Post-Doctor Depression
Think I gave you enough warning with the lj-cut? Normally come this time, I'm gearing up for the finale, I'm eager and waiting on pins and needles for the end cap. Even when Rose left at the end of the second series, I was really dying to see how it would all end. But I'm not excited for next week. I'm kind of dreading it, actually. I don't want this series to end. Plain and simple. Coming into this series, I expected to hate Donna, then have Martha show up and disappoint, then finally Rose would magically appear and make it worthwhile. Instead, I loved almost every moment of this fourth series. I am so thrilled I was wrong. Donna is incredibly captivating and a great counterbalance for the Doctor. And she's wonderful. But I'm convinced she's going to die.
Spoilers for the special/next series coming up.
The facts: Catherine Tate said she wouldn't be back. Now that doesn't have to mean death. Donna could leave the Doctor for the sake of her family, or go back to a normal life, maybe popping up every now and again. To be honest, Catherine Tate not returning doesn't factor into my Donna-is-dying mindset.
What worries me the most is Donna's "I want to travel with you forever". Rose said that and she was a [temporary] goner. But I don't believe Donna's going to be lucky and get trapped in a parallel world. She and Rose are the only people who know what the world would be like without the Doctor. And while I could possibly see Rose making that ultimate sacrifice, Donna seems so much more likely. This series was all about showing how much the Doctor changed Donna. "Turn Left" was essentially a big "REMEMBER HOW IGNORANT DONNA USED TO BE?" Comparing that Donna to the travelling Donna, you can see the difference. There's compassion and knowledge and wonder in her, now. And Donna's already sacrificed herself once, something tells me, if she sees the world coming to an end and the Doctor ready to give his life, she would totally jump right in.
Which is really too bad, because I loved Donna. Oh lord I adored that woman to bits. She had the most amazing lines and dialog and retorts. Frankly, she was everything I wanted out of Martha but never got (thanks RTD). Donna was worth the wait, and now I just don't want it to end. Even if Donna survives, she won't be back, and that itself would be kind of sad.
And Rose! I refuse to believe Rose will die/be lost again. For one thing, 4.13 has Mickey and Jackie, so the whole gang could go right back to their regular world. Sure Mickey chose to stay behind last time, and Jackie's got a family with Pete, but... OK, so maybe they'll stay where they are. And Rose probably won't be hopping back to this world permanently, now that she's gotten that big Torchwood gig (though something tells me Jack wouldn't be opposed to having Rose work under him, in more ways than one). But then we have to factor in Billie's life. She's got that hooker show, which does nicely, and she's going to have a family, so I don't see her joining up full time.
So I'm sad. It's not the epic depression I felt upon Billie's departure. That was more like denial mixed with hallucinogens and Kleenex. This is different. This is just plain sad. I don't see anything very epic happening, I just see an end. Nothing spectacular, nothing life altering, just a parting of the ways next week. Which is weird, because there is going to be crazy stuff going down next week, but it just isn't hitting me.
Maybe it was the Rose reunion let down this week. I prepared myself for the big moment, I had banners and balloons and everything! But it was so prolonged, and so fragmented that it didn't happen right. And all we had was running, then almost dying, then not!Regeneration. No Rose meets Martha. No Rose and Jack, hell there wasn't even a big Rose/Doctor reunion. No catching up, no reminiscing. This felt like the first episode of the three parter, not the second. And I feel like I'm getting jipped an ep!
I suppose next week all will be revealed...ish. We probably won't know if Rose will be back (unless she's part of a cliffhanger) and whomever is showing up in the Christmas special won't be known. This should feel like Billie's departure and the anxiety of the new companion, but it doesn't. Maybe it's the format for next year, the specials, that worries me. I'll be so miffed if there are different "companions" for each story, or a completely new and random one (unless it's Sally Sparrow, I liked her) taking up the series. Every special without a companion (aka anything that isn't "The Christmas Invasion") has left me cold or angry. And while Donna came back and was fucking amazing, she was not so much in "The Runaway Bride". I shouldn't be judging. Hell, I don't even know what's going to happen. This series I thought would be a disaster, and it was amazing in so many ways. I love when RTD is able to surprise me with the unexpected, the problem is he sometimes messes things up (re: Martha). But he's been on quite a roll, hasn't he? First with the excellent second series of Torchwood, which literally made me forget the entire mediocre first series, and now with this stroke of Donna-inspired brilliance. So who's to say he won't deliver? I'm still worried.
OK, this is dragging on, I'm sorry. I was typing in the tags when I realized I completely ignored Martha. Typical. Well, maybe it's because she's explicitly stated she's done traveling with him. Or maybe that I'm hoping she'll pop up again on Torchwood. This professional Martha seems to hint at maybe prepping her for a more grown-up environment. The way she talked to Jack seemed like she's not ready to abandon her buds in Cardiff. I'll tell you, if Martha comes back as a companion, I'll be really, really surprised. If she shows up on Torchwood, I won't be surprised (I heard rumors suggesting that), but I'll be quite chipper. UNIT Martha seems more fit for Torchwood, plus they're down two people, that's bad. Martha could at least fill in as a doctor for the time being.
