Official Moffat Scorecard: SitL/FotD

[butterfly]

There are some very common Moffatisms that occur in the episodes that he's done. How many of those did he hit in this two-parter?

The companion will be cast as a nagging wife type (à la Rose in GitF and Martha in Blink).

And the cards say... yes! Not only was Donna oddly jealous of River in the first half, she actually became a wife in the second half.

Moffat's guest character will overshadow the regulars.

Yes! Donna did absolutely nothing that helped to save the day. She was utterly useless. Instead, it was River who saved the day (and the Doctor, who was missing about three-quarters of his brain throughout the episodes).

Someone will do something incredibly stupid (à la "but I thought I'd fixed the fireplace").

The Doctor! Several times! "Oh, I'll just not bring any lights out of the TARDIS even though the shadows are dangerous." "Sonic screwdrivers can't open wooden doors, don't be silly." "Books are made out of trees? What an odd and obscure fact!"

Series continuity will be ignored and/or contradicted.

Ha-ha! Sorry, I can't even take this seriously when it comes to Moffat. This is, like, every word that he writes. But, for example, randomly the Doctor had no issues at all with River using a gun, despite what is revealed he did (in one of Moffat's own episodes!) to the factory that makes them, plus the fact that he's been really twitchy about guns ever since the Master was shot.

In-jokes to Moffat's previous episodes will be made.

"Everybody lives!" "I'm always all right." "Always wait five (and a half) hours." The fifty-first century in general (related -- squareness guns).

Sexual innuendo will be prominent.

Handcuffs!

Much of the episode will hinge entirely on viewers being too caught up in the suspense of the moment to think about the plot holes.

No! But only because there was absolutely no suspense at all in the first part, so the plot holes were readily apparent on first viewing.

Whatever occurs in this episode will be utterly irrelevant to the rest of the series.

Hee. In theory, we don't know about this one yet. However, he's certainly made it possible for River to never ever come up again. It's a closed story that can exist without any extra elaboration.

The Doctor will come across more as an intergalactic playboy than a brilliant, emotionally damaged alien.

Debatable! River's actions implied it, but David played against it.

All relationships between men and women will be about sex and/or marriage.

Yes. Oh, Moffat's issues, you are so obvious.

Comments

[tsukara.livejournal.com]

Oh I am so making a Moffat-snark bingo-card. :D

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

You should! I'm just so baffled that SM actually did so much worse than I was expecting. I was thinking we'd get a Blink but we didn't even get a Girl in the Fireplace.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Truest facts.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Oh, Moffat. I can't believe that he actually managed to go significantly lower than my expectations. I set the bar so low! And he still wiggled underneath.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

It's almost something to admire in a twisted way.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

A very twisted way. Have I mentioned already that I'm so glad that I don't need to watch his stuff ever again? Ah, well, consider it mentioned again.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

The most I can say is that I'll lol at the spoilers. The Doctor's divorced wife next time?

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Or it'll a secret Time Lady in hiding and the Doctor will mention how she can understand him in a way that he never thought he'd have again.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I think that she should call him her lonely angel.

[pluckyyounggirl.livejournal.com]

River's actions implied it, but David played against it.

And thank goodness he did. But even DT couldn't save this. He just didn't seem like he could be bothered even putting some effort it. *pats DT*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

*also pats DT*

Poor David. It can't be fun for him to be playing the Doctor as such an idiot. You can't save needing five minutes to figure out that books are made of paper which comes from trees.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't think of it, but I think my assumption was that, given the 51st century, that the books would be made of something other than actual wood paper. Like... synthetic paper, or something.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

For me, it was the Doctor talking about the smell in the beginning of SitL that made me assume they were wood-type paper. If they hadn't had him say that, I probably would have assumed the same.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

... He said that? Huh. I think I might have possibly dozed off during the first part. I was bored. ;-)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I don't blame you. It was pretty boring (not something that I was expecting to say about Moffat!).

[ivydoor.livejournal.com]

You, you're just a rabid batchipper. What do you know? /sarcasm

How about the storybook ending with flowing white cotton dress and OMGBABIES to tuck in at night? Look, I'm a mom. A stay-at-home-mom. And I think that ending was complete tripe. River went from being the stereotypical "strong woman" to being "saved" by becoming nothing more than a echo of consciousness caring for children, two of which didn't even exist in reality.

GAH. That makes me angry. Obviously watching The Idiot's Lantern didn't cure my feminist rage last night.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Feminist rage is a good way of putting it.

I'm so, so glad that I've already decided to give Moffat's Who a pass.

[dividedloyalty.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it!

I was waiting for the second part to fully like the story, and like it I did! I even like River, although I still don't like her name. :/

I can honestly say that the only thing that really bugged me was Evangelista and her pretty OR brilliant comment. But I also think that's not exactly what that comment was supposed to mean. :)

However, this two parter was The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances revisited. And Moffat used so many of the same devices that I have to think it was intentional. ( a dead body repeating the same phrases, bringing in a character that will have a huge part on the Doctor - Jack and River, the companion is away from the Doctor for a long part of the story, a woman saves the day, everybody lives...)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say that the only thing that really bugged me was Evangelista and her pretty OR brilliant comment. But I also think that's not exactly what that comment was supposed to mean. :)

I wish that I could think of an alternate explanation. What else could it be meant to imply?

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's actually kind of amazing how we predicted the most obvious and boring things ahead of time and hoped they wouldn't be true... and then it was like it was even WORSE. I'm still left wondering what's happened. *shakes head*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I know! I had the bar lowered so much for him, but he still snaked underneath it!

[millylicious.livejournal.com]

Debatable! River's actions implied it, but David played against it.

Seriously? I rewatched GiTF and after rewatching both episodes, it's like David is fighting teeth and nails against how Moffat is trying to portray the Doctor to make him, you know, actually the Doctor.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I feel so bad for David in these episodes. So bad. He has to play the Doctor as an idiot. And that's without bringing the icky sexist vibes that the episode was bleeding all over me.

[sunnytyler001.livejournal.com]

You are made of win!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Hee. Thanks.

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

All true. I loved Blink, but this one was worse than GitF. I was both stressed and bored during the second episode. At the same time.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Which is kinda impressive, but not in the "I want to watch more" kind of way.

[anoel.livejournal.com]

Yeah you pretty much summed it all up. The biggest problem for me will always be guest characters overshadowing the regulars which is SO not my thing.