DW: 6.3

Anyone else think this is Stephen Thompson living out his pirate fantasy? Easily one of the more forgettable filler episodes, and one with many, many problems...

Who are these people? We don't get the usual 'this is Bob, this is Dave' scene, so all of a sudden we have characters refer to others by name and we have no idea who they are. I thought the captain was going to be a big reveal of some notable pirate figure, but no, we just didn't hear anyone say his name for most of the episode until the Doctor casually calls him "Henry Avery". And the kid is suddenly called Toby, and then there's Mulligan... but who any of the others are, who knows? Not that anyone seems to care about them either, the other characters are perfectly happy to sit back and let them get touched by the Siren... (and indeed, when they disappear in the middle of a scene, no-one notices.)

And how exactly did that black spot thing work? I can't remember if there was technobabble to explain that, but a minor scratch and instantly spot? Or some kind of illness? If we are talking alien perspective, there are billions of bacteria and microscopic organs in our bodies that make us appear riddled with diseases from child birth. Let alone if the ship was scanning for the major lifeform, and it was in the ocean, it's highly unlikely human will be picked as the ones to care about.

But then, they are, and, as said, a minor scratch is enough... fine, Rory and Toby might have severe issues that stop them from being easily taken off that ship, but all the rest of the others are scratches and stuff that won't stop them walking off the ship if woken. So why are they kidnapped then? Is Henry just a complete douche to take them with him? Although why is Henry able to move around? He, Amy and the Doctor got scratched, so why weren't they strapped to a bed?

Then there's that whole problem of still water/reflection. The ocean wasn't calm in the wide shots (enough to be a decent reflective surface), and the Siren disturbed the water coming through, so, it doesn't need to stay a reflection? There's 'ignore my previous theories' and then there is 'let's change everything and talk quickly, and hope no-one notices'...

And again, another hint that this is all a dream by Amy and none of it real. (Although, if we are being generous, we can say that her dreams are what she is remembering, and so she is just dreaming her memories rather than inventing stories wholesale, and we merely are taking a different perspective on being told these tales.)

Okay, complain, complain, complain... but did I like this? Um, no, not really. Not because it was bad, more because it just wasn't good. Lily Cole is certainly an unusual looker (link NSFW). Ultimately this is a studio-bound episode(*) that if you blink and miss it... you won't miss it...

(*)That it wasn't a studio set just makes it worse...


Next week: More dodgy relationships between the Doctor and women?

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