#I.M Foreman

[verloonati]

The idea of the Rani coming to dust post incident, asking I.M Foreman to write a book about doctor who for her little manosphere propaganda bubbleverse, and getting the opportunity to research and steal the leftover faction technology from father Kreiner's group is actually hysterical. Of course 13!Foreman would help her make another gallifrey in the renegades image. Of course she'd see the appeal in a kind of bottle universe in the Rani's plan.

[of-monsters-and-werewolves]

Ok, but I'm genuinely still struck by the I.M. Foreman reference because like, given that it implies a person... did... did RTD make it simply as a reference to the junkyard location or did he purposefully make it knowing I.M. Foreman is an actual character. I need to know whether RTD put a reference to Interference here, tell me Russell TELL ME!!!

[verloonati]

I relate to I.M Foreman because i, too, [Redacted]

i relate to susan foreman because i, too, want to stab a chair with scissors sometimes

[eda-quotes]

I.M. Foreman nodded. I warn you, though. If it's anything to do with how I got this body, the details are going to be messy. You've never been a woman, have you?' 'I'm not sure I've ever even been a man. That's not what I was going to ask.'

Interference - Book One

[intuitive-revelations]

Live analysis of Wish World!

Sorry for the wait! I'm with family so haven't been able to watch the episode until now. I almost skipped the live reaction aspect of this for this episode, but have managed to work out a system with my laptop + ipad that works so I can write and watch at the same time. I also can't add any screencaps, as I can't PrtScr on this keyboard. Given all this, I'll think I'll hold back on most of my overall thoughts and theories for now, and save that for later this week.

Spoilers below. Again, I think I've been partially spoiled on this episode, but we'll see how this goes:

OK. Straight away it's 1865, so our third member of the unholy trinity is somewhere here?

And a baby, straight away, hm.

Luck? Is the Rani experimenting with the universe's new superstition?

"Sturm-und-drang" Thought that was going to be Gallifreyan for a sec, before I relistened and turned on the subtitles. "Storm and stress"?

Yep, doing something with superstition.

"It's older than that, darling." DARK TIMES MENTION?

"Your child is the fountainhead of a power from beyond this universe." May be spoiled on this being something else, but... Timeless Child link? Or Pantheon?

Hm, the word play with VIolets was a lot better, since it felt intrinsic. The Rani using similes and metaphors feels a lot more arbitrary.

Actually, I think I might discuss that spoiler now. If this goes back to Omega, is the "wish" thing linked to his ability to shape the anti-matter universe, now being applied to N-space too?

This domestic setup feels so expanded universe-y, like the The Natural History of Fear or something, with our main cast projected into a very different kind of story.

Poppy! So we're "casting" her as the Doctor and Belinda's child here?

Yep, and Conrad is the voice of this reality reshaping.

"Doctor Who and the Deadly Wish" Very 1st Edition Philosopher's Stone cover there. Kinda surprised we didn't go in on a Target cover instead. Is there some anti-JKR commentary to be had here, with crypto-fascist Conrad reading it?

WAIT WAIT THAT SAYS I.M. FOREMAN?! (On one hand, yay how can I link this to the EDA character. On the other hand, how dare you put them in the place JKR's name would be.)

"Uncle Connie" Hmm... given Poppy's the Doctor's child here, how can I link this to Brax?

"Once upon a time, the TIme Lords were really clever people from the planet Gallifrey. But one of the Time Lords ran away."

Amma?

What was that big tease RTD gave? "Tables don't act that way"?

Ruby :)

"My name is John Smith" The return!

Doubt. Interesting. So a post-truth-y sort of thing? This feels like it could get pretty poitically disjointed, given Conrad is a conspiracy theorist, but let's see how this goes.

Mel :D

And great skeletal beasts. I know I'm not alone in thinking of Faction Paradox here.

"The people who lived on the Earth were called humans. Doctor Who had lots and lots of human friends." The past tense is fun. Makes me wonder if it will be literal in some way. Also very TARDIS wiki.

