Saturday, May 25, 2013

VLOG: 5-25-13 - Doctor Who: The Name of the Doctor



Coming from a youtube account, shortly after the Star Trek: Into Darkness Vlog, Linkara and his brother discuss the season finale of Doctor Who and various other things related to the season. ‎

52 comments:

Unknown said...

I think the John Hurt doctor is the doctor before William hartnell before he actually becomes the doctor, similar to how the first Daniel Craig bond movie was bond's journey to becoming James bond cause if we think about it William hartnell was the first doctor we saw but he may not be the first doctor overall.

Anonymous said...

I still don't know what to make of this episode at times I liked it but there is a lot that bugged the hell out of me.

Why the Time Hole? And why the Giant TARDIS? We've seen at least a dozen times that these things don't happen so where has this come from.

I've never had much of a problem with Wibbley Wobbley Timey Wimey. It an adequate explanation for the stuff they do, change and why they need to do it BUT it's not a license for them to do anything they want without an explanation.

I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why the TARDIS blew up. It's been THREE YEARS! And I'm struggling to think of anything that happened in this episode that was grounds for The Silence's crusade to kill the Doctor.

Is it because of The Time Hole? If that's true why kill him? You'll just expose it for anyone to use?

Did they think not want it exploited or changed? Well surely the enemy is The Great Intelligence then.

And it can't be because of The Hidden Doctor because who knew he existed?

There's too much that doesn't fit and it really got to me here.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Why the Time Hole? And why the Giant TARDIS? We've seen at least a dozen times that these things don't happen so where has this come from."

Different circumstances, different time. Bare in mind that we rarely, if ever, see Timelords die off of Gallifrey. I'm more inclined to believe that that sure, their bodies die, but when they decompose, they don't rot, they become those time holes. Actual Time Lords probably knew how to deal with them and dispose of them without causing problems. In this case, the Doctor is the last Time Lord and there is no one else who could do it.

And as for the Doctor dying and the TARDIS' increased size, as he said - the TARDIS was dying and its interior dimensions were spilling out into the exterior. And that doesn't necessarily mean that it happens in an instant. We've only seen it in a scant few years after the Doctor's death. It could take decades for it to happen.

"I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why the TARDIS blew up. It's been THREE YEARS! And I'm struggling to think of anything that happened in this episode that was grounds for The Silence's crusade to kill the Doctor."

While not explicitly stated, it seems to be that the Silence interfered with the TARDIS within the vortex, unintentionally causing the TARDIS to explode because the Doctor wasn't there to stop it.

I also get the impression that we haven't actually REACHED the point that Dorian was talking about - that while he's on Trenzalor in the episode, it's not the "Doctor Who?" moment.

The rest? Don't know.

Anonymous said...

1. That was a great episode and a good season finale


2. I am so excited to seeing what is going to happen in the 50TH Aniversity

3. I am pretty sure John Hurt's Doctor is in between 8th Doctor and 9th Doctor

4. I am going to make a prediction..Matt Smith is going to regenerate at the end of Season 8 ( 2014 Season)

5. Personally for the 13th Doctor..i personally want to see Idris Elba ( A Fantastic Actor) and
Lara Pulver as the Companion

6. Do you know where you can find those Audio Drama because i really want to listen to them..

Anonymous said...

Oh and another thing that drove me nuts. Hell, insane with rage.

Clara jumps into the Time Hole. She's gone in to save the Doctor and in turn various worlds, timelines and even universes. She's ripped herself apart scattered herself across time and space and is likely to die and suffer over and over. She's also done this thinking that she, The Original, was gonna die.

Naturally the Doctor has to try an save her. Doesn't know if he can, what the consequences are and if there's even enough time to do so.

What does he decide to do first? Waste Time by resolving some excess baggage with River Song first? Why?

We know the Doctor can be a dick sometimes but this. Ugh. Watching this hurt.

Kelleth said...

The reason the Doctor doesnt remember him meeting the great intelligence as his second regeneration in full is because the timelords wiped some of his memories after they regenerated him. Though as you know he might remember some of it because of the lunch box thing.

Adiwan said...

I'm very indifferent with this season of Doctor Who.
The whole series becomes more confusing every time a new episode hits the screen.

