Thanks, Andrew! ⏳ I found this one to be profound and sad. I hope some tech-dependent youths will heed its warning. Yes, the frustration of the unwinnable situation seems to be the point. Dealing with humans, it's kind of a recurring reality. 🔸 No spoilers, but I loved the season finale which dropped last night.
Good day to you, Vesuvi. Last point first, I have also watched and shot the reaction for the season finale. Editing now. I thought it was amazing too. 🙂 Sorry in advance for the long comment. Brevity is not always my strong suit. Dot and Bubble was complicated for me. I have thought about it more. Especially while editing. But I don’t think it changes my overall feeling toward it. Just restructures it somewhat. First, I don’t hold the same opinions as most people my age and older seem to about younger people and their phones. Older people said the same things to people my age when we were teenagers about too much TV, video games, and loud music. The details change, but the generational conflict seems to stay the same. Our place in them just shifts as we age. At least that’s been my experience. I also, know plenty of young people who are not slaves to their social media accounts. As for Dot and Bubble itself. I’ve come to think that, ironically, their technology wasn’t the biggest problem. Yes, it is ill-advised for anyone to become so reliant on a type of technology that they struggle to function without it. But don’t we all have that in our own way? Maybe not cell phones, but every generation brings technology we come to rely on, for better or worse. I feel like there are things that all of us rely on that if they were to disappear, we would struggle to function. Though there is an extra point here about it making someone oblivious to the world around them too. The biggest problem in Dot and Bubble, as I see it, is that the people are horrible even without the technological dependence. Lindy is our protagonist and she is just flat-out a BAD person who never gets any better. I kept waiting. Waiting for her to show the slightest bit of kindness, moral growth, actual vulnerability, or sacrifice. It never happened. There was never any redemption. I feel like it was certainly a bold decision on Russell T. Davies's part to make the protagonist an unredeemable villain essentially. The Doctor and Ruby spent the entire episode trying to save her, even though they didn’t have to, and she treated them like garbage. Certainly for racist reasons in The Doctor’s case, but I think there was some class discrimination at work too. Remembering obviously that these are the spoiled rich kids. Makes you wonder what the lower-income young people were like on the Homeworld. If there were any. Ricky September was the only character from Finetime who seemed to have any decency at all. He was genuinely kind. He was selfless and self-sacrificing. He also went to great lengths to save Lindy, when he didn’t have to. For his efforts, she didn’t just abandon him. She sacrificed him to save herself, and she didn’t appear to even feel a shred of remorse about it. Then, in the end, her “friends” revealed themselves to be just as horrible as she was. The Doctor’s emotions at the end seem to be an expression of his rage, frustration, and mystification that this group of people would be so arrogant and idiotic that they would essentially choose death over life because they refuse to accept his help. I could probably say more, but I feel we can both agree that I’ve said more than enough. 🤣 I’d be interested to hear your take on the episode. Maybe there’s something I’m missing.
@@SeenEverything Firstly, I"m glad to know you enjoyed the finale and look forward to your reaction to it once I've gotten through your edits of the rest of the season. I'm not one of those people who think technology is bad, inherently. But I do think some people are prone to letting it become a *huge* problem in their emotional (and maybe even cognitive) development. That's the audience who'd do well to take it as a cautionary tale. Indeed, our world is filled with exemplary people like the wonderful 'Ricky September'... and we will mourn and declaim that character's senseless loss as we would (or similarly) when it happens to living, breathing people we know or admire. I suppose occasional stories like that are meant to offer contrast... reasons to be grateful... that it's not us... or, perhaps, to prepare us for possibilities when we might be able to step in and save a kind mind from a bitter sacrifice in a real world situation? Ultimately, I think most dispositions wouldn't try so hard to save a group of rude, spoiled, prejudiced young people... but that's where the Doctor shows who he is. He kept offering the assistance and he wailed at their idiocy. That's the frame of mind held by helpful heroes... in and out of uniforms. But I know you're as glad as I am that not *every* episode is approached the way that one was. 😆 The only way is up! 📈
That is who the Doctor is. And that's why we love him. At least one of the reasons. Something for us all to aspire to in our better moments. As to the rest, I agree with you. Technology is not bad inherently, and I think those who promote the idea that it is miss the point. Technology is a tool. It is the people and how they use those tools that are what matter. There will always be bad people. But there will always be good people too. As well as people who can do better over time. And overall, I'm generally inspired by younger people, as I think that on average they are learning from some of my generation's mistakes. I hope it continues that way. Indeed, the only way is up. 🙂
No doubt Lindy was a frustrating character, and it's not always an enjoyable watch, but the bait-and-switch with the episode's message really sold me. Also think that Gatwa's performance at the end - along with his performance in Boom - is among his strongest scenes in the season. Honestly, this was probably my second-favorite episode of the season, but even so, enjoyed your thoughts on it.