"They loved him, they'd travel with him, but sometimes they'd leave him so they could go and fall in love and marry and have babies. And then the Doctor was all alone." Hm, what interesting contrast, after that moment with Mel. What are we getting at here, especially with something so reductive? Is this something to do with the Doctor wishing he could have that life?

"But he travelled on with bravery in his heart, looking for his next best friend." And now we see Shirley. (Also, heart singular? Almost could be interpretted as a "First Doctor had one heart" confirmation.)

Susan Twist!

Hmm, this retro environment feel quite HP-like actually. Like the Ministry of Magic. Hm...

"But then a sad day came along. All the Time Lords were killed, and Doctor Who was the only one left." This is what I've been waiting for, with the Rani back.

Ich, so sexism is alive and well here. Very cool Conrad.

"You're a beautiful man." "What's that supposed to mean?!" Oh God. Yep we're going there, and it's not just flavour.

"Unified National Insurance Team" lol

"And Doctor Who .wished it was like the old days, when he had a faithful companion at his side, but sadly those days were gone." The old days huh? Also, are we really going there, with the Doctor's subconscious wish warping reality and causing Belinda to be stuck with him, like theorised?

Belinda's family!

"Good little girl, good little wife, then good little mother." Triple goddess?

"And as Conrad says, that's what we're here for." Again, very cool Conrad.

Interesting having Poppy here, but clearly a lot more convention in terms of her childhood intelligence. How does that happen?

Ooh, is Belinda breaking out of this?

"It turned out, Doctor Who wasn't the only one left. A Time Lady had survived." Hm, are we going in some "repopulate the species" direction here? Seemingly not conventionally, given the Rani isn't herself acting as the Doctor's wife here, but there's implications from Conrad's lines here.

...what's she riding?

Seal of Rassilon spotted!

Hm, what with these helmetted people? Thought they were passenger-forms for a second.

Wait, the Rani wants people to doubt?

"Is it ok out there? Is it working?" Hm? So Conrad a) seemingly isn't in as much control as he seems, and b) is trying to accomplish something specific.

"Sometimes I forget about the weather and South Africa gets flooded." So reality is flowing through him somehow? It's almost like he's trying to take care of everyone, but is also clearly malicious in other ways.

Ah right. Clear mummy issues. That makes sense.

"The boy who wants the world to be better." Stop trying to make him sound earnest.

THE GIGGLE!

Hm, so the vindicators still have a part to play? I wonder how accurate or not my episode one onwards theory is.

"Tonight, we will find him. The One Who Is Lost." Gee I wonder who that is (disclaimer: I already know who that is). Interesting that this name echoes "The One Who Waits". Are we pulling Omega into the Pantheon too? I kinda hope not, as really can't fit with having a history with the rest. Not like Sutekh with the Titan Comic parallels.

"And then the great work begins." Rebuilding Gallifrey maybe?

"Many years ago when Gallifrey was young, the Doctor and the Time Lady had been terrible enemies." Uhh... 'young' is an interesting choice of phrasing. I'm guessing this is just for the narrative, but taking this literally, this feels like a Fugitive / Morbius Doctor sort of thing. But the Rani doesn't fit into that (unless we really are getting "Time Lord reincarnation is more common than we think" theory confirmed, like I said on that one Chibnall-related post.

"But the Time Lady knew they could be great friends, if only Doctor Who knew how clever she was!" Hmm... this feels interesting. Hopefully we're not making the Rani's research all about the Doctor, are we?

Also, what does this refer to? Ancient Gallifrey (as mentioned above)? Academy era (this arguably could fit best, if we take this as a sort of meet cute of how Ushas joined the Deca)? Classic era? Now?

"So one day she stepped out from the shadows..." "He said her name out loud. And he said, "We shouldn't be enemies any more..." NO, PLEASE LET ME HEAR ALL THIS! ... also by name, do we mean "Rani", "Ushas" or somehting else? I hope Conrad's background speaking is included in the script, whenever Writersroom releases it.

