"Foursome!" Also known as the Doctor Who Season 4 finale (4x12, 4x13)
Man, this one stays with you for a while!
I thought reading other people's reviews (especially wihluta's and teyla's) would be enough for me, but this was so... impressive, I really can't let it go without making my own post about it.
The first part was thoroughly enjoyable, even though I needed the Confidential to tell me that Davros wasn't anything new. ;) Yeah, it may be fun to watch the old doctor once in a while, but... . Not in this lifetime. :D
The only thing that bugged me was that Ianto seems to be reduced to being Jack's girlfriend. And how misogynistic is it that I'm using female terminology when this kind of disrespect is inflicted upon a character? Hmpf. :(
It was so cool to see everyone again (including the glee at seeing Noel Clarke in the Confidential at the read-through in the first part, even though he hadn't appeared in 4x12). Even though it was a bit sad how Jack hat to take the back seat here. OK, he's made his peace with not being with the Doctor, but still. I'd have liked him to be a bit more infatuated.
I was thoroughly confused at the regeneration, because I had been sure that David Tennant wasn't leaving. Not that I was overly spoiled, but that piece of information had made it through to me, and suddenly I wasn't so sure anymore. *wibble*
---
So I was glad to see how they solved it. The way they did the regeneration was cool. But David Tennant brought up a valid point in the Confidential: what's actually limited for the Doctor: the number of lives/bodies, or the number of regenerations? Because that was a complete set of regeneration energy he used up.
But anyway, we have to hope Chris Moffat doesn't ruin the show before all lives are up, either. Something else I didn't know: that the producer was leaving with RTD. Doesn't look all that good for upcoming series, does it? I'm really hoping he'll make it good.
Back to matters at hand (oh, I crack myself up ;) )... I would have believed the backwards crisis even without Davros having to shoot Donna. Just her touching it would have been enough for me. And the scene wasn't so long that the Doctor would have noticed her increased knowledge earlier, either. Ah, well. In general, I thought there were way too many hastily thrown in technical explanations in the episode. I could have done without them. I really loved all the action and that somehow didn't balance too well. Especially at the end, the long goodbye scenes were a bit too much for me. Whenever dramatic 'tragedy' music is cued, you can be sure that I'll be put off.
I especially seem to disagree with everyone on the goodbye at Bad Wolf Bay. Apart from the fact that last time, he wasn't able to fly the Tardis there, now he suddenly can? OK, walls breaking down... handwaved for once.
But, I mean, come on: Ten decides on the spot to shove off Human!Ten to Rose? I totally couldn't follow that. OK, maybe he doesn't want himself, a self that reminds him of his worse side, around. But who better than to protect the world from Human!Ten than Ten himself?
Instead, he gives Rose the task of 'making him better' because she did it before? Who does he think he is? And who does he think Rose is, for that matter? She is perfectly capable of seeing the difference between the two.
OK, she kissed the wrong guy, but she was torn. Billie Piper also didn't think Rose should have been kissing him at all. I put it into the superficial "make the shippers happy" category, but there was no foundation in reality behind it. Human!Ten is a copy of Ten, and so very different from him, there is no way it would work out between him and Rose.
It's a repeat of Blood Family, where the woman said (I'm paraphrasing) "you're wearing the body of the person I loved, but you're not him. Get out of my sight!". Or of Farscape, where Aeryn has to get used to getting to know the second Crighton. And the Crightons, as opposed to the two Tens, were actually identical copies with only slightly different memories of the last few months. That seemed possible, but this here? I just don't believe it. How could Ten do that to Rose? He loves her, or at least loved her once, why would he hurt her this way?
The explanation I've now read twice is that he realized that she never understood him the way he thought. But I didn't get that from the episode. OK, he might have outgrown her in the years she was gone - but that wasn't the impression we were given throughout seasons 3 and 4. And he was overjoyed to see her at the end of 4x12. She hardly did anything after that (being imprisoned along with him), so what made you decide that she wasn't what he thought her to be?
