#dw i loaded a previous save all is well!

[hawkesvarric]

when you click on the Idol of Silvanus thinking that the game will allow you to do a history check but instead you end up stealing it which prompts all of the druids in the grove to attack you and your party members

[upslapmeal]

Praxeus

Don’t know if it’s just because I’m tired but I just kinda...don’t have a huge amount to say about this ep 

(watch me now say a lot of stuff)

I see we’re starting with Mr Misfits plot device character crashing a spaceship

we get our Big Font Location for Peru but not the two previous scenes? rude

every scene deserves a Big Font location

are there not....other places to camp? that aren't filled with rubbish?

I’m just now hoping this ep doesn’t end with a direct-to-camera speech about how we’re killing the planet again

ok so the guy who crashed is........texting? shop guy?

......is he just going to believe it's him? texting? post-crash??

just an unknown number texting and claiming to be someone who just crashed in from space nbd nothing suspect there

idk it may well be him but it just seems a weird bit of communication 

a wild Ryan appears!

just hopping in a flight over to Hong Kong, over to an unknown number, no biggie

aaand a wild Yaz and Graham!

now I’m imagining that guy carrying on trying to knock down the door like Charlie and the pirate/private door in It’s Always Sunny while Graham and Yaz just watch

“nobody's doing anything” “apart from you......the police” yougotmethere.jpg

oh that covering in teeth-scales thing was a bit creepy

“with the understanding that that was pretty alarming.....don't be overly alarmed” if that doesn't sum up the show then

“there's also a talking cat in Ontario but I've ruled him out for now”

there's definitely a creepy factor to this ep

Jamila's eyes opening suddenly like that made me jump

“it's on the other side of that wall.......it's in the other side of this door” me reading a map

glad Mr Door-Kicker got his door kicking done for the day

pew pew pew

gas mask-adjacent costume: *exists in a dw ep* me: are you my mummy?

“focused too much on that cat” relatable

ooh I like that version of the TARDIS theme with Ryan and Gabriella

Yaz getting to go and be detectivey!

but why didn't she mention going back while they were...y’know.........still in the building

Thirteen is definitely having thoughts abut Yaz going off into danger like this

I feel like this would be a more concrete moment in Yaz’s arc if we were actually getting proper textual companion character-focused writing

and an arc at all really

I love the companions but it’s just not really felt as though the show’s been told....from their perspectives? idk

I have many thoughts that are best saved for another post when I’m not half asleep

“he's not the first person to die like that today” I mean.....he’s not the only person but he was the first (that they found at least)

“that's why you smell of dead bird!”

nobody knowing about this vlog channel is like reverse Harriet Jones

Yaz going off on her own mad teleportation adventure!

although given the fact that these creatures needed breathing apparatus on earth I wouldn't have thought going to where they came from would be the best idea?

“wow so you were quite the catch then” Graham having all the good lines this ep

but Graham ‘has spent a lot of time in hospital’ O’Brien would definitely know what a pathogen is

a whole load of what Thirteen is saying isn’t making any sense to me so I’m glad the fam are asking questions but also no need to make them not know stuff they really would

brains...plural?

“I’m not full of plastic” “full of something”

“well I am here for you guys you know” I don't really get what's happening but I love Ryan

The Doctor getting to be an actual doctor!

someone say well done to Yaz!

RIP cool scientist lady

if the Doctor’s telling him to flip switches to release the antidote is that the sort of thing autopilot would have done?

and everybody lives! except all the people that died!

I don’t really get the people saying this ep was preachy?

like Orphan 55 was....Too Much but this ep was just an alien bacteria that lived off plastic (I think? again wasn’t following it 100%), and they use earth to experiment bc there’s a lot of plastic

throw in a bit of teaching kids about microplastics and animals eating plastic and the big collections of plastic in the ocean

but it was just part of the plot and never felt preachy?

the show has always involved some level of topical stuff and honestly an episode mentioning that there’s loads of plastic in places it shouldn’t be isn’t like.......hitting viewers over the head or anything

me kinda wanting to ignore Orphan 55 v me feeling as though the fam dealing with all this pollution should have some connection emotionally to what they experienced on Orphan 55

Next week it looks as though we’re back to the big stuff and it’s time for the fam to 🎵face their fears (run with scissors) 🎵

[vernalisms]

DW S12E1 - Spyfall is more of the same trash as S11

(SPOILERS) I’m gonna preface this with the few positives that this episode has. Namely, the cinematography and music is still stellar, and I’ll admit, Spyfall IS a good step up from Resolution of Ranstoor Av Kolos, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. I’m really glad we FINALLY got an insight into Yaz being a police offer and Ryan’s dyspraxia, although I really wish there was more, and hopefully they show a little more in the coming episode. 

The addition of the Master was genuinely handled quite well this time, as thankfully the BC didn’t spoil it for us 10 weeks in advance, which did genuinely make the reveal of O quite shocking, but his performance as the Master didn’t really fit. It did just raise a lot of questions like ‘Where does this Master fit in the timeline? Is he after John Simm and before Missy? Is he after Missy?” Hell, Is he before Yana?? seeing as O said he met the Doctor when he was a man, although is this referring to 1-12 or maybe 14 (or someone post 14)? 

Another thing I really enjoyed about this episode was the action. I was really glad a lot actually happened in this episode. A bit too much in fact. 

Okay, now we gotta go onto the negatives. 

This entire story is one big Tennant reference. 

The SatNav taking control of the car and killing the driver? - The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky (2008)

The suspicious white ghosts? - Army of Ghosts/Doomsday (2006)

The friendly companion that seems innocent until one small detail reminds the Doctor of the Master and thus uncovers his identity? - Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords (2007)

Even the black tie costumes scream Tennant and Smith, I understand that not every story is gonna be perfect and obviously there are going to be crossovers/references, but there are major plot points lifted from the RTD era. Honestly I think this is because of the huge backlash the writing team received last year for having no returning villains/monsters (save for that one Dalek in Resolution) so Chibnall has most likely gone into overdrive with the “oh shit I have to include loads of classic storylines so they’ll like it” which is....a reason. Not a justification but certainly not without reasoning. 

