Doctor Who SE30E09: "Forest of the Dead"

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Episode rating

5
31
67%
4
9
20%
3
3
7%
2
0
No votes
1
3
7%
 
Total votes: 46

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Stark
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Post by Stark »

Yeah I forgot sonic disruptors (and triple-enfolded sonic blasters) were made at one factory and now they're 'lost tech'. HA! Gag about how Jack can't get replacement batteries for his mobile pho... I mean gun != nobody has similar weapons. These guys had a time agency ffs, and three galaxies, and it was only at one factory. I BET.

Hey NL, don't give them ideas, I'm sure they have heaps of finale-invalidating retcons up their sleeve this year already. ;)

PS why do people do that 'post single incomplete thought while watching an episode' thing? Sometimes people post EIGHT meaningless posts one after the other! What's the point; to prove you watched it? Crazy.
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Post by Lord Woodlouse »

I hope the Doctor goes back someday with some anti-vashta narada cream to kill them all so people can go to the library again. It would be rather sad to leave such a gigantic library unused... :P
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Post by mr friendly guy »

Gave it a 4 since there was no 4.5 option.

Overal not a bad ending. Good use of time travel where future doctor uses future knowledge to save River.
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Post by Tychu »

Though nothing to do directly with the episode, I did stumble across this while I was searching for this episode

Rowan Atkinson is the 11th Doctor. Must be old because if im not mistaken Athony Ainley is playing the Master

Plus the youtube poster is claiming Stephen Moffet directed it.[/url]
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Post by Tychu »

for some reason that didn't work

Rowan[/url]
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Post by General Zod »

Tychu wrote:Though nothing to do directly with the episode, I did stumble across this while I was searching for this episode

Rowan Atkinson is the 11th Doctor. Must be old because if im not mistaken Athony Ainley is playing the Master

Plus the youtube poster is claiming Stephen Moffet directed it.[/url]
Your link doesn't work.
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Post by Tychu »

General Zod wrote:
Tychu wrote:Though nothing to do directly with the episode, I did stumble across this while I was searching for this episode

Rowan Atkinson is the 11th Doctor. Must be old because if im not mistaken Athony Ainley is playing the Master

Plus the youtube poster is claiming Stephen Moffet directed it.[/url]
Your link doesn't work.
Sorry about that, the second post should work.
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Post by mr friendly guy »

Tychu wrote:Though nothing to do directly with the episode, I did stumble across this while I was searching for this episode

Rowan Atkinson is the 11th Doctor. Must be old because if im not mistaken Athony Ainley is playing the Master

Plus the youtube poster is claiming Stephen Moffet directed it.[/url]
Ah, the Curse of Fatal death. And its not Anthony Ainley playing the Master. Its that guy who played the Rupert Murdoch, er I mean that villainous billionaire from the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never dies". I think his name is Jonathan Pyrce.
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Post by Tychu »

mr friendly guy wrote:
Tychu wrote:Though nothing to do directly with the episode, I did stumble across this while I was searching for this episode

Rowan Atkinson is the 11th Doctor. Must be old because if im not mistaken Athony Ainley is playing the Master

Plus the youtube poster is claiming Stephen Moffet directed it.[/url]
Ah, the Curse of Fatal death. And its not Anthony Ainley playing the Master. Its that guy who played the Rupert Murdoch, er I mean that villainous billionaire from the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never dies". I think his name is Jonathan Pyrce.
Ah, upon further review...and after knowing who it was, I now see it. Thank you Friendly man


Now for Forest of the Dead

I have to say... Last year around this time of night (2am) While in my basement I gave a little clap and bravo to Mr. Moffat's Doctor-light episode of Blink. A steady chill ran through my bones as I ran up the stairs and woke anybody that I deemed certified to know that I watched the greatest episode of any tv show or movie in the history of mankind. This time however the chill just ran through my bones again but I am instead here typing and "talking" to the sd.net folks instead of waking up relatives and friends.
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"What kinda archeologist carries a weapon........Bad Example" Colonel Jack O'Neil

"My name is Olo... Hans Olo" -Dr. Daniel Jackson

"Well you did make the Farmingdale Run in less than 12 parsecs" --Personal Quote

"Just popped out for lunch" - Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean
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Post by bilateralrope »

NecronLord wrote:Oh. And it turns out the planet was a space-Pyramid!

Incidentally, I assume the surface of the planet will be (largely) left to the Vashta Narada. Presumably allowed to overgrow with critters for them to consume.
I'd assume that the ecosystem. Probably to the point where the only life there are the visitors and anything accidentally brought in. So another option may be to leave the library alone until they starve to death.

Either way the steps taken by those outside are the same. Leave the library alone until the sensors show there being no life there. Then return to the now safe world. If animals breeding there prove to be a sustainable food source, leave the planet alone for good.
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Post by Big Orange »

bilateralrope wrote: Either way the steps taken by those outside are the same. Leave the library alone until the sensors show there being no life there. Then return to the now safe world. If animals breeding there prove to be a sustainable food source, leave the planet alone for good.
I'd like to believe the Library has it's own ecosystem with it's own critters that the Vashta feasted upon in their hundred years of complete isolation and/or they're cannibals. Anyway this episode was a better episode than most, I give it top marks but with some reservations - the "EVERYBODY LIVES" style ending is something I hope is used much more sparingly by Moffat in his future episodes since it would be seen as a gimmick that outstays it's welcome (the threat of increasingly diminished returns after "The Doctor Dances"'s really unexpected ending and all that jazz). But then again River Song hanging about in a VR world is preferable to being just a face in a paving slab, although I wonder if her decimated crew seemingly sharing her artificial afterlife are really entirely there but are simulants instead.
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Post by frogcurry »

I enjoyed it, once of the best episodes of the whole new Doctor Who programs. Plus it completely avoids the whole earth(usually London)-bound mentality that seems to regularly occur, while making you think it was still there for a while, which is a nice little trick to play on the audience.

