New Who 4.13, Journey's End

[strange_complex]

So, well. There ya go, then.

I am actually seriously impressed at how much of that was correctly predicted by livejournallers: largely people on doctorwho, I think, though I could have got mixed up. To be fair, a lot of it was predicated on set reports of the scene filmed on the 'Bad Wolf Bay' beach, in which David Tennant was seen wearing his two different suits; and once you've got the basic idea of two Doctors from that, many of the rest of the predictions follow logically. Also, with the entire blogosphere feverishly generating crack!spec for the last week, the law of averages dictates that there will be a few hits amongst the misses. But still! Fandom clearly does have a pretty firm hold on the RTD psyche. Over the last week, I've seen the following correctly called:

• The Doctor being 'saved' from a normal regeneration by glowy!energy 'arcing' to the hand.
• The Doctor noticing the remarkable resemblence between Gwen from Torchwood and Gwyneth from The Unquiet Dead when he sees her.
• Martha and Mickey going off to join Torchwood.
• Rose returning to her Universe with her own version of the Doctor (which - GAH!).
• Donna going home at the end, but without her memories of the Doctor.

Then again, we didn't get everything. No one quite figured out what would happen to Donna (probably mainly because it was unsatisfying hand-wavey bollocks, of course...), guessed the true nature of the Osterhagen key (which was wonderfully bleak and awful in the end), predicted Unexpected Naked Ten, OR called the appearance of K-9!!!! And I really hope my neighbours didn't think I was being killed when he turned up, because I can tell you, I shrieked like there was no tomorrow!

So the RTD era, and its major themes, is neatly wrapped up. I didn't like all of it, and there's one thing in particular I do envy Donna for: having no memory of that desperate, awful kiss on the beach between a broken teenager and a blow-up doll. There's also a very definite case for characterising it as all one big, breathless, unregulated run through the tropes and events of the last four seasons - on drugs. But Davros was great, and the TARDIS was great, and having all RTD's major characters around the console at once was great. Also, much kudos is deserved for Jack's reaction to the idea of three Doctors: "I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now!"

Then again, I don't know why the Osterhagen key didn't control twenty-seven nuclear warheads instead of twenty-five, since that would underscore the awfulness of what it meant by drawing a comparison between humanity and the Daleks. And Donna's ending? She's not the first companion it's happened to - but just why? I suppose the answer is meant to be that if she remembered anything about the Doctor, it would 'reawaken' his Time Lord mind within her. But it felt awfully, awfully unfair - although I suppose that was the point, really. It was meant to traumatise the viewers by doing something even worse to this plucky, loveable character than just killing her off. :-(

Anyway, on the whole, it was fun, in the epic-yet-strangely-forgettable way RTD season finales tend to be. He's done a pretty good job while he's been around, and it's pleasing to see him tying up all his loose ends, even if in a predictably icky way in some cases. But it's good to know things will be moving in a different direction now.

Comments

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Totally with you on the 'ordinary people' issue. It's also annoying that Rose was able to breathe in the heart of the TARDIS and go back to normal afterwards, while Reinette was able to look into the Doctor's mind and comprehend what she saw there perfectly easily - while Donna must be thrown back to ordinary obscurity by the whole experience. I'd at least like to have seen her choosing that existence for herself - perhaps even knowing before she ever became the DoctorDonna that that was going to be her fate if she did, but still doing it anyway to save the world.

[rosaguestlist.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd assumed that the ending would entail a sacrifice on Donna's part. But the sacrifice is effectively from the Doctor, which seemed disappointing as Donna has been much more than an adjunct or accessory.

- K

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, indeed - she certainly has.

In fact, I think from my point of view she's been pretty much the perfect companion, and for much the same set of reasons why I also feel the same way about Sarah Jane. They're both plucky and independent, but also warm-hearted and utterly ignorant of the wider Universe until they start travelling with the Doctor. It means that they're full of questions, and very ready to ask them, and also that they get very engaged with what they're seeing as they travel with him. But they cotton onto things quickly, are ready to take action of their own, and don't need patronising or molly-coddling. Oh - and of course, it goes without saying that their dynamic with the Doctor is healthy and genuinely matey.

That's pretty much exactly what I need from a companion - and I do hope we'll see more of it in future.

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

Annoying but not inconsisent - Rose breathes in, so she could breathe out. Reinette was simply remote desktopping into the Doctor's mind, and only had to comprehend bits at a time. If anything, being thrown into "ordinary obscurity" to prevent unintentional access of Time Lord brain stuff is more like the John Smith / Yana routine.

But yes, Donna is quite clearly saying she doesn't want to have her memories removed - and having this forced upon her is uncomfortable to watch.