As showrunner for Doctor Who, Steven Moffat is mostly known for beginnings and endings of series, but this week the Moff brought us “Listen,” a standalone story that delves into beginnings, endings and fear itself. So, did Moffat overload the story with his personal tropes, take the show in an interesting direction, or…well, listen to the opinions of the Three Who Rule for their thoughts on the matter. There’s also tat, stats, Gallifrey One guest updates and more, including a diversion into some serious action dolly madness. Listen! Please.
11 Comments on “Radio Free Skaro #439 – For What It's Worth”
Just pointing out, Clara also managed to pilot the TARDIS to Danny Pink’s past so why not the Doctor’s? And the Doctor really is a part of her timeline so it makes sense that the telepathic circuits would take them to his past. (Clara was worried about him because he was passed out so she was probably a bit distracted).
Also, I love your podcast!!! It totally keeps me updated with everything remotely Who-related. Thanks for being awesome!
Thanks for the comment, Ivy! As others have pointed out to us on Twitter, the Doctor loudly gasps while he’s unconscious, which distracts Clara in the same was as the phone call from (who she presumes to be) Danny distracted her during her first attempt. We missed that the first time!
Ok, love your podcast especially being a Canadian production, so few of them these days.Have you ever considered an episode of only your listeners questions?
There was a monster in the room under the blanket, we all saw the out of focus creature which disappeared in a flash of light.The real question is, was it the same creature at the end of the universe? If it was why did it need to be allowed in? Why not just appear,transport or whatever ?
Is it a coincidence that the doctor talks about sontarans and the creature under the blanket looks like a blurry sontaran?
Why is the farmhouse still standing but isolated and deserted in the war doctors timeline? All the surrounding buildings have been destoyed leaving the farmhouse in a wasteland.
If the tardis takes them where they need to be,it must be conscious so are we all ignoring perhaps the most important character in all of doctor who?
If the telepathic circuits are available why doesn’t the doctor use them to discover when and why he “gave himself this face”.
Thanks for the many podcasts for us nerds, we have so few to discuss this fantastic series with.
Great discussion, guys! I agree with everything said about the story being told as it was deliberately. It’s a creepy cool episode that ends up more lovely than scary. Hats off to Moffat once again!
In my own mind, that creature under the blanket is somehow – don’t know how – the Doctor himself. After all, where else in this episode do we see someone hiding under a blanket because he doesn’t want to be seen? But I wouldn’t want it definitively settled, either. Just perfect as it was done.
I think Clara piloted the TARDIS to Gallifrey (if that’s where it was) because (a) she was distracted, as when Danny called her cell phone earlier in the episode – this time, she’s distracted by the Doctor’s condition; and (b) that barn is within her own timeline – she was there in “Day of the Doctor.”
Capaldi’s Doctor did seem a little out of place in “Robot of Sherwood,” but, of course, wasn’t that a large part of the point? I am very pleased with series 8 so far and hope Moffat et al. can sustain the high quality right through the finale!
I think the “Sontarans perverting the course of human history” was Tom Baker’s first line as the Doctor, or one of his very first lines, anyway. Clearly recalling Linx – the link was probably seeing Sarah. I’m not sure there’s any significance beyond that – if there is, I can’t figure out what it would be. Post-Regeneration trauma?
Does anyone think the telepathic circuits could work both ways, allowing the tardis to communicate with clara or the doctor? The tardis is a sentient life form right?
Also why are almost all podcasts saying there was nothing under the blanket? Did they watch the same show I did? Moffat know we were all going to pause and freezframe with our hd pvrs etc. He wanted us to see the blurry creature. The questions is why and to what ends?
I’ve not listened to other podcasts yet about their Listen thoughts, but I know I made mention on RFS there was a creature and that it’s seen out of focus over Clara’s shoulder. The point wasn’t that there was something under the blanket, more that it didn’t matter what was under the blanket.
I don’t understand why what was under the blanket doesn’t matter.I struggle to understand how this doctor could let this go.He now knows some type of creature is either following him or his companions around,,right? Something was on the tardis, stealing the chalk and writing on the chalkboard ,taunting him.Something was under the blanket[stealing the blanket while escaping in a flash of blue light) and something was outside the spaceship.
Moffat wanted us to see the creature, albeit out of focus.He wants us discussing this,therefore it matters to him.Shouldn’t it matter to us and the doctor?
It was never even suggested or explained that this might have been just a mass paranoia or somehow the doctors nightmares given form.
A lot has been made of the distractions clara had while flying the tardis telepathically.The tardis always takes them where they need to be, that’s is what she(the tardis) said in the doctors wife, if I remember correctly.The question then is why does the tardis think they needed to do this?
Just a thought…
I suggest that Missy must have either technology or minions watching the doctor covertly.This is the only way to explain her interceptions or receiving of the half face man and the soldier immediately upon their deaths.This is beyond even the masters powers.Perhaps this creature is a minion ( mischevious perhaps)sent to spy on the doctor.
Maybe the point is that the creatures (if they exist) have evolved to stay hidden as a defence, and they’re not doing any harm, so why not leave them alone?
