"The Ghost Monument" reaction (spoilers)

Subject: "The Ghost Monument" reaction (spoilers)
Author: Huinesoron
Posted on: 2018-10-15 09:04:00 UTC

I liked this one! As I said last week, the pacing still feels excellent - once again, it let them delve a little deeper into the emotions of the week's cast than we might have otherwise.

I am also super in favour of All Northern, All The Time Doctor Who. As we know, Lots Of Planets Have A North, so why shouldn't every alien have a northern accent of some description?

Like with the Sontaran bait-and-switch last week, this episode also contained shadows of previous stories. A toxic planet filled with murderbots resonates with Skaro, and this is hardly the first time there's been a literal space race on the show. (Also, if the subtitles were right the Doctor is a Grand Master Pacifist at Venusian Aikido, which is a glorious title.)

We're not sure what we think of the new TARDIS design. I've dubbed it Crystal Industrial, and am generally in favour (the console looks suitably clunky, and it give me high hopes for Mad Science Doctoring), but agree with Kaitlyn that it was way too dark. Even after they turned the lights on, I couldn't see anything beyond the pillars, which is fine if you've only got one companion, but is going to strain things a little with three.

I am totally in favour, however, of the Doctor whispering to ~~Sexy~~ her TARDIS and it opening the door for her. Amazing.

Final note, still from the TARDIS scene: when the Doctor was telling the trio about it, her expression was a perfect 'I really hope you like it'. Normally we get that expressed through dialogue, so having it so clearly written on her face was a good thing to see.

hS

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Thirteenth Doctor: "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" reaction! by Iximaz on 2018-10-07 23:50:00 UTC Reply

With permission of the Discord channel, I have un-rot13'd the spoiler-heavy conversation we had in a separate channel and posted our reactions to the simulcast of Jodie Whittaker's first episode in a Google Drive.

Enjoy.

"The Ghost Monument" reaction (spoilers) by Huinesoron on 2018-10-15 09:04:00 UTC Reply

I liked this one! As I said last week, the pacing still feels excellent - once again, it let them delve a little deeper into the emotions of the week's cast than we might have otherwise.

I am also super in favour of All Northern, All The Time Doctor Who. As we know, Lots Of Planets Have A North, so why shouldn't every alien have a northern accent of some description?

Like with the Sontaran bait-and-switch last week, this episode also contained shadows of previous stories. A toxic planet filled with murderbots resonates with Skaro, and this is hardly the first time there's been a literal space race on the show. (Also, if the subtitles were right the Doctor is a Grand Master Pacifist at Venusian Aikido, which is a glorious title.)

We're not sure what we think of the new TARDIS design. I've dubbed it Crystal Industrial, and am generally in favour (the console looks suitably clunky, and it give me high hopes for Mad Science Doctoring), but agree with Kaitlyn that it was way too dark. Even after they turned the lights on, I couldn't see anything beyond the pillars, which is fine if you've only got one companion, but is going to strain things a little with three.

I am totally in favour, however, of the Doctor whispering to ~~Sexy~~ her TARDIS and it opening the door for her. Amazing.

Final note, still from the TARDIS scene: when the Doctor was telling the trio about it, her expression was a perfect 'I really hope you like it'. Normally we get that expressed through dialogue, so having it so clearly written on her face was a good thing to see.

hS
Spoilery thoughts: by Huinesoron on 2018-10-08 09:19:00 UTC Reply

Non-spoilery opener: loved it. We managed to get the kids to sit through almost all of it (one never looked away, the other had to climb up next to me 15 minutes in), which bodes very well.

More spoilery thoughts:

-Mad inventor Doctor! I am so on board for mad inventor Doctor. In fact... come to think of it, my own female incarnation, the Fifth Alchemist, was the mad scientist one. Is there something about Time Ladies that predisposes them to mad science?

-No TARDIS! I've been muttering since midway through Ten's run that we need a new version of the UNIT years - the Doctor stranded on Earth without her TARDIS - and this episode validates my opinion. ^^ This blends really well with the mad inventor aspect; come on, wouldn't you love to watch Thirteen roaming around Britain in semi-official capacity, commandeering workshops wherever she goes?

