Doctor Who: The Bells of Saint John

It's no April Fool's joke. I love Doctor Who. "The Bells of Saint John" was a great way to begin the second half of season 7. The Doctor is on a mission. He is trying to solve the mystery known as "Clara Oswald." This was a great episode. I liked what the "Bell of Saint John" ended up being. And, I have to say, I really like Clara. It's hard when a companion leaves (and we lost two companions at the end of the first half of season 7 - Amy & Rory), and it's nice when the new companion is great and likable right from the start. The chemistry between the Doctor and Clara is great. I don't mean in any kind of romantic way. I mean that Matt and Jenna-Louise are excellent together. Their banter is wonderful, and I'm looking forward to going on more adventures with them.

Observations:

This opening reminds me a bit of the first episode of Sherlock. Showing on-screen all of the things that people are connecting to through Wi-Fi.

Instead of "Don't Blink," it's "Don't Click." Instead of Weeping Angels transporting people backward in time, people's souls are being uploaded into the internet. Their minds are trapped in the Wi-Fi if they click the wrong link to connect to the internet. Cool premise.

The Doctor is a pretty good artist. That's a nice painting of Clara Oswald.

I love how Clara ends up saying those words that help the Doctor recognize her. Stephen Moffat, you're a "clever boy."

I love how the Doctor meets Clara again. Matt Smith is so great as the Doctor. I love his energy and how frenetic he is.

Who was the woman in the shop who gave Clara the number for internet support? Hmm?

Who wants to see a creepy little girl you don't know come down the stairs toward you? In the Doctor Who 'verse that can never be a good thing, especially one that only repeats what you say.

New companion, new outfit for the Doctor. However, he still wears a bow tie, because bow ties are cool. I dig the new jacket.

It's so funny to watch actors typing on a computer in a show. Of course they're not really typing anything. But they sure can type nothing pretty quickly. And they never press the Backspace button. *wink*

It's a good thing for you if you are under the protection of the Doctor.

It's so cute to see the Doctor putting water and flowers and cookies on Clara's nightstand.

Clara is the type of girl who wants to see things. But she's never been anywhere. Those are the best type of companions for the Doctor. They also seem to be the typical companion for the Doctor.

The exchange between the Doctor and Clara when she's talking to him outside of her window is really sweet. The Doctor has been guarding her as she slept to make sure she is all right, because she is now under his protection. It's a bit like a father watching over a child.

I love that this time, when Clara goes into the Tardis for the first time that the Doctor answers all of the questions he knows she has before she has a chance to ask them. It's great that Stephen Moffat finds a way to make Clara's introduction to the Tardis different than all of the other companions.

The scene in the plane is great. Especially when Clara's just standing there, about to take a drink of her tea, and the Doctor suddenly pulls her out of the cockpit. Great direction!

Great shots on location in London.

Now we know how a quadracycle is different from a regular motorbike.

Loved, loved, loved how the Doctor "fixes" the problem. I also love that Clara plays a big part in discovering what they need to know to fix the problem.

Quotes:

Monk: Wake the Abbott. The Bells of Saint John are ringing.

Monk: They call him the "mad Monk," don't they?
Abbott: They shouldn't. He's definitely not a Monk.

Doctor: I'm going to need a horse.

Abbott: If he truly is mad, then this is his madness.

Doctor: That's not supposed to happen.

Clara: Why don't I have the internet?
Doctor: It's 1207.
Clara: I thought it was half past three.

Clara: Run you clever boy and remember. One. Two. Three.

Doctor: Clara Oswin Oswald!
Clara: Just Clara Oswald. What was that middle one?
Doctor: Do you remember me?
Clara: No. Should I? Who are you?
Doctor: The Doctor. No? The Doctor.
Clara: Doctor Who?
Doctor: No, just the Doctor. Actually, sorry. Could you just ask me that again?
Clara: Ask you what?
Doctor: Could you just ask me that question again.
Clara: Doctor Who?
Doctor: Okay, just once more.
Clara: Doctor Who?
Doctor: Ooh, yea. ooh. Do you know, I've never realized how much I enjoy hearing that said out loud. Thank you.
Clara: Okay. (closes the door)

Clara: How did you get here so fast?
The Doctor: I just happened to be in the neighborhood, on my mobile phone.
Clara: When you say mobile phone, why do you point to that blue box?
The Doctor: Because it's a surprisingly accurate description.

