My Unresolved Issues, Let Me Show You Them
I want to like this episode. I want to like this season. Unfortunately, I’m still about eighteen inches from where I need to be.
( Of course, how I feel now is nothing compared to how I felt the first time I watched it. )
Oh, I don't think Rose was any wilting flower in S2. She was very pro-active. She got the prisoners organized and freed in T&C, she was fine adventuring on her own in GitF, etc.
In my head, the “bridge” between that episode and “Rise of the Cybermen” was Mickey picking a fight with Rose, because he was mad at the Doctor for “abandoning” them, and he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t. And then she got mad, because he was acting like the Doctor was the only one who could’ve gotten them home in one piece.
I could see this. I don't think Rose was upset that he went through the mirror. It's Rose. She wouldn't have placed her life or safety above someone else's. But. I do think she was hurt over Reinette, and it bugs me that we never saw them go over whatever issues that episode brought to light.
And I think he should be “trying to figure out his new role in the universe.” (“With great power comes great responsibility,” as Stan Lee would say.) I’m not sure why I found it annoying in season two and interesting in season three.
I thought it was interesting in S3 because he had a reason to behave the way he did. Not that it excuses his actions, but I could completely understand why he was so broken and vengeful. In S2? I didn't get where it was coming from; I didn't understand why he was so accepting of the mantle. Maybe if it had been more gradual and not so blatant in NE...
Stan Lee FTW! I think the Doctor still needs to figure out the responsibility part of the equation. And I think he needs to realize that just because you have power, doesn't mean you have the right to use it.
Was it really just the shouting?
Heh. The shouting. It's no secret that I think CE is the stronger actor, but I generally don't have a problem with Tennant's performance (he was exceptional as John Smith). But I do not like the shouting. I don't find him convincing when he does it.
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So do I-but probably not in the way that you mean. :-)
You sort of implied in your first comment that you think Rose was comparing herself to Reinette. I didn’t see that. (Then again, I’ve only seen the episode once. I might change my mind after I rewatch it.)
I’ll admit, one of the things that bugged me in season two was the way the writers seemed to constantly be belittling Rose. But they were usually comparing her to the Doctor-they both faked Scottish accents in “Tooth and Claw,” but his was good and hers was embarrassingly bad. And you mentioned “School Reunion”-they were both in disguise, but he was a teacher and she was a dinner lady. I’m not sure what that means (or if it means anything). It’s hard to think clearly about something you dislike as much as I dislike season two.
Still, one of the things I got out of season one was Rose’s fear of abandonment-or at least her fear of losing the people she loves. And I could definitely see that in “School Reunion” and “Age of Steel.” So I’m guessing that if “The Girl in the Fireplace” fits into the story anywhere, it has something to do with Rose learning to let go. (Which she had to do literally, in the end.) But I’m not sure that fits what we saw on-screen, either.
I thought it was interesting in S3 because he had a reason to behave the way he did.
There’s that.
Maybe if it had been more gradual and not so blatant in NE.
Not to mention “The Christmas Invasion.” You could almost get whiplash, going from “maybe it’s time” to “no second chances.” But he did let Cassandra die, in “The End of the World.” And he’s the same man who pushed the button that wiped out the Time Lords and the Daleks in the first place. (Well, most of them, anyway.) So… I don’t know.
I think the Doctor still needs to figure out the responsibility part of the equation.
I think the writers think so, too.
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