Doctor Who: Let?s Kill Craig

[Kermi]

Yeah, I was kind of irritated. At the beginning of the episode the Doctor refuses to let Craig get involved because it's dangerous and we's trying to turn over a new leaf so he stops ruining peoples lives - something he seems to have cone pretty consistently. Sure, he repeatedly saves the world but in Let's Kill Hitler The Doctor had to face projections of his last few companions from Rose to Amy and felt bad about all of them - except young Amy, before he ruined everything.

It's like there was a tipping point there, the episode balanced on a point where The Doctor basically explained this to Craig because (as we find out later) he plans to go meet his fate at Lake Silencio and needs to stop being a hero and getting invovled because he's not going to be around much longer. If The Doctor had learned ANYTHING from the rest of the season he would've persisted and sent Craig packing.

Then he blackslides, learns nothing, nearly gets Craig killed and JUST when you think Craig being converted to a Cyberman might have drilled through The Doctor's thick skull, Love ex Machina saves the day and the Cybermen are defeated. Again.

 

[KazNecro]

Eleven Doctors in, and NOW we're going to start hating episodes because of plot holes? Come on dude, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff. These probably aren't even that version of the Cybermen anyhow. There have been many different versions of every recurring Big Bad in Who, and during every appearance the rules have changed ever so slightly.

I couldn't agree more!

Susan Arendt... Shhhhhhh!!

(Insert comment here)

Nonono! Shhhhhh!!!

My favorite part of the episode, by far! (grins)

 

[the1ultimate]

Well firstly, as you pointed out, it would have been a disturbing mood shift for this episode, and secondly I think it would have worked if it hadn't been so corny.

This isn't the first time the power of love has been used to save someone, but on the other hand I would rate this worse than Victory of the Daleks, but for the greater opposition to narrative flow, not because it feels like a cop out.

Also, I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that the Doctor destroys families is a current theme, considering in the two cases mentioned the Doctor's harm has been at least equalled by the positive things he has done for those same families.

 

[adamtm]

Yeah, I was kind of irritated. At the beginning of the episode the Doctor refuses to let Craig get involved because it's dangerous and we's trying to turn over a new leaf so he stops ruining peoples lives - something he seems to have cone pretty consistently. Sure, he repeatedly saves the world but in Let's Kill Hitler The Doctor had to face projections of his last few companions from Rose to Amy and felt bad about all of them - except young Amy, before he ruined everything.

It's like there was a tipping point there, the episode balanced on a point where The Doctor basically explained this to Craig because (as we find out later) he plans to go meet his fate at Lake Silencio and needs to stop being a hero and getting invovled because he's not going to be around much longer. If The Doctor had learned ANYTHING from the rest of the season he would've persisted and sent Craig packing.

Then he blackslides, learns nothing, nearly gets Craig killed and JUST when you think Craig being converted to a Cyberman might have drilled through The Doctor's thick skull, Love ex Machina saves the day and the Cybermen are defeated. Again.

Except thats not what it was about.

The point of this episode wasn't that the doctor needs to stop involving bystanders and ruining their lives. Its about how he feels responsible for it.
This was also the point in The God Complex.

Now what's changed is that in this episode Craig explains to the doctor that he wouldn't want to have it any other way than to be involved. I.E.

Its NOT the doctors call what other people do. THAT is his god complex, not that he tries to save everyone.

The point of the episode isn't a learning experience for the doctor where he needs to go

"Yes I am responsible for the suffering of all my companions - i must protect them by staying away"

Its the polar opposite. Its the realization that he should stop treating his companions like children, they sign up (largely) by their own volition. He is not God and its NOT his call what others decide to do.

After all, remember Martha Jones? Or Sarah Jane? They went on to fight intergalactic forces -without- the doctor, out of their own volition. Martha became a part of UNIT and almost blew up the earth once.

They are responsible adults, they do what they want.

Putting Craig in this episode was brilliant, BECAUSE he comes over as a bumbling idiot (in that "who's the baby in this episode anywho" sense), except hes not, he knows exactly what could happen to him if the Doctor is around. And the Doctor needs to accept that its not his fault if he can't save everyone. And most of all

BELIEVE in his companions. TRUST them like an adult.

Craig knows exactly that even if the Doctor is The Oncoming Storm, it is always safest at the -center- of it, its his call to join him.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Eleven Doctors in, and NOW we're going to start hating episodes because of plot holes? Come on dude, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff. These probably aren't even that version of the Cybermen anyhow. There have been many different versions of every recurring Big Bad in Who, and during every appearance the rules have changed ever so slightly.

You do realise that "first article" doesn't automatically mean "first complaint," right? Also, saying "time is funny like that" to explain away bad writing is a pretty weak argument.

