This is the one where the Doctor and Clara fight sentient eye crusties created by space sleep pods. And for some reason, no one tries shooting the eye boogers. 

Live from Master Closet Studios, you’re listening to the only podcast on the internet with sentient carnivorous eye boogers: It’s the Noobs and the Whovian! 

My name is Austin and I’m the Whovian, and these are my sons Corbin and Tripp and we’re the noobs!

This is the podcast that introduces a whole new generation to Doctor Who by watching an episode each week and discussing it from the perspective of a dad who’s seen it before, and two sons who haven’t.

Welcome to Episode 136, covering series 9 episode 9: Sleep No More 

Production notes

* Story #259* Originally aired November 14, 2015 to 5.61 million viewers* Written by: Mark Gatiss* This is his first Who story set in the future* Directed by: Justin Molotnikov

Cast

* 474 – Bethany Black* First openly transgender in Doctor Who* In her role in Russell T. Davies’ show Banana, she was the first trans actor to play a lead character who was trans

Checklist

* Name of the episode spoken in dialogue?* Creature of the week* The Sandmen* They are literally made of your eye boogers, I mean… sleep dust.* Sentient eye goomlies* Adventures in closed captioning!* King Sandman

Other stuff we noticed

* I love the found-footage approach they took here* The shift from helmet cam to Clara-cam was subtle and awesome* Tripp pointed out that it’s color when it’s a person’s perspective, but black and white when it’s a CCTV viewpoint* Have you brought me to a space-restaurant* The Doctor says people don’t put “space” in front of something just because it’s all high tech and futurey. It’s not space-champagne, and space-hats.”* Space pirates!* What does Tuesday taste like?!* He was able to tell it was the 38th Century based on wind, and a Tuesday based on taste* It’s also after the Great Catastrophe* It’s like this is all for effect. Like a story.* Corbin: Has he become self-aware?!

Who’s Who?

* Who is Clara?* Morpheus, named after the god of dreams? Oh yeeeaaaah, not just this *gestures to face*.* Who is the Doctor?* Hold my hand. I’m ok. I’m not.* He sleeps when she’s not looking.* This is actually a fourth-wall gag because he’s looking at Clara when he says “when you’re not looking” but because of the camera perspective, he’s also saying it to us at the same time* Do I look like I’m kidding? Is this a kidding face?* You have no authority. No, but I’m in charge.* Humans, greedy, filthy, stupid humans* You don’t get to name things. I’m the Doctor, I name things.

Can we talk about the ending?

* My exact reaction when the credits came up: Umm…. what?* The implications* The doctor was right about them being evolved eye boogers* The human race is doomed* This transmission can broadcast the same signals that the sleep pod can

Classic Who Connections 

* In‌ ‌the‌ ‌serial‌ ‌‌The‌ ‌Horror‌ ‌of‌ ‌Fang‌ ‌Rock‌‌ ‌the‌ ‌Fourth‌ ‌Doctor‌ ‌came‌ ‌up‌ ‌against‌ ‌anti-gravity‌ ‌shielding.‌ He‌ ‌amplified‌ ‌a‌ ‌carbon‌ ‌oscillator‌ ‌which‌ ‌locked‌ ‌onto‌ ‌the‌ ‌carbon‌ ‌resonator‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Rutan‌ ‌Mothership‌ ‌(via‌ ‌the‌ ‌crystalized‌ ‌carbon)‌ ‌and‌ ‌knocked‌ ‌out‌ ‌the‌ ‌anti-gravity‌ ‌* There‌ ‌was‌ ‌a‌ ‌suggestion‌ ‌that‌ ‌they‌ ‌space‌ ‌station‌ ‌could‌ ‌be‌ ‌attacked‌ ‌by‌ ‌space‌ ‌pirates.