Doctor Who: Sontaran Stratagem

[jack]

Good things

I really enjoyed this episode.

* The Doctor and Donna and Martha were great. Martha driving the Tardis was great, that she continues to see through the Doctor as no-one else can, and how they all bond. All their three perspectives on each other ("like fire") were multidimensional.
* The evil genius boy. I love that this nerd has so much gusto (bantering about grammar was great, as was his dismissal of the reporter at the start), rather than the normal cliches of "shy nerd who comes good in the end" or "mwahahaha 2d villain"
* The Sontarans are a good warrior race.
* The doctor and escort diving onto the grass and a tiny explosion behind them, and several other funny moments.

Good things: UNIT

You often see the doctor facing down aliens on his own, and think he needs some backup for when soft talking doesn't work. But this shows how it's not that easy. It's not overdone -- UNIT may be all quasi-legal-grey in Torchwood, but here they were pretty straightforward, but the potential for misuse and the Doctor's uncomfortableness were enough to underscore the problems.

I really liked the UNIT characters, the general and the doctor's escort, they were pleasant, competent, and good, and it shows the problem is the system, not that there are random evil people here.

Nitpicks

1. The whole Sontaran macguffin. I mean, it's not the stupidest plot ever considering what it's competing with, but it's definitely way more stupid than nothing.

If they were using the cars for precision work, having mobile units all over that could destroy key targets. Or if the aim was to control all military vehicles with no risk to yourself, it would make sense. But if you just want to kill lots of people, why futz around for the love of god.

Step 1. Accelerate a medium asteroid toward any city that looks like it might offer resistance.
Step 2. Profit.
Step 3. Profit.

I mean, come on! Any plan without a step two or three has to be good!

2. "Drive into the river! LEFT! RIGHT!" Come on! It's practically trivial to build a sat-nav that ignores stupid suggestions. I _have_ one, now, with today's technology![1]. It's so much more trivial to cut off all suggestions from the driver than to tell it to specifically disobey them. It said it was ignoring him.

And then blowing up? Computers self-destructing on contradictory statements is so mindbogglingly stupid I thought the meme had died, but here it is again. It is so stupid.

3. This was marginally less stupid once I knew the Atmos wasn't primarily a satnav, but still, as plans go:

1. Discover evil satnavs kill people
2. Go to evil satnav headquarters with no backup, get manhandled by genius goons and thrown out humiliatingly, loudly swear vengeance in great detail
3*. Phone UNIT to warn them
4. And make unsupported threats where evil satnav HQ people can hear
5. Discover evil satnav is out of control
6. Get in car and drive away.
7. Be surprised when you die.

Is one that really, really, really sucks. I mean, like eighteen out of ten on the international Sontaran scale of plan-sucking.

4. Suppose I am a governmental agency careening increasingly outside the law. Which restrictive government policy do I breach with most priority?

Due process of law?
Respectment of alien territories?
Putting evil satnav in my anti-evil-satnav jeep fleet?

Hint: The stupid one. I'll even let you leave the poison gas in if you want to, just smash the bloody satnav.

I can see what the episode was going for: relevance and creepiness of both climate control and excess satnav reliance issues. But I already thought relying on satnav to the detriment of common sense was stupid, so this episode was just sort of stirring that around to no helpful effect.

5. OK, so you change the name of UNIT to avoid offending the UN. That's a good idea, I agree. But why shout at the new name at every opportunity? Just say "UNIT". "UNIT" is a good name, with authority. Whatever it stood for was stupid.

6. Invading a factory, why shout "This is a UNIT operation"? Do you want people to get shot? What does that name mean to them? Invading in force is bad enough, why not should "POLICE" or at least "ARMY", something people might know means "It's under our control, stand still, obey, and it should in theory be ok."

7. "I'm calling you home to Earth." No duh. OK, it's useful scene setting, but why linger on it?

8. You are trapped in a car filled with poison gas. Separated from the relatively clean air outside by millimetres of safety glass. Outside is a man armed only with a tool (a) about nine inches long and made of metal and (b) of high-frequency-sonic-powered-shattering.

Do you (a) smash the glass (b) shatter the glass or (c) die? Justify your answer.

9. What was the Martha clone[2] wearing? Do the Sontarans keep clothes lying about? Or were they Martha's clothes? If so, how come she's still clamped to the table next episode[3]

10. Sending soldiers to wander the basement in pairs with no backup.

11. "Who's she, the cat's mother?" I suppose Donna's mum was supposed to be that strident, but really, it takes a superhuman amount of chutzpah to object to people using the pronoun "she" when you're eavesdropping on them! When can you use it?

