“Everyone except Rose”
I went ahead and deleted my last journal entry. I shouldn’t post things at four o’clock in the morning. And I shouldn’t post things that are just this side of a temper tantrum at all. But since I did, I thought I should try and write a more balanced review of the episode.
The Good
The “wow” factor. I think I stopped breathing for a minute when the Shadow Proclamation came on screen. We’ve been hearing about it since the very first episode of the series, so actually seeing it could’ve been a huge letdown. But it wasn’t. And, as butterfly pointed out, “we are now in the Medusa Cascade.” And thanks to the Daleks, it’s all a part of the Time War storyline. As much as I love “The Parting of the Ways,” I think “The Stolen Earth” might have the edge in sheer epic awesomeness.
Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister. I always hoped that we’d see her again. In fact, since I started with “The Christmas Invasion,” I’ve been hoping that since literally my first day in the fandom. And I’m so glad she came back as one of the good guys. Partly because I adore her. But also because it makes the story more interesting. It shows that sometimes good people can disagree. Sometimes there aren’t any easy answers. (Plus, it kind of kills the idea that the Doctor is God.)
The Doctor’s secret army. It was wonderful to see all the characters finally come together. (Well, almost all.) If Harriet’s return killed the idea that the Doctor is God, then this killed what mrv3000 calls “the Companion Formula” - the idea that companions leave and the Doctor moves on. I think that was my biggest fear in season three. It wasn’t just Rose - we lost Jack in “The Parting of the Ways,” Mickey in “The Age of Steel,” and Jackie in “Doomsday.” I wasn’t sure I could go through that every two years. But thankfully, RTD had something else in mind.
The Doctor himself. I loved the look on his face when Donna said, “Rose is coming back. No matter what’s happening, isn’t that good?” And the way he leaned against the Tardis when she asked him, “Where are the twenty-seven planets?” and he said, “Nowhere.” Oh, Doctor.
The Bad
Rose’s helplessness. I don’t think I’d’ve minded her not being a part of the Doctor’s secret army, if she’d been busy doing other things (even if those other things had been off-screen). But she wasn’t. And it hurt to see her being shut out like that. (Plus, it made no sense to me. She could teleport herself anywhere - why didn’t she go to the Hub?)
Rose’s one-sided jealousy of Martha. At least that one made sense. There were moments when I resented Martha. It really did feel like she was taking Rose’s place, which is something I never would’ve said in season three. But that doesn’t mean I liked hearing it from Rose.
Rose’s reaction to the Doctor’s regeneration. Granted, I was more or less expecting their reunion to be interrupted by Daleks, so I wasn’t blindsided by it the way Rose was. But it still felt like she was forgetting… well, everything I thought she’d learned in “The Christmas Invasion.”
The regeneration itself. There’s going to be yet another magical reset button in the finale, isn’t there? (Of course, it could be worse. The rumors about Ten splitting into two people could turn out to be true.)
The Strange
The abomination. Isn’t that what the Daleks called Rose in “The Parting of the Ways”? And they called Dalek Caan the same thing in this episode. I wonder if that means anything.