"The disabled, the dispossessed, the ones who don't fit in." Once again, very cool Conrad.

"It's like a glimpse in the corner of my eye, like I can remember something, then... it's gone." Perception filter?

WAIT, are we seriously about to link back to 73 Yards?!

"It's perception bias. He's not disabled, so he can't see us." God I love this. This is such a clever way to use this reality warping actually. Of course Conrad's biases enforce gender roles, homophobia, but he doesn't give a shit about disabled people, for better or worse.

"We're going to bring down God." Huh, so who did the Rani/Flood overthrow to get us to this point?

"But the Time Lady had an idea. She said, 'It's not over, because I know a secret, hidden away.' And the secret came from the depths of Time Lord history. A secret so old and so terrible, everyone had forgotten. But the secret was beginning to wake." OH?

SUSAN! SUSAN! SUSAN!

(Why does her appearing on the screen in white feel so "The End of Time Woman"-core?)

Also, no way, is this going to link back to her origin?

"But the secret was beginning to wake." Dark Times / pre-rationality? The Timeless Child? Omega's betrayal?

"And the Doctor said, 'Tell me the secret'. But the mysterious Time Lady was clever and wise, and she knew that Doctor Who was weak. " Again very curious when this story, if real, actually occurred. It sounds like it must have been right before the episode, but how does that work with the previous episode's cliffhanger?

ROGUE?!!!

'Hell dimension'. So he's not in a Land of Fiction then. So much for that sequel idea.

"Tables don't do that." There we go.

"I miss you. Well... more than that. I love-" And of course Conrad interrupts this!

"I warn you, Doctor. This secret will change reality forever."

Oh, I didn't realise the cups were literally falling through the table. So it is a matter of projection, isn't it? The matter, in a sense, isn't actually there? (Or the force of electromagnetism itself has technically vanished with the surrounding loss of rationality?) Again, reality being held together by the mind, ala the Antimatter universe.

(Also, quite TV Movie esque, with matter's properties changing from the Eye of Harmony being open. Who do we know who was involved in those Black Hole experiments?)

Nope, Belinda is still suppressing then.

OK, I know it being UNIT is what's important, but I chuckled at the "relic from the other world" being a fucking iPad.

Rassilon mention! President Eternal huh?

Hm, the Rani's characterisation is interesting. It's clearly paralleling the Master in some ways, with the emphasis on their history etc. but she also thankfully doesn't actually feel like them at all (though the discoball is cutting it a bit close). Sure it's a bit of a far cry from Kate O'Mara's Rani in some some ways, but I actually really like it. This feels like someone who really was close with the Doctor once upon a time. It also makes sense she may act in a way that builds off those old bonds, given they are both, effectively, among all that's left of Gallifrey. Regardless, Archie is VERY good. I hope we keep her.

The way she's testing him is specifically very Rani though. It shows her inate academic curiosity.

Also, tbf, there are actually a few tender moments between the Rani and the Doctor in previous stories. They're easy to forget, but they are there. Like when she's disguised as Mel and clearly, for a moment, sympathises with Seven as he bemoans the nature of regeneration (one reason I like the interpretation, which I've seen some others share, that the Rani was actually scared of regenerating and hestitated for a long time). Or when the Doctor momentarily begins to wonder if they can be friends again (or maybe more? he doesn't finish the sentence), before dismissing the thought. It's a shame their dynamic is so often slept on tbh.

"We danced once upon a time, you and I, with the city burning around us! People said we were lovers. Can you remember if that's true? Far away in time and space. Were we?" I'm sure people are annoyed at this, and I can see an argument that it's a shame the Rani being being brought back so quickly leads to something romance related, a bit like the discourse around Best Enemies being depicted so strongly once the Master became Missy (I got the unfortunate implications of it all, but disagree it was intentional or anything - it was Moffat's first time writing the Master and I think he just wanted to depict their relationship explicitly while also introducing us to an on-screen cross-gender regeneration, and doing both together just happened to look a bit bad). But the Rani is clearly just teasing the Doctor's lack of memory.