12. "Like fire... Stand too close and someone gets burned." I thought it was great that they admitted that, the doctor is awesome, but dangerous. I thought spelling out the analogy was annoying (although probably the correct choice for kids who might not know it).

[1] That is: it doesn't accept any voice input. Also, I don't actually have one, but I mean, I'm referring to a standard satnav.
[2] I've given up even arguing with "clone"
[3] I guess.

Comments

[yrieithydd.livejournal.com]

10. Sending soldiers to wander the basement in pairs with no backup.

TBF, they had radios but they stopped working once in the clone room.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it wasn't inherently stupid, but I think the end of a cascade of little bits of stupid... I commented in more detail about this in Liz's post. http://despotliz.livejournal.com/355632.html#comments It was quite plausible, not unbelievably stupid, just stupid. (Eg. either regular radio check-ins, or larger squads, or more responsible squads, would have been fine.)

[robhu.livejournal.com]

They may have had regular radio check-ins, but the being captured and the conversion fitted in the gap. Even if they missed a check command is more likely to believe "Our radios weren't working then" than conclude they must have been brainwashed by aliens.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

You are trapped in a car filled with poison gas. Separated from the relatively clean air outside by millimetres of safety glass. Outside is a man armed only with a tool (a) about nine inches long and made of metal and (b) of high-frequency-sonic-powered-shattering. Do you (a) smash the glass (b) shatter the glass or (c) die? Justify your answer.
But it was DEADLOCK SEALED ! Which you know, happens about twice an episode now to counteract the fact that the sonic screwdriver has become a magic wand for solving everything.

I want to see a graph of the number of times the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver plotted against the date / series number.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

The whole Sontaran macguffin. I mean, it's not the stupidest plot ever considering what it's competing with, but it's definitely way more stupid than nothing.
If you're going to start criticising Doctor Who aliens for having implausible take over the world plans we're going to be here for a very long time!

OK, so you change the name of UNIT to avoid offending the UN. That's a good idea, I agree. But why shout at the new name at every opportunity? Just say "UNIT". "UNIT" is a good name, with authority. Whatever it stood for was stupid.
It used to be United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, but now it means Unified Intelligence Taskforce.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

OK, I admit it - this last comment is just an excuse to use my last Doctor Who icon.

*smirk*

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

That is, the old name was fine, but the new name was stupid. I suppose it's ok inherently (apart from the fake acronym), it's just why did they have to specify at all?

And yes, ROFL; that is a perfect icon :)

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Yeah the old name was good - maybe someone said it was a bit naughty to the right person in the BBC...

Wikipedia refers to an issue of SFX where he may have explained why - but as it is in offline dead tree format I can't know for sure.

[pogodragon.livejournal.com]

Number 11 - well, that was a standard thing to say around my Granny's house. And I never have managed to work out when one is 'allowed' to say 'she'. It's a bit late to ask now, unless you know anyone who is really really good at seances.

I am still in 'hate Catherine Tate' mode though, and thought Donna looked even worse in contrast to the Doctor/Martha relationship. I mean, so bloody smug and cocky and ... gah, I detest the character!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

"being captured and the conversion fitted in the gap."

Yeah, it's totally plausible. It's not an unbelievable stupidity, real army task forces make mistakes. HQ is *Probably going to believe "our radios weren't working" but they *shouldn't*: a check in in these circumstances is almost defined as "believe they were taken over by aliens"

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

sonic screwdriver has become a magic wand for solving everything.

I know what you mean. But it sort of makes sense, like the psychic paper: the doctor needs to be able to innovatingly open and jam stuff, and this is a physical manifestation of that.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I never have managed to work out when one is 'allowed' to say 'she'.

I think mum or grandma said it once, and I asked what it meant, and in retrospect mum was very good about explaining everything in more detail than I probably needed. She said, very simply, that if someone is there, it's rude to talk about them, you should talk to them, so rather than saying, "is she going out", you should say "are you going out?"

And the implication of "Who's 'she'? The cat's mother?" is that "she" must refer to someone who isn't there, and so is wantonly ambiguous, and the "she"-speaker is rude.

Of course, I don't see why you don't spend 2 minutes explaining that, instead of the rest of your life being sarcastic and hoping your children will pick up what you want by osmosis, but that's just me :)

I think the grey area is if someone is in the house, and likely to come in, and you're talking about them.

I infer Donna's mother is just so attuned to reflexively correcting her, she said "who's she?" automatically. And to be fair, Donna was just saying "don't tell her!" so she had some excuse to be annoyed even if she wasn't very accurate.

so bloody smug and cocky and ... gah, I detest the character!

