation Mongoose. I have issues with this, mainly that Regina seems to think "I was written as a villain." No, Regina. You WERE a villain. You did terrible, horrible, no good things. That makes you a villain. And what's even more offensive is that Henry thinks this is a good idea and that "the book was wrong about you." No. Just, no.

--Two Neal shout outs. I'll begrudgingly accept them except what should be explored is dealing with this death. It's insulting to anyone who has ever lost a parent or a child to think that you can get over this kind of emotional trauma in a few days.

--Hook blackmails Rumple WHY exactly? There was no logic here. Why not simply ask Rumple for his help? If he says no then you can try blackmail, I suppose. But starting with blackmail is just a sign of bad things

--Sven. I love him. Deeply.

--"I didn't try to kill her; I left her to die." "Important distinction."

In Which I Review Doctor Who (8x8)

If I wasn't wholly convinced that the Doctor and Clara have an addictive and abusive relationship then after this weeks episode, "Mummy on the Orient Express," I surely am. Without a doubt, their relationship is one that is akin to drug abuse and addiction. The two are definitely not mutually exclusive; you abuse a drug because you're addicted, and you're addicted because you abuse the substance. Doesn't matter what it is, anything can turn into this kind of horrible cycle. Do you know why people do drugs? Because it makes them feel something. It makes them feel alive--and all you want is that feeling. So you'll do whatever it takes to get it--beg, borrow, steal, lie, cheat, kill. Doesn't matter. All you want it another hit, another taste, another rush of feeling. And that's what Clara and the Doctor are after. The adventure is a high. The TARDIS is a high. The Doctor himself is a high. Clara wants to be next to him when the walls come down, and the Doctor has never once tried to not be the Doctor willingly. So, yes, this episode is about addiction and abuse and that tiny voice in the back of your head wishing it could end; wishing that the war would end, and you could finally be free. Surrender to it. It's a dark and scary path. 

Does anyone else think that there should have been a scene before this one? Some sort of emotional resolution after last week? I get that it has been weeks since the Doctor and Clara saw each other, but that's not unheard of in this new Moffat era. This is a problem with Moffat's era in general; he sets up really interesting emotional conflicts and then never sees them out, preferring to take an easy approach that ends in tears and hugging and declarations of love and fealty. Clara was pissed at the end of last week; she was incredibly angry. After weeks of stewing, we're not quite sure how they came back together, but they did. And Clara has decided that, because this is the last hurrah, she doesn't need to hate the Doctor for lying and patronizing her last week. "I really thought I hated you...but hatred is too strong of an emotion to waste on someone you don't like. I just can't do this the way you do it anymore." This sentiment is confusion in sentence form. So, she doesn't hate the Doctor because it's too strong an emotion to give to someone she doesn't even like. Clara doesn't like the Doctor anymore because of the way he conducts their adventures nowadays, but she needed one last hurrah, one final trip, one final mission, to say goodbye, to end it. What does this sound like? It sounds like someone with a drug problem; it sounds like someone who is trying to convince themselves that one final hit, one last rush, and they'll be able to walk away for good because they know this is the end and therefore they can savor it and enjoy. You know what the problem is? By the end of that last hit, you remember how good this addiction feels and you keep telling yourself "just one more. I can take it."

I think it's very possible that the Doctor is manipulating Clara during all this. By the end of the episode, we learn that he did not bring her to this train in space for a nice quiet evening but because he has been invited by a mysterious force who wants the Doctor to solve a puzzle. When Clara learns about the mummy monster and becomes curious and excited, the Doctor keeps leaning on her, "I thought you didn't want this to be a thing. I thought you wanted to end it." When Clara acknowledges that of course she doesn't want this to be a thing, the Doctor basically insinuates, without saying the words, that this means she'll never see him again. He doesn't do dinners, folks. He doesn't pop round for a roast and a glass of red wine. That's not how he operates. If you leave the TARDIS, then chances are you'll never see him again. Just ask Sarah Jane Smith after the Fourth Doctor left her. It's quiet the impressive emotional manipulation. The Doctor is her drug dealer; he'll say he's fine with her quitting and living her own life, but he'll slyly put her in a position where she is unable to say no. Long gone is the Tenth Doctor who let Martha walk out of the TARDIS, head held high, knowing that she had saved the planet Earth and that she could now get on with her life.

