Dr. Who Reaction Series 6 - The Doctors Wife
Added 2023-03-18 15:00:03 +0000 UTCI didn´t expect that....
Comments
The early to mid 1980s were an interesting time in the show's history, as a number of fans were able to gain access to the production team in ways that would just be impossible today. Some got to see episodes being recorded, or were given old props as souvenirs, and one even became a semi-official adviser for a while. It's thanks to these fans that some classic episodes survive today, rescuing tape reels or film cannisters from being disposed of. But there were also unfortunate consequences, with people socialising, becoming friends (or more), and then falling out. Fans can feel a strong sense of ownership, and what today might be an argument online, back then could become an argument in person (perhaps after a few drinks) or might result in long-running feuds in printed magazines. Of course the vast majority of people watching the show at the time were unaware of all this stuff going on, and to be honest most of it doesn't actually matter despite the strong emotions of the people directly involved; but occasionally it makes for interesting anecdotes!
Andrew Gwilliam
2023-03-20 18:48:35 +0000 UTCThank you for those additional thoughts. :) The show had a lot of design competition it feels like. That´s something that I have never seen other shows doing, but I like it very much. :) It´s interesting how many times they changed the story, before they actually filmed it. So many changes were made. Thank you so much for all the knowlegde, I hope I can remember it :) It´s so helpfull :)
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:59:23 +0000 UTCI´m sorry you felt that way. My feelings were a little different because I didn´t notice that two different people wrote the story. I think they worked very well together. Both dark, mysterious and very intriguing. But I get where you are coming from. :)
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:54:14 +0000 UTCOh wow, what a story. I had no idea it was so difficult back then to keep things a secret. I mean without the internet it must have been harder to get to information that you shouldn´t have.
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:51:47 +0000 UTCThe console story is a funny one. The kept this super big set around, just for this episode. I´m so glad they did though, was totally worth it :) The snapping was super funny. The way he acted in that seen was the best. Desperatly trying to open it by snapping cracked me up :D :D And the Ood, gosh those poor beeings. Will they ever find peace? I really hope so. Oh thank you for reminding me. i almost forgot the Idris was confused in the beginning. I thought she could see things the others couldn´t because she is able to see everything. And is able to look and predict the future. I didn´t realize she was just confused. I thought she did that on purpose. So thanks for letting me know :) I know that there will be Minisodes in this series, and maybe it´s the one you are talking about. Only Andrew knows :D :D :D (I mean the other Andrew) :D :D
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:50:32 +0000 UTCThank you for reminding me of all these important things. I get goosbumbs reading those lines and remembering from the episode. Especially the "Fear me, I killed them all" sentence. That one still haunts me to this day. And I really hope the doctor will hear the "I love you" again some day. :)
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:44:48 +0000 UTCI´m so glad, that you and probably other people see the episode in the same way. Meaning that it changed the whole look at the show, and especially the TARDIS. It´s so strange, because we kinda always knew the TARDIS was alive, but seeing her as a real life woman changed my perseption sooo much, for the better :) Awwwwww, I´m so jealous....I would have loved to see Arthur Darville in a theatre. I bet it was awesome :) :) Thanks for the recommendation for Good Omens. It sounds really interesting. Haha, I wish I had a real life TARDIS. I WISH :D :D :D
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:42:45 +0000 UTCTrue :)
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:36:42 +0000 UTCWow, I liked the episode but you really seem to love it. I do understand why :) Thank you for the recommendation of the tv show. I´m gonna look it up :) Ohhh the password wasn´t a word after all. Thank you sooo much. I really missed that one. I like the time lord cubes. A cool way to communicate. :)
Nicologik
2023-03-20 13:36:31 +0000 UTCThat crappy budget! (among others) It is rare to find a fully developed story, especially when two episodes are combined into one... Additional points of interest: Neil Gaiman based House's personality and his treatment of Rory and Amy on AM in Harlan Ellison's famous short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream". Since I had already read this short story, I immediately had this feeling about the House! The Junk TARDIS console was the subject of a 2009 design competition on Blue Peter. The winning design was by then-12-year-old Susannah Leah. Arthur Darvill noted the floor of the older TARDIS set had a cheese grater-like quality to it, so when the scene called for the cast to fall on it, they found it uncomfortable to stay down for a long period of time. Neil Gaiman originally created a new alien for Nephew but was asked to choose a previously established race when the budget didn't allow for the creation of a new monster. A scene involving House toying with Amy and Rory's perceptions as they traverse a hallway lined with mirror-like walls was cut due to budget constraints. The concept was allegedly inspired by Poltergeist III. Rory originally didn't appear in the script, as the episode was originally meant to take place during Series 5 when Rory was not aboard the TARDIS with Amy and The Doctor; at that point he would have still been dead and erased from existence. When Amy was sent back to the TARDIS to fetch the sonic screwdriver, she originally found her engagement ring - a version of which ultimately appeared in The Lodger. It's not enough that the episode was moved, there were even more changes. The episode originally opened with the Doctor, Amy and Rory about to be sacrificed to rain gods on a primitive planet, before the arrival of the Corsair's psychic container scares the locals and affords the time travellers a chance to escape back to the TARDIS. Due to time and budget constraints, it was changed to the trio in the TARDIS. During the Doctor Who: Lockdown! event Neil Gaiman revealed several unproduced details about this episode, among them: The original opening scene involved the Doctor taking Amy to see The Beatles perform at the Shea Stadium. The Doctor mentioned that he previously met them during an encounter with Ogrons in one of his previous incarnations. A sequence involving the TARDIS swimming pool was cut because Karen Gillan could not swim at the time. Another sequence featured Rory being trapped in the Zero Room. A scene in the TARDIS junkyard that would have Idris shut all of their chameleon circuits with a snap of her fingers was shot, but cut because of the restrictions of the CGI budget. The lines "biting’s excellent, it’s like kissing only there’s a winner!" and "Did you wish really hard?" were both Steven Moffat's additions to the script. The original ending, set during the time period when Rory was erased from existence, showed the Doctor and Amy burying Idris's body. It would also reveal that The House had managed to survive in her buried body. P.S.: But I typed (and copied) a lot, sorry...
