DW 4.13 and TheDoctorDonna
OK, I have not read any reviews. I have no idea what fandom thinks (although I can certainly make an educated guess!). I’ve just been mulling over the episode in my head, and these are my thoughts (so far). I’ll do this (mostly) character by character, since I like to track development. (I loved it btw. Please do not harsh my squee, or my mourning.)
Martha
First of all she was brilliant, of course, and Rose thought so too (which was a nice mirror to the last ep), but not just that - her role was both the same and the exact opposite of last year’s!
Doctor: As if I would ask her to kill.
*
Martha: I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words.
And this time she was ready to destroy the entire world to save the universe with a LOT of weapons... But again she was alone.
Of course UNIT is shown in a less than flattering light, and she’ll probably join Torchwood now. (Torchwood might be messed up, and oversexed, but at least they don’t plan to destroy the planet. Well not on purpose anyway. ;) Also we might see more of Tom - OMG we could have another wedding!!!!11!) Will miss the UNIT connection though, I liked that.
Sarah Jane
I found it interesting that it was Sarah Jane (who stays away from the Torchwood lot because of all the guns) who had the [far more dangerous than guns] warp star! And I loved the moment where Davros recognised her, obviously. :)
Jack
Honestly there’s not a lot to say, I just adored him - he’s so happy when he’s with the Doctor (the meta reason of course being that it’s the Doctor who gets all the angst). Jack with giant guns is also always a plus. Love the scene with him, Rose and the Doctor when first stepping out of the TARDIS - the original team, back together. And his reaction to the three Doctors... Also every Donna/Jack interaction was a *scream* (no seriously. It was pure crack! Every fic come true.). *draws hearts*
Mickey
I’ve heard rumours that Mickey might join Torchwood too, and from the looks of the scene with the three of them walking away together this looks like a distinct possibility. I wasn’t sure about it, to be honest, but after this ep I think I might be in favour. Mickey isn’t an idiot - as far as I remember he was always handy with computers; his AU self was the leader of an underground army; and in the AU he lived in a world ahead of this one (where, one presumes, he worked for Torchwood). So, he might just be able to have a go at Tosh’s job. (Or Suzie's? He's certainly good with weapons.) And, almost more importantly, he is someone who remembers Jack from before his immortal days, and who is (still) utterly underawed by Jack’s charisma. I can see him as the levelheaded one, forever taking Jack down a peg or two, being immune to the usual charm offences!
Also, this might mean actual DW/TW crossovers. *prays*
Rose
I almost wrote about Rose several times last week before the finale, because (despite how good it was to see her) she felt... I don’t know... off? It’s like the opposite of River (and I love this season for giving us that mirror) - River didn’t quite fit, because the S4 Doctor wasn’t ‘her’ Doctor. Her Doctor is still to come. Likewise Rose - her Doctor was the S1-S2 Doctor, and he was so much younger then... (to borrow one of River’s lines) - the Doctor we have now is older, and darker, and Rose doesn’t *fit* into his current world, the same way that River doesn’t.
And I think he knew that. After that first joyous (near-fatal) run, he is very cautious. Like he is waiting for the other shoe to drop. (And not just because apparently the world is about to end.)
That said, I *adore* the solution. It’s so poignantly bittersweet - like Spike or Angel shanshuing and finally getting Buffy, but at the expense of so many other things. (And we saw in IWRY how Angel - at least at that time - couldn’t cope.) I’m sure a lot of people hate it, but in my book it’s brilliant and RTD should be crowned with some sort of fannish award for having his cake and eating it. And - I’m not ashamed to admit - Rose & half-human!Doctor fic is something I’ve been indulging (/drowning) in for the last few days (and I have a bunny of my own too. Will write it asap, trust me), my favourite being this one: And New Journeys. Just utterly perfect characterisation! *loves* Also it's very short, so you ABSOLUTELY have time to read it! (I should probably add that I’m not really a Rose/Ten ‘shipper. Except this new couple is making me all hand-wavy happy!) If you want more, just to go recent stories on the Teaspoon and indulge! :) Seriously, the possiblities are *endless* - angst in all shades (Rose can’t love the new Doctor/the Doctor gets run over by a bus/Rose gets run over by a bus...); ‘happily ever after’s where they have lots of tiembabies and domesticity; adventure where he gets them a spaceship; and lots and lots of lots of smut for those so inclined - ‘cause the new Doctor is obviously not a-sexual... *g* The Ten/Rose story was an epic love story, and now all the Ten/Rose ‘shippers have their own little AU to play in forever, whilst the ‘real’ Doctor continues onwards, lonely and angsty as ever. (Also, of course, I’m figuring that there are countless Doctor/Rose/Doctor fics being written right now. RTD sure knows his fans...)
