Notes on - Doctor Who: The Devil's Chord

 

The Devil’s Chord notes

1925

***First we have a note.  Then we have a tune.  Then… we have a melody.

Moonlight sonata.  I didn’t know it was in response to going deaf

Henry Arbinger

Is this really the first time he;s ever told a student about the Devil’s chord?  Surely we must use tritones all the time

This must just be the first time he’s done this bit since ‘The Giggle’

Hello Jinkx Monsoon

-Interesting – Jinkx uses she/her in drag and they/them out of drag

Timothy Drake: Henry, get away from Him.

Maestro: Them.

Timothy Drake: What?

Maestro: Me

Timothy Drake: What?

Maestro: I’m them.

Timothy Drake: You’re who?

Jinkx is really making a meal of this

They ARE music

Was there an actual Timothy Drake

This is basically Faust in heels

So if Tim D. hadn’t given in, would Maestro just never have been able to take over music?

Not sure if I love the visual representation of the music.  It’s a little bit Looney Tunes for my taste

Direct to camera!

OMG, LOVE the piano transition into the opening title music.  LOVE IT

And transitioning out the same way through the jukeox.  That nicely underscores the way music connects everything

It’s fun that the Beatles is Ruby’s suggestion.

Carla had a girlfriend named Claire who was into vinyl.  OK, like – Girlfriend, or girlfriend?  I kind of like that they don’t speicify

Fun that the Doctor is making her wait to see if he likes the idea

His Joy is just so infectious

The traditional companion thinking about period clothes, but for the first time the Doctor gets this into it with them

Ruby:  I want a beehive!

The Doctor: I’ve got wigs galore!

Damn they look amazing.  So much attitude

Marlena Shaw – California Soul

Strut, Doctor and Ruby!

Of course they’re on the crosswalk at Abbey Road

EMI Recording studios

Ruby: Yup. There’s always a Janet.

That was a clever way to get themselves into the studio

I’ve got a dog called Fred.  Oh my god.  This is the perfect crap song

Although that’s not unlike some early Pink Floyd

Cilla Black!

She was really a friend of the Beatles

The Doctor:  Oh… Cilla…

Is the orchestra supposed to be someone specific?

Aeolian tones

Ruby’s expression when she pats the doctor’s back

The finland thing establishes that taking away music changes everything

Susan Twist!

Why is half a crown outrageous? 

Paul’s happy that the songs are bad because music should be bad.  That’s odd

The Doctor:  When it’s just you, on your own.  Don’t you think there must be better songs?

A world without music is sad

Everybody in this world is ashamed of music

People are offended at the sound of sincere music

The bouncing spoon is beautifully shot

Love Maestro’s reflection in everything

Music is something disgusting that you should be ashamed of

Piano hauled to the roof.  Echoes of that concert

Ruby: Can you dance without music?

The Doctor:  I mean, you can, but would you want to?

Talk of Totters Lane and Unearthly Child! 

Gratuitous mention of Susan! 

They’re really priming the pump for possible other female timelords

Circling back to Ruby being a keyboard player.  I like the subtlety of that

She’s the only one in the world that still has music

The Doctor’s look hearing about Trudy having her heart broken is so sweet

Love all the older people being inspired by hearing music again

The woman who dies is the one who doesn’t shut her window. That’s a nice touch

Nice call back to the giggle

I like that Rub y knows hiding is out of character but doesn’t try to stop him

Tuning fork action

Maestro:  I heard music.  And music is mine.

Sonic screwdriver.  Of course it can cancel sound.  Makes sense

Puddle vibration is beautifully shot

Sound and Vision – Bowie reference

Oh.  Little old lady playing Clair de Lune.  So sad

Maestro keeps breaking the fourth wall

The Pantheon???

Nice brief recap of The Giggle and The Toymaker

One trick, once. All you get with the gods

They’re pulling a Pyramids of Mars jump to the future

I don’t like the TARDIS easter egg coloring

Snow with Ruby again.  Again.

Ruby thinks it’s a parallel universe

I didn’t expect Mastro to show up in the future

The Lord Temporal?  That must be a reference to Time Lord

Child of the Toymaker

The Toymaker is a living game and the Maestro is the essence of music

Music without the need of people

Songs that go unsung feed the maestro

Music of the spheres is quite an old concept

Good on the Doctor for calling them on the toymaker’s need for fair play

The TARDIS makes a tune of sorts so belongs to the Maestro.  Makes sense

He wants to record the right tune on the sonic.  OK, that tracks

The Doctor:  Sometimes genius is just hard work.

Love Ruby’s boots

Still don’t love the visuals for the music

I like that they’re playing fair and you can’t trick the Maestro twice with the same trick

Maestro:  Playing lovesick songs for heartbroken lesbians.

Ruby has an unexpected song inside her

Is she Susan?  Is she the Rani?  Is she River?  What???

More snow pulling through

The oldest one?

It’s all gone a bit Devil Went Down to Georgia

Why can they play behind their backs now?  This is cheese

Finding the chord to send Maestro away.  You’d expect it to work this time

The Doctor:  I have lived.  And I have loved. And I can only smile like this because I have lost so much.

I love that they gave the win to John and Paul.  That feels right

The one who waits is almost here.  Still

I love all the music being back.

There’s always a twist at the end

I love the slightly minor key to the harmony

What does it mean that Henry Arbinger is still around?  Is that just one of those things?

The keyboard notes on Abbey road is cute, but a step too far.  They needed to either do that or the dance number