Fires of Pompeii
…I really quite liked it. Not perfect, but enjoyable and emotional, and it's made me look forward to Who again.
Sod the first episode, I still love Donna. From heckling the Doctor to being gleeful about Rome to grieving Pompeii and especially, especially putting her hands on that lever. She didn't let him bear that burden alone, and gods does he need that. I still don't agree with the initial direction she was taken in but damn, this has renewed the excitement.
As for ancient Pompeii… I don't know, it was too polished. There isn't as much an air of another time as there is in older historicals. It seemed the ancient culture was more…tacked on, than ingrained, if that makes sense.
There was some overacting on both Tate's and Tennant's parts - the man needs to stop trying to shout, it's embarrassing - but there were moments of brilliance, too. Particularly Donna breaking down, and the Doctor's reaction to mentions of Gallifrey. And the speech which I am about to squee about.
"How can you tell the difference?" … "It's the burden of being a Time Lord." MY FANON IS CANON. HELLS YEAH. It really brought home the intrinsic difference, too, which doesn't always come across in New Who.
The choice. The terrible choice. Oh, I love moral dilemmas. The Doctor has had to do this before, of course, but I don't think it ever gets any easier. (Nice references to The Romans, too. Sure, Doctor, and you didn't start any fires in London, either.)
I don't think Nine could have done it. The same way he couldn't set off that bomb in Aliens of London - he would have wait for Donna, as he waited for Harriet, because he couldn't stand to directly cause death anymore. Ten wavered way too far in the other direction for a while, but sometimes, it's necessary.
I was begging him to save that family right along with Donna. "Just four. Just four." An episode hasn't had an impact on me like this in a while. I don't care if it was a cop out, I don't care if it was all a bit twee in the end, I wanted them to live, and the Doctor needed to save someone.
"Sometimes I do need someone." Oh, yes. This is the sort of dynamic I like. People who need each other, without losing themselves in each other. People who love each other, while acknowledging the flaws. People who will argue and bicker and die for each other.
I think Donna understands him quite a lot more, now.
Our aliens - their planet was lost as well. Displaced. I sense a theme. Perhaps Gallifrey is just 'displaced', too. Rose certainly seems to be.
So. It won't be a favourite, but it was much, much better than last week, and certain scenes will be.
Sod the first episode, I still love Donna. From heckling the Doctor to being gleeful about Rome to grieving Pompeii and especially, especially putting her hands on that lever. She didn't let him bear that burden alone, and gods does he need that. I still don't agree with the initial direction she was taken in but damn, this has renewed the excitement.
As for ancient Pompeii… I don't know, it was too polished. There isn't as much an air of another time as there is in older historicals. It seemed the ancient culture was more…tacked on, than ingrained, if that makes sense.
There was some overacting on both Tate's and Tennant's parts - the man needs to stop trying to shout, it's embarrassing - but there were moments of brilliance, too. Particularly Donna breaking down, and the Doctor's reaction to mentions of Gallifrey. And the speech which I am about to squee about.
"How can you tell the difference?" … "It's the burden of being a Time Lord." MY FANON IS CANON. HELLS YEAH. It really brought home the intrinsic difference, too, which doesn't always come across in New Who.
The choice. The terrible choice. Oh, I love moral dilemmas. The Doctor has had to do this before, of course, but I don't think it ever gets any easier. (Nice references to The Romans, too. Sure, Doctor, and you didn't start any fires in London, either.)
I don't think Nine could have done it. The same way he couldn't set off that bomb in Aliens of London - he would have wait for Donna, as he waited for Harriet, because he couldn't stand to directly cause death anymore. Ten wavered way too far in the other direction for a while, but sometimes, it's necessary.
I was begging him to save that family right along with Donna. "Just four. Just four." An episode hasn't had an impact on me like this in a while. I don't care if it was a cop out, I don't care if it was all a bit twee in the end, I wanted them to live, and the Doctor needed to save someone.
"Sometimes I do need someone." Oh, yes. This is the sort of dynamic I like. People who need each other, without losing themselves in each other. People who love each other, while acknowledging the flaws. People who will argue and bicker and die for each other.
I think Donna understands him quite a lot more, now.
Our aliens - their planet was lost as well. Displaced. I sense a theme. Perhaps Gallifrey is just 'displaced', too. Rose certainly seems to be.
So. It won't be a favourite, but it was much, much better than last week, and certain scenes will be.