DOCTOR WHO | BOOM Reaction! | 14x3 Review | Season One | Thoughts and Prayers! | Disney+

[@robvanriot]

As others have said, this take on the way the Doctor addresses faith seems to be an American thing with reactors. It seemed pretty clear to me that he was criticising blind faith - faith that ignores logic, reason and fact. It's a reasonable stance when you consider how many wars have been started by fundamentalism.

[@paddynemo5411]

Blind faith is redundant. Faith is BLIND.

[@malcolmrowe9003]

It's not even blind faith, so much as blind obedience. We've seen plenty of examples of armies in Doctor Who that would have gone through this in exactly the same way. The faith element is irrelevant to the point that was to be made. The soldiers did not need to be faith-based.

[@covbaggy9484]

Faith is based on rational application of the facts you have. Blind faith is a position without reason or evidence.

[@captbuckyohare5585]

But he doesn't say "blind faith" or make the distinction between thoughtless faith and... whatever other type of faith the show could have highlighted but didn't (faith in ideas, stories, people). He just spits that the marines have faith so that means they don't ask questions or think for themselves. It's a strange snipe. He framed having faith (not even strictly religious faith - when he could have drawn a point of following orders without question or believing what the army, or the state, or a corporation tells you), any faith, as stupid. Which is so clumsy and erroneous if that's not what Moffat intended. It's bizarre because Moffat has featured clerics and addressed the follies of faith before (Flesh and Stone or The God Complex) without demeaning someone for having faith. I think people liked this episode quite a bit but are making excuses for genuine issues and head canoning context that was needed but didn't materialise in the episode itself. It's even weirder when you realise in the context of the show itself the Doctor has met literal gods (like... last week. And two episodes before that) and has confronted the devil. It's even weirder if like me, you're rewatching the 11th Doctor's era and see how often and deftly Moffat handles elements like this. Take The Rings of Ahkaten for instance. The whole system worships this sleeping god and sings its history to it to keep it at peace. The Doctor loves this festival for its history, culture, and how it brings people together. Clara challenges him and asks, "And they believe this? That this is where the universe began?" to which the Doctor smiles and says, "It's what they believe. It's a good story."

[@malcolmrowe9003]

@@captbuckyohare5585 did Moffat direct this episode or just write it. If someone else directed, maybe it was a directorial script adjustment.

[@jch13213]

Fun fact.. "The Skye boat song" was a tune the second doctor , Patrick Troughton, used to routinely play on his recorder while he was thinking.

[@cerberus01]

I actually think that was intentional by Moffat because your reaction to that last death is almost a portion of society when there's a mass shooting or some other attack in the world, just the reaction of "this is getting ridiculous, what's up with all the senseless death...can't we do something new." Especially when you hear him talk about the usage of the phrase "thoughts and prayers". It breaks the algorithm and crosses the line of acceptable.

[@PaulaDeming]

oooh okay this is a very interesting way to think about it

[@ihateunicorns867]

Interesting your reaction to the faith bit. I think this may be a cultural difference between the UK and US. I thought it was quite well balanced. It started showing the negative side of faith, and then the Doctor saw some positive sides to it too.

[@Johno3998]

Review of Death reacted to it too and they're from the UK and didn't like it much either in the way it didn't distinguish between faith and religion

[@ihateunicorns867]

@@Johno3998 Faith is the problematic part though. Religion can be more cultural. Faith means believing in something without any cause or reason, or in spite of evidence to the contrary.

[@covbaggy9484]

Faith is not based on lack of evidence. You do not prove youtube will exist tomorrow but using your reason and the evidence you have you believe it will. You have faith.

[@ihateunicorns867]

@@covbaggy9484 Faith (noun). A strong belief based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.

[@ihateunicorns867]

@@covbaggy9484 I don't know for sure that KZbin will exist tomorrow, but I expect it will as the evidence available to me strongly suggests it will. No faith in involved in that. We use the term 'faith' to mean confidence in something or someone, but this is usually evidence-based. If I am going to watch a play with David Tennant in it, I have faith that his acting will be good. But this is because I've seen him in lots of things and his acting skillset is extremely high. This isn't the kind of faith this episode is talking about. This is faith in a religious sense, which is belief and conviction in something without any evidence.

[@NotSoEvilOverlord]

Gatwa's Doctor is *so* animated, *so* kinetic. Watching him have to keep that under such fierce control as amazing. From experience I know that emoting to such a degree while remaining perfectly still is not at all easy, and he was so good at it.

[@KatAlysha]

He is so incredible!!

[@Concreteowl]

You have to remember these soldiers belong to the same organisation that kidnapped the baby of two of his best friends and brainwashed her to kill him. In the circumstances The Doctor is being a saint.

[@PaulaDeming]

ohhhhhh I hadn't even connected that it was the same organization but of course it was!

[@captbuckyohare5585]

You also have to remember that part of the Papal Mainframe were a splinter group who broke away with the Silents and the Headless Monks etc. because they believed they could stop the Doctor from bringing about a 2nd Time War. The Papal Mainframe also features in Flesh and Stone and Time of the Angels, where some of the soldiers are friends with the Doctor, and Bishop Octavious even gives his life to allow the Doctor and River an opportunity to escape. His faith gave him courage and selflessness in his final moments, which the Doctor greatly admired. So no, I don't think the Doctor's behaviour is as clear cut or black and white with this group as you say.

[@threetythreepercent]

Anti-war, anti-religion, anti-capitalism - proper Doctor Who themes.

[@JustinWatson23]

Don't tell the internet who apparently watched who in the 70's but missed these themes :-) I mean UNIT was there to potray the evils of war even if they are the "goodies".

[@captbuckyohare5585]

Just a little wrinkle. Doctor Who highlights the follies of war, the consequences, especially if your only objective is to hurt the enemy who hurt you, but the Doctor himself has taken up arms when the time called for it, and acknowledges sometimes all you can do is stand and fight. It also likes to highlight the follies of blind compliances in organised religions, and how that can be weaponised, but it has also celebrated different types of faith, both religious and non-religious, and has been deft at being critical of religions without being nasty to people who have faith. As for capitalism, again, the follies and potential evils taken to extremes - Oxygen springs to mind. However, Kerblam! took a different angle, where it wasn't so much the system but the corrupt actors manipulating the system that were the target of the story. It's when Doctor Who slips and dumbs down its commentary that it clangs and feels heavy-handed or even a little bit stupid.

[@kobeangelesdamelio]

I don’t think it’s exactly anti religion

[@C2190]

hes definitely not anti religion lmao

[@theperson8539]

@@captbuckyohare5585Don’t bring up Kerblam, that was Neoliberal bullshit from my understanding. Organised Religion inevitable leads to bad stuff happening, War is a downward spiral, and unless we learn to avoid it at all costs, we may as well call it quits. Capitalism is the beast that powers both of these engines, it burns the world, the people, and everything it touches, only at different speeds.

[@iwillcry]

the thing with faith is its all good and fun when its for your personal well being, but starting up wars without any evidence? insane shit which was what the doctor was talking about.

