DW: Thoughts on The End of Time part 2 (and spoilers for Eleven's new trailer)
Gosh. That's it for Ten now, then? Hummmm.
Being honest? As much as I love DT to pieces, I do think it was pretty much the end of time for him. I wasn't overly impressed with all that bombast, frankly - not everything HAS to be huge to be impressive, memorable or moving. All that rubbish with millions of Masters, one piddly alien ship shooting down all the missiles of Planet Earth alone (er ... pardon? You had Bernard Cribbins on one of the turrets - I don't care if he's had war experience, you could be a ninja and not have the reflexes to live through a planetary onslaught), the Doctor surviving a fall from hundreds of feet through a glass roof (is he a cartoon character now? Didn't Four die from falling off the top of a radio mast or something? Weakling!) ... all claptrap to be honest.
The only part that really started to get me - where I did for a few moments start getting a real lump in my throat - were the moments after Wilf knocked on the glass. When Ten realises that this is it for him - no way out, he's staring death in the face, and he's doing so for the life of one old human male who's nearing the end of his natural life anyway. From the moment he grasped hold of that doorhandle, walked in and took that lethal blast of radiation on Wilf's behalf, I was wibbling. Rather badly. I was on the edge of saying goodbye to a Doctor I have loved (and wanted to slap, periodically, but still loved) very much for the last few years. All I was waiting for was the shimmer of the regeneration process going into full effect to nudge me into a full, no holds barred bawling fit.
And I'm sat there watching, thinking ... I'll miss you. You were a pain at times but you were brilliant. And he's writhing on the floor in agony, and I want to hug him goodbye, and cling onto those last few moments a second more, because I know he's going to be gone any second now ... and then?
wtf. He gets up.
wtf. er. pardon?
Hello? RTD? Are you TRYING to squander every last trace of the emotion you've just managed to work up in me?
I recognise it has to be hard letting go of the series he's loved, and all the characters he's created, but honestly - I really do wish that he'd resisted the impulse to have Ten choke down his regeneration while he went off to have sentimental moments with all the bit-parts he's spent time with over the years. Much as I love Martha (I'm not even touching the "married to Mickey" moment ... hello a complete 45 minute story at the very least that was NEVER TOLD, and wtf happened about Tom?!) and the other characters that each had their moments, it all felt self indulgent, rushed, highly over-sentimental and took you out of the story in a way that completely ruined the emotional moment of Ten's regeneration for me. What other Doctor ever got the chance to say their last goodbyes like that? The longest any of them went was Five and that was only to save Peri ... none of the rest of them ever had time to jump in the TARDIS and have a farewell cruise while they were busy dying. It came across as what it was - RTD saying goodbye, not Ten, and yeah - like I say, wish he'd resisted the impulse. We can watch old episodes if we want to see old characters, and I never want to be in the position where I'm thinking "REGENERATE ALREADY!" again.
I could have done without the Ood serenade as well. ugh.
Give me Ten's last line in the emotional moments of his immediate death and I'd have been in bits. As it was, it was almost a relief when Eleven showed up, and I'd thought I'd be an emotional wreck.
Oh well.
Matt Smith, by the way? I rather like the look of him. He's gangly, geeky, and I <3 the trailer with the "Trust me, I'm the Doctor" line in it, that looks pretty damn amazing. :-) I only hope that teh Moff resists the urge to give him corny catchphrases; "Allons-y" had me cringing towards the end of Ten's run and I can see "Geronimo" going the same way if that keeps getting repeated. But overall I'm loving the Indiana Jones-as-professor look he's rocking and the clips look thoroughly exciting!
DT, my heartfelt thanks for a wonderful run as a memorable Doctor. I know it might not sound like it after that, but I loved your enthusiasm, your fanboy behaviour, and your wild, mercurial imp of a Doctor. I might not have been so keen on some of the storylines you got saddled with, but there was enough there that I enjoyed the heck out of to mean that I'll be playing your series for a long time after you've gone. :-)