So the plot of the episode is both entertaining and not. I really enjoyed the ambiance and atmosphere of the roaring 1920s space train, complete with flapper gowns and lounge singers. But when all that was stripped away and we were left in a sterile, cold, inhospitable lab, devoid of all the color and warmth of the "curtain" I was disappointed. I really just wanted a fun 1920s-esque old Hollywood style murder mystery. It was set up as such. There was sultry jazz music, a murder that was unsolvable, an icy blonde who might steadily be going mad, an authoritarian figure who has resentment issues, and here comes the Doctor just like Poriot and his plucky young assistant who helps him out. It's totally Agatha Christie (whom the Doctor has met, by the way). But then it was reduced down to some scientific mumbo jumbo in order to get at one of the overarching themes of this season: soldiers and why the Doctor doesn't like them. In case you missed it, the Mummy is a Doctor doppelganger. It wasn't very subtle. Every time someone would see the Mummy and try to describe it, the Doctor's face would always be in the vision as well, blurring the lines between what was Mummy and what was Time Lord. The Mummy, who kills you in 66 seconds after you look at it, is a soldier of a war long since forgotten, thousands of years old, wounded but still feeling like it has a mission to carry out. Sound familiar? As the Doctor is trying to race against the clock, he gives some very tell telltale lines in which he takes out "the Mummy" as the noun and uses "you" which could be the Mummy or it could be the Doctor talking to himself, something he did in this episode, having a full on conversation back and forth with nobody. "It won't just let you die; it won't let the war end." When does the Doctor get to die? When does he get to surrender to that dark abyss? In theory, it's after this regeneration, but Moffat can work around that easily enough. The fact is, this Doctor is the wounded soldier who can't quit, who can't die, because he's addicted to it all. This is the life he chose and he'll live it until the bitter end--even if he may not want to anymore, even if it makes him heartless.

The last ten minutes are probably the highlight of the entire episode. The Doctor saves everybody to Clara's shock and awe. Even though Clara thought the Doctor was being heartless, and making her heartless in the process, it turns out that he made the choice that her previous Doctor would have made. I'm going to be cynical here; I think this was a well choreographed dance on the part of the Doctor. Here's his companion thinking that he is letting people die left and right without remorse and in order to feed into her better nature, to get her to see that he's not that way, he gives her what she wants: a hero. An impossible hero. On the beach, Clara asks the Doctor, "so you were only pretending to be heartless?" His very telling answer: "Would that make it easier?" Oh, the lies we tell. Now Clara can tell herself that the Doctor was only pretending to be heartless but he's not in reality. It's just that, "sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose." What are Clara's choices? She can live a life without the Doctor, without the TARDIS, and without the adventures. Or she can live a life that is fueled by these drugs, a life that she may never be able to get out of, and one that might turn her heartless. There's a line Sarah Jane Smith says to the 10th Doctor when they meet again that I think works really well here, "You were my life. You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next. No, with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?" 

Do you know what one of the hallmarks of addiction is? Lying to the people you love. Do you know what one of the hallmarks of an abusive relationships is? Apologizing for things that aren't your fault. Clara does both of these things in about five seconds flat. So, here they are: the Doctor and Clara. One is about to leave the TARDIS for good, and one never will. You can tell that Clara is waffling. She doesn't want to go (bad choice of words...). But before she does, she wants to know if the Doctor feels like his life is an addiction. His response, "it's hard to call it an addiction if you've never tried to give it up." Nope. It's an addiction whether or not you try to give it up. But look at him trying to make Clara's decision without appearing to make Clara's decision, which was his mistake last week: she felt patronized that the Doctor "let" her make a choice that she wasn't really making. Now he's being careful and cagey. He'll let her walk out that door but when she asks if he loves being the man who makes impossible choices, he simply responds with, "it's my life." It could be her life too. And then, like fate, there is her real life calling. Danny wants to know if it's done, if she's coming home and they can begin their life. Clara lies to the man she loves and says "mission accomplished" and then proceeds to run to the Doctor and tell him that this whole "ending it" was Danny's idea, but she's only had a wobble and now she's ready. She tells the Doctor how sorry she is and that she wants planets and adventure. Addiction. Meet Abuse. It's not pretty. And together, the Doctor and Clara grab hold of the consoles and plunge into darkness.

