The Girl Who Died (3505 / 905)

[GateWorld]

DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 35 (9) THE GIRL WHO DIED EPISODE NUMBER - 3505 (905) The Doctor and Clara come to the aide of a Viking village under threat from the Mire, a race of alien warriors posing as their gods. But what will victory cost, and is it a price the Doctor is willing to pay? VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >>

[Teddybrown]

Not as good as the ones before it, but still enjoyable.

So thats why the Doctor chose that face... Is this the hybrid he was so scared of creating, is this more relevant to the season arc than we thought?

[GodAtum]

really the whole point of this episode was the last few minutes! very intruiging to see what they do with the immortal girl.

[Sealurk]

I think I would have actually enjoyed this episode more if it hadn't been for the last two minutes of arc-heavy exposition. If it had just been an episode about the Doctor saving a viking village and accidentally creating an immortal to lead into another story to examine how immortality really sucks, I'd have been happier with it.

Also, to my knowledge (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong) but electric eels are only found in South America. Now, I know the vikings got about a bit, but I don't remember hearing of them coming back from Rio de Janeiro.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

Indeed.. The last few minutes seemed like an afterthought to justify the character development and growth from the doctor. The scenes where he explains about the effects he has as a time traveller, the "causing ripples not tidal waves" scenes in the middle were the best for me.

I think this season has been the best of New Who so far because it's so much slower it allows for those kind of scenes. The Doctor finally has time to sit down and breathe. It's not all shouting and running any more.

[Blencathra]

I thought that was a very odd episode. I guess Jamie Mathieson had been told to keep his story to 30 minutes so all these other bits about the origin of the Doctor's face and Ashildr's immortality could be fit into it as well. The result was quite weak story-wise I thought.

The Vikings did not have horned helmets, and in this month's DWM Jamie Mathieson says he knows that, but for this story they had to have them - which seems odd to me. Add to that Sealurk noticing the bit about electric eels coming only from South America, and it seems to me that something weird is going on - but whether that is on purpose or not remains to be seen.

I had to laugh at the names the Doctor gave to his Viking "army" - Noggin the Nog, ZZ Top and Heidi did make me laugh.

As for Ashildr, I dunno. I just get the idea this isn't the hybrid we are looking for.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

The Vikings did seem odd.. Especially as the BBC has a new Vikings series starting next week, so really no excuse to get things that wrong.

Did they really say they needed the horns? I didn't see the Vikings use them for anything.

[Sealurk]

I'm fairly sure I enjoyed the episode, but it did have an oddness about it that left me scratching my head and unusually, I don't feel the desire to jump onto iPlayer and watch it again almost straight away.

I noticed the horned helmet thing as well (I thought that nowadays it was lumped in with the "we only use 10% of our brains" and "the Great Wall of China is visible from space" category of things that have been thoroughly, repeatedly debunked) but assumed it was just production shorthand to establish that we're dealing specifically with vikings and not, say, any other society from roughly the same time frame, even though the Doctor saying "oh no, not Vikings, I'm not in the mood for Vikings" should have been enough.

The eel thing has really, really confused me. Now, I know Doctor Who is not exactly hard, gritty, realistic science fiction, but even if we assume the vikings were somehow able to go to South America... how did they catch so many electric eels (which is very difficult and dangerous even for experts, apparently) and WHY did they catch so many eels? Why did they keep them in barrels? Why was Lofty's baby fond of being close to high voltage fish? I am going to chalk this up to really bad research and/or poor writing and the need for a convenient and non-technological source of electricity. This has really bugged me.

It could yet be a red herring but to me the hybrid was ALWAYS going to be at least part human. Moffatt's made his "humans are destructive/warlike/dangerous/soldiers" thing very clear by now.

Actually, I think this episode had bit too much Moffatt about it.

Clara has again flipped back to being not-annoying and almost likeable (for the most part), but is much more clearly trying to be the Doctor.

[FennerMachine]

Maybe some Vikings wore horned helmets...?

Good episode.

I have been disappointed by the majority of episodes the past few seasons.
So much that I prefer older Who with its cheapo 'special' FX but deeper multi episode stories.
This season is looking good so far.
I liked the last few minutes.

[Teddybrown]

I really feel there'll be consequences for this, but Im not sure this is "the hybrid". I guess time will tell, and we will probably get a few answers next week.

[Ian-S]

I always thought Donna was a hybrid?

Anyway, hopefully they won't go for the VW hybrid option.

[Coco Pops]

I always thought Donna was a hybrid?

Anyway, hopefully they won't go for the VW hybrid option.

They won't now that VW are big fat emission cheats.

Was an interesting episode.

Did anyone catch the throwaway line the Doctor said about "reversing the polarity of the neutron flow?" it just happens and he just moves on. I picked up on it because it's one of those things fans always pick on the show for hehe. It is also a huge trope on Star Trek...

If I was the Doctor I would have been a real dick and uploaded the video they made to the galactic web for all to see. I don't think Ashidr is the hybrid mentioned earlier. I am almost certain that is Dalek related..

Clara annoyed me .. This is how I see her dying..

They are running down a corridor and pass a bit that has chompy crushy things like Galaxy Quest and while the Doctor makes it through Clara hits a forcefield. Cue off screen squeal and squelchy sound..

Part two of this episode looks interesting.

[tomstone]

Pretty sure the Doctor just created himself a new Enemy. Looks like this is the theme for the new Season. First he helped the creator of the Daleks and now this. I feel like our poor Doctor, will have terrible misfortune for the next 10-20 Episodes.

There were always People he couldnt save, but I see alot of me reflected in this Doctor. He is fed up and is stopping to care. This is reflected in Clara as well. He has a good heart, but deep down all the stuff that happened is eating him up slowly. How can he be the healer, if he hurt so many?

[Annoyed]

The Vikings did seem odd.. Especially as the BBC has a new Vikings series starting next week, so really no excuse to get things that wrong.

Did they really say they needed the horns? I didn't see the Vikings use them for anything.

I wonder if that's the reason they did Vikings at all. Sort of a "product placement ad" for the other BBC show.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

I wonder if that's the reason they did Vikings at all. Sort of a "product placement ad" for the other BBC show.

Unlikely.. The other one looks like a serious drama..

*takes away Annoyed's tinfoil hat* No need to look for conspiracy here.