You know what it’s like? It’s like Buffy at the edge of the crater of Sunnydale - her whole life in front of her bursting with possiblities, but at a cost.
Dalek Caan
Wow. I never knew a Dalek could sound so spiteful. His ‘f*ck-you’ to Davros was spectacular. And, of course, it was in character. The last of the Cult of Skaro:
THE DOCTOR: A secret order. Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing.
And the last Dalek finally saw what they were. Did it (he?) see the future, or did he make it happen - or are the two the same? (I love timey-wimey stuff!) In some ways it paralleled the other last Dalek, from S1, who also sought self-destruction out of disgust. Although that was disgust at having changed to less than pure Dalek - Caan was disgusted with the race itself.
Just excellent stuff. (And where’s the Caan/Drusilla fic, eh?)
TheDoctorDonna
*deep breath* Dunno if I can do this. Even my *icon* is making me tear up. Let me begin with the Doctor.
That moment in the TARDIS, before they go out to meet Davros, was just... oh so wonderful. They way he told them all they were ‘brilliant’ (evoking Nine’s words to Rose of course, about how she’d been ‘fantastic’), and the ‘Blimey’ were note-perfect in showing just how apprehensive the Doctor was... this could be it. The end. He knew what he was up against, but had - as usual - no weapons. And this time not even a plan.
And then there was the heartbeat and Donna getting locked in and eeeee! And the Doctor was so desperate!
Loved when he was ‘faced with himself’ - all his ‘Children of Time’ turned into warriors (seriously, is there a New Who Companion - except for Donna - who hasn’t worked for Torchwood (/UNIT)?). There is of course the fact that they are all *human*, and do not have the Doctor’s talents or abilities. They are bound by time and space, and have to work with what they have. Nevertheless, it was chilling - and yet uplifting. Yes, it was violent, but also full of love and selflessness. Martha was ready to destroy Earth (and herself) to save the rest of the universe, Jack (and Sarah Jane and Mickey and Jackie) ready to die for the same thing. It’s very human, I think - that same-old monster/hero duality that the show keeps exploring.
Davros chided the Doctor for letting so many die in his name, and I think that’s the Doctor’s curse (as he said himself in ‘School Reunion’) - if he could, he would die (he told them he’d die in Donna’s place, and I think he absolutely meant that), but he keeps having to live on - and on. Poor Doctor. (Also people keep *deliberately* sacrificing themselves for him - like River - because the Doctor is needed.)
Then we get that wonderful scene with the TARDIS falling to pieces and Donna and the hand and growing a new Doctor. Donna’s “You’re naked” just cracks me up every time I think of it - it’s the *way* she says it! ::adores:: (Also of course I’m sure millions of fangirls were squeeing at levels that only bats could hear! I dare not think how many unexpected!Naked!Ten macros there will be by now...)
Anyway, I love the whole concept of this - the way it makes use of the hand, of the regeneration energy, of Donna... it all ties together *beautifully*.
Of course the interaction between the two characters is just phenomenal! And the Doctor speaking with Donna’s voice (such a nice callback to ‘Midnight’) is just... I have no words. Except maybe ‘brilliant’! And then he builds a weapon...
The scene where the TARDIS shows up again, the door opening to reveal the Doctor (just like in Pompeii) is just awesome! The whole Doctor-as-God thing gets taken way beyond the pale in this ep of course (he’s the Trinity! That’s... rich, coming from an atheist. And people thought Tinkerbell!Jesus!Doctor was bad.) (I’m not saying it was bad btw, and I have nothing against glowy!Doctor. But then I do believe in God, and find it interesting when stories (in whatever small way) reflect on that oldest, eternal truth.)
Moving on - didn’t mean to get all wrapped up in theology! Then we get Donna being brilliant, and the story turns into a comedy. And she just shines - so happy, and bright, and fantastic, and I just want to pause it there.
