Doctor Who fic: The Boy Who Waited (6/49)

Title: The Boy Who Waited (6/49)
Rating: PG
Characters: Rory, with appearances from Barbara
Timeline: set between "The Pandorica Opens" and "The Big Bang"
Summary: London, 1996. Barbara Wright prepares the Pandorica for exhibit at the National Museum. As the work unfolds, she recounts the lengthy history of the stone box and its loyal protector, the Lone Centurion.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. Everything else is me taking liberties with history.
A/N: A huge thank you to my beta punch_kicker15. This story would still be sitting on my hard drive if it weren't for you.

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( A name? Yes, he had one of those. What was it though? "Centurion." It had been a long time since he had spoken to anyone. It felt strange to form words and say them aloud. )

"I'm the Doctor, you're nuts, and I'm going to stop you."

So, was this the double bank episode for the season? It did feel a little Doctor-lite, but compared to other double bank episodes, he was present for a lot more of the story. I was kind of hoping the entire story would revolve around Vastra, Jenny, and Strax because that would have been awesome. :-)

I was kind of wondering if the episode was like a back door pilot for a Vastra spin-off. It felt like a showcase for what a potential show could be like. It'd be like a sci-fi-y version of Sherlock, but with a lizard lady, a Victorian ninja, and a potato head butler. Seriously, though, I do think Vastra has the strength to carry her own series. It'd be like a Victorian set Torchwood. Each week, Vastra gets a new client and she and Jenny and Strax look into the strange going-ons brought up by said client. Yeah? It could work. I mean, at this point, seasons of Sherlock are few and far between. Mark Gatiss needs to do something with his free time, no?

(Though I was thinking to myself, "What? Mark Gatiss wrote the episode? Shouldn't he be working on new episodes of Sherlock?")

Actually, bringing Vastra, Jenny, and Strax back was a great way to make the Doctor-lite episode more enjoyable. Because every year, they have this dilemma. They have to shoot two episodes at once. So far, they have been some very creative work arounds, but after a while, you're like, "Sigh, I wish the Doctor was around." This time? I was actually wishing he would go away so Vastra and Jenny and Strax could have more moments of awesomeness. In fact, the second the Doctor reappeared, Vastra seemed to disappear. Heck, she didn't even get to slice anyone open. I wish the episode had been Vastra's solely and the Doctor and Clara only showed up at the end after Vastra and Co. saved the day. Alas, it was not meant to be. The show is called Doctor Who not Vastra Investigates.

Maybe Moffat can keep bringing them back once a year? I wouldn't be against that.

Anyway, maybe I should talk about the plot. I actually enjoyed this episode. It might even be my favourite episode of 7b season but probably because we got to see Vastra and Jenny and Strax again. Oh, and evil Mrs. Peel, uh, I mean, Gillyflower. So cool that they got Diana Rigg to be on the show. Like I said last week, she is kind of a cousin since Sydney Newman created The Avengers, too. Are there any interviews with Diana Rigg about her appearance on the show? I think she would have some cool things to say. And she made a nuts villain. It felt a little too over the top in some places, but I just giggled because it's Emma frickin' Peel! I loved watching The Avengers on I think it was Bravo or possibly PBS back in the day. As for the whole Crimson Horror thing, it doesn't make the most sense and how the heck did she build a rocket in Victorian Yorkshire, but it was all good fun.

There was also some mention of Clara's timey-wimeyness. Basically, the Doctor still doesn't know what the heck is going on and he's still trying to trick Clara into revealing who she really is. Not exactly a healthy relationship, that, since he's holding back a huge secret from her. I assume the truth gets out at the end of the next episode, since the Maitland kids showed Clara that picture of Victorian!Clara. I wasn't expecting that, but it was a nice addition. Angie and Artie aren't stupid. They notice things and put two and two together. The fact that the Doctor takes them along next week is kind of neat though. Obviously, it's not a permanent thing, but it's different. But what's Clara going to do once she figures out that the Doctor has met women who look like her before and he really only hangs out with her because she's a giant mystery? Maybe Clara's a clone! It's an Orphan Black kind of thing (even though I don't watch that show). One assumes Clara hangs around afterwards since she's in the 50th anniversary special. Or maybe the last episode leads into the 50th anniversary special and the mystery of Clara isn't resolved? I just want her travelling with him for reals.

Random: I wasn't really paying attention to the posters in the background, but they should have had references to Jago's theatre or something. That would have been a nice easter egg for the fans. A reference to Tegan! And a "Brave heart, Clara"! Nice. And I came across something called the "Cumbrian agenda" on the Doctor Who wikia. Apparently, most episodes in 7b mention something about Northern England. Coincidence? Or an actual agenda? Yorkshire's in the North, no? Is this like a Bad Wolf thing? So, how did Strax climb that huge chimney stack while wearing his rubber uniform and carrying his blaster? That totally got glossed over. And I wish there had been some Sherlock-like music. Murray Gold did it in "The Snowmen" when the Doctor was dressed up like Sherlock Holmes, but this time it seemed more like Victorian adventure music.

Next week is Neil Gaiman's episode! I hope it's as good as "The Doctor's Wife". And is that Warwick Davis in the episode?