A Quiet Sunday Evening
Unfortunately, or fortunately as your tastes may vary, I won't be writing tonight. The muse has left my fingers but not my brain and the motivation to write is fleeting (although, funny enough, I'm writing now, just not in any sort of fictional way). Instead, I'm trying to catch up on fics, write a few comments, and enjoy one of my all-time favorite Doctor Who episodes. Care to guess which one?
I'll give you three guesses. It really isn't that hard, I've squeed about it plenty of times, that is, if you were paying attention, but you'd need three anyway. Now, I'd guess you'd first say Doomsday (that's a favorite as well, yes), then perhaps one of the Series 4 trio of Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End (all favorites too), but then you'd be stuck with one of the Specials, or, perhaps, if you weren't so vigilant, something from Series 3 or 1. Now, go on, guess.
......
Ready yet?
......
"Waters of Mars"! Yes indeed, one of my all-time favorites (did the icon give it away?). I'm not sure if it's because the music is so beautiful, the idea that Ten goes absolutely power-crazy and shows a horribly wonderful dark side of himself (which we've really been building up to since the start of the new series: it just took four series to get here and two incarnations of the Doctor), or that the supporting cast is just fantastic.
Coming from a space buff (as well as a history buff, but that's hardly needed here), I must say that this is probably the only way I could have enjoyed a space episode like this. The Captain, oh glorious Captain Adelaide Brooke, with her crew are just a perfect match for a long-term mission. Nothing like that horrible show a few years ago that touted itself as "the Grey's Anatomy of space" but something I could truly believe. A crew that works together with some slight tension (I'll give them that) and yet they work unbelievably well. It helps that Brooke is an astounding leader, harsh yet forgiving when it's called for, and takes care of every member of her crew like a family. They work, live, and survive as a family. I love them.
But, of course, who could forget about the Doctor? Landing on the red planet, all by himself, scared by a prophecy he is beginning to believe, and something inside him just snaps. Completely broken in two. It's strange, almost, that he thinks of actually interfering with a set event, in hindsight (and after a huge rewatch last night, particularly thinking of "Fires of Pompeii") this must have been some rub-off from his most recent companions. Every one of his companions so far has wanted to interfere with a set event in time, to change history, to rewrite it, but the Doctor always says no (correction: does Martha want this as well? Can't recall Series 3 very well). Yet why this time? Why now? Because he's alone? Because he aspires to be more like his past companions and not the other way around? Does the hero have his own hero envy?
An argument along those lines could be made that this is why the Doctor goes mental here and breaks all of his own rules. He wants people to live, he wants to give someone something after all that he has lost (yes, back to that theme again), yet when he tries to do it, he fails. Not like Donna at all in FoP where she saves the poor Children of Earth Roman family by pleading with the Doctor. Or like Rose when she actually saves a Dalek from not just the Doctor but from himself. Or Martha, trusty Martha, who saved the entire planet in one year. He messes up in WoM. Except...why? Was it his arrogance? His lack of respect for the others? The fact that none of the crew necessarily wanted to be saved at all, particularly Brooke, that made his scheme an utter failure? He has such compassion for humans, has said so on many occasions and in many forms, and here it never shows through. He does feel sorry for Brooke, very, very sorry when he says goodbye, except that's before he goes for the altering of lives (great music, btw).
Why here? Why now? Why go back on your word on this day, on this planet, for this event?
What I'd really like to know is how much he altered time. We get glimpses through the paper flashes, which never show enough, and you're left wondering if he did another Harriet Jones (I love that woman!).
Hmm, many thoughts, many thoughts. Maybe a short drabble tonight. Yes...maybe.
Ok! Time to watch the film and catch all of the themes (I can't figure out which one is playing when the Doctor goes through his self-talk after he decided to head for the TARDIS. I hear the Doctor's theme but there's another theme that runs through it concurrently. ...Or it cold just be the Doctor's theme).