Yay, Kate O'Mara :D

"Yes! I had a different face. So did you, a long time ago." Hm, who danced with her? Logically, it would make most sense to be Six or Seven, but this honestly sounds quite academy era-like? Could this be seen as evidence for O'Mara indeed being the First Rani?

"Because the tragedy is... we were never enemies. Every villain you ever thought wanted death. I only wanted life!"

"But this planet is a lie. This whole world is a wish." Yep, the planet's already gone isn't it? I'm so curious how this all comes together, it feels like the Rani's playing every side. She (presumably) wanted the Earth destroyed (by the TARDIS and the Vindicators?) but is also here holding it together? There's a gamibit here.

"But he made so much of this happen. He stirred the gods, Belinda. He woke the most ancient of powers."

"Desiderium - the god of wishes" Ok, this works for me so far.

"The Vindicator. Hidden in plain sight. Do you remember?" Plain sight is a bit much (we payed plenty of attention to it) but ok. This is what I'm waiting for.

But how does this work to amplify Desiderium's powers? Unless the Rani somehow planted it in the TARDIS, it must be via it's intended purpose, right?

"It crisscrossed the universe, creating a web of power to bring you back here." A Web you say? 👀

Or am I wrong, and it'll be more of a ritual thing, ala the fairy ring in 73 Yards?

"A billion supernovas" wait, is this based on what Rassilon did when Omega was lost? With the energy of the black hole flowing through him, how he changed the laws of physics and created the event horizon?

Kind of? She's using his doubt. Literally the Doctor's own Observer Effect.

"Omega" YEP there we are.

"Omega. The First Time Lord. The creator of the Time Lords. The greatest and most terrifying Time Lord of all."

OMG she's not acting to restore rationality per say (though in a way, using the Doctor's doubt could be seen as doing just that, re-imposing logic on a reality that has ceased to make sense) she's doing this to tear down Rassilon's work, isn't she?

When you think about it, this is the consequence of the Doctor's overthrowing of Rassilon in Hell Bent. The Time Lords finally began to see him for what he was, and the Rani may well have been among them. Only she filled the void of what once was likely a great hero of hers, given his impact on Time Lord science and rationality, with someone else.

And of course she wants to help Omega. The Deca loved him, Morbius, other fearsome Time Lord leaders of legend.

Side note - I can't believe they're actually showing us Omega's seal again too!

The Series 4 version of the Doctor's Theme! Have we even heard it since Eleven regenerated?

Ooh, the purple hues of everything disappearing are very similar to the threshold (I've been thinking about it every time they've said that word) and the portal the Timeless Child was found below. Is that just what portals out of N-Space look like (remember, the Master implied that Gallifrey was in the pocket universe when he destroyed it)?

"I have a daughter. Poppy is real. Do you know what that means?" HUH? THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO END IT?!

OK, as I said I'm not going to say too much right now, as it's late and writing is a bit inconvenient atm. I'll be saying a lot more later next week.

What I am going to say now though, before I see any other reactions to this? HOLY SHIT I LOVED THAT EPISODE. Low key, might be one of my favourite penultimate episodes (Heaven Sent is still top though obviously). Admittedly it leaves SO many questions open, so we're dependent on it sticking the landing and not copping out of all this, but my hopes are so high right now, even with the bad taste Empire of Death gave me previously. That's not to say it's perfect (there's a few RTDisms in there, with obvious reveals and such, plus things like Rogue kinda coming out of nowhere, but maybe he's back next episode?), but the fact we're actually kinda hinting at all this deep lore, FINALLY some consequences actually making good use of post-Time War Gallifrey (even if it's not around, and to be clear, I did like 90% of the Timeless Child/Division arc too), and giving us compelling characterisation of the Rani?

You've got me Russell, don't let us down.

[seahorsepencils]

half-baked theory/theories

what if the Doctor somehow regenerates into Poppy in the next episode, a la space suit River Song?

or what if Poppy is somehow connected to the Fugitive Doctor? they did both randomly appear in that one episode.

