Interesting. I always had a completely different understanding of the Matrix. My understanding was that it was basically a storage of key brain cells from generations of dead Time Lords that had been wired together. They weren’t technically alive anymore, but all of that genius and energy, etc was still all in there. Since Time Lords are telepathic and have a special connection with time, basically they cells wired together had developed limited abilities to do things like predict the future and send telepathic signals across great distances. Of course, this doesn’t mean much until a skilled person like the Master taps into that energy and directs that energy for his own purposes. Basically, whenever someone links up to the Matrix they are then essentially in subconscious communication with each other, and they create a dream state reality in which they communicate using metaphor and imagined realities, etc., but these realities are extremely real to anyone who is in them to the point they will die if they die in the created reality. Goff is able to win the battle to create the reality they compete in because Goff has interacted with the Matrix many times before and has developed a tolerance and learned the tricks for dealing with that energy, which gives him a certain edge because he controls the entire world, but on the flip side that takes a lot of energy to maintain, so the Doctor is able to spend all of his energy fighting Goff directly while Goff splits his energy maintaining the world. Of course, they both perceive this as a real physical battle in a real existence even though they both know they are essentially battling in a dreamscape. Of course, Goff’s plan is to hold out long enough for the hypnotized guard to find the Doctor and kill him irl. Goff seems to know he can only win for awhile and risks it all on that strategy. But maybe I have been completely wrong on that all these years.
Great story in hindsight, but at the time it took a bit of a slapping from large quantities of fandom. Too far ahead of its time? Too sophisticated for its audience? Took a while to appreciate its style? All of the above. Although, not having a companion did mean that the Doctor spoke to himself quite a lot! Future shades of Capaldi's Bootstrap speech from "Before the Flood", many years later.
Interesting. I always had a completely different understanding of the Matrix. My understanding was that it was basically a storage of key brain cells from generations of dead Time Lords that had been wired together. They weren’t technically alive anymore, but all of that genius and energy, etc was still all in there. Since Time Lords are telepathic and have a special connection with time, basically they cells wired together had developed limited abilities to do things like predict the future and send telepathic signals across great distances. Of course, this doesn’t mean much until a skilled person like the Master taps into that energy and directs that energy for his own purposes. Basically, whenever someone links up to the Matrix they are then essentially in subconscious communication with each other, and they create a dream state reality in which they communicate using metaphor and imagined realities, etc., but these realities are extremely real to anyone who is in them to the point they will die if they die in the created reality. Goff is able to win the battle to create the reality they compete in because Goff has interacted with the Matrix many times before and has developed a tolerance and learned the tricks for dealing with that energy, which gives him a certain edge because he controls the entire world, but on the flip side that takes a lot of energy to maintain, so the Doctor is able to spend all of his energy fighting Goff directly while Goff splits his energy maintaining the world. Of course, they both perceive this as a real physical battle in a real existence even though they both know they are essentially battling in a dreamscape. Of course, Goff’s plan is to hold out long enough for the hypnotized guard to find the Doctor and kill him irl. Goff seems to know he can only win for awhile and risks it all on that strategy. But maybe I have been completely wrong on that all these years.
That samurai at 2:20 looks scary when I was a small kid.
Great story in hindsight, but at the time it took a bit of a slapping from large quantities of fandom. Too far ahead of its time? Too sophisticated for its audience? Took a while to appreciate its style? All of the above. Although, not having a companion did mean that the Doctor spoke to himself quite a lot! Future shades of Capaldi's Bootstrap speech from "Before the Flood", many years later.
I really like this story