Ah,
that’s better – or at least easier. How
do you talk about a two-part Moffat finale when you don’t want give away any
twists? The answer is, “Vaguely.” So, let’s give these episodes another
look. Full-octane nerdage and spoilers
included.
Let’s
start with the Nethersphere. Although
the concept is great and freaky, I’m really glad that it all turns out to be a
ploy by Missy/the Master and the Cybermen.
The idea – that the dead remain conscious and feel everything that
happens to their bodies – is a classic Moffat scenario, and I love Seb’s
analogy about how, if babies in the womb could talk to one another, they’d
assume life was only nine months long, since no one comes back once they “step
into the light,” so to speak. Still,
it’s good that it’s just a fear-mongering tactic to convince people to preserve
dead bodies (ripe for Cyber-exploitation;) you could’ve wound up with some
seriously traumatized kids, especially with the whole “Don’t cremate me!”
mantra.
It
makes sense that the Cybermen would want to experiment with converting dead
bodies, and in theory, it’s probably easier to manipulate uploaded consciousnesses
before putting them into Cyber units – goodness knows that emotional inhibitor
has caused them enough trouble in the past, and you’d think this setup would
let them subvert that process. So, it’s
unfortunately nonsensical that they give a consciousness the option of deletion (presumably of
feelings/emotions.) Why not just do it
as a matter of course? Why go through
all that rigmarole? And I’m sorry, but
magic Cyber-rain that apparently grows
Cybersuits out of a single particle of Cyber material is patently
ridiculous. I mean, what is that?
The show could’ve at least tried to explain it away, saying the metal
becomes self-replicating when bonded to organic matter or something. But nope – it’s
just, “BTW, an exploded Cyberman basically turns into a cloud of instantly
growing Cyber-spores. Could they always
do that? Who cares?” No thanks.
The
whole “Doctor’s choice” moment falls flat for me as well. First, since the Doctor tells Clara that
switching on Danny’s inhibitor will turn him into an unfeeling monster that will
kill her in an instant, why does he assume that Danny will still cooperate and
give him intel if he turns it on?
Second, Danny wants the
inhibitor turned on, so why does he give the Doctor attitude about being a
“general” who blithely sacrifices the foot soldiers to further his aims? I would’ve liked a hint that Danny knew the
Master’s plan but refused to reveal it in the hope of forcing the Doctor to
switch on the inhibitor. On the other
hand, I’m mostly happy with the Doctor’s epiphany – not so much the “idiot”
part (the show throws around “idiot” and “shut up” way too much lately,) but the idea that the Doctor isn’t a good man
or a bad man, a hero or a monster. He’s
simply a traveler who tries his best to help those who need it. I also like that he doesn’t condemn Clara for
attempting to make him rewrite time and bring Danny back. Once you ignore the fact that the Doctor can
open the TARDIS by snapping his fingers, what Clara does – coolly, calmly
plotting to force his hand by drugging him and then destroying the TARDIS keys
when he comes to – is horrible, but
he’s beautifully gentle with her. “Do
you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?”
is a gorgeous line, and the entire situation is really indicative of their
relationship. Despite his gruffness, he forgives
even her worst violations, while she goes straight to lying and blackmail when
she wants his help. What’s up with that?
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