I'm very glad you enjoyed the post. I reread your chapter, and will be pushing around that idea of 'bearing false witness'. (I owe you an email, but will say quickly now that I finally read The Wild Iris when I was back in the UK and it made bits of my head go 'pop'. In the good way.)
it's avoided simplifying its themes (thinking e.g. of the school headmaster telling the story of his own war)
One thing I didn't manage to work into this post is how the Doctor has resisted even mentioning Gallifrey and the Time Lords. After Martha breaks this block (the catharsis at the end of 'Gridlock'), he starts to talk about them more freely. And when he talks about it all freely in 'Utopia', Professor Yana overhears, and it's part of what makes him recall that he is the Master. The power of stories indeed, and terribly sad. What if Martha had not caused that catharsis in the Doctor, and he had remained silent about Gallifrey? Would Yana have remained unknowing?
no subject
it's avoided simplifying its themes (thinking e.g. of the school headmaster telling the story of his own war)
One thing I didn't manage to work into this post is how the Doctor has resisted even mentioning Gallifrey and the Time Lords. After Martha breaks this block (the catharsis at the end of 'Gridlock'), he starts to talk about them more freely. And when he talks about it all freely in 'Utopia', Professor Yana overhears, and it's part of what makes him recall that he is the Master. The power of stories indeed, and terribly sad. What if Martha had not caused that catharsis in the Doctor, and he had remained silent about Gallifrey? Would Yana have remained unknowing?