1. This is first regeneration of the New Who Era. How do you think it was handled? Was this a good transition from one Doctor to the next? There is a fair amount of meta commentary by the characters about the change. Did that help the transition or did it pull you out of the story? I think that the show made a good choice by having Rose have trouble adjusting to the new Doctor too. The show was acknowledging the feelings of the people watching and how they might not see David Tennant as "The Doctor", but by addressing that and having Rose as the audience proxy, then Ten was given a chance to prove himself. He won the audience over as he won Rose over. There's also the bit where Harriet Jones says "but he's not my Doctor" or something to that effect which I think was a pretty direct reference to the way that fandom sees specific Doctors as "my Doctor".
2. How does this episode set up Rose's story for the rest of series 2? How does this episode fit into her arc from series 1? I think that series 1 is all about Rose seeing the universe and she gains this conviction about helping other people and making a stand, but when she's at home she feels useless. She doesn't know what to do. I think being stuck back in London and without the Doctor or any way of getting him back, she feels like she's that directionless shop girl again.
I do think that this is a good start to her series 2 arc though. When push comes to shove, Rose tries to stand up to the Sycorax. She doesn't know what she's doing, but she tries.
3. What did you make of Ten? How was this episode for a first impression? How does he compare to Nine? For me the sharpest contrast between Ten and Nine is that Ten is a lot more open. Remember when Nine wouldn't have tea with Jackie and instead whisked Rose away at the end of the Slitheen two parter? Well in this episode he actually sits down to Christmas dinner. I think that's a huge change. IA with what _thirty2flavors said about how this episode sets up the idea that Ten needs someone to stop him. Nine needed a companion to help him heal. Ten needs a companion to reign him back.
4. What do you think about the conflict between Harriet Jones and the Doctor? Is one of the them completely in the right while the other is in the wrong? I don't think that the Doctor was right to unilaterally take Harriet down. But I also think that Harriet was wrong to fire on a retreating enemy.
Also, I think that the Doctor faces consequences for his actions. Taking down Harriet created the political void that Saxon was able to fill. So yeah. I think that it's obviously not Ten's finest moment, but the show recognizes that on some level because there are later consequences for his actions.
Other Thoughts lol. I meant to ask a question about the change in dynamic between Rose and the Doctor, but I didn't so OOPS.
Um, I do want to say though that I LOVE that scene at the end where Rose and the Doctor are kind of feeling each other out. They're both uncertain that the other wants to be with them. There's a bit of tentativeness there, but once they grab each other's hands, there's this sense that it'll be fine. They're looking at the stars and planning their next adventure.
The thing about Saxon is on point. I've heard it said that RTD is a lot better about making sure the Doctor has consequences for his actions and I think this is a good example of this.
Also about the Doctor being more open to family/domestics- agreed. This time it struck me when they had this big group hug starting with the Doctor going straight for a hug with Jackie! Aww :') and Jackie falling asleep by his bedside after nursing him to health and calling him sweetheart and all that. It's just different. I couldn't imagine much of that happening with either Nine or Eleven.
I think that the show made a good choice by having Rose have trouble adjusting to the new Doctor too. The show was acknowledging the feelings of the people watching and how they might not see David Tennant as "The Doctor", but by addressing that and having Rose as the audience proxy, then Ten was given a chance to prove himself. He won the audience over as he won Rose over. There's also the bit where Harriet Jones says "but he's not my Doctor" or something to that effect which I think was a pretty direct reference to the way that fandom sees specific Doctors as "my Doctor".
2. How does this episode set up Rose's story for the rest of series 2? How does this episode fit into her arc from series 1?
I think that series 1 is all about Rose seeing the universe and she gains this conviction about helping other people and making a stand, but when she's at home she feels useless. She doesn't know what to do. I think being stuck back in London and without the Doctor or any way of getting him back, she feels like she's that directionless shop girl again.
I do think that this is a good start to her series 2 arc though. When push comes to shove, Rose tries to stand up to the Sycorax. She doesn't know what she's doing, but she tries.
3. What did you make of Ten? How was this episode for a first impression? How does he compare to Nine?
For me the sharpest contrast between Ten and Nine is that Ten is a lot more open. Remember when Nine wouldn't have tea with Jackie and instead whisked Rose away at the end of the Slitheen two parter? Well in this episode he actually sits down to Christmas dinner. I think that's a huge change. IA with what _thirty2flavors said about how this episode sets up the idea that Ten needs someone to stop him. Nine needed a companion to help him heal. Ten needs a companion to reign him back.
4. What do you think about the conflict between Harriet Jones and the Doctor? Is one of the them completely in the right while the other is in the wrong?
I don't think that the Doctor was right to unilaterally take Harriet down. But I also think that Harriet was wrong to fire on a retreating enemy.
Also, I think that the Doctor faces consequences for his actions. Taking down Harriet created the political void that Saxon was able to fill. So yeah. I think that it's obviously not Ten's finest moment, but the show recognizes that on some level because there are later consequences for his actions.
Other Thoughts
lol. I meant to ask a question about the change in dynamic between Rose and the Doctor, but I didn't so OOPS.
Um, I do want to say though that I LOVE that scene at the end where Rose and the Doctor are kind of feeling each other out. They're both uncertain that the other wants to be with them. There's a bit of tentativeness there, but once they grab each other's hands, there's this sense that it'll be fine. They're looking at the stars and planning their next adventure.
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The thing about Saxon is on point. I've heard it said that RTD is a lot better about making sure the Doctor has consequences for his actions and I think this is a good example of this.
Also about the Doctor being more open to family/domestics- agreed. This time it struck me when they had this big group hug starting with the Doctor going straight for a hug with Jackie! Aww :') and Jackie falling asleep by his bedside after nursing him to health and calling him sweetheart and all that. It's just different. I couldn't imagine much of that happening with either Nine or Eleven.
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