Doctor Who 10x05 Oxygen

[Parallax]

Capaldi's run has, unfortunately, been tarnished by some truly terrible stories such as Kill the Moon and whatever the hell that forest thing was. This season, however, has been great episode after great episode. Oxygen is no exception.

This one really harkens back to the days of the early 4th Doctor wherein they go to a space station and try to fix and/or survive a terrible situation. Oxygen has a real Ark in Space vibe to it, even down to the space station aesthetics (which some time is actually spent focusing on).
The opening scene is great hide-behind-the-sofa stuff that Who has done really well in the past and I'm pleased to see it done so well here.

The one thing I'm unsure of is the depiction of vacuum on a Time Lord. Back in Four to Doomsday (5th Doctor), we see the Doctor in space pretty much completely unprotected and he suffered essentially no ill effects that I can recall. Here it seems to be somewhat different. I'm trying to think if this condition has ever been applied to the Doctor before but I can't think of an example.

Bill continues to be interesting and not annoying as initial indications hinted at. Not a fan of Nadal still, though much better this story than previous ones.

[Bedlam]

I certainly agree that this story was excellent. Some very creepy moments a good thrilling story and an interesting background.

If I remember correctly in Four to Doomsday the Doctor was supposed to be surrounded by a forcefield (invisible of course for special effects reasons), I recall him travelling in an unpressurised spacecraft in the Nightmare of Eden although he had some time to prepare himself and put himself into some sort of meditative state, I vaguely recall the 3rd doctor doing something similar, maybe in Frontier in Space?

I quite like Nordol although I would like some confirmation of exactly what he is, it seems like he's a robot with a humanoid head but would that mean his oxygen requirements would be lower than a human? He mentions changing his face, was this pre Husbands of River Song or is he a full robot wearing Nardol's face?

[SpottedKitty]

The one thing I'm unsure of is the depiction of vacuum on a Time Lord. Back in Four to Doomsday (5th Doctor), we see the Doctor in space pretty much completely unprotected and he suffered essentially no ill effects that I can recall. Here it seems to be somewhat different. I'm trying to think if this condition has ever been applied to the Doctor before but I can't think of an example.

There's also the beginning of the 2011 Christmas Special, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, where he's forced through circumstances (he blew up a spaceship while he was in it) to put on a spacesuit after leaping into vacuum.

(Backwards.)

(The spacesuit, not the vacuum.)

Another call-back, I think, when whatsisname said he's pulled out the "fluid switches" (or something) in the TARDIS, so they weren't going anywhere. I'm sure this was the plot device in one of the original not-canon-any-more-waybackwhen films.

Now... did anyone notice the very last fraction of a second in the what's-in-the-next-episode preview...?

[Ghetto Spoiler Missy! ~ Edited by NL]

[Parallax]

It wasn't a thing from the films, it was from the first story with the Daleks. The Doctor sabotages the TARDIS by removing a mercury fluid link, in order to force everyone to explore the Dalek city.

Is the spoiler tag broken? I can't make that text show.

[The Romulan Republic]

Bah, I completely forgot about this episode tonight, and made other plans.

And again I say, BBC- when you have more than a year between seasons, people get in the habit of having their Saturday nights free.

Or I'm just disorganized.

[NecronLord]

Edited that spoiler Parallax, just copy and paste it to notepad.

The Spoiler tags don't work if you also have a quote tag in your post.

[NecronLord]

5/5

I'm just pleased that Dr Who is making left wing political statements again, instead of tedious right wing ones ("The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire, Planet Earth at its Height!" fuck off) as it has been for a while.

[Parallax]

It really was a mix of Ark in Space and The Sun Makers, wasn't it?

[The Romulan Republic]

5/5

I'm just pleased that Dr Who is making left wing political statements again, instead of tedious right wing ones ("The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire, Planet Earth at its Height!" fuck off) as it has been for a while.

Well, we do live in a time that, increasingly, requires one to choose a side. And I cannot imagine the Doctor ever being on the side of the Donalds, the Farages, the Putins, and the La Pens.

[SpottedKitty]

And I cannot imagine the Doctor ever being on the side of the Donalds, the Farages, the Putins, and the La Pens.

Except maybe to helpfully point them in the direction of Beachy Head and apply a well-timed push.

"Don't you think they look tired?"