Except it’s not that simple, and New!Doctor does what Original!Doctor can’t/won’t and destroys the Daleks. After ‘The Stolen Earth’ I wondered how they were going to deal with that - with the Doctor possibly having to repeat his actions from the Time War. We saw him refuse in ‘Parting of the Ways’, and here the twist is wonderful. I think it might be the Donna-ness that makes the difference, because it calls back to his Companions being ready to fight for him. Instead he takes action on his own behalf... there’s a lot wrapped up in that, and I think it might take me a while to unravel.
Still, then we have the most BRILLIANT thing of all - physically pulling Earth back home. I LOVE this show! And everyone helping to pilot... (the TARDIS being built to have 6 people steering is just a fabulous revelation - so obvious that it makes me want to slap my head, and also so terribly, awfully poignant. *sniff*).
Then one after one they all leave. One thing that struck me most forcefully about the Bad Wolf Bay scene was how it fitted with the original - how they are not just the Doctor’s farewells to Rose, but also bookend his time with Donna.
That last scene in the TARDIS just broke my heart - partly because it is such a perfect mirror of the end of S3. Donna’s chatter is precisely like the Doctor’s was then, and the Doctor’s stillness now is just like Martha’s - wishing he could pretend, but knowing that it’s not possible.
Maybe the worst thing is that she *does* understand. Her ‘Yeah’ is so shattering because of that - she sees the problem as clearly as he, and yet she tries to fight, so desperate not to lose herself - and it just KILLS me.
I said in my initial reaction that RTD is more evil than Joss, and I think that’s true. I never thought any fate could be worse than Fred’s, but I was wrong. There was also Jamie and Zoe - way back with the 2nd Doctor - who had their minds wiped of all adventures (although apparently they still recalled *meeting* the Doctor). But in all those instances the tragedy was from outside causes (looking at the stories from *inside* the verses here, not taking into account the writer’s hand). Fred died because Knox chose her. Jamie and Zoe were mindwiped by the Timelords, who also exiled the Doctor. Outside factors, destroying their stories. But Donna’s story is different. We saw it play out in miniature in ‘The Doctor’s Daughter’:
Doctor: Jenny was the reason for the TARDIS bringing us here. It just got here too soon, which then created Jenny in the first place. Paradox. An endless paradox.
The *reason* Donna came into the Doctor’s life, was so that she could help save the universe, become TheDoctorDonna. But in fulfilling that destiny she had to die. Another heartbreaking eternal loop - if not for her ending, her destiny, the Doctor would never have met her! I was going to say something about it being better to have loved and lost, but then realised that that’s not it... or not all of it. The Doctor loved and lost (as always), but Donna (as far as she knows) never loved at all.
The terrible thing for us of course being that she can never return! They’ve written themselves into a corner, and it is such a crying shame, because the DoctorDonna team was the most amazing TARDIS team. *shakes fist a TPTB* (Weeeeeell, until they decide to find a way around it. I do love sci-fi!)
The part where he says goodbye and she barely glances at him makes me choke even as I write - this was probably his best friend for years (not very familar with Old Who, so won’t presume that she was better than any older ones). The woman who took one look at him at the end of Midnight and just hugged him - and that he could tell his story to.
The goodbye to Wilfrid is similarly heartbreaking.
Doctor: Still that’s fine. I’m fine.
Because what I hear in my head is this, from ‘Forest of the Dead’:
Donna: Are you all right?
Doctor: I'm always all right.
Donna: Is "all right" special Time Lord code for... "really not all right at all"?
Doctor: Why?
Donna: Cos I'm "all right", too.
And now I’ve got tears in my eyes *again*!
But... there are a couple of things that make it bearable.
1) I think - and I don’t care if we never see it, in my head it happens - that one day the Doctor will run across Lee (her husband from the AU in the Library) and somehow find a way of reuniting them. (Possibly mind-wiping Lee so he can’t accidentally tell her how they first met.) But, she’d get her happy ending.
ETA: Read THIS POST! OMG! *flails*
2) Donna was - as RTD said in the Confidential - always ‘ordinary’. Both feet planted firmly on the ground, and just... human. We can relate to Donna because Donna is us. And that, in a way, is the beauty of her tragedy. If Donna is us, then we are Donna - we all have untapped potential, we could all be brilliant: Just dare to hope that maybe the world would listen to you, that you have something worthwhile to contribute - even if you are just a temp from Chiswick!