I simply don't think Ten's actions made sense there. Neither in regard to Rose nor to Human!Ten.
I'm so unhappy with the logic flaws in that script, that I'm not even willing to think about the sadness of it in immanent canon terms.
No problems with the other characters, luckily. It was great to see them all driving the Tardis as it was designed to be. And I do hope to see Martha again on Torchwood next season. Mickey, too. Why not? They did kill off two others, after all. :)
I also loved the parts that were in German. Everything without subtitles - that's gutsy. The Daleks! *lol* And Martha, too. Freema did an amazing job. The whole thing was one of the best foreign language German bits I've seen on tv.
So... that leaves Donna. While I don't think that the difference between DoctorDonna and a real Timelord is "gut instinct", how should she know? It's not really that important, anyway. Much more important is that the rest of it all made sense. A very tragic kind of sense. It was horrible to see her as she was in the end, and even more painful to see Ten crying in the rain. David Tennant is always at his best when he has to cry. *sniff* I don't think RTD could have made it any more painful. And this part actually worked. It made sense and it broke my heart along with the Doctor's (two).
The only thing left open is the prophecy of Dalek Kaan (who rocked, btw! How cool is it that a Dalek orchestrated the destruction of his own race? Are there parallels to Nine? *hmmm*). He said "one of you will still die", so... did he not expect Ten to save Donna's life by taking her memories, or did he mean that taking her memories was a death? Huh, why do prophecies always have to be so unclear? I'm still missing a death here, anyway.
Overall, I really liked the season finale, especially the tragedy of lonely!Ten. But I'm still very unhappy with how they 'resolved' Rose - and Human!Ten along with her. What a pity.
There's nothing left but to wish someone will write an alternative season 5 with both Tens on board. ;) Isn't that the truth: what would I do without fanfic?
Honestly: I am looking forward to the next season, and crossing my fingers that the change in staff will not influence things negatively. I will miss Catherine Tate (I never thought I'd say this). I am soo happy that David Tennant stays on, not least because his interviews in the Confidentials always rock. And I really want to know who's going to be the next companion or if they'll make lonely!Ten the motto of the next season.
I thought reading other people's reviews (especially wihluta's and teyla's) would be enough for me, but this was so... impressive, I really can't let it go without making my own post about it.
The first part was thoroughly enjoyable, even though I needed the Confidential to tell me that Davros wasn't anything new. ;) Yeah, it may be fun to watch the old doctor once in a while, but... . Not in this lifetime. :D
The only thing that bugged me was that Ianto seems to be reduced to being Jack's girlfriend. And how misogynistic is it that I'm using female terminology when this kind of disrespect is inflicted upon a character? Hmpf. :(
It was so cool to see everyone again (including the glee at seeing Noel Clarke in the Confidential at the read-through in the first part, even though he hadn't appeared in 4x12). Even though it was a bit sad how Jack hat to take the back seat here. OK, he's made his peace with not being with the Doctor, but still. I'd have liked him to be a bit more infatuated.
I was thoroughly confused at the regeneration, because I had been sure that David Tennant wasn't leaving. Not that I was overly spoiled, but that piece of information had made it through to me, and suddenly I wasn't so sure anymore. *wibble*
---
So I was glad to see how they solved it. The way they did the regeneration was cool. But David Tennant brought up a valid point in the Confidential: what's actually limited for the Doctor: the number of lives/bodies, or the number of regenerations? Because that was a complete set of regeneration energy he used up.
But anyway, we have to hope Chris Moffat doesn't ruin the show before all lives are up, either. Something else I didn't know: that the producer was leaving with RTD. Doesn't look all that good for upcoming series, does it? I'm really hoping he'll make it good.
Back to matters at hand (oh, I crack myself up ;) )... I would have believed the backwards crisis even without Davros having to shoot Donna. Just her touching it would have been enough for me. And the scene wasn't so long that the Doctor would have noticed her increased knowledge earlier, either. Ah, well. In general, I thought there were way too many hastily thrown in technical explanations in the episode. I could have done without them. I really loved all the action and that somehow didn't balance too well. Especially at the end, the long goodbye scenes were a bit too much for me. Whenever dramatic 'tragedy' music is cued, you can be sure that I'll be put off.