Miscellaneous Notes on Mummy on the Orient Express

--Given that addiction was actually brought up this episode, I'm willing to give Moffat the benefit of the doubt that this addictive/abusive relationship is intentional and that Clara's addiction will be paramount in how she gets off the show.

--$50 says that "Gus" has something to do with Missy and that we'll be seeing those victims of the Mummy again. And did anyone else think that the beach was Heaven?

--"Oh. I'm so happy to finally see you. Hello, I'm the Doctor and I'll be your victim tonight. Are you my Mummy?"

--The Doctor offered a man a jelly baby from a cigarette case. Bless.

--On the whole the emotional and thematic moments of this episode were solid, but it was the "science" bit of the plot that was lackluster.

In Which I Review Sleepy Hollow (2x3)

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
--Matthew 26: 14-16

It was bound to happen. The first real "sleepy" episode of Sleepy Hollow. Not that it wasn't good, but rather this weeks episode, "Root of All Evil," dragged a bit more than the last two. Sleepy Hollow more or less returned to the monster of the week type storytelling, only in place of a monster it was a cursed coin from the Roman Era. Naturally. I accept that this is what Sleepy Hollow most often is; after all, Abby and Ichabod can't go into Purgatory every week, now can they? Monster of the week mini arcs can be done well--just look at Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's being able to use your strengths--in this case, the relationship of Abby and Ichabod--while hunting down and defeating a monster I'll most likely forget in the coming weeks. If there was one theme to this weeks episode, it was that there is darkness in everyone. It resides in the human heart, sitting uncomfortably, yearning to be free. All it needs is a little push. 

Hey look; it's Benedict Arnold, America's most notorious traitor and egg sandwich. So there are these coins, there are thirty of them and they are silver. Lights should be going off in your head right about now. These coins, that have been scattered all about the United States I suppose, were the 30 pieces of silver that the Romans gave to Judas to betray Jesus and as such are "cursed." The show never uses the word cursed, but I will. Essentially they bring out the darkness in everyone and make those people betray that to whom they are most loyal. Ichabod and Abby need to get the coin out of the hands of whomever has it and lock it away so that it can't do anymore damage. It's essentially an hour of missteps and running around. There are some highlights that exist outside of this plot and that was genuinely the more interesting portion of the episode. But to deal with the coin plot, it is resolved, naturally, by episode's end. It passes hands for a bit until it lands (literally) in front of Jenny who unknowingly picks it up and then begins to hunt down the new Police Chief Reyes to seek revenge. Turns out that this Police Chief Reyes (who is probably secretly evil, along with Katrina) sent Jenny and Abby's mom the psych ward where she later committed suicide. Jenny blames Reyes for why she and her sister never had their mother and grew up the way they did, though Abby is more lenient, but the sisters have always been contrasting personalities. The coin is eventually put into the protection of a Mr. Holly, whom, unless I misjudge, will most likely be coming back at some point during this season. He ruffled Ichabod's feathers too much for them not bring him back to ruffle them further. 

 There was a lot of fighting in this weeks episode. Not fisticuffs, mind you, but verbal sparring. Abby and Jenny, Abby and Reyes, War and Death (that's such a comical thing to write) and even, to some small extent, Ichabod and Abby. You'll notice that in many, if not all of these cases, the fighting is between people who should be loyal to each other. Even without the coin in their possession, the darkness in (wo)man cannot be denied thereby proving Jeremy's hypothesis that by simple observation we can witness people's true nature. Abby and Jenny should be loyal to each other, but Jenny feels betrayed when Abby won't take her side against Reyes; Abby should be loyal to her Captain and not question the Captain's decisions; War and Death are supposed to be in this Apocalypse together, but you can tell that they don't trust each other. Actually, their fight is rather ironic. War (Jeremy) thinks that Death (Abraham) is too close to Katrina who is still living amongst them, but it's equally true of War. There is something about her that War yearns to connect with and he is in such denial about it that he literally tries to burn a reminder that Katrina gave him life. You know who hasn't forgotten this detail? Abby. Every time Ichabod brings up his wife, Abby gets very silent. When Ichabod finally confronts her about it, Abby asks him if he truly believes that Katrina would turn against her son when the time comes. Katrina is a mother; she is going to try and reach out to her child, and I think Abby's right. I make a lot of jokes about how Katrina is evil, but if I had to guess I think she might betray Ichabod not out of malice or villainy but out of love for her son. Come the end of season two, I think Katrina might actually choose, willingly, to stay with Abraham and Jeremy out of a desire to be with her son, not her husband. 

