After the Storm (7/7) Doctor, Donna, Wilf, Sylvia, Shakespeare - Rating G

[catsfiction]

WORDS: 4718

SPOILERS: Up to the The Next Doctor.

CHARACTERS: Tenth Doctor (original), Donna, Sylvia, Wilf

CREDITS: picture by rosengirl 
All quotations are taken from "Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare

Several months have passed and Donna's almost ready to begin travelling again. What's been happening to her relationship with the Doctor? It

Comments

[wendymr]

Ooh, you finished it! I've been hoping that you'd manage to get this written soon; I've missed it :) And it's really a new departure for you, isn't it: shipping Doctor/Donna? I like it. I like it a lot, because the way you've done it here is so them. They still argue, they still insult each other, and they'd never willingly admit that they're in love - even the Doctor's declaration, nice though it is, isn't the kind of Mills and Boon stuff I've seen in some other stories and which really doesn't seem to work for either of them.

I love the Shakespeare theme you've woven throughout this as well. Obviously, I know where it comes from, but given The Shakespeare Code it fits perfectly. Love Donna giving him inspiration for Much Ado About Nothing - that's one of my favourite plays and it's pretty apt in some ways for the Doctor and Donna too.

Most of all, though, I adore the Wilf and Sylvia parts. Beautiful Chaos gave me a thirst for more of that, and I can see the inspiration in this as well. You've got them perfectly here. I can visualise the scene on the allotment just as clearly as I could reading the novel. You know, neadods, in my review thread, commented that Wilf stands out as the only family member the Doctor never made fun of, which is very true. They respect each other in a way the Doctor never did with anyone else. He, along with the Brigadier, is probably the best companion the Doctor never had.

Anyway, I've rambled enough; suffice to say that I'm delighted to see the final chapter (though sorry to see the story end), and I really hope that you'll write more Doctor/Donna friendship/love stories, because you're every bit as good at the two of them as you are at Doctor/Rose/Jack.

[catsfiction]

You're right about him respecting Wilf, and I get the feeling it's because he's an old soldier. There's a lot of the army officer in the Doctor, which is why I feel some of the New Who pacifism doesn't quite sit right with him. At the very least, the education of the English soldier has much in common with the culture of Gallifrey, I think.

Shipping them? Maybe. Love comes in many flavours. But the Doctor chooses his words with care - "I love nothing in this world as much as you." That excludes the TARDIS, and Rose is in another world, too. I prefer not to fill in too many spaces!

If you want to get really metatextual about it, you could argue that all comedies impose a simplified and idealised view on the complexities of human relationships. It's a theatrical moment, a tableau, the Doctor is allowing himself to be manipulated into a part by the ultimate man of the theatre.I don't mean it's insincere, but I can see it as a concession, the Doctor's gesture of respect to a fellow genius. I can imagine him winking at Shakespeare over Donna's shoulder at that moment!

Or you can just ship them. Whatever....

[wendymr]

You're absolutely right. I did wonder at his choice of words, and of course that makes sense. But, for the Doctor, not only does love come in many flavours, but he does also have two hearts so he has plenty of room for everyone he loves.

(I really must see whether dave7 still has the files for this icon and whether he can add Donna in!)

Whatever else, the Doctor and Donna are perfect friends for each other, and it's a crying shame they only had one season together.

Your MA studies are really having an impact on your work, and I can't wait to see what you'll come up with next :)

As for the Doctor as a pacifist, I view that as a reaction to what he had to do in the Time War. His attitude to UNIT is very different now - I know a lot of Classic fans weren't happy about those two episodes - and I suspect that he's going through a phase which will wear off the further he gets from the War - or the more regenerations he has to distance himself from it. Because, yes, there have been many phases in his life when he's either had to be a soldier or work with armies to ensure a decent outcome. There's still respect, though - for Sir Alastair, and of course for Wilf. I would dearly love to see the Doctor and Wilf having an 'old soldier' conversation some day - not, of course, talking about what they did, because neither of them would do that, but about wars and causes and aftermaths and so on.