I like the "Susan is Poppy's daughter" theories but who would the father be? Wish baby? Or would it be some sort of TARDIS parthenogenesis situation?

maybe the Doctor regenerates back into the Fugitive Doctor because...of something to do with Poppy? but then how do we get Susan?

maybe Poppy is the Gallifreyan monk known as I.M. Foreman a.k.a. the author of the Doctor Who book?

there's gotta be some kind of connection between Space Babies and the use of looms to bear children, or a connection between the magic vs. science tension and the Intuitive Revelation.

I know I'm not quite hitting on it, but there's something there. if Gallifrey is coming back, I feel like there has to be a connection not only to Susan but also to the Fugitive Doctor.

[billpottsismygf]

Doctor Who: Wish World

That was absolutely mad and I adored it! I spent the whole episode wondering what the hell was going on, but absolutely on the edge of my seat. All the cast were on top form, but Ncuti Gatwa in partular played it to perfection. I also adored the visuals, which were so beautiful but also incredibly creepy. The strange bone structures, the alien number crunchers, the 1950s aesthetics to go with the 1950s sensibilities, the frightening conformity of rows and rows of identical mugs.

I love the way it comments on regressive ideologies. There's been a real theme of that this series, with both Al and Conrad, but here it goes way beyond that. The Doctor/John Smith saying that Kate wouldn't have to work if Ibrahim married her, that terrifying moment when John Smith's queerness is under scrutiny, Shirley and her village of the dispossessed. The fact that those who don't fit into this oppressive ideal of a "perfect" world are both ignored and capable of seeing past the deception is so apt. I loved Ruby's role here as well. She immediately stands out as not fitting aesthetically with John Smith and Belinda's perfect white picket fence 1950s-style life, and I'm so glad she got to work with Shirley and her cohort.

Archie Panjabi is great as the Rani. I haven't finished watching the character's backlog, but it's interesting to see her so adept at the newfound magic of the Whoniverse, given that her whole thing has historically been hard science. I don't have much of an opinion yet on her bringing back Omega other than perhaps this is oversaturation of bringing back random Time Lords, but I'm willing to be convinced. Currently he's just a name I recognise. I've seen Rememberance of the Daleks (which involves the hand of Omega), but perhaps I ought to check out The Three Doctors for more of a grounding. I do also wonder why the Rani wants to bring him back, but hopefully we'll learn more next week.

I'm still intrigued by the Captain Poppy of it all. Is there more to her than we think? She seems able to see through the wish world when the adults around her can't, and the Doctor's final line is that 'Poppy is real, don't you know what that means?', which does suggest that there's something going on, but I suppose we'll have to wait to find out. Could she be connected to Susan's return? Is she somehow really the Doctor's daughter? Regardless, it was nice to see another brief flash of Susan on the TV!

Rogue also got a cameo, of course. How did he a) know what was going on and b) manage to get through? Will we get an answer for that at any point? Who knows! I'm on record as not being the biggest enjoyer of the episode Rogue, but I do like his character, and despite my complex feelings about the Doctor's feelings for Rogue, I adored what that whole thing brought to this episode all about conformity and queerness and difference from the system. I wonder if we'll see him next week or if he'll just remain in the hell dimension until the next time Jonathan Groff has some time to spare for Doctor Who.

This whole episode was fascinatinly weird, and I'm sort of sad that next week will probably more of a standard episode with the big bads of the Rani and Omega etc. Even if part two doesn't live up to its set up (which isn't unusual), this was so good that I'm really glad it exists just on its own merits! As always, I'm incredibly sad that this series is already coming to an end next week, but at least it's been a good romp and I can't wait to see how it wraps up.

Small things

That first shot of John Smith turning off his alarm was very Rose Tyler in Rose, and I loved it.

That Doctor Who book looked a bit too Harry Potter adjacent for my taste, but I did love that the author was I.M. Foreman. What a wonderful little detail!

It's also yet again framing Doctor Who as a story. Another running theme for this whole era!