There was one scene in particular that just threw me straight out of the immersion, and it was shitty because up until this point I was genuinely quite enjoying the episode. When C (Stephen Fry) meets The Doctor and her companions, he goes up to Graham, assuming he is the Doctor because lets face it, looking at the previous 13 incarnations (I’m including Hurt in this), Graham looks the most like the Doctor. His right hand man whispers in his ear, assumingly something along the lines of “no, actually the blonde woman is the Doctor.” This is fine, this is kinda funny even, it makes sense for C not to know what the Doctor looks like, or that she is now female. However... C then says this: 

“No no, I’ve read the files. The Doctor is a man!”

Why. Why was this included? Why make C seem as though he is borderline sexist? The same way the First Doctor was made to appear sexist in 2017. I really don’t understand why this was needed. Then the answer came in the form of Jodie Whittaker going:

“I’ve had an upgrade.”

Oh my god. Seriously. Losing half the audience and the worst audience ratings of Doctor Who since the 1980s but yes sure. You’ve had an upgrade. That line singlehandedly destroyed my whole positive view of the episode and sucked the joy right out of me. Okay look, we get it, the Doctor now is a woman. It’s been two years, can we please stop using it for cheap gags and political points? Can we stop reminding the viewer that the Doctor is a woman? I understand that in series 8 Missy said the same line, but there are a few key differences here:

Missy at that point was a villain and not supposed to be liked.

That story involved the Cybermen, in the context the “upgrade” line was a pun involving the Cybermen, not a referral to her gender specifically.

It is within the Master/Missy’s nature to be detrimental to others and to put her peers down.  

My main problem with this line is how unapologetically sexist it is. Thirteen is blatantly saying that her female form is an upgrade over the male ones. Can you even imagine what would happen if 14 turns out to be male and says the exact same line about 13? There would be enormous outcry of sexism and the show would undergo a huge screech from all the pro-Whittaker fans. Its 2 years in, there isn’t really any excuse for this anymore. 

In addition to this, why did we need to change location every 10 minutes? Ivory Coast, Australia? Where was the need? It felt so rushed and forced for this whole ‘cinematic’ feel that Chris Chibnall was going for. 

The big reveal of O as the Master was definitely shocking, but also kinda felt rushed and clunky. I don’t believe the Master would so willingly give himself up after The Doctor made a remark on his sprinting? He could have just played it off as “yeah I’m not as fit as I used to be.” But instead reveals his identity? It just doesn't feel believable. And thats before the cringe that is his reasoning for choosing the name “O.” 

So yeah. In summary, this is definitely progress on Series 11. However, this is not great, and more work really needs done. 

[siva3155]

300+ TOP NETEZZA Interview Questions and Answers

NETEZZA Interview Questions for freshers experienced :-

1. How nzload works in Netezza? A query usually goes through plan generation, optimization and transaction management. But Netezza bypass all these steps, loads are done in terms of sets and is based on the underlying table structures i.e. if the two tables are distributed on different columns then loading time is different for these two tables. Data format is verified and distribution of records calculated very quickly, fills out the set structure and writes to storage structure. While the nzload job is running, it sends binary records to the SPUs along with the current transaction ID. When a SPU receives new binary records, it immediately allocates resources and writes the records to the database or the table on the disks that the SPU owns. 2. Explain FPGA and how is it useful for query performance. FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is located on each SPU. Netezza is different from other architectures. Netezza can do a “hardware upgrade” through software by using FPGA. Hardware is reconfigured during install. While reading data from disk, FPGA on each SPU also helps in ‘filtering’ unnecessary data before getting loaded into memory on each SPU. This way, FPGA does not overwhelm with all the data from disk. 3. What is a zone map. Zone map in Netezza is similar (concept wise) to partitions in Oracle. Netezza maintains map for data so that it does relies on zone map to pull only the range it is interested in. For example, if we need to pull out data from Jan 2009 till June 2009 from a table that is distributed on date column, zone map helps us to achieve this. Zone map is maintained by Netezza automagically, no user intervention needed. Zone mapping is done at a block (extent) level. Netezza has zone maps for all columns (not just distributed column) and includes information such as minimum, maximum, total number of records. 4. How do you deal with historical data, with respect to zone maps. Sort data first, based on historical data (for example, date) and load this in using nzload. What are different ways to load nzload External tables Create table AS (aka, CTAS). Inserts (Eeeewee!!) 5. Does everything gets cached in Netezza (or any other data appliance). Typically only schema and other database objects are cached in appliances. Data is not cached, in general. In most cases, data is not saved any where (in any cache or on host computer) and is streamed directly from SPU to client software. 6. What is the best data appliance. Obviously, it all depends. This is my (limited) view: From features respect, Green Plum. Popularity with a bit of hype, Netezza. Matured and well respected, Teradata. With existing database integration, Dataupia. Largest implementations: Teradata: 72 nodes (two quad-core CPUs, 32GB RAM,104 / 300GB disks per node) and manages 2.4PB. Greenplum: Fox Interactive Media using a 40-node, Sun X4500 with two dual-core CPUs, 48 / 500GB disks, and 16 GB RAM (1PB total disk space) Source: Vertica’s Michael Stonebraker! 7. When are we likely to receive incorrect (aggregate) results. Very rarely a driver may return aggregated results that are still getting processed back to client. In this case, client may assume that calculation is complete, instead of updating with latest or final results. Obviously, driver has to wait for Netezza to complete operation on host computer, before delivering results. 8. Explain how data gets stored in Netezza and how does SPU failover take place. Data is stored based on a selected field(s) which are used for distibution. ==Data (A)==> Hash Function (B) ==> Logical SPU identifier list (C) ==> Physical SPU list (D) ==> Storage (E) 9. When data arrives, it is hased based on field(s) and a hash function (B) is used for this purpose.  For example, for a hypothetical 32 node system system, logical SPU identifier list has 32 unique entries. If there are 1000 hashed data items from (B), there are 1000 entries in (C), all having only 32 SPU entries (a number of data items go to the same SPU, thus multiple (B) entries map to same (C)). For instance, (C) has values . This way, 1000 data entries are mapped. (D) has physical IP address of both primary and failover SPU. If there is a failover, this is the only place where Netezza need to update its entries. Same goes for a system that has a new SPU added. It is a little complicated, in principle, this is the concept. 10. what are 4 environment variables that are required. What are different states on Netezza. Environment variables: NZ_HOST, NZ_DATABASE, NZ_USER and NZ_PASSWORD Online: Normal or usual state. Stopped: Netezza will shutdown after completing current queries, no new queries allowed. Offline: Waits for completion of current queries, new or queries in queue receive error. Paused: Same as above, but no error displayed. Typically caused during Netezza bootup or startup. Down: Just plain down, could be due to Netezza server problem or user initiated. Does Netezza support concurrent update of the same recordIn case of conflict in which the same record is set for modification, Netezza rolls back recent transaction that is attempted on the same record, in fact same table. This is generally acceptable in DW environments. Netezza does support serialization transactions and does not permit dirty reads.