From where do the whisper men come from?
Who is the man who wants into the Doctor's grave? (did I miss something?)
How can Vastra and Strax hide so well in the Victorian era? They don't hide themselves very well. (The vampires in Venice were better in hiding.)
What has the ice warrior to do with the story arc? It was a good stand-alone episode but I hate it when all the villains aren't utilized in any kind.
How can River Song talk to the Doctor after the incident in the library?
So... Time travel is possible in dreams? It seems a bit odd to me.
Why couldn't the Doctor travel back in time right after the "paradox bubble" to get Rory and Amy back to the present?

Also what bugs the most is the John Hurt Doctor and the line "that's the one who broke the promise".
So... Why does the Doctor hides his name? What promise is it that comes with the name "Doctor"? Did the Doctor knew of him in his first incarnation? The Doctor was in his own time stream scattered all over the time... Is John Hurt his next regeneration from a different copy of the Doctor that he met in his own past?

I hope they reveal some answers in the next episode and do not hide them in more questions. It is frustrating. Steven Moffat! Stop making everything more confusing than it needs to be!

Sorry for this little rant.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"From where do the whisper men come from?
Who is the man who wants into the Doctor's grave? (did I miss something?)"

Apparently you did. XD Did you not see the Christmas special "The Snowmen," and subsequently "the Bells of St. John?"

"Also what bugs the most is the John Hurt Doctor and the line "that's the one who broke the promise".
So... Why does the Doctor hides his name? What promise is it that comes with the name "Doctor"? Did the Doctor knew of him in his first incarnation? The Doctor was in his own time stream scattered all over the time... Is John Hurt his next regeneration from a different copy of the Doctor that he met in his own past?"

Yeah, we don't know the answers to those.

Adiwan said...

Ah... I slightly remember him from "The Snowmen". It is a long time ago. I should rewatch the episode to get some context again.

But "Bells of St. John"? I completely forgot that this episode exists (for the better). I couldn't look past the mind transfer over Wi-Fi (Internet) part. This was too stupid as a story element for me. It is a worse throw-back to the 90's when the Internet was "magic" and could do everything (e.g. shows like VR Troopers and such). As a computer scientist and nerd such a plot doesn't work to me anymore given this setting. If the people had some neural implant I could buy it. Well... I have to remind myself again that is just a TV show. It is just a TV show.

Loveable Freak said...

A discussion of Doctor Who? Has someone been peeking at my birthday list? ;P

Anyway, I agree about Christopher Eccleston needing to suck it up and come back for a story. I loved his Doctor (he was my first and favorite), and I'd love to see him again. It sucked that he only got one season. But, considering the possibility some of the crap that happened to Ten could've happened to him, it might've been for the best in that regard.

I heard that Gaiman had to cut a lot out of Nightmare in Silver. Maybe that's why it wasn't as good as it could've been. I still liked it, though. I hope Gaiman could be next head writer, after Moffat's done.

Anyway, great Vlog!

shaddoe said...

I think John Hurt is an older versionnof McGann's Doctor. He is tje one eho served in the Time War, and i think it had something to do with the fact that the War made the Doctor do things he would nevrr normally do. The Doctor for the most part was just a scientist, an explorer, but he grew into the role of savior, helping others, protecting them from harm and doing his best to stop evil. But the Doctor usually tended to use his mind and his wits than his fists. Also, he never picked up a weapon to use it to purposefully harm another. Remember how close the 10th Doctot came to killing the man who killed his daughter Jenny? But he didnt, cuz he said 'I never would'. Also recall how quick the 9th Doctor was to pick up a weapon and use it against the Dalek and that it was Rose that had to convince him to stop. Paul McGann's Doctor even tried to save the Master from being sucked into the Eye of Harmony, despite the fact that the Master tried to drain the Doctor's lifeforce mere moments before. My guess is that the War changed him in such a way that he could not even consider himself a Doctor. A Doctor is meant to heal and what did the Doctor do to end the Time War? Commit genocide on both sides, he destroyed both the Daleks and his own people for the sake of peace.

Staredcraft said...

Hey actually, to correct your brother Lewis, Colin did NOT work with the other doctors on the upcoming audio crossover. I asked him at Motor City Comic Con this past weekend what was his favorite crossover, audio or on TV, he admitted he can't remember which and then I asked how was it to work with the other actors he said, even with the upcoming one, he has NOT worked with any of them, he did his stuff alone. He apologized for not remembering but said that anything with the Doctor, especially the audios, are always fun for him

Anonymous said...