Miscellaneous Notes on Root Of All Evil

--Abby explaining gay marriage to Ichabod was hilarious, but even more so was Ichabod's response: "I meant gentlemen wearing hats indoors...also, I watched the finale of Glee." 


--"I fought a war for Independence, yet I have none!" Poor Ichabod. He has no identity. It's definitely thematic since he's a man out of time, constantly having to realign his cultural understandings. It's also just really hard to buy a beer. 

--Why does Jeremy have a model of Sleepy Hollow, that is somewhat creepy in its exact detail? 

--The conversation between Ichabod and Jeremy was definitely the highlight of the episode. John Noble is wonderful. I knew I loved him for a reason.

In Which I Review Once Upon A Time (4x2)

Bo Peep is an evil warlord with a magic stick that can brand people and make them her flock so that she never loses them. 

I want you to read that sentence again. Then I want you to think back to season one when this show had style but substance, heart, drama, emotions, morals, and decent writing. Then, after you've contemplated all that, I want you to re-read the first sentence above and tell me how the HELL that fits into what ONCE was. Hint: it doesn't. I liked this episode less than last weeks; this week was slow, boring, overly contrived and didn't advance the plot at all. Oh, Charming and Anna knew each other? Okay. Oh, Charming's father was an alcoholic? Um, sure. Oh, Elsa and Emma are going to bond over inability to control their magic and being scared of what they are? Actually, I like that, but I was on a roll. Let's see: oh Captain Hook continues to pout that he's not getting the proper amount of attention? There. Three bad things. This weeks episode, "White Out," wanted to give some thematic understanding of not letting fear stop you from living your life. I guess that's relevant but you know what, like the Doctor said, "fear is a super power." Sometimes, fear is good. But any theme ONCE was trying to drive is pretty much covered up with frills, a shepherd's crook, and sheep. Seriously. Bo Peep is a warlord. 

Baaaaaaaaad Writing

On some level, this is a good idea. Charming--who is just David right now--has very few friends outside of Snow. It's the biggest problem I have with David and Snow as a couple; they are so wrapped up in each other that they never exist outside of each other. Now, I would have liked if this flashback actually took place when David was married to show that he could have substantial relationships outside of Snow, but I'll take what I can get. Fans have been clamoring to know more about Charming who, for being the original male hero of the story, is super under developed. Mixed in with this is the desire to know more about Charming's father--theories abound on this one: knight of the Round Table, King Arthur, ect. The writers decide to kill two birds with one stone and give us Charming's father's back story and I am just going to say it: not everyone has one bad parent, ONCE. Get over this trope and get over it right now. It's officially annoying. Well, it was annoying before but now it's just straight up laziness. Don't think that you can flesh out one of your core characters in five seconds by providing an overly cliche story of a woefully inept father. There is nothing wrong with Charming having two loving parents, but nope. You had to go and make his father a drunk who died in a cart accident. Yes, that is a thing that happens in the Enchanted Forest. However this is not the truly heinous writing in this weeks episode.

This is. This could have been playful and been the show trying to make fun of itself and its constant attempt to gender bend or twist the classic stories you knew as a kid. But the acting, the costuming, the actual plot of a warlord who calls herself Bo Peep and brandishes a magical stick that makes people part of her flock...ludercrious. And not in a ha-ha funny way. I mean just straight up sheer lunacy. It's embarrassing for the show that once gave us episodes like Skin Deep and Manhattan. And you know what the most egregious thing might be? If they had toned down the absurd acting and costuming and flash in the pan like quality, this had potential. A terrible warlord who can enslave people from the Enchanted Forest and make them work for her to pay off debt? Actually an interesting storyline but one we all know that they won't develop further. And that's one of ONCE"s biggest problems: they introduce new villains every episode while simultaneously having a separate villain arc but the two never line up. Blackbeard had nothing to do with Zelena. And Bo Peep will having nothing to do with--the villain of the season (we'll get to her). How many baddies are there in the Enchanted Forest? And how many of them can inexplicably use magic? What happened to just Regina and Rumple and the fairies as the power in the lands? So what does Bo Peep want?