NETEZZA Interview Questions 11. How Netezza updates records. Give an idea of how transactions are maintained and how read consistency is maintaned. Netezza does not update records in place, it marks records with delete flag. In fact, each record contains two slots, one for create xid another for delete xid. Delete xid allows us to mark a record with current transaction for deletion, up to 31 transactions are allowed in Netezza for all tables. As noted earlier, only one update at a time allowed on the same table though. Here update refers to transactions that are not committed yet. Coming back to delete xid, this is how Netezza maintains transaction roll back and recovery. Once a record is modified, it’s delete xid is given transaction id; this is changed from previous value of 0, all records when loaded will contain 0 for delete xid. Note that FPGA uses its intelligence to scan data before delivering them to host or applications. Sample data:                           // First time a record is loaded, record R1 // After some time, updating the same record                      // Record R1 is updated; note T33                     // New update record R33; similar to a new record this has zero for Delete Xid If the record is deleted, simply deletion xid will contain that transaction id. Based on the above, how do you know a record is the latest. It has zero in delete xid flag. Extending same logic, how do we know a record is deleted. It has non zero value in delete xid flag. How do you roll back to transaction. Follow similar to above listing, we can roll back a transaction of our interest. Note that transaction id is located in create xid flag and that is our point of interest in this case. From what I know, row id and create id is never modified by Netezza. 12. What happens to records that are loaded during nzload process, but were not committed.They are logically deleted and administrator can run nzreclaim, we may also truncate table. Can a group become a member of another group in Netezza user administration. Can we use same group name for databases. In Netezza, public group is created automatically and every one is a memeber of this group by default. We can create as many groups and any user can be member of any group(s). Group can not be a member of another group. Group names, user names and database names are unique. That is, we can not have a database called sales and a group also called sales. 13. How can we give a global permission to user joe so that he can create table in any database. Login into system database and give that permission to user by saying “grant create table to joe;” What permission will you give to connect to a database.List.  Grant list, select on table to public (if logged into sales database, this allows all users to query tables in sales database). 14. Do we need to drop all tables and objects in that database, before dropping a database. No, drop database will take care of it. 15. What constraints on a table are enforced.Not null and default. Netezza does not apply PK and FK. Why NOT NULL specification is better in Netezza. Specifying not null results in better performance as NULL values are tracked at rowheader level. Having NULL values results in storing references to NULL values in header. If all columns are NOT NULL, then there is no record header. Create Table AS (CTAS), does it distribute data randomly or based on table on which it received data.Response: Newly created table from CTAS gets distribution from the original table. Why do you prefer truncate instead of drop table command.Just empties data from table, keeping table structure and permission intact. 16. When no distribution clause is used while creating a table, what distribution is used by Netezza.First column (same as in Teradata). Can we update all columns in a Netezza table.No, the column that is used in distribution clause cannot be used for updates. Remember, up to four columns can be used for distribution of data on SPU. From practical sense, updating distribution columns result in redistribution of data; the single most performance hit when large table is involved. This restriction makes sense. 17. What is dataslice and SPU.For me, they are the same! Of course, this answer is not accurate reply in your interview(s). What data type works best for zone maps. Zone maps work best for integer data types. 18. What feature in Netezza you do not like. Of course, a large list, especially when compared to Oracle. PK and FK enforcement is a big drawback though this is typically enforced at ETL or ELT process . 19. What data type is most suited for zone maps Zone maps are typically useful for integers, date and time, variations of this data type. Zone maps are useful for ordered that that are usually built into data that is loaded; for example, phone call logs. . 20. How are materialized views (MV) used in Netezza. Similar to other databases, materialized views are defined against base tables. Just like in views, we can not insert, update or delete from MV. MV is automatically used by optimizer when appropriate. When base table data changes, MV gets automatically updated by Netezza. MV is based on a single base table, thus practically not as useful. 21. What are typical join types in Netezza Mostly hash joins (note that Netezza may do hash join in memory or on the SPUs if memory is not sufficient for doing a hash join); in some cases sort merge or even some cases nested loops  are performed (did not really come across much; In Netezza lingo it is called either function based join or something similar, not sure about the correct term). Of course, cross or product joins are possible like in any databases. 22. What is equivalent of replication of a table in Netezza on all SPUs. Imagine a situation in which a small table (us_states) is required for joining against a large table (creditcard_txn). Netezza may decide to read this table from all SPUs (remember, table data is spread on all SPUs) and “assemble” this table on host. This data is then broadcasted to all SPUs, resulting in a copy on each SPU. Note that an important db parameter “factrel_size_threshold” holds that triggering number; any table beyond these many number of rows is considered as a fact table. That is, if this parameter is set to 1 million, any table holding more than 1 million rows is considered by Netezza as a fact table and will not result in this replication or broadcast. 23. Primary goal of a table design is to distribute data evenly on all tables. Is it a good idea to choose multiple columns in Netezza so that data gets distributed evenly. NO, unless all columns are used during a join process. Most likely, this results in a large amount redistribution of data during query execution. 