I really don't get the criticism that Season 7 got, though I agree that splitting the seasons is a massive mistake.

Like you, I haven't hated any episode of 7, though on the other hand, the finale aside, I didn't think any were especially outstanding. "Angels Take Manhatten" was awesome, but that's about it. "Asylum of the Daleks" was OK, but has problems with story I think. I really liked "Cold War", "The Crimson Horror" and "Hide" (which I would have rated as my favourite were it not for the romance ending stuff).

With the Doctor not remembering the Great Intelligence, I think I assumed that the Time Lords wiping some of his memory at the end of "The War Games" could account for that.

I loved the integration of Clara into the past Doctor stuff. A little annoyed at Colin's snub, but thought the others, especially Hartnell, was well done.

There are obviously problems with the idea of Simeon killing him at every part of his timeline and the fact that we know he already doesn't succeed even before Clara jumps in as everyone is still there.

Loved the John Hurt twist too. Hurt is one of my favourite actors (check out "I, Claudius"- his Caligula is incredible) but in terms of explanation I can see it going three ways:

1. He's a Doctor akin to "The Other" in Cartmel's masterplan, who then became the first Doctor after committing some terrible crime (hence the reason he went on the run)

2. The Time War theory put forward in this video.

3. Some kind of Valeyard type evil generation from his future. Tbh that's the one I'm kind of rooting from as I think it's a genius idea.

The only thing I think is really weird is the way the whole Silence arc was aborted. Surely that has to be connected somehow?

Really looking forward to the 50th.

Staredcraft said...

Hey Linkara what did you think of the Star Trek TNG/Doctor Who crossover comic if you read it? I think they definitely utilized the Cybermen of old from silver nemesis and all that especially given how the Cyber Controller acted. What's your opinion?

Joshua Jones said...

Love your review of the episode. I haven't seen it yet, but I can't wait to see it. You are not alone, Lewis. I also love the sixth doctors costume. To me, it kind of takes the personality concept of the second doctor and cranks it to the max. In other words, since the doctor looks like a baffoon, his enemies would not take him seriously, giving him an important edge in dealing with them. Combine that with the sixth doctor's "look at me" personality and the costume choice makes more sense, at least to me. I have to admit I have soft spot for the sixth.


Unknown said...

The Doctor not using his name has to do with what happened when as a child he stared into the rift in time on Galifray.

Basically it drove the Master insane and what ever the Doctor saw caused him to start running and never stop. Its also why the Doctor has so many rules and made him give up his name.

John Hurt is Valeyard the Doctor who broke all the rules, and won the time war by wiping everyone out killing billions of people. He is what the Doctor really is at his core. That darkness that you can see the edges of when the Doctor is without his companions.

Erik Johnson Illustrator said...

I think the idea behind the Doctor not remembering the Great Intelligence is because GI was introduced in episodes that were "lost" so the writers are implying that events of lost episodes exist as partial memories to him since the viewing public only has partial bits of audio and video for those events.

Dragonranger said...

First off you guys pretty much describe my feelings on the episode and the series as a whole.

My problem with John Hurt being the real ninth doctor is that would make Matt Smith the result of the 12th and final regeneration as we saw Ten use a regeneration to create the half doctor/half human clone.

Next I don't like the 0th doctor theory with the Other because as I understood it the Doctor didn't know he was the Other and so wouldn't recognize John as himself.

I agree with you guys and think the Valeyard theory is the best, maybe from and earlier time than we've seen previously.

I like the concept of the Whisper Men being sort of semi-sentient version of Doctor Bedlam's animates.

Finally I would just like to ask what both your opinions were of Doctor Who/Star Trek: Assimilation2

Sky said...

About the Clara/Doctor 1/Doctor's Wife thing. Gaiman said he is fine with the story being written the way it was because "the Great Intelligence had already changed time so the Doctor took the wrong TARDIS. Clara just fixed it back again.

And I am certain if you talked to the TARDIS, she would still tell you she stole the Doctor."

Kelleth said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Kelleth said...

I still think the being the older version of the 8th Doctor or the lost 9th Doctor thing so stupid.

Aside from the 9th and 10nth being very open about it, its a stupid theory because if the Doctor's secret was during the great time war why would he run from it BEFORE he ever did it!?!

