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| This story needs more crystals. |
Moffat-Era
Tropes: "The Ark in Space" reference (Bennett oscillator); alien that
appears malevolent but actually just wants to be loved; traveling in
the Tardis as some kind of emotional therapy for needy children;
fairy-tale presented as (really preposterous) science; Timey-wimey
(the return of the “Pyramids of Mars” idea of events being in
flux); female military types who speak in monotones; skeleton in a
space suit; “Everybody lives!” speech from the Doctor; sour
grouch regaining an appreciation of the beauty of life thanks to the
Doctor's intervention. It's not a Moffat Trope, but it's worth
pointing out that the design of the mites is awfully close to that of
the red-striped giant spider on the 1978 edition of the Target
novelisation of “Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders.”
A
Thing in a Thing: A space chicken in the moon.
The
Doctor is A: Man who normally helps. At least, that's what Clara
says.
The
Master Is A: voiding this week. Evidently the sheer level of
Science Fail is too much for her.
Clara
Lies About: Courtney being special. Fact is, Courtney, however
important she may be to the people around her, is nonetheless one of
several billion human beings, and, even if she winds up as Dictator
of the Solar System, she will be forgotten within a few thousand
years of her death. Telling her she's special is just catering to
some kind of entitlement mentality at best, and implying that some
humans are superior to others at worst.
Reasons
Clara Should Drop Danny Like A Hot Potato: Once again, it's all
about him: he can't just
listen sympathetically to Clara, he has to wrench the conversation
round to being about him leaving the army.
Child
Count: 28 (13 in the opening scene, 12 in the closing scene,
Courtney, and two space-chicken embryos).
The
Thick of It: The Doctor tells off Lundvik for swearing in front
of children.
It's
Actually About:
Where
to begin? It's about how if the majority votes for something you
disagree with, you go ahead and do what you want anyway (a lesson
Courtney is sure to take with her into the Oval Office); it's about
how kids need to be told they're special, otherwise they'll
start drinking White Lightning;
it's about how the potential life of a single space-chicken is
more important than
the
actual lives
of billions of humans; it's about the
Doctor being an arrogant manipulative bastard to Clara.
Take
your pick.