[@ftumschk]

And religions have never done anything, including starting wars, without evidence, have they? ;)

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

Paula took it personally. Nothing you can do about that. But Moffat is right - faith INSTEAD of thinking is bad.

[@PaulaDeming]

oh for sure! faith/religion should NEVER be used as an excuse to hurt others and sadly it too often is

[@ripleyjlawman.3162]

Villengard made those damn sonic blasters in that factory that the War Doctor demolished and replaced with a banana grove during the Last Great Time War, as part of a story in the comics that explained how the Doctor knew Dorium. (Jack and River both owned some of those blasters during their debut appearances.)

[@ripleyjlawman.3162]

(The comic storyline was just to show us what 9 was talking about when they mentioned being behind the replacement of the weapons factory with a banana grove.)

[@partariothe5th]

@@ripleyjlawman.3162 Which comic is this? I feel the need to reas it :)

[@ripleyjlawman.3162]

@@partariothe5th “The Whole Thing’s Bananas” published by Titan Comics, which was part of the “Many Lives of The Doctor” story which covered 13 stories from the Doctor’s lives from 1-12 as the Doctor reflects mid regeneration into 13.

[@williammcnirlan4820]

I thought River's and Jack's blaster was one and the same. Jack left his in the TARDIS which River then came across. Of course that could just be me making stuff up.

[@partariothe5th]

@@ripleyjlawman.3162 Cheers, I will look into finding a copy :)

[@kaihinataplays1992]

Okay, so, when I first watched the episode, I was very much in the same boat about the DOCTOR's view and like real hatred of faith, but, as I kept watching different reactions and seeing things again, I started to soften a little bit because there was definitely a very clear aspect to it that they were getting at. What I realized is, the DOCTOR does not hate faith as a whole. He just doesn't like the side of humanity that comes out when there is blind faith that is being manipulated. I go back to "A Good Man Goes to War" basically, "Mother Superious" said "Okay you lot, we're going through a faith change, now we are all about bringing about the DOCTOR's death, OR an even better example is the Episode with Capaldi and the Zygons, when he made that brilliant speech about a silly little war. In that instance it was about asking the Zygons the real question, when you have everything to your liking, your "Belief" of perfection, what will you do with the trouble makers?" Here he was getting frustrated with, when will you think and realize this stupid corporation is manipulating and perverting your faith. Even in the end he tells Splice to keep her faith. Monday says "I thought you didn't much like faith?" He says "Even if I don't like it, doesn;t mean I don't NEED it. So he understands the importance of faith for sure. Also, I didn't really feel like the DOCTOR asked for Blind faith at all, he told Monday to scan him. He told the hologram to look for evidence the planet was empty, he wasn't asking for blind faith, just for Monday to think.

[@Lia-zw1ls7tz7o]

5:06 Oh Paula, don't you remember The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone with the Anglican Marines? With Father octavian, bishop second class?

[@rngwrldngnr]

Weren't those catholic marines? Iirc they worked for the papal mainframe.

[@JoeThornhill]

I didn't realize but the soldiers are the same ones in 'Time of Angels'. Nice to know life carries on after The Doctor's gone.

[@Jim_The_Fish]

They were also in A Good Man Goes To War and technically Time of the Doctor

[@JoeThornhill]

@@Jim_The_Fish Ah, yeah. I should've said first appearance.

[@king_aeron]

I swear in the Matt Smith Angel episodes too, that the Military were part of the Church. Extremely 40k.

[@brettbaumler754]

Fairly certain it’s intended to be the same military

[@ripleyjlawman.3162]

Yep, the Anglican Marines were members of the church of the Papal Mainframe/Silence, first depicted with Bishop Octavius and his clerics from the Angels two-parter in Matt’s first season as the Doctor, with a faction splitting off and becoming part of Kovarian’s splinter group which included the Headless Monks and the Confessional Priests of Silencio (otherwise referred to as The Silence,) as depicted in A Good Man Goes To War from the following season, the season after that we finally saw their leader Tasha Lem, who’d previously been in relations with Kovarian, (according to Moffat in Doctor Who Magazine they’d previously been married,) and the Doctor.

[@king_aeron]

​@@ripleyjlawman.3162You're an absolute lore machine for Who icl. Thanks for the information.

[@kildogery]

Like the Doctor says, our current armies not being religiously motivated is a blip in history. Most of the time it's been for kings and or gods. Killing for a nation state is a new idea.

[@PatheticApathetic]

Yeah, the Anglican Marines aren’t new. They’ve shown up in a lot of Moffat’s stories. Particularly Flesh and Stone, and A Good Man Goes to War

[@MrNickInc]

I get how Paula was angry about that guy dying - I felt it was much more of a showcase of how far the ambulances would go when it worked out they were going to end the war. If it hadn’t fought them, it would been a let down of an ending.

[@intouchdm]

I don’t get your criticism of his stance on those with faith in that episode. The church was militarised, ordained ministers were soldiers engaged with war and killing. The doctor in the past has been harsh to scientists, world leaders early Vikings company owners soldiers, captains of spaceships and numerous alien species. Those Anglicans in the episode join a long list of people who needed a telling off.

[@daveherres3374]

Any time religion is critised, it's shields up! Faith is a sacred cow.

[@Wannabe_Baby]

The things you listed off were all occupations, except for the aliens (who, depending on the species, are usually murderous). There was nothing that Mundy did that "needed telling off". The Doctor took a pointless jab at her, for something that didn't even make sense in context, for something she couldn't change and had been taken advantage of by Villengard. It was petty, spiteful, crowbarred into the episode for the sake of it and altogether un-Doctorlike.

[@Eskers32]

​@@Wannabe_Baby I disagree with you considering her deciding to surrender was a possible way off of a land mine without blowing up half the planet. I think the Doctor needed to be incisive and rude in order to get out of there without dying. And also - religion in the 21st century and in the Doctor's universe IS a good way to stop thinking for yourself.

[@Wannabe_Baby]

@@Eskers32 Spare me the Reddit-level atheism. There are millions of people without faith who parrot the same lines about religion, from the same few popular atheist authors and speakers, without a single original thought in their heads. They don't think for themselves at all. Meanwhile, there are plenty of religious people who have sought out and experienced a broad range of religious and non-religious views. People of faith struggle with and question it all the time. Non-religious people are more dead set in their certainty. And all that aside, the Doctor didn't need to be rude at all. That's the kind of thing that, in the real world, would get the religious person to walk away and leave the Doctor to get blown you. You don't get someone's help by insulting them.

[@Eskers32]

@@Wannabe_Baby Reddit level atheism? That's a whole lot of eye rolling you did to dismiss my point outright without thinking about it yourself. You can espouse one thing about some religious people, but a lot of people in power with religion behind them want me back in the closet or dead, babes. So spare me the high and mighty lecture and listen to what I'm saying instead: If you were on a land mine, about to blow up half a planet, stuck with a dead man in your right hand, your best friend is 2 minutes from death, and the one thing standing between you and NOT blowing up a planet is a woman of faith who doesn't believe she has the power to stop what's happening - what is the quickest way to shock her out of her indecision? Asking please? I don't think ALL religious people are bad and didn't say that. I think there are too many in power who want to use it as an excuse for their lazy hatred. And THAT is what the doctor was criticizing. Because he was about to die. In a fictional sense it's the right call. And in real life, it's the right call to call out the hypocrites in power. But by all means excuse your own ignorance by saying I'm a "reddit level atheist" when you don't know if I am or not. FOR the record, I'm agnostic. EDIT: Also, as an aside, the Doctor is frequently critical of many ideologies. That's very doctor-like. If it wasn't religion he was being critical of, would you be so against it?