Also why does every one assume the Doctor meant his current name was betrayed? To me it seems more likely that he used his Doctor name as an example to explain to Clara why Hurt is the person he was before he entered the TARDIS and separate (locked-up)from his fellow regenerations in the time-stream. The name Hurt betrayed is obviously the Doctor's real name because that way the sentence 'But not in the name of the Doctor!' Makes more sense, Since The Doctor is the name the Doctor used to atone for the sins that Hurt made. It also shows the pure hate he has for the person he once was.

Also I think it works better because of how the 1st Doctor acts. Even in this episode he keeps looking from the corner of his eye like he's nervous that someone who's not Susan might recognize who he was. Which is funny because I always wondered why Hartnell did that lol And then there's all the stuff in the Cartmel Masterplan lol

Edit: typo's! Sorry Lewis, fixed!

Unknown said...

I dont think Clara pointing at the right Tardis is bad nor ruins the Doctor's wife.
the thing you need to remember is why did clara needed to point any tardis at all?
is because the great intelligence was destroying his timeline, therefore is possible that GI lock the right tardis and clara unlock it and point to the right one.

E. Wilson said...

My half-arsed interpretation of events:

The reasons the Doctor's name couldn't be spoken was specifically to prevent access to the Doctor's grave at that point in time. It may be the Great Intelligence who caused the disaster the Silence wanted to prevent, but to any outside observer, it was the Doctor. (Remember, GI has no form.)

Which, yeah, also means that by trying to use River Song as an assassin to kill the Doctor, the Silence ended up facilitating the very event they were trying to prevent, as time travel is wont to do.

(I'm also of the opinion that the Silence had no way of knowing that destroying the TARDIS in Season Five would destroy the universe; if they wanted that, all they had to do was...well, nothing.)

The reason the prophecy was so vague is because it's a product of the Silence' influence, which is all subliminal. It's a psychotic version of the telephone game.

As for John Hurt, I'd also point out that the regeneration from Two to Three was a bit...vague, at least in terms of what was seen on-screen. Perhaps he fit in there?

Regardless, I hope his great crime ISN'T the Time War, because I think between Ten and Eleven, we've gotten all the drama we can from that plot point. It would just be retreading old ground, and as Lewis points out, it's not a secret, anyway.

QuetzaDrake said...

I think it's kinda funny how my opinions on certain episodes differ from yours'. I wasn't a fan of the first half of the season except for Asylum. I didn't like Dinosaurs but I thought it was alright for kids (except for that bizarrely-sudden dark turn for the villain's death), I thought Power of Three was terrible, and I absolutely despise Angels Take Manhattan. On the flip side, though, I really liked Rings of Ahkaten. Just thought it was interesting while watching.

As for John Hurt, I actually kinda like the idea of there being a Doctor between 8 and 9, and I thought it was neat to see the picture of Hurt in a combo of the 8th and 9th Doctors' costumes. I guess I haven't really thought about it too deeply, and maybe I'd have a way different opinion if my only experience with Paul McGann was his first audio drama. I also thought it'd be interesting if he were the Valeyard, and I hadn't thought of him being The Other. I'm interested in seeing what happens regardless.

And uh, yeah, finally, come on Eccleston, you really should've manned up for at least the 50th anniversary, it's not much and it's silly to think any Doctor's story is "over". Oh well.

SotF said...

One other possibility is that there are alternate Doctors who fed back into it.

You have a few alternate ones that popped up, the biggest being the Shalka Doctor.

SotF said...

Might he also be a view of the alternate Doctors such as the Shalka Doctor.

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed this episode. I'm mainly a new series fan. However I have gone back and watched some of the older serials and have really enjoyed them. This is definitely a great lead in for the 50th Anniversary.

The ideas for John Hurt's role in the 50th is just amazing. The possibilities are just great. Is he "The Other" from before he became the Doctor?

Is he one of the first Time Lord incarnations after he threw himself into The Loom prior to The Doctor? (the loom is an arguable thing since its not known if the time lord sterilization is canon or not really so the looms canon status is very much up in the air here)

Is he an old 8th Doctor where he "stopped being The Doctor" due to him causing the end of the time war thus regenerating into the 9th but at that point not really being considered the 8th since he does something so horrible?

Is he the final incarnation or Is he the Valeyard? I'm honestly loving the mystery and cant wait to see what the truth really is.

All in all great vlog, enjoyed watching the debating and the love shown for the series. November can't be here soon enough.

Johnathan said...

