this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2023
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I wasn't understanding how the Doctor allowed the Toymaker into our reality.
I heard him say that his sprinkling the salt on the ship deck in the second special is what allowed the Toymaker to enter, but I don't understand why just sprinkling salt on the ground would allow that to happen.
Could someone elaborate?
(Disclaimer: There was a little explanation in the episodes, but I'm mostly extrapolating here)
He attracted a being of "game play" by playing a trick (ie 'game) on the edge of reality, where the borders are less solid, thus attracting the Toymaker's attention and giving them an anchor into this universe. Given how powerful they clearly are, it wouldn't take much to give them enough to make their way in.
As I understand it, in the previous episode the ship was on the edge of existence, with big parts of the universe now missing because of the Flux. With the salt he invoked a superstition at the edge of reality, where the boundaries are weaker which let the Toymaker get through somehow.
My understanding is that playing a game or trick on the edge of the universe could attact things from outside the universe?
Fair enough, though without going down the rabbit hole, I gotta wonder how they break through the barrier from their reality to ours? I guess its 'thin' at the edges??
That's definitely a phrase I've heard before.
I'm not entirely sure the Doctor even knows for sure, or if he's just guessing. I guess this is just one of those things where we have to suspend our disbelief and just accept it needed to happen for the episode to happen.
I appreciate the response, but I'm the type of person who wants my worldbuilding and lore to matter and make sense, even in more fanciful shows like Doctor Who.
When I was asking about was that he actually made some mention about the walls of reality breaking down or something (my paraphrasing), so I was hoping for someone to give a better explanation of that, specifically.
I totally get that! I think the specific answer they give in the episode is that he "played" at the edge of the universe by trying to hold off the Not Things with vampire rules. I'm not sure of the mechanics of it, but apparently playing at the edge of the universe lets in the Toymaker.
I don't find this answer very satisfying myself, however, but I can't seem to find a better one.
Yeah, I can see what they're trying to do, but it seems like it needs a little bit more push to make it be a viable/acceptable reason why.
I guess at this point you're right, we just ignore and move on, though I do wish the writers weren't so 'hand wavy' lazy about their worldbuilding.
Not that it's especially convincing but I think that the idea was that he was 'playing a game' when he'd been doing that stuff with the salt and then thrown it out into the ether for no reason other than messing about.
Or something? I don't know. Much as I love a lot about RTD as a writer, he's definitely not a details man on story elements...