[@Faction.Paradox]

15 being so emotionally vulnerable & intelligent is so refreshing and beautiful. Frankly it's something we are in desperate need of right now in the UK

[@tonym2744]

We Need Everywhere!!!

[@PatheticApathetic]

No, he 100% had to die. Mundy needed a personal reason to want the war to end, and she didn’t have that yet

[@ftumschk]

The parallels between Ruby and Clara are reinforced by the fact that Millie Gibson and Jenna Coleman are both from Lancashire, and have similar voices/accents. (I know Millie is technically from Greater Manchester, but until 1974 it was part of Lancashire.)

[@RavenThom]

I was telling my wife. I think Ruby is channeling her Clara

[@cargo71]

The only difference I can tell, is that Millie can´t fast talk. No quite like Jenna...

[@psychosoma5049]

25:58 apparently the actress who played mundy is confirmed as becoming another companion in the next series, not sure if it’s as Mundy still or not

[@Swenglish]

Not to harp on it, but this felt like the episode so many of us were waiting for Jodie to get. And I'm not saying Jodie didn't have any good episodes, because she did, but she needed one like this.

[@Rik77]

Yeah I think often the problem with Jodie's era is that often the plot kind of happens to her, her character was never in control of the situation which made her sometimes seem a bit useless. It often felt like she was the victim, not the hero. But I think that wax intentional.

[@damianoakes2592]

@@Rik77 Funnily enough that was Andrew Cartmel's criticism of the Fifth and Sixth Doctor, which is why he made the Seventh Doctor a chessmaster type of character. Some people have said they like Chibnall stuff because it feels a return to Classic Who, and I wonder if they specifically mean 80s Who when they say that.

[@gregevigan]

@@damianoakes2592 7th doctor was awful

[@benjamindavis4974]

He really wasn't ​@@gregevigan

[@RavenThom]

you know, you are right. Jodie very well could have done this one

[@yodasears]

"It's Raining Men" and "Let The Bodies Hit The Floor" tell of the same event from different perspectives.

[@archwayportraits]

This was about the most Moffaty episode that ever Moffated.

[@EasternStandardTim]

Splices actions would have made a bit more sense if they were like 6, not a preteen. Kats comment about being able to rewatch moffat and still love it, really makes me think that faith comment just shut Paula down with this episode, cuz you were both buckets of tears thru this. the moffat tropes don’t matter while it’s happening, even knowing ruby wouldn’t die AS SHE WAS DYING, didn’t ruin the moment, cuz it’s not about that in the moment, it’s about ncuti’s reaction, which was heartbreaking

[@WastedPo]

Yeah, I think a lot of people came to the conclusion that Splice was originally written for like a 5-year-old. As it is, her behavior was so preposterous, it really hurt the episode for me. It's like the cliche about how in slasher movies, the characters tend to act like morons to keep the plot going; this felt like that, but even more extreme.

[@darrenrichardson6146]

@@WastedPo I've noticed a lot of people not clicking with Splice. I get the feeling that she was written with the intent that she's been brought up in a sheltered upbringing without any social interaction with children her own age, which WOULD impair her development and maturity, but it fails to come across well on the screen without having any chance to explore it in the short time provided.

[@StillABigKid]

I'm old enough to remember Moffat's first show, "press gang", so I'm used to him pulling the grief rug on the audience. I assumed all the soldiers were gonna get killed. But I am here for sassy Doctor

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

I looove 'Press Gang'!

[@BrianDavidson-q1j]

Moffat is writing the Christmas special this year. Good luck Paula.

[@ianpark1805]

You know how Sheldon in ‘The Big Bang Theory’ occasionally rages at Will Wheaton - “WHEA-TON!!”? Well, I now can’t shake the feeling that Paula similarly rages “MOFF-ATT!” once she knows he’s penning the episode! Also kudos to Kat for the Mohawk - my own hair went AWOL a while back, over fifty years, so I’m impressed with anybody who can pull that look, but Kat’s was extra. Gave me ‘Rezillos’ vibes! (IYKYK).

[@jamestotty5956]

Mohican and black lipstick Kat is now officially my favourite variety of Kat.

[@kant12]

The commentary on faith may be uncomfortable but it needs to be said more. The 'one who waits' is silly and perfect RTD. Sounds cool and means nothing and anything lol.

[@andrewroberts299]

Paula’s gonna be really pissed to learn that Moffat’s been confirmed as the writer for this year’s Christmas episode! 🤣

[@terminatrix92]

Im guessing RTD doesnt share the Galifrey Gals hatred of the man

[@therabbits69]

@@terminatrix92 I don't think they"hate" him. That's kinda harsh. I think they dislike how emotional his episodes make you feel. He's extremely good and doing that.

[@terminatrix92]

@@therabbits69 Hate might be a strong word but its no harsher than their appraisal. If you compliment every other aspect of the show but call out his writing it sends out a strong message, that and a 5 minute rant about Moffat's writing tropes. I would argue that their reaction is a lot stronger than most. They feel tricked into emotion.

[@KatAlysha]

Oh my lanta, we don't hate the man.

[@PaulaDeming]

hahaha whyyyyyyy

[@Dubble77D]

I am so glad we didn't have to wait any longer to see an absolutely *ice* cold side to 15. Phenomenal episode.

[@DotDotDott]

The "Moffat's only great under RTD" isn't really true, RTD has said that he NEVER touched any of Moffat's scripts and for this episodes he fully gave Moffat entire control. Like, he was basically the Showrunner again for this episode. I think there's many reason why people don't like Moffats later stuff compared to his RTD era stuff but RTD himself has nothing to do with it.

[@CulturePhilter]

Absolutely. Some of Moffat’s best stuff is in his later years “Hell Bent” “world enough and time” It’s law of averages that because he’s writing a lot more while being showrunner he’s not going to produce a top tier ep every time.

[@armin0427]

There is a large difference between when he was chilling with 1 episode a year and having to showrun multiple series at the same time lmao, obviously

[@jpwphoenix1701]

This episode was so good, especially as it was such a tightly-contained story. It was certainly one of the most emotional and tense ones we’ve ever had. That scene where Ruby gets shot is a real jaw-dropping, tearjerker of a scene. The video commentary with Russell and Steven admitted they were actually going to have her properly dead, at first, but ultimately settled on her slowly dying. Considering the woman playing Mundy is the new companion next season, they could’ve easily surprised us by killing off Ruby and replacing her here. Thank goodness they didn’t though!

[@zemoxian]

“I was trying not to show off…” Epic fail! 😂

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

It doesn't have a Disney feel. That's something people say now they know it's being distributed globally by Disney, but it couldn't be less true. Wild Blue Yonder is a classic 'Hammer House horror" production, "The Giggle" is Punch and Judy, and the Maestro is a textbook pantomime villain (it even LOOKS like Widow Twankey from the Aladdin pantomimes). The current wave of Doctor Who is PURE British culture, it's so weird to see people saying it looks Disney.