24. From design point of view, do you forsee performance problem using order ID as an integer for one table and Order num as varchar for another table as distribution keys. Assuming that these two tables are often used for join, do you see any performance problem. YES, we will encounter performance problem as Netezza redistributes integer to varchar type and recreates the first table. This can be avoided using both tables distributed on order number as either integer or varchar. 25. What is a snippet Snippet is a small block of database operation, typically three to four operations, that are carried out on all SPUs where data is location. If a query results in these snippets: Snippet A, Snippet B, Snippet C, ….Snippet X; they are carried out in a sequential manner. 26. List which options are prioritized when join operation is required. Netezza evaluates joins in this order of preference: Colocated joins: All data for joins are located on the same SPU. Redistribute: All required data is not located in the same SPU, send data to corresponding SPU where driving table data is located. Broadcast: Mentioned as replication above; Send all data from SPU to host which collates all that data, sends it to all SPUs. Each SPU has entire table data. That is, if Netezza machine has 32 SPU, there will be 32 physical tables, one one each SPU. Coming to joins, typically Netezza prefers in this order: Hash join in memory Hash join on disk Sort Merge join Nested loops Cross join Oracle preference closely resembles the same or similar order. 27. How can I look into some system parameters nzsystem showRegistry: Command for looking into system specific information /nz/data/postgresql.conf: To check NZ db parameters; we can change this file OR use set command at SQL. 28. Why integer data type is preferred in Netezza. A couple of reasons: Better joins, thus effecient. Netezza compress works only for integer type of data, not with varchar or date. Zonemaps are based on integer data types. 29. How can we find log (SQL) activity for a day. We can find this under /nz/kit.x.y/log/postgres/pg.log file. Older files are named as pg.log.N (Where N starts from 1, after pg.log file this is the latest file). Assuming that we are looking for a week day within pg.log, we may run $ cat pg.log | sed -n “/2010-02-01 00/,/2010-02-05 23:59/p” > pg.firstweekFeb2010.log If this produces no data, look for corresponding log file based on the last update timestamp (ls -ltr sorts them in reverse time stemp order). 30. What are the ways to get data into Netezza. What happens if inserts are interrupted, how Netezza handles commits. Please see my previous posting first. Here is a short list: load using nzload, SQL inserts (very slow), create table as command or inserts from other tables, and external tables. When insert is interrupted, all rows that are inserted are already committed unless we use transaction command. 31. How do you nzsystem command Most Netezza commands come with a variety of sub commands. For nzsystem, we can list a number of parameters using “nzsystem showregistry”. To find quickly if Netezza is up and running, use “nzsystem showstate”. However, using these commands require you to set “NZ_USER” and “NZ_PASSWORD” at unix level. You can do this with ‘export NZ_USER=username’ and ‘export NZ_PASSWORD=userpassword’, and then run this command. If not, you can specify login and password combo at command level. I do not prefer this way, as any users can do “ps -ef” to check what commands you are using, which also gives login and password you entered at shell command level. 32. Where are Netezza binaries stored Two important bin locations for Netezza are: /nz/kit.x.y/sbin and /nz/kit.x.y/bin. Some configurations are located in /nz/data directory. 33. How can we remove formatting with NZSQL NZSQL by default shows text formatted. In cases in which we do not need white spaces, use “nzsql -A” option. For example, “nzsql -A -c ���select count(*) from hertz.daily_bookings;” allows us to run SQL command direct without logging into nzsql interactively. 34. Is there a way to stop NZSQL command, if one of the SQL commands fail. Yes. A similar feature exists in other databases too. In this case, ON_ERROR_STOP=true on nzsql command so that other commands do not get executed. For instance, we like to create a new table (CTAS) and later drop old table. If a new table creation fails, we certainly do not want to drop old table. In this case, this option is very useful. 35. Can we access data in other databases with the same NZSQL. This depends on the version. Version 5 and upwards support selects against database.owner.table, provided that user has same login and password access. Inserts are allowed in the current database with data from other databases, not the other way (meaning, we cannot insert into another database from the database where we logged in). 36. How can we plan and corresponding CPP files. We can just to ‘explain’ on a query to see how plan looks. At run time, plans are created under /nz/data/plans we will see corresponding plans generated during run time. Corresponding CPP code is located under /nz/data/cache/ 37. What constraints on a table are enforced. Not null and default. Netezza does not apply PK and FK. 38. How is load achieved in Netezza and why is that quick / fast. Loads by pass a few steps that typically a query would go through (a query goes through plan generation, optimization and transaction management). Loads are done in terms of “sets” and this set is based on underlying table structure (thus loads for two different tables are different as their sets are based on table structures). Data is processed to check format and distribution of records calculated very quickly (in one step), fills into ‘set’ structure and writes to storage structure. Storage also performs space availability and other admin tasks, all these operations go pretty quick (think of them as UNIX named pipes that streams data and SPU stores these records). 39. What are the partitioning methods in Netezza? There are two partitioning methods available in Netezza Random partitioning: Netezza used round robin method and distributes data randomly Hash Partitioning: Netezza use hash algorithms on key specified on distribution on clause and data is distributed on that columns. 40. What is the use of materialized views? A materialized view reduces the width (number of columns) of data being scanned in the base table by creating a thin version (fewer columns) of the base table that contains a small subset of frequently queried columns. IBM Netezza Questions and Answers Pdf Download Read the full article