-I loved the Sontaran-Rutan bait-and-switch, because yes, 'armoured angry alien versus glowing amorphous ball thing' is not a new concept in Doctor Who. The fact that they highlighted that, and then discarded it as an incorrect conclusion, was excellent.

-I feel like they paced it really well, with the new format. What I said to Kaitlyn was that it felt like they'd written a 50-minute episode, then gone back and allowed themselves to linger on the emotional, not-plot-relevant moments in a way that worked really well. Hopefully they can keep that up; my worry is that writers who previously worked on the 40 minute format might end up stretching their scripts to fit.

~

And now, a quick game of Let's Be Offended, the game where you find reasons to take offence that look reasonable at a glance, but are actually ludicrous:

-Too much Northern representation. How am I supposed to empathise with the characters if none of them are from London?!

-Far too many Baby Boomers; pandering much, Auntie Beeb? I counted four oldies with speaking parts, and two of the most emotional deaths were given to them. Simply not on!

-Does the Beeb have a vendetta against nurses? First they killed Rita back in <a href="https://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/TheGodComplex">The God Complex, now Grace in this story, not to mention an entire hospital full of them on the Moon back in the alternate timeline of <a href="https://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/TurnLeft(TVstory)">Turn Left. Note that when Ten ran into Doctor Martha Jones, she was allowed to stick around for a full season.

-Finally, who are we to judge Tim Shaw's society like that? Okay, yes, he was breaking the rules - but his hunt isn't supposed to kill anyone. In fact, it keeps the human participants alive much longer than their natural lifespans! What's with all the condemnation of something that could really be considered an act of kindness?

hS

Last I checked, I wasn't ever a mad scientist... by The Aviator on 2018-10-09 17:07:00 UTC Reply

(Zeb: "Didn't you once jury-rig the Pirates cannon with—?"

"That doesn't count.")

First of all, your kids sound adorable. Glad yours were able to sit through the episode, though Elanor falling asleep within the first half an hour was preferable to screaming through it.

As for this so-called vendetta against nurses, I present to you Rory the Roman, who... actually got killed off quite a bit. You might have a point, now that I think about it.

And the 456 extend human children's lifespans to possibly centuries beyond what they would originally live—they get to stay as children forever. No hunting involved. Just, you know, being held on the cusp of life and death and being pumped for endorphines instead of just held in stasis.

Kid, you're in the PPC. We're all mad here. ;) (nm) by Morgan on 2018-10-10 09:45:00 UTC Reply

Kid? Excuse me, we're the same age. by The Aviator on 2018-10-10 10:25:00 UTC Reply

Actually, I'm fifty years older than you.

Just because you met me when I was still a child...

*grumbles*

That depends entirely on how you count it. by Morgan on 2018-10-10 11:32:00 UTC Reply

Given how perfectly possible it is for us to 'age' hundreds of years while stuck in one place - I think the Fisherman put on a couple of centuries in a badly-handled time-jump a couple of years back - I've always preferred to count by Gallifreyan timeline. I know you're a bit of a special case (aren't we all?), but unless you're claiming to have been around for the Sontaran invasion, I claim the right to condescend anyway.

(To be honest I've kind of lost track anyway; my last regeneration was pretty bad at keeping her diary. I feel 400, and that's what counts.)

Anyway. I'm pretty sure the Time Lady who managed to temporarily de-age the entire Continuity Council - somehow, I'm still trying to get to the bottom of that, if only to put a stop to Grey's badgering - doesn't get to deny being a mad scientist.

...Oh, god, I'd been trying to forget about that. by The Aviator on 2018-10-10 12:13:00 UTC Reply

Um... confession time? That was a potion I'd nicked out of a mission. I was supposed to take it to the DMSE&R when Grey ambushed me and dragged me to the Council.

So that one wasn't even my doing.

As for the Sontaran Invasion: Alright, no, I wasn't around for that, but neither were a lot of us. I still served three centuries in the Time War and lost one in that loop. So, technically, you do have me by a century. Still doesn't make me a child, though, thank you very much.

