... the Golden Rule(s) of 'Who' revisited.
The first out-of-time/space adventure of the new companion is usually some kind of a bummer*. And this might have been one of the numerous reasons why many people wasn't expecting much from "The Rings of Akhaten" in the first palce. With stakes this modestly set, it managed to live up to exceptions. Sadly, flawless CGI is simply not enough for a great episode, it takes a good plot too, and one may be tempted to suspect that with an almost 5o year old history of writing sci-fi 'Doctor Who' has already leaned this lesson.
Of course, not everything about the latest episode is bad. It's great to be shown Clara's background story, and to have all those blank spots filled out, more or less. Ironically, with every detail we learn about her childhood, Clara's other versions (and their deaths') are becoming more and more impossible. And that's exactly the Big Moff's agenda, I suppose.
The first out-of-time/space adventure of the new companion is usually some kind of a bummer*. And this might have been one of the numerous reasons why many people wasn't expecting much from "The Rings of Akhaten" in the first palce. With stakes this modestly set, it managed to live up to exceptions. Sadly, flawless CGI is simply not enough for a great episode, it takes a good plot too, and one may be tempted to suspect that with an almost 5o year old history of writing sci-fi 'Doctor Who' has already leaned this lesson.
Of course, not everything about the latest episode is bad. It's great to be shown Clara's background story, and to have all those blank spots filled out, more or less. Ironically, with every detail we learn about her childhood, Clara's other versions (and their deaths') are becoming more and more impossible. And that's exactly the Big Moff's agenda, I suppose.
At the same time it's some sort of difficult to ignore a giant plot hole of Cross' debut story: Why exactly was the Doctor's knowledge and more than just long-ish life experience not enough for Grandfather? Yes, I know that nice catch about the most important leaf in human history; it's standing for the infinite number of Clara's mum's un-lived adventures, and all the chances and possibilities never taken. But then we have the Doctor who "can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not" (as he explained to Donna in "The Fires of Pompeii") which is infinite too... and which even includes the never taken adventures of Mrs Oswald in a way. So why is that infinite infinity not enough? It's not as if there'd be a mathematical difference, you know.
Apart from that, it's odd how the Doctor manages to get away with not introducing himself to Clara properly again. It's almost as if she had a crash course about the Doctor: him being an alien, Gallifrey, the Time War, ect., ect. She gets the whole package, but she doesn't question it. She may be the first companion who doesn't make him deal with his past. Her emotional involvement wouldn't be less if he were reciting the periodic table. Strangely, this creates the impression as if she already knew, and maybe the impossible girl does. And maybe that's what the TARDIS senses when she refuses to let Clara (and Merry) enter...
Oh, and am I the only one who isn't that sure that *nothing* has changed while Clara was away saving the people of Akhaten?
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*No rule without exception. I LOVE "The Shakespeare Code" and Donna's trip to Pompeii was also not too bad. But still, neither "The End of the World" (Rose), nor "The Beast Below" (Amy) belong to many people's personal highlights. In fact, in my humble opinion, "The Beast Below" may be the worst story which sadly wears Moffat's personal markings.
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