The problem is if Mr. Moffat gave everything away in the first episode then there would be a complaints that it is too easy. I personally enjoy the story arcs and enjoy trying to figure things out.
The problem is we are talking about human beings some more logical then others.
If so do you skip to the end to find the answers or do you wait for info to be revealed as you read? So for instance you don't know all about a character at the start you learn as you go and possible from a skewed view point so not all the facts are true.
Its no different here- give it time, as most others have said, and all will be put before you! Some of the stuff people are stressing about will be unimportant or red herrings and the rest will be explained.
If its not all explained in very obvious words/ actions then maybe The Moff is crediting his audience with being able to go from point A- point B on their own and just giving us subtle pointers of the right direction.
Excellent post, as so many people clamour for answers, and if they dont get them ASAP they switch off, its ridicolous!
I do read, and I do have a tendency to skip to the last chapter early on and then fill in the details along the way. I also find that with programmes like Spooks and Damages I wait until the series is over before I watch them as otherwise I lose the plot in between episodes, so watch them all over a short space of time
However for me the ultimate appeal of Doctor Who was that largely the story was the Doctor arrives somewhere, some evil is at work, the doctor defeats that evil and moves on to the next adventure, with a clear end point to the episode and nothing too hard to follow. Now there is all this timey wimey stuff which is hard to understand, and there are a lot of stories that seem to bend to a story ark. I actually enjoyed TDW more than most episodes recently purely because it was self contained, easy to understand, and the characterisation was well played out. THe series now feels as though it is made more for the fans than the casual viewer, and this is reflected slightly in the fall in ratings (even in terms of share not total viewers Doctor Who used to achieve ~35% shares, now it seems to be struggling to get 30%, timeshift can't be the only reason for this)
I would suggest time shift is that reason, the ratings are pretty similar when compared to previous series. Time shift viewing is so much more popular now than it was back in the day.
It's also got nothing to do with you "not being stupid" as the issue of Time Paradoxes have been debated by some very intelligent men for hundreds of years. And even those very intelligent men couldn't make them make sense because not making sense is their very nature. The question "Can I go back in time and kill my Grandfather?" does not have an answer that "makes sense".
Try: 'No'.
Works and makes perfect sense.
Along similar lines Doctor Who has (since it's return) made a lot of use of Psychic Paper. That doesn't make sense either, but I assume you accept it because, well it's Telepathy isn't it? Psychics, Darren Brown, Scanners, True Blood, Medium and all that. Psychics are covered in loads of films and television shows and whilst direct mind to mind communication makes no sense at all scientifically it is now generally accepted as a standard sci-fi/fantasy element.
But psychic paper is not a paradox.
Time Paradoxes and all things Quantum are just like Psychics but with less PR so not as many people have heard of them.[/QUOTE]
For instance in the Big Bang the fact that the Doctor is able to escape the Pandorica is pretty hard to get you're head around because there is no way the doctor could have got out in order to tell rory to free himself. Its not that Im stupid that I don't understand this, its because it just doesn't make sense
To be fair I don't have a problem with Causality Loops like that because they are a staple of the Sci-Fi I used to read growing up. I love that sort of stuff so I just thought it was funny.
There were far more complicated things about that season that I'm still not 100% sure about. Rory's current memory of being an Auton being a case in point.
Never mind this season, I'm not sure how much of last season actually happened now, following the reboot, and with Amy not even remembering Daleks how much of previous seasons has not happened now also?
It just makes watching the show that much more uncomfortable when you can't even trust your own knowledge of the show to fill in the background of what you're watching
Maybe some people are too used to watching mindless stuff on telly, so if they have to pay a bit of attention they are lost.
The series is not complicated. Not remotely complicated. We don't know certain things, but we will find out. Or not. So what?
Some people over analyse the programme to the point of tedium. It's just a fantasy/sci-fi show aimed at families on a Saturday evening. It's supposed to be entertaining and enjoyable. If something seems a bit odd, it might be part of the plot, it might not. Relax, you don't have to take an exam on it.