Charming's farm, if he can't pay his debt. Otherwise, he will be her slave for he is part of her flock and she always knows how to find them. Good Lord. Are we sure this episode was written by Jane Espenson? I am a lover of all things Jane but this couldn't possibly be hers. Also, look at this photo. This is some Harlequin Romance fluff right here. "I can't fight! It is better to survive. Will you miss me, my sweet?" "You must fight! However shall I survive without you and your flowing locks?" "To the barn my love. I want to show you my new riding trick!" Honestly, at one point, I thought they were going to try and romanticize Anna and Charming. It doesn't help that she tackled him in a barn and then straddled him for a few moments. There is some hubbub about Bo Peep kidnapping Anna and making her part of the flock by branding but of course Charming miraculously wins against Bo in a sword fight after learning to fight just 24 hours before and gets Anna back and the day is saved and oh hip hip hooray! The main message here is that survival is not living, and that even if the battle cannot be won, it must be fought. This is something present day Charming believes in quite a bit so it's nice to see where he got it, especially since our first real introduction to him is as a farmer who fought a dragon. The flashbacks were just incredibly lackluster though. The writers are taking every opportunity to insert the Frozen characters into places to keep the new audience that only came because of Frozen entertained. If they think I don't notice then, I've got news for them. I do.

FrozenSwan

Emma got herself a friend. It's a bloody miracle. Every interaction Emma has is mostly male (and romantic) or her mother and father with whom she has an incredibly sketchy and complicated relationship. So, yes, I am applauding ONCE for giving Emma an honest to goodness friend. Now for a criticism. It won't last. Elsa will most likely be gone by the end of these eleven episode and never reappear meaning that Emma will lose the only sincere friend she's had since Neal died. Yeah, that's right. I went there. Neal was also a friend, not just a lover. Elsa, though, has endangered the lives of everyone in Storybrooke twice now. She created an ice monster that almost crushed Maid Marian and now she has put up a giant wall of ice that prevents anyone from leaving...a town that no one can leave anyway. I suppose Elsa doesn't know that. Still. Redundant prevention method is redundant. Also, does the Wall of Ice guard the realms of men? Is it the Sword in the Darkness? Are there Watchers on the Wall? Obvious A Song of Ice and Fire reference is obvious.

Emma is not equipped for the cold, but it never bothered Elsa, anyway. Yes, the show went there. Trapped inside the Ice Wall/Cave, Emma is slowly freezing to death while trying to figure out what Elsa wants in Storybrooke. It's a race against the clock but in the meantime, Elsa and Emma bond over their difficulties with magic. Emma is the world's most ineffectual savior (cold should not stop true love's powers!) and Elsa no longer has her safety blanket (Anna) so she's all out of whack. It's nice that Emma has someone who understands her since they killed the last person who understood her and made her walls come down (the pirate in black doesn't count. He doesn't exist apart from my need to openly criticize his demands for dates and special time even though Emma told him to be patient. Step off, Hook; Step. Off.) Like the flashbacks, the present day stuff was really just a bunch of running around, yelling, and exposition. There was nothing to latch on to. I never once felt that Emma was in real danger or that Charming and He Who Shall Not Be Named wouldn't get to her in time or that Elsa wouldn't find the power inside her to make the walls come tumbling down. So Emma and Elsa get out from the wall/cave (really, what was it exactly?) but the wall/cave doesn't fall. Why?