[@ftumschk]

Valid points, well made.

[@ameliainatardis]

So, my current theory is that "The One Who Waits" is Death (as another supernatural entity): a) Death waits for all of us b) the last supernatural villain must be stronger than music (Maestro) or games (Toymaker) c) The first part of the finale two-parter is called "Empire of Death" which would work perfectly if we were to meet Death d) in the trailer, we heard the Doctor say something about how everything in the universe is dying (would also make sense) e) in the episode with Maestro, they mention some powerful entity and that they were there for Ruby's birth. And Maestro is really confused about that - which would make sense if that was Death, as dying is literally the opposite of being born. f) when the Toymaker talks about the "one who waits", he says that they are someone else's game - which would make sense as Death is not a game and so the Toymaker wouldn't want to play with them

[@therealpbristow]

Excellent theory! =:oo ... But what if it's Taxes? =:o}

[@tardisinformationsystem]

Ooo that also lines up with how Ruby's mom was portrait, a figure cloaked in black

[@ameliainatardis]

​@@tardisinformationsystemOh, true!

[@bobhughes2290]

Well I was pretty sure Paula was going to react like that when I was watching it the first time. (And your opinion is valid, even though I don't agree with it.) But I don't accept Paula calling the last line : "But I thought you didn't like faith, Doctor?" "Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I don't need it." a "band-aid". I think that was the whole point of the episode. I loved the bit with the photos. I mean, who hasn't done that at a wake (viewing, whatever you call it).? And just to change the subject. I wasn't getting Clara vibes, I was getting Doctor's Daughter vibes. I'm totally against Ruby being a Time Lord, but that's the vibe I was getting this time.

[@PaulaDeming]

"band-aid" may have come out more reductive than I meant it to, if I'm honest. It really is a good line.

[@lesterbottomley7641]

I'm getting Clara vibes from Paula's reaction. As in the same reaction she she had towards Clara. It's like she's actively looking for things to hatehate because it's Moffat.

[@SSJasonM]

I’m pretty sure I read that the Varada Sethu, who played Mundy Flynn, IS confirmed to be a companion in the next season. But I think she’s portraying a different character, so I wonder if it’s a “descendent” explanation like Martha, or more of a layered mystery like Clara.

[@PrinceIMC]

My theory is that the Doctor and Ruby are both from the same place the Toymaker and Maestro are from. They’re all impossible. A girl that can make it snow whenever she thinks of her origin? A girl who can die and regenerate into a whole new person? Anyone who breaks the 4th wall and winks or makes faces at the camera is some extra dimensional being in my mind.

[@FourthDrawerDown]

Paula Deming crosses the room,lit by a single bulb. She sits on the desk (using the Riker manoeuvre) and leans over Stephen Moffat,who is sitting in a chair with a desk lamp shining in his face. Paula says: ‘ Well Stephen,can I call you Stephen? I think you have some explaining to do. Just start from the beginning. I’ve got all night. But don’t lie to me cos I’ll know if you’re lying.’ Moffat,now perspiring slightly, takes a deep breath..😳

[@someguy9204]

*Steven

[@Stephen-Fox]

"Is that Susan Twist again?" Yes. Yes it is. Anglican = Church of England since you didn't seem entirely familiar with the term. I think it was Anglican soldiers in... I think it's called Flesh and Stone? The S5 Weeping Angels two-parter, as opposed to the Papal Mainframe's forces (presumably Catholic), which controlled the Silence. Because 'the church as an army' is an idea Moffat has dipped into consistently over the years. The actor who played Munday - Varada Sethu - is also going to be playing a companion next season, but not necessarily playing Munday again (we don't know, it might be a Freema Ageyman situation where she had a small role in S2 and then was playing the companion in S3 and they felt the need to explain it, it might be planned, it might be a Karen Gillan situation where she played a character with a small role in S4 (Fires of Pompeii. Which is also where Peter Capaldi first showed up in Who in a fairly major guest role) and then played the companion in S5 and this wasn't explained. Or she might be playing Munday again. The one thing I would say about the final death in the episode, discounting the ambulance AI, is that it was the algorithm responding to someone who was trying to hack one of the ambulances connected to the network and as such represented a threat to the algorithm - and the company's profit motives. It made sense to me within the narrative based on what had been established, while establishing the idea that the algorithm was going to try and defend itself against the AI dad, rather than as a shocking bit of escalation. (But I'm used to horrible deaths happening to characters that feel unneeded for the progression of the narrative but do make sense in the context of the world. I grew up with The Animals of Farthing Wood. Those poor hedgehogs. (To say nothing of the baby field mice)) And, yeah, it does impact me emotionally. I'm the world's easiest mark when it comes to emotionality in storytelling. If a story tells me I should feel sad about something, 95% of the time I do. (No, the bit of the episode that broke for me was the hoard of ambulances coming at the end, which just caused me to "Oh we're doing the 'escalate during the climax to make all hope seem lost' thing?" taking me out of the narrative in the same way that Nolan's batman being chucked down a very big pit in the third Nolan trilogy film for 'the hero at his lowest'/'disaster and crises' at the end of act 2 did - The non emotional beat that was meant to create a bigger climax is what did me in because when you play that sort of plot structure beat too hard for me it takes me completely out of the story in a way that breaking the fourth wall - or deaths that are ultimately pointless for the narrative as in this case - rarely does)

[@qa1327]

19:11 lol was waiting for this statement. I’ll never understand your disdain for him, but it’s entertaining. This was my favorite episode so far. They did a great job of creating so much tension and stress. The girl character was a bit weird to me and thought they could have done a better job with her. Though I saw another reactor compare her to people in general or the audience. She was easily distracted by the visuals and ignored the horrors around her. Thought that was interesting. Enjoyed your reaction as usual.

[@robertkielbicki5680]

I feel like this is the episode where the new Doctor has finally found his footing.

[@SKIP-yj3xp]

The unspoken love with the hologram ending was done in the Twelfth Doctor story "Before the Flood". It's a really tragic ending. If you'll remember, Susan appeared in "The Five Doctors" and she's had a few stories with the Eighth Doctor in Big Finish Audio Productions. When he regenerated in "Night of the Doctor", he mentioned all his companions in this incarnation. This would make his books and audio productions canon. Maybe the Susan stories would provide a clue to whether or not she's "The One Who Waits".

[@fritzthelibrarygoblin]

Genuinely, I forgot to drink water before watching this, so thank you for reminding me.

[@TheDreadedScotsman]

Splice' dialogue and actions feel like they were written for a child half her age and it didn't get rewritten when they cast her

[@chrisgannon4691]

Regarding Splice going straight to all those pictures of her dad, I'm reminded of the episode of Derry Girls where they attend a wake and James is freaked out by the open casket whilst the girls are all nonchalant about it. Different cultures handle death differently, and in this world where death is so frequent and so cheap, part of the process of dealing with it would be engaging with the memories presented by the body's hologram. Splice mentioned that she'd already been through it with her mother, so it was probably the same thing there minus the potentially combustible timelord. Cheers for the video Gals, looking forward to the next ones.

