"The Almost People" review and questions

[randomgirl666.livejournal.com]

 

I'll try and start at the beginning, although my impulse (understandably I think) is to start with the ending.

First of all, I love the little shout out to previous Doctors in the opening scene. Jelly babies! Neutron flow! TOM BAKER'S FUCKING VOICE. Fucking hell YES. I loved the two Doctors together, and the potential for fun in the situation was properly exploited (and now I'm thinking there should have been more of that in "Journey's End") without it being simply an opportunity for comedy. The prospect of a Doctor that doesn't always side with humans was intriguing, even if it's revealed to be a bluff.

I said last week, and I feel even more strongly now, that this two-parter was a kind of apology for the mess that was made with "The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" last year. Generally, with episodes that pose the question "whose side are you on?" it's pretty easy to come up with an answer (seriously: the Silurians were pricks. I was with crazy-torture-mother all the way). This is one of the few stories I've seen where I can genuinely understand both sides of the argument - it seems perfectly reasonable that the humans would be freaked out and threatened by the existence of the gangers and at the same time, the gangers' right to life is completely unarguable. I genuinely didn't want either side to lose, and that's how this kind of story should be. The only unsympathetic character was Ganger Jennifer (and come to think of it, I didn't like Real Jennifer much either), but unsympathetic is not the same as unrealistic. Unlike in "Cold Blood," the climax doesn't simply restore the status quo with a couple of minor changes - the existing order is actually melting away like so much discarded flesh by the end of the episode.

We get not one, but three climactic reveals this episode. The first one, that the Jennifer with Rory is a ganger, becomes obvious when she asks Rory to stick his hand on the control panel. The second one, regarding a certain pair of shoes, came out of nowhere. The final one, regarding Amy, was interesting. I can't say that nobody saw it coming, because I've seen the theory going round in the last week, but still I was shocked to see it turn out to be true.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that writer Matthew Graham has now more than acquitted himself for the travesty that was "Fear Her" (supposedly back then another episode was scrapped at the last minute and Graham had a few weeks to draft a replacement - it shows). Not only does he nail the Doctor's voice here (both of them), he nails this story and gets to grips with a theme that so many writers fuck up by oversimplifying it, or chucking in too many random loonies. I also really enjoyed all the guest actors in this episode. All of the characters were memorable in their own right (with the possible exception of one guy whose name I've already forgotten) - not something you can always say of Who guest stars in minor roles. I loved the relationship between Miranda and Ganger Miranda. Last week, Miranda came across as rather unsympathetic, but this week she was weary and resigned and determined and I thought she was awesome.

So now we know the truth. The real Amy was pregnant and being watched over by Sinister Eyepatch Midwife, whilst Ganger Amy was accompanying the Doctor and Rory on the TARDIS. All of this presents several questions:-

1. How long has the Doctor known that Ganger Amy was not the real Amy? How does he know and how did he know where to find answers?

2. Did Rory know? After all, he's pretty quick to step away from GangerAmy when the Doctor tells him to, and it would explain why he has so much sympathy for Ganger Jennifer.

3. At what point did our Doctor and Ganger Doctor swap shoes? Amy told one of them about witnessing the Doctor's death, but WHICH ONE? And either way, why didn't it get a bigger reaction?

4. Earlier in the series, there were a few mentions of Rory's constant near-deaths and his repetition of the phrase "I'm a nurse." Was all that just a red herring to distract us from Amy?

5. WHO THE FUCK IS RIVER SONG? (The smart money is on her being Amy's daughter, but I'm kind of hoping that's not true because it's too obvious).

Comments

[welshgirl15.livejournal.com]

Can it be next week now please!?

Amy told one of them about witnessing the Doctor's death, but WHICH ONE?

After it was revealed they'd swapped shoes, the real Doctor said something about it. I can't remember the line now though :/

[aareavis.livejournal.com]

You're not invited to this one.

[rabiya-al-basri.livejournal.com]

Can it be next week now please!?

srsly.

[sashafarce.livejournal.com]

I don't know about the first one, but I think Rory clearly realizes what's happening once he trusts the Doctor and pulls away from Amy.