Lewis do you think that the John Hurt Doctor might just be a manifestation of the guilt that he has from the Time War.That Doctor was the one who used "The Moment"He buried all that pain and loss and now knows that it didnt work.There are still Daleks around.

Alexander Gordon Jahans said...

Oh Linkara, this is more like it, the familiar territory of Doctor Who, more of this please it's simply magnificent.

My theory since Dorium's little speech was that the universe would end when the question was asked and that's how River knows his name and why the tardis explodes in The Pandorica Opens with River being both the alpha and omega, conceived at the universe's restart, present at its end.

This episode was not a strong episode, it had a strong cast and I loved it for the fan service but it was like most of the season poorly plotted.

My opinion of the Hurt Doctor is "Yay" but ultimately I don't care if he's the Other, the Valeyard, a future Doctor or the timewar Doctor, it'll all be awesome. What I would say though is that 8 is already The Timewar Doctor if you count the books (I do) and so I think in the fiftieth anniversary we're going to learn quite how much evil he did.

With regards to the whole the tardis stole the Doctor thing, I've always cried foul. It's twee rubbish and laughably stupid, even if me shipping Doctor/Tardis meant I was moved by the scene.

Despite finding series 7 to be pretty dire I've loved Clara's character, I think she's one of my favourites.

Aaron Coggins said...

is it possible that the great intelligence locked the real TARDIS and unlocked a different one as part of his atteampts to kill the doctor, and Clara was fixing that?

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the past Doctors showing up even with the poor green screen moments...except one thing nagged me...where the heck was the 8th Doctor? I saw the other 9, but I could never spot Paul McGann, or an extra dressed as him. Oh and if you want good computer editing of a Doctor Who episode, look up Babelcolour on YouTube, especially his Ten Doctors movie. It blends so many different sources to make one incredible whole and honestly the plot makes me wonder if Moffat saw it and borrowed a bit of it and it also makes me wish that it would be the 50th anniversary episode.

The season as a whole was good, but when it was basically split into two mini-seasons, it hurt the story. The Pond-era ending felt rushed, and the Clara era felt rushed.

Out of curiosity, have you been watching the retrospectives BBC America has been showing? (Peter Davidson's is tonight.) And if you have what episode do you think they'll air after the Sylvester McCoy tribute? It wouldn't surprise me if it was Dragonfire, but I'd rather see Remembrance of the Daleks.

BookwormOtaku said...

Bit of a suggestion if you want Cybermites in your show, considering how they looked you could make some by weaving them out wire like you would a wire scorpion.

BookwormOtaku said...

Just curious, but since you and your brother said you check out the audio dramas for Doctor Who have either of you listened to any of the "Destiny of the Doctor" audio dramas and if you have how are they?

Anonymous said...

Personally, I thought that Season 7B has been a massive disappointment throughout. What with the lack-luster plots, the over-use of references to past stories, and the crappy CGI re-design of the Ice Warriors. That last one in particular because I jumped for joy when I heard the Ice Warriors were back. I just thought they looked uninspired and I sorely missed the whispering voice; I must have been the only one who thought that was creepy.

The only two episodes I enjoyed were The Crimson Horror and The Name of the Doctor. All the talent was expended to most of Season 7A and 8/10 of The Angels Take Manhattan. Points were deducted for the stupid concept of the Statue of Liberty being an Angel and the lazy ending. I seriously thought of a 3 ways for The Doctor to save the Ponds in 5 minutes.

Also, when is the show going to get back to The Silence, it's been 2 years now with no further information.

Anonymous said...

I really hope John Hurt is the Valeyard. I would have been ecstatic if the caption said, "Introducing John Hurt as the Valeyard"

Anonymous said...

I had to watch this episode twice. First to watch it, then again to see what I didn't catch. That said going in, I knew that we weren't going to get anything outside of what we knew going in, 'Doctor.' It's been 50 years, as Lewis said, there's no name they could give him that would work for us by now.

I'm more partial to Hurt being the Valeyard, though him being the Other could work as well. The reason I think either of those work better than the '8.5 theory' is the fact that the Doctor doesn't hide the fact that he's killed off the Daleks (more than once) and the Time Lords, yet Hurt's 'Doctor' has done something so bad that all of the other incarnations will not speak about him. Though he did claim he had no choice in doing whatever he did.

Fiery Little One

Starman said...

My personal theory is that John Hurt is an 8.5 Doctor, similar to the 4.5 Doctor (a.k.a. The Watcher) who appeared in Logopolis.