[@MalcolmWolf]

It does seem that to her Death is not quite as absolute as well.

[@gorgondrifter458]

Great reaction video As a Brit, I just to say that the attitude in the episode towards faith is actually really really common in Britain and is the most common attitude to faith, mostly because all of the religious wars in our history has made us very skeptical about the concept of faith but I can see your points about how it came across to you as someone with a different cultural background.

[@gwinnellheald8592]

Yeah, ive been noticing that when it comes to watching Americans react to this episode vs my own reaction. I agree with the doctor, most americans ive seen react the this have all pulled the same face 😬😬 and made it obvious they find it controversial

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

I think we still have a respect for faith , and religion in general - who couldn't with all the magnificent Cathedrals and the history , but nowadays many of us don't share the beliefs .

[@eddhardy1054]

​@@DavidSmith-cx8dg When I visit a cathedral I feel respect for the masons who planned and built it but no-one else I'm afraid.

[@JustinWatson23]

This IMO was one of the best episodes we've had for years now. I feel the faith thing could have been done better, but i felt it was more about the abuse of faith. So many people of faith have their faith used by those who have something to gain and i think thats the worst that we see. Politicians using their faith to mislead others of faith on issues like climate change for example. Or using the peopels faith to spread fear and justify going to war as we've seen in the past especially in the middle east.

[@Johno3998]

I think this episode was spot on with the dig against "Thoughts and Prayers" which is basically almost always a token phrase, and different from someone actually having someone in their prayers, just an empty platitude, kind of like people who say "do this, please and thank you" where both please and thank you lose their meaning due to the fact it's been said out of obligation as a token phrase. So to turn that sinister in AI form I think worked really well. Moffat said this, per the hollywood reporter: "I think it is vacuity. How can people come out with this crap in the face of genuine tragedy? You come out with thoughts and prayers? Say something useful or do something useful. Be respectful. Don’t reach up for a line off a shelf and throw it in the grieving faces of the massively traumatized." I think the episode handled the attack of faith poorly and mixes up faith and religion, as the doctor DOES have lots of faith himself (faith in his companions, faith that people can be good - which is why he often gives enemies a chance to surrender) however I chalk up his frustration to the fact he's literally about to blow half the planet for no reason, and he's probably pissed that it could heal ruby but is refusing because she's a "non-believer". Moffat also said this regarding anti war: "That’s the Doctor’s nature, rather than passing a judgment myself. The man is standing on a landmine. He’s not going to have a balanced attitude to the armaments industry at that precise moment (laughs). He also has a consistent and slightly strange anger at soldiers. Except it’s not real, is it? His best friend’s a soldier and he’s pretty much a warrior himself. All loathing is self-loathing, don’t trust that. Just as he disses the idea of faith, he then says, “Keep the faith.” You know, he’s a mass of contradictions.."

[@PaulaDeming]

oh gosh that phrase "thoughts and prayers" was not pulling any punches! I also hate when people say that and then refuse to actually do anything to help anyone! It was a great skewering of that kind of behavior (I don't think I really properly addressed that part in my thoughts)

[@iwillcry]

Ncuti had some great line deliveries this episode! I hope we get to see him pissed off more often.

[@bennieboi3802]

there's always a twist at the end. I think Susan Twist has gotta be "Susan". Bang on about her being the one who waits. I think youse are right

[@radagastwiz]

Susan Twist has to be this season's Bad Wolf, just a person instead of a phrase. Will have to see how she got scattered among the Doc and Ruby's history.

[@ryanratchford2530]

Amazing episode! Classic Moffat. Even the Moffat setting, themes, and way characters talk. And how he mixes setting with character drama and the themes.

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

This was more like it. Tense , imaginative and well paced( Chibnall take note) . It had a moral message that is so relevant today and used the Anglican army characters and the setting so well . Steven Moffat and RTD. are a great combination and there may be hope for the show yet if a few more episodes match this one . There's definitely something about Ruby , with echoes of the impossible girl . I'm enthusiastically looking forward to the next episode . As always I enjoy your reactions , and love of the show. Look forward to next week with renewed enthusiasm .

[@JohnSmith-wr4nq]

I think Moffat killed of Cato to set up Mundy, Splice and AI John as a sort of rag tag family unit that wouldn't be possible if Mundy was to go off with Cato at the end.

[@ripleyjlawman.3162]

Small correction, it’s Canto not Cato.

[@JohnSmith-wr4nq]

@@ripleyjlawman.3162 T'was a typo.

[@PaulaDeming]

hmmm I like this -- it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing!

[@MJColePresents]

I didn't realise the actress playing Mundy is the new companion joining Millie and Ncuti next season.

[@pouletnoir4441]

I thought this was a great episode. Usually the Doctor is running running running and that's the one thing he can't do here. I get Paula's adverse reaction to the Faith message, to my mind he meant Unquestioning Faith, in which case it's a pity it wasn't spelt out. The girl looking through the memory archive seemed weird, but she did have a very mature attitude: "He's not gone, he's just dead". As for Canto's death, I think it was part of the set up for "All that remains is love." Oh, while listening to you discussing Susan Twist, a certain little song popped into my head "There's always a Twist, there's always a Twist, there's always a Twist in the end" 🎶🎶😱

[@bookaddict9591]

Can't watch fully till a little later but i wanted to say how grateful i am for your content particularly doctor who, that i absolutely adored this episode and omg Kat your hair & make-up look so cool 🤩 All the tension all the emotion and the skye boat song 😭 being scottish myself it hits so hard and Ncuti performed it so beautifully..

[@Redfern42]

A few people have pointed out that the "Sky Boat" song presented here was something Troughton's Doctor (No. 2) occasionally placed upon his recorder, especially while deeply thinking. One fan even posted a short YT clip presenting a "side by side" of the moment from this episode and a sequence from "The Web of Fear". I had no idea earlier, so it's inclusion was a great "callback"!

[@bookaddict9591]

@Redfern42 Neither did i, not seen much classic who so thankyou for sharing.

[@PaulaDeming]

[@VisJordanMusic]

I truly think the reasoning for Splice's reaction or lack thereof to her Dad, and as I see it explained in the episode, is that she's already gone through it before with her Mum... and her Dad having done such a "good" job of instilling the belief of persistence through death. You can see it in how she talks about her mother right from the get go, this clear impression that she does not grieve for death at all. Does it feel unnatural to us? Yeah, a smidgeon. Does it work for someone in the far future who has been raised militantly that death is not the end and that your loved one can persist not just through faith but as an interactable AI hologram model? Yeah, I think so.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

This episode was written for my brain!

[@paulflux5892]

It's really interesting seeing the Gals' reactions and comments. I absolutely recognise all the same weaknesses in Steven Moffat's writing that Paula and Kat see, but I just don't *feel* them to the same extent. And I really like the strengths in his writing, so for me he's the best modern Who writer. This isn't at the very top of his game, but it's still a really good episode with some excellent moments. I like the basic idea, and it's resolution, and the acting is superb, but I didn't quite swallow the lack of emotional reaction by Splice, or indeed her presence in such a deadly war zone in the first place.