No, Moon Moon, that would be your attitude. (nm) by Spinel Promotor Notary of the ConCounOfGaInEx on 2018-10-10 19:16:00 UTC Reply

Oh, come on, Grey. by Morgan on 2018-10-10 19:37:00 UTC Reply

It's not even that I disagree with you about certain people acting young (though not so young as Fish, thank Omega), but do you deliberately sit down and think up the most provocative way to say things? Honestly, between you and Green-

Oh. Yeah. Between you and... you... I don't know, I've lost track of my sentence. I think I need a drink.

You say that like you're ever not in need of a drink. by Spinel Promotor Notary of the ConCounOfGaInEx on 2018-10-10 21:35:00 UTC Reply

In answer to your question, though, I... do that. A lot. I am reliably informed it is a defence mechanism, designed to prevent unwarranted -- unwanted intimacy on the part of my peers whom otherwise might engender vulnerability in me, which is something I have trained myself to view as abhorrent and unnatural behaviour. It is reflexive, and I am only now learning to reject that reflex, and it is far harder than I am willing to admit.

Can you tell I've been seeing a therapist?

Heads up, gang! The Notary's been replaced by a pod person! by The Agent {& Disentangler} on 2018-10-10 22:14:00 UTC Reply

Maybe some sort of shape-shifter? Or a Raxicoricofalapatorian criminal, they like that sort of thing.

{Oh, come on, Adil, you can see she's trying.}

Hey, I never said I was complaining. I'm all for the pod person; can think of a few other people I'd like to see get the same treatment.

{Has it occured to you that bugging her like this is just going to make her STOP trying to be... well, I'm not sure if 'nice' is the word...}

Good point! Counterpoint: it's pretty funny when she drives Orange and White up the wall, so what's my motivation for encouraging her to change?

{Maybe you're just a good person?}

... I don't think that sounds like me.

{No, forget I said anything.}

((OOC: *tidies up mini-Reaper*)) by Scapegrace on 2018-10-11 10:42:00 UTC Reply

It's spelled Raxacoricofallapatorian, jsyk =]

((The Agent knows;)) by Huinesoron on 2018-10-11 11:03:00 UTC Reply

((he just doesn't like them, so refuses to spell it right. ^_^ Or maybe it was a typo. ~hS))

Obviously I am Jennifer Lawrence caked in blue sludge. (nm) by Spinel Promotor Notary of the ConCounOfGaInEx on 2018-10-11 10:02:00 UTC Reply

And then I reworked all of this into a ConCoun scene. by Huinesoron on 2018-10-11 13:37:00 UTC Reply

[We open on the Really Very Tiny Auditorium, currently serving as the meeting-room of the Continuity Council of Gallifrey-in-Exile. The room centres on a large circular table, on one side of which is a not-terribly-large television. Crammed in along the other side are most of the current membership of the Council: Tigereye Castellan Morgan, Citrine Theorist Reader, Sapphire Watcher Disentangler, Amethyst Keeper Agent, Spinel Promotor Notary, and Moonstone Sentry Aviator.]

[The last few notes of the Doctor Who closing theme ring out, and then the Disentangler points a remote at the screen and flicks the TV off.]

Disentangler: Well. What do we think?

Reader: I quite liked it.

Morgan: Do you think we could get our hands on a couple of Gathering Coils? You know, for monitoring purposes. We could probably engineer out their less savoury features…

Agent: That’s you and the Doctor going all crazy-inventor on us; come to think of it, Lachesis tends that way too. Is there something about Time Ladies that predisposes them to mad science?

Aviator: [Raises her hand] Last I checked, I wasn’t ever a mad scientist.

Morgan: [Snorts] Kid, you’re in the PPC. We’re all mad here.

Aviator: ‘Kid’? Excuse me, we’re the same age – or no, I’m fifty years older than you. Just because you met me when I was still a child…

Morgan: That depends entirely on how you count it.

Disentangler: [To the Agent] Oh Rassilon, here we go.

