DW: The Next Doctor
This was a Christmas special as a Chistmas special should be. Yes, I loved it. I loved it possibly more than any Christmas special before. And that's saying something.
David Morrissey was brilliant, as I had expected him to be. He would have made a great Doctor. But now what I'd want most was for the tenth Doctor to stay, and for Jackson to travel with him. They made such a brilliant team.
Tennant and Morrissey work so well together on screen. The chemestry is just right. And to fall back into lolspaek: I can has slash nao, plz?
I read a review of someone who said they didn't like this spisode very much because of the lack of female companion. Well, there was one, Rosita, and I thought she was great. But of course the other Doctor/Jackson took the place of the main companion, and I'm glad he did! This is as close as a male primary companion as we'll ever get. And while he was a great Doctor I think he made an even better comapnion. Perhapst because he'd made such a fantastic Doctor.
This episode made me at the same time even more sad that Tennant will leave, because he's just so great, and almost broke my heart at the end, but it also proved to me that even when he leaves the Doctor will not, and whoever takes over the part will inherit the love I have for the character. Because, if Jackson had turned out to be the next Doctor after all (as I knew he wouldn't) it would have been okay.
Now, my favourite bits: Rosita punching the red lady in the face and the Doctor's "I completely disapprove" reaction. The new translation for "TARDIS". The Doctor trying to be his own companion and failing completely because he just can't stand in the background and shut up, the entire first meeting between the Doctors, the "sonic screwdriver" ("It makes noise!" *tock* *tock*), the slashy bits, which were many, the Doctor figuring out the truth about the other Doctor and Jackson's reaction to it, the evil lady pwning the Cybermen, the Doctor fighting Cybermen with a swort, the Docor pulling the sword out of his pockets, Jackson realising that the Doctor needs someone to watch over him, Jackson to the rescue, the stupid, gigant, Marshmellow-Man Cyberking, and, of course, the ending.
You see, I had been more of less convinced that Jackson would end up dead. That he'd scarifice himself for the Doctor or something. Instead the Doctor saves the day on his own, and Jackson tells everyone about him and all the people are cheering for him. And then Jackson sees the TARDIS and acts like a little boy. And then they have Christmas dinner together. I never thought I'd see the day.
Jackson can understand the Doctor because he has been the Doctor. The Doctor can open to him because he has been him. They can share their grief, and they just made the perfect team. I want more of that. Watching them was a delight!
I had such fun with his episode. I sometimes had tears in my eyes and in the end I was feeling all warm and happy. Yes, I like my Doctor dark and angsty, but his made for a very nice change.
In a way, the anmesiac other Doctor, before he was revealed to be an amnesiac human, reminded me of the eighth Doctor post The Ancestor Cell. In which case the real Doctor would have been Fitz. And this is a good point at which to abandon this thought and never go back to it again.
EDIT: One more thing I love about Morrissey is that he's so bloody tall. It's so rare we get an important character taller than the Doctor.
David Morrissey was brilliant, as I had expected him to be. He would have made a great Doctor. But now what I'd want most was for the tenth Doctor to stay, and for Jackson to travel with him. They made such a brilliant team.
Tennant and Morrissey work so well together on screen. The chemestry is just right. And to fall back into lolspaek: I can has slash nao, plz?
I read a review of someone who said they didn't like this spisode very much because of the lack of female companion. Well, there was one, Rosita, and I thought she was great. But of course the other Doctor/Jackson took the place of the main companion, and I'm glad he did! This is as close as a male primary companion as we'll ever get. And while he was a great Doctor I think he made an even better comapnion. Perhapst because he'd made such a fantastic Doctor.
This episode made me at the same time even more sad that Tennant will leave, because he's just so great, and almost broke my heart at the end, but it also proved to me that even when he leaves the Doctor will not, and whoever takes over the part will inherit the love I have for the character. Because, if Jackson had turned out to be the next Doctor after all (as I knew he wouldn't) it would have been okay.
Now, my favourite bits: Rosita punching the red lady in the face and the Doctor's "I completely disapprove" reaction. The new translation for "TARDIS". The Doctor trying to be his own companion and failing completely because he just can't stand in the background and shut up, the entire first meeting between the Doctors, the "sonic screwdriver" ("It makes noise!" *tock* *tock*), the slashy bits, which were many, the Doctor figuring out the truth about the other Doctor and Jackson's reaction to it, the evil lady pwning the Cybermen, the Doctor fighting Cybermen with a swort, the Docor pulling the sword out of his pockets, Jackson realising that the Doctor needs someone to watch over him, Jackson to the rescue, the stupid, gigant, Marshmellow-Man Cyberking, and, of course, the ending.
You see, I had been more of less convinced that Jackson would end up dead. That he'd scarifice himself for the Doctor or something. Instead the Doctor saves the day on his own, and Jackson tells everyone about him and all the people are cheering for him. And then Jackson sees the TARDIS and acts like a little boy. And then they have Christmas dinner together. I never thought I'd see the day.
Jackson can understand the Doctor because he has been the Doctor. The Doctor can open to him because he has been him. They can share their grief, and they just made the perfect team. I want more of that. Watching them was a delight!
I had such fun with his episode. I sometimes had tears in my eyes and in the end I was feeling all warm and happy. Yes, I like my Doctor dark and angsty, but his made for a very nice change.
In a way, the anmesiac other Doctor, before he was revealed to be an amnesiac human, reminded me of the eighth Doctor post The Ancestor Cell. In which case the real Doctor would have been Fitz. And this is a good point at which to abandon this thought and never go back to it again.
EDIT: One more thing I love about Morrissey is that he's so bloody tall. It's so rare we get an important character taller than the Doctor.