This I am legitimately excited for. I love Elizabeth Mitchell; loved her on LOST and V and Revolution and it's nice to see her in Storybrooke. My guess? She's the original Ice Queen. And knowing ONCE, she'll be related somehow to the Frozen sisters. We've had bad mothers, bad fathers, bad sisters. How about a bad Aunt? Elsa and Anna's mother's sister. Why not. I wonder what her name is in this reality. Something cold. Oh, also, she runs an ice cream shop. That's clever, actually. That's almost season one clever. She seems to have control over her powers but at the same time, anything she touches gets Frozen (copyright Disney). What does she want? More power? Does she want Elsa? Does she have Anna? I hope the answers to these questions are more satisfying than this episode was. Or maybe I should just give up and accept that she's probably Henry's sister once removed on his cousins side. Oh, and she's Bo Peep. And a warlord.

Miscellaneous Notes on White Out

--Anna was much better this episode. Not as ditzy, more lovably kooky.

--Snow is now the mayor? Why? Because she cast the curse--but Regina was mayor up until last night. Also, with no experience whatsoever and not being able to read a manual written in Japanese, Snow fixed a generator because breastfeeding.

--"Why put up a wall?" "To kill us all one by one. That's what I would do." OMG. I hate you Hook. I hate you so much.

--"A store filled with things!"

--Regina doesn't want to see Henry. Of all the OOC stupidity....

In Which I Review Doctor Who (8x7)

According to Webster's Dictionary, responsibility means "the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone." If there is one theme in this weeks episode, "Kill the Moon," it's how much responsibility does the Doctor have to the planet Earth and its billion plus inhabitants? Is he our savior in our time of need; or is it up to the people who call this blue/green rock home to make decisions, especially when those decisions aren't nice or kind. Secondary to this is trying pick apart what the Doctor gets out of having a travel companion. For the most part, it's is to stave off lonlieness or, as the 11th Doctor said, it's because he has seen it all--the birth and death the universe--and traveling with someone helps him see it through fresh eyes. However, while that is all good and noble and a wee bit sad, I think his motivations are also incredibly egotistical. As of late, the Doctor only travels with modern humans; little people who aren't knowledgeable about time and space and can look at the Doctor with a sort of starry eyed wonder. And I think he gets off on it. He likes that almost god like power. It's an ugly truth, but one that fits in this weeks episode. 

The Doctor put his foot in his mouth and now he's paying for it. This is why we don't tell kids they aren't special or important--sooner or later, they'll want to travel in space with you. I don't have a lot of issues with a random kid, Courtney I suppose, traveling with the Doctor. It was important thematically since the episode had a lot to say about children and innocent lives, I just don't want the Doctor making a habit of taking other people into space when he already has a companion. However, it's very telling that the Doctor would rather show Courtney a neat trick--by letting her be the first woman on the moon--rather than just telling her she is important. This Doctor has problems with the emotional words, doesn't he? He's opposed to hugs and the Doctor couldn't properly express why he didn't like Danny and he can't communicate explicitly why he doesn't like soldiers. And by the end of this episode, he is unable to tell Clara that she is important and special to him, instead couching his criticisms in a patronizing and patriarchal way. And actually, when you stop and think about it, he's been doing this all season. His need to insult Clara in what was a fun big brother, best friend sort of way, have slowly becoming more annoying and mean spirited. I read an analysis of The 12th Doctor and Clara that they have a very abusive relationship. He's the jealous boyfriend who will beat you down with words but apologize and try to make amends when it look like she's about to walk out the door. It might be a bit extreme if in large part because I don't think Moffat is aware that this is how Clara and The Doctor are coming across, but it does carry some weight. In this episode, the Doctor will let Clara feel stupid and in mortal danger for the sake of a lesson. He says it's respect, but it's not how she feels.

The plot of this episode is nothing totally revolutionary, though there are a shocking amount of political sentiments in this episode. Turns out the moon is an egg and thus the mythology of ever civilization ever is proven correct. No seriously, many civilizations considered the moon to be a woman who was pregnant, hence why it waxed and waned. Inside the moon-egg is a dragon--no wait, wrong fandom (A Song of Ice and Fire joke). Inside the moon is a creature, possibly the largest creature in the universe and it's hatching. The moon is breaking apart as a result and it's causing havoc on earth; the tides are so large that they threaten to drown whole cities. But here's the issue, well one of them: we know the moon still exists past 2049 and that humanity is not wiped out. So when Clara just wants to pack up and leave because she knows that the moon is still there in the future and that humanity has spread out amongst the stars, the Doctor corrects her that the future is not for certain and for all he knows, the decision that is made today could change the course of history. So what's the dilemma? Kill the baby or sacrifice the future.