The most amusing thing from this episode is that it was apparently easier in the future for a single (albeit presumably very rich) family to turn a whole planet into a giant library/ computer system and also build an artificial moon, than to preserve the life of a single little girl.

Finally; whose "children" are getting tucked into bed at the end?
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Post by NecronLord »

frogcurry wrote:Finally; whose "children" are getting tucked into bed at the end?
I think it's the simu-children and Cal.
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Post by Vaporous »

Excellent from start to finish. Best episode of the season.

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Post by The Grim Squeaker »

Excellent episode, although I slightly prefered the previous one. (But this had a far better individual moment. What did he mean though, by "I could only tell me name once" :?: .

The final ending was fantastic, this really did capture the spirit of the mythos :D .

I take back any criticsm I might have muttered about Moffat being potentially overrated, the man is the Thirteenth awesome coming of the David Bowie Doctor :D
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Post by Zixinus »

Dear god, I actually enjoyed this one. I might end up liking the rest of the season.
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Post by Hillary »

Oh yes. I like, muchly.

Best episode of the series imo. I love River and the effect she has on the Doctor. We are led to believe that they are married, only to discover right at the end that there is another reason why he would give her his screwdriver and his name. Beautifully done - Moffat is such a fantastic writer.

My only quibble is that once again we get a guest actress who has far more chemistry with the Doctor than his assistant. It happened with Human Nature, Girl in the Fireplace and Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways.

Can we please get an actress of this quality as an assistant?
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Post by Stark »

Ugh. Wasting half the episode on amazing revelations like 'they're in the computer zomg' when everyone knew that halfway through the first episode is criminal. Some excellent moments, but so much dead time and so much fucking Donna. Davros better eat her.

I never got the impression they were married at all. She's just a drip, as codependent as all his companions (well, except Jack). It's just a shame the good plot had to be mixed with such an average 'science fiction' plot, that was wholly predicatable and a pastiche of Moffat's own previous work. Easily the best of a terrible season, and likely to stay that way if the trailers are anything to go by.

Oh and in case you didn't know, the Doctor is Jesus. For those who needed until 24m into this episode to realise they were in a COMPUTER ZOMG. Additionally, saying 'spoilers' is witty and funny and not at all lame and annoying. :lol:
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Post by frogcurry »

NecronLord wrote:
frogcurry wrote:Finally; whose "children" are getting tucked into bed at the end?
I think it's the simu-children and Cal.
I meant "who's" as in identity of the parents - i.e. who is their father figure (assuming they have one)?
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Post by Thanas »

Hmm.

I don't quite know what to say about this episode. The first part was excellent, yet this one....

At the risk of parroting Stark, the revelation was no revelation at all, there was too much Donna (God, even Martha was better than her and she was as cookie-cutter a companion as one can be) etc. Luckily, from the pitying look the archeologist gave her once can assume there is something in store for her.

Finally, the ending just seemed to cheapen the sacrifice Song made. And yes, I get that the doctor is Jesus, but I mean, "everybody lives Rose" - this is the third time Moffat has used it and it gets tiring. I would have preferred if they would have ended the episode with a shot of the screwdriver and the diary lying around.

Like others said, Moffat has done better. I do not know if this bodes well or ill for his tenure as head writer.
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Post by Thanas »

frogcurry wrote:
NecronLord wrote:
frogcurry wrote:Finally; whose "children" are getting tucked into bed at the end?
I think it's the simu-children and Cal.
I meant "who's" as in identity of the parents - i.e. who is their father figure (assuming they have one)?
Does it matter?

Any speculation would be worthless anyway since there are several candidates but we cannot really speculate since we know next to nothing of their relationship with Song.
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Post by Lord Woodlouse »

Thanas wrote: Like others said, Moffat has done better. I do not know if this bodes well or ill for his tenure as head writer.
In the commentary Moffat does say he'll be willing and able to kill people off properly when he takes control.
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Post by Thanas »

Lord Woodlouse wrote:
Thanas wrote: Like others said, Moffat has done better. I do not know if this bodes well or ill for his tenure as head writer.
In the commentary Moffat does say he'll be willing and able to kill people off properly when he takes control.
Well, that wasn't quite the bone I had with him... it is just that with this two-parter he made the same mistakes other writers have made (wasting time etc) I don't know, I just expected something better.
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Post by Ryushikaze »

I don't see why people are harping on the 'computer' revelation. We know from the beginning that they're there. Heck, I figured Donna'd been digitized the moment CAL said she was 'saved' last episode. The reason we see Donna's realization of their fate is to see what the revelation is doing to CAL, how having her world shattered is affecting her, and by consequence, shows why activates the self destruct. Yes, it was a little long, but complaining that they wasted time on the obvious reveal when the reveal wasn't the point of the sequence anyways strikes me as silly.
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Post by Chardok »

Am I the only one who found that episode just average? No surprises, no twists, just...well, it's not exactly Gridlock, is it?
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