(no subject)
Doctor Who!
To quote the man himself: What? What!? WHAT.
I. I I I. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. COMPANIONS. REGENERATION. HARRIET JONES, FORMER PRIME MINISTER. THE FUCKING DALEKS, BECAUSE GOD KNOWS THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER FUCKING THREATS IN THE WHONIVERSE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
I am so incoherent right now. I can't even. I guess let's get the big one out of the way first.
THE DOCTOR IS REGENERATING. WHAT. Okay, so what's going on? Is this some obnoxious elaborate fake-out? Or the best-kept casting spoiler EVER? Can it be John Simm? THAT WOULD BE AWESOME YOU GUYS.
AND DUDE, brief aside here: Was there really no preview, or did my copy get cut off early? I would be okay with no preview, because with the way that ended, I can't imagine how they could cut together a preview that wouldn't be spoilerlicious.
BUT BACK TO THE DOCTOR REGENERATING. I found Rose's reaction odd - like, she knows he's not dying in the sense that humans die, so why the freakout? Is it just that she can't imagine that a reunion with Eleven (OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ELEVEN) could possibly be the same as a reunion with Ten? (OH MY GOD DID WE JUST LOSE TEN.) Or, maybe - maybe the Doctor in her universe is already up to Eleven, and he's a problematic bastard PLAYED BY JOHN SIMM (I am totally going to be obsessed with this idea all week)?
But what! This makes no sense! Why schedule in a Doctor-lite episode if series four is going to end with a different Doctor (!!!)? Is David Tennant somehow going to stick around anyway? Or were they just totally fucking with us? Because I do have to say that I found the staggering of the eps (Donna-lite THEN Doctor-lite, rather than both at once like the last two series) a bit curious. Mind you, I'm no expert.
BY THE WAY, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT: IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME. IF I CAN SOMEHOW MAKE IT THROUGH THE WEEK UNSPOILED, I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF DOING SO. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW UNTIL THE VERY FIRST SHOT OF THE DOCTOR POST-REGENERATION. THANK YOU.
Uh. Anyway. Whoa. So. I am vaguely aware of the fact that this episode made no sense, but neither did the Master arc and that worked out okay (but, less levitating!Tinkerbell!Doctor this time around would be nice). So I'm going to ignore that. Instead, let's just get the negative I AM annoyed about out of the way:
I AM SO SICK OF THE FUCKING DALEKS I COULD PUKE. Man, I really thought we were going to make it through series four without having to look at the goddamned Daleks. I know they're popular and iconic and shit, and OBVIOUSLY RTD loves them, but for fuck's sake. You'd think Doctors One through Eight never faced ANY OTHER ENEMY EVER. And by my count, this makes three of four new Who finales that involve the fucking Daleks in some way.
Although, the return of Davros is a pretty solid culmination of the references to the past I've been tracking through the last few eps. This is all about the Doctor's past coming back, in his companions and his enemies. (Heh, wouldn't it be a scream if he regenerated as, like, Tom Baker? Who says Time Lords can't reuse a form?) I don't know fuck-all about Davros, but I can appreciate how neatly this fits in terms of one of the themes of the series.
Oh, and Dalek Khan - whatev. First, why does insanity = clairvoyant powers? Second, why is he a Toclafane now? The skies are made of diamonds!
Arright, back to the good. HARRIET JONES YOU GUYS. HARRIET JONES HARRIET JONES HARRIET FUCKING JONES. I love Harriet Jones, and I always thought the way her story appeared to end was total crap. The fact that she turned up (the Doctor's past) to get everyone's shit together and save the day is the BEST. Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister, you did astounding things for your country and your planet, and that was an ending to your story that was far more suitable. *salutes* (Oh, and, uh, England's real sorry about that guy they elected to replace you. They're still not sure what they were thinking.)
It's kind of funny, because the first time Harriet Jones showed up on DW, I went, "It's Shaun's mum!" But now, next time I watch Shaun of the Dead, I'm going to think, "It's Harriet Jones! Former Prime Minister! I know who she is!"
CROSSOVER STUFF. I loved all the little details that showed RTD was serious about the crossover and not just paying it lip service: Gwen calling Rhys, Luke telling Sarah Jane where Maria and Alan and Clyde were, Gwen and Ianto taking a few seconds to think of Tosh and Owen, and MR SMITH WAS THERE! YAY. And Sarah Jane snarking on the fanfare: HAHAHAHAHAHA. That was AWESOME. But it all gave it depth and made it work convincingly as a universe instead of just a ratings-grabbing gimmick. (Jack to Sarah Jane: "I've been watching your work." Sarah Jane, approximately: "Yeah, fuck off." Did anyone doubt for a second that Sarah Jane could resist the Harkness charm?)
