Mourning Donna Noble (WARNING: Spoils series 4 Dr. Who!)
Okay, so I am quite pathetic, and I konw it is only television, but Donna Noble, even in that first episode we meet her, is damn fine television. She's my favorite of the Doctor's companions because when the Doctor said he wanted a mate, a friend and not someone who will fall in love with him, she does become his best mate in a way. So much happened to her, so many things that she did made the Doctor better, much in the way that Rose did, and even in that slightly puppydog way that Martha had. She made him stop and think more on the consequences of who lived and died through that series (and boy did a lot of people die this series). She named the Doctor's daughter, who is still alive out there somewhere. I thought if anything they would meet again somehow. She saved the Ood from enslavement, helped them sing again, now a song that bares Doctor Donna's name throughout the galaxy. Near the middle of the series, there was the two parter about the library. I freaked out when I thought they were going to kill her off (and Rain would vouch for that. I cried. I actually cried! I found myself saying 'No no no. No, don't do that!' Screaming at my TV because I didn't want this fiery redheaded character of a show I just started watching a few weeks ago abd truthfully barely knew if I liked it or not until she came along in the first episode of series 3. And then there was so much going on. Doctor who characters past and present, along with the spinoff characters all coming together in this big battle FOR time and space, for all of reality, really. I thought that Donna having come and saved the day meant there was hope for a happy ending for her, that she decides to go off on her own somewhere and maybe have her own spinoff with the second Doctor. But that didn't happen. With Rose getting her human fersion of the Doctor in the alternate reality, Donna's mind couldn't hold everything that a Time Lord could, and therefor he had to erase the memory of the time she spent in the Tardis, with the Doctor. It really is worse than death because she won't remember all she'd done, and going back to being the nobody that she was, even though somewhere in the galaxy, the Ood are singing her name through the stars. She'd always known she was a nobody, often referring to herself as 'just a temp', and she would never realize her potential, that she was someone really great. In many ways, that is worse than simply hainvg killed her off. I think that was even more cruel than that of the creators of she show to do to that character. I cried when I saw those scenes, and then again worse, when I watched the bonus disc that had the actors' and creators' take on that. And of course they had a reel of Donna's time, a looking back montage as it were, which had me crying nonstop, and even now, thinking of it again, I am starting to cry, even though I know better now.
The fact that I have such strong feelings and attatchment for this character really speaks a lot for the work that Catherine Tate had put into making this character someone to relate to, someone you want to keep on the show for a long time. She was absolutely amazing as Donna while she grew through this season and her time on Dr. Who. She was so funny, she was kind hearted, sometimes a little on the airheaded side, but was loud and making you see her, even as she insisted that she was a nobody. I loved that about her. And she saved the day, becoming the doctor a bit with her own circumstances, and now... We have to say goodbye. Not fair.
But one thing about all this still bothers me. A couple, actually. Though Wikipedia is a wonderful thing and I have found comfort in what I learned from it (which I will get into later), it still didn't answer two of the BIG questions I had about the transition from episode 12 and episode 13 of seried 4. In the end of episiode 12, the Doctor was shot by a Dalek and was dying. He even had the glowiness of the regeneration process. So why is it in episode 13 he was still portrayed as David Tennant? Though I am sure they explained it in seried five, I am not there yet, and frankly, I am not sure I want to go there yet, except to maybe see the first couple of episodes. The second thing I want to know is if both the second doctor, which was gifted to Rose at the end of the series 4 finale, and Donna were a biological metacrisis as they called it, and Donna couldn't handle Time Lord knowledge, why is it that it is different for the second Doctor. Why isn't he going batty trying to keep it in, like Donna did? Again, not fair.
So, like I said, wikipedia is a good thing, but at the same time, it is bad if you're trying to figure something out about a show or character without spoilers. I know what happened now. I understand that (see above) theregeneration was canceled or held off, which I didn't think you could do this. It seems so simple really. If it was the case, then why didn't the Chris Eccelson (ninth) Doctor just do that, hm? Anyway, I found out the new stories. Billie Piper and Catherine Tate return for one more two arter, but it is pretty much a way for the tenth Doctor to say goodbye to everyone and start completely fresh, new face, new companion. Which I think is just as well. These new actors and actresses are going to be younger, and though I am sure they would deliver, there really isn't anything that could be better than how they did series four. I doubt they can really top that. I feel that reading through Wiki helped me with the loss of Donna, feeling that she was, of this new series, the best thing that could have happened to it. All the actors and actresses were amazing, and I think I've come to a sort of acceptance now, lol.
Wow, I have now covered anger, some denial, sadness, and acceptance, all over the first 4 series' of Dr. Who, and more imporantly to me, Donna Noble. Going through the steps of grief over a TV show character. Man, I really am quite pathetic.
Erin
The fact that I have such strong feelings and attatchment for this character really speaks a lot for the work that Catherine Tate had put into making this character someone to relate to, someone you want to keep on the show for a long time. She was absolutely amazing as Donna while she grew through this season and her time on Dr. Who. She was so funny, she was kind hearted, sometimes a little on the airheaded side, but was loud and making you see her, even as she insisted that she was a nobody. I loved that about her. And she saved the day, becoming the doctor a bit with her own circumstances, and now... We have to say goodbye. Not fair.
But one thing about all this still bothers me. A couple, actually. Though Wikipedia is a wonderful thing and I have found comfort in what I learned from it (which I will get into later), it still didn't answer two of the BIG questions I had about the transition from episode 12 and episode 13 of seried 4. In the end of episiode 12, the Doctor was shot by a Dalek and was dying. He even had the glowiness of the regeneration process. So why is it in episode 13 he was still portrayed as David Tennant? Though I am sure they explained it in seried five, I am not there yet, and frankly, I am not sure I want to go there yet, except to maybe see the first couple of episodes. The second thing I want to know is if both the second doctor, which was gifted to Rose at the end of the series 4 finale, and Donna were a biological metacrisis as they called it, and Donna couldn't handle Time Lord knowledge, why is it that it is different for the second Doctor. Why isn't he going batty trying to keep it in, like Donna did? Again, not fair.
So, like I said, wikipedia is a good thing, but at the same time, it is bad if you're trying to figure something out about a show or character without spoilers. I know what happened now. I understand that (see above) theregeneration was canceled or held off, which I didn't think you could do this. It seems so simple really. If it was the case, then why didn't the Chris Eccelson (ninth) Doctor just do that, hm? Anyway, I found out the new stories. Billie Piper and Catherine Tate return for one more two arter, but it is pretty much a way for the tenth Doctor to say goodbye to everyone and start completely fresh, new face, new companion. Which I think is just as well. These new actors and actresses are going to be younger, and though I am sure they would deliver, there really isn't anything that could be better than how they did series four. I doubt they can really top that. I feel that reading through Wiki helped me with the loss of Donna, feeling that she was, of this new series, the best thing that could have happened to it. All the actors and actresses were amazing, and I think I've come to a sort of acceptance now, lol.
Wow, I have now covered anger, some denial, sadness, and acceptance, all over the first 4 series' of Dr. Who, and more imporantly to me, Donna Noble. Going through the steps of grief over a TV show character. Man, I really am quite pathetic.
Erin