Maybe especially if that’s what you are...
(OK, now I’m about to start singing the Selfesteem Song from ‘Smile Time’, so I figure you get my point. But I think Donna might do good - esp if her mum finally starts believing in her!)
And finally.
River: When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run for ever. Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark, if he ever, for one moment accepts it.
***
Misc. Notes:
- It occurs to me that there is a parallel of sorts in Torchwood’s ‘Adam’: Jack sacrificing his last happy memory of Gray and his father to get rid of Adam for good. It is a rather tenuous link though.
- Speaking of Torchwood, Tosh saving the day was perfect. She did good! *sniff*
- My favourite part of ‘Earth’s Celebrations’ (one of my favourite parts, full stop, it *totally* made me squee!) was when the TARDIS landed on Earth, and there were church bells ringing. It’s just such a quintessential English thing that it makes me want to hug my show to tiny, bitty pieces... To those wondering what I’m on about, a quote from ‘The Nine Taylors’ by Dorothy L. Sayers:
‘The art of change ringing is peculiar to the English, and, like most English peculiarities, unintelligible to the rest of the world. To the musical Belgian, for example, it appears that the proper thing to do with a carefully tuned ring of bells is to play a tune upon it. By the English campanologist, the playing tunes is considered to be a childish game, only fit for foreigners; the proper use of bells is to work out mathematical permutations and combinations.’
- The (ever watchful) Joss-verse fan in me detected two points when ‘Journey’s End’ echoed Joss shows. It was probably complete co-incidences, but I like the associations.
When the Doctor spoke of Donna:
“And for one moment, one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe”
it reminded me of Angel’s speech:
“We can't bring down the senior partners, but for one bright, shining moment, we can show them that they don't own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that's worth dying for.”
And later, talking to Wilf about the rain:
“Ah - you’ll have quite a bit of this. Atmospheric disturbance. Still it’ll pass.”
made me think of Mal’s words at the very end of ‘Serenity’ (the movie):
“Storm's getting worse. We'll pass through it soon enough.”
***
What an episode. I’m not sure that I *will* go read lots of other reviews now... I feel like just curling up in my own little happy corner with the show I love (that broke my heart). Except there will me meta heavy fic at some point. Oh yes! *g*
Martha
First of all she was brilliant, of course, and Rose thought so too (which was a nice mirror to the last ep), but not just that - her role was both the same and the exact opposite of last year’s!
Doctor: As if I would ask her to kill.
*
Martha: I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words.
And this time she was ready to destroy the entire world to save the universe with a LOT of weapons... But again she was alone.
Of course UNIT is shown in a less than flattering light, and she’ll probably join Torchwood now. (Torchwood might be messed up, and oversexed, but at least they don’t plan to destroy the planet. Well not on purpose anyway. ;) Also we might see more of Tom - OMG we could have another wedding!!!!11!) Will miss the UNIT connection though, I liked that.
Sarah Jane
I found it interesting that it was Sarah Jane (who stays away from the Torchwood lot because of all the guns) who had the [far more dangerous than guns] warp star! And I loved the moment where Davros recognised her, obviously. :)
Jack
Honestly there’s not a lot to say, I just adored him - he’s so happy when he’s with the Doctor (the meta reason of course being that it’s the Doctor who gets all the angst). Jack with giant guns is also always a plus. Love the scene with him, Rose and the Doctor when first stepping out of the TARDIS - the original team, back together. And his reaction to the three Doctors... Also every Donna/Jack interaction was a *scream* (no seriously. It was pure crack! Every fic come true.). *draws hearts*
Mickey
I’ve heard rumours that Mickey might join Torchwood too, and from the looks of the scene with the three of them walking away together this looks like a distinct possibility. I wasn’t sure about it, to be honest, but after this ep I think I might be in favour. Mickey isn’t an idiot - as far as I remember he was always handy with computers; his AU self was the leader of an underground army; and in the AU he lived in a world ahead of this one (where, one presumes, he worked for Torchwood). So, he might just be able to have a go at Tosh’s job. (Or Suzie's? He's certainly good with weapons.) And, almost more importantly, he is someone who remembers Jack from before his immortal days, and who is (still) utterly underawed by Jack’s charisma. I can see him as the levelheaded one, forever taking Jack down a peg or two, being immune to the usual charm offences!
