Doctor Who: Let?s Kill Craig

[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.