Three of the best

[feliciakw]

Three of the best lines in TV ever:

1. Are you my mummy?

2. Whatever you do, don't blink.

3. Count the shadows.

(Okay, that last one just sent a shiver down my spine.)

Comments

[kimmer1227.livejournal.com]

Are all those from Blink? I haven't seen that episode, but I know it's available to watch on demand on Netflix.

I would watch tonight, but I'ma chicken. *hides under covers* Maybe tomorrow.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

The first one is from "The Empty Child."

The second one is from "Blink."

And the third one is from "Silence in the Library."

And they all creep me the heck out!

[kerravonsen]

Note that all of those lines were written by Steven Moffat.

IMHO, these lines don't have intrinsic goodness: they are only good because of the context they are in. In that context, they are awesomely creepy, but out of it, they mean nothing. For me, that means that they aren't "good lines"; a "good line" is one that is quotable; that it can be quoted out of context and still retain a good proportion of its awesomeness.

Such as:
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning and the sea's asleep and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on Ace, we've got work to do..."

or

"D'you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving? It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it -- the turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, the entire planet is hurtling around the Sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go...

That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home."


Okay, they're more than one line, but still...

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

That second quote, the one from "Rose"? That might be my favorite DW line ever. I still get chills when I hear or read it. And it definitely influenced the way I see the Doctor, old or new.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Note that all of those lines were written by Steven Moffat.

Oh, I know.

I see what you're saying, and you're right, in that the lines aren't philosophical and they can't be taken out of context. But they're great lines for completely different reasons, kinda of because they're the opposite.

The first and primary reason I think they're great is that they elicited a completely visceral reaction when I first heard them, and they still elicit that reaction (though on a more minor level) when I think about them now. They bring to mind a specific context in a specific circumstance and they are so very connected to the stories that was being told--which were viscerally engaging as well as mentally engaging stories--that they continue to serve their original purpose.

The second, less obvious, reason is that they are only recognizable out of context to people "in the know," thereby providing a point of common interest, which I miss very much since I moved away from people who knew me before (and to an extent, going clear back to my college graduation). I've not had any in-jokes with anyone other than Geo since his work moved (and even then, there aren't that many that we use). At least I know a few of Geo's co-workers know what I'm talking about. The lines aren't particularly intellectually stimulating, and they might not encapsulate "Dr. Who" as a character, but they are a social connection to a shared experience, if that makes sense. Rather like when I was in college, all my friends and I had to say to each other was, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," and we all knew exactly what we were talking about. A shared catch phrase, if you will. Or "Bag! Bag! First here! Now, gone!" (The first quote is from Dirty Dancing. The second quote is from Noises Off.) Or dozens of other such random catch phrases that meant we knew each other beyond a passing acquaintance. Favorite lines that we all shared.

I don't have that anymore. I don't have anyone who can share the excitement and shivers that these lines bring, which is why I posted them to my LJ. I wanted to share with people who might understand.

And that was all way too introspective for this time of day.

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

You make a very excellent point. My roommie and I have a number of lines we do this with ("Either the glass is half full, OR WE'RE DEAD!" or "Guy, you have a last name.") and the power of those lines is not really in themselves, but in all that's built up around them: where they come from, us watching them together, the sense of humor we share (both of us finding them funny), and then bringing them up at random moments. They're injokes, pure and simple, a level of intimacy one only gets with friends.

And yes, these lines may not be great philosophical lines either, but I think it's a different skill altogether when Moffat takes something innocuous ("Don't blink!") and makes it terrifying.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Moffat takes something innocuous ("Don't blink!") and makes it terrifying.

Precisely! *flails at you*

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

All written by the guy who's taking over. Ohhh, I can't wait.