Also, this might mean actual DW/TW crossovers. *prays*
Rose
I almost wrote about Rose several times last week before the finale, because (despite how good it was to see her) she felt... I don’t know... off? It’s like the opposite of River (and I love this season for giving us that mirror) - River didn’t quite fit, because the S4 Doctor wasn’t ‘her’ Doctor. Her Doctor is still to come. Likewise Rose - her Doctor was the S1-S2 Doctor, and he was so much younger then... (to borrow one of River’s lines) - the Doctor we have now is older, and darker, and Rose doesn’t *fit* into his current world, the same way that River doesn’t.
And I think he knew that. After that first joyous (near-fatal) run, he is very cautious. Like he is waiting for the other shoe to drop. (And not just because apparently the world is about to end.)
That said, I *adore* the solution. It’s so poignantly bittersweet - like Spike or Angel shanshuing and finally getting Buffy, but at the expense of so many other things. (And we saw in IWRY how Angel - at least at that time - couldn’t cope.) I’m sure a lot of people hate it, but in my book it’s brilliant and RTD should be crowned with some sort of fannish award for having his cake and eating it. And - I’m not ashamed to admit - Rose & half-human!Doctor fic is something I’ve been indulging (/drowning) in for the last few days (and I have a bunny of my own too. Will write it asap, trust me), my favourite being this one: And New Journeys. Just utterly perfect characterisation! *loves* Also it's very short, so you ABSOLUTELY have time to read it! (I should probably add that I’m not really a Rose/Ten ‘shipper. Except this new couple is making me all hand-wavy happy!) If you want more, just to go recent stories on the Teaspoon and indulge! :) Seriously, the possiblities are *endless* - angst in all shades (Rose can’t love the new Doctor/the Doctor gets run over by a bus/Rose gets run over by a bus...); ‘happily ever after’s where they have lots of tiembabies and domesticity; adventure where he gets them a spaceship; and lots and lots of lots of smut for those so inclined - ‘cause the new Doctor is obviously not a-sexual... *g* The Ten/Rose story was an epic love story, and now all the Ten/Rose ‘shippers have their own little AU to play in forever, whilst the ‘real’ Doctor continues onwards, lonely and angsty as ever. (Also, of course, I’m figuring that there are countless Doctor/Rose/Doctor fics being written right now. RTD sure knows his fans...)
You know what it’s like? It’s like Buffy at the edge of the crater of Sunnydale - her whole life in front of her bursting with possiblities, but at a cost.
Dalek Caan
Wow. I never knew a Dalek could sound so spiteful. His ‘f*ck-you’ to Davros was spectacular. And, of course, it was in character. The last of the Cult of Skaro:
THE DOCTOR: A secret order. Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing.
And the last Dalek finally saw what they were. Did it (he?) see the future, or did he make it happen - or are the two the same? (I love timey-wimey stuff!) In some ways it paralleled the other last Dalek, from S1, who also sought self-destruction out of disgust. Although that was disgust at having changed to less than pure Dalek - Caan was disgusted with the race itself.
Just excellent stuff. (And where’s the Caan/Drusilla fic, eh?)
TheDoctorDonna
*deep breath* Dunno if I can do this. Even my *icon* is making me tear up. Let me begin with the Doctor.
That moment in the TARDIS, before they go out to meet Davros, was just... oh so wonderful. They way he told them all they were ‘brilliant’ (evoking Nine’s words to Rose of course, about how she’d been ‘fantastic’), and the ‘Blimey’ were note-perfect in showing just how apprehensive the Doctor was... this could be it. The end. He knew what he was up against, but had - as usual - no weapons. And this time not even a plan.
And then there was the heartbeat and Donna getting locked in and eeeee! And the Doctor was so desperate!
Loved when he was ‘faced with himself’ - all his ‘Children of Time’ turned into warriors (seriously, is there a New Who Companion - except for Donna - who hasn’t worked for Torchwood (/UNIT)?). There is of course the fact that they are all *human*, and do not have the Doctor’s talents or abilities. They are bound by time and space, and have to work with what they have. Nevertheless, it was chilling - and yet uplifting. Yes, it was violent, but also full of love and selflessness. Martha was ready to destroy Earth (and herself) to save the rest of the universe, Jack (and Sarah Jane and Mickey and Jackie) ready to die for the same thing. It’s very human, I think - that same-old monster/hero duality that the show keeps exploring.