Some seem to watch in order to reinforce theories they have come up with, and end up not seeing what is actually happening.
I suppose I just watch it and let it unfold. I don't really formulate theories, and i don't really see why people do. Still, whatever turns you on...
But that's part of the problem. Because there are so many unanswered questions people are going to a lot of effort to try to find clues to the answers. People may be looking for answers that aren't there but it's because of the writers that they're looking in the first place!
Of course plenty of people like that sort of thing and don't consider it a problem at all but some people prefer to watch their TV with a little less effort involved
I would then suggest that those who do, stop searching for answers that won't come until they are meant to.
Again, though, you're pointing out how it is the viewers that are causing the problems, and not the writers...
Time Paradoxes and all things Quantum are just like Psychics but with less PR so not as many people have heard of them.
I'm sure Rorschach will correct me if I'm wrong, but that is entirely the point...
Paradoxes are a road less travelled when it comes to tropes and themes in programming (generally), so of course there will be sticking points until they become the norm.
The one thing that I find ridiculously confusing is the Doctor/River Song timeline. Yes, I've had it explained to me according to both of their chronologies but, IMO, it's still impossible to understand from a narrative point of view when you're actually watching their episodes.
This is a case in point.
River and the Doctor have timelines that don't match up. They sync diaries, which indicates that they meet at random. River has pictures of the Doctor so she can identify where she is up to, which indicate that they meet at random.
Then she states that they move in opposite directions.
Which is right? Who cares. Moff put that in so that the kiss scene would be more poignant and dramatic. His first kiss, her last.
Is it worth worrying about? No, it's a plot device. it's not a biography or a docu-drama. it doesn't matter if there are plot holes or if things don't always correspond with other things.
River and the Doctor have timelines that don't match up. They sync diaries, which indicates that they meet at random. River has pictures of the Doctor so she can identify where she is up to, which indicate that they meet at random.
Then she states that they move in opposite directions.
Which is right? Who cares. Moff put that in so that the kiss scene would be more poignant and dramatic. His first kiss, her last.
Is it worth worrying about? No, it's a plot device. it's not a biography or a docu-drama. it doesn't matter if there are plot holes or if things don't always correspond with other things.
My own personal take on that is that she was saying it to make it easier for the casual listener - sort of like how the Doctor comes up with a description for something, asks if they unsderstand it, then when they say they do, he tells them it's not like that at all ("Think of a large bubble, with a small bubble on the outside of that... Well it's nothing like that!"). It's merely a generalisation of the directions they ultimately travel in (he meets her later in his timeline and earlier in hers), and therefore completely true - but less complicated.
Maybe some people are too used to watching mindless stuff on telly, so if they have to pay a bit of attention they are lost.
The series is not complicated. Not remotely complicated. We don't know certain things, but we will find out. Or not. So what?
.
I'm all for using my brain when watching a show but sometimes you just want to switch it off and just enjoy the ride and that's what Doctor Who used to be and is straying from.
Besides, I'm not always convinced we'll find out the answers to everything. Some things that are confusing may just be confusing because the writer's made a boo boo and didn't think it through.
Maybe Rory's comment about remembering his time as an Auton doesn't make sense because the writer forgot that, logically, he shouldn't be remembering that.
Maybe it does make sense based on things to be revealed or maybe it doesn't and is just one of those continuity errors that programmes have from time to time.
Watching sci-fi and fantasy is all about suspending your disbelief but that still works better if the fantasy on which the show is based has continuity and integrity within its own set of ground rules.
At the end of the day, I enjoy watching stuff I undestand more than I enjoy watching stuff I don't understand. When there are mysteries that aren't revealed, that's fine, but when the very reality of what you're watching is questionable, when the very context of who these people are who you are supposed to be investing in, it makes it harder.
It's not about being complicated it's about introducing so many uncertainties that it becomes harder to relate to what you're watching.
