Doctor Who/Recap/S32/E06 The Almost People: Difference between revisions

Continued from the last episode, and all-out war is going on between the human crew and their rogue Gangers, both of which fear the other group too much to stay rational. As the solar storm rages, Jennifer, a Ganger driven mad by the memories of being "decommissioned", is seeking revenge. As the crumbling factory fills with toxic fumes and drips lethal acid, the "originals" wait desperately for the shuttle from the Mainland to rescue them.

[[Foreshadowing|The Doctor tells Amy to breathe.]]

The Doctor's own Ganger has some initial glitches. But the Doctor calms him down and, [[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/NS/S4 /E13 Journeys End|as usual]], effortlessly teams up with himself. He tells Amy that they can still be told apart, because the original Doctor's shoes dissolved last episodes, and he's wearing sneakers now.

Amy is ''very'' freaked out by seeing the Doctor's Ganger. She treats it coldly and pretty much stops just short of "[[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/NS/S4 E6/E06 The DoctorsDoctor's Daughter|genetic anomaly]]". The Doctor keeps asking her why, and she explains that the friendship she has with the Doctor can't suddenly be directed towards his Ganger, regardless of whether or not they have the exact same feelings and memories.

It turns out that the factory is full of discarded bits and pieces of Flesh... still fully conscious.

Eventually, the factory is about to be blown up, and the Doctor reveals to Amy that he's not the Doctor at all. He's the Ganger. They switched shoes to see how Amy would respond to them. The Doctor's Ganger sacrifices himself while the Doctor, Amy and Rory escape. The remaining Gangers are dropped off in a safe spot, planning to campaign against the use of the Flesh from now on.

Back inside the TARDIS, the Doctor explains his reasoning for the switcharoo. And why he told Amy to "breathe" earlier. She's going into labor. Or rather, her very pregnant ''actual'' self is. Because the Amy that's been travelling with the Doctor this season is not Amy, but a Ganger. She was kidnapped months ago. Probably before America. The Doctor knew all along, because [[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/NS/S4 E5/E05 The Poison Sky|the Flesh has never been able to fool him]]. He just needed to know more about it before taking action: how it feels, how it works, and how people react to it.

And as the Doctor dissolves the Flesh of Amy's Ganger, telling Rory to be very brave, we cut to where Amy really is: on an operatng table, giving birth. And the eyepatch lady that Amy keeps seeing through doors and walls is staring at her, real this time, happy that the baby is about to be born. Amy ''screams''.

* [[Body Horror]]: The rotting Gangers -- partially melted but still conscious. And eyes in one of the walls,made of more living Flesh.

** More specifically, [[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/NS/S3 E8/E08 Human Nature|it was his name the last time]] he was "only ''almost'' The Doctor".

** {{spoiler|Right before making his [[Heroic Sacrifice]], he also shouts [[Doctor Who/Recap/S31 /E13 The Big Bang|"GERONIMO!"]]}}

** Also, both Doctors refer to the TARDIS as [[Doctor Who/Recap/S31 /E01 The Eleventh Hour|"Se]][[Doctor Who/Recap/S32 E4/E04 The Doctors Wife|xy"]]

** The Doctor calls Rory "Roranicus", [[Doctor Who/Recap/S31 /E12 The Pandorica Opens|just like Amy did]].

** {{spoiler|[[Doctor Who/Recap/S31 /E08 The Hungry Earth|Amy waking up in a small coffin-like space.]]}}

* [[The Ending Changes Everything]]: {{spoiler|Amy is a Ganger and has been all along, Human!Amy has been locked in a prison cell ''the entire time'' meaning somewhere along the way, Human!Amy has been swapped for a Ganger who has been traveling with the Doctor the whole time. Since Ganger!Amy had been mind-linked to the real Amy, that means that Human!Amy experienced all this series' preceding adventures while not in her real body.}}

* [[Full Name Ultimatum]]: Parodied a bit by the Doctor: RORY POND RORANICUS PONDICUS!

* [[Genre Savvy]]: Like many viewers, Amy immediately realizes that {{spoiler|the death of the Doctor she witnessed}} in [[Doctor Who/Recap/S32 E1/E01 The Impossible Astronaut|"The Impossible Astronaut"]] {{spoiler|could have been the Ganger!Doctor being killed instead.}} The Doctor is understandably rather cross with her for jumping to this conclusion.

* [[Hive Mind]]: The two Doctors manage to act as if they were still occupying the same skull. Which, in a way, they are. Both being essentially exactly the same person, it would make sense that they would know exactly what the other was thinking. And the fact that Time Lords are telepathic couldn't have hurt, either.

* [[Karma Houdini]]: No one seems to make much of a fuss over the fact that Cleaves murdered Ganger!Buzzer in cold blood. In fact, it goes unmentioned.

** Although she could be seen as [[The Atoner]].

* [[Retcon]]: Cleaves seems surprised at the thought the Doctor is an alien because "Earth is all that's available". It's the 22nd century and there have been plenty of alien encounters known to the public in the Whoniverse by that point, besides colonies on [[Doctor Who/Recap/S4 E6/E06 The Moonbase|the Moon]] [[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/NS/S4 /E16 The Waters of Mars|and Mars]].

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: After {{spoiler|Buzzer}} dies, no one ever mentions him again. Seriously, no one asks, "Hey, where's {{spoiler|Buzzer}}?" or anything. It's especially noticeable since he's the only one who didn't have a Ganger, as his {{spoiler|was killed by Cleaves last episode}}.