The interesting thing about the typewriter sequence is it intentionally adds nothing to the plot. It was a last minute addition to the script, as it was to be to short, much to Moffat's chagrin. His original script had been written to length, but he was told to cut back some moments as they thought it would overrun. He knew they wrong but did as he was told. So when he was told he needed to write an extra scene the exact length of that which he'd cut... Frustrated wouldn't have begun to cover it, I'd have thought.

Definitely Moffat's best script next to Heaven Sent. This story does so much for 9's character and him somewhat moving on from the Time War, but in a subtle way. This story perfectly feels like a Classic Who story in terms of pacing and dialogue. Perfect story, although not my favourite Eccleston story (that goes to Dalek and Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

A really subtle line that’s missed a lot in this episode is when the Doctor is talking to the human doctor and the human doctor says “before the war, I was a father and grandfather. Now I’m neither, but I’m still a doctor” and the Doctor has a quiet moment of acknowledgment. I really like how that directly paralleled the Doctor’s own experiences in a subtle way that seemed to be missing from Moffat in his later years.

The moment i think the child talks too much is when he says something along the lines of "coming to get you, coming to find you". It kind of takes away the innocent child vibe and tries to up the pure creepiness too much

"Everybody Lives!"
"What about Jack?"

What I love about this two-parter is the Doctor's ... failure. His instinct is towards kindness, to open the door for the Empty Child. He's not all-knowing, he doesn't see the danger. It's only chance that saves him from contamination by the nanites. A rare scene with peril for the Doctor. An odd point to fixate on, I know. But, that's so important for me.

Where's mummy?





Also, a great intro for Cap'n Jack, the space sloot.

“I don’t like the Doctor flirting with his companions,” 👏Thank you! 👏Thank you! Finally, someone who agrees with me! Everyone seems to ship the Doctor with companions apart from me.

I feel what you're saying about the Doctor / Rose parts, but I'm on just the other side of it. I'm glad it wasn't her fully coming onto him, but more like an exploration of boundaries, and her realizing that maybe the boundaries she had assumed in place...were not as firmly set as she she assumed.  I do think it was mostly teasing, but not the way one might a cousin, but maybe like with an older sibling's friend. Someone older and maybe out of traditional range for 1:1 flirting, but still like a safe person to tease and sort of... Practice flirting. I also read Rose as very comfortable with flirtation, and in a way she's trying to draw that part of the Doctor out, teasing him in a a cheeky way.

 I think Rose spends a lot of series 1 negotiating with the idea of how she sees the Doctor. She refers to him as a strange man she just went along with who took her to see something crazy (when you're 19 and female, there's a definite subtext to that moment) and she later also calls episode 2 their first date. She also, IIRC, says "it's not like that" when her mother implies that they're a couple. But even then, it's not to the exclusion of the romantic elements, but rather, that being with him is much bigger than just dating someone. He changed her life. And the romantic potential is much secondary to the bigger things the Doctor brings.

For me, the problem with almost writing off the romantic tension in this episode as being mere set up for Tennant is that you can't escape the title: The Doctor Dances. I read that as a direct answer to a question. Is the doctor  sexual or romantic? Yes. The audience needs to know that, and Rose needs to know that. By the end of the episode, the question is answered.   They felt this important enough to make it the title OF A TWO PARTER, when ep 9 title could have been extended to "part 2."  

I see ep 10 as Rose seeing the Doctor as someone it's not only okay to flirt with, but someone who isn't just asexual or alien-sexual, as she was apparently unclear on til now. That, plus the fact that they have a flirtatious dance and she can see that he is affected by being in a romantic context with her. So there episodes later, when he kisses her to save her life, as an act of love (whatever form you interpret 'love' to be), it's not out of the blue.  

The flirtation here is a direct set up for how they are in the final two episodes, and in his death/regeneration.  It isn't ALL sexual tension, but in the "resonating concrete" scene (lol, GREAT LINE), and with the contrast of dashing Jack, the UST is important.

When in doubt, the title tells you what to take away.

This is definitely my favorite of Eccleston's run, it really is.  It really has a perfect balance of emotions.  I never fail to laugh at the comments between Jack and the Doctor about the Sonic. "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks "ooh, this could be a little more sonic?"  But the weight of what Nancy is hiding, what happened to Jamie and the resolution and the "Everybody Lives" moment! Perfect!

This was when Moffat didn't make me cringe and sigh in boredom. I think he never should have been given the job to be head writer, he cannot handle the whole universe but does these singular episodes pretty well. One thing he did right was to not bring the empty child thing back at any point because that's one of his biggest faults; he can't keep characters dead.

Doctor Who is Fantasticly Awesome!

Amazing piece of television.

12:35 "Practically all he says is "are you my money?"".

And I know what you mean about realizing you're the same age as John Barrowman when he first appeared as Jack Harkness.  I just realized yesterday that I'm the same age Catherine Tate was when she first appeared as Donna Noble. Another reason I identify more with her than some of the other female companions, I think.

I know you like this one. Happy Halloween as well. Have a good day.

I just can’t talk about this story without mentioning the «the tape’s up» scene. I love how the horror factor is perfectly built up, so it can be used as a kinda excellent jumpscare, and I mean, aah! I just really low that scene. It really gives me the chills

Ah, the good old days when Stephen Moffatt could actually write good stories! This two-parter has always been a favourite of mine. The creepy feeling you get from the Empty Child and the dark, brooding wartime setting really make these episodes stand out.

I think the real build up to "everybody lives" is the fact that we know at this point that he is the last Time Lord and we have gotten hints about the pain of that loss and what the war was like for him. SO really everybody lives is about the loss of war he has been living with and the fact that he doesn't tend to count the people he saves, just the people he looses. I think thats more true for 9 then other doctors, but its really a thing for all of them. And just once he doesn't have any losses at all so he actually feels like a hero this time and he hasn't felt like a hero in so long. Thats also why it doesn't matter how many times after this everybody lives because this is the first time after the time war when it comes up thats why its bigger.

Am I the only one that thinks that "just this once, everybody lives" is ruined a little bit on a rewatch because Moffat killed of and brought everyone back too many times that it just became the norm?