Spoilers for the special/next series coming up.
The facts: Catherine Tate said she wouldn't be back. Now that doesn't have to mean death. Donna could leave the Doctor for the sake of her family, or go back to a normal life, maybe popping up every now and again. To be honest, Catherine Tate not returning doesn't factor into my Donna-is-dying mindset.
What worries me the most is Donna's "I want to travel with you forever". Rose said that and she was a [temporary] goner. But I don't believe Donna's going to be lucky and get trapped in a parallel world. She and Rose are the only people who know what the world would be like without the Doctor. And while I could possibly see Rose making that ultimate sacrifice, Donna seems so much more likely. This series was all about showing how much the Doctor changed Donna. "Turn Left" was essentially a big "REMEMBER HOW IGNORANT DONNA USED TO BE?" Comparing that Donna to the travelling Donna, you can see the difference. There's compassion and knowledge and wonder in her, now. And Donna's already sacrificed herself once, something tells me, if she sees the world coming to an end and the Doctor ready to give his life, she would totally jump right in.
Which is really too bad, because I loved Donna. Oh lord I adored that woman to bits. She had the most amazing lines and dialog and retorts. Frankly, she was everything I wanted out of Martha but never got (thanks RTD). Donna was worth the wait, and now I just don't want it to end. Even if Donna survives, she won't be back, and that itself would be kind of sad.
And Rose! I refuse to believe Rose will die/be lost again. For one thing, 4.13 has Mickey and Jackie, so the whole gang could go right back to their regular world. Sure Mickey chose to stay behind last time, and Jackie's got a family with Pete, but... OK, so maybe they'll stay where they are. And Rose probably won't be hopping back to this world permanently, now that she's gotten that big Torchwood gig (though something tells me Jack wouldn't be opposed to having Rose work under him, in more ways than one). But then we have to factor in Billie's life. She's got that hooker show, which does nicely, and she's going to have a family, so I don't see her joining up full time.
So I'm sad. It's not the epic depression I felt upon Billie's departure. That was more like denial mixed with hallucinogens and Kleenex. This is different. This is just plain sad. I don't see anything very epic happening, I just see an end. Nothing spectacular, nothing life altering, just a parting of the ways next week. Which is weird, because there is going to be crazy stuff going down next week, but it just isn't hitting me.
Maybe it was the Rose reunion let down this week. I prepared myself for the big moment, I had banners and balloons and everything! But it was so prolonged, and so fragmented that it didn't happen right. And all we had was running, then almost dying, then not!Regeneration. No Rose meets Martha. No Rose and Jack, hell there wasn't even a big Rose/Doctor reunion. No catching up, no reminiscing. This felt like the first episode of the three parter, not the second. And I feel like I'm getting jipped an ep!
I suppose next week all will be revealed...ish. We probably won't know if Rose will be back (unless she's part of a cliffhanger) and whomever is showing up in the Christmas special won't be known. This should feel like Billie's departure and the anxiety of the new companion, but it doesn't. Maybe it's the format for next year, the specials, that worries me. I'll be so miffed if there are different "companions" for each story, or a completely new and random one (unless it's Sally Sparrow, I liked her) taking up the series. Every special without a companion (aka anything that isn't "The Christmas Invasion") has left me cold or angry. And while Donna came back and was fucking amazing, she was not so much in "The Runaway Bride". I shouldn't be judging. Hell, I don't even know what's going to happen. This series I thought would be a disaster, and it was amazing in so many ways. I love when RTD is able to surprise me with the unexpected, the problem is he sometimes messes things up (re: Martha). But he's been on quite a roll, hasn't he? First with the excellent second series of Torchwood, which literally made me forget the entire mediocre first series, and now with this stroke of Donna-inspired brilliance. So who's to say he won't deliver? I'm still worried.
OK, this is dragging on, I'm sorry. I was typing in the tags when I realized I completely ignored Martha. Typical. Well, maybe it's because she's explicitly stated she's done traveling with him. Or maybe that I'm hoping she'll pop up again on Torchwood. This professional Martha seems to hint at maybe prepping her for a more grown-up environment. The way she talked to Jack seemed like she's not ready to abandon her buds in Cardiff. I'll tell you, if Martha comes back as a companion, I'll be really, really surprised. If she shows up on Torchwood, I won't be surprised (I heard rumors suggesting that), but I'll be quite chipper. UNIT Martha seems more fit for Torchwood, plus they're down two people, that's bad. Martha could at least fill in as a doctor for the time being.