2.7: The Idiot's Lantern
Synopsis: London, 1953. On the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, a local television retailer, Magpie, has begun selling off his wares for cheap, claiming a patriotic duty. Meanwhile, people in the neighbourhood are being taken mysteriously away by the police. The Doctor and Rose investigate, discovering that an entity calling itself "the Wire" is inhabiting the world's televisions, and has been swallowing people's consciousnesses through the screens, leaving their bodies faceless and lame. Twenty million people are projected to watch the coronation, which makes a mighty large feast for the Wire.
Unfortunately, while the Doctor is skulking about the police station, Rose's face and consciousness are taken. With the help of the local DI and a boy whose grandmother was taken, the Doctor discovers the television shop where the products contain the faces of the victims, including Rose. The Wire reveals that it is feeding in order to gain corporeal form, having been condemned by its native people. It plans to use a device to convert the local television transmission tower into a receiver to suck the viewers' consciousnesses. The Doctor builds a contraption (a Betamax) which reverses the reception back to transmission, and traps the signal on video, neutralizing the Wire.
Golden Comic Moment: The Doctor and Rose's first few minutes in the Connollys' house, during which time, they completely mess with the brutish Mr. Connolly's head, are self-indulgent and bordering on a-bit-much, but are quite funny anyhow. Beginning with their ridiculously friendly, "Hi!" as Connolly opens the door, to the Doctor's quickfire diagnosis of how to disarm the man ("Family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore I represent Queen and country!"), to his pointing out that the Queen doesn't do housework, to Rose's snarky correction of Connolly's "Union Jacks." It's just fun to watch them (ahem!) take the piss out of this blowhard.
Golden Fangirl Moment: This is more of a fangirl complaint than a squee.
Dear Makers of Doctor Who: Lots of actors and actresses have good hair. Lots of them have people who style their hair in a way that is becoming to them. But you, my friends, have a lead actor with possibly the greatest male hair on planet Earth, and possibly the style best suited to any actor ever. Even characters within the series think so (see Rose describing the Doctor in Turn Left)! So why in God's name would you give him Elvis hair, and leave him that way for an entire episode? Did Mr. Tennant do something to anger you this week? I'm sure he would have been perfectly willing to apologise. He dropped the Scottish accent halfway through Tooth and Claw - why not let it rain in the episode, and give all of us fangirls a break?
Sincerely, HD the Fangirl.
Cringeworthy Moment: The departure of Mickey marks the point of no return for the Doctor and Rose. At that point, they can drop the act. Their adventures together become one big date, with side-tracks into danger and mayhem.
This particular adventure began, literally, as plans to go to a concert. They got dressed up and (God help us) did their hair, the Doctor dug a scooter out of storage so that he could drive with his girl on the back, and they began their date with flirtatious banter.
Doctor: You goin' my way, doll?
Rose: Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?
I don't know how many more ways I can say "icky," "syrupy," "drippy," "self-satisfied" and "headed for disaster." But this is all of those things.
And neither one of them, under any circumstances, should attempt an American accent again, until they have consulted me. I'm just sayin'.
Golden Moment: This is yet another story about stealing the things that make people unique. It is also a story about passing the torch, in a patriarchal age, to a woman. Eddie Connolly is the living embodiment of an oppressive patriarchy, and in a manner of speaking, his bullying steals the souls and individuality of his family. He tells them what to do, what to say, when to speak and how to feel. For a while, his way of doing things is simply the status-quo.
But when he finally comes unglued, it is a Golden Moment because it is a metaphorical turning point. As the Doctor stands by and watches him vomit words of bile (of the status-quo) upon his wife and son, we know that Connolly has finally crossed the line, and the Doctor will stop the destruction that he represents. "I've got a position to maintain! People around here respect me!" he screams at his wife and son. "How dare you! You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward? [Your mother] was filthy, a filthy disgusting thing!"
And indeed, this is when his wife finally shuts the door on him, his son finally defies him, the Doctor discovers Magpie's shop and begins to stop the Wire from consuming souls, and it is the day when Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne of Great Britain. Down with the Eddie Connollys of the world, God Save the Queen!
Why I Beg To Differ: In DWM, "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know," is considered the Golden Moment because it is said twice; once by DI Bishop, and once by the Doctor. It represents how the Doctor is able to turn the tables, begin as the subject of inquiry to the local "expert," and then turn their own questions upon them, thus becoming the expert. Very cool, yes, but not pivotal from a storytelling standpoint.
Because though the Tenth Doctor claims that he "used to have so much mercy," the fact is that he still does. The fact is, it takes quite a lot to make him angry enough to throw down (you pretty much have to steal one of his friends - see Gridlock for the Doctor obsessed). The villain has to reach the point where the Doctor's ire is justified, and when that happens, look out. Connolly's unhinged crowing in the street is a definitive moment when we can say, "Yep. You've got the Doctor angry now." The Doctor, of course, is already pissed off because someone has taken Rose's face, but as mentioned, Connolly represents everything that is currently wrong, so when he blows, so does the Doctor.
