The Girl In The Fireplace (2804/204)

[Easter Lily]

What was the stuff with the mind probe (what do we call it?) I know he has done it many times before but I didn't get it, is he 'Bad Wolf'? Is this some kind of dark secret RTD wants to explore? Someone clue me in already.

I think the Vulcans on Star Trek called it mind meld. But mind probe is probably a good a term as any.

Horse! Lol I loved that, I can see the Icons now!

Next week...can't wait!

I thought that was cool... to think that they almost didn't do it!

[Flyboy]

Ok... my turn.

First and foremost. Thank God there was no torchwood reference. TPTB are living up to my hopes, Torchwood everywhere WOULD be out of context,

As for the episode itself. Well I watched it twice in one day, so it can't be that bad. But it didnt WOW me like the other three this series. I didnt find the robots scary, but Ive never found anything in Who scary.... maybe its just me. (though i did have this dream once where I was ina space station being attacked by Daleks and in the dream I was terrified, because these were NEW daleks. You couldnt just push them into a wall and hope theyd blow up... no no, these daleks were serious stuff) anyway, the masks were creepy but still....

The plot was good, and I liked seeing more about the Doctor, I think we're going to have a lot more about the Doctor's past revealed to us, why he is JUST the doctor and nothing else, possibly the things that were meant to be revealed in the last series of the McCoy era before it was cancelled.

I don't think there is any romantacising of the doctor. He didnt love her. She kissed HIM, not the other way around. I think his sadness his because he failed her. We know the doctor hates failing people, the way he left SJS and never returned, this time he did it again but couldnt even say goodbye as she died. I think thats whats hitting him. The awareness that he will CONSTANTLY let people down.

Now for the other details. The doctor, when he was "drunk" was amazing, loved him, especially with those damn cool shades and tie round his head, loved his singing to. "Youre thick thickety think think of think town. And so's your dad!" Nice to see the "bananas are good reference to CE's time there as well".

Mind you I scaredf myself when I sounded just like DT in response to Rose and Mickey's stupid comments.

"That's a human heart" and I said to the TV - "Well yes it's a heart, of course it's a heart, but is it human!?" Dear me.

Anyway, next weeks looks incredible, and I think there culd be a Torchwood reference, its still london afterall. Just a different universe.

[in circles]

Loved this episode. The robots looked amazing and the script was great.

Mickey: What's a horse doing on a space ship?
The Doctor: Mickey, what's pre-revolutionary France doing on a space ship? Get a little perspective.

Mickey rolling around in the corridors with a gun was priceless too.

[Willow'sCat]

I think the Vulcans on Star Trek called it mind meld. But mind probe is probably a good a term as any.

He has used it many times but I am afraid I am not that kind of fan *you know the kind that takes a lot of notice* he did it with himself once *no not that!* was it Jon and Patrick? Ah the memory is going. Anyway I was more interested in what she thought she found out about The Doctor, not the lonely childhood but it seemed to hint at something darker, or was that just me?

Um, I was wondering if it was the way *cough* I was watching it, but the trailer on the BBC site had a scene that I don't remember seeing in the episode, the two female crew members, was it there when broadcast?

Oh thanks FOB I couldn't think where the banana came into it, of course when he is talking to Capt Jack.

[Hulabaloo]

I loved this ep. I thinks its great.

I dont want to put you all down to much but i dont like Mickey, i just dont like him! The person who plays him is great tho.

Above all, fantastic ep!
Loved the Doctor drunk.

9 outta 10

[Jonzey]

He has used it many times but I am afraid I am not that kind of fan *you know the kind that takes a lot of notice* he did it with himself once *no not that!* was it Jon and Patrick? Ah the memory is going. Anyway I was more interested in what she thought she found out about The Doctor, not the lonely childhood but it seemed to hint at something darker, or was that just me?

Um, I was wondering if it was the way *cough* I was watching it, but the trailer on the BBC site had a scene that I don't remember seeing in the episode, the two female crew members, was it there when broadcast?

Oh thanks FOB I couldn't think where the banana came into it, of course when he is talking to Capt Jack.

I think the trailers they have are not actually parts of the episodes, but little things leading up to them. The one for Tooth and Claw had the comet hitting earth and a monk getting attacked, and the one for this ep was showing the fate of the crew of the ship (i.e they got attacked by the clockwork robots to be made into part of the ship).

[Flyboy]

I think the trailers they have are not actually parts of the episodes, but little things leading up to them. The one for Tooth and Claw had the comet hitting earth and a monk getting attacked, and the one for this ep was showing the fate of the crew of the ship (i.e they got attacked by the clockwork robots to be made into part of the ship).

Those are the TARDISODES, exclusive preludes to the episodes only available online or via mobile phones. Though hopefully they'll be on the S2 boxset.

[Jonzey]

So was the Doctor planning on taking the girl along with him as a companion? Or was he just going to show her the stars up close?

[Flyboy]

He told her to pack a bag. I think he was blatantly going to take her with him.

[yaaayoubetcha]

My wife found the clockworks really creepy, moreso with the masks than without. But she has a thing about clowns and masks and the like. Don't even ask her about the Burger King King guy.

I didn't think they were that creepy, but I can see how that would come across, esp with the lifeless masks.

My fave lines of the ep though, tween Rose and the Doctor:

You can't keep a horse!!
Why not? I let you keep Mickey!

lol

also...really looking forward to next week. Cybermen!! woohoo.

