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Post by John Darnacan on Aug 30, 2011 19:42:49 GMT
I have mixed feeling about this one.
First, the title. They should have called it "Put Hitler in the Closet". They was very little Hitler action.
I liked seeing an earlier version of River. Although, I'm not in love with her being someone Amy and Rory grew up with.
However, it was an interesting story and important to the River song continuity. Placing the diary next to River's bed was a nice touch.
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Post by duncan on Aug 31, 2011 22:29:24 GMT
It wasn't what I was expecting with Hitler being locked away but at the end of the day they couldn't do very much with someone who was globally despised.
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Post by McOod on Sept 2, 2011 13:28:58 GMT
It wasn't a great stand-alone episode. However, as Moffat has made the series more soap opera-like, it provides resolution and answers. "The Silence" story arc seems to be the longest yet.
At least we didn't have to endure a "Hitler Comes Out of the Closet" joke as we would with RTD.
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Post by Claire Voyant on Sept 7, 2011 11:02:49 GMT
Not a bad episode. But this story is wearing a little thin. Timey Wimey Enoughy
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Post by Hoichi on Dec 8, 2011 18:04:02 GMT
''Made me sick'' would be more apt. Hitler's NAZI regime killed millions due to flawed ideas of race and genetics. It was the most vile regime known to man, along with the fake-socialist, monarchical nightmare that was Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, and thus a chance for NuHu to show any credentials it has for making serious drama filled with a deep sense of compassion and sympathy....
It didn't work out like that, however. Instead we had the usual, cheesy, comical and silly plotline I have come to expect from the show. What could have been a great moment handled with care came to be a farce, almost an insult to every family who suffered due to the Second World War and the Holocaust (which was the death knell to millions of gypsies, liberals, Jews, communists, anarchists, homosexuals Slavs and even conservatives!). The episode was thus failed TV and a bitter disappointment. I long for the days of serious drama on TV; when we had the likes of 'Fall of Eagles', 'I, Claudius', 'Secret Army' and, yes, 'Doctor Who'.
Watch this story back to back with 'The Wolves of Fenric' and the strengths of the 80s production team are apparent as are the weaknesses of the current. In the former story we had some really deep moments of pathos such as the parson who has lost his faith not because of Axis war crimes but the allied war crimes - such as the disgraceful massacred of hundreds of men, women and children in the bombing of Dresden (at least 25,000 victims), Hamburg (around 50,000 victims) and Pforzheim (roughly 18,000 victims). In other words, the parson has not lost his faith only in his god but also humanity as the distinction between heroes and villains had blurred. You also had the Russian Army officer who managed to keep the ''vampires'' at bay with his star due to his faith in Marxist principles rather than religion. 'Let's Kill Hitler' was just disrespectful dross.
The fact you have critics like Neela Debnath praising the "great slapstick moments" and Ken Tucker declaring it to be ''a marvelously energetic, funny, clever, noble mid-season start''shows shows how desensitized our society has come to the horrors of not only National Socialism but also WWII itself. Luckily we had at least one critic, Gavin Fuller, cutting through to the true problem with the episode stating that the use of Hitler as comic relief "struck a wrong note given the nature of the man and the regime he led".
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Post by Slagathor on Dec 10, 2011 20:05:14 GMT
In science fiction, events far more traumatic than WWII and the Holocaust are often portrayed. But, we know they are not real. However, that suspended disbelief juxtaposed with the very real horror of the holocaust doesn't sit well.
Given the seriousness of Hitler's monstrous deeds, I agree the setting seemed rather gratuitous. The tale of Melody Pond/River Song was one that had to be told for the continuity of the series, but it did not require the Third Reich setting.
Speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison said, "One cannot diminish the significance of the Holocaust." On one level, that is very true. On another level, people can be idiotic. While I sometimes weary of the "Never Forget" message, it is a necessary one.
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Post by Hoichi on Dec 13, 2011 13:44:44 GMT
I agree 100%, Slagthor. Your post got to the point better than mine did.
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Post by Claire Voyant on Dec 14, 2011 14:12:24 GMT
Just a thought, but it may be a matter of time distance. Would we be as sensitive if the story were done with Genghis Khan or Napoleon? What if it were Stalin?
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