I especially seem to disagree with everyone on the goodbye at Bad Wolf Bay. Apart from the fact that last time, he wasn't able to fly the Tardis there, now he suddenly can? OK, walls breaking down... handwaved for once.
But, I mean, come on: Ten decides on the spot to shove off Human!Ten to Rose? I totally couldn't follow that. OK, maybe he doesn't want himself, a self that reminds him of his worse side, around. But who better than to protect the world from Human!Ten than Ten himself?
Instead, he gives Rose the task of 'making him better' because she did it before? Who does he think he is? And who does he think Rose is, for that matter? She is perfectly capable of seeing the difference between the two.
OK, she kissed the wrong guy, but she was torn. Billie Piper also didn't think Rose should have been kissing him at all. I put it into the superficial "make the shippers happy" category, but there was no foundation in reality behind it. Human!Ten is a copy of Ten, and so very different from him, there is no way it would work out between him and Rose.
It's a repeat of Blood Family, where the woman said (I'm paraphrasing) "you're wearing the body of the person I loved, but you're not him. Get out of my sight!". Or of Farscape, where Aeryn has to get used to getting to know the second Crighton. And the Crightons, as opposed to the two Tens, were actually identical copies with only slightly different memories of the last few months. That seemed possible, but this here? I just don't believe it. How could Ten do that to Rose? He loves her, or at least loved her once, why would he hurt her this way?
The explanation I've now read twice is that he realized that she never understood him the way he thought. But I didn't get that from the episode. OK, he might have outgrown her in the years she was gone - but that wasn't the impression we were given throughout seasons 3 and 4. And he was overjoyed to see her at the end of 4x12. She hardly did anything after that (being imprisoned along with him), so what made you decide that she wasn't what he thought her to be?
I simply don't think Ten's actions made sense there. Neither in regard to Rose nor to Human!Ten.
I'm so unhappy with the logic flaws in that script, that I'm not even willing to think about the sadness of it in immanent canon terms.
No problems with the other characters, luckily. It was great to see them all driving the Tardis as it was designed to be. And I do hope to see Martha again on Torchwood next season. Mickey, too. Why not? They did kill off two others, after all. :)
I also loved the parts that were in German. Everything without subtitles - that's gutsy. The Daleks! *lol* And Martha, too. Freema did an amazing job. The whole thing was one of the best foreign language German bits I've seen on tv.
So... that leaves Donna. While I don't think that the difference between DoctorDonna and a real Timelord is "gut instinct", how should she know? It's not really that important, anyway. Much more important is that the rest of it all made sense. A very tragic kind of sense. It was horrible to see her as she was in the end, and even more painful to see Ten crying in the rain. David Tennant is always at his best when he has to cry. *sniff* I don't think RTD could have made it any more painful. And this part actually worked. It made sense and it broke my heart along with the Doctor's (two).
The only thing left open is the prophecy of Dalek Kaan (who rocked, btw! How cool is it that a Dalek orchestrated the destruction of his own race? Are there parallels to Nine? *hmmm*). He said "one of you will still die", so... did he not expect Ten to save Donna's life by taking her memories, or did he mean that taking her memories was a death? Huh, why do prophecies always have to be so unclear? I'm still missing a death here, anyway.
Overall, I really liked the season finale, especially the tragedy of lonely!Ten. But I'm still very unhappy with how they 'resolved' Rose - and Human!Ten along with her. What a pity.
There's nothing left but to wish someone will write an alternative season 5 with both Tens on board. ;) Isn't that the truth: what would I do without fanfic?
Honestly: I am looking forward to the next season, and crossing my fingers that the change in staff will not influence things negatively. I will miss Catherine Tate (I never thought I'd say this). I am soo happy that David Tennant stays on, not least because his interviews in the Confidentials always rock. And I really want to know who's going to be the next companion or if they'll make lonely!Ten the motto of the next season.