Talk:The Empty Child

Bad Wolf
Anyone spot a 'Bad Wolf' reference this episode? I didn't but am sure there must have been one... I'm perturbed by rumours that the actual 'Bad Wolf' episode will feature Dr Who in the Big Brother House, and rumours abounding that the whole series has been one big reality TV show. It reminds me of the cop-out 'and then they woke up and it was all a dream' story endings my English teachers used to rightly critisise me for at school... quercus robur 00:56, 22 May 2005 (UTC)


 * I didn't catch a 'Bad Wolf' either, but it could've been subtle. (I read somewhere that Hitler liked the tune "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", so maybe there's a reference there. Maybe...)
 * Regarding the Bad Wolf episode plot... yeah, it does sound a bit odd, but I'm prepared to give RTD the benefit of the doubt and not judge it until it has aired. I imagine that the reality TV stuff will be the backdrop for the story. There is precedent for this kind of thing; Pertwee had a story where he was trapped in various 'scenarios'. Can't remember details; it was called 'Carnival of the ' I think. One of them was set on a ship, and all I can recall of it was that there was a hexagonal portal on the floor.
 * Regarding the Bad Wolf episode plot... yeah, it does sound a bit odd, but I'm prepared to give RTD the benefit of the doubt and not judge it until it has aired. I imagine that the reality TV stuff will be the backdrop for the story. There is precedent for this kind of thing; Pertwee had a story where he was trapped in various 'scenarios'. Can't remember details; it was called 'Carnival of the ' I think. One of them was set on a ship, and all I can recall of it was that there was a hexagonal portal on the floor.


 * RTD is a big Who fan, so I think it's unlikely he'd let us down with a Bobby shower scene.
 * -- DudeGalea 06:12, 22 May 2005 (UTC)
 * -- DudeGalea 06:12, 22 May 2005 (UTC)


 * It was 'Carnival of Monsters', the story was set inside a 'scope' owned by some space travelling showmen, cheers quercus robur 08:27, 22 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Yup, that's the one! --DudeGalea 10:06, 22 May 2005 (UTC)


 * There's also Nancy's comments about the size of the Doctor's nose and ears. --Billpg 16:05, 22 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Ooh, clever!
 * --DudeGalea 16:28, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

Doctor Constantine
I have VfDed his article, too minor. Pete Tyler was borderline, but this guy only appears for 10 minutes. Tim! (talk) 08:49, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

Psychic paper
Psychic paper has also been VfD'd. --khaosworks 13:30, May 22, 2005 (UTC)

Captain rank unusual
Been doing a little googling on this and on Wikipedia, but it occurs to me that the "Captain" rank that Jack assumes, even if he's taking it to mean "Squadron Leader" (and not Group Captain), is still not the rank that commands a squadron (which is Wing Commander. So the unusualness of it stated in the note, that the squadrons were commanded by British and/or Commonwealth officers may not actually apply to Jack, if you see what I mean... unless during WW II, Squadron Leaders really did lead squadrons - I don't know.

I don't have my reference books on hand (packed up in preperation for a move), so could someone could check on this and figure out/confirm what the right way to phrase the note is? --khaosworks 13:21, May 24, 2005 (UTC)


 * Oh, d'oh. Ignore that. Just read that WW II Squadron Leaders were Captains. I'll get my coat. --khaosworks 13:23, May 24, 2005 (UTC)


 * What?? "A Squadron leader was a captain". Where does this come from?  A Squadron was commanded by a Squadron Leader in WWII but they were not referred to as captains.  THe insignia worn by Jack is that of a Group Captain (equivalent to a USAAF full Colonel). Dainamo 10:44, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Weng Chiang
Are you sure about the time agent? My recall is that for Greel the experiments were just that - new technology and he used the time cabinet to escape the attacking forces at Reyjavik. GraemeLeggett 08:31, 25 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, but when the presence of the Doctor was reported to him, he said that the Doctor was not a Time Agent - implying that he was on the lookout for them. Time travel technology wasn't necessarily new - just the technology that the time cabinet was based on, which was zygma beam technology (which led down a technological cul-de-sac). It may be there are other ways to time travel which the Time Agents used. --khaosworks 08:42, May 25, 2005 (UTC)

Telephone
Here's the note:
 * The Doctor seems uneasy using a telephone, however he used one cheerfully in World War Three.