[@therealpbristow]

I suspect Splice was written to be significantly younger, but they struggled to find a suitable child actor. And as it is, the lass they got gives a very flat performance. Some child actors can do shock-becomes-anguish-becomes-almost-a-meltdown, and then show that cascade of emotion being pushed back, and a stolid resolve taking over... But its rare.

[@FerrySiblingsReact]

Mundy is supposed to be a future companion. so while I completely agree with Paula, I wonder if this death will motivate her when she ultimately joins team tardis?

[@gregevigan]

might not be playing the same character, its happened before.

[@rosenthorn_]

I don't see a contradiction between Fifteen's questioning of the Marine's blind faith, and expecting her to just believe him. Because faith in this context is her belief in some higher power and that there's no way whatsoever that they would be sent to an empty planet to just die. The "faith" she would have to hold in him isn't actually faith in him. He's telling her to just pay attention and think for herself and she'd figure it out. All the evidence is right there. They've literally never seen an enemy, they've only ever been killed by their own technology. But they continued to fight because of blind faith. The Doctor isn't saying "believe in me, don't believe in that", the Doctor is saying to open their eyes and stop just trusting that they're doing the right thing and that they're fighting a good war. Blind faith is entirely a real thing and the Doctor, i don't think, showed disdain for people who have it. He says it himself at the end, he has it, he just doesn't like it. His disdain is for the very concept of blind faith because it goes against individuality. Making your own thoughts and own choices is so much more important then faith. None of the Anglican Marines were individuals who took the time to think for themselves, they were blind faithful puppets for a fake war. I believe faith should only come into play as the very last resort, when there's truly no other answers we can garner for ourselves. If a loved one dies, we can have faith they've moved onto something better, for instance. There's no way of knowing otherwise. I'm not religious, but i know that when things out of my control happen, i'll just have to have faith that it will go well. That's human. What isn't faith, and what isn't human, is just dying in a meaningless war. And a version of good faith WAS portrayed in this episode. At the very end. The Doctor wants the daughter to hold onto her faith that her parents are somewhere better, and she'll see them again. That's good faith. That's the faith he likes. And this isn't a new characterization at all. The Doctor has never hated faith, but he has disliked blind faith and fanatic behaviours. Fully agree on Moffat's weird obsession of murdering people being a detriment to the plot. Every time.

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

THIS!

[@lilu5673]

Totally agree to all of this!

[@olivefernando7879]

Yes, I think they could've put in a line about 'blind faith' specifically, it wouldn't be that hard

[@Wannabe_Baby]

"Fully agree on Moffat's weird obsession of murdering people being a detriment to the plot. Every time." I thought the big criticism of Moffat was that nobody EVER dies in his episodes?

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

@@Wannabe_Baby LOL, IKR?

[@ihateunicorns867]

Disney have no creative input as far as I’m aware. I think they just gave funding in exchange for the rights to premier it on Disney+.

[@MalcolmWolf]

They did give notes on the Christmas special, as originally the Doctor turned up in that episode much later, and after input from people who saw it before it was released suggested he be a bigger part of the episode. RTD had the right to ignore that advice, but decided the points were valid and made some changes.

[@ihateunicorns867]

@@MalcolmWolf That's just RTD gauging audience feedback. What I mean is they have no creative control over the show. There seems to be this narrative running through the fandom of what 'Disney has done to the show', but it's just RTD.

[@MalcolmWolf]

@@ihateunicorns867 Yes valid point 🙂

[@UKJesterVids]

I'm still trying to work out why it keeps snowing. And wondering if it'll take great intelligence to work it out.

[@luciasantiagotaylor8817]

Oh Wow!!! Now that really would be a twist at the end😅

[@chazo1367]

I think it’s because Ruby is a paradox of some kind, maybe she drops baby her off at the church and her dying before then would be a paradox and the snow stopping is symbolic to that.

[@Rik77]

I think what Moffat did is to create a sense of complete hopelessness, then the turn around to joy is stronger and feels earned. But yes it is manipulative and tiring, it works best the first time :)

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

All good fiction is manipulative, though. :)

[@therealpbristow]

Speaking of tiring... Of the three of us watching together on Saturday evening, two felt physically exhausted afterwards! So much tension in this ep.

[@Badusername2000]

Loving the full hawk from kat today, looks dope as fuck

[@Suryal]

I felt like it's a bit of the myth taking hold, and the winter being a call back to like douglas adams and concepts he wrote on, like when Dirk Gently met Thor

[@markdelgado569]

Hard disagree, In Moffat we trust. I think people have it right, the kid was miscast and needed to be younger. Re: Faith.... I think the distinction is between personal faith and institutional faith. The church represents an institutional faith which has had a tendency to become militarized in history. And we will see the actor playing Mundy again... maybe even as Mundy, (Varada Sethu has been confirmed to be joining the show as a new companion next season).

[@christianwise637]

Oh yes! In the words of Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire: "We are so very, very back". Not that I hadn't liked the previous episodes, but "Boom" was on a completely different level from what this era has provided us with, so far on par with "Wild Blue Yonder" as the highest point of the second RTD era. I'd been highly anticipating the GOAT Steven Moffat's return to the show for the first time in 7 years, and he did not disappoint. I wouldn't go as far as calling it his best episode (considering how great the rest of his Who output is, that's not a complaint by any means), but it's a remarkably well-crafted and beautifully written episode. Once again, Moffat has proven that he's a brilliant at coming up with brilliant story concepts as he basically takes that 2 minute sequence from "Genesis of the Daleks" of Tom Baker standing on a landmine and turning it into 45 minutes of highly compelling storytelling. The whole episode is full of brilliant suspenseful sequences, as Moffat takes the relatively simple premise and ratchets up the tension with every new development, every new setback, every shocking new revelation. It's a highly suspenseful story and the way the story builds up to its big and immensely satisfying conclusion, weaving the impressive character dynamics and highly volatile political commentary in so intricately, it's just fantastic stuff and a perfect reminder of how much I've missed this guy and his writing. On that note, this episode does such a fantastic job at fleshing out the relationship between the Doctor and Ruby, adding a little more tension into their interactions and allowing them to show some new sides to their characters. I love seeing Fifteen, who's been a very energetic happy-go-lucky incarnation so far, showing some more fear, unease and visceral anger than previously, while Ruby gets to show a little more independent agency with her taking charge and actively defying the Doctor - their dynamic definitely reminded me of Twelve and Clara here, so no wonder I loved this episode so much. And of course, there's both Ncuti and Millie giving easily their best performances to date. It's still a little early to say, but I think this may go on to be an early Doctor-defining episode for the Fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti delivers such a fantastic show-stopping performances and really gets to add some real depth and layers to the character. I love how he delivers the jokes and sardonic social commentary in this episode, it's quite funny and witty, but his delivery clearly portrays the sense of fear and terror he feels during this sequence. I also love the sheer venomous anger he displays at various points, particularly when tearing into Villengard's shady practices (and making it even more cathartic to hear about their factories being blown up in "The Doctor Dances") and the blind faith demonstrated by the Anglican marines. The big speech he delivers to Mundy (Andor's Varada Sethu, who is fantastic here - hey, who thinks she'd make a great companion in the future?) is a particularly great moment, and reinforces how great this incarnation is proving to be so far. Millie doesn't get as much to do in the long run, but her work in the episode was just top notch, especially in how she portrays the blend of Ruby's sassy interactions with the Doctor, her fear for her friend's situation, and the ingenuity she shows in trying to help him (working her musical background into her handing John's smelted remains over was a particularly inspired touch). And her portrayal of her confusion and desperation to find out who her next of kin are as she lies dying is just gut-wrenching, honestly the strongest stuff we've gotten out of her arc-related stuff so far. In other words - "Boom" was an absolute masterpiece, and such a delight for all of us enlightened fans who loved and missed Moffat's tenure as showrunner. Of course, there's some aspects of the episode that I didn't think worked that well, namely the other supporting characters who, while still likeable, were a little underdeveloped, but who gives a crap about that? The GOAT has returned with a brilliantly suspenseful story that eviscerates blind faith, failing medical services, the military industrial complex, and the vacuous platitudes delivered by those in power to those who are suffering ("Thought and Prayers" becoming a villainous catchphrase was a genius touch), and in the process delivers some character-defining moments for our leads that allow them to give the best performances of their tenures thus far. After several messy and uneven episodes from RTD himself, this episode perfectly got us back on track, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us - Moffat has once again set the bar very high

