I find it so interesting that this scene is your favourite part of the episode, because I usually only see it discussed negatively! I’ve always enjoyed it too, I think it’s kind of the perfect attempt at doing an “origin story” on-screen. Clara inspires the Doctor with his own words from the future, but it’s done with such a lightness of touch that you can really interpret it or give it as much significance or lack thereof as you want. You can read it as the Doctor inspiring himself in a straightforward bootstrap paradox, you can read it as the combination of the Doctor and Clara essentially creating the Doctor and Companion “roles” together, since he’s inspiring himself but it’s Clara who’s actually delivering the message and thus acting as the first ever instance of a “companion” helping the Doctor, you can just interpret it as a throwaway thing that he immediately forgets about and becomes the Doctor independently, or a post-Time War thing that didn’t happen originally but does once Twelve exists and gives Clara the opportunity to go back to the barn, or whatever you want really. Moffat goes out of his way to avoid saying anything definitive, but at the same time it’s perfectly reasonable to view it as the moment that’s responsible for the character the Doctor ultimately becomes. It’s so cleverly done, the exact kind of revealing-the-Doctor’s-backstory-but-not-really moment Moffat excels at.
Fair enough about the rest of the episode, I understand it’s one that’s not for everyone. For me, it’s probably somewhere in my all-time top ten TV stories, but I don’t begrudge anyone not gelling with it to the same extent. I definitely wasn’t massively keen on it at broadcast, and it’s only with time and repeat viewings that it’s rocketed up my rankings.
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Rewatched Vincent and the Doctor today, honestly still about as decent as I remember, but still totally overrated
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WHAT??
Have you no emotions, sir? Hmm?
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I’ve tried my best and watched it sever times over the years but it just aint my cup of tea. Not bad mind, just not for me
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Fair enough Turlough! I can’t watch it without crying, and I very rarely cry at TV!
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Image of the Fendahl (I keep calling it femdahl) was okay, liked it but I wasn’t invested.
The sun makers on the other hand was great! It kinda reminded me of the first episode of Blake’s 7 lol.
Might as well do underworld too!
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Mark of the Rani this evening. It has been a little while since I last watched it, and there’s a few things about it I’d forgotten, and so it has actually been quite nice to watch it again. It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised by a story. I’ve enjoyed it quite a lot more this time round.
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Watching The Day of the Doctor.
Still brilliant. Just utterly fantastic. I remember watching this in the cinema on release day, and I have those exact same chills now.
(Also, whoever said earlier that the 10th doctor’s hair gets spiky when he says “bad Wolf?” was right
I thought you were joking!!)
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Time Heist is on now. I remember enjoying this one a lot on airing. Hopefully it lives up to my memory.
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Watching Time of the Doctor for the first time in many years.
He’s just said “everyone is naked underneath”, the catchphrase of our own @MrColdStream (I now understand that him saying that was a Doctor Who reference…)
Also, does Clara live on the Powell estate? Those were the Powell estate stairs!!
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That really pulls me out of it every time 
It’s like when Canal Park shows up in The Zygon Invasion.
https://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/canalpark#150522
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Watched Time Heist this evening. I really enjoy this episode. It has a fun twist and all the other characters really add to the fun aspect. 3.5/5
I’ve noticed that the episodes I’ve liked so far in series 8 have been the ones where there are more characters and the Doctor isn’t the central one. Robot of Sherwood and TIme Heist allow the Doctor to feature in smaller doses, so the dick-ish-ness doesn’t get tiresome.
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The Doctor’s a wise man. He tells us things we never realised are true!
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I rewatched Carnival of Monsters yesterday. Still a really fun time and one of my favorite Third Doctor stories!
Also nice to see Ian Marter in his first Doctor Who role. I forgot he and Jon Pertwee have a little boxing match, haha! Now I have to rewatch the first season of 4 for Harry Sullivan…
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I’m currently watching Vengeance on Varos and I have to say I feel mixed but positive. I love concept heavy episodes that have interesting themes and subject matter. The dystopian media satire aspects, political control, all of that is strong. But I also feel I’ve seen similar media many times before, much of it done better. Still, I am enjoying it for the most part.
Full admission, I’m not the biggest Sixth Doctor fan (I liked his Doctor better in Mark of the Rani, to be honest, even though the story is better here) and Peri is hit or miss for me. That fake American accent.
That said, I’m still enjoying it and trying to keep an open mind.
(Edit - I really love the Governor.)
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Rewatched Nightmare in Silver. It’s good. Clara taking charge was great. It was fun seeing how she handled it. Don’t get people’s complains about Mr. Clever since Smith plays him well. He’s an interesting villain. Don’t mind the new Cybermen skills. It was a bit weird at first but it doesn’t affect the episode a lot.
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