Doctor Who! (apologies, the real Sue will be back shortly)

[susie_flo]

Happy Easter, Fiendlets!  11am, in my dressing gown, sipping a coffee.  That's civilisation that is.

I've just spent several minutes bothering G with my niggle about last night's Doctor Who and now that I have time on my hands I thought I would pop in and spritz my thoughts in your unfortunate direction too.  I should preface by saying I DO like the new doctor.  (In fact, for the first time ever, I think I *slightly* fancy him.)  And I like his new hench too.  So 'tis all looking good.

Also I did enjoy yesterday's episode... however I do have a niggle. In fact it's a bit of a fundamental problem with the doc's judgement and morality.

So, my main questions throughout the episode were "why was Prisoner Zero in prison?" and "why does nobody want to find out?"  Cos the way it looked to me, he had escaped from a totalitarian jail (having commited an unknown crime) and subsequently spent 12 years in hiding, hurting nobody.  It's not as if Amy had any idea he was there... he even created a fake extra-dimensional room to live in.  It seemed like his worst crime was to go on village walks having taken the shape of coma victims so as to blend in.   The only reason he was even found is because of the Doctor blundering around in his TARDIS and drawing attention to the planet. 

Even when under threat, it seemed to me that Prisoner Zero simply tried to make himself appear scary as possible, but didn't actually hurt anyone.

His captors, on the other hand, were a regime of war criminals.  They turned up and threatened to wipe out an entire planet in order to get him back.  And they were planning to execute him this time.  So why did the doctor just hand him over back to his captors without finding out why he was on the run?  What if he was a political criminal who deserved freedom?  And why was a small telling off and a warning all the punishment that the regime deserved after planning to wipe out a planet?  Tsk!

G, of all people, has just told me that I am "too liberal for my own good".


(Of course none of this is as shocking as what Steel did to Tully at the end of the Assignment 2 of Spaffire and Squeal.)

Comments

[steer.livejournal.com]

To be fair, if there was an escaped prisoner in my house I think I'd also secure his return before asking questions about his guilt or innocence at the hands of a potentially brutal state. Besides, prisoner zero had a guilty face. Also you don't get to be prisoner zero if you're only slightly dangerous. The guys who are in there for minor misdemeanors are prisoner #235,323,219.

Living next to Pentonville has focused my mind on this question. So if prisoner zero was in a room off my landing I would also hand him back quickly and then write letters as advised by Amnesty if I subsequently found he was unjustly imprisoned.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"if there was an escaped prisoner in my house I think I'd also secure his return before asking questions about his guilt or innocence at the hands of a potentially brutal state. "
I am a lil bit apalled by this statement.

"I would also hand him back quickly and then write letters as advised by Amnesty"
So basically... you'd go for ineffective letter-writing over being a freedom fighter?

(I have to admit that PZ's visage was not exactly brimming with innocence and kindness... but he can't really help it if he is born a fangy-toothed blue worm, can he?)

[steer.livejournal.com]

I am a lil bit apalled by this statement.

You are surely joking? No, I think I'd be well out of there calling the police and ensuring he was back behind bars... I think definitely going "so, um, what were you in for... do you feel it was just that you were imprisoned?" is wholly the wrong approach to take.

Also, frankly, what are they going to say "No, they got me bang to rights guv, I'm guilty as hell." Also, my chances of launching an effective investigation as to their guilt or otherwise while trying not to be killed by them would be limited.

Besides which, if they were a political prisoner with an important message of freedom and hope, probably as well to mention that rather than the whole fangs and threatening approach.

you'd go for ineffective letter-writing over being a freedom fighter?

I'd go for being an ineffective letter writer over being a corpse.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"I'd go for being an ineffective letter writer over being a corpse"

Awww, now where's your romantic spirit? [grin]

Ok, it would change things if the escapee was scary and threatening towards me. But if he was just y'know... lurking harmlessly, I might take the time to try and understand his side of things.

But anyway it's not about me or you.... The Doctor is apparently scary enough to wag a finger at a battalion of war criminals and make them flee in fear. So surely he could have used the same scariness to negotiate with the regime and find out what the prisoner was guilty of - at least to make a better-informed judgement.

[steer.livejournal.com]

Now let's be fair to the "war criminals", they did not do anything worse than threaten and prisoner zero also exhibited threatenting behaviour. They're both guilty of common assault (threatening behaviour which any reasonable person would find worrying) but nothing else in my IANAL opinion.

Also, maybe the Doctor knows that the particular race in question is always a bit dodgy. After all, if you find a dalek in your living room you don't stop to see if it's the nice dalek that cries.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"they did not do anything worse than threaten and prisoner zero also exhibited threatenting behaviour."

He was only threatening when he was cornered and about to be handed back to a regime who would execute him. They, otoh, were aggressors towards the whole planet with no provocation.

"Also, maybe the Doctor knows that the particular race in question is always a bit dodgy."

Making up stuff that we don't know is cheating...

[steer.livejournal.com]

He was only threatening when he was cornered and about to be handed back to a regime who would execute him.

Do we know that's what they would do?

Making up stuff that we don't know is cheating...

We don't explicitly know but he did say something like "ooh bugger it's a multiform" in the same way you or I might go "crikey, an enraged rhino". Rather than "Oh, it's one of those usually friendly multiform type chaps who are often so friendly and helpful."

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"Do we know that's what they would do? "

I think when he was cornered at the hosp he said that this time they would kill him.

See, I think Ecclestone's doc might have behaved differently to Matt Smith's.

(And now I am going to sit quietly in a room and think about just how much more of a geek I want to allow myself to become in this argument)

[steer.livejournal.com]

Yes, he said they would do that, but if you're allowed to be unsure as to whether he's really guilty I'm allowed to be unsure as to whether he's really going to be executed. You are 100% geek through and through.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Ha! Well I suppose I should be flattered u didn't class me as a dweeb or (even worse) a dork!

[(Anonymous)]

I tended to think that the mystery-never-seen-before room was really something like Argentina post WW2. Popular place to hide out. What I couldn't figure out was why all the coma patients had been chanting the doctor's name and why. Was it Prisoner Zero trying to call for help or calling for the person who was going to get them captured??

I did however, quite like the new Dr Who. He was trying a little less hard to be an 'ACTOR' (said my best thesp voice) than David Tennant. I also really liked Amy and even the kid.

It really rather feel odd writing this while watching Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version). Must appreciate never calling anyone by their first name and nothing like a good game of Whist!

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Hello there... (you sound like someone I might know... are you one of my FB fiends?)

Yes, I agree re: the coma patients. Not sure what was going on there.

If you are female, I assume you are (ahem) enjoying the Mr Darcy wet look. G once commented with amusement that all of my contacts in my iPhone come up with full names and titles - (e.g. "Missed Call from Ms Jane Fairfax"). It's the way to go, so say I!

[steer.livejournal.com]

Prisoner zero needed a mental source to tap for his illusions which he was able to get from the coma ward (dog and bloke illusion) -- presumably because they were in a more vulnerable mental state. This created a mental link between the prisoner and the coma patients so they were in some way expressing what the prisoner was thinking.

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

none of this is as shocking as what Steel did to Tully at the end of the Assignment 2 of Spaffire and Squeal

What's sad is that if they'd explained the situation to Tully, he'd've volunteered. In fact, D & I have a sneaking suspicion that he had a sneaking suspicion, IYSWIM. He knew, and he went anyway.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I wondered the same thing... because he seemed so solemn when he went back to the bridge the last time