I know what you mean, I don't especially like her personally, but I do like that someone takes the doctor and the tardis on her own terms, rather than just worshipping, it's a refreshing change, and shows another side of the doctor.

It's annoying when she's dismissive of things (like, thinking her wedding is more important than robot assassins and tardises), but if you don't let it get to you, it's good to see someone self-assured.

[saraphale.livejournal.com]

About the gas released by Atmos - at the end of the episode, the gas has quite a large coverage area, which would imply it would be difficult to counteract at that stage.

But: We've not actually seen it harm anyone. We also know the Sontarans have mind control technology. What if the gas is actually the transmission mechanism for it? I think it would be a bit more satisfying for the story if they're not killing people off, but instead they're creating a slave army. It would also be more easily reversible by the Doctor, than millions of deaths.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

IIRC (and I might not) the original series used to rely a lot more on clever planning and story than magical devices. Dues ex TARDIS anyone?

It's a dangerous path to walk. Star Trek went down that road with the "particle of the week" approach. I think that diluted the series quite badly.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that would make a lot of sense.

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

8. You are trapped in a car filled with poison gas. Separated from the relatively clean air outside by millimetres of safety glass. Outside is a man armed only with a tool (a) about nine inches long and made of metal and (b) of high-frequency-sonic-powered-shattering.

Do you (a) smash the glass (b) shatter the glass or (c) die? Justify your answer.

You know how Atmos reduces carbon emissions to zero, self-destructs when given a contradictory order and is employed by people who know it's dangerous? Do you think you could suspend your disbelief an incey bit further and assume that it also makes the windows unshatterable?[1] :)

As for the sonic screwdriver, is it able to get into a deadlocked container by any means? When Miss Foster deadlocked a whole building in the first episode, the Doctor didn't try to shatter the windows, did he? Just a thought.

11. "Who's she, the cat's mother?" I suppose Donna's mum was supposed to be that strident, but really, it takes a superhuman amount of chutzpah to object to people using the pronoun "she" when you're eavesdropping on them! When can you use it?

*rofl*

[1] I realise this is a bit like complaining that the Doctor picks up on grammatical errors but not really stupid plans by alien invaders.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Do you think you could suspend your disbelief an incey bit further and assume that it also makes the windows unshatterable?[1] :)

ROFL. (1) I do try, but ripping into random inconsistencies (both superficial, and subtly fundamental) is what my journal does :)

(2) I genuinely think that that is actually much less believable even in the confines of the show. It doesn't make sense physically, but intuitively you feel like a satnav might be able to operate the steering wheel, and lock the doors. That's the sort of thing it does. To me, making a window magically unshatterable is unexpectedly more.

Imagine it had been an open topped car. It starts filling with gas. Grandad screams. Doctor pounds helplessly on the side. Obviously it's possible that it encased the car in a forcefield. But I think that unless they showed the doctor banging on such a forcefield, most people, even normal, non-geek people, would ask "why can't he just climb over the side?"

To me, that's how I feel about the window. I know I'm unusual, but does that make sense?

After all, it's supposed to be a climax. Why is it a climax? Because people look in jeopardy. Why are they in jeopardy? Because they are close to being killed with no obvious means of escape. How do you tell there's no means of escape? Two ways: theatrical cues and eyesight. Obviously it's not showing you any way to escape, because the timing shows you this is a dramatic cliff-hanger, so the people are supposed to be in danger. But if the dramatic cliff-hanger was a small rabbit coming at them, you'd feel legitimately puzzled: "OK, I can see it's supposed to be scary from the music and the actions of the actors. But why is it dangerous? I don't get it."

As for the sonic screwdriver, is it able to get into a deadlocked container by any means?

Also, as someone else suggested, I bet the doctor does shatter the glass at the start of tomorrow's episode :)

But also, maybe not. Didn't he actually try and fail using it in the first ep, I don't remember? But a deadlock isn't a magical forcefield, it's a thick metal bold that is embedded in a hole in both a door and a wall, thus meaning you have to physically wind a key to pull it back. This is harder to defeat as (a) you can't simply futz electronics or locking mechanism, you have to physically move the bolt (b) it extends several inches on both sides, not just half an inch, so is very very much harder to smash a door open.

But it doesn't apply to windows. You can make tough glass you can't smash. But cars don't.