Quick Whovian time lesson for the newbies who never saw the classic series.

Logopolis was the story where the 4th Doctor regenerated into the 5th. Near the beginning of it, this figure clad in all white appears and begins directing The Doctor where to go, what to do and offers him a second pair of hands at some critical moments. The Doctor and his companions take to calling this being The Watcher. At the end of the episode, it's revealed that The Watcher was some sort of projection of the Doctor's next regeneration, created to help ease his transition into his next form.

Planet of the Spiders also hinted at Time Lords having this ability to - just before the moment of their regeneration - create a sort of psychic clone to help them bring about the change. Presumably this has something to do with fixed points. The Doctor's mentor - a Time Lord named K’anpo Rinpoche - creates a similar "Watcher" being in the form of the Buddhist monk Cho-Je.

So imagine this. The Eight Doctor goes through the Time War, becoming a harder man in the process. But when he learns what the rest of The Time Lords are planning, he can't bring himself to pull the trigger on his own people even to save the rest of the universe. Enter the John Hurt Doctor - an 8.5 Watcher who does what The Doctor cannot.

Anonymous said...

I actually liked the 'Name Of The Doctor', it explains Clara's Arc, And sets up Year 50 well. It's also a good celebration of the Fifty Years with Clara meeting all of the Doctor's.

Also, Like Linkara said, Do you really think that they would say the Doctor's real name?
It's actually a nice twist that when they say "Name of the Doctor", they mean it in that kind of "In the Name of...!" Honour chant.


We also get to see Bill Hartnell actually steal the Tardis too.

I think that the John Hurt Doctor could be the real Ninth, and some may say he's the one who caused the close to the Time War...what if...he was the Doctor who started it, which lead to all the horrors in the Time War.
Hence why the 'History Of The Time War' book refers to him by his real name.

I even have a theory, John Hurt is who the Doctor saw in his Room in "God Complex". If the rooms are meant to make you question your faith, than it is plausible that it's this 'Secret' Doctor.
Anyone agree with that?

Anonymous said...

Another Pro of the Episode now is it probably explains why Slyvester McCoy's Doctor decided to dangle from the Cliff in "Dragonfire" for No Reason. The Great Intelligence made him do it, maybe?

Kendra Kirai said...

'Is the Great Intelligence a time traveller'. Well, he did say that he *is* information. Minds and consciousness can travel through time, as seen by the Conference Call. The whisper men are, I think, like Cassandra's minions in The End of the World; they're thoughts given form. 'Ascended Memes' that the GI can possesses. They exist, but are immaterial. Thoughts.

Mike McNulty, a.k.a. Stillanerd said...

Yeah, I don't wish to make you feel bad, Lewis, but given the costume John Hurt is reported to wear, the way the dialogue was spoken during that final scene in which the Doctor refers to Hurt in the past tense and his "he's the one who broke the promise" and "he is my secret" suggest that this NOT a "Zero Doctor" or "The Valeyard"/"Future Doctor" but, in face the "Time War Doctor." Not to mention that the last Strax Report, Strax states how this "unknown Doctor" has the look of a "battle-hardened warrior."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYWghABqh3w

As for how Hurt being the "Time War Doctor" can make sense? Well, let's not forget that the Time War was "time locked," which would explain why Clara, when she was fractured along the Doctor's timelime, didn't see Hurt's Doctor until the end. Also, wiping out the Daleks and the Time Lords is not the ONLY thing that happened during the Time War. There's apparently lots of horrible stuff that happened that's been hinted at. Plus, it would make sense for the Doctor to have regenerated at some point during that war given how intense it supposedly was.

Finally, remember "The Beast Below" in which the Doctor was almost forced to kill the space whale, and says that if he does he'll have to pick a new name because he'll no longer be "The Doctor" anymore? Well, given that Hurt's Doctor was "the one who broke the promise" what if he was forced to do something similar, i.e. had to let someone innocent die in order to save lives? How's this for an idea? What if the Doctor, during the Time War, was forced to let his granddaughter, Susan, die? After all, the Doctor has been very reluctant to talk about what really happened to his family.

Total Justice Gaming said...

What about Hurt being an catalyst for his regeneration from 8 into 9 like the Watcher for 4 to 5?

The Dragoon said...