Morgan: [Lecturing tone] Given how perfectly possible it is for us to 'age' hundreds of years while stuck in one place – didn’t the Fisherman put in a couple of decades last year in a badly-handled timeslip? - I've always preferred to count by Gallifreyan timeline. I know you're a bit of a special case-

Reader: Aren’t we all?

Morgan: -but unless you're claiming to have been around for the Sontaran invasion, I claim the right to call you ‘kid’ anyway.

Disentangler: So does that mean I get to be condescending to you, Orange?

Morgan: No.

Agent: No, she’s right; that logically follows from-

Morgan: [Hurriedly] But to be honest I've kind of lost track anyway; my last regeneration was pretty bad at keeping her diary. I feel 400, and that's what counts.

Notary: [To the ceiling] I could kill her now. No record-keeper in history would convict me.

[Morgan shoots a look at the Notary]

Morgan: Anyway. I'm pretty sure the Time Lady who managed to temporarily de-age the entire Continuity Council - somehow, I'm still trying to get to the bottom of that, if only to put a stop to Grey's badgering - doesn't get to deny being a mad scientist.

Aviator: [Cringes] Oh, god, I’d been trying to forget about that. Um… confession time? That was a potion I'd nicked out of a mission. I was supposed to take it to the DMSE&R when Grey ambushed me and dragged me to the Council. So that one wasn't even my doing.

Reader: And no-one blames you for it – do they, Morgan?

Morgan: I mean, it’s still- all right, all right, no.

Reader: See, Aviator? It’s fine.

Aviator: I guess… as for the Sontaran Invasion: alright, no, I wasn't around for that, but neither were a lot of us.

Agent: [Raises hand] I was.

Disentangler: Shh, she’s having a moment.

[The Aviator shoots them a look]

Aviator: [Firmly] I still served three centuries in the Time War and lost one in that loop. So, technically, Morgan, you do have me by a century. Still doesn't make me a child, though, thank you very much.

Notary: [Sniffs] No, Moon Moon, that would be your attitude.

Morgan: [Turning to the Notary] Oh, come on, Grey. It's not even that I disagree with you about certain people acting young (though not so young as Fish, thank Omega), but do you deliberately sit down and think up the most provocative way to say things? Honestly, between you and Green-

[She stops dead. The Aviator winces. The Reader closes her eyes and lowers her head. The Disentangler bites her lip as if to keep from saying something ascerbic.]

Morgan: Oh. Yeah. Between you and... you... I don't know, I've lost track of my sentence. [She sighs] I think I need a drink.

Notary: You say that like you’re ever not in need of a drink.

[The Notary shakes her head slowly]

Notary: In answer to your question, though, I... do that. A lot. I am reliably informed it is a defence mechanism, designed to prevent unwarranted- [She jerks her head to the side] unwanted intimacy on the part of my peers whom otherwise might engender vulnerability in me, which is something I have trained myself to view as abhorrent and unnatural behaviour. It is reflexive, and I am only now learning to reject that reflex, and it is far harder than I am willing to admit. [Thin smile] Can you tell I've been seeing a therapist?

[A brief silence ensues, broken by:]

Agent: Watch out, gang! The Notary's been replaced by a pod person! I’m guessing some sort of shape-shifter? Or a Raxacoricofallapatorian criminal, they like that sort of thing.

Disentangler: [Long-suffering sigh] Oh, come on, Adil, you can see she's trying.

Agent: Hey, I never said I was complaining. I'm all for the pod person; can think of a few other people I'd like to see get the same treatment.

Disentangler: Has it occured to you that bugging her like this is just going to make her stop trying to be... well, I'm not sure if 'nice' is the word...

Agent: Good point! Counterpoint: it's pretty funny when she drives Orange and White up the wall, so what's my motivation for encouraging her to change?

Disentangler: Maybe you're just a good person?

Agent: ... I don't think that sounds like me.

Disentangler: No, forget I said anything.

Notary: [Exaggerated sigh] Yes, obviously I am Jennifer Lawrence caked in blue sludge. Are we actually intending to open this meeting at any point?

Disentangler: I already did that, back before we screened the new Doctor Who. Remember?