I continue to have very little to say about Rose, other than the fact that the whole running-to-meet-each-other thing took six years was pretty funny, and gave me ample time to wonder exactly where Rose was planning to put that gun and how bad it would suck if she accidentally shot the Doctor. I was pleased that she didn't get a disproportionate amount of screentime, but got the same as everyone else. I was concerned about her taking time and attention from all the other characters, but so far it's been roughly equal.
Oh, god, I know there are SO MANY MORE THINGS TO SAY, but they've all kind of exploded and consumed each other in my head. I'll probably be watching this episode again, and oh crap I bet that key thing Martha has is some sort of reset button ("Activate - the Omega Thirteen!"), but whatever, anyway. I enjoyed the ep tremendously even as I was aware on some level of its flaws. The crossover stuff was awesome. I could have done with a little less of Sarah Jane freaking the living fuck out, like, pretend you're on your own show and CHILL, woman, but Jack was doing his share of freaking out too, so I guess I can live with it. Oh, one more thing: I noticed that Jack, Sarah Jane, and (presumably, since she's popping in from another universe and all) Rose all, in the end, chose the Doctor over the people in their lives that they love the most. Even if only temporarily. Jack left Gwen and Ianto ("AGAIN," you could just hear them thinking), Sarah Jane left Luke, and Rose left Jackie and Pete and Mickey and her baby sibling. None of them chose to be parted from him initially, and even though they've each gotten some form of closure, they all still run to the Doctor, because he'll always hold power over them.
But Martha didn't. She may well join them in the next ep, but right in that moment, in the crux of things, Martha didn't run to the Doctor. She stayed with her mother. Of all four former companions, Martha is the only one who chose to leave the Doctor on her own terms, and she is the only one who meets with him now on her terms instead of his. (Plus, you know, she and Francine are probably sitting around going, "Can't we go a year without experiencing a devastating apocalypse? Is that too much to ask?")
Okay, now I think I'm done. But I might have more to say later in the week, after I've watched the ep again. We'll see.
To quote the man himself: What? What!? WHAT.
I. I I I. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. COMPANIONS. REGENERATION. HARRIET JONES, FORMER PRIME MINISTER. THE FUCKING DALEKS, BECAUSE GOD KNOWS THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER FUCKING THREATS IN THE WHONIVERSE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
I am so incoherent right now. I can't even. I guess let's get the big one out of the way first.
THE DOCTOR IS REGENERATING. WHAT. Okay, so what's going on? Is this some obnoxious elaborate fake-out? Or the best-kept casting spoiler EVER? Can it be John Simm? THAT WOULD BE AWESOME YOU GUYS.
AND DUDE, brief aside here: Was there really no preview, or did my copy get cut off early? I would be okay with no preview, because with the way that ended, I can't imagine how they could cut together a preview that wouldn't be spoilerlicious.
BUT BACK TO THE DOCTOR REGENERATING. I found Rose's reaction odd - like, she knows he's not dying in the sense that humans die, so why the freakout? Is it just that she can't imagine that a reunion with Eleven (OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ELEVEN) could possibly be the same as a reunion with Ten? (OH MY GOD DID WE JUST LOSE TEN.) Or, maybe - maybe the Doctor in her universe is already up to Eleven, and he's a problematic bastard PLAYED BY JOHN SIMM (I am totally going to be obsessed with this idea all week)?
But what! This makes no sense! Why schedule in a Doctor-lite episode if series four is going to end with a different Doctor (!!!)? Is David Tennant somehow going to stick around anyway? Or were they just totally fucking with us? Because I do have to say that I found the staggering of the eps (Donna-lite THEN Doctor-lite, rather than both at once like the last two series) a bit curious. Mind you, I'm no expert.
BY THE WAY, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT: IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME. IF I CAN SOMEHOW MAKE IT THROUGH THE WEEK UNSPOILED, I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF DOING SO. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW UNTIL THE VERY FIRST SHOT OF THE DOCTOR POST-REGENERATION. THANK YOU.
