NewWho 6.6: The Almost People

[susanreads]

I know it isn't really season 6, but I can never remember how many seasons there were before the hiatus. I suppose I could call this episode Six of Eleven.

I haven't read any reaction posts, or finished watching Confidential. At some point once I have, I need to watch the episode again, and also parts of earlier episodes. (I kept all the recordings just in case something like this happened.)

Spoilers are almost coherent

One of the reasons I need to watch it again is that I got confused about which Doctor was which, not because of the trick with the shoes (after the shot where they made a point of it, I never noticed which shoes he was wearing), but because dialogue indicated it was the Flesh Doctor staying behind with Amy, and then the other one started telling the Flesh he was one of them. I guess we were meant to be confused.

So it's Still With Us Doctor that Amy was talking to about "I think I've seen your death". Oops?

Whoever said that (the quantum pregnancy means that) the Amy we're watching is a copy and the original is telepathically linked, you called it! But apparently Flesh Amy was never out of contact long enough to become a person (if the Doctor was willing to save both versions of the factory crew, surely he'd try to save both versions of Amy), so the link must have been working when they were outside the Universe!

Was it the Tardis or the Doctor that landed them at the "monastery"? It sounds as if the Doctor knew what was happening and planned to go there all along, to research the nature of Flesh; he must have been working it out and planning since the end of episode 2 (I think this is connected to his running off and not going after Tiny Time Lady then - he's distracting the Ponds, and knows he can always go back). That and zapping Flesh Amy at the end are glimpses of him not being Mister Nice Guy all the time. I like it when he's being alien, but not pulling a Ten. Though, this incarnation may not be a megalomaniac, but he does have a massive ego!

Wasn't it suspiciously convenient that the Flesh people he did manage to save were copies of originals who he didn't? (I mean, obviously the writers have worked it out to be neat like that, because otherwise: massive loose ends, but that's a Doylist reason.)

Amy's been not-right-here for a long time - at least since we first saw Eyepatch Lady in episode 2. I thought it might be during the gap of months between eps 1 and 2 (which would mean the baby is Rory's, and not an Alien or Mystical Pregnancy: I hate that trope), but the start of Confidential suggests otherwise. Either way, it can't be the Silence that are holding her, can it? They would have known Canton faked Amy's death back then.

Comments

[trouble]

I think it was Smith that Amy told about his upcoming death because I can't come up with a better explanation about why he just snapped and started yelling and banging Amy against a wall if he was Real Doctor.

[susanreads]

Oops, I meant to come back and reply to this! But never found the time to rewatch the whole episode. Having found that scene, perhaps you're right - he's reacting to a telepathic scream from the Flesh, and the other one says he didn't feel it as strongly. I don't know when they'd have had time to swap shoes after that, though.