 

[The Harkinator]

Craig should have died, not because of his character but because the running theme in this half-series has been the consequences of the Doctors actions. By having companions he exposes people to danger, when saving people its usually him that gets them into danger.

The Doctor has to save people but sometimes he doesn't always manage it. His need to be a good guy that people can visibly see saving them, then leave before people can celebrate what he has done. This builds the legend of the Doctor as a man who arrives from nowhere, saves everyone then leaves without another word.

As the Doctor speeds towards his own finale the message that he can't always prevent death could have hit him like a sledgehammer if they'd killed Craig, the relationship between the Doctor and his companions would have been exposed as the Doctor knowingly putting friends in danger so he can satisfy his god-complex.

In the episode 'The Family of Blood' once John Smith has become the Doctor again he is asked if anyone would have died if he hadn't chosen the school in 1913 and he replies with 'No' we see that people die around him and he can't prevent this despite insisting on getting involved. In 'The Waters of Mars' the Doctor breaks set events to save people and when they realise he has tampered with time he merely declares himself Time Lord Victorious, undisputed master of time and control over its events.

Craig dying would have illustrated to the Doctor that his meddling in peoples lives can lead to their deaths, while he walks back to his TARDIS and the cycle begins again.

By the way, my captcha was: doctor's omitery. Its a sign

 

[Hyperme]

Craig should have died, not because of his character but because the running theme in this half-series has been the consequences of the Doctors actions. By having companions he exposes people to danger, when saving people its usually him that gets them into danger.

The Doctor has to save people but sometimes he doesn't always manage it. His need to be a good guy that people can visibly see saving them, then leave before people can celebrate what he has done. This builds the legend of the Doctor as a man who arrives from nowhere, saves everyone then leaves without another word.

As the Doctor speeds towards his own finale the message that he can't always prevent death could have hit him like a sledgehammer if they'd killed Craig, the relationship between the Doctor and his companions would have been exposed as the Doctor knowingly putting friends in danger so he can satisfy his god-complex.

In the episode 'The Family of Blood' once John Smith has become the Doctor again he is asked if anyone would have died if he hadn't chosen the school in 1913 and he replies with 'No' we see that people die around him and he can't prevent this despite insisting on getting involved. In 'The Waters of Mars' the Doctor breaks set events to save people and when they realise he has tampered with time he merely declares himself Time Lord Victorious, undisputed master of time and control over its events.

Craig dying would have illustrated to the Doctor that his meddling in peoples lives can lead to their deaths, while he walks back to his TARDIS and the cycle begins again.

By the way, my captcha was: doctor's omitery. Its a sign

]

Except the situation would of been much worse in this case if the Doctor hadn't gotten involed. The Cybermen may of been able to gain enough reasons to beomce a threat to the world at large. And since Torchwood is borderline useless/in some alternate, Doctorless world, lots of people would of died. Hell, the events of The God Complex weren't the Doctor's fault. Except for Amy. But he saved one person, which is one more than if he hadn't been there.

Also since the Doctor lucked out with the defective conversion, Craig would of died. So, you know, he could see was putting people in danger.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Yay, a Doctor Who column, I'm a noob to the series (Started with the Eleventh Doctor), and you wrote that great article about how comics where important to you growing up right? Awesome!

Indeed, I did. Here you go: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_295/8676-Gifted-Youngster

 

[chaosyoshimage]

Yay, a Doctor Who column, I'm a noob to the series (Started with the Eleventh Doctor), and you wrote that great article about how comics where important to you growing up right? Awesome!

Indeed, I did. Here you go: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_295/8676-Gifted-Youngster

I loved that one, I was the same way as a kid. I'm sure that's not saying much since I'm commenting on a Doctor Who article on a video game forum, so obviously I'm a bit of a "nerd", lol. But, X-Men comics really helped get through that whole "I'm way different than everyone else here" period of life. Which is technically still going, but you know what I mean...

 

[Cody Holden]

Eleven Doctors in, and NOW we're going to start hating episodes because of plot holes? Come on dude, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff. These probably aren't even that version of the Cybermen anyhow. There have been many different versions of every recurring Big Bad in Who, and during every appearance the rules have changed ever so slightly.

You do realise that "first article" doesn't automatically mean "first complaint," right? Also, saying "time is funny like that" to explain away bad writing is a pretty weak argument.

A) It was a negative critique, for reasons I didn't agree with. Not a complaint. I acknowledge that.

B) It's a show that's been around for a half-century and passed between something like a dozen writers in that time. Inconsistencies are going to happen. At least they admit it. Besides, "time is funny like that" starts to become a necessity when your show is about a time traveler who floats from place to place deliberately disrupting major negative events in history. If not, every other episode would end up being a recolor of the episode where paradox monsters want Rose Tyler's dad dead.

(...What happened to the paradox monsters, anyhow?)