[@paulflux5892]

I liked this episode, my clear favourite of the season so far, although it's not truly top tier Steven Moffat. I love the energy between Ncuti and Millie, and Ncuti's acting in this episode is really superb.

[@MrDportjoe]

Biggest easter egg by volume? Our ordained Anglican? Yeah she steps in when we change companions.

[@shemdellashemygd29]

They ain't changing no one

[@therabbits69]

Ruby isn't being replaced. It's confirmed that Varada will be joinin The Doctor as a companion in this series. However it is ALSO confirmed that Ruby is joining again in the next season.

[@MrDportjoe]

@@therabbits69 I missed the up date as both things were in the wind not too long ago.

[@LordRyan88]

There is an interview with Moffat denying he is coming back to write for DW at the same time name dropped the episode title.

[@lurker1316]

I think of the stance on faith in this episode as less of condemning the whole concept of faith and moreso saying "don't let your faith in a God or an afterlife become blind faith in capitalists or militaries." I think his criticism is that there are bad actors who weaponize faith for those purposes and The Doctor was frustrated with this group for being taken in by it and becoming believers not just in their religion, but in the idea that their corporations and their wars are justified by their religion.

[@timothyp8947]

Is actress Susan Twist the twist that, according to the song, is always at the end?

[@therealpbristow]

Yep, I've been thinking that's connected/a hint. Or maybe a red herring. =:o}

[@gregevigan]

finally a good episode

[@JennyDuncan-o3r]

Excellent video but my main focus is how AWESOME Kat's Mohawk is!

[@KatAlysha]

THANK YOU 😭😤🤘🏼

[@ihateunicorns867]

The Doctor keeps crying. Every episode. Seems linked to Ruby’s abandonment. Carla literally asks him why he’s crying in _The Church on Ruby Road._ I wonder if this means Ruby has some link to the Doctor himself.

[@S0ldeed]

I loved the episode, but I 100% give you the kid. I actually blamed the director in the moment, as I feel as written she should've been 5, not 12 or whatever she is. Also, I thought Moffat did ok with his emotional tropes. I never thought Ruby was in danger, and everyone else stayed dead. I felt he was fair here. Love the dad stuff. Oh, and I was 100% with Kat on "is that Susan Twist"? I don't get the point of having someone with no identifying characteristics doing all these parts. Took me half the episode to even think to ask the question.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

For the most part, my brain goes into television series with little to no expectations.

[@iwillcry]

Talking about amazing acting Interview with the Vampire just came out with its 2nd season, I would whole heartedly recommend watching it (even if its in ur spare time).

[@scratchfox1958]

I would say it is anti theocracy, and the way America is slowly going closer to theocracy can make Americans of faith very uncomfortable cuz they a bit fragile about it :/. I don't wanna say playing the victim, but it did seem a bit not understanding of the dangers of theocracy and how harmful organised religion can be. But other than that, enjoyed the reaction.

[@ZheToralf]

I kinda wished I made a Moffat Bingo Card prior to watching this.

[@PaulaDeming]

hahahaha

[@cloudsnaniteclips9685]

I never usually comment, but i was super excited to see your reactions to this, and i wasn't dissapointed, thankyou for the great video :) one of the things i wanted to talk about was the stuff about faith, since this was the first time i've really watched a reaction video where it was properly discussed. Whilst i can definitely understand and agree with paula's perspective on it, i actually kinda liked the inclusion of it in the episode. Could the execution of it be better? i can't really speak on it since that's not really my area of expertise, but I do have my own perspective on religion. I'm gonna preface this by saying that this is just my opinion, and that I am aware that religion inherently isn't bad and that good religion/religious people exist, but as someone who has grown up religious, and grown up with and experienced the bad side of it, and sorta has trauma from it, i think the discussion of the negative side of it is important. Especially with how sorta prevalent the weaponisation of religion is against minority groups, especially to spread things like homophobia and misogyny. I can't lie, when the doctor was speaking about faith with that sorta tone of destain, i know the situation in the ep was a bit different, but i kinda related a bit since I grew up with those people, people who have been taught homophobia and misogyny and other ideals that hurt others, and dont question it because of their faith. but again, obviously people's life experiences will shape how we view things, and this was just my perspective on things. :)

[@zeke8921]

I quite enjoy the faith contradictions in the same vein as the doctors solider contradictions. Both of which are at play here. It’s a character flaw, but also the doctor calling Mundy out for hiding behind her faith instead of standing proudly in it. He’s blunt and frankly an asshole, but my god is he not in a typical position. He’s always admired faith, Rita from God Complex being the most memorable for me, but Mundy is using that faith as a way to avoid the tough call and ignoring all logic to do so. She’s endangering the planet but more importantly withholding Ruby’s medical care out of cowardice. He’s all for Splices faith as she accepts that both her parents have passed on, but through faith carries them with her (like 13 explains she does in TWWFTE) TLDR: Faith to ignore facts seems to be the issue and 15s kindness and tolerance filter is off most of the episode (Still 100% understand why this would rub anyone the wrong way, just my thoughts on it)

[@therealpbristow]

Yeah, I winced at the first "faith" line, but I relaxed when it didn't turn into a rant. And the acceptance of Splice's faith, though it was a bit perfunctory (end of the ep no time to dwell) reassured me. I do wonder what Paul Cornell and Caroline Symcox think of it...

[@PaulaDeming]

oh, good points. Thank you for sharing!

[@osumarko]

Great episode. Moffat is the best. I loved all the references to his stories in this one.

[@jasonyoung7705]

Is that an inverted pentacle I see? (disc version of a pentagram). See, I knew you were cool, though I say that cos I usually wear an inverted pentagram and a symbol of Hecate.

