New Who New Year 2010 special: The End of Time, part 2

[strange_complex]

I am:

Happy, because the Woman in White could still be Romana. It would have distracted from the plot to try to go into it in detail, but 'I was lost long ago'? That's Rusty giving us enough to add '... in E-space' if we want to.

Sad, because really I don't think the Time Lords ever can come back properly after that. It was tenuous enough to give them one route out of their Time Lock; setting up another would feel very, very strained now. I wanted them to come back and stay back, and now I don't think I am ever going to get that.

Happy, because even though it was a bit self-indulgent there at the end, the Russell T. Davies era was frickin' awesome, and I loved seeing all those people get their happy endings, and spotting all the alien races in the bar where Jack was drinking. It was definitely better than having them all come back and be shoe-horned into the main plot, anyway.

Sad, because Donna never did get to remember how awesome she had been, after all.

Happy, because if the Tenth Doctor's era had to come to an end, then that ending was so perfect for him. I loved the small ordinariness of it after everything he has done, and I loved the look on his face when he realised, and his rage about it, but the certainty that he would do it anyway because that fits perfectly with everything he had ever done.

Sad, because there isn't any more of it.

Happy, because it is time for new things, and I can see Matt Smith is going to be great, too. GERONIMOOOOOO!!!!

In short, conflicted. Which I think was the point of that.

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Comments

[my-mundane-life.livejournal.com]

Who's Romana? I'd assumed it was his parents but then I'm not up on the back plot like you are.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

She was a female Time Lord who travelled for two and a half seasons with the Fourth Doctor. Initially she was very much a by-the-book girl who hated his unconventional ways, but before long they basically fell in love (as did the two actors playing them). In the end, though, she felt that she needed to go off and have her own adventures, and stayed behind in a parallel Universe called E-space to do so.

[planet-andy.livejournal.com]

Enjoyed tonight's episode, but it could have finished 20 minutes sooner for me. Apart from the last bit, which reminded me of a scene from Hitchhikers Guide with a sperm whale and thereby made me smile!

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yes, it could have done - but for once I felt a little self-indulgence was well-deserved this time. And besides, I wouldn't have wanted to miss the scene with Captain Jack in the bar!

[big-daz.livejournal.com]

A bit overlong I thought, plus Donna was underused, but in all, enjoyable.

Now I've seen the new series trailer, I'm looking forward to March/April to see just how well Moffatt & Smith will do :-)

[big-daz.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the Clare Bloom character. I was reminded the other day of a newspaper article a few months back when she was cast in the role and it said that she was going to be playing the Doctor's mother. I think that was what they were trying to hint at last night.

Having said that, the Doctor is supposed to be half-human on his mother's side if the TV movie is to be believed..

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

I remember reading that too. Well, the cast and some of the crew have said that she was the Doctor's mother, so I think it's safe to say that's definitely the role Bloom was playing :)

[weepingcross.livejournal.com]

So much that was so good, so much that was so wasted, so much that was so bloody dreadful. I think my chief disappointment is not just that Time Lord society is (you're almost certainly right) gone forever with all its delightful obsessive ritual and hierarchy, but that so little was done with them in favour of flash-bang bullshit and waffly Ooderie (you know what I mean). If the President can throw a diamond out of the Time Lock, what's to stop them all coming out? Thank heavens it's over, is all I can think, here's to the future. I feel a bit mean saying it, but there you go.

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

Happy, because the Woman in White could still be Romana. It would have distracted from the plot to try to go into it in detail, but 'I was lost long ago'? That's Rusty giving us enough to add '... in E-space' if we want to

She is apparently the Doctor's mother (according to Julie Gardner, and I think this has also been stated by numerous cast/crew).

And RTD's era was indeed fantastic. I think he received far more (negative) criticism than he should have - yes there were bits that people didn't like, but he did bring the series back to life, and there were so many wonderful bits and pieces that, for me, made up for anything 'crap'.

[weepingcross.livejournal.com]

I know, I don't usually go in for RTD bashing because it seems so churlish and ungrateful. It comes from the frustration that he can do stuff which is so marvellous and which is so ... un-marvellous. That business with the diamond isn't just a minor slip, it (unnecessarily) undermines the whole concept of the story and all the good elements. So I feel a bit cheated, really. Sorry, Penny, don't want to turn your blog into a debate!

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

No worries - I am quite sure I can trust you to do so politely! :-) I do very much understand your frustrations, especially at the wasted potential. The RTD era definitely hasn't been perfect, and I agree that it's time for a change. But Doctor Who has never really made sense if you look too closely at it, so I guess I'm prepared to swallow a bit of that in the current era, too, in exchange for the moving scenes, comic dialogue and interesting