The shoe swap happens about nine minutes in when the Doctors are standing behind the console. Essentially from that point on the Doctor that Amy assumes is the Doctor is not the actual Doctor but the Ganger Doctor, thus she confesses to Our Doctor at around the 15 minute mark. At the 38 minute mark the Doctors confess they swapped shoes and that the Ganger has been playing Our Doctor all along.

[hilandmum.livejournal.com]

I thought all he said was that they'd swapped shoes right at the beginning, which would mean that Amy told the real Doctor. But I'm going to have to watch this several more times.

I must say that the reveals in this episode explain several things that happened in all of this season's episodes. I'm going to have to watch them all again with this new information.

Mum

[loolaa.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed it too. And probably for much of the same reason you did with the added love for the visual creepiness of the Flesh and Ganger's appearances and the eyes in the wall etc. I love shit like that (probably why I'm such a big Silent Hill fan.)
Jennifer personality grated on me, her personality, the way she spoke and everything. I didn't like her much either but I liked everyone else well enough.

1. I think the Doctor knew Amy was a ganger for a while. I've only seen all these eps once so I could be wrong but when he scanned about with the Sonic he said that the reading of them were like people but different. I guess he noticed Amy through that and kept it to himself, as he has a habit of doing.
I personally think that he suspected or knew the Amy they found strapped to that upright table thing with the Silence was probably not Amy. Hence his odd reluctance to go get her.
Also when we saw where Amy was in that ep I remember it jarring me because it wasn't what Amy had described when she was a little red light. With hindsight what she described was more like the thingy she's currently trapped in.

2. I don't think he knew. I just assumed Rory has grown to trust the Doctor now. And I see him as quite a submissive character anyway so I figured he'd move if the Doctor was dead serious like that.

3. I have no idea when they swapped shoes. One of them said they swapped them early on so I'm going with the earliest opportunity when the others, and more importantly the audience couldn't see them do it.
I personally think Amy told the real one about his upcoming death. Partly for plot reasons, but mainly because... stop me if this is complicated: The Doctor lost it with Amy a bit as Eleven does (like in The Beast Below). Amy was talking about not trusting the Ganger and basically saying it would be acceptable to kill him, which would piss off the Doctor. However, if she'd said it to the Ganger then I don't think he'd have lost it. The Ganger is the Doctor so if she'd asked the Doctor to sacrifice himself he wouldn't be as angry. I see him as being more concerned with that other life (like in the Beast Below). Does that make any sense?

4. I'm not sure about the Rory stuff. Because I'm fairly indifferent to him and just see him as okay I don't pay as much attention. To me Amy is the companion and Rory's just her (slightly whiny) sidekick.
However, now that Amy is missing Rory will probably come into his own and hopefully be a bit more interesting. Which is a shame because I'll want more Amy!
(Gah, that sounds bad. Sorry! I know you love him!)

5. Yeah it's been pretty predictable for a while now that River could be Amy's daughter. I hope it's not true too. I'm hoping this is a Red Herring. I remember thinking she might be Amy's daughter during Time of Angels, but I decided not quite early on with River's underwhelming, response on meeting Amy. But then River is pretty strict about not giving anything away. And it's looking more likely it could be the case.

Also I think the 'Timehead' jokes weren't necessarily jokes. Amy was worried that being pregnant in the TARIS could affect her developing baby, we've seen the little American girl do regenerating/TARDIS gold sparkles. If she is Amy's kid then the whole jokey aspect of it was meant to mislead.
I think the same with the bunk bed joke. I think it was a child friendly way to let us know that Amy and Rory haven't had sex recently (though we adults know they could have been at it anywhere at any time). So if Amy was pregnant she'd definitely be showing. Or something.

I want River to be someone out of left field. I want her to be herself too and not one of the weird theorys being banded about. To honest I just want her to be a random companion that somewhere down the line he get more attached to than any of his others. Surely it wouldn't be unrealistic for something like that to happen in the Doctor's VAST lifetime.

[randomgirl666.livejournal.com]

Re: Timehead stuff. I think there definitely has to be SOMETHING weird about the baby for someone to go to the effort of kidnapping real Amy and making a ganger.