[dreameater1988]

Season 10 - the verdict

If you’re just reading this to pick a fight because your taste differs from mine, then I suggest you don’t read further. However, if you’re up for a civilized discussion and exchanged of opinions, then go ahead :) I’m certainly not one to critize just for the sake of complaining, but I’d like to express my views on the latest season that has let me down.

Season 10 has sort of disappointed me. I truly loved S7-9 and I think S9 with all the emotion and the complex plots and twists and cliffhangers and character depth was the best of New Who, so I already suspected that S10 wouldn’t be quite as good, but it was still a disappointment.

Let me start with Bill’s character. Even though I hated the short clip they showed us a year before the season aired, I came to like Bill. However, I think the writers didn’t do her justice at all. Compared to all the other (especially Moffat) companions her character seemed very flat and not well thought out. This might be because every episode was basically written by a different writer and it felt as if they hadn’t actually sat down together and discussed the episodes. Bill even seemed a bit out of character on occasions. For example, she is sometimes described by Twelve as having a temper, which, to me, only really shows when she shoots the Doctor in The Lie Of The Land without a warning. However, that seemed to come completely out of nowhere to me. There was no reason, no build-up and I refused to believe that Bill would actually shoot her friend on a whim, only to stand by and gawk two minutes later when it turned out he had fooled her the entire time. Where was her temper when she realized it was nothing but a show? Also, do we ever really get a reason as to why she travels with the Doctor at all? Amy ran away with her imaginary friend on her wedding night because she didn’t want to grow up. Clara wanted to see the world and was offered the chance at something even greater. From all three Moffat companions Bill is the only one that seems like a rough draft, not a finished product. I liked Bill, but this is the reason I never really got attached to her. I know that many people complained about it in previous seasons and maybe that’s the reason Moffat did it, but we got so know so much about Amy’s and especially Clara’s life and I realized that I actually really loved that about the show. I liked it when it was Amy Who and Clara Who. I would have loved to know why Bill is serving chips and is not enrolled in the university when she’s such a clever woman and eager student. To me it really felt as if Bill’s character was unfinished and inconsistent and maybe it was supposed to have that effect on viewers, but if that’s it, then I didn’t like it that much.

Which brings me to the topic of plots. I thought that the majority of episodes had real potential. The ideas, the sci-fi, all of that was a really good idea - and it fell short. I think S10 can most easily compared to a puzzle and each writer was in charge of one piece, but they didn’t all fit together in the end. There was a gap here and some overlapping there and it just didn’t create a harmonious whole. I can’t even really pick a favourite episode because there’s something bothering me about every single one of them, but if I had to, I’d pick Oxygen. Why? Because it was the only episode that surprised me. The plot twist of having the Doctor go blind was amazing! And that’s about it. I’ve made a post about this before, but it still bothers me that the majority of episode was very predictable. For example, in Smile we get told the problem and the solution before the opening credits. We see the robots going crazy, we see that the city is made of them. For me, the fun part of watching an episode is to discover things along with the Doctor and companion and it’s even more fun when I have to think about it after the episode ends or rewatch it to fully understand what was going on. I just always thought Moffat was at his best when he used complicated plot twists that took a while to sink in (UTL/BTF) or left it completely open (Listen) and you can disagree on that because it’s a matter of taste. I also loved the plot arcs that spread over several seasons before finally being truly revealed (the crack, the silence). I don’t watch a lot of TV because I get bored very easily when the plot is too predictable and so far I had always thought that DW was one of those shows that could keep me on my toes, but S10 was too see-through for my taste. Especially Smile, Thin Ice, Knock Knock, Extremis and the finale. A week before The Doctor Falls aired I made a post (I don’t know if it was on here or just Instagram and Twitter) saying that I wanted Missy to kill the Master because she’s siding with the Doctor and when I watched exactly that happen on screen I opened my mouth and was about to say “And now the Master needs to kill Missy to close the circle” when that happened as well.

Another matter is the same issue I’ve had with Bill’s character and that is how most of the plots seemed more like drafts than finished productions and were rushed into completion. The best example for that is the Monk Trilogy. Awesome idea, truly awesome idea, but again it fell short. It could have been a wonderful, emotional three parter with loads of sci-fi, action and drama, but it just came out. . . dull. I had been looking forward to The Lie Of The Land a lot because I love a good dystopia setting, but the entire episode was just rushed through and they didn’t get the feeling and emotion across at all. It was just one weird scene after the other felt like I was fast-forwarding through the story.

One thing that I’ve always loved about DW was the emotions it could trigger in me. I’ve cried my eyes out over so many sad and moving scenes that I’ve lost count and that effect doesn’t vanish no matter how often I re-watch it. But the way S10 was rushed didn’t really give me any chance to actually get emotional over anything. I felt detached not just from Bill, but from the Doctor as well. The more the season went on the less I was actually looking forward to new episodes and I’m afraid that process started during THORS. S9 is my favourite and Steven Moffat’s masterpiece Heaven Sent/Hell Bent is just unbeatable in my opinion. Of course it could only go backwards from there, but I had expected a bit more than what we got. I have many things to say about THORS and none of them are good because to me that plotless episode felt like a slap in the face after the marvellous, rich S9 and I’ve never really recovered from that.

I watched S10 for Peter Capaldi and for Michelle Gomez mainly because those two were just as amazing as before, but there have been moments when I wished I could just switch off and walk away. In my opinion, Steven Moffat should have quit after Hell Bent because it makes me sad to think that Peter’s and Michelle’s talents were wasted on such a mediocre season.

