Moffat-Era
Tropes: Troughton-era references (the Doctor offers to introduce
Clara to fish people, and later paraphrases the Doctor's “up or
down, I don't care which” speech from “The Power of the Daleks”).
Timey-wimey (Clara fitting her adventures with the Doctor around her
dates with Danny). Doctor Who as romcom. River Song is mentioned. Bow
ties are still cool. Companion with a boyfriend who is jealous of the
Doctor. The Doctor's antagonistic relationship with Danny appears to
have been lifted wholesale from the RTD era, namely Eccleston's
antagonistic relationship with Mickey Smith.
A
Thing in a Thing: An alien robot killing machine in a school.
The
Doctor is A: Caretaker. Also Clara's Space Dad.
The
Master Is A: bit busy today.
 |
| This machine kills caretakers. |
Clara
Lies About: Her relationship with the Doctor, both indirectly (in
not telling Danny what she's up to) and directly when she pretends
she doesn't know the new caretaker, and when she tries to convince
Danny she and the Doctor are just rehearsing a play. She also doesn't
tell the Doctor that she's dating Danny, or that she's smuggled him
into the Tardis using the invisibility watch.
Reasons
Clara Should Drop Danny Like A Hot Potato:
Because he can't handle the idea that she's a time traveler, because
it's always all about him, because it doesn't really seem to
occur to him that Clara lying to him might have been justified (as
it's not easy to explain a lifestyle like hers to non-time-travelers)
rather than some kind of personal slight, and because he's a complete
jerk about the Doctor, particularly with his passive-aggressive “I'm
a soldier and he's an officer” bit. The Doctor's right; he's not
good enough for her.
Child
Count: Between 41 and 147 (17 outside Coal Hill, and 6 more as
Clara and Danny go into the school; 12 in the act one establishing
shot; 7 as Danny and Clara discuss Smith; 2 are moved on by the
policeman in the shopping street; 15 in Clara's English class; 41 as
Clara goes from her class to the school garden; 5 when Clara tells
the two boys off for playing football on the garden chessboard; 19
when Clara bumps into Danny after her conversation with the Doctor;
20 on the wide establishing shot of the school before Clara gives
Danny the watch; 3 at the parents' evening). Courtney (alluded to in
“Listen”) is finally identified as the cheeky teenager with the
Afro seen in Clara's flashback in “Deep Breath” and when Danny
visits the school office in “Inside the Dalek”.
The
Thick of It: Chris Addison is in the Nethersphere.
It's
Actually About:
Doctor
Who changing from a wacky romcom about two pretty boys vying for the
attention of a pretty girl, to one about a pretty boy and a pretty
girl trying to get together despite the efforts of her crotchety
older relative.