It's not a huge problem for me but it's definitely a niggle. One or two mysteries is fine but the last couple of years has been piling them on like there's no tomorrow!
Which is right? Who cares. Moff put that in so that the kiss scene would be more poignant and dramatic. His first kiss, her last.
Is it worth worrying about? No, it's a plot device. it's not a biography or a docu-drama. it doesn't matter if there are plot holes or if things don't always correspond with other things.
I'm sorry but it does matter to a lot of people. Everyone is different. Some people like their shows to be consistent and make sense, they can't just switch off the logical part of their brains and just go with it because of artistic license.
I'm afraid I haven't followed this fully, but the talk on paradoxes has got me interested.
I think Rivers and the Doctors timeline works in random but with a correlation towards backwards. I.E, remember in schools when they took measurements of height and shoe size and they were connected? Sort of? Well, generally, if your taller you have bigger feet. There are of course anomalies or bits that are not to a mean. When you plot the class it's not a straight line at all, more a blob that follows that pattern. That's what there meetings are like. They are now tending to be in the opposite direction but there are times of shared memories and experiences.
About the Big Bang. The paradox makes sense. I understand it more than you do. :rolleyes: The Doctor saves himself so he can save himself. However. It's a bit of a cop out writing wise. Having a plot trundling along into a deadend and suddenly the Doctor appears and sorts it out is a bit of a cheat. It's as bad as RTD's famous reset buttons. It makes sense, but it's lazy.
Now, someone said Psychic paper wouldn't work as psychic doesn't actually happen or CAN happen. Now, time travel CAN happen (Thanks to clever scientists working it out). BUT, in the real world, any alteration to history would not make a paradox it would just make a parallel world, thanks to the many worlds theory. Any change you make would distort you into a parallel world in which you could do what you want. I think.:o
I hope thats helped. I hoped I haven't just come in here acting like I know it all and telling you you're all wrong. Sorry if I have.
People keep mixing up not understanding and not knowing what will happen.
Rory remembers those 2000 years because Amy remembered it at the end of The Big Bang. Her memories restored his and everybody's memories of The Doctor, which allowed him to exist again
People keep mixing up not understanding and not knowing what will happen.
Rory remembers those 2000 years because Amy remembered it at the end of The Big Bang. Her memories restored his and everybody's memories of The Doctor, which allowed him to exist again
Thank you, couldn't agree more. After reading a number of threads here lately I've tended to keep my mouth shut.
I'm sorry but it does matter to a lot of people. Everyone is different. Some people like their shows to be consistent and make sense, they can't just switch off the logical part of their brains and just go with it because of artistic license.
Or, if they can, they don't enjoy doing so.
I am the same. However I don't see what that has to do with the problems described in this thread as Moffats stuff is perfectly logical.
Also the current story arc has no more foreshadowing than previous ones, like Bad Wolf or Doctor-Donna AND there have been no stories this season or last that couldn't be watched as a stand-alone or two parter.
That people have questions and want answers is simply a sign of a good writing.
By applying a little intelligence. Of course, I don't know for absolute 100% certain - it's just that they would have to spend several episodes having Doctor (or nurse) Exposition talking to camera to tie up every point mooted on this site.
If it's mooted, it is, by definition only a point of debate. You cannot assert that it is possible, as you don't know yourself what bits you are talking about!!!
Except that I was talking about the sheer number of points mooted rather than the facts involved in any one.
I also notice that you ignored the part where I said it will probably fall into place later - the story has been thought through, and those parts that have been left unexplained will be explained in due course.
That may well be the case. But it wasn't my point. My point was that there have been so many things that have been highlighted as possibly relevant (some of which I doubt that anyone on the production team have even noticed) that it's highly improbable that they are all even intended to be involved in the story arc.
I don't know where your point is, especially with the reference to Chekov's gun - which, I'm sure you realise is exactly what's going on with the story threads: an element introduced early only shows its relevance later in the story (pretty much sums up SM's style so far, so clearly he has heard of it, and is empolying it thoroughly...).
