Doctor Who S34E8: "Mummy of the Orient Express" Spoilers

[jwl]

Agreed, I also liked that the solution was at least be ostensibly scientific, rather than random technobabble.

???

It was random technobabble.

The mummy "takes them out of phase". Takes what out of phase with what? And why does it take 66 seconds to do so? Doesn't necessarily make it bad, but the mummy works wholly on technobabble.

[Havok]

I don't view Clara as a soldier at all. I think she is addicted to the adrenaline and the danger, but anything soldier-ish or even Doctor-ish she balks at hard.

[Havok]

Agreed, I also liked that the solution was at least be ostensibly scientific, rather than random technobabble.

???

It was random technobabble.

The mummy "takes them out of phase". Takes what out of phase with what? And why does it take 66 seconds to do so? Doesn't necessarily make it bad, but the mummy works wholly on technobabble.

He meant the solution wasn't techno-babble. "I surrender!"
Of course how the mummy works is techno-babble as there is no science behind teleportation and phasing that can be explained, well at least not effectively.

And since you didn't hear... The Mummy, which is out of phase, takes the target out of phase in order to drain the target of the energy it needs in order to charge up it's battery so it can survive and carry out it's mission. Once the Mummy gave up it's mission, it no longer needed to stay cloaked or phased so it became visible and shut down, effectively killing itself.

As for the 66 seconds, the Engineer offered up a phasing technology that took about a minute to charge. This was extrapolated to this situation which took 66 seconds to do so.

[jwl]

Agreed, I also liked that the solution was at least be ostensibly scientific, rather than random technobabble.

???

It was random technobabble.

The mummy "takes them out of phase". Takes what out of phase with what? And why does it take 66 seconds to do so? Doesn't necessarily make it bad, but the mummy works wholly on technobabble.

He meant the solution wasn't techno-babble. "I surrender!"
Of course how the mummy works is techno-babble as there is no science behind teleportation and phasing that can be explained, well at least not effectively.

Well it's not really scientific then. I mean, it doesn't break any scientific laws, it is logical, but it doesn't really reference science either. You could have a very similar situation in a non-science fiction drama and it wouldn't look out of place. I mean, the doctor chucking the cyborg out of the window in deep breath was logical and didn't break any laws, but that wasn't really a scientific ending.

[NecronLord]

Look up the word ostensibly, learn and understand its applications, read my post again when you have done that.

[Havok]

That's why he said ostensibly. Words are our friends.

[jwl]

Yeah, I suppose a gap in my vocabulary is showing.

[NecronLord]

To elaborate, I call it 'ostensibly' scientific because at the heart of the problem was a technological device, that could be understood, taken apart, replicated, and so on, it wasn't like the mummy in Rings of Akhenaten, that was literally empowered by a god-parasite, and slain with a leaf and happy thoughts. This is ostensibly scientific, IE the problem can be understood, measured, and replicated, rather than outright miraculous, like the last mummy in Dr Who.

By random technobabble I basically mean, bullshit that translates to souls (Akhenaten is particularly bad at this, outright saying the bad guy eats souls).

[Eternal_Freedom]

More to the point, theproblem wasn't solved by jabbering technobabble and waving the sonic, it was solved by observing and understanding the situation. Hence, not technobabble.

[NecronLord]

Yes, that too.

Didn't do what I thought he would, which was give the mummy the flag, as that was what I thought it wanted; but it was close enough that there was enough logic there to let you try and work out the problem too.

[Havok]

Geezuz, does he even have the sonic anymore? Aside from using it to fuse some metal, open a few doors and track some footprints has he used it for anything meaningful?

[Bedlam]

Geezuz, does he even have the sonic anymore? Aside from using it to fuse some metal, open a few doors and track some footprints has he used it for anything meaningful?

I'm much happier they let it rest for a season or two rather than let it become a do anything magic wand.

[jwl]

Geezuz, does he even have the sonic anymore? Aside from using it to fuse some metal, open a few doors and track some footprints has he used it for anything meaningful?

Used it to get a teleporter to work in this episode.

[SpottedKitty]

Geezuz, does he even have the sonic anymore? Aside from using it to fuse some metal, open a few doors and track some footprints has he used it for anything meaningful?

Used it to get a teleporter to work in this episode.

And apparently hacking the train's comms system so it could send a call to Clara's phone. I think that was the bit where she eventually got a few words in edgewise to tell him she was locked in the baggage car with whatshername (and an eerily glowing sarcophagus).

[Havok]

I'm pretty sure he didn't use it on the teleporter. IIRC that was just a tool from the work area he was at. I missed the comm usage. I think that's a good sign.