Doctor Who fanon question...

[karenor]

Okay so it's a common trope in fic and people's own head-canon that the Doctor and Rose spent a night on the sanctuary base during The Impossible Planet.

I know I've rewatched the ep for this purpose before, but... Where do you think the "night" occurred?

1. When the computer announces the night shift (after they lose the TARDIS, but before dinner, the mortgage conversation and the Ood acting strange. When Bolero plays)?

2. Or when the drilling stops (right after Scootie dies and before the spacesuit helmet kiss of adorability)?

These are the only reasonable places, as far as I can see. But no one changes clothes or anything, obviously. We see Toby in his room after the night shift is called, but dinner is after that (clearly Rose's first meal there), with the Doctor calling "Evening!" as they go to see the Ood and they go up to Basic: 30.

Emotionally speaking they are very different places. I suppose the latter makes more sense? But it's already when the mystery and adventure are in full swing. The earlier point, it's before all hell breaks loose, which makes it an interesting time to explore. The only BIG thing besides the impossibility of the planet, is the loss of the TARDIS


And while we're on the subject... Why can't the TARDIS come to him? Like it tried to in Father's Day and in part 2 of the Wedding of SJS? I've always wondered that. Is it something to do with the Black Hole Of Doom? Is it at all mentioned in TSP?

Comments

[platypus]

While I love the idea of an overnight in TIP/TSP, I can't really fit it in. I can't even see where they'd have been assigned a room and have to spend any amount of time there. Considering RTD's joke (or not joke) that they don't sleep in the TARDIS, there's been precious few points in the show where they've clearly slept anywhere else. (Alas, it didn't quite make it into Fear Her.)

And the TARDIS seems capable (or incapable) of whatever it needs to be for the story. At some point, I think, a classic Doctor was able to bring it to him; I could swear that at some point in the new series he's bemoaned being unable to, or said he really should build a remote, or something. Mostly, it's to prevent episodes being very short ("Hi, we're all stuck on a base/spaceship/whatever." "Okay, hop in the TARDIS!"), so I guess I can live with it, much like the varying abilities of the sonic screwdriver. But he's repeatedly thought it was lost/destroyed/whatnot, so you'd think he'd either have more faith in its durability or build a damn remote already :).

[principia.livejournal.com]

I have to wonder if they'd built more internal sets for the TARDIS as was originally planned before they got completely hemmed in by the Torchwood Hub and Sarah Jane's attic sets, if we would have had an episode where the entire problem would be that the Doctor, the companion (probably Rose), and whomever else was being evacuated got onto the ship - and then something they really shouldn't have brought on board came with them.

[karenor.livejournal.com]

It does seem to be something that's kind of always been missing. An all on TARDIS adventure. Grask shorts aside.

They spent more time aboard (and we saw more rooms) in Classic Who... I SO wish we'd seen more rooms on this TARDIS, especially when Rose was aboard. Gah, even them sitting in the kitchen having tea or something before the alien of the week makes it's presence known, would have been great.

[karenor.livejournal.com]

I know, it's pretty impossible to make it work with the overnight stay. But there seems to be very significant relationshipy stuff happening in this ep (helmet kiss, "oh she knows," etc.) so it's very tempting to give them some time to, uh, fill those holes.

Plus I've been challenged to write fic in this nonexistent gap (I think I've written around these eps, but never during), so I keep trying to make it work somehow.

Mostly, it's to prevent episodes being very short

Yeah, for reals. I get why it can't be a standard feature, but I wish it'd be a bit more consistent. Of course he is a bit surprised by the emergency protocol in SJA, as well...

[roxyk630.livejournal.com]

I always got the idea that the "Night" shift meant that it was a notation from afternoon to "night" more for human comfort... since they didn't seem to have cyclical days?

So... like "evening" could have been 6pm ish (noting a staff SHIFT change if needed). So... like... they may have even had the TARDIS back by 8-10pm!

I don't really see where it fits in TIP/TSP. I LOVE the idea... but I don't quite see how it works?

[karenor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're obviously still working during the night shift, but maybe they take it in turns?

It doesn't really work, is the problem. But damn if we don't keep trying to bend it to our will!

[principia.livejournal.com]

Me, personally, I assume that all such fics have to be alt!fics because to me there's nowhere to fit in an overnight into the episode unless you squint really hard and do some handwaving.

One theoretical spot is what could be a gap between Toby getting freaked out just after the night shift starts and when we cut to Rose having a meal. But it certainly doesn't seem like it. There *is* probably long enough for at least an extended conversation, because there has to be a gap between Danny checking in all the Oods for the evening and him being back up in the central area for dinner. Unless the humans in the base are on some drugs that make it so they never sleep (in which case, why do they have beds?), they're still on duty during night shift through when Scooti dies. She specifically notes that no-one is allowed out onto the planet's surface during the night shift when interrogating the computer.

There's again a gap long enough for a conversation while Rose is eating (and it's implied the Doctor is also eating or at least drinking something by the presence of the coffee cup on the table), before the Scarlet system reveal.

And again, there's the gap prior to the Doctor turning up in his spacesuit, but given the situation it doesn't seem like they would waited long enough to sleep overnight. There are some ways in which it would make sense (wait until everyone's fresh in the morning, blah blah blah), but the pacing of the episode doesn't indicate it.

[karenor.livejournal.com]

the pacing of the episode doesn't indicate it.

Right. I agree. It does take a fair amount of handwaving. But right after the drill stops and before he shows up in a space suit is like the only place where the break in action seems significant.

Of course things are already going all barmy by then. I could see how it might take a while to set up the elevator or some such. It could be a period of hours. And after all, there are people around we don't see very much of, in theory. The chick who gets killed by the Ood orb in part 2, for example. So maybe they could be working while the others get some kip? I dunno.