And pretty disturbing.
Anyone else deeply uncomfortable with some of the places that the finale took us to?
This is really just a holding place for some random thoughts that I will fill out as and when. For starters though:
1) still confused if consciousness continues beyond death in the Missy Nethersphere and exactly how she captured these 'dead souls'. Part of me wants to think everything we SAW happening in the Nethersphere was a fake representation to just amuse Missy (and her faux AI companion Seb) and not really what was being 'felt' by the dead, Danny included. So he is 'brought back' as a Cyberman but does he mention the experience of the Nethersphere? I don't think so... but I may need to watch again.
2) following the point above, on that basis really definitely not comfortable with the whole 'don't cremate me!' or the screams of organ donors (hope that can be unpacked / clarify or I forsee a generation of non-donors, and even fuller cemeteries).
3) love the mini-misdirect of Clara as the Doctor (including her eyes in the opening credits)
4) loved the reincarnation Missy - echoes the existing history whilst adding that special Michelle Gomez touch (barking mad, or as she put it "bananas")
5) Osgood! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
6) Brigadier! Awh/Nooooooooo [really ambivalent how well or if that worked. My heart says yes, but I'm fully commit to it]
7) hugs ---- I'm a big fan of hugs, but they certainly can be a way of hiding behind a physical act. As Clara and the Doctor proved...
8) whatever inconsistencies in tone or plot there may have been this season, surely no-one can doubt the conviction of the lead performances, especially Capaldi who excellent. I know not everyone has been convinced by the turn the character has taken, but I'm on board. His impotent fury, and then lying to Clara, about (not) finding Gallifrey was heartbreaking.
9) Poor Danny Pink - half a character in search of real purpose, and desparate to avoid the sometimes incipient potential racism of the writers. See the review in Doctor Who Magazine of 'the Caretaker' to see I wasn't the only one feeling a bit uncomfortable about P.E. Echoes of that again in the plane towards Colonel Ahmed ....
10) It's been Doctor Who! With robots, Robin Hood, creepy simple psychological time-twisting with 'Listen', creepy plane-playing Flatline with its shrinking TARDIS, a Dalek story without a lot of Daleks, helpful trees, disturbingly rubbish but terrifying spider-things, a horrifying Mummy (with some great 1920s frocks), Victoriana and dinosaurs and the Paternoster gang, Moon-trips, cybermen, Missy, dodgy School-based shennanegins and more!
