Doctor Who; The Zygon Invasion Part 2

Stop trying to make this show about everything! For Pete sake; was this salvaged from a Gene Rodenberry script?

 

The Doctor, Clara and Osgood looking bored....like the audience

Yes IS are bad. Trouble is I came here to watch some aliens shoot lightning at a Scottish guy who’s wearing sunglasses in the dark.

Up until this point, this series has been in the category of “a tad too wordy.” This episode crosses the line into stage play levels of dialogue. I’m not looking for blockbuster explosions here, but there’s a talking scene (without so much as some music) that feels like it goes on forever. Incidentally, during this scene, the Doctor makes the same point about 3 times. I’m no expert, but I think they could have shaved some time off that scene, by having him make it once.

Oh, and that point that he makes; we should just try to talk and negotiate to avoid more killing. If we all just learnt to get along, we’d all be safe and sound.

Thank you Mr Harness and Mr Moffatt; but please explain further this “negotiation” thing of which you speak; I don’t think we’ve ever heard of it.

I get that there are children watching this and we have to keep the more weighty messages simple, but does it have to come at this cost? The message of this episode is so patronising; everyone just sit down and talk and work this out. I think the real situation that this is drawn from might be a little more complex than that.

What would have been so wrong with giving the Zygons a religious motivation and highlighting the need to end religious influence over politics in all corners of the Earth? What would have been so wrong with suggesting that UNIT was trying to control the Zygon population and caused an uprising?

The revealed Zygon motivation: they’re just angry young people with no long-term plan. Because that’s what they needed to do, patronise the younger audience too.

The one good thing about the episode is the casual reveal that this is the sixteenth time that this has happened and the Doctor has been wiping everyone’s memories. I mean, it’s only good given that the comical delivery of the line by Capaldi makes you forget what a stupid solution it is.

And finally, “what matters is that Osgood lives.”

Go away; I’m fighting not to type some profanity here. I’ve always like the way that Moffatt gives characters the George RR Martin treatment and this line of fan pandering is really unacceptable.

Why should I care about any character in this show, when I know that death isn’t the end for them? I mean unless they’re Danny Pink (because it sucks to be Danny Pink). As long as the fans moan enough, they’ll be back.

This episode is disappointing, patronising and the exact thing that nearly sank Star Trek the Next Generation.