Doctor's Wife - Disturbing Realization - Spoilers

[jhumor]

So I just realized something that I haven't seen anyone mention anywhere:

I was actually disturbed that again the Doctor didn't give the bad guy a chance.  Nor did the TARDIS, oh yes, cool special effects.  And no, House and the TARDIS can't co-exist, but why not make it about them not being able to co-exist?  Why make it about 'killing House'?  I don't know, but this "Doctor is a bad-ass killing right and left" is getting to me.

As is all the Rory dying bits.  Why is the Doctor so into killing people and SM so into killing Rory?

Comments

[jjhunter]

If House didn't try to kill them, the TARDIS's human body would not have been returned to the main console room and House would not have been destroyed; House did have an option even if the Doctor did not explicitly present it as such.

On the other hand, can you imagine any single other being as integral to the Doctor's identity as the TARDIS? I see him as being at his most ruthless in 'her' (if gender is at all relevant for an 11th dimensional being) defense.

As for the TARDIS, I suspect she had no scruples about killing House whatsoever, given what House did to so many of her 'sisters' and attempted to do to her. Does the TARDIS miss the other TARDIS's? What kind of a community, if any, did they have?

One interesting thing I saw mentioned in another review is that there's zero curiosity about or exploration of Idris-before-she-was-TARDIS in the episode; it's a horrific thing to happen to anyone, and a hole ripe for fans to fill in.

Just my two cents.

[skywaterblue]

No one says the TARDIS has to be merciful all the time. In fact, she is traditionally portrayed as a bit aggressive. I have no problem with her eating House.

Not a problem this time (I think)

[ed_rex]

As I've posted elsewhere, Moffat's penchant for turning the Doctor into a killer who loves killing is a major problem for me.

But this time, I thought it worked. I didn't get the sense that the Doctor enjoyed killing House (or rather, enjoyed watching the TARDIS kill house), but rather that he was incredibly relieved that the TARDIS was able to survive.

It's a subtle difference in tone (as others have pointed out in reply to your post, the Doctor has always been willing to kill, what's weird with 11 is that he so often enjoys it), but I think Gaiman's script stays true to the spirit of Who, where Moffat keeps betraying it.

Similarly, I thought Rory's "death" scene for once, wasn't a cheat. Gaiman made sure we knew that Amy (and Rory) were being mentally tortured and so we weren't supposed to believe that Rory was dead, but only that Amy thought he was.

For the first time since "Vincent and the Doctor", I'm happy with an episode of Doctor Who!

[evilawyer]

Your observation ties into something I'm writing, and I am curious --- Do you perceive Eleven as being more bloodthirsty about killing or simply killing more?

[xtricks]

Well, Nine is the only (nu) Doctor offhand I can think of who balked at killing people -- 10 wiped out the Rancoss and waved his hands and looked megalomaniac while he did it and he's allowed companions/events and circumstances to kill quite a few folks, as have many of the old Doctors as well.

Dr. Who isn't actually as light, fluffy and gentle as people seem to think and Eleven has made it clear from the beginning that pissing him off results in Very Bad Things.