I really think you have got hold of the wrong end of the stick in your attack on my post. You seem to be defending SM from criticisms that were not really aimed at him (apart from the fact that he seems to place things in stories that are not relevant - in contravention of Chekov's Gun). The problem arises more from the over attentive analytics performed by the fans.
One more thing to add, though - a lot of what people think are plot threads have been explained in-story, and are no longer threads. People are expecting the stories to be more complicated than they are, so they are picking away at every little thing they can find, but more often than not are trying to find explanations for things that are already done with.
ROFLMAO.
Here you have said exactly what my post was saying.
I agree with Granny. The mystery things stimulate a certain amount of "ooh" while watching the show, but they'll ultimately be explained. A top tip, though, is to not sit in the hot sun having a few beers with friends before sitting down to watch Day of the Moon for the first time.
I don't know whether the population as a whole are tiring or ultimately will tire of the current level of ongoing mystery stuff (and/or time travel wibbliness). If they do and the BBC see it as drastic they might change things. Some of it I like, some of it I wish SM would give it a rest. But the show as a whole is very enjoyable. As dgembadgemba said, the audience (who timeshift in ever larger numbers*) are rating it highly.
* Why do people dismiss the impact of timeshfiting on overnights?
I'm sorry but it does matter to a lot of people. Everyone is different. Some people like their shows to be consistent and make sense, they can't just switch off the logical part of their brains and just go with it because of artistic license.
Or, if they can, they don't enjoy doing so.
But they can cope with a blue phone box that can travel through time, take human form and contain facilities that seem to rival most 5 star hotels.
Surely a show like Doctor Who requires a pretty high level of willing suspension of disbelief. Lots of elements of the show now and in the past don't make sense, but its more fun to accept that they do.
I think some elements of who fandom feel the need to turn the show into a pseudo academic discipline, perhaps it validates the amount of thought they put into what is esentially a fun saturday evening telly show, I don't know.
Once you start picking away at threads on what does and doesn't make sense in any show like Doctor Who where there is an element of fantasy you set your self up for a massive disapointment.
Maybe Rory's comment about remembering his time as an Auton doesn't make sense because the writer forgot that, logically, he shouldn't be remembering that.
Logically? Logically? I don't think logic has much to say about what happens when a time traveller (who, as such, has been granted the gift of remembering timelines that don't exist anymore) dies, gets removed from existence entirely, then gets resurrected in a plastic body by a telepathic print from his fiancee's psychic residue, lives through 2000 years in a universe that has been destroyed, then gets resurrected in a rebooted universe, and has all the memories of that alternate timeline overlaid on his memories of that rebooted universe.
Logic tells us nothing. The plot and dialogue, however, clearly tells us exactly what Rory does and does not remember. The simple rule is - unless we've been told otherwise - the characters generally know what we know. It makes plotting much, much easier.
My own personal take on that is that she was saying it to make it easier for the casual listener - It's merely a generalisation of the directions they ultimately travel in (he meets her later in his timeline and earlier in hers), and therefore completely true - but less complicated.
I agree. And it took me about 30 seconds when I was watching the episode to come up with that, which is satisfactory to me. I don't then need Moff to deliver an explanation on screen, or to agonise about whether my theory is correct. I just get on with watching the next bit.
Which is right? Who cares. Moff put that in so that the kiss scene would be more poignant and dramatic. His first kiss, her last.
Well, it's not really for you to tell people whether or not they should care, is it?
It may be that you've got it wrong and understanding what is going on there will, at some point, be vital to correctly understanding what has happened/is happening.
Is it worth worrying about? No, it's a plot device. i
Again, that is your decision for your handling of the story.
If it turns out that the plot device is important it may detract from the enjoyment of a future episode because you cannot understand it because you failed to sort out the timelines.
