Doctor Who S34E2: The Rings of Akhaten

[The Guid]

The planetoid was referenced throughout the episode and I was perfectly happy with it not "appearing" physically in the same way I didn't need to see the big mouth on Satellite Five until the end. The idea of memories & stories was constantly being referenced throughout so it made perfect thematic sense for it to be involved at the end. The idea of the Doctor having something valuable was constantly being mentioned so when it was tied in at the end that made perfect sense from a story point of view. What should they have done? Shown the big planet thing broo ha ha-ing from early on?

You are welcome to not enjoy things and criticise as much as you did, and I'm not arguing this was up there with the best "Who" made, but a lot of what makes a show enjoyable are episodes that fit into a series like this one, and I seriously think a lot of the criticisms of it are the kind of things that mean you're going to have difficulty enjoying anything.

[Styphon]

More things wrong than last week, but less irritatingly so. I give it a 3.

[Batman]

3. Not the worst NuWho has done, but nothing to write home about either.

[Eternal_Freedom]

One thing I've noticed that I like (it's a small thing) is that flying in the TARDIS is no longer the absurdly chaotic, shaky, shuddery, cling on for dear life experience that it always seemed to be in Tennants run. I suppose Eleven finally got round to fixing it.

I also rather like the new console room. Nice and functional.

[mr friendly guy]

I gave it a 3, one less than what I gave the previous episode. Slightly better start for NuWho this season, er I mean the second half of the season.

[DaveJB]

One thing I've noticed that I like (it's a small thing) is that flying in the TARDIS is no longer the absurdly chaotic, shaky, shuddery, cling on for dear life experience that it always seemed to be in Tennants run. I suppose Eleven finally got round to fixing it.

The whole "shaky TARDIS" thing actually stopped as soon as Moffat took over. In fact, they even drew attention to it in the Weeping Angels two-parter back in Series 5, I'm guessing mostly as a way of pointing out how stupid that "TARDISes have to be controlled by six people in order to fly stably" thing that RTD introduced in Journey's End was.

[Crossroads Inc.]

One thing I've noticed that I like (it's a small thing) is that flying in the TARDIS is no longer the absurdly chaotic, shaky, shuddery, cling on for dear life experience that it always seemed to be in Tennants run. I suppose Eleven finally got round to fixing it.

I also rather like the new console room. Nice and functional.

I would say the two top together.
I take this to mean the Doctor finally FINALLY got his ass together and "repaired" the TARIDS as much as possible.
No googily spiny things, no water facets hanging from bits, no junk mashed here and there... IT works better as a spaceship because he actually fixed things in it.

[Stark]

The whole "shaky TARDIS" thing actually stopped as soon as Moffat took over. In fact, they even drew attention to it in the Weeping Angels two-parter back in Series 5, I'm guessing mostly as a way of pointing out how stupid that "TARDISes have to be controlled by six people in order to fly stably" thing that RTD introduced in Journey's End was.

It was pretty stupid when fans made it up decades ago too, but here we are. :V

[Parallax]

I could understand that it'd be *easier* to fly a TARDIS if you had a trained operator at each console panel (less walking, mainly). But to need six? That's just stupid, as we've seen multiple Time Lords single handedly fly TARDISes without any problems at all on numerous occasions.

The 'hand brake' causing the grinding sound is also retarded, since it means lots of seen Time Lords leave it on for no given reason. The Master's TARDIS, for instance, made the exact same sound.

[Jaepheth]

Why did the Doctor just abandon Clara in the market place?
Why use the space bike to chase the taken girl instead of the TARDIS?

She told him to pay for the bike; he looks briefly at his screwdriver, but obviously decides that's not a good deal. I thought he just went back to the TARDIS to get a better form of payment. It would have been nice for him to tell Clara to wait there.

Makes sense to me to take the bike since if you take the TARDIS you run the risk of arriving a week too late or too early.


I can also somewhat forgive the extensive use of the screwdriver in this episode since it seems everything in this particular system is music/sound based technology (Door lock, The Long Song, etc)


IMO, what made this episode meh was the poorly set-up bad guy(s), abrupt change in pacing, and the overused "I is the Doctor, rawr!" solution.

[Themightytom]

I feel like they are seriously shoehorning gimmicks in formulaicly. Must we have Clara riding behind the Doctor on some kind of bike thing every week?

Ok Ladies enough, you got your damn fairy tale imaginary-friend from childhood who nobody thought was real and you ALMOST let yourself forget he was at every major life event...and that's not creepy by the way... but then came back and was real and swept you off your feet and took you on adventures, now he's going to ride a fricking motorcycle ??