Unfortunately, while the Doctor is skulking about the police station, Rose's face and consciousness are taken. With the help of the local DI and a boy whose grandmother was taken, the Doctor discovers the television shop where the products contain the faces of the victims, including Rose. The Wire reveals that it is feeding in order to gain corporeal form, having been condemned by its native people. It plans to use a device to convert the local television transmission tower into a receiver to suck the viewers' consciousnesses. The Doctor builds a contraption (a Betamax) which reverses the reception back to transmission, and traps the signal on video, neutralizing the Wire.
Golden Comic Moment: The Doctor and Rose's first few minutes in the Connollys' house, during which time, they completely mess with the brutish Mr. Connolly's head, are self-indulgent and bordering on a-bit-much, but are quite funny anyhow. Beginning with their ridiculously friendly, "Hi!" as Connolly opens the door, to the Doctor's quickfire diagnosis of how to disarm the man ("Family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore I represent Queen and country!"), to his pointing out that the Queen doesn't do housework, to Rose's snarky correction of Connolly's "Union Jacks." It's just fun to watch them (ahem!) take the piss out of this blowhard.
Golden Fangirl Moment: This is more of a fangirl complaint than a squee.
Dear Makers of Doctor Who: Lots of actors and actresses have good hair. Lots of them have people who style their hair in a way that is becoming to them. But you, my friends, have a lead actor with possibly the greatest male hair on planet Earth, and possibly the style best suited to any actor ever. Even characters within the series think so (see Rose describing the Doctor in Turn Left)! So why in God's name would you give him Elvis hair, and leave him that way for an entire episode? Did Mr. Tennant do something to anger you this week? I'm sure he would have been perfectly willing to apologise. He dropped the Scottish accent halfway through Tooth and Claw - why not let it rain in the episode, and give all of us fangirls a break?
Sincerely, HD the Fangirl.
Cringeworthy Moment: The departure of Mickey marks the point of no return for the Doctor and Rose. At that point, they can drop the act. Their adventures together become one big date, with side-tracks into danger and mayhem.
This particular adventure began, literally, as plans to go to a concert. They got dressed up and (God help us) did their hair, the Doctor dug a scooter out of storage so that he could drive with his girl on the back, and they began their date with flirtatious banter.
Doctor: You goin' my way, doll?
Rose: Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?
I don't know how many more ways I can say "icky," "syrupy," "drippy," "self-satisfied" and "headed for disaster." But this is all of those things.
And neither one of them, under any circumstances, should attempt an American accent again, until they have consulted me. I'm just sayin'.
Golden Moment: This is yet another story about stealing the things that make people unique. It is also a story about passing the torch, in a patriarchal age, to a woman. Eddie Connolly is the living embodiment of an oppressive patriarchy, and in a manner of speaking, his bullying steals the souls and individuality of his family. He tells them what to do, what to say, when to speak and how to feel. For a while, his way of doing things is simply the status-quo.
But when he finally comes unglued, it is a Golden Moment because it is a metaphorical turning point. As the Doctor stands by and watches him vomit words of bile (of the status-quo) upon his wife and son, we know that Connolly has finally crossed the line, and the Doctor will stop the destruction that he represents. "I've got a position to maintain! People around here respect me!" he screams at his wife and son. "How dare you! You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward? [Your mother] was filthy, a filthy disgusting thing!"
And indeed, this is when his wife finally shuts the door on him, his son finally defies him, the Doctor discovers Magpie's shop and begins to stop the Wire from consuming souls, and it is the day when Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne of Great Britain. Down with the Eddie Connollys of the world, God Save the Queen!
Why I Beg To Differ: In DWM, "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know," is considered the Golden Moment because it is said twice; once by DI Bishop, and once by the Doctor. It represents how the Doctor is able to turn the tables, begin as the subject of inquiry to the local "expert," and then turn their own questions upon them, thus becoming the expert. Very cool, yes, but not pivotal from a storytelling standpoint.
Because though the Tenth Doctor claims that he "used to have so much mercy," the fact is that he still does. The fact is, it takes quite a lot to make him angry enough to throw down (you pretty much have to steal one of his friends - see Gridlock for the Doctor obsessed). The villain has to reach the point where the Doctor's ire is justified, and when that happens, look out. Connolly's unhinged crowing in the street is a definitive moment when we can say, "Yep. You've got the Doctor angry now." The Doctor, of course, is already pissed off because someone has taken Rose's face, but as mentioned, Connolly represents everything that is currently wrong, so when he blows, so does the Doctor.