Listen, Gallifrey Gals Get Wibbly Wobbly! S8Ep4

Your Sheppard is absolutely Renegade

Bryan Cook

I was going to write another comment here, but someone stole my coffee and I've been looking for it for the past 30 mins .....

Sufyaan Kazi

Hey Red Claw! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm for what is upcoming but I am going to delete your comment that way Paula wont be spoiled by this! If you would like to discuss spoilers and other upcoming things with the community, head on over to the discord channel, where we have a specific chat dedicated just to Spoilers!

Time Lord

Red Claw

I love the fact that she puts the soldier without a weapon in his mind as well :-)

FalcorDragon

This is a great episode. Thanks for the reaction!

Ryan Lake

This is one of my all-time favourite episodes, and I genuinely feel it's a masterpiece! It’s a great atmospheric story, made more powerful by the fact that we never see the actual “monster” – if indeed there is an actual monster hiding behind us. It could all be the Doctor’s over-taxed imagination and childhood fears come to plague him, and the creature under the blanket in Rupert's room could well be just one of the other kids in the home playing a trick. I love the Doctor’s little pep talk to young Rupert about fear being a super power, which for the first time shows just how charming this Doctor can be, especially with kids. And the fact this is looped back to with Clara’s advice to what we assume is the young Doctor on Gallifrey, I feel nicely binds this story together. And then there’s the “sub-plot” of the on-again, off-again “date from hell” with Clara and Danny – so painfully awkward with missteps on both sides. They’re both uncertain about the other, and although keen to get to know each other better they both are hiding behind lies about themselves. For Clara this is obvious, but I feel it’s true about Danny as well – he is obviously very touchy about his time in the army, and is hiding something about himself in the process. The poor couple just fail to connect, no matter how hard they try, which is something of a theme this series (not only between Clara and Danny, but also the Doctor and Clara). Clara’s final line “Fear makes companions of us all” is in fact a (mis)quote from the First Doctor’s second ever episode in 1963. The actual line, spoken by the Doctor to one of his new (and reluctant) companions is “Fear makes companions of all of us”, but Moffat, having misremembered it, preferred “of us all” in the end. Despite what people say about some of Moffat's plot and character choices (some of which is justified), one thing that is beyond doubt is his ability to conjure up tension and fear out of the ordinary - be they statues (harmless stone except when you're not looking), a boy in a gas mask, shadows, or here where it's the fear itself of something behind you. No grand CGI or gruesome prosthetics, just the tension that there might be something there. That, I think, is masterful. P.S. Sheppard reminds me of my own ginger cat when she was a kitten. She's now 18 and rather fragile, but still likes to snuggle up.

Lloyd B

Listen is not the episode i enjoy rewatching the most (that is Day of the Doctor) but the script is probably the best ever written for Doctor Who. With excellent direction, acting and atmosphere, Listen makes for a top tier episode. One of the very, very best. But oh boy, is this story divisive for some. The lack of an actual antagonist (or the actual presence of one according to some - which to me makes no sense thematically) and the clever-clever writing really rubbed some viewers the wrong way. I remember being shocked by Trevor from The Doctor Who Podcast saying: "This is probably the point where i'm gonna say bye-bye to Doctor Who." Personally i think Listen is one of the most profound and moving stories DW has ever told while also being the most relentlessly tense and nightmarish, and still keeping the terror kid-friendly. AND it manages to be a romantic comedy as well! Listen is genius. And cat content was 10/10!

Opti_Frog

I'm with you.

Opti_Frog

Same! *high fives*

Nicole Mazza

I think this is probably one of the best episodes of Doctor Who period; Moffat is always at his best writing stand alone stories like Girl in the Fireplace and the Doctor Dances, Forest of the Dead. His larger arcs with Smith got very convoluted... Davies was great at character arcs

George Baxter

You'll have to explain to me down the line how Season 8 is 'a mess'. This season is much more coherent than 7 and actually has a core theme and arcs for the Doctor and Clara. Its not the best or worse

George Baxter

People always say Clara was given too much importance here but just like in the 50th, she represents all companions here and really this is a circular story where the Doctor's own wisdom is repeated back to him. It doesn't change any of the show's history it just gives us a new perspective

George Baxter

this is a great episode, mainly, I think, because nobody see the "he'll never make a time lord" line coming. it completely change the tone of the episode. anyway, one of the things I don't understand was, why Orson was willing to go back to his ship, after he found himself in a restaurant full of people. it seem like a much nicer place to wait until the doctor could take him back home

tal goren

I love this series, and I love Moffatt. I'm one of the very few who does, and I'm very proud to say that I do.

Amy Chlebus

Clara works better with 12 than with 11.

Stephen Ray

Valkyrie

I like most of the episode, but like always, I have a distaste for Moffat changing the show's history and making his characters into these central figures of the Doctor's history. Like making Clara this soothing voice of the Doctor's childhood giving him wisdom that would always be a part of him. Still, it's a minor thing, I suppose, so I can live with it.

Scribbles

A really good showcase in my opinion. When you lay it all out there, it’s awesome how much Moffat manages to balance.

Steve Combs

Katrina, we saw your looks! Well done too on not spoiling Paula and giving the clues when cute kitty distracted her. This was a lovely episode and sets up the coming dynamic as actors and characters between Jenna and Peter ❤️

Sufyaan Kazi

I forgot how dense this episode is. Moffat fit A LOT in here, from a scary story that repeats a few times, to Danny/Clara awkwardness, to backstory on the Doctor.

Firefly24601

This episode is so good that if for some reason they had wanted to wrap up the entire Doctor Who franchise with it, it would have worked as the final episode due to the way it ended. It's just a fantastic episode all the way around and easily one of my all-time favorites.

Jeff Seely

Does a kitten biting your face make it more creepy or less creepy?

TheHimble

When the Doctor says 'Sontarans! Perverting the course of human history!' when he wakes up is a call back to one of the first things he said as the Fourth Doctor right after his regeneration. :)

Nicole Mazza

Same, one of my favorites

Amanda Logsdon

Oooh, this is a HUGE fave of mine! Can't wait to watch your reaction! <3

Nicole Mazza

Paula, perhaps it's time to get more cat advice from Gates McFadden. :-)

Bruce Bromley

Been waiting for THIS, just like Ravjeet says, also one of my favourites!!

Sufyaan Kazi

one of my fav Capaldi episodes

Ravjeet B