I still don’t think our doctor would leave this alone. He’s been bumbling around the universe for over 1000 years. To discover some creature no one else knows about would be like a current scientist discovering the secret to time travel or anti gravity. He would have to follow the trail where ever it lead him…
Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro 
Just pointing out, Clara also managed to pilot the TARDIS to Danny Pink’s past so why not the Doctor’s? And the Doctor really is a part of her timeline so it makes sense that the telepathic circuits would take them to his past. (Clara was worried about him because he was passed out so she was probably a bit distracted).
Also, I love your podcast!!! It totally keeps me updated with everything remotely Who-related. Thanks for being awesome!
Thanks for the comment, Ivy! As others have pointed out to us on Twitter, the Doctor loudly gasps while he’s unconscious, which distracts Clara in the same was as the phone call from (who she presumes to be) Danny distracted her during her first attempt. We missed that the first time!
Ok, love your podcast especially being a Canadian production, so few of them these days.Have you ever considered an episode of only your listeners questions?
There was a monster in the room under the blanket, we all saw the out of focus creature which disappeared in a flash of light.The real question is, was it the same creature at the end of the universe? If it was why did it need to be allowed in? Why not just appear,transport or whatever ?
Is it a coincidence that the doctor talks about sontarans and the creature under the blanket looks like a blurry sontaran?
Why is the farmhouse still standing but isolated and deserted in the war doctors timeline? All the surrounding buildings have been destoyed leaving the farmhouse in a wasteland.
If the tardis takes them where they need to be,it must be conscious so are we all ignoring perhaps the most important character in all of doctor who?
If the telepathic circuits are available why doesn’t the doctor use them to discover when and why he “gave himself this face”.
Thanks for the many podcasts for us nerds, we have so few to discuss this fantastic series with.
Great discussion, guys! I agree with everything said about the story being told as it was deliberately. It’s a creepy cool episode that ends up more lovely than scary. Hats off to Moffat once again!
In my own mind, that creature under the blanket is somehow – don’t know how – the Doctor himself. After all, where else in this episode do we see someone hiding under a blanket because he doesn’t want to be seen? But I wouldn’t want it definitively settled, either. Just perfect as it was done.
I think Clara piloted the TARDIS to Gallifrey (if that’s where it was) because (a) she was distracted, as when Danny called her cell phone earlier in the episode – this time, she’s distracted by the Doctor’s condition; and (b) that barn is within her own timeline – she was there in “Day of the Doctor.”
Capaldi’s Doctor did seem a little out of place in “Robot of Sherwood,” but, of course, wasn’t that a large part of the point? I am very pleased with series 8 so far and hope Moffat et al. can sustain the high quality right through the finale!
(Oops – I see Ivy already pointed out Clara being distracted. That’s what I get for not reading the previous comments more closely!)
I think the “Sontarans perverting the course of human history” was Tom Baker’s first line as the Doctor, or one of his very first lines, anyway. Clearly recalling Linx – the link was probably seeing Sarah. I’m not sure there’s any significance beyond that – if there is, I can’t figure out what it would be. Post-Regeneration trauma?
Does anyone think the telepathic circuits could work both ways, allowing the tardis to communicate with clara or the doctor? The tardis is a sentient life form right?
Also why are almost all podcasts saying there was nothing under the blanket? Did they watch the same show I did? Moffat know we were all going to pause and freezframe with our hd pvrs etc. He wanted us to see the blurry creature. The questions is why and to what ends?
I’ve not listened to other podcasts yet about their Listen thoughts, but I know I made mention on RFS there was a creature and that it’s seen out of focus over Clara’s shoulder. The point wasn’t that there was something under the blanket, more that it didn’t matter what was under the blanket.
I don’t understand why what was under the blanket doesn’t matter.I struggle to understand how this doctor could let this go.He now knows some type of creature is either following him or his companions around,,right? Something was on the tardis, stealing the chalk and writing on the chalkboard ,taunting him.Something was under the blanket[stealing the blanket while escaping in a flash of blue light) and something was outside the spaceship.
Moffat wanted us to see the creature, albeit out of focus.He wants us discussing this,therefore it matters to him.Shouldn’t it matter to us and the doctor?
It was never even suggested or explained that this might have been just a mass paranoia or somehow the doctors nightmares given form.
A lot has been made of the distractions clara had while flying the tardis telepathically.The tardis always takes them where they need to be, that’s is what she(the tardis) said in the doctors wife, if I remember correctly.The question then is why does the tardis think they needed to do this?
Just a thought…
I suggest that Missy must have either technology or minions watching the doctor covertly.This is the only way to explain her interceptions or receiving of the half face man and the soldier immediately upon their deaths.This is beyond even the masters powers.Perhaps this creature is a minion ( mischevious perhaps)sent to spy on the doctor.
Maybe the point is that the creatures (if they exist) have evolved to stay hidden as a defence, and they’re not doing any harm, so why not leave them alone?
I still don’t think our doctor would leave this alone. He’s been bumbling around the universe for over 1000 years. To discover some creature no one else knows about would be like a current scientist discovering the secret to time travel or anti gravity. He would have to follow the trail where ever it lead him…