monguru (Rose Tyler fan)
2023-03-19 12:10:52 +0000 UTCI have mixed feelings about this episode. Everything with the Doctor and The TARDIS is wonderful - particularly Suranne Jones (Idris), who grabs the viewers attention immediately,and is magnificent in every scene she's in. ...and that's also the episodes weakness, as Neil Gaiman (the writer) was forced to jam in a subplot featuring Amy and Rory;who didn't appear in his story originally,as it had been written a year or so earlier. Eventually Gaiman walked off the project (amicably, by all accounts) and Steven Moffat was left to complete the script,adding scenes for Rory. What's left is a blend of two peoples ideas; but I would have preferred it to have been just the original,myself.
Ian Smith
2023-03-19 10:27:12 +0000 UTCEven the title of this episode is a (spoiler-free) reference! By the 1980s the classic show had developed a fan base, and JNT (the producer at the time) became convinced that someone with access to the production office was leaking information. So as a trap, he included "The Doctor's Wife" as a story title on a noticeboard for a short while, and made a note of exactly who went into the office so he'd have a shortlist of suspects! I don't actually know if he was successful.
Andrew Gwilliam
2023-03-19 09:36:35 +0000 UTC"Did you wish really hard?", Amy Pond, "The Doctor's Wife" Funny line. It was really nice to see Christopher and David's old control room again. Apparently, the writer had requested that the production keep the old set around so it could be used in this story. Actually, this story was going to be in series 5 so the console set had to be kept around even longer than originally planned. There are lots and lots of references to other episodes - which is exactly what you want from this story line. Skipping over the numerous Classic Who references like the cubes mentioned above by Jade, we have things like the TARDIS refueled using rift energy ("Boom Town"), the Doctor snapping his fingers to open the TARDIS door ("Forest of the Dead"), and that the Doctor is unable to save the Ood ("The Satan Pit") plus other references. I also wonder whether the junkyard setting was intended as a call-back to the original black-and-white "An Unearthly Child" episode. I like the fact that Idris is confused with the order of time - she answers Rory's question before it was asked, and does the same thing referring to fish fingers out of sequence and that the cubes would make the Doctor angry. BTW: An unused opening of this episode's script turns up later as a minisode. I think Classic Who fans get a big smile out of this story. "You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.", "No, but I always took you where you needed to go.", The Doctor and Idris, "The Doctor's Wife"
Andrew Vignaux
2023-03-19 00:56:29 +0000 UTCMany important things were said in this episode: Kevin Brown already mentioned it Rory: "The only water in the forest is the river." The House: "Fear me. I have killed hundreds of Timelords." Doctor: "Fear me. I killed them all." And the most important sentence for me: Idris (the human Tardis) softly whispering "I love you" The Doctor is not told this very often (as far as I know) Rose did it, now it happened a second time, will there be a 3rd case? Will River ever do it, or maybe someone else? I hope so...
monguru (Rose Tyler fan)
2023-03-18 21:28:55 +0000 UTCNobody (I think) expected this episode and everybody needed it. And only Neil Gaiman could have written it and now we have seen it, for most of us, only Suranne Jones could have played the role. It's hard to imagine the Tardis any other way now. I have seen it described as the episode that changed everything and it kind of is. I love the story - or the two stories. The Doctor and Idris (the human Tardis) and Amy and Rory in the possessed Tardis. Both astonishing in very different ways. I also love the fact that Idris regards Rory as being the pretty one. I did go to see Arthur Darville (Rory) in the new production of Oklahoma! at a London theatre last week and it was amazing. He is so talented. Oh, and I agree with Jade about Good Omens. David Tennant and Michael Sheen work wonderfully together and the script is great too. When I heard the noise of that wind, I thought for a moment that you had arranged for the Tardis to materialise in your studio.
Stephen Males
2023-03-18 20:29:12 +0000 UTC"The only water in the forest is the river."
Tumbili
2023-03-18 18:37:34 +0000 UTCThis is an amazing episode. It's in my top ten at number 9. The relationship between the Doctor and Idris/Tardis is fantastic and that ending always brings tears to my eyes. It was written by Neil Gaiman. A well known, award winning writer. He's written so much stuff it would take to long to get into here but on of the things he's done is Good Omens, you should check out the tv series as it stars David Tennant. Love we got to see more of the inside of the Tardis which we really haven't had so far in the new series and we got to see the old 10th Doctor console room again. Originally they wanted to use a more classic console but this was the only available one at the time. Rory and Amy opened the door using the password. But the password used mental image, not words. So Amy imagining the images opened the door. The Time Lord cubes were also used in one of the classic stories back in the 60's so a nice call back to that. The Doctor also called the Tardis old Girl a lot in the classic series.
Jade Ellis
2023-03-18 17:07:27 +0000 UTC