Notary: ‘Hey, check this out’ is not an appropriate way to commence a meeting.

Reader: Shouldn’t we wait for Fish to get back, anyway?

Morgan: Yes, where did he run off to, anyway?

Aviator: He said that since he’d already watched the episode, he was going to look for someone… I don’t think he said who.

Notary: Well, if he wanted to be counted present, he should have made sure he was back on time. I move that we-

[A clattering of running feet, and the Fisherman bursts through the door.]

Agent: [To the Disentangler] Do you think she knew that was going to happen?

Disentangler: [To the Agent] Nah, you’re giving her too much credit; it’s just Narrative Comedy again.

Fisherman: [Breathless] I found her! I found her at last! It took forever, but I’ve finally found her!

Morgan: Slow down, Red… found who?

Fisherman: Green! I found Green.

[Once again, the reactions around the table range from the shocked to the resigned to the mildly amused. Morgan glanced round and then leans towards the Fisherman.]

Morgan: Fisherman, Green’s gone; none of us like that, but we have to accept it. There’s no call to go pulling future incarnations of him – or her – out of the timestream; in fact I’m pretty sure it’s directly against the purpose of this Council.

Reader: [Quietly] Yes, but that was the Jade Warden’s responsibility to monitor.

Morgan: So why don’t you take her back, slot her back into her timeline, and we’ll say no more about it?

[The Fisherman looks from Morgan to the Reader in increasing bewilderment]

Fisherman: What in Rassilon’s name are you on about?

[He pulls the door open, and a tall redhead in a Star Trek uniform edges through.]

Fisherman: I found Green. Natalie Green. The missing DORKS Time Lady. Remember?

[Natalie looks over the bewildered Continuity Council and gives a small wave.]

Natalie: Yo. What’s up?

Because these things are crazy fun, and the conversation so far was pretty easy to work into a scene. I've tweaked my claim that Fish lost 200 years - it seemed excessive - but mostly I've let things stand.

'Green' (in most instances) is the Librarian, who retired nearly a year ago. Natalie Green was turned into a Time Lady back in '09 (I think she's actually the very first DORKS Time Lady); she's snarky. The other Time Lords still in HQ that I know of are the Guardsman and the Detective (who are both well-known to the Council, and I think have both turned down offers to join), and Ellie (who is nearly two, but would probably make an adorable Councillor).

I have no idea what happens next, but I'm hoping someone has some good ideas. ^_^

hS

Okay, first of all, that was great. by Iximaz on 2018-10-11 13:54:00 UTC Reply

We need to write more ConCou stuff, I'd forgotten how much fun they were. The Guardsman definitely doesn't want anything to do with the Council's squabbling, but I don't think the Detective ever said anything about it... I could ask Aegis ~~if only to see if we could make things even more awkward between our characters~~.

Elanor would probably disrupt the Council too much with her screaming if she had to be near the Notary. =]

Well, you know what they say: by Huinesoron on 2018-10-11 14:52:00 UTC Reply

"It'd be awesome if you/Scape/Aegis/Zing/any other Time Lord owners wrote the next part of this scene, so we can find out where it goes!"

Actually I'm pretty sure it's just me who says that.

(And I'm not sure the Council can be disrupted too much... ;))

hS

Actually. . . by Aegis on 2018-10-11 16:35:00 UTC Reply

I could see the Detective getting pulled into the situation surprisingly easily.

He'd be disgruntled and snarky about all the"Time Lord bureaucracy"and whatnot, obviously, since he's probably violently allergic to paperwork and procedure (Which mean scenes between the Detective and the Notary ought to be especially interesting :P).

But he would most definitely be interested in figuring out why she went missing. He doesn't call himself the Detective for nothing, after all.

I could also see him being very attracted to the Council afterwards, given that strange and mysterious things for him to puzzle out have a tendency to happen with a healthy regularity when it comes to their meetings.

The Detective runs pell-mell into the room.

"So sorry I'm late. Saw someone running dramatically down a corridor. I usually like things that make people run dramatically down corridors. Thought I'd turn up and make a day of it. What seems to be the drama?"