OK, so I'm not well countering an accusation of over-thinking this episode :)

[robhu.livejournal.com]

But if the dramatic cliff-hanger was a small rabbit coming at them, you'd feel legitimately puzzled:
TIM: Follow! But! follow only if ye be men of valor, for the entrance
to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man
yet has fought with it and lived! Bones of four fifty men lie strewn
about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or
your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty
big pointy teeth.
ARTHUR: What an eccentric performance.
[clop clop whinny]
KNIGHT: They're nervous, sire.
ARTHUR: Then we'd best leave them here and carry on on foot. Dis-mount!
TIM: Behold the cave of Kyre Banorg!
ARTHUR: Right! Keep me covered.
KNIGHT: What with?
ARTHUR: Just keep me covered.
TIM: Too late!
[chord]
ARTHUR: What?
TIM: There he is!
ARTHUR: Where?
TIM: There!
ARTHUR: What, behind the rabbit?
TIM: It is the rabbit!
ARTHUR: You silly sod! You got us all worked up!
TIM: Well, that's no ordinary rabbit. That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on.
ROBIN: You tit! I soiled my armor I was so scared!
TIM: Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide, it's a killer!
KNIGHT: Get stuffed!
TIM: It'll do you a trick, mate!
KNIGHT: Oh, yeah?
ROBIN: You mangy Scot git!
TIM: I'm warning you!
ROBIN: What's he do, nibble your bum?
TIM: He's got huge, sharp-- he can leap about-- look at the bones!
ARTHUR: Go on, Boris. Chop his head off!
BORIS: Right! Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew comin' right up!
TIM: Look!
[squeak]
BORIS: Aaaugh!
[chord]
ARTHUR: Jesus Christ!
TIM: I warned you!
ROBIN: I peed again!
TIM: I warned you! But did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it? Well,
it's always the same, I always--
ARTHUR: Oh, shut up!
TIM: --But do they listen to me?--
ARTHUR: Right!
TIM: -Oh, no--
KNIGHTS: Charge!
[squeak squeak]
KNIGHTS: Aaaaugh! Aaaugh! etc.
KNIGHTS: Run away! Run away!
TIM: Haw haw haw. Haw haw haw. Haw haw.
ARTHUR: Right. How many did we lose?
KNIGHT: Gawain.
KNIGHT: Hector.
ARTHUR: And Boris. That's five.
GALAHAD: Three, sir.
ARTHUR: Three. Three. And we'd better not risk another frontal assault, that rabbit's dynamite.

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

That's what I was thinking! :)

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

OK, so I'm not well countering an accusation of over-thinking this episode :)

*lol*

Well, now, the thing about deadlocks... Do you think we're dealing with the same kind of deadlock as the sort you describe though? It's just that such a range of things seem to become magically deadlocked in Dr Who that I wonder whether the Doctor has a different perception of what deadlocking means. I don't know. But I could write in to Dr Who Adventures Magazine and ask them to explain (recently there was a letter asking whether Jack really is the Face of Boe, and they completey skirted the question and said we would probably never know for sure though...) :)

To me, that's how I feel about the window. I know I'm unusual, but does that make sense?

Yes, but it doesn't make you less unusual ;)

[robhu.livejournal.com]

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Deadlock_seal

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Clearly great minds think alike ;-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Do you think we're dealing with the same kind of deadlock as the sort you describe though?

No, probably not, I think it also makes sense as a general term for "sealing a building with all preplaced security measures available". Which is naturally related to physical deadlocks, which are the way to seal things most-fool-proofly, as they are a physical barrier.

But I strongly suspect the writer just uses it as feels appropriate to them, rather than storing a consistent definition in the big file of "background facts to keep consistent"[1] :) If so, a good answer to the question would be "we asked the writer, and they were referring to the big file for a definition of deadlock" or "we asked the writer, and they used it as sounded reasonable to them, but there's no specific definition maintained throughout the series". But I'm sure it's the latter, and I doubt the magazine has a hotline to the writers, so I expect you can tell as much by watching as by asking anyone :(

[1] I don't even know whether there is such a file, or whether it's a few of the most obvious things or goes into great detail. I suspect it's mostly done by what information is in people's heads, but that's a guess.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it doesn't make you less unusual ;)

ROFL :)

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

I tend to hope that RTD is there like a big fangirlish holding-together device for background details like this. But maybe he's not omnipotent or something :)

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

Aha, so there are others who care then :) But are there no references to deadlocks that the sonic screwdriver can't open before the noughties revival of DW?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'd like to think so, but I think it's too much to ask: it's a big enough job keeping straight big things like "can the Tardis fly" and "is the doctor ruthless", let alone keeping track of the other stuff. I think a lot is just the responsibility of the writer of the week, and what sounds right to them.

That is, I'd love it if they did, but I think it's too much to hope for, and I don't actually have a problem with making things up that sound good, I think that's the right thing to do, and doctor who has changed over the years, and that's the only way to do it. I just like nitpicking, and get annoyed when what someone makes up one week doesn't seem consistent within that episode, or with what the audience probably _does_ know.