Darn it, people don’t fear the dark like they used to
MSNBC.com has posted a Virgin Galactic video showing a CGI simulation of one of their space tourism flights. Click the “Launch” button under “NBC Video”. This is quite cool and inspiring, but it’s not what I’m here to babble about.
I recently caught up to “The Satan Pit” episode of Doctor Who. When I’d seen the title earlier, I was hoping that they were speaking metaphorically, but (spoiler alert!) no, they weren’t kidding. This episode is the Doctor vs. Satan.
Okay, the critter is portrayed as possibly the inspiration for the Christian Satan figure, but the writing is hopelessly muddled as to details. Satan is held in big ol’ iron chains (sigh) in a prison around a black hole. If he attempts to escape, his prison is designed to fall in. (As someone pointed out, so why didn’t the jailers finish the job? Yes, there are plausible answers to that, so why not give us one?) So he has to trick some humans into letting him go.
Here’s what actually bugged me, though. Satan claims to have been held there since “before Time”. We know he’s the Prince of Lies, but the Doctor seems impressed and worried about that claim. We’ll set aside for a moment the fact that a black hole, construction of an orbital prison, and the existence of iron to make big ol’ chains out of, all require Time to have been running for a while; and we’ll examine that phrase.
So, take a piece of paper. Draw a circle on it. Cut away everything outside the circle and burn the scraps or something. Now, take a marker and mark an “X” on that circle of paper, but outside the circle. You say, “You’re speaking nonsense. What spot is on the circle, but outside it? There isn’t an ‘outside’.”
You’re completely correct, and that’s exaclty as sensible as the phrase “before Time”. If “before” means anything, then Time is already running. You can’t have one without the other. If anyone on this TV show knows this, well, it’s gonna be the Doctor.
While we’re at it, we get a bit of philosophy which rankles me as well: the unsettled Doctor tries to call scientific shenanigans on some of Satan’s religious claims, and gets the smug response: “Those are your beliefs.” I know it’s attractively post-modern to think of science as just another religion, and it may even share a few characteristics, but as I’ve pointed out before, the great thing about science is that every “belief” can be potentially be fact-checked. A lot of it can be fact-checked by individuals in their homes, and the same verification received by anyone who makes the attempt. If you can prove that any widely-held scientific “belief” is wrong, and others can try your tests and get the same results, not only will your “new belief” be accepted, but you’ll probably get some fame out of the deal. On the other hand, a faith-based religion is something entirely different, by its nature something different to every individual and rather “un-checkable”, and most any clergyman you’ll meet is going to readily support that concept.
The Doctor has had the opportunity to personally fact-check a great deal of science in his centuries. It’s not just a belief system to him, and the writers did the character a disservice by allowing him to show even a moment’s doubt.
Oh, and did you know that Satan can possess you if all you do is look at some scrawled, incoherent symbols on ancient pottery shards? Kids, be afraid of any and all sources of knowledge and learning!
Okay, there’s a lot more nit-picking to be done, but I won’t waste your time. I’ll end with this, though. The one and only thing that made the episode worthwhile for me was the ending. In the climax, Satan lets the Doctor know that if the Doctor takes the necessary steps to destroy Satan, Rose will die. The Doctor agonizes about this horrible, awful dilemma a bit. (Perhaps I’m being unfair to this Doctor. Perhaps he isn’t so much insecure and indecisive, but just likes to overact in front of his enemies, to lull them into a false sense of security.) In the end, with great glee, he boldly does what needs to be done, gleefully informing Satan that Rose Tyler is no victim: this is a companion that can take care of herself. And, she does so, in dramatic fashion.
Faith in one’s friends and loved ones: there’s a faith that the Doctor’s fact-checked quite a few times. He’s rarely been disappointed.
We know that whatever the native language of the Times Lords is, it must be one that can talk about time and time travel in more meaningful ways than English (a few extra tenses, perhaps), so you could call the “Before Time” bit a form of translation error.
However, I doubt the writers of the show thought of it that way, most likely it was something that sounded cool and they put less thought into it than you have in this post 🙂
I’m with you that this was one of the worst Dr. Whos of that season. It had all the same nonsense as Star Trek V. At least the acting was a bit better in the Dr. Who version.