People who have to spend ages thinking about it or who have ask others for an explanation before they can understand a denouement miss out the wonderful feeling of having everything slip into focus over a few seconds.
By applying a little intelligence. Of course, I don't know for absolute 100% certain - it's just that they would have to spend several episodes having Doctor (or nurse) Exposition talking to camera to tie up every point mooted on this site.
Except that I was talking about the sheer number of points mooted rather than the facts involved in any one.
That may well be the case. But it wasn't my point. My point was that there have been so many things that have been highlighted as possibly relevant (some of which I doubt that anyone on the production team have even noticed) that it's highly improbable that they are all even intended to be involved in the story arc.
Yes. The majority of things being highlighted have already been explained, either in-story or by the crew outside of the show. This is the fans either not being attentive enough, or not listening to others when they reply to them with explanations - often from the horse's mouth.
I really think you have got hold of the wrong end of the stick in your attack on my post. You seem to be defending SM from criticisms that were not really aimed at him (apart from the fact that he seems to place things in stories that are not relevant - in contravention of Chekov's Gun). The problem arises more from the over attentive analytics performed by the fans.
You can't know they contravene until the series has finished - or even the full main story, if any parts are to be carried over and through to another series, I assume that's why you put in the 'seem'?
ROFLMAO.
Here you have said exactly what my post was saying.
That might have been your intention, but it wasn't the final product. If we're saying the same things, how come some of what you're saying contravenes what I'm saying?
That might have been your intention, but it wasn't the final product. If we're saying the same things, how come some of what you're saying contravenes what I'm saying?
Because you are looking at it with the expectation that it does.
Complex not complicated or confusing. Aside from the yet unresolved bits and pieces, which make it unmissable viewing imo, the answers are there if one looks for them.
I'll admit to some confusion on first watching Day of the Moon, but that was the only story so far this series I had to watch a second time for it to become coherent. I reaslised quickly any confusion was down to my own lack of paying attention.
I meet up with my ex boss for lunch once a month to discuss DW as we are both huge fans. He said he found the latter part of series 6 confusing, and certainly this one. His complaint is there is too much non-linear story telling. That made me laugh and it also annoyed me, a fan who complains when DW plays around with time. Its a sci-fi show about time travel! I prefer my DW to be a bit more challenging.
Comments
The problem is we are talking about human beings some more logical then others.
Excellent post, as so many people clamour for answers, and if they dont get them ASAP they switch off, its ridicolous!
I would suggest time shift is that reason, the ratings are pretty similar when compared to previous series. Time shift viewing is so much more popular now than it was back in the day.
Try: 'No'.
Works and makes perfect sense.
But psychic paper is not a paradox.
Time Paradoxes and all things Quantum are just like Psychics but with less PR so not as many people have heard of them.[/QUOTE]
To be fair I don't have a problem with Causality Loops like that because they are a staple of the Sci-Fi I used to read growing up. I love that sort of stuff so I just thought it was funny.
There were far more complicated things about that season that I'm still not 100% sure about. Rory's current memory of being an Auton being a case in point.
Never mind this season, I'm not sure how much of last season actually happened now, following the reboot, and with Amy not even remembering Daleks how much of previous seasons has not happened now also?
It just makes watching the show that much more uncomfortable when you can't even trust your own knowledge of the show to fill in the background of what you're watching
The series is not complicated. Not remotely complicated. We don't know certain things, but we will find out. Or not. So what?
Some people over analyse the programme to the point of tedium. It's just a fantasy/sci-fi show aimed at families on a Saturday evening. It's supposed to be entertaining and enjoyable. If something seems a bit odd, it might be part of the plot, it might not. Relax, you don't have to take an exam on it.
Some seem to watch in order to reinforce theories they have come up with, and end up not seeing what is actually happening.
I suppose I just watch it and let it unfold. I don't really formulate theories, and i don't really see why people do. Still, whatever turns you on...
I would then suggest that those who do, stop searching for answers that won't come until they are meant to.
