Journeys end spoilers- Doctor Who
Spoilers here, don't click if you haven't seen the finale and don't want to get a pretty big clue (or not, I don't know)
Before I go on to defend Donna's fate, I will say that I was conflicted with the... well, usefulness of the other Companions. Or uselessness...
So on the one hand, when the Daleks were prepared for them because of the prophecy, it kind of made me mad, but then I thought about it again, and if it had worked- Donna wouldn't have saved the day. And the finale- was hers... It's always up to the Companion. Let's face it, it was more hers than the Doctor's for once.
And now on to the controversial part.
I know this is unpopular, but I actually think I liked Donna' s ending. It was so deeply painful and unsatisfying that well- it felt right.
I think it's that I've been working on issues relating to the war and torture, etc. And the thing is- this was a war, albeit a fictional one set in space (mostly). And in war, people's ends are unsatisfying. The vast majority of people die in ways that don't always make sense, etc. And Donna's death would have. If she would have died, it would have been as a hero. Case closed, they all mourn her and celebrate the work she did, and she joins that list of people Davros forced the Doctor to face of all the companions he's lost over the years. Someone who causes that darkness to cross his face every now and then... And that's it. It would have been glorious.
And well- that's how it goes, right?
Except it's NOT. For those of us who've seen the real impact of it on those closest to the battle, there's nothing glorious about it in real life. I loved Donna Noble, and I'm glad that I didn't have to watch her die and think- well, they handled that well... Death should never be handled well, and it's only on TV and in the movies and the media that people ever try. I've been reading a lot about how the media and shows like 24 have helped shape things so that AFTER Abu Ghraib, more Americans openly support torture today than a generation before. And this is not a trend localized in the US. So I'm sort of glad it was messy and horrible and pissed me off so much. Because in a way Donna Noble did die, but not in a way that has any redeeming qualities whatsoever.
We've had these last few months, and for those of us who actually fell in love with her in Runaway Bride, maybe it's been over a year. And that love was cemented in moments like these. And oddly enough it feels as if she hasn't had all these months with us, or she won't remember what she meant to us. And I think that's going to make her one of the most memorable Companions of all...
Before I go on to defend Donna's fate, I will say that I was conflicted with the... well, usefulness of the other Companions. Or uselessness...
So on the one hand, when the Daleks were prepared for them because of the prophecy, it kind of made me mad, but then I thought about it again, and if it had worked- Donna wouldn't have saved the day. And the finale- was hers... It's always up to the Companion. Let's face it, it was more hers than the Doctor's for once.
And now on to the controversial part.
I know this is unpopular, but I actually think I liked Donna' s ending. It was so deeply painful and unsatisfying that well- it felt right.
I think it's that I've been working on issues relating to the war and torture, etc. And the thing is- this was a war, albeit a fictional one set in space (mostly). And in war, people's ends are unsatisfying. The vast majority of people die in ways that don't always make sense, etc. And Donna's death would have. If she would have died, it would have been as a hero. Case closed, they all mourn her and celebrate the work she did, and she joins that list of people Davros forced the Doctor to face of all the companions he's lost over the years. Someone who causes that darkness to cross his face every now and then... And that's it. It would have been glorious.
And well- that's how it goes, right?
Except it's NOT. For those of us who've seen the real impact of it on those closest to the battle, there's nothing glorious about it in real life. I loved Donna Noble, and I'm glad that I didn't have to watch her die and think- well, they handled that well... Death should never be handled well, and it's only on TV and in the movies and the media that people ever try. I've been reading a lot about how the media and shows like 24 have helped shape things so that AFTER Abu Ghraib, more Americans openly support torture today than a generation before. And this is not a trend localized in the US. So I'm sort of glad it was messy and horrible and pissed me off so much. Because in a way Donna Noble did die, but not in a way that has any redeeming qualities whatsoever.
We've had these last few months, and for those of us who actually fell in love with her in Runaway Bride, maybe it's been over a year. And that love was cemented in moments like these. And oddly enough it feels as if she hasn't had all these months with us, or she won't remember what she meant to us. And I think that's going to make her one of the most memorable Companions of all...