Live from Master Closet Studios, you’re listening to the only podcast on the internet that has been stuck in their nightmares since watching this episode! It’s the Noobs and the Whovian!
My name is Austin and I’m the Whovian, and these are my sons Corbin and Tripp and we’re the noobs!
This is the podcast that introduces a whole new generation to Doctor Who by watching an episode each week and discussing it from the perspective of a dad who’s seen it before, and two sons who haven’t.
Welcome to Episode 175 covering series 12 episode 7: Can You Hear Me?
Super-short Recap
This is the one where the Doctor and her companions have some bad dreams. And defeat two gods. And do therapy because plot.
Production notes
- Story #293
- Originally aired February 9, 2020 to 4.90 million viewers
- Written by: Charlene James & Chibs
- Directed by: Emma Sullivan
Misc Trivia
Cast
- Zellin – Ian Gelder
- Kevan Lannister in Game of Thrones
- Voiced the Remnant in The Ghost Monument – which lead to an interesting fan theory
- He was also Mr. Decker in Torchwood
Checklist
- Name of the episode spoken in dialogue?
- I don’t think it actually was? She asked “can you see?” and “are you here?”
- This is the first episode with a question mark in the title
- Creature of the week
- Zellin – he’s some kind of transdimensional god
- Existing within molecules and atoms is fascinating
- TARDIS
- The shot of them landing in Sheffield didn’t LOOK just like the shot of them landing in Arachnids in the UK, it WAS the shot from Arachnids in the UK!
- She got Yaz home when she wanted, but 77 minutes late. WHY NOT JUMP BACK 77 MINUTES?!
- She straight up bickered with each other
- Apparently everyone they rescued was in the jacuzzi
- Sonic 26:10
- How did she whip that sonic from her jacket pocket to her hand?! Was that supposed to be amazing dexterity, or a function of the sonic itself?
- Adventures in closed captioning!
- SCREAMING, GROWLING, AND CRUNCHING
Other stuff we noticed
- The line about Yaz’s dad thinking the “incident in Gloucester” involved the Russians was about Fugitive of the Judoon
- No such thing as boogeymen… except there IS!
Who’s Who?
- Who is Ryan Sinclair?
- Who is Graham O’Brien?
- He says he’s been on cruises and they’re great and very calming.
- He’s got to move on from Grace, it keeps him from getting stuck in the past.
- You get me an A to Z of the universe and I’ll be able to stick my finger right- no I have no idea where it is.
- Who is Yasmin “Yaz” Khan?
- Who is the Doctor?
- Just in 14th century Syria, is it lunchtime tomorrow already?!
- That’s impossible. No one can travel among the stars. Unless you’re the Doctor. She basically the definition of impossible
- Blundering is the top of her CV, right next to plays well with others and tap dances well in a crisis.
- She loves humans
- They’re not pathetic, they’re magnificent. They live with their fears, guilt, doubts, they face them down everyday and they prevail. That’s not weakness, that’s strength.
- I should say something comforting now, shouldn’t I? I’m still quite socially awkward.
Can we talk about mental health
Classic Who Connections
- Referring to humans as “ephemerals” harkens back to The Eternals.
- Zellin mentions other eternals that have appeared in the Whoniverse
- The Eternals form the serial Guardians with the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. Their main purpose was to use “ephemerals” in such a way as to amuse themselves.
- The Celestial Toymaker from the serial The Celestial Toymaker with the First Doctor and forced the Doctor and his companions to play elaborate games that will trap them for all eternity if they fail.
The Guardians of time (aka Guardians, aka Council of Guardians) were elemental forces and masters of reality that, according to The Ribos Operation were responsible for balancing the cosmos. Also the Fourth and Fifth Doctors
Overall impressions
- Overall rating out of 10
- Jared – 6.5 nightmares
- Austin – 6 messaging device
- Corbin – 7 chagaska
- Tripp – 7.5 fingers
- Creep Level – out of 500
- Jared – 75
- Austin – 275
- Corbin – 100
- Tripp – 100
Theories
- Who is the Timeless Child?
- Tripp – a past regeneration of the Doctor of the Master, hidden by the Time Lords
- Corbin – it’s that little girl, who is no one we’ve ever met (hopefully, but not likely)
- Who is the Fugitive Doctor?
- Tripp – the Timeless Child! Who is being hidden from Thirteen by the Time Lords. And the Master Found out
- Corbin –
- Fate of the companions
- Tripp – they’re hinting at an exit for Ryan, Graham & Yaz stay
- Corbin – all staying until next season
The Game Plan
- We have a Series 13 premiere date! Series 13 will be called Flux and is one, six-episode long story premiering October 31st, 2021!
- As it happens, if we had been diligent, we would’ve ended ON October 31. However, we fell a week behind (sorry, guys).
- We’re not sure if we can pull it off, but we’re gonna try to double up over the next two weeks. So watch your feeds and you may get a surprise episode in the middle of the week soon.
- Next time, we’re covering series 12 episode 8, The Haunting of Villa Diodati?
- After Series 13, we want to do a Best Of series. We’re going to cover our favorite story from each NuWho Doctor, and then our favorite Festive special! And by “our” I mean “all of us”. Go to noobsandthewhovian.com/bestof to take the survey and help us pick the very best of NuWho.