Again, though, you're pointing out how it is the viewers that are causing the problems, and not the writers...
I'm sure Rorschach will correct me if I'm wrong, but that is entirely the point...
Paradoxes are a road less travelled when it comes to tropes and themes in programming (generally), so of course there will be sticking points until they become the norm.
This is a case in point.
River and the Doctor have timelines that don't match up. They sync diaries, which indicates that they meet at random. River has pictures of the Doctor so she can identify where she is up to, which indicate that they meet at random.
Then she states that they move in opposite directions.
Which is right? Who cares. Moff put that in so that the kiss scene would be more poignant and dramatic. His first kiss, her last.
Is it worth worrying about? No, it's a plot device. it's not a biography or a docu-drama. it doesn't matter if there are plot holes or if things don't always correspond with other things.
My own personal take on that is that she was saying it to make it easier for the casual listener - sort of like how the Doctor comes up with a description for something, asks if they unsderstand it, then when they say they do, he tells them it's not like that at all ("Think of a large bubble, with a small bubble on the outside of that... Well it's nothing like that!"). It's merely a generalisation of the directions they ultimately travel in (he meets her later in his timeline and earlier in hers), and therefore completely true - but less complicated.
I'm all for using my brain when watching a show but sometimes you just want to switch it off and just enjoy the ride and that's what Doctor Who used to be and is straying from.
Besides, I'm not always convinced we'll find out the answers to everything. Some things that are confusing may just be confusing because the writer's made a boo boo and didn't think it through.
Maybe Rory's comment about remembering his time as an Auton doesn't make sense because the writer forgot that, logically, he shouldn't be remembering that.
Maybe it does make sense based on things to be revealed or maybe it doesn't and is just one of those continuity errors that programmes have from time to time.
Watching sci-fi and fantasy is all about suspending your disbelief but that still works better if the fantasy on which the show is based has continuity and integrity within its own set of ground rules.
At the end of the day, I enjoy watching stuff I undestand more than I enjoy watching stuff I don't understand. When there are mysteries that aren't revealed, that's fine, but when the very reality of what you're watching is questionable, when the very context of who these people are who you are supposed to be investing in, it makes it harder.
It's not about being complicated it's about introducing so many uncertainties that it becomes harder to relate to what you're watching.
It's not a huge problem for me but it's definitely a niggle. One or two mysteries is fine but the last couple of years has been piling them on like there's no tomorrow!
I'm sorry but it does matter to a lot of people. Everyone is different. Some people like their shows to be consistent and make sense, they can't just switch off the logical part of their brains and just go with it because of artistic license.
Or, if they can, they don't enjoy doing so.
I think Rivers and the Doctors timeline works in random but with a correlation towards backwards. I.E, remember in schools when they took measurements of height and shoe size and they were connected? Sort of? Well, generally, if your taller you have bigger feet. There are of course anomalies or bits that are not to a mean. When you plot the class it's not a straight line at all, more a blob that follows that pattern. That's what there meetings are like. They are now tending to be in the opposite direction but there are times of shared memories and experiences.
About the Big Bang. The paradox makes sense. I understand it more than you do. :rolleyes: The Doctor saves himself so he can save himself. However. It's a bit of a cop out writing wise. Having a plot trundling along into a deadend and suddenly the Doctor appears and sorts it out is a bit of a cheat. It's as bad as RTD's famous reset buttons. It makes sense, but it's lazy.
Now, someone said Psychic paper wouldn't work as psychic doesn't actually happen or CAN happen. Now, time travel CAN happen (Thanks to clever scientists working it out). BUT, in the real world, any alteration to history would not make a paradox it would just make a parallel world, thanks to the many worlds theory. Any change you make would distort you into a parallel world in which you could do what you want. I think.:o
I hope thats helped. I hoped I haven't just come in here acting like I know it all and telling you you're all wrong. Sorry if I have.