I would also like for River to be someone who is significant in herself, and not revealed to be someone else we already know. I really hope she isn't a Timelord (mainly because if we're getting a Timelord back, I want John Simm) or something like that.

[rabiya-al-basri.livejournal.com]

JOHN SIMM IS SO AMAZING. (As the Master, anyway, Sam Tyler is only pretty good)

[loolaa.livejournal.com]

Re: Timehead stuff. I think there definitely has to be SOMETHING weird about the baby for someone to go to the effort of kidnapping real Amy and making a ganger.

Oh yeah, there's definitely something weird about the baby without a doubt. I was just going off on a tangent in my little mind and connecting it with the little sparkly girl and wondering why she has super regenerative powers.

Also, I want John Simm to come back!

[rabiya-al-basri.livejournal.com]

re:#1, it had to have been earlier because she saw the weird window of light when she was at that weird haunted Silence house with ECD3. So the switch had to have been either A)in the ladies room at the White House, B)at the haunted Silence house, or C)before series 6 started. My money's on A, since C would be unsatisfying and B comes after the initial "I'm pregnant no I'm not" thing. I suppose there's D)right in the middle of that conversation, but...

[loolaa.livejournal.com]

Oh of course! I forgot about that. So it was any time before she saw the slidey-window woman for the first time. That makes sense. I agree with you and think it's A.

[rabiya-al-basri.livejournal.com]

"4. I'm not sure about the Rory stuff. Because I'm fairly indifferent to him and just see him as okay I don't pay as much attention. To me Amy is the companion and Rory's just her (slightly whiny) sidekick.
However, now that Amy is missing Rory will probably come into his own and hopefully be a bit more interesting. Which is a shame because I'll want more Amy!
(Gah, that sounds bad. Sorry! I know you love him!)"

This, all of it! Though in truth he's less whiny and sidekicky than Mickey Smith was.

[loolaa.livejournal.com]

Yeah Mickey was boring and I didn't really like him much. At least I think Rory is okay.

I'm surprised you agree though, most people adore Rory!

[rabiya-al-basri.livejournal.com]

I'm coming to like him more now. Also in part I resented him as an Amy/Eleven shipper. :P

[randomgirl666.livejournal.com]

Regarding a common criticisms I'm seeing of this episode elsewhere online:
I am AMAZED that so many people are getting all wound up about the Doctor doing away with the Amy ganger, mainly because they don't understand the difference between the gangers seen at the beginning of "The Rebel Flesh" (basically remote controlled fleshy robots) and the gangers with independent thought created by the storm. Seriously, do these people even WATCH the show before they come online to complain about it? (reminds me of the "genocide" argument after "Day of the Moon."

Secondly, I have actually seen people complaining that the child on the holo call is "not that cute." WHO GIVES A SHIT? He's an excited kid wanting to speak to his dad on his birthday, it's obviously going to have an emotional effect on the father. If someone like me (who NEVER EVER wants kids) can see that, then how cynical do you have to be to get aggrieved over it?

P.S. Icon chosen for relevance.

[hilandmum.livejournal.com]

First, I love your icon!

Second, I agree with you.

Third, I had a fleeting thought that, as much as Rory trusts the doctor, I'm not sure he should. Then again, I'm sure he has his reasons for everything he did.

Fourth, I've also wondered at the Doctor's involvement in whatever is happening to Amy. He seems to know a lot about it for someone who isn't involved...

And finally, everytime I watch Day of the Moon, I've wondered why the Doctor kept dropping his curiosity about who the little girl was. I'm sure that's significant, but for the life of me, I can't see how.

Mum

[rabiya-al-basri.livejournal.com]

One thing that just occurred to me is that the (ganger-)Amy's preference for non-ganger-Doctor was probably programmed into her ganger rather than being non-ganger-Amy. Or, at least, when the Doctor was talking about having made the switch to learn about the Flesh, it was learning about specifically-ganger-Amy's reactions, under the possibility that the Flesh would have a different reaction than Amy would.

OTOH, it does seem plausible that that was non-ganger-Amy's reaction, I feel like she's been that way before... but I found it really hurtful and annoying so I *want* to think it wasn't her...