Davros chided the Doctor for letting so many die in his name, and I think that’s the Doctor’s curse (as he said himself in ‘School Reunion’) - if he could, he would die (he told them he’d die in Donna’s place, and I think he absolutely meant that), but he keeps having to live on - and on. Poor Doctor. (Also people keep *deliberately* sacrificing themselves for him - like River - because the Doctor is needed.)
Then we get that wonderful scene with the TARDIS falling to pieces and Donna and the hand and growing a new Doctor. Donna’s “You’re naked” just cracks me up every time I think of it - it’s the *way* she says it! ::adores:: (Also of course I’m sure millions of fangirls were squeeing at levels that only bats could hear! I dare not think how many unexpected!Naked!Ten macros there will be by now...)
Anyway, I love the whole concept of this - the way it makes use of the hand, of the regeneration energy, of Donna... it all ties together *beautifully*.
Of course the interaction between the two characters is just phenomenal! And the Doctor speaking with Donna’s voice (such a nice callback to ‘Midnight’) is just... I have no words. Except maybe ‘brilliant’! And then he builds a weapon...
The scene where the TARDIS shows up again, the door opening to reveal the Doctor (just like in Pompeii) is just awesome! The whole Doctor-as-God thing gets taken way beyond the pale in this ep of course (he’s the Trinity! That’s... rich, coming from an atheist. And people thought Tinkerbell!Jesus!Doctor was bad.) (I’m not saying it was bad btw, and I have nothing against glowy!Doctor. But then I do believe in God, and find it interesting when stories (in whatever small way) reflect on that oldest, eternal truth.)
Moving on - didn’t mean to get all wrapped up in theology! Then we get Donna being brilliant, and the story turns into a comedy. And she just shines - so happy, and bright, and fantastic, and I just want to pause it there.
Except it’s not that simple, and New!Doctor does what Original!Doctor can’t/won’t and destroys the Daleks. After ‘The Stolen Earth’ I wondered how they were going to deal with that - with the Doctor possibly having to repeat his actions from the Time War. We saw him refuse in ‘Parting of the Ways’, and here the twist is wonderful. I think it might be the Donna-ness that makes the difference, because it calls back to his Companions being ready to fight for him. Instead he takes action on his own behalf... there’s a lot wrapped up in that, and I think it might take me a while to unravel.
Still, then we have the most BRILLIANT thing of all - physically pulling Earth back home. I LOVE this show! And everyone helping to pilot... (the TARDIS being built to have 6 people steering is just a fabulous revelation - so obvious that it makes me want to slap my head, and also so terribly, awfully poignant. *sniff*).
Then one after one they all leave. One thing that struck me most forcefully about the Bad Wolf Bay scene was how it fitted with the original - how they are not just the Doctor’s farewells to Rose, but also bookend his time with Donna.
That last scene in the TARDIS just broke my heart - partly because it is such a perfect mirror of the end of S3. Donna’s chatter is precisely like the Doctor’s was then, and the Doctor’s stillness now is just like Martha’s - wishing he could pretend, but knowing that it’s not possible.
Maybe the worst thing is that she *does* understand. Her ‘Yeah’ is so shattering because of that - she sees the problem as clearly as he, and yet she tries to fight, so desperate not to lose herself - and it just KILLS me.
I said in my initial reaction that RTD is more evil than Joss, and I think that’s true. I never thought any fate could be worse than Fred’s, but I was wrong. There was also Jamie and Zoe - way back with the 2nd Doctor - who had their minds wiped of all adventures (although apparently they still recalled *meeting* the Doctor). But in all those instances the tragedy was from outside causes (looking at the stories from *inside* the verses here, not taking into account the writer’s hand). Fred died because Knox chose her. Jamie and Zoe were mindwiped by the Timelords, who also exiled the Doctor. Outside factors, destroying their stories. But Donna’s story is different. We saw it play out in miniature in ‘The Doctor’s Daughter’:
Doctor: Jenny was the reason for the TARDIS bringing us here. It just got here too soon, which then created Jenny in the first place. Paradox. An endless paradox.