And to think I was thinking of watching "Voyage of the Damned" (like that one too, just not a favorite). Next Sunday!
*plays video*
"The Doctor. Doctor. Fun."
*squee*
I'll give you three guesses. It really isn't that hard, I've squeed about it plenty of times, that is, if you were paying attention, but you'd need three anyway. Now, I'd guess you'd first say Doomsday (that's a favorite as well, yes), then perhaps one of the Series 4 trio of Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End (all favorites too), but then you'd be stuck with one of the Specials, or, perhaps, if you weren't so vigilant, something from Series 3 or 1. Now, go on, guess.
......
Ready yet?
......
"Waters of Mars"! Yes indeed, one of my all-time favorites (did the icon give it away?). I'm not sure if it's because the music is so beautiful, the idea that Ten goes absolutely power-crazy and shows a horribly wonderful dark side of himself (which we've really been building up to since the start of the new series: it just took four series to get here and two incarnations of the Doctor), or that the supporting cast is just fantastic.
Coming from a space buff (as well as a history buff, but that's hardly needed here), I must say that this is probably the only way I could have enjoyed a space episode like this. The Captain, oh glorious Captain Adelaide Brooke, with her crew are just a perfect match for a long-term mission. Nothing like that horrible show a few years ago that touted itself as "the Grey's Anatomy of space" but something I could truly believe. A crew that works together with some slight tension (I'll give them that) and yet they work unbelievably well. It helps that Brooke is an astounding leader, harsh yet forgiving when it's called for, and takes care of every member of her crew like a family. They work, live, and survive as a family. I love them.
But, of course, who could forget about the Doctor? Landing on the red planet, all by himself, scared by a prophecy he is beginning to believe, and something inside him just snaps. Completely broken in two. It's strange, almost, that he thinks of actually interfering with a set event, in hindsight (and after a huge rewatch last night, particularly thinking of "Fires of Pompeii") this must have been some rub-off from his most recent companions. Every one of his companions so far has wanted to interfere with a set event in time, to change history, to rewrite it, but the Doctor always says no (correction: does Martha want this as well? Can't recall Series 3 very well). Yet why this time? Why now? Because he's alone? Because he aspires to be more like his past companions and not the other way around? Does the hero have his own hero envy?
An argument along those lines could be made that this is why the Doctor goes mental here and breaks all of his own rules. He wants people to live, he wants to give someone something after all that he has lost (yes, back to that theme again), yet when he tries to do it, he fails. Not like Donna at all in FoP where she saves the poor Children of Earth Roman family by pleading with the Doctor. Or like Rose when she actually saves a Dalek from not just the Doctor but from himself. Or Martha, trusty Martha, who saved the entire planet in one year. He messes up in WoM. Except...why? Was it his arrogance? His lack of respect for the others? The fact that none of the crew necessarily wanted to be saved at all, particularly Brooke, that made his scheme an utter failure? He has such compassion for humans, has said so on many occasions and in many forms, and here it never shows through. He does feel sorry for Brooke, very, very sorry when he says goodbye, except that's before he goes for the altering of lives (great music, btw).
Why here? Why now? Why go back on your word on this day, on this planet, for this event?
What I'd really like to know is how much he altered time. We get glimpses through the paper flashes, which never show enough, and you're left wondering if he did another Harriet Jones (I love that woman!).
Hmm, many thoughts, many thoughts. Maybe a short drabble tonight. Yes...maybe.
Ok! Time to watch the film and catch all of the themes (I can't figure out which one is playing when the Doctor goes through his self-talk after he decided to head for the TARDIS. I hear the Doctor's theme but there's another theme that runs through it concurrently. ...Or it cold just be the Doctor's theme).
And to think I was thinking of watching "Voyage of the Damned" (like that one too, just not a favorite). Next Sunday!
*plays video*
"The Doctor. Doctor. Fun."
*squee*