Another thing that bothers me a great deal is Bill’s ending and how most people on the internet reacted to it. I was very surprised to see that people loved it. I didn’t. I really didn’t. It doesn’t matter that she became like Heather and travelled the universe in this form, what matters to me is what happened before. I have always found the Cybermen to be the eeriest of DW monsters simply because of the way they are made and to have a companion, a friend of the Doctor, suffer that fate is terrible. Bill’s body was chopped up and thrown away, her consciousness put in a metal body while she was waiting for the Doctor to come and save her. She suffered in her Cyberman form up to the point that she basically asked the Doctor to end her existence before she keeled over and died. That is a good story, but it is NOT a good ending for a young woman like Bill. 

This post could be a lot longer because I have more to say about the season, but I think I’ll leave it here. This show has been my favourite since S7 and I will always treasure the seasons that we got up until 10. That is also why I’m definitely going to give the new Doctor a chance - whoever they are - but my excitement for the show has already died during THORS. I might love what comes after Peter, I might not, but I just don’t feel the same love for the show anymore than I’ve felt during S7-9.

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Ch. 2: “The Doctor Falls” Analysis Doctor Who S10.12: Fighting One’s Inner Nature: How the Characters Display It at the Top Level

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Note: I broke this chapter up into 2 parts because of length.  This chapter is about how the main theme in DW is supported by the characters at a top level.  The next chapter delves into the complex, multi-symbolic, contextual nature of the characters that shows us their deeper meaning.

Fighting One’s Inner Nature & How It Relates to the Characters

In “The Doctor Falls,” after Missy stabs the Master in the back and he blasts her in the back with his laser screwdriver, he says, “You see, Missy, this is where we've always been going.”  While the quote perfectly applies to their murder/ suicide, it has a much broader meaning, as things have come full circle back to the beginning or near the beginning. Missy and the Master’s plight is an example of the theme of fighting one’s inner nature, which started with the very 1st Doctor.

While this theme is a main theme throughout DW, I find it especially prevalent in the rebooted series since the very first 9th Doctor episode. Perhaps that’s mostly because I’ve spent a long time analyzing nuWho and because I haven’t seen all of the available Classic Who episodes nor analyzed them nearly as much.  (This is something I need to look at more closely with Classic Who.) 

More important for this analysis is that it’s a major theme of the 12th Doctor since his very first episode.  Furthermore, its importance to Season 10 can’t be overstated, and every single major character in the Season 10 two-part finale, including the 1st Doctor, embodies this theme in some form.  An understanding of this theme and how it relates to the characters will help us understand their deeper symbolism and what they tell us about the Doctor’s story.

Externalizing the Fight Against Their Inner Natures

The finale brilliantly externalizes the characters’ inner fights on multiple levels. There is the obvious surface-level fight that is relatively easy to see with all the main characters.  For example, Missy is struggling with whether to ally with the Master or the Doctor and all that they represent.  However, below the surface-level fights, there are much more complex conflicts going on.  For example, Missy says she is in 2 minds.  What does that mean?

Moffat said if we want to know whom the Doctor is, we have to read the subtext, which means we have to understand the meaning of the other characters, too.  DW has always been this way, using character mirrors, for example, to give us information about the Doctor.  In fact, Missy and the Master are perfect examples of how we have to understand their multifaceted symbolism to see what they tell us about the Doctor. 

Because the explanation is quite long, I’m breaking this up into 2 chapters. We’ll look at the easiest symbology in this chapter.  Then, in the next chapter, we’ll concentrate on looking at the complex symbology of the characters and how they relate to the theme.

On the Surface: Fighting Against Their Inner Natures

Before we delve into the complex symbolism of the characters, it’s important to examine the characters on the surface to see what we can glean.  By surface, I mean what we can gather from just looking at the finale and parts of other episodes that seem obvious, rather than the complex symbology that requires a much deeper analysis and understanding of outside references.

Alit & Kazran

Alit’s and Kazran’s symbolism is important.  Because they are mirrors and require more detailed explanations, their symbolism is not on the surface.  I’m going to save them for the next chapter on complex symbolism.

Nardole

Nardole’s major surface-level fight of his own nature is just beginning at the end of “The Doctor Falls.”  We hear of it in his protests of tending to the human colonists:

NARDOLE: And more to the point, you are not sending me up there to babysit a load of smelly humans. DOCTOR: Yeah? Well, I'm afraid that's exactly what I'm doing. NARDOLE: Huh? This is me we're talking about. Me. You know what I was like. If there's more than three people in a room, I start a black market. Send me with them, I'll be selling their own spaceship back to them once a week. Please, I would rather stay down here and explode. You go and farm the humans.

His black-market statement was not a surprise.  When we first saw Nardole in THORS, he was in River’s employment, and he knew at least some of her plans for the surgeon and King Hydroflax.  Most likely, he knew she was involved in the black-market sale of the Halassi Androvar diamond.

Also, in “Oxygen,” he asked about the mining and gave us a bit more about his past:

NARDOLE: What are you mining? Is it worth stealing? ABBY: You think this is a robbery? DOCTOR: Well, killing you'd be a good start if it was. NARDOLE: It's how I'd do it. (They all stare at Nardole.) NARDOLE: If I was to do that sort of thing. Which, actually, I probably wouldn't, so please don't worry.

Nardole is a con man and thief, and it seems he is not above murdering people, which fits in with River’s persona.  He also mirrors the Doctor, who murdered the general in “Hell Bent” and showed he, too, was not above conning and thievery in “Thin Ice.”  Having Nardole settle down and protect the smelly humans without falling back into old ways is going to challenge his inner nature.

Bill

Bill’s surface-level struggle of fighting her inner nature is heartbreaking. CyberBill is a hybrid, a living mind uploaded into a robot, even though she initially doesn’t see herself that way. Since Bill’s human appearance has to be an illusion, just like CAL’s, it isn’t much of a surprise, if you’ve been following my posts.   Therefore, the beauty is in seeing the storytelling: how this gets revealed. 

