Doctor Who: Shepherd's Bell Carol

[promethia_tenk]

Oh Doctor Who is back, baby.

So, obviously the meatiest part of the two episodes that dropped this weekend is the sequence where the Maestro has Ruby strung up in the recording hall . . .



I had to transcribe it for science:

Doctor: Then fight me! Leave her alone!
Maestro: But she's the only human left with music in her heart! Playing lovesick songs for heartbroken lesbians. And that just makes me hungry for all those delicious songs.
Ruby: Let. Me. Go.
Maestro: That's right, pretty girl! Sing!
Doctor: Maestro, I am asking you, just . .
[Ruby starts singing, eerily]
Doctor: What? (the Doctor looks genuinely confused by her at this point, which I find interesting)
Maestro: That's wrong.
Doctor: What do you mean?
Maestro: There's a hidden song deep inside her soul. What is it?
[the subtitles identify the song as 'Shepherd's Bell Carol']
Maestro: What?
Doctor: Ruby!
Maestro: What is this?
Doctor: Christmas. The music that was playing the night she was born.
Maestro: How could a song have so much power? And power like him?
Doctor: Like who?
Maestro: The oldest one. On the night of her brith, he can't have been there. What for? What for? What for?
Doctor: Who was there?
Maestro: Enough [waves hand]
[Ruby falls and the Doctor catches her. It's ok, it's ok, etc., etc.]
Ruby: What happened?
Maestro: This creature is very wrong.

Lot to unpack there, but the thing I noticed is that when Carol of the Bells starts playing, the lyrics are not Carol of the Bells. Nor are they the original Ukrainian story about a swallow.

So apparently it's this version. And I cannot for the life of me find the lyrics somewhere online. Listening with my good headphones on, my best guess is that it's a europeanization of the story of the angels appearing to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus. It's explicitly a story: 'Come you draw near, listen, I'll tell.' And there's a lone shepherd boy out in the cold and snow on Christmas night 'out on the fell' with the sheep in the fold, which does fit nicely with the imagery of the Doctor standing out in the snow and now Ruby's mother appearing to turn to him. The shepherd boy of course connects to Heaven Sent if we want to go ascribing meaning to lyric choices. I can't hear a word of the middle parts, which is honestly kind of apropos given what we don't know about Ruby's origin. And it ends with 'left him alone' (presumably the angels) and the shepherd left in the snow.

Ruby has a hidden song in her soul and you literally can't google the lyrics. Epic if intentional.

Comments

[elisi]

Maestro: How could a song have so much power? And power like him?
Doctor: Like who?
Maestro: The oldest one. On the night of her birth, he can't have been there. What for? What for? What for?
[...]
Maestro: This creature is very wrong.
She is SPESHUUUUUL. She is as powerful as the Big Bad that we have been warned about. *claps* And it would seem that the song sounds like the Big Bad? Somehow.

SPACE BABIES! \o/

(Also YOU ARE POSTING OMG.)

[promethia_tenk]

She is SPESHUUUUUL. She is as powerful as the Big Bad that we have been warned about. *claps*
I'mma quote myself from Church on Ruby Road:

When the goblins are stealing bb!Ruby, they are chanting (Carol of the Bell-like) 'oh now we feast, oh eat the beast.' Which I feel we should have established in case Ruby ends up having anything 'monstrous' about her later.

Which you poo-poo'd! Interesting to think if the goblins had an ulterior motive for trying to eat her--like they noticed a threat.

And it would seem that the song sounds like the Big Bad? Somehow.
Yes, that's . . . hmmmm. I guess we'll see how that works. It feels chewy, though.

ETA: interesting that RTD had Ruby not get most of this discussion ('what happened') All she got was 'this creature is very wrong,' which she doesn't seem to have much of a reaction to. Wonder if she'll bring it up at some point.

(Also YOU ARE POSTING OMG.)
Well, we both know not to get used to that . . .

[elisi]

Which you poo-poo'd! Interesting to think if the goblins had an ulterior motive for trying to eat her--like they noticed a threat.
They lost Lulubelle and realised they could get a better baby? That would explain why they bothered to travel back.

And I am genuinely not sure if I actually registered 'oh eat the beast' because that seems like brand-new information. (Or it's been 5 months and I just plain forgot.) Anyway, you were correct.

Mind you, I remember people speculating that Ruby might be of the Doctor's species.

Yes, that's . . . hmmmm. I guess we'll see how that works. It feels chewy, though.
MUSIC. I am very happy with this development.

ETA: interesting that RTD had Ruby not get most of this discussion ('what happened') All she got was 'this creature is very wrong,' which she doesn't seem to have much of a reaction to. Wonder if she'll bring it up at some point.
Was she even conscious?

Well, we both know not to get used to that . . .
LOL

[sea_thoughts]

This creature is very wrong.

The wolf in sheep's clothing?

[promethia_tenk]

LOL! Oh that's good.

[sea_thoughts]

I don't think Ruby KNOWS she's a wolf, if that makes sense... it might be more of an Oswin Oswald situation.