Doctor/Rose random speculation
As usual, I’m not doing what I should be doing, and here I am, writing up wild DW speculation instead of going to bed, which, considering the holiday’s over and I’m going back to work tomorrow, is not the best of ideas, but anyway.
I was watching the confidential cut-downs for season 2 - first time I actually take the time to watch them, after discovering how fascinating they are with season 4... Once I got past the frustration to notice that the DVDs offered confidential *cut-downs* as opposed to full confidentials (darnit!) I started watching, and in fact, to be completely honest, my main focus was the Rose/Doctor relationship and what RTD, Phil Collinson and Julie Gardner had to say about it. Well, mostly what RTD had to say, because he’s the one in charge, isn’t he? And he’s the one who’s going to make me cry all over again with this year’s finale, I know that. Or he’d better, because if he pulls another S3 finale on me I’m going to be thoroughly disappointed.
Right, so first things first, I can breathe in relief: Rose is NOT going to die. RTD says, in the Doomsday confidential, that they never ever thought of killing Rose, and that killing a main character is completely out of the question because that’s not what Doctor Who is about. He said Doctor Who is about optimism (could have fooled me!) But anyway, what matters is, Rose isn’t going to die. I’d be very surprised if she did die, I mean. I’d be very upset if she did die... I think.
But... on the other hand, I’m just wondering what’s best. I mean, obviously, there can’t be a happy-ever-after type of finale, where Rose and the Doctor end up together, travelling the universe again. Because if they were back together, I’m not sure they’d have any choice in the production team but to go to the depth of their relationship, and since that’s really not somewhere they want to go (obviously, because where would be the challenge if the Doctor just settled down for one woman?) then they have to be separated again.
But how are they gonna do that? What I was initially worried about when I learned that Billie was back for the end of season 4 is to have some kind of tame finale, where they meet again, maybe share a hug, and poof, Rose goes back to live her life and I don’t get the emotional reward I’m craving after two seasons without her. What slightly reassures me so far is that there seems to be a big build-up to the whole Rose/Doctor issue, so hopefully when they actually meet again, it’ll be spectacular.
Spectacular in what way, though? For the Doctor, it’ll have been three years (counting the Year that Never Was) since he hasn’t seen Rose. So how does he feel now? Yes, he was devastated at first, couldn’t speak her name without his voice breaking. Then it felt like he was sort of shielding himself, first being rude to Martha for not being Rose (The Shakespeare Code) then in Utopia, pretending to Jack that Rose was totally fine (and faking laughter while he said that) then finally admitting to Jack that Rose was trapped in a parallel universe, and when he did, he sounded so devoid of any emotion, as if he’d removed it all because it just hurts too much. Finally, the very last time he mentioned her was in Partners in Crime, when Donna asked about her and he just said, “Still lost.”
I’m *so* over-analysing everything, but that “still lost” sounded like he hadn’t given up hope. He didn’t say “lost for ever” or “I stopped looking for her” (though really, he never really tried, did he?) but he said, “still lost”. As in, lost *for now*. Which doesn’t make a great deal of sense since, like I said, he’s not looking for her.
So it seems season 4 is going to give us a weekly Rose-mention. First we get to see her (or her image, since she fades away) in the first episode, then there’s the soothsay’s “She’s returning” in episode 2, and yesterday we got the Ood’s prophecy: “Every song must end” with Doomsday music in the background.
All right, building up. Building up to what? Granted, my little shipper’s heart is absolutely convinced the Doctor and Rose are much more than best mates, but since it was never clearly stated on the show or by RTD in the confidentials, it’s just my humble shipper’s opinion.
What I thought was interesting actually, was that every time it was hinted at that he loves her, it could be taken either way: loves her as his best friend or is really in love with her. I mean, RTD repeatedly speaks about them as best friends. Then again the Doctor comes close to saying he loves Rose, three times in S2 (School Reunion, The Satan Pit, Doomsday) but... watching the confidentials, I suddenly realised he could mean he loves her as a friend, and that we could be left in the dark even after season 4.
I guess I just need some kind of closure, yet at the same time I fear getting one, because closure means no more Rose subplot, and I’m going to miss that big time.