To misquote an old urban legend- if eskimos have X words for “snow”, then Time Lords must have X+Y words for “now”.
Perhaps the Doctor’s thinking was muddled by his sense of loss. After all, for a most of the story, he thought the TARDIS was lost forever, and he’s travelled with her for a hundred times longer than any one companion.
I suspect that part of the problem was that this was the last episode actually produced in the second year, for production efficiency reasons, and was completed on Friday for Saturday broadcast. (Mmmm, DVD commentary tracks.) A charitable viewer might blame the rush to finish in time for a certain sloppiness in writing. Orrrrrrr….. perhaps the whole story was just a Bad Idea. At least, as low points go, this was no “Spock’s Brain.”
I was amused that, when things started going to, well, Hell, and all the big tough heavily armed spacers start panicking, who takes command? Rose. Though admittedly, by this time she has many times more experience at responding to perilous situations. Facing down Daleks, werewolves, Cybermen and feline nurses in nun’s wimples would more than prepare someone to face the (or at least “a”) personification of evil.
And there was one undeniably positive thing about “The Satan Pit.” The voice of ultimate evil was provided by the same actor who, twenty-five years ago, voiced another ultimate evil, Sutekh in “Pyramids of Mars.”
I am glad I was so cryptic in my previous comments on the final episode, though. I don’t particularly want to be the one who spoils the ending. 😉
I completely disagree. The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit (along with The Girl in the Fireplace) were among the best episodes of the second series.
Now, the similarly themed Torchwood finale was complete crap. But then I started to grow weary of Torchwood toward the end as each episode seemed to add things that I found more and more difficult to suspend disbelief.
I definitely loved The Girl in the Fireplace. Perhaps I will give the Satan Pit a second chance…. but I’m dubious.
I found that Torchwood had its highs and lows. The finale had enough goodness left in it to keep me waiting for the next season. Had they ended with “Captain Jack Harkness” (which made no sense at all) I probably would have given up on it entirely. But I was very disappointed that they seemed to Satan Pit (including a very similar looking evil guy) for End of Days. I would have hoped for a lot more from them.
Episodes where Gwen doesn’t make out with anyone are kind of confusing; that seems to be the primary point of the series after all…. 😀
I don’t know…
I found the ones where Gwen made out with Owen kind of confusing. He seemed like such a prick, that I doubted any self respecting woman would go for him. I thought the point that he had to use the alien aphrodisiac in the first episode was because no woman in her right mind wanted him.
I was willing to accept the not-so-secret secret organization driving around in a mini-van with flashing blue lights, but the Gwen/Owen relationship really cut at my suspension of disbelief. Though the implausibility of Captain Jack Harkness may have been what finally turned me off the series, and made all the earlier gaffs seem less palatable.
I’m not looking forward to the next series of Torchwood, but I’m sure I’ll still watch it.
I’ll bite. Why did you find them the best?
I thought Girl in the Fireplace was excellent, as well (once past the dubious medical science). My favorite has to be School Reunion – not just for the nostalgia slant, but for the look at what it’s like to be an ex-companion, and for the scene where the bad guy very nearly successfully tempts the Doctor with something he’d want that badly.
Come to think of it, the medicine in New Earth was pretty awful too. Perhaps the show needs a Scientific Advisor (Unpaid if necessary).
I liked the acting, the mood, the sets, the effects, and the music. I thought the Ood were well conceived and frightening. I liked actress MyAnna Buring (Scooti); she was well fit. To me, the quality of this two parter was near theatrical (meaning it would not seem out of place in a movie theater).
Doctor Who is science fantasy. If you have so much trouble with the concept of the devil/Satan, then think of the some of the final words from the episode.
Rose asks, “What do you believe it was, Doctor?”
The Doctor replies, “I believe we defeated it and that’s good enough for me…”
To me and to many other Whovians (based on Outpost Gallifrey’s polls), the worst episodes of the season were New Earth, The Idiot’s Lantern, and Fear Her.
Based on those same polls, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit rated higher than The Girl in the Fireplace.
I liked School Reunion, but I can’t say that I would if not for the nostalgic addition of Sarah Jane, and K-9. The plot was rather thin. Considering your reaction to Impossible Planet, I’m somewhat surprised you didn’t balk at the “God” equation in “Reunion”.