Uh. Anyway. Whoa. So. I am vaguely aware of the fact that this episode made no sense, but neither did the Master arc and that worked out okay (but, less levitating!Tinkerbell!Doctor this time around would be nice). So I'm going to ignore that. Instead, let's just get the negative I AM annoyed about out of the way:
I AM SO SICK OF THE FUCKING DALEKS I COULD PUKE. Man, I really thought we were going to make it through series four without having to look at the goddamned Daleks. I know they're popular and iconic and shit, and OBVIOUSLY RTD loves them, but for fuck's sake. You'd think Doctors One through Eight never faced ANY OTHER ENEMY EVER. And by my count, this makes three of four new Who finales that involve the fucking Daleks in some way.
Although, the return of Davros is a pretty solid culmination of the references to the past I've been tracking through the last few eps. This is all about the Doctor's past coming back, in his companions and his enemies. (Heh, wouldn't it be a scream if he regenerated as, like, Tom Baker? Who says Time Lords can't reuse a form?) I don't know fuck-all about Davros, but I can appreciate how neatly this fits in terms of one of the themes of the series.
Oh, and Dalek Khan - whatev. First, why does insanity = clairvoyant powers? Second, why is he a Toclafane now? The skies are made of diamonds!
Arright, back to the good. HARRIET JONES YOU GUYS. HARRIET JONES HARRIET JONES HARRIET FUCKING JONES. I love Harriet Jones, and I always thought the way her story appeared to end was total crap. The fact that she turned up (the Doctor's past) to get everyone's shit together and save the day is the BEST. Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister, you did astounding things for your country and your planet, and that was an ending to your story that was far more suitable. *salutes* (Oh, and, uh, England's real sorry about that guy they elected to replace you. They're still not sure what they were thinking.)
It's kind of funny, because the first time Harriet Jones showed up on DW, I went, "It's Shaun's mum!" But now, next time I watch Shaun of the Dead, I'm going to think, "It's Harriet Jones! Former Prime Minister! I know who she is!"
CROSSOVER STUFF. I loved all the little details that showed RTD was serious about the crossover and not just paying it lip service: Gwen calling Rhys, Luke telling Sarah Jane where Maria and Alan and Clyde were, Gwen and Ianto taking a few seconds to think of Tosh and Owen, and MR SMITH WAS THERE! YAY. And Sarah Jane snarking on the fanfare: HAHAHAHAHAHA. That was AWESOME. But it all gave it depth and made it work convincingly as a universe instead of just a ratings-grabbing gimmick. (Jack to Sarah Jane: "I've been watching your work." Sarah Jane, approximately: "Yeah, fuck off." Did anyone doubt for a second that Sarah Jane could resist the Harkness charm?)
I continue to have very little to say about Rose, other than the fact that the whole running-to-meet-each-other thing took six years was pretty funny, and gave me ample time to wonder exactly where Rose was planning to put that gun and how bad it would suck if she accidentally shot the Doctor. I was pleased that she didn't get a disproportionate amount of screentime, but got the same as everyone else. I was concerned about her taking time and attention from all the other characters, but so far it's been roughly equal.
Oh, god, I know there are SO MANY MORE THINGS TO SAY, but they've all kind of exploded and consumed each other in my head. I'll probably be watching this episode again, and oh crap I bet that key thing Martha has is some sort of reset button ("Activate - the Omega Thirteen!"), but whatever, anyway. I enjoyed the ep tremendously even as I was aware on some level of its flaws. The crossover stuff was awesome. I could have done with a little less of Sarah Jane freaking the living fuck out, like, pretend you're on your own show and CHILL, woman, but Jack was doing his share of freaking out too, so I guess I can live with it. Oh, one more thing: I noticed that Jack, Sarah Jane, and (presumably, since she's popping in from another universe and all) Rose all, in the end, chose the Doctor over the people in their lives that they love the most. Even if only temporarily. Jack left Gwen and Ianto ("AGAIN," you could just hear them thinking), Sarah Jane left Luke, and Rose left Jackie and Pete and Mickey and her baby sibling. None of them chose to be parted from him initially, and even though they've each gotten some form of closure, they all still run to the Doctor, because he'll always hold power over them.
But Martha didn't. She may well join them in the next ep, but right in that moment, in the crux of things, Martha didn't run to the Doctor. She stayed with her mother. Of all four former companions, Martha is the only one who chose to leave the Doctor on her own terms, and she is the only one who meets with him now on her terms instead of his. (Plus, you know, she and Francine are probably sitting around going, "Can't we go a year without experiencing a devastating apocalypse? Is that too much to ask?")
Okay, now I think I'm done. But I might have more to say later in the week, after I've watched the ep again. We'll see.