Doctor Who S34E9: "Flatline" Spoilers

[Crazedwraith]

aka Clara Who s1e1! That's was a hell of a coincidence after all the jokes.

I actually really liked this one. Clara gets the chance to see what its actually like to be the Doctor failing to save individuals in the process of trying to save the whole. Trapping the doctor in the TARDIs gave it an interesting dynamic and no one was too annoying.

Some minor niggles. The use of the sonic really was magic wand like. Unless there was something in those two episodes I missed she shouldn't know how to operate it. She just pointed and good things happened. And I guess you could say the black graffiti artist for a troubled estate is not exactly mould breaking characterisation.

But on the whole, best, at least least objectionable episode of this series for me.

[DaveJB]

I was surprised to learn that when the TARDIS activates its "lockdown" mode, it apparently turns into the Lament Configuration Box.

All things told though, definitely a good story. They hit the right balance in terms of Clara being shown as a capable character, while still needing the Doctor's guidance throughout.

[NecronLord]

All around good episode.

The Doctor said at one point that he was controlling the settings of the sonic screwdriver from inside the TARDIS I think.

Also, the siege mode was similar to something featured in the Eighth Doctor novels, where the TARDIS was nearly destroyed and it took the form of a small black cube while it regenerated over many years, which was nice for those that liked 'em.

[Eternal_Freedom]

It was pretty good. I would give this one a 4. An interesting premise, well executed.

Was I the only one who expected the Council worker to be involved with the aliens somehow? He struck me as being, well, too determined to stop people doing anything about the problem to merely be an asshole.

The siege mode reminded me of the capsule failsafe switch from "The Invasion of Time," which apparently makes the TARDIS stay in it's current form "for eternity." Maybe he modified it during the Time War.

[SpottedKitty]

Trapping the doctor in the TARDIs gave it an interesting dynamic and no one was too annoying.

Apart from Mr. No Imagination (kind of a funny scene in itself) apparently not too bothered by what Clara whispered to him.

And I had to laugh at the Doctor doing his Thing...

[Bedlam]

Yeah I wasn't sure what the point of Mr No imagination was, someone to be a bit antagonistic? Just there is subvert the expectation that he's turn out good in some way?

[2000AD]

So the list of things that psychic paper doesn't work on now includes:

- People that know about psychics and how to screen them out (Torchwood dude in Army of Ghosts)
- Geniuses (Shakespeare)
- People with no imagination

Presumably actual psychics as well though off top of my head I can't remember that being mentioned at all.

[DaveJB]

Yeah I wasn't sure what the point of Mr No imagination was, someone to be a bit antagonistic? Just there is subvert the expectation that he's turn out good in some way?

I think he was there to make the point that while the Doctor (and Clara-as-the-Doctor) will always try to save everyone, that doesn't mean that he necessarily deems them worthy of survival over the ones who did die. Which was already done all the way back in Voyage of the Damned, although to be fair neither Moffat nor the writer of this episode had any involvement in that one.

[Pelranius]

I was surprised to learn that when the TARDIS activates its "lockdown" mode, it apparently turns into the Lament Configuration Box.

All things told though, definitely a good story. They hit the right balance in terms of Clara being shown as a capable character, while still needing the Doctor's guidance throughout.

I was thinking of the Pandorica.

Good episode, certainly better than the last three (those the Express was still decent).

[Batman]

Weird, but the good Dr Who kind of weird. The visuals of the Doctor looking out of his ever shrinking TARDIS could've been done better I think and I would've liked to know what motivation the aliens had to do...whatever it was they were trying to do but by and large good episode.

[SpottedKitty]

They hit the right balance in terms of Clara being shown as a capable character, while still needing the Doctor's guidance throughout.

I just watched the repeat. I still can't decide whether she could still hear him now and then over the earpiece after the TARDIS went into siege mode, or whether that bit was all Clara-channelling-The-Doctor.

A slightly spine-chilling phrase at the end there: "You made an exceptional Doctor. Goodness is irrelevant."

And another appearance of the mystery dead-people-collector. Is this further proof that she's the one who gave Clara that phone number?

[Bedlam]

Weird, but the good Dr Who kind of weird. The visuals of the Doctor looking out of his ever shrinking TARDIS could've been done better I think and I would've liked to know what motivation the aliens had to do...whatever it was they were trying to do but by and large good episode.

I think the pointlessness of them actually worked rather well, these are supposed to be totally incomprehensible creatures from a totally different universe, maybe it all made complete sense to them and the humans seemed totally bizarre to them.

[Enigma]

I like it that the Doctor lightens the TARDIS' mass, stating that if he landed with its true weight it would (going by fuzzy memory) either fracture the Earth or the crust.

[dragon]

Good episode and I like how they leave off the motivation of the aliens

[Iroscato]

All-round decent episode with some ingenius ideas behind it. The scenes with the ever-shrinking TARDIS made for some hilarious moments. I am a little annoyed at Clara's character progression these days though. She's gone from being present in every single moment of the Doctor's life via the season 7 finale to actually 'being' the Doctor itself. At this point I wouldn't be too surprised if Moffat makes Capaldi regenerate into a Clara doppelganger in a few years.
Oh, and the council worker was just an unforgivably intense arsehole for no reason. But overall, it's a solid 4/5.

[Eternal_Freedom]

A slightly spine-chilling phrase at the end there: "You made an exceptional Doctor. Goodness is irrelevant."

Well that fits in nicely with the "Good men don't need rules, today is not the day to find out why I have so many" bit from Smith's run.

[Havok]

"You were an exceptional Doctor, Clara. Goodness had nothing to do with it."

[Havok]

Also the Doctor proclaiming he is the protector of this "plane" not the Earth or humanity struck me as poignant and leads back to the point that he doesn't really have an affinity towards Earth or her inhabitants, but to Clara herself.

[Havok]

Good episode and I like how they leave off the motivation of the aliens

There are some sci-fi writers out there that realize that not every... single... fucking... thing needs an explanation. To paraphrase something Stark said recently, "It's not a fucking plothole just because it's a mystery."

[Havok]

And I have to say, this has been my favorite season of DW since Eccelston's stellar season.

[NecronLord]

I also liked the Doctor seeming to get over his issues and actually fight the monsters at the end; for once the 'I am the Doctor' speech seemed appropriate, as it's the first time we've seen Capaldi actually step into the role of his predecessors, and rather than being a vague empty threat, it was instantly and lethally followed up on.

[Havok]

I think, and I feel this is reflected in the last scene, that he has realized that it doesn't matter if he is a Good Man, because he is The Mother Fucking Doctor and he does what he must so that others, especially those he cares about, don't have to.

[InsaneTD]

I also liked the Doctor seeming to get over his issues and actually fight the monsters at the end; for once the 'I am the Doctor' speech seemed appropriate, as it's the first time we've seen Capaldi actually step into the role of his predecessors, and rather than being a vague empty threat, it was instantly and lethally followed up on.

I thought he just sent them back where they came from? Unless I missed something.

[Lost Soal]

I also liked the Doctor seeming to get over his issues and actually fight the monsters at the end; for once the 'I am the Doctor' speech seemed appropriate, as it's the first time we've seen Capaldi actually step into the role of his predecessors, and rather than being a vague empty threat, it was instantly and lethally followed up on.

I thought he just sent them back where they came from? Unless I missed something.

He also said that some MAY survive. Meaning the process is quite possibly lethal and he didn't care.

[Enigma]

How much would the TARDIS have to weigh in order to fracture the Earth's surface? Cause the Doctor says that if he did land the TARDIS with its true weight, it would fracture the Earth's surface.