Oh and he's still a widdle bwoken man BUT ALSO DARK AND MYSTERIOUS who dresses nicely at all times...

The sonic screw driver has literally been a magic wand since forever so fuck it, why WOULDN'T it be mind powered now. Of course it has the power to open a tightly closed door, at least as long as Carolinus...er the Doctor can keep his staff up there. No metaphors THERE right?

Lonely God Meets Hungry God everyone, we have a planet sized evil thing but watch out, the Doctor is from beyond time and space universe created and destroys secrets and ooooooooooOOOoOoOo mother fuckers do you READ your shit anymore??

I gave it a four, because I mean the vocals were pretty good.

But thanks Doctor for killing that vampire god worshipped by eight planets, you probably better go before the social unrest, especially since, in addition to destroying their social constructions, not to mention economy.. was that their SUN you just extinguished
at the very least it was some kind of gas giant thing, which can't be good either.

[HMS Sophia]

Someone at work today pointed out that the leaf at the end of the episode was the 'Wafer thin mint' to the Hungry Gods 'Mr Creosote', and now I can't stop giggling whenever I think about it.
As for the episode... Whatever. Completely meh. I was vaguely dragged along for the ride, but there were bits that threw me out (holding up the door, magic wand). I'll give it a 3.

[The Yosemite Bear]

The Doctor's companions start taking out restraining orders, as he's been a creepy stalker for like a thousand years.....

[The Romulan Republic]

It wasn't a great episode, and the Doctor following Clara when she was a child was creepy, but I kind of like the Doctor's speech when the "god" takes his memories. Its like for a few seconds I'm seeing the Eleventh Doctor from the fifth season again instead of a pathetic, murderous, depressed stalker.

I also liked that the speech included what I suspect was an homage to Roy Batty's final speech from Blade Runner.

[The Imperator]

I wonder if the Clara episodes are supposed to feel abrupt in ending? Every one of them has ended with Clara as a plot device, except for Bells of St. John. I wonder if that is something Moffat is doing on purpose?

[Captain Seafort]

Every one of them has ended with Clara as a plot device, except for Bells of St. John.

Did you miss the bit where she single-handedly located the bad guys in that one? She's been a walking DEM in all her episodes.

[The Imperator]

Every one of them has ended with Clara as a plot device, except for Bells of St. John.

Did you miss the bit where she single-handedly located the bad guys in that one? She's been a walking DEM in all her episodes.

I give that episode as pass, as she was specifically given "super hacking skills" by the bad guys. So while it was a plot device, it wasn't a total asspull at the end and had been built up to. But I guess her getting it in the first place qualifies, so I guess that means every episode with her has been specifically written so that she is a plot device. While Moffat may be bad sometimes, there's no way this isn't at least partially purposeful. I don't like the constant DEM with Clara, though I like Coleman way more than River, Donna, Rose, and Amy (when it was just her and the Doctor. If Rory was involved, Amy was tolerable), so I am ok with it for now.

[Algebraist]

I rather enjoyed the episode although would conceed it had quite a few flaws so would only vote it "avearage". I guess the major point you need to buy into is the emotional confrontation with the "godplanet". Actually rather enjoyed the performances from the Doctor and Clara on this, and I may be in a minority here in quite enjoying the singing which added extra atmosphere.. The theme had already been built up that the "god" fed off the souls and minds. Thus to me it led naturally to this being where the confrontation would lead and that the Doctors mind would be a formidable opponent. With a quite nice twist that Clara brought to finally tip the balance.

[Algebraist]

It wasn't a great episode, and the Doctor following Clara when she was a child was creepy, but I kind of like the Doctor's speech when the "god" takes his memories. Its like for a few seconds I'm seeing the Eleventh Doctor from the fifth season again instead of a pathetic, murderous, depressed stalker.

I also liked that the speech included what I suspect was an homage to Roy Batty's final speech from Blade Runner.

Yes agree its moments like that which really paint a picture of what the mind of someone who has lived for so long and seen so much over the entire history of the universe should be like. It brings a good connection also with that speech from Blade runner

[madd0ct0r]

that was the point the wife turned and said 'you know I'm lactose intolerant right?'

I agreed.

[lance]

Am I the only one that felt like the rules of the universe were tilted there? Memories were used as currency and the giant memory eating planet it seemed more fantastical and magic than most who. Like with the blood magic from the start of tenants run

[jwl]

I've been thinking. You know the people of the rings of akhaten think all life spawned from their planet? What about the ancestor cell?