Was that Susan Twist again in her get up from The Devil's Chord? I'm too faceblind for this!

That scene between Conrad and Mrs Flood was strangely sweet and I couldn't help sort of feeling for Conrad.

We finally got to meet some of Belinda's family! Not her dad yet, but it was nice to meet her mum and her auntie.

[rowanthestrange]

the book was by I.M Foreman

[verloonati]

#25 Interference Book 1 : shock tactics, Lawrence Miles, 1999

God. What a book.

Lawrence Miles' flaws as a writer are very apparent. The racism in the descriptions meant to criticise it but just emptily restituting it are incredibly distateful, as well as the misogyny that get disarmed too late. But apart from that, this book is so many things.

The remote is a fascinating take on the faction's influence, only three books in. The eleven days empire is fascinating stuff, Fitz arc, and the description of Anathema are really striking and I can't wait to find out more about that. Compassion is an amazing character in a sea of weirdness, kode and guest are also really interesting side characters.

The doctor's torture is pretty grim, but it's connexion with the third doctor really comes as a surprise, and having the doctor in the background leaves so much space for Sam still going through the horrors and oddly enough Sarah Jane integrates quite well to the plot.

The Cold is unnerving and makes everything an unreliable narrator, especially with the narrative device of stories within stories. I don't get who i.m foreman is but the blind man shtick and everything on Dust are really good.

10/10 can't wait for the second half of this book

Guess what you idiots, I lied

Big ass DW review post number 2 EDA edition losers

Starting off with number #1 The eight doctors, Terrance Dicks, 1997

Overall it's a pretty unremarkable story. The most notable thing is that the first eighth doctor story revolves around solving his amnesia, by visiting several fan favourites episodes of the show in between sequences. It's a fun enough romp trough the show's history and refresher course, we get to see an unearthly child's rock murder attempt, the war games, the sea devils, E-space vampires, the five doctors' aftermath, the middle of the sixth doctor trial, and just a quick meetup with the seventh doctor for good measure.

Most of these short segments don't really make a coherent story, and while the doctor learns about himself, it still doesn't really add anything to these original stories. There's a side gallifreyan politics secret plot that just don't mesh nicely with the rest. It's all a bit messy, and although it introduces Sam Jones, it doesn't really do anything with her character and doesn't bring her along until the very end.

5/10 fun but is meant to be a refresher course that can only be enjoyed by people who were already fans

[of-monsters-and-werewolves]

Did I.M Foreman start a publishing company in this wish world?

[lightfromandromeda]

i like the rani, i dont think shes too different. i think its very in character of her to use the doctor and his favorite planet to make a false reality and then destroy it for some greater gain. plus i think shes allowed to be different considering how different the masters are. like compare delgado to simm.

truly did not expect omega at all. rtd better not fuck it up like he did with sutekh

i wonder what the rani wants with omega?

and whadda hell do u mean poppy is his real actual daughter???? i hope this doesnt mess with the doctor and susan too much.... considering that they left gallifrey together, youd think that the doctors kids would be there too

also i see we're still nabbing things from the EDAS huh. smells very The Ancestor Cell in here. also I.M. Foreman on the book.

[househaunterz]

rewatching wish world, did anyone else notice that the book Conrad holds is written by "I.M. Foreman"?????? SUSAN??? SUSAN WHERE????

[eda-quotes]

'Wait a moment,' said Sarah. 'I sort of thought… you were a Time Lord, as well.' 'No,' I.M. Foreman told her. 'I'm a Gallifreyan.' Sarah looked at the Doctor. He'd raised his eyebrows again, and his hand had frozen on his chin. 'Not all Gallifreyans are Time Lords, Sarah,' he murmured. 'The Time Lords are just the elite of the planet's society. The creme de la creme. Or so they say.' 'They like to think they're the only ones who can make an impression,' I.M. Foreman added.

Interference - Book Two

[this-is-a-fake]

Last prediction before it’s tomorrow: we will finally find out who I.M. Foreman is

[saintluil]

i.m. foreman will be real.. . Hold my hands