Rory remembers those 2000 years because Amy remembered it at the end of The Big Bang. Her memories restored his and everybody's memories of The Doctor, which allowed him to exist again
Thank you, couldn't agree more. After reading a number of threads here lately I've tended to keep my mouth shut.
I am the same. However I don't see what that has to do with the problems described in this thread as Moffats stuff is perfectly logical.
Also the current story arc has no more foreshadowing than previous ones, like Bad Wolf or Doctor-Donna AND there have been no stories this season or last that couldn't be watched as a stand-alone or two parter.
That people have questions and want answers is simply a sign of a good writing.
Except that I was talking about the sheer number of points mooted rather than the facts involved in any one.
That may well be the case. But it wasn't my point. My point was that there have been so many things that have been highlighted as possibly relevant (some of which I doubt that anyone on the production team have even noticed) that it's highly improbable that they are all even intended to be involved in the story arc.
I really think you have got hold of the wrong end of the stick in your attack on my post. You seem to be defending SM from criticisms that were not really aimed at him (apart from the fact that he seems to place things in stories that are not relevant - in contravention of Chekov's Gun). The problem arises more from the over attentive analytics performed by the fans.
ROFLMAO.
Here you have said exactly what my post was saying.
I don't know whether the population as a whole are tiring or ultimately will tire of the current level of ongoing mystery stuff (and/or time travel wibbliness). If they do and the BBC see it as drastic they might change things. Some of it I like, some of it I wish SM would give it a rest. But the show as a whole is very enjoyable. As dgembadgemba said, the audience (who timeshift in ever larger numbers*) are rating it highly.
* Why do people dismiss the impact of timeshfiting on overnights?
But they can cope with a blue phone box that can travel through time, take human form and contain facilities that seem to rival most 5 star hotels.
Surely a show like Doctor Who requires a pretty high level of willing suspension of disbelief. Lots of elements of the show now and in the past don't make sense, but its more fun to accept that they do.
I think some elements of who fandom feel the need to turn the show into a pseudo academic discipline, perhaps it validates the amount of thought they put into what is esentially a fun saturday evening telly show, I don't know.
Once you start picking away at threads on what does and doesn't make sense in any show like Doctor Who where there is an element of fantasy you set your self up for a massive disapointment.
Logic tells us nothing. The plot and dialogue, however, clearly tells us exactly what Rory does and does not remember. The simple rule is - unless we've been told otherwise - the characters generally know what we know. It makes plotting much, much easier.
I agree. And it took me about 30 seconds when I was watching the episode to come up with that, which is satisfactory to me. I don't then need Moff to deliver an explanation on screen, or to agonise about whether my theory is correct. I just get on with watching the next bit.
Well, it's not really for you to tell people whether or not they should care, is it?
It may be that you've got it wrong and understanding what is going on there will, at some point, be vital to correctly understanding what has happened/is happening.
Again, that is your decision for your handling of the story.
If it turns out that the plot device is important it may detract from the enjoyment of a future episode because you cannot understand it because you failed to sort out the timelines.
People who have to spend ages thinking about it or who have ask others for an explanation before they can understand a denouement miss out the wonderful feeling of having everything slip into focus over a few seconds.
You can't know they contravene until the series has finished - or even the full main story, if any parts are to be carried over and through to another series, I assume that's why you put in the 'seem'?
That might have been your intention, but it wasn't the final product. If we're saying the same things, how come some of what you're saying contravenes what I'm saying?
Because you are looking at it with the expectation that it does.
I'll admit to some confusion on first watching Day of the Moon, but that was the only story so far this series I had to watch a second time for it to become coherent. I reaslised quickly any confusion was down to my own lack of paying attention.
I meet up with my ex boss for lunch once a month to discuss DW as we are both huge fans. He said he found the latter part of series 6 confusing, and certainly this one. His complaint is there is too much non-linear story telling. That made me laugh and it also annoyed me, a fan who complains when DW plays around with time. Its a sci-fi show about time travel! I prefer my DW to be a bit more challenging.
May it continue in this vein.