The *reason* Donna came into the Doctor’s life, was so that she could help save the universe, become TheDoctorDonna. But in fulfilling that destiny she had to die. Another heartbreaking eternal loop - if not for her ending, her destiny, the Doctor would never have met her! I was going to say something about it being better to have loved and lost, but then realised that that’s not it... or not all of it. The Doctor loved and lost (as always), but Donna (as far as she knows) never loved at all.
The terrible thing for us of course being that she can never return! They’ve written themselves into a corner, and it is such a crying shame, because the DoctorDonna team was the most amazing TARDIS team. *shakes fist a TPTB* (Weeeeeell, until they decide to find a way around it. I do love sci-fi!)
The part where he says goodbye and she barely glances at him makes me choke even as I write - this was probably his best friend for years (not very familar with Old Who, so won’t presume that she was better than any older ones). The woman who took one look at him at the end of Midnight and just hugged him - and that he could tell his story to.
The goodbye to Wilfrid is similarly heartbreaking.
Doctor: Still that’s fine. I’m fine.
Because what I hear in my head is this, from ‘Forest of the Dead’:
Donna: Are you all right?
Doctor: I'm always all right.
Donna: Is "all right" special Time Lord code for... "really not all right at all"?
Doctor: Why?
Donna: Cos I'm "all right", too.
And now I’ve got tears in my eyes *again*!
But... there are a couple of things that make it bearable.
1) I think - and I don’t care if we never see it, in my head it happens - that one day the Doctor will run across Lee (her husband from the AU in the Library) and somehow find a way of reuniting them. (Possibly mind-wiping Lee so he can’t accidentally tell her how they first met.) But, she’d get her happy ending.
ETA: Read THIS POST! OMG! *flails*
2) Donna was - as RTD said in the Confidential - always ‘ordinary’. Both feet planted firmly on the ground, and just... human. We can relate to Donna because Donna is us. And that, in a way, is the beauty of her tragedy. If Donna is us, then we are Donna - we all have untapped potential, we could all be brilliant: Just dare to hope that maybe the world would listen to you, that you have something worthwhile to contribute - even if you are just a temp from Chiswick!
Maybe especially if that’s what you are...
(OK, now I’m about to start singing the Selfesteem Song from ‘Smile Time’, so I figure you get my point. But I think Donna might do good - esp if her mum finally starts believing in her!)
And finally.
River: When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run for ever. Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark, if he ever, for one moment accepts it.
***
Misc. Notes:
- It occurs to me that there is a parallel of sorts in Torchwood’s ‘Adam’: Jack sacrificing his last happy memory of Gray and his father to get rid of Adam for good. It is a rather tenuous link though.
- Speaking of Torchwood, Tosh saving the day was perfect. She did good! *sniff*
- My favourite part of ‘Earth’s Celebrations’ (one of my favourite parts, full stop, it *totally* made me squee!) was when the TARDIS landed on Earth, and there were church bells ringing. It’s just such a quintessential English thing that it makes me want to hug my show to tiny, bitty pieces... To those wondering what I’m on about, a quote from ‘The Nine Taylors’ by Dorothy L. Sayers:
‘The art of change ringing is peculiar to the English, and, like most English peculiarities, unintelligible to the rest of the world. To the musical Belgian, for example, it appears that the proper thing to do with a carefully tuned ring of bells is to play a tune upon it. By the English campanologist, the playing tunes is considered to be a childish game, only fit for foreigners; the proper use of bells is to work out mathematical permutations and combinations.’
- The (ever watchful) Joss-verse fan in me detected two points when ‘Journey’s End’ echoed Joss shows. It was probably complete co-incidences, but I like the associations.
When the Doctor spoke of Donna:
“And for one moment, one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe”
it reminded me of Angel’s speech:
“We can't bring down the senior partners, but for one bright, shining moment, we can show them that they don't own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that's worth dying for.”
And later, talking to Wilf about the rain:
“Ah - you’ll have quite a bit of this. Atmospheric disturbance. Still it’ll pass.”
made me think of Mal’s words at the very end of ‘Serenity’ (the movie):
“Storm's getting worse. We'll pass through it soon enough.”
***
What an episode. I’m not sure that I *will* go read lots of other reviews now... I feel like just curling up in my own little happy corner with the show I love (that broke my heart). Except there will me meta heavy fic at some point. Oh yes! *g*