My theory. It has 2 parts:

1. John Hurt is the incarnation between Doctors 8 and 9. And since he's not technically called "The Doctor", the subsequent numerical labels still work. He's not bad or anything, but he's the Time War incarnation, who did seem genuinely regretful. That's only part one of the the theory.

2. Part 2... if John Hurt is a past incarnation... that makes Matt Smith the 12th incarnation, meaning the "Fall of the Eleventh" would bring about... the Valeyard. That's why the Silence have a problem with him. They're trying to prevent the existence of the Valeyard, who legitimately is bad news, so the Silence isn't bad per se. Something's going to happen at Trenzalore (because Dorium's theory was not what happened in the Name of the Doctor).

Joseph said...

Technically this episode did reveal the Doctor's "real" name. At the end, he explains that choosing the name Doctor was like a promise. Basically, his real name is "The Doctor." His birth name is the real question. At least, that is how I understood it.

By the way, you are not alone. I think the Sixth Doctor Coat is awesome. I would wear that everywhere I go, unless it is hot in the area.

Wibbley said...

If you google Paul McGann, first google image: Paul wearing an outfit similar to what Jon Hurt wore at the end of the episode.

Confirmation? You decide.

Perhaps Paul's doctor survived into old age until after the time war.

And on Eccelson not wanting to come back? He didn't want to be typecast as the doctor. But honestly, I haven't seen ANY of his other work and when I do come across Christopher on TV by CHANCE ... I say "Hey it's The Doctor!"

So he's typecast already.

Kelleth said...

I am starting to feel that the fans who come up with the time war doctor theories have seen little to no classic DW episodes at all. Never heard of the Cartnel Masterplan? Check! Everything hinted about the doctor's past in the classic series where just filmed for shit and giggles? Check! Everything even before the new DW series revolves around the new DW series? Check! Throw out the whole all 13+ years of Paul McGann's hard work at big finish in the trash because its going to be out of continuity if the rumours are true? Double check!!

Again I'm sure its just me.

13th Doctor said...

Ok, I wanted to comment on this episode sooner but I was tied up with other things. This episode basically reinvigorated the season for me because it got back to a crucial part of the Doctor's arc. I found the revelation that the "secret" was not so much about the name but what it REPRESENTED. And yes, I am kinda leaning towards the "Doctor Zero" theory since, yes, we all know what happened in the Time War.

As for the season as a whole, yeah, it was REALLY uneven. A big part of that has to do with the departure of Amy and Rory and splitting up the season. I was really ambivalent about Clara, not because of how she was portrayed or written but the way they kept selling the "mystery" surrounding her. Yes, it's weird she keeps popping up but at the same time, we do not get any closer to uncovering it until the last episode. As with Season 6, I will probably enjoy it more on a second viewing.

Plus, I can understand your comment about Vastra, Jenny and Strax being underutilized though I hate Strax. Then again, I hate Sonatarans. How did they get to be so popular? I don't get it. Also, the "Earthshock" Cybermen sound freaking ridiculous. I don't know how they could be intimidating. I had no problem with Cyberplanner since we got to see Matt Smith go full-on psycho.

Finally, I did agree with you at first that Clara telling The First Doctor to steal the TARDIS did contradict "The Doctor's Wife" but then I realized she was just correcting the influence of the Great Intelligence throughout history.

Unknown said...

Have you read the IDW comic Assimilation Squared. The 11th Doctor and the Next Generation crew fight the Borg and Cyberman. I liked it.

Anonymous said...

This is an interesting thought, and one I had not entertained. I had wondered how 11 could have known the actions of his own future incarnation. However, 11 blatantly states to Clara that Hurt is his future.

I think this unknown incarnation is somehow connected to The Valeyard. After all, The Valeyard appeared between the 12th and final regeneration. The Master referred to it as The Doctor's penultimate form.

Anonymous said...

See, I really don't think that they are going to make John Hurt a previous Doctor because as much as everyone who works on Doctor Who probably loves working there they will want to make as much money as possible from this. So they will make John Hurt either an older version of another Doctor or the 12th/13th Doctor (possibly Valeyard because that is a supposed between regenerations type thing). I think that he could be 8 aged and scarred due to the time war (he may have just decided that a leather jacket is a good look). I would really like to see John Hurt as 12 but I doubt that they will. only time will tell though

Unknown said...

David Tenant is going to be in the anniversary. But I think that because he is with Billie Piper he is probably playing the clone from the end of series four

Alonzo said...

This is cool!