[@KatAlysha]

It absolutely is an inverted pentacle! 🥰😊

[@bustedsim]

I have seen shows that try to do what Moffat does, only SO MUCH WORSE. Like they try to do the same thing, but it's so cheesy and so blatantly obvious what they are trying to do, but they're also bad at doing the emotional manipulation, like "oh, this moment is supposed to be sad, lets play the tinkle-y piano music and have EVERYBODY in the scene cry to show how sad the audience is supposed to feel, and they DON'T put the work into make the audience care, they just have the characters exposit stuff, telling the audience why they should care instead of SHOWING it, and then the big emotional swell happens and in falls flat and THAT makes me angrier than anything, because not only is it obvious that they tried to manipulate my emotions, but they don't know HOW to do so and failed. Say what you will about Moffat, but at least he manages to make you care first and does the work and makes the effort. All TV is about manipulating emotions. Moffat at least respects his audience enough to do the characters he's going to kill for shock service before he goes for the emotional gut punch. I have seen this done with far less tact, care and expertise that the fact Moffat managed to get my to buy in even knowing he was probably going to go for an emotional sucker punch makes me appreciate his ability to write compared to other examples I've seen. And yes, the other examples I'm alluding to are partially from modern Star Trek, or as I call it, a Shitshow of an IP handling. Sorry if people out there like em, I don't, and that is partially why, and I'm not at all sorry to say I think they fucking suck, and yes, I AM mad that's the direction it's taken.

[@terminatrix92]

The irony that these two have complete faith in RTD and no faith in Moffat... I'd say the best argument against Moffat would be that he is callous and manipulative with his characters in a story. But then that only proves that he makes you feel something when he kills them, unlike in the Chibnall era where most death has little feeling or meaning. Conversely RTD is more sensitive, but not all his conceptual ideas are great, like space babies... Ultimately Moffat deserves much more credit than the Galifrey Gals would ever give him; its not like the man committed crimes, he kept Doctor Who going against the odds, gave it some of the best episodes and characters

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

Also, Chibnall killed people for 'no reason' ALL THE DAMN TIME and that didn't seem to make them mad. That's not a Moffat thing. 🤷

[@christianwise637]

@@NicoleM_radiantbaby RTD has done that very frequently too, hell I'd argue most screenwriters have at some point in their careers. I do enjoy watching the gals and their reactions, but when it comes to Moffat it feels like they're stuck in that early-mid 2010s Tumblr-brained era where Moffat was basically treated like the antichrist for everything he did, even their praise for the guy's work comes across as begrudging even at the best of times

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

@@christianwise637 Sadly, agree. I mean, I get taste can be subjective, but it often feels like they're searching for something wrong and not letting themselves enjoy it. Oh well.

[@howard315]

Random thoughts Moffat Moffated, as I expected he would. Ncuti Gatwa perfectly portrays a version of The Doctor who has healed emotionally and can allow himself to feel fully without fear of being overwhelmed by rage or sorrow. 🎶There's always a (Susan)Twist in the end (credits)🎶 Susan Twist being in every episode feels like such a hint that could mean so many things, or could just be RTD messing with us. The mystery surrounding Ruby has been setup wonderfully, I hope the payoff live up to it. ... I noticed a weird parallel between the show and these reactions. Kat and Paula have been like The Doctor and companion. Kat having experienced things before but getting to see it fresh again through Paula. Now with the addition of fantasy we have the Doctor seeing seeing new things along side Ruby just as we have Kat reacting for the first time with Paula. My only question is, what regeneration is Kat on??

[@bemasaberwyn55]

See I find it really interesting because that were moments in the episode where I saw various other actors in his performance. Such as when he went on the tangent about deactivating the mine, I heard jodie. When he was talking about not showing off I heard Both ten and eleven. When he tells Ruby that he's going to be very cross I heard capaldi. And it is definitely something that I have noticed With pretty much every doctor who has been in the new era.

[@ashbridgeindustries]

Honestly, the more I watch Moffat's stuff, the less I think 'wow, what an interesting callback to a previous episode' and the more I think 'oh look, there goes Steven, reusing his old scripts again'...

[@ashbridgeindustries]

And also: 'Everywhere's a beach eventually...' What does that MEAN, Steven? Is it supposed to be deep, profound, poetic? I genuinely don't get it.

[@donaldb1]

@@ashbridgeindustries Actually, I quite liked that, as another way of saying, "In the long run, we're all dead." That kind of thing can be overused, but there are occasions when it's worth remembering.

[@mparantha]

Best ep in years imo

[@gestaltdude]

Does anyone have any context for who the "grump old man," was that said, "what survives of us is love?" It's been driving me crazy trying to think who it might of been. I thought it was in Capaldi's final moments, but a quick check proved that false. Mundy asking for proof while being a part of a religious army made me think of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy entry on the Babel fish. Particularly the part where it states, "God says I refuse to prove that I exist for proof denies faith and without faith I am nothing." "But, says Man, the Babel fish is a dead giveaway. It proves you exists and so therefore you don't. QED" "Oh bugger, says God, I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic. "Oh, that was easy," says Man, who for an encore goes on to prove that black is white, and gets killed on the next zebra crossing.

[@ianpark1805]

The ‘grumpy old man’ is likely to have been Philip Larkin, the misanthropic university librarian, jazz fan and superb poet. The line is the final one in his poem ‘An Arundel Tomb’. He also penned the perhaps slightly more familiar “They f*** you up, your Mum and Dad, They don’t mean to, but they do…”

[@gestaltdude]

@@ianpark1805 Thanks for the context. :D Poets certainly seem to have changed from the days of Byron and Wordsworth. :P

[@Corlwow]

I play Moffat Bingo (because he has so many Moffatisms) but i dont think having a nice moment just before death is just him, i think it happens often in doc who not just when moffats writing - but yeah - moffat bingo was pinging here - very much numb to it more than most

[@Zombies8MDingo]

They are very much Clara and the Eleventh Doctor. Same words, different faces.

[@ellieh3453]

Verada Sethu who played Mundy has been confirmed as a new companion how or why not known yet

[@Will-nn6ux]

This was very much not an ‘Everybody lives!’ episode.

[@kaihinataplays1992]

I have MANY theories about Ruby, one is maybe she is Susan who went through regeneration and for some reason forgot the DOCTOR, "The One Who Waits" is interesting, you mentioned it could be Susan, what is weird about that is during the Devils Chord, we zoom in on a sign that said "Michael Waites" or something like that, which kinda gave me Harold Saxon/The Master vibes. What I am seeing is that there seems to be a lot of things that SEEM to be staring you right in the face, but I think they are actually being used to distract us from something else. RTD Slight of Hand. Something else I thought of is, since RTD is going with the TImeless Child, what is Ruby is actually from the DOCTORS universe, maybe the DOCTOR was connected to the Pantheon then ran away, and that's why the "The One Who Waits" is after them. we will just have to wait and see.

[@bosunbob123]

I do wonder whether Susan Twists characters, in some form, will end up being Susan, as in the Doctors granddaughter

[@theanyktos]

This whole episode was very: If you don't have regular War at home, store bought is fine.