My point is that it makes absolutely no sense for the Doctor to be uneasy about telephones in general - it's patently obvious that he's reacting to the fact that a supposedly non-functioning phone is somehow functioning, hence his puzzlement and uneasiness. If a toy phone in your kid's playroom started ringing, you'd be puzzled and uneasy, too. --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 08:28, 17 April 2006 (UTC)


 * My point is that if the toy phone in my kid's playroom started ringing, I wouldn't wonder what to do with "a ringing phone". I may wonder what do do with "a ringing phone that shouldn't be ringing", but you're right: it does make no sense for the Doc to be uneasy about telephones in general, thus the note pointing it out.--Keycard (talk) 08:30, 17 April 2006 (UTC)


 * But it's just so silly to point it out when it's absolutely obvious what the import of the scene is, regardless of what the dialogue says on the surface. I mean, honestly, did anybody else actually sit back and go, "Hey, he doesn't know how to use a phone?" --08:35, 17 April 2006 (UTC) [unsigned by Khaosworks]


 * I've amended the note to point out that it's this telephone ringing that the Doctor is uncomfortable with; however, I wouldn't object to removal of the note altogether, as it seems a bit subtrivial. (For what it's worth, I also saw him as being uncomfotable with that phone in particular, not phone usage in general.) —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 06:36, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

Skull cracking
In the Production section, the following appears: "'The sound of Dr Constantine's skull cracking as his face changes into a gas mask was considered too horrific in its full form by the production team and was cut before broadcast. However, writer Steven Moffat claims on the DVD commentary to this episode that the sound was discussed but never put on.'"

My memory of the episode is that the cracking sound was heard during Dr Constantine's transformation in the broadcast episode, but almost completely removed by the time of subsequent airings on BBC3 due to complaints received by the BBC. Can anyone confirm/deny, perhaps with a source? I remember seeing stories to this effect, but the BBC website is no help; their search facility was seemingly designed in 1983. It's one of my strongest memories of the episode in fact, and I'm always disappointed by its absence when I watch the repeats. - Liquidfinale 20:05, 16 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Here's the story --OZOO (What?) 20:10, 16 July 2007 (UTC)


 * OK then, but it wasn't removed on original broadcast, merely toned down. Subsequent repeats have seen it toned down even more, almost completely removed in fact. I might see if I can dig out my original downl... 'recording' of the episode. - Liquidfinale 20:13, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

succombs
'succombs' should be 'succumbs' PaulDavidSumner (talk) 00:58, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Retconned cameo?
"During the scene in the nightclub, the actor Jamie Foreman who played the character of Eddie Connoly in "The Idiot's Lantern" can be glimpsed. As the two stories take place only 11 years apart, this may be a cameo by the same character." If it is, it's a retcon, as The Idiot's Lantern is from the following year! The episode wouldn't have been written yet at the time! Digifiend (talk) 09:16, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, your right. It's complete rubbish. removed. --OZOO (Whaddya think, sirs?) 09:20, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Little Red Riding Hood
I've removed the comment about Little Red Riding Hood. I see it as irrelevant and O.R. Cheers xxx W.G.Dude (talk) 15:58, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

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Captain Jack, Companion or not?
Myself and another anonymous editor have both put Jack Harkness further down in the cast list. This is because at the end of the episode he is credited towards the bottom of the roll. This edit is repeatedly reverted by DonQuixote but it’s clear that Captain Jack does not play the role of a companion until his later appearances alongside the Tenth Doctor. So shouldn’t Jack be credited down in the “others” part? Panda815 (talk) 11:36, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
 * As I have mentioned at Talk:The Doctor Dances‎, basing anything on credits is original research. Sources say that Jack is a companion. DonQuixote (talk) 12:08, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

Discussion continued at Talk:The Doctor Dances Panda815 (talk) 12:24, 16 July 2020 (UTC)