It’s a wonderful idea to start with a human-looking Bill in the barn after 2 weeks passes from when CyberBill brings a lifeless-looking Doctor to Floor 507. Hazran is scared of her and locks her in the barn, which Bill, wanting to see the injured Doctor, doesn’t understand. She’s confused even after looking into the mirror, a brilliant device for the reveal, that Alit brings.   Switching back and forth between Bill and CyberBill is another stroke of genius because it allows us to see Pearl Mackie reacting to situations while CyberBill is there to remind us of the illusion.

The heart of Bill’s major inner struggle starts coming to light once the Doctor tells her what she is, and he warns her not to get angry.  The terrifying truth of her situation and what she is capable of once she destroys part of the barn is only compounded by her realization that everyone is scared of her.

On top of that, the Master’s cruel words to Bill are painful to watch. While he can’t see the results of his cruelty since he only sees CyberBill, her pain is externalized because we see Bill in her illusionary form.  The irony here is that we see externalization in the illusion while it’s truly internalized in reality.

This illusion of herself as still human started in “World Enough and Time.”  She, like the other Cyber-patients, would have had a sock over her head, which is what the reflection (shown below, yellow arrow) in that episode shows.  It’s easier to see the reflection in the episode than in the image below.

However, Bill shows an exceptional mental strength that few others have. She fought to keep her identity all those months of living under the Monks, which has served her well since she is able to keep her humanity, even as CyberBill.  Also, when she moves in front of the Doctor, Missy, and the Master to face whatever is coming up in the lift, she shows her bravery, even though she is scared.  However, knowing that she can feel the Cyber-program taking over bit by bit, she’s ready to give up her inner conflict and her life, mirroring the Doctor, if she can’t be herself.

Regarding Bill’s internal struggle, DW wants us to look at “The Lie of the Land” to get an idea of Bill’s current fight against the Cyber-programming.  For me, “The Lie of the Land” only works relatively well when placing it within the symbolism of the Library metaphor.  In the finale’s context, the multi-symbolic Monks represent the Cyber-programming, and within the context of the Library that would be Doctor Moon. 

BTW, we looked at some of the Library symbolism in “The Lie of the Land” analysis, but I need to map out the rest of the Library symbolism in that episode for you in the Season 10 post analysis.  It’s a highly metaphorical episode, and in my humble opinion, it requires too many hoops to jump through to understand it in the normal context without understanding and applying the Library metaphor.  Without that, the leaps of logic, especially at the end, result in what look like hand waving.  This leaves the episode emotionally unsatisfying.  It’s a great example of what I feared “The Doctor Falls” would be. I’m so glad that I was wrong about that.

The Master & Missy

I can’t think of a better single, simple canon example of fighting one’s inner nature than the relationship between the Master and Missy.  They are the perfect embodiment of 2 different inner natures, yet they are the same person with 2 different faces. Therefore, pairing these 2 characters is a brilliant idea, externalizing the inner conflict and highlighting their most important differences. 

Narcissism The Master and Missy together in the dancing scene on top of the hospital perfectly embody narcissism.  We saw the externalization of the Master’s narcissism in “The End of Time” where he turned everyone on Earth into himself. That trait is perfectly highlighted in “The Doctor Falls” when the Master not only dances with himself as Missy, but also wants to kiss himself as her. Later, he desires a sexual relationship with her, which she turns down.  While she’s willing to flirt with him, she draws a line and won’t cross it, marking an important difference in their inner natures.

Mental Stability Mental stability has never been a strength of either the Master or Missy. Since having the drumbeat removed from his head, he’s not a total loon, at least on the surface, but he’s far from being mentally stable.  In contrast, within Season 10 in general and in the finale, Missy, when the Master isn’t unduly influencing her, looks much more mentally stable than he does. Admittedly, it’s a low bar.  But still…

In previous seasons, both were psychopaths, duplicitous, and cruel. However, while Missy was changing in Season 10 and growing a conscience, representing change and moving toward redemption, the Master represents being unrepentant and stuck in the past.  Missy is fighting her past for Season 10, which is externalized, especially with the presence of the Master.

The Season 10 finale highlights the Master’s old duplicitous and cruel ways, especially against Bill, who is very sweet natured and trusting.  The Master’s and Bill’s contrasting natures make hurting her all the more horrible.  And I don’t doubt that the Master is especially enjoying this because he is also hurting the Doctor.

Control Both the Master and Missy have sought control over others but in different ways. Because the Master is no longer being driven mad by the drumbeat, we get a more accurate picture of the damage left behind.  Since he had little power, I’m referring to true control, over his life while the earworm was pounding in his head, it’s one reason why he lusted for power in the 10th Doctor episodes.

And still does in the 12th Doctor episodes. 

In “The Doctor Falls,” the Doctor talks about how the Master kills people and makes himself king until the people rebel.  And we’ve seen him do that type of thing before in the 10th Doctor episodes.

In contrast, Missy’s type of control is typically not as overt.  For example, she uses her proxy, Clara, who is Missy’s familiar (as the “The Witch’s Familiar” suggests) to control the one person she seems to care the most about controlling.  The Doctor.  

However, we see in “The Doctor Falls” a different type of control.  While she seems to go along with the Master to subdue the Doctor, it’s the Master whom she ends up ultimately controlling by backstabbing him.  A murder/suicide to kill her past and create a bootstrap paradox upon his death to bring about his next incarnation, which may or may not be Missy.  Ironically, it’s the murder/suicide that shows the biggest differences in their inner natures.

Duality of Their Nature: Spite & Hatred Vs. Friendship Toward the Doctor The most striking difference between the Master and Missy is the duality of their nature toward the Doctor.  In the past, John Simm’s Master hated the Doctor, Rassilon, and the universe in general. He spited the Doctor when he could, and it looks like nothing has changed here because he still holds grudges.