You know, that's fairly weighty for a show that is theoretically geared toward children. It's the pro-life debate only set in space with nuclear bombs. What is more important? An alien baby that "cannot be blamed for kicking" or the future of the human race? Clara and Courtney don't want to kill the innocent creature because it's a baby; the astronaut sent into space to deal with the issue thinks human life is more important. Politically speaking, I am pro-woman's choice and I guess here I am pro-humanity's future, but it's a bleak future if it comes on the back of a dead alien baby. And the Doctor? The Doctor has left the building. I admit, I expected him to come back before time ran out and tell Clara and Courtney that he had found a way to let the alien baby live and save the planet Earth in one fell swoop. And then I remembered that this wasn't the 10th or 11th Doctor. The 12th Doctor's stance is pretty clear: "The earth is not my home, the moon in not my moon. I can't help, sorry." It has to be Clara and Courtney and the astronaut's decision, not his. The Doctor wants no part in it because it doesn't concern him. Troubling, no? It also brings to mind what the 10th Doctor said in his very first episode about the planet Earth: "it is defended," meaning by him. In this case, the 12th Doctor isn't doing much in the way of defense, now is he. The Doctor does come back but only after Clara and Courtney press the button to abort the bomb. He doesn't come back in the nick of time, but a hair's breath after. What if Clara and Courtney hadn't pressed that button? She says she almost didn't and I believe her. Everything is fine, in the end, of course. The creature lives and flies free, laying a new moon in its wake, and humanity sees something that sets them on a course to travel amongst the stars.

But now we come to the really important part of the episode: Clara lets the Doctor have it. Either he tells her what he knew, or she will slap him so hard that he'll regenerate. HA! This might be the biggest fight the Doctor has had with a companion in awhile. The Doctor probably knew all along that the monster would re-lay an egg and the Earth would be fine. He can claim he didn't but I don't believe him, honestly. He removed himself from the equation because he likes sitting back and watching his creatures at work. He's like God in the Clockmaker analogy. God may have created the universe and its creatures but he has no part in their lives now and what choices they make, they make. He won't interfere. The Doctor enjoys sitting back and applauding himself for his cleverness and his ingenuity when the humans do something noble and brave because, in a way, he gets to take credit for it. Clara's right; he's patronizing her. This was a really great moment for Clara. She's never been my favorite; she was written as weak and weepy in her first season and is only now getting a backbone, the kind required to go toe to toe with an egomaniacal man like the Doctor. Props to Jenna Coleman for acting this so well. Clara tells the Doctor, "Don't you lock me with the rest of the humans that you think are tiny and silly and predictable. You walk our Earth, you breathe our air and you can help us when we need it." It's interesting that just after this, the Doctor tells Clara to watch her language; the same thing he told Courtney because she was a child. That's how the Doctor sees Clara; she's a little girl and he's the big important Time Lord and he knows best. She gets a pat on the head for being a clever little human, but in the end, it's all thanks to him. But enough is enough, and Clara tells him to "get in your lonely TARDIS and don't you come back." Now, I know it won't last. Clara will forgive and the Doctor will make amends, but that's what I was saying at the beginning: it's a bit of an abusive relationship. Whether or not Steven Moffat is aware of this, I don't honestly know. He often cuts the emotional stuff off at the knees without exploring it. But I think it's safe to say that Clara has had her eyes opened for real this time and will be wary moving forward. All in all, she kinda had a bad day.

Miscellaneous Notes on Kill The Moon

--This episode didn't really make me laugh, but then I don't think it was supposed to. I did enjoy that the spiders were killed with Windex.

--"No getting sick and no hanky panky, those are the rules."

--"I am a super intelligent alien being who flies in time and space. You going to shoot me?" Funny line but it really drives home the point I was making about the Doctor's ego.

--I know before the season is over, we'll most likely get Danny Pink's background story on why he left the army and what his "really bad day" was but I'm not sure at this point what it is. Did he kill someone accidentally?

--Really surprised we didn't see the dead astronauts with Missy.