Conflicted, me? ;)
But there’s such huge expectations about this season’s finale, and matching the emotional impact of Doomsday seems impossible, so... I guess what I’m most worried about is disappointment. I must be a glutton for punishment, but I really, really want something powerful and heartwrenching as a finale. Out of all the shows I’ve watched (and there are quite a few of them) Doomsday is the one episode that affected me most. And I’ve put it on a pedestal - maybe that wasn’t such a good idea because I feel I’m bound to be disappointed. :P
Ah well, guess I just have to have faith in Russell’s wicked mind. ;)
I was watching the confidential cut-downs for season 2 - first time I actually take the time to watch them, after discovering how fascinating they are with season 4... Once I got past the frustration to notice that the DVDs offered confidential *cut-downs* as opposed to full confidentials (darnit!) I started watching, and in fact, to be completely honest, my main focus was the Rose/Doctor relationship and what RTD, Phil Collinson and Julie Gardner had to say about it. Well, mostly what RTD had to say, because he’s the one in charge, isn’t he? And he’s the one who’s going to make me cry all over again with this year’s finale, I know that. Or he’d better, because if he pulls another S3 finale on me I’m going to be thoroughly disappointed.
Right, so first things first, I can breathe in relief: Rose is NOT going to die. RTD says, in the Doomsday confidential, that they never ever thought of killing Rose, and that killing a main character is completely out of the question because that’s not what Doctor Who is about. He said Doctor Who is about optimism (could have fooled me!) But anyway, what matters is, Rose isn’t going to die. I’d be very surprised if she did die, I mean. I’d be very upset if she did die... I think.
But... on the other hand, I’m just wondering what’s best. I mean, obviously, there can’t be a happy-ever-after type of finale, where Rose and the Doctor end up together, travelling the universe again. Because if they were back together, I’m not sure they’d have any choice in the production team but to go to the depth of their relationship, and since that’s really not somewhere they want to go (obviously, because where would be the challenge if the Doctor just settled down for one woman?) then they have to be separated again.
But how are they gonna do that? What I was initially worried about when I learned that Billie was back for the end of season 4 is to have some kind of tame finale, where they meet again, maybe share a hug, and poof, Rose goes back to live her life and I don’t get the emotional reward I’m craving after two seasons without her. What slightly reassures me so far is that there seems to be a big build-up to the whole Rose/Doctor issue, so hopefully when they actually meet again, it’ll be spectacular.
Spectacular in what way, though? For the Doctor, it’ll have been three years (counting the Year that Never Was) since he hasn’t seen Rose. So how does he feel now? Yes, he was devastated at first, couldn’t speak her name without his voice breaking. Then it felt like he was sort of shielding himself, first being rude to Martha for not being Rose (The Shakespeare Code) then in Utopia, pretending to Jack that Rose was totally fine (and faking laughter while he said that) then finally admitting to Jack that Rose was trapped in a parallel universe, and when he did, he sounded so devoid of any emotion, as if he’d removed it all because it just hurts too much. Finally, the very last time he mentioned her was in Partners in Crime, when Donna asked about her and he just said, “Still lost.”
I’m *so* over-analysing everything, but that “still lost” sounded like he hadn’t given up hope. He didn’t say “lost for ever” or “I stopped looking for her” (though really, he never really tried, did he?) but he said, “still lost”. As in, lost *for now*. Which doesn’t make a great deal of sense since, like I said, he’s not looking for her.
So it seems season 4 is going to give us a weekly Rose-mention. First we get to see her (or her image, since she fades away) in the first episode, then there’s the soothsay’s “She’s returning” in episode 2, and yesterday we got the Ood’s prophecy: “Every song must end” with Doomsday music in the background.
All right, building up. Building up to what? Granted, my little shipper’s heart is absolutely convinced the Doctor and Rose are much more than best mates, but since it was never clearly stated on the show or by RTD in the confidentials, it’s just my humble shipper’s opinion.
What I thought was interesting actually, was that every time it was hinted at that he loves her, it could be taken either way: loves her as his best friend or is really in love with her. I mean, RTD repeatedly speaks about them as best friends. Then again the Doctor comes close to saying he loves Rose, three times in S2 (School Reunion, The Satan Pit, Doomsday) but... watching the confidentials, I suddenly realised he could mean he loves her as a friend, and that we could be left in the dark even after season 4.
I guess I just need some kind of closure, yet at the same time I fear getting one, because closure means no more Rose subplot, and I’m going to miss that big time.
Conflicted, me? ;)
But there’s such huge expectations about this season’s finale, and matching the emotional impact of Doomsday seems impossible, so... I guess what I’m most worried about is disappointment. I must be a glutton for punishment, but I really, really want something powerful and heartwrenching as a finale. Out of all the shows I’ve watched (and there are quite a few of them) Doomsday is the one episode that affected me most. And I’ve put it on a pedestal - maybe that wasn’t such a good idea because I feel I’m bound to be disappointed. :P
Ah well, guess I just have to have faith in Russell’s wicked mind. ;)