I can certainly appreciate that, and it is likely just how it hit me when I was watching it the first time. A second viewing might feel completely different. It was definitely a big swing for an episode and it seems to have paid off with most everybody. In contrast, since you mentioned it, Boom was my favorite episode of the season. Followed closely by a few others, but the emotional journey Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor went on over the course of the episode while not being able to move was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a while. Thanks so much for your comment and for watching.
@@SeenEverything Boom was also my favorite of the season. Felt, to me, like a possible contender for modern-day classic - it also helps that my politics heavily align with the message Boom had, to be fair. :P Saw a lot of slug support after the episode, and while I know that the message wasn't always clear - while you immediately jumped to it being a racist thing, a lot of people felt it was more an upper-class vs. lower-class thing. And then there's all the small micro-aggressions that are easily missed (at least to me) sprinkled throughout, and it just worked for me. I do think I saw more divisive reaction to '73 Yards' than I did to this one, but I also feel that it's possible the overall reaction to '73 Yards' was more positive. Either way, love the tonal variety of this season, even if some stories sort of dropped the ball. Sorry for the long reply. Hope this finds you well.
@@thebrothersmahoney2469 No worries on the long reply. I enjoy the conversation on subjects like this. Honestly, there was more stuff in my initial reaction about the class divide, but it didn't survive the edit because I started seeing the dynamic as leaning more racist as I made my way through. Primarily because most of the negative reactions and micro-aggressions seem to be directed toward the Doctor. It feels like she is a lot meaner and more dismissive toward the Doctor. Ruby gets some too, but it doesn't feel to me like it is equal in severity. Another clue I should have picked up on before the twist was toward the end when the Doctor was talking about the possibility that the now sentient AI had grown to hate them. I guess I just attributed that to them being self-absorbed, arrogant, and completely dependant on the system. I liked 73 Yards. It was certainly a great moment for Millie Gibson to shine. I just wish they hadn't left us with quite as many unanswered questions at the end of it. I thought we were going to get some of those answers in that brief moment in the finale, but no luck.
@@SeenEverything Like you, I initially saw them as snobs who were just being elite due to social class. It even crossed my mind "I'm getting Aryan vibes!" and I still looked past the race factor pretty much until the end. I don't think Ricky was racist - he didn't react negatively to The Doctor. I assume because he expands his mind and explores other worlds & lives through reading. Evidently, The Doctor is far better than I because I gave up on wanting to see her saved pretty early on! I am only sad we didn't get to see or at least hear the monsters devour those horrible people! They'll clearly never survive, though.
@@saucermcfly I get that. I think the thing that had me the most angry is that I kept trying to see good in her throughout the episode. Kept waiting for her to turn a corner and stop being so shallow and arrogant. I thought maybe when she met Ricky that would happen. But when she sacrificed him and didn't care, I was done. And then with how she treated the Doctor at the end, I was SUPER done. It was in the editing that I noticed some of the racist allusions that I'd been somehow oblivious to on the first viewing.
When the racists live, I was on the side of the slugs lol . I also think she had difficulty walking because she was used to the spinning bubble, kind of like sea sickness.
It does make you see the slugs in a different light. And the sentient AI that had grown to hate the overprivileged bigots it was forced to serve. I hadn't considered the sea sickness idea. Makes sense. If you were used to walking around in that thing I'm sure it would throw off your entire sense of balance to be outside it.
Forgot the Doctor's sonic in the intro. Oops. My apologies. I've been editing so long I can barely see straight. 🤣
Oh hey - I think I'm subscriber #100 - milestone!! Congratulations!
Thank you for helping me into the triple digits as I build this channel! I really appreciate it. 🙂
Thanks, Andrew! ⏳ I found this one to be profound and sad. I hope some tech-dependent youths will heed its warning. Yes, the frustration of the unwinnable situation seems to be the point. Dealing with humans, it's kind of a recurring reality. 🔸 No spoilers, but I loved the season finale which dropped last night.
Good day to you, Vesuvi. Last point first, I have also watched and shot the reaction for the season finale. Editing now. I thought it was amazing too. 🙂
Sorry in advance for the long comment. Brevity is not always my strong suit.
Dot and Bubble was complicated for me. I have thought about it more. Especially while editing. But I don’t think it changes my overall feeling toward it. Just restructures it somewhat. First, I don’t hold the same opinions as most people my age and older seem to about younger people and their phones. Older people said the same things to people my age when we were teenagers about too much TV, video games, and loud music. The details change, but the generational conflict seems to stay the same. Our place in them just shifts as we age. At least that’s been my experience. I also, know plenty of young people who are not slaves to their social media accounts.
As for Dot and Bubble itself. I’ve come to think that, ironically, their technology wasn’t the biggest problem. Yes, it is ill-advised for anyone to become so reliant on a type of technology that they struggle to function without it. But don’t we all have that in our own way? Maybe not cell phones, but every generation brings technology we come to rely on, for better or worse. I feel like there are things that all of us rely on that if they were to disappear, we would struggle to function. Though there is an extra point here about it making someone oblivious to the world around them too.
The biggest problem in Dot and Bubble, as I see it, is that the people are horrible even without the technological dependence. Lindy is our protagonist and she is just flat-out a BAD person who never gets any better. I kept waiting. Waiting for her to show the slightest bit of kindness, moral growth, actual vulnerability, or sacrifice. It never happened. There was never any redemption. I feel like it was certainly a bold decision on Russell T. Davies's part to make the protagonist an unredeemable villain essentially.
The Doctor and Ruby spent the entire episode trying to save her, even though they didn’t have to, and she treated them like garbage. Certainly for racist reasons in The Doctor’s case, but I think there was some class discrimination at work too. Remembering obviously that these are the spoiled rich kids. Makes you wonder what the lower-income young people were like on the Homeworld. If there were any.
Ricky September was the only character from Finetime who seemed to have any decency at all. He was genuinely kind. He was selfless and self-sacrificing. He also went to great lengths to save Lindy, when he didn’t have to. For his efforts, she didn’t just abandon him. She sacrificed him to save herself, and she didn’t appear to even feel a shred of remorse about it. Then, in the end, her “friends” revealed themselves to be just as horrible as she was.
The Doctor’s emotions at the end seem to be an expression of his rage, frustration, and mystification that this group of people would be so arrogant and idiotic that they would essentially choose death over life because they refuse to accept his help.
I could probably say more, but I feel we can both agree that I’ve said more than enough. 🤣 I’d be interested to hear your take on the episode. Maybe there’s something I’m missing.
@@SeenEverything Firstly, I"m glad to know you enjoyed the finale and look forward to your reaction to it once I've gotten through your edits of the rest of the season.
I'm not one of those people who think technology is bad, inherently. But I do think some people are prone to letting it become a *huge* problem in their emotional (and maybe even cognitive) development. That's the audience who'd do well to take it as a cautionary tale.
Indeed, our world is filled with exemplary people like the wonderful 'Ricky September'... and we will mourn and declaim that character's senseless loss as we would (or similarly) when it happens to living, breathing people we know or admire. I suppose occasional stories like that are meant to offer contrast... reasons to be grateful... that it's not us... or, perhaps, to prepare us for possibilities when we might be able to step in and save a kind mind from a bitter sacrifice in a real world situation?
Ultimately, I think most dispositions wouldn't try so hard to save a group of rude, spoiled, prejudiced young people... but that's where the Doctor shows who he is. He kept offering the assistance and he wailed at their idiocy. That's the frame of mind held by helpful heroes... in and out of uniforms.
But I know you're as glad as I am that not *every* episode is approached the way that one was. 😆 The only way is up! 📈
That is who the Doctor is. And that's why we love him. At least one of the reasons. Something for us all to aspire to in our better moments.
As to the rest, I agree with you. Technology is not bad inherently, and I think those who promote the idea that it is miss the point. Technology is a tool. It is the people and how they use those tools that are what matter. There will always be bad people. But there will always be good people too. As well as people who can do better over time. And overall, I'm generally inspired by younger people, as I think that on average they are learning from some of my generation's mistakes. I hope it continues that way.
Indeed, the only way is up. 🙂
@@SeenEverything I, too, am inspired by my young friends, associates, nieces and nephews. 🌞
No doubt Lindy was a frustrating character, and it's not always an enjoyable watch, but the bait-and-switch with the episode's message really sold me. Also think that Gatwa's performance at the end - along with his performance in Boom - is among his strongest scenes in the season.
Honestly, this was probably my second-favorite episode of the season, but even so, enjoyed your thoughts on it.
I can certainly appreciate that, and it is likely just how it hit me when I was watching it the first time. A second viewing might feel completely different. It was definitely a big swing for an episode and it seems to have paid off with most everybody.
In contrast, since you mentioned it, Boom was my favorite episode of the season. Followed closely by a few others, but the emotional journey Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor went on over the course of the episode while not being able to move was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a while.
Thanks so much for your comment and for watching.
@@SeenEverything Boom was also my favorite of the season. Felt, to me, like a possible contender for modern-day classic - it also helps that my politics heavily align with the message Boom had, to be fair. :P
Saw a lot of slug support after the episode, and while I know that the message wasn't always clear - while you immediately jumped to it being a racist thing, a lot of people felt it was more an upper-class vs. lower-class thing.
And then there's all the small micro-aggressions that are easily missed (at least to me) sprinkled throughout, and it just worked for me.
I do think I saw more divisive reaction to '73 Yards' than I did to this one, but I also feel that it's possible the overall reaction to '73 Yards' was more positive.
Either way, love the tonal variety of this season, even if some stories sort of dropped the ball.
Sorry for the long reply. Hope this finds you well.
@@thebrothersmahoney2469 No worries on the long reply. I enjoy the conversation on subjects like this.
Honestly, there was more stuff in my initial reaction about the class divide, but it didn't survive the edit because I started seeing the dynamic as leaning more racist as I made my way through. Primarily because most of the negative reactions and micro-aggressions seem to be directed toward the Doctor. It feels like she is a lot meaner and more dismissive toward the Doctor. Ruby gets some too, but it doesn't feel to me like it is equal in severity.
Another clue I should have picked up on before the twist was toward the end when the Doctor was talking about the possibility that the now sentient AI had grown to hate them. I guess I just attributed that to them being self-absorbed, arrogant, and completely dependant on the system.
I liked 73 Yards. It was certainly a great moment for Millie Gibson to shine. I just wish they hadn't left us with quite as many unanswered questions at the end of it. I thought we were going to get some of those answers in that brief moment in the finale, but no luck.
@@SeenEverything Like you, I initially saw them as snobs who were just being elite due to social class. It even crossed my mind "I'm getting Aryan vibes!" and I still looked past the race factor pretty much until the end. I don't think Ricky was racist - he didn't react negatively to The Doctor. I assume because he expands his mind and explores other worlds & lives through reading. Evidently, The Doctor is far better than I because I gave up on wanting to see her saved pretty early on! I am only sad we didn't get to see or at least hear the monsters devour those horrible people! They'll clearly never survive, though.
@@saucermcfly I get that. I think the thing that had me the most angry is that I kept trying to see good in her throughout the episode. Kept waiting for her to turn a corner and stop being so shallow and arrogant. I thought maybe when she met Ricky that would happen. But when she sacrificed him and didn't care, I was done. And then with how she treated the Doctor at the end, I was SUPER done. It was in the editing that I noticed some of the racist allusions that I'd been somehow oblivious to on the first viewing.
When the racists live, I was on the side of the slugs lol . I also think she had difficulty walking because she was used to the spinning bubble, kind of like sea sickness.
It does make you see the slugs in a different light. And the sentient AI that had grown to hate the overprivileged bigots it was forced to serve. I hadn't considered the sea sickness idea. Makes sense. If you were used to walking around in that thing I'm sure it would throw off your entire sense of balance to be outside it.