Besides knowing that hurting Bill would hurt the Doctor, the Master is vindictive toward him in other ways.  For example, the Master spites the Doctor in “The Doctor Falls” after the he asks the Master to stand with him:

MASTER: See this face? Take a good, long look at it. This is the face that didn't listen to a word you just said.

The Master enjoys the anguish on the Doctor’s face and walks off.

However, the Master’s spite and hatred against the Doctor is most acute when the Master shouts that he won’t stand with the Doctor.  That, of course, is in response to Missy saying she would after she tries to kill her past.  Since the Master isn’t dead yet, the thought of his future self standing with the Doctor is so repugnant that he prefers to murder his future self than to stand with his old friend. 

The murder/suicide is a surreal expression of duality: narcissism of the Master’s present self and self-loathing of his future self.  Again, it shows his vehement hatred of the Doctor, and the Master won’t give the Doctor the satisfaction of reuniting with his old friend through Missy.  The murder/suicide is the ultimate expression of spite from the Master that shows he is fighting the other face of his inner nature right up to the end.

This mirrors his decision in ���The Last of the Time Lords” not to regenerate. The Doctor begs him to, but the Master, wanting to do everything he can to hurt the Doctor, refuses and dies in the Doctor’s arms.

While the Master is happy being the Doctor’s archenemy and delighted to hurt the Doctor in whatever ways he can, Missy is the frenemy, who becomes the Doctor’s friend at the end to stand with him.  Of course, however, the Master murders her first. 

The Master’s hatred toward the Doctor is especially striking when compared to Missy’s deep-seeded desire to unite with the Doctor.  It’s been clear since “Death in Heaven” when she tried to give the Doctor a Cyberman army that she’s wanted to be friends with him.  She sounded quite sincere and childlike.

DOCTOR: Why are you doing this? MISSY: I need you to know we're not so different. I need my friend back.

It’s been her driving factor to make him become like her.  We know she is sincere.  And the Doctor, too, wants Missy to become like him, as we find out in the finale. 

DOCTOR: Missy. Missy. You've changed. I know you have. And I know what you're capable of. Stand with me. It's all I've ever wanted. MISSY: Me too. But no. Sorry. Just, no. (she takes his hand) But thanks for trying. (Missy leaves.)

They both have tears in their eyes, and they both really want this, but on their own terms.  His own redemption requires Missy to turn good.  She represents chaos and the temptation to become like her and to go, for example, hell bent through the universe once again.  Clara, as a proxy of Missy, also represents chaos and temptation, which is why the Doctor had to have a memory block until he figured out how to deal with these issues.

The 12th Doctor

Near the beginning of “The Doctor Falls,” Missy and the Master goad the Doctor, as he is tied to the wheelchair on the roof of the hospital:

MASTER: Ten years you spent up there, chatting. You missed her by two hours. MISSY: Ripped out her heart, threw it in to a bin, and burned it all away. He's internalising. I love it when he's Mister Volcano.

Missy wants him to explode in rage and become like he was when Clara died: Mr. Volcano.  He doesn’t explode, but we see the externalization of ire on his face as he’s internalizing what happened to Bill. 

While the above example illustrated the theme, the best instance in the finale of the 12th Doctor externalizing his fight against his inner nature is his struggle against regeneration.  This Doctor went past his regeneration cycle and is very weary, having lived too long and with too much loss.  Also, he’s been through a staggering amount of internal conflict – tortured, in part, by what he did during the war.

That’s not all.  Being the Fish metaphor, his life, for the most part, has been about imprisonment, torture, and self-sacrifice on a grand scale.  He chose torture and death over and over rather than confess his secrets to a manifestation of an inner conflict, his nightmare that chased him for 4.5 billion years. 

While many of the Doctors spend their first episode a little confused about whom they are, the 12th Doctor has taken 3 seasons to answer his question of whether he is a good man.  Not wanting to lose his hard-earned identity of becoming that good man, he’s ready to end his life, rather than regenerate into some unknown entity.

The 12th and 1st Doctors

Right at the end of the finale, we see the 1st Doctor.  Pairing him and the 12th Doctor is brilliant, mirroring the pairing of Missy and the Master.  This externalizes the inner fight of the Doctors’ natures: one person with 2 different faces.  No doubt, this will give us an interesting contrast for Christmas, highlighting the Doctors’ differences in a way we haven’t seen before.  This also brings us full circle – back to the epicenter of the war, where we examined the Doctor would have to return to (Chapter 18: Rescuing Children & Missy/Master).

However, there’s something else, too.  Before the 12th Doctor died in the forest, he told the Cyberman that blasted him with an energy bolt:

DOCTOR: Argh! No, no. I'm not a doctor. I am the Doctor. The original, you might say.

This nearly mirrors the conversation the resurrected 12th Doctor has later with the 1st Doctor, except the 1st Doctor claims to be the original:

DOCTOR: I'm the Doctor. (The elderly figure in checked trousers, cape, scarf and astrakhan hat comes into view.) 1ST DOCTOR: The Doctor. Oh, I don't think so. No, dear me, no. You may be a doctor, but I am the Doctor. The original, you might say. (Taking hold of his lapels just like William Hartnell used to do.)

Here’s a conflict already of who is The Doctor.  So Moffat is playing with the whole imposter theme that’s been so prevalent in Season 10. The irony here, which I’m sure Moffat is playing into, is that David Bradley is not the original actor for the 1st Doctor.

In fact, “The original, you might say” was first said in “The Five Doctors” by the 2nd actor, Richard Hurndall, to play the 1st Doctor, replacing the late William Hartnell.  DW loves irony.

In the Next Chapter

We’ll examine the complex symbology of the characters that shows us what really is happening.  For example, what does Bill’s illusion mean beyond the obvious?  And what do Missy and the Master tell us about the Doctor?

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