 

[Ashley Blalock]

The no emotion, it's against people's will kind of makes the Cybermen really dull villains. If they were were people it would be oh it's bad to kill them but once you take away emotions and wrap them in metal, oh well kill all you want now with no moral struggle for the characters killing off Cybermen.

It seems like Cybermen could be so much scarier and more interesting characters if they dropped this silly thing of dull emotionless things and made them into characters. If someone embraced being a Cyberman because they were giving up their crippled body for a chance to walk again then you've got a moral sticky bit if the Doctor tries to stop those Cybermen from converting other crippled people into Cybermen.

Or as bad as the Nazis were with their super human program imagine if a radical group like that could convert themselves into Cybermen. A Nazi super solider was bad enough of a nightmare but Cybermen Nazis would be far worse.

It's time for the Cyberman to be something different and interesting rather that feeling like wow the Borg from Star Trek did this same no emotional upgrading humans so much better.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Wasn't going to happen.

Shouldn't have happened.

What may seem to be a placeholder is almost certainly the pivotal point that turns the Doctor from his self-destructive urge to come back.

Even in the few parts of next week's episode we see Churchill (and probably others) sacrificing themselves for him. The Doctor think that he kills people, but really they sacrifice themselves to save him.

Just like Adric in Earthshock.

Craig shouldn't have died.

(Faith being used as an energy source? God Complex,Sound of Drums, The Lodger, The Silver Nemesis)

Also: Behind the scenes Matthew Waterhouse is one of the only companions to ever die because he was ... involved ... with some of the crew. That ended badly, and why he got the Chef sending off.

James Corden was never going to die.

It's a pity that Daisy Haggard was so woefully underused though.

Edit: I know some people are going to disagree with me, but let's at least leave it until the finale where the call-backs will be in play?

Edit2: Yes, there could have been more tension/detail put in, but that's the problem of the 45 minute show rather than the 2/4 episodes.

It is INCREDIBLY cheesy to have this ONE person be able to completely reject the process purely through the power of love.

Cheesier than Dervla Kirwan's Whore taking mental command of the Cybermen in The Next Doctor by the power of hate?

It's not as bad as the """dramatic reveal""" in season 1's 'Dalek'; a dramatic reveal ruined by two fucking weeks of adverts and even if you missed them you had the TITLE OF THE FUCKING EPISODE!

Moffat's said that he has no control of the previews and gets miffed with them himself.

Edit3: There's going to be a send-off to Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the last episode.

Splendid fellow

(...What happened to the paradox monsters, anyhow?)

Universe reset. Davies and Moffat agreed that each of their creations would remain theirs, hence the tears in reality storyline to reset them into two differing universes. Captain Jack, being of both writers - may be allowed through.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

To all the "Let's Kill Craig" filmers:

The scene starts with the Cyber Helmet fusing over Craig's face.

All the Doctor can do is look on in horror due to the Cyberman's crushing grip.

Craig awakes - now a Cyber-Commander - and reaches up to his face. He realises there's no way back, and then he hears Alfie cry. He pays it no attention as his emotions are gone/wiped.

The Doctor looks up, now convinced that everyone he ever meets up with will die. He knows that Craig's only saviour now is the Angel of Death that he has become.

Across the world, millions of children see the Doctor's twin hearts break, as he raises the sonic screwdriver to kill Craig.

Craig looks up, and in the remaining vestiges of his mind he knows that Sophie was right - He can't be trusted with Alfie on his own - after everything, he's failed her and his child.

Spoiler: What have you just filmed?

I'll take the cheese thanks.

 

[Silva]

I think that killing Craig isn't a necessary addition, though it would have been interesting. Instead, I'd suggest that the timing of his descent into Cyber form and rise back from the dead wasn't very convincing and could have been improved greatly.

There could have been a better moment for him to have an emotionally cathartic circuitry overload, such as before the mask was put on his face and soldered on (that can't have been harmless to his face, let's be honest, except due to space-wizards of course).

Another way to do it is to have him recover much later than that, say, after a long, drawn out time as a Cyberman his emotions overwhelm his chips and he stays as the Cyber-father of sorts, with the Doctor restoring parts of his body using whatever applied phlebotinum he happens to have in the TARDIS and all that medical skill.

This restoration of humanity in a Cyberman has been done to great effect before, if more tragically: remember the words: "I served my queen and country"? THAT is how it should've been done again.

I think those of us who are more mature viewers will find the current Matt Smith series in general not dark or creepy enough for our liking, since the happy-go-lucky man-in-a-box adventure feel is just going to stay. It appeals to the broadest audience, and let's face it, for the BBC that's considered a good thing.

With any luck, a new writer and a new Doctor later on will freshen it up and bring back some of the more intriguing darknesses that we saw during Tennant's reign as the Time Lord.

Until then, I'm sure that this column will have plenty to object to.