Doctor (changing his clothes): All right. Don't be a monk. Monks are not cool.

Doctor: See. It's me - demonked. Sensible clothes.

Doctor: I fixed that rattling noise in the washing machine, indexed the kitchen cupboards, optimized the photosynthesis in the main flower bed, and assembled the quadracycle.
Clara: The what?
Doctor: I found a disassembled quadracycle in the garage.
Clara: I don't think you did.
Doctor: I invented the quadracycle.

Clara: I was scared. Really scared. I didn't know where I was.
Doctor: Do you know now?
Clara: Yes.
Doctor: Well then, you should go to sleep. Because you're safe now. I promise. Goodnight, Clara.

Doctor: Oh, that's right. You're a governess. Just like...
Clara: Just like what?
Doctor: Just like... I thought you probably would be.

Doctor: We're living in a Wi-Fi soup.

Doctor: Suppose there were something living in the Wi-Fi, harvesting human minds, extracting them. Imagine that! Human souls trapped like flies in the world wide web. Stuck forever, crying out for help.
Clara: Isn't that basically Twitter?

Doctor: Wherever you were, you brought something extra back, which I very much doubt you're going to be allowed to keep.

Doctor: You and me, inside that box now!

Doctor: The people are switching on the lights. The Wi-Fi is switching on the people.

Doctor: Yea, it's a spaceship. Yes, it's bigger on the inside. No, I don't have time to talk about it.

Clara: What is going on? Is this real? Please, tell me what is happening!
Doctor: I'm the Doctor. I'm an alien from outer space. I'm a thousand years old. I've got two hearts, and I can't fly a plane! Can you?
Clara: No.
Doctor: Oh, fine. Let's do it together.

Pilot: What's going on?
Doctor: I'm dropping your Wi-Fi, so you're waking up for a start. Tell you what, do you want to drive?

Miss Kizlet: Find that box!

Doctor: It's a Time Machine. You never have to wait for breakfast.

Clara: So, this is tomorrow, then. Tomorrow's come early.
Doctor: No, it came at the usual time. We just took a shortcut.

Doctor: Thank you. Thank you. Tomorrow, a camel.

Miss Kizlet: I do love London. So many cameras.

Clara: So, if we can travel anywhere in time and space, why did we travel to the morning? What's the point in that?
Doctor: Whoever's after us spent the whole morning looking for us. Are you tired?
Clara: Yes.
Doctor: Well, imagine how they feel. They came the long way round.

Clara: Are you an alien?
Doctor: I am. Yes. Okay with that?
Clara: Fine, yea.

Doctor: You know what I always say about plans?
Clara: What?
Doctor: I don't have one.

Clara: I have insane hacking skills.
Doctor: I'm from space and the future, with two hearts and... 27 brains.
Clara: I can find it in under five minutes, with photographs. Twenty-seven?
Doctor: Okay, slight exaggeration.
Clara: Coffee. Go get. Five minutes. I promise.

Doctor: The security is absolute.
Clara: It's never about the security. It's about the people.

Clara: Clara Oswald for the win. Oswin!

Doctor: The people of this world will not be harmed! They will not be controlled!

Miss Kizlet: No one loves cattle more than Burger King.

Doctor: I rode this in the Anti-grav Olympics 2074. I came last.

Miss Kizlet: Why would I do that?
Doctor: Because I'm going to motivate you. Any second now.

Doctor: You have people. But me? I'm old-fashioned. I have technology. Here's your motivation.

Clara: So, he comes back, does he?

Doctor: You don't run out on the people you care about. I wish I was more like that.

Doctor: The thing about a time machine, you can run away all you like and still be back for tea.

Clara: Does this work?
Doctor: Eh?
Clara: Is this actually what you do? Do you just crook your finger and people just jump in your snog box and fly away?
Doctor: It is not a snog box!
Clara: I'll be the judge of that.
Doctor: Starting when?

Clara: Sometime after seven good for you?
Doctor: It's a time machine. Any time's okay.

Doctor: Right then, Clara Oswald. Time to find out who you are.