[ShadowMaat]

This ep was interesting. When the credits started to roll, all I could think was, "Fantastic!" But now that I've had time to settle down and think about it, I do have some issues.

First and foremost (and something that annoyed the hell out of me within the ep) was the kiss. Please. Enough with the Doctor's endless passing romances. I may not be up on my Who history, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a girl in every timeport and I don't particularly care to see it now. The Doctor isn't about "teh sex" to me and an attraction to him does not, IMO, necessarily have to be sexual, but if they continue to push this... idea at us, it's going to put a serious crimp in my enjoyment of the show. I don't want it to get bogged down by sex and romance and trysts and one-night flings. Or at the very least, leave that for the Companions. The Doctor should be "above" that sort of thing.

Second... the clockwork men were interesting, but not terribly scary. I mostly find them confusing. How could a crew from the 51st century overlook something as obvious as programming their robots "thou shalt not use us for spare parts"? And if the robots are concerned enough about "fitting in" to the 18th century, why don't they seem to care about anything else?

What was the point of the space station, anyway? Were the time portals created before or after the accident that damaged the station? Because if it was AFTER, then how the hell can they have enough power to rip a hole through the fabric of time/space, but they lack power to effect repairs? And how did they manage to get an authentic 18th century fireplace into the station? And what about the horse? Did they need some of his parts, too?

It is a shame Mickey didn't get more to do, but at least he didn't make a fool out of himself.

I assume the Doctor left the broken robots behind. Wasn't he worried about "corrupting the timeline" or something? 51st century tech left floating around the 18th century seems like an invitation to trouble, if you ask me.

As for the Doctor being drunk... I was initially shocked, but when he poure the anti-oil or whatever it was on the robot, I assumed it was all an act to throw the robots off balance.

I liked the ep, I thought it had great emotional impact and I'd probably be willing to overlook the various plotholes, but the kiss thing still really bothers me. I don't want the show to be about that.

[Flyboy]

This ep was interesting. When the credits started to roll, all I could think was, "Fantastic!" But now that I've had time to settle down and think about it, I do have some issues.

First and foremost (and something that annoyed the hell out of me within the ep) was the kiss. Please. Enough with the Doctor's endless passing romances. I may not be up on my Who history, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a girl in every timeport and I don't particularly care to see it now. The Doctor isn't about "teh sex" to me and an attraction to him does not, IMO, necessarily have to be sexual, but if they continue to push this... idea at us, it's going to put a serious crimp in my enjoyment of the show. I don't want it to get bogged down by sex and romance and trysts and one-night flings. Or at the very least, leave that for the Companions. The Doctor should be "above" that sort of thing.

Second... the clockwork men were interesting, but not terribly scary. I mostly find them confusing. How could a crew from the 51st century overlook something as obvious as programming their robots "thou shalt not use us for spare parts"? And if the robots are concerned enough about "fitting in" to the 18th century, why don't they seem to care about anything else?

What was the point of the space station, anyway? Were the time portals created before or after the accident that damaged the station? Because if it was AFTER, then how the hell can they have enough power to rip a hole through the fabric of time/space, but they lack power to effect repairs? And how did they manage to get an authentic 18th century fireplace into the station? And what about the horse? Did they need some of his parts, too?

It is a shame Mickey didn't get more to do, but at least he didn't make a fool out of himself.

I assume the Doctor left the broken robots behind. Wasn't he worried about "corrupting the timeline" or something? 51st century tech left floating around the 18th century seems like an invitation to trouble, if you ask me.

As for the Doctor being drunk... I was initially shocked, but when he poure the anti-oil or whatever it was on the robot, I assumed it was all an act to throw the robots off balance.

I liked the ep, I thought it had great emotional impact and I'd probably be willing to overlook the various plotholes, but the kiss thing still really bothers me. I don't want the show to be about that.

The. Doctor. Did. Not. Kiss. Her!

Seriously, she kissed him, not the other way around. He was all happy about it because of the fact that it was Madame du whatsherface, not cause he particularly enjoyed it.

[Jonzey]

The. Doctor. Did. Not. Kiss. Her!

Seriously, she kissed him, not the other way around. He was all happy about it because of the fact that it was Madame du whatsherface, not cause he particularly enjoyed it.

Exactly. I've seen no romantic signs of affection from the Doctor at all. All of that stuff comes from the girls (Rose, SJS, Whatsername from this ep).

And who can blame them? I mean, I'm a straight guy but even I will admit that he is a good-looking man.

He told her to pack a bag. I think he was blatantly going to take her with him.

That's what I thought, but surely plucking a historical figure out of the timeline like that would have consequences on the future?

[ShadowMaat]

The. Doctor. Did. Not. Kiss. Her!

Seriously, she kissed him, not the other way around. He was all happy about it because of the fact that it was Madame du whatsherface, not cause he particularly enjoyed it.

That's a case of semantics, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, she kissed him but it's the fact that the kiss happened at all. Maybe it fits with his whole "take it as it comes" mentality that he didn't try to push her away, but to me, romance is being very heavily implied- it's implied with Rose, it was implied with Sarah Jane, and now Reinette. Or at the very least, it's showing that women "inevitably" fall head over heels for the Doctor. I'd just prefer to see women have a different sort of attraction to him that wasn't all kisses and snuggles. There's a lot more to him than his "hot bod" and I'd like to see those elements played up a bit more, that's all.

[The Signal]

That's what I thought, but surely plucking a historical figure out of the timeline like that would have consequences on the future?

Not when he can drop her back to the time and place she came from before anyone could notice.