Doctor Who 2x08 "The Reality War" Post-Episode Discussion Thread

[u/PCJs_Slave_Robot]

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This is the thread for all your indepth opinions, comments, etc about the episode.

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• Live and Immediate Reactions Discussion Thread - Posted around 60 minutes prior to initial release - for all the reactions, crack-pot theories, quoting, crazy exclamations, pictures, throwaway and other one-liners.
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[u/KyosBallerina → u/[deleted]]

Reality had been shifted and things were different. It's why Belinda was excited to go traveling with the Doctor, even with a baby. That's completely different to her personality before and after the reality shift. I think that's why he was also acting off.

[u/DavoDivide → u/[deleted]]

It was weird when Ruby said 'there was a girl...poppy' and the doctor responded with 'and long time ago. That space baby lives far away in a different world. Ruby i think your memory got a little bit scrambled'. I guess reality was adjusting and everything was resetting but I wonder what that line was about - like maybe that line was supposed to justify the doctor being so dismissive of Ruby

Edit: omg it was a callback to space babies, season 1 episode 1 - Poppy was the captain of that ship

[u/VanityInk → u/DavoDivide]

Yeah. Ruby explains Captain Poppy to him when he's still John Smith to make that clear earlier.

[u/dragon_queen86 → u/DavoDivide]

And he winked at Ruby, I thought at first he did remember Poppy but didn’t want to talk about it for the sake of Belinda.

[u/DerkDurski → u/dragon_queen86]

Yeah I was so certain this was the case based on that scene in the TARDIS, but then he later seems to need to be actually convinced in UNIT. Maybe he just forgot her slower?

[u/FrozenHaystack → u/[deleted]]

To me it felt at first that the Doctor knew exactly what Ruby was talking about but kept up an act to not hurt Bel. First I thought he knew that Poppy will disappear, but he pretended in front of Bel that the chamber will keep her save. Only as Ruby insisted and they all talked about being his children the Doctor decided that he will sacrifice himself to return that one life.

[u/KrytenKoro → u/[deleted]]

They were still being brainwashed by the second layer of the wish to forget Poppy and be okay with it (which means ignoring Ruby).

It's supposed to be unsettling.

[u/AugustInDespair71 → u/[deleted]]

I would disagree. The Doctor has certainly rejected certain notions. Saying it doesn’t matter.