Dr. Who Season 2(28) Episode 4 Rewatch:Girl in the Fireplace

[DarkSilver]

Rated this episode a 5

I just got home, so I was finally able to get to my Series 2 DVD's and give it a viewing.

To be honest, as good as "School Reunion" was, this for me is Tenant's break-out point from Ecelsson. This is when his Doctor became real. Going beyond this point, there came problems though, how he likes to talk *way* to much, and his "guns r bad k?" thing just drove me crazy.

How is it that everytime I see a RTD byline on the title screen, the show became a little less enjoyable, but seeing Moffat there, and I know the story is going to be high quality?

[Straha]

No. No. No. No. No!

Read Carefully please: I GET that bit. I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about instead of doing the dramatic climax bit; jumping through the time window and breaking it on a horse. Why he couldn't use the TARDIS then?

I getcha now (actually I got it after Stark explained it, but regardless.) Out of universe the obvious answer is that they need the drama.

In universe I can think of two things right off my head. First, he can see into the palace right there and knows quite well that he's not there helping. He can't interfere with the past as long as he's still observing it, so he can't run to the TARDIS, hear them all die in the time it takes for him to get from the control room to the TARDIS and then go back in time to save them. Then he's changing history (as opposed to making it) and that's been a no-no since the Aztecs. Secondly, even if he could go back in time with the TARDIS it doesn't destroy the time windows. So the androids can grab Rene, hit their teleport device and get back to the ship without the Doctor being able to do anything. Or, if he can somehow interpose himself between them, they just go back to the ship and wait for an opportune moment with Rene alone (let's say, oh, in the bathroom) teleport in, grab her, teleport out.

[Stark]

Yeah, I think that's the explanation I use; that due to the windows being open and them simultaneously being 'a part' of all those timeframes, actaully travelling to it is like double-time travel and bad. In one sense its' just through a doorway, but in another sense it's thousands of years ago and it's all happened.

Even in S3+ 'logic', you can simply say that when the Doctor says 'we're part of events', he means that his Time Sense is showing him that the events are linearly fixed from this point and time travel for him is no longer an option.

I just ignored it, the way peolpe ignore shit like 'SET PHASE TRANDUCERS TO GIGAQUAN FROGMACHINE' in other shows. It's time science, we don't know how it works.

Why they couldn't use the TARDIS to just smash through the window is tougher, of course, but I guess the hole was too small and the TARDIS can't change. Still, top-first it'd have worked fine.

[Ryushikaze]

Except the doctor's not so good at flying the Tardis through 'real' space. Even with the three of them, it might not work out all that well.

[Stark]

Except the doctor's not so good at flying the Tardis through 'real' space. Even with the three of them, it might not work out all that well.

So not good he can pursue a taxi down a highway, match speeds, and control the maneuvers with a piece of string? Tow a Flash Gordon starship?

[Ryushikaze]

Except the doctor's not so good at flying the Tardis through 'real' space. Even with the three of them, it might not work out all that well.

So not good he can pursue a taxi down a highway, match speeds, and control the maneuvers with a piece of string? :lol: Tow a Flash Gordon starship?

Okay, I worded that badly. He's not so good at fine maneuvering, at least as we've seen. He's good at flying it and jury rigging it, but when he makes adjustments in 'real' space, they always seem to be lurching, and a bit wide. Granted, that could be a matter of the speeds he's going at. Oh well. Like you said, not going to let the niggly bits ruin what is otherwise excellent drama.

[Stark]

Yeah, while the writer at least gave lip service to the whole 'zomg TARDIS right there' thing, it's common for them to consider the TARDIS fixed once it lands. So many rooftop rescues would be easier if they used it like a spacecraft, lol.