{"id":2350,"date":"2011-10-17T23:16:14","date_gmt":"2011-10-18T03:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/exploringourmatrix\/?p=2350"},"modified":"2011-10-17T23:16:14","modified_gmt":"2011-10-18T03:16:14","slug":"doctor-who-the-edge-of-destruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2011\/10\/doctor-who-the-edge-of-destruction.html","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The short (two part) story \u201cThe Edge Of Destruction<\/a>\"\"\u201d (the second part to which bears the title \u201cThe Brink of Despair\u201d) was the first story to be told solely within the TARDIS and involving the Doctor and his regular companions. This was at least partly motivated by budgetary concerns, but in fact the story works nicely in a number of ways: it robs the characters (and thus the viewers) of the safe haven of the TARDIS, by introducing the possibility that a malevolent alien presence could get inside and endanger the lives of the Doctor and his companions; and it forced the characters to deal with lingering mistrust so that their future interactions could move beyond the suspicion engendered by the circumstances of their initial encounter. It also introduced some details that would not be kept in the later series (a reference to the Doctor\u2019s heart<\/em> in the singular) but also others that would be not only preserved but elaborated (such as the idea that the TARDIS could have some sort of rudimentary intelligence and seek to warn its occupants about problems).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"The ability of the character of the Doctor, through a monologue that interprets the odd behavior of the TARDIS, to introduce a sense of impending doom is rather remarkable, if one thinks about it. And of course, another element that is introduced is the tendency of the TARDIS to not function as the Doctor hoped or intended. (A number of the elements mentioned here connect directly to episodes in the more recent series, such as \u201cThe Doctor\u2019s Wife\u201d which almost seems like the completion of an arc that began with \u201cThe Edge of Destruction\u201d in the very first season).<\/p>\n

A number of other interesting themes appear in this episode: Susan\u2019s intuition proves superior to the Doctor\u2019s logic in discerning what is really going on. And one conversation between the Doctor and Ian Chesterton explores moral and cultural relativism, among other things<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Ian Chesterton<\/strong>: Doctor\u2026 some very strange things are happening. I feel we\u2019re in a very dangerous position. This is no time for personal quarrels.
\nThe Doctor<\/strong>: Meaning?
\nIan Chesterton<\/strong>: I think you should go and apologize to Barbara at once.
\nThe Doctor<\/strong><\/strong>: I\u2019m afraid we have no time for codes and manners. And I certainly don\u2019t underestimate the dangers, if they exist. But I must have time to think. I must think. Rash action is worse than no action at all, hmm?
\nIan Chesterton<\/strong>: I don\u2019t see anything rash in apologizing to Barbara.
\n[scoffs<\/em>]
\nIan Chesterton<\/strong>: Frankly, Doctor, I find it hard to keep pace with you.
\nThe Doctor<\/strong><\/strong>: You mean, to keep one jump ahead. That you will never be. You need my knowledge and ability to apply it, and then you need my experience to gain the fullest results.
\nIan Chesterton<\/strong>: Results? For good or for evil?
\nThe Doctor<\/strong>: One man\u2019s law is another man\u2019s crime. Sleep on it, Chesterton. Sleep on it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here too there is a direct connection with the more recent series. The writers seem to have been taking pains to revive the Doctor\u2019s relative unfamiliarity with human customs and ways of doing things, to great effect as Matt Smith has done a wonderful job of portraying this facet of the Doctor\u2019s alienness. Of late the Doctor cares about human \u201ccodes and manners\u201d at least somewhat, but hasn\u2019t fully mastered them.<\/p>\n

For a couple of reflections on religion and Doctor Who, see Mason\u2019s discussion of heaven, eternity and a trillion years into future on Doctor Who<\/a>, and Julie Clawson\u2019s reflection on the episode \u201cGridlock.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

The next episode in the first season will be \u201cMarco Polo\u201d \u2013 the first of the lost episodes.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The short (two part) story \u201cThe Edge Of Destruction\u201d (the second part to which bears the title \u201cThe Brink of Despair\u201d) was the first story to be told solely within the TARDIS and involving the Doctor and his regular companions. This was at least partly motivated by budgetary concerns, but in fact the story works […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133,80],"tags":[891,2166,2765,2958,3139,6720,6906,6982,10055,10890,11634,12273,12639],"class_list":["post-2350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-who-science-fiction","category-religion","tag-audio-books","tag-continuity","tag-doctor-who","tag-edge-of-destruction","tag-errors","tag-lost-episodes","tag-malfunction","tag-marco-polo","tag-reconstructions","tag-science-fiction","tag-space","tag-tardis","tag-time-travel"],"yoast_head":"\nDoctor Who: The Edge of Destruction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The short (two part) story "The Edge Of Destruction" (the second part to which bears the title "The Brink of Despair") was the first story to be told\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2011\/10\/doctor-who-the-edge-of-destruction.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The short (two part) story "The Edge Of Destruction" (the second part to which bears the title "The Brink of Despair") was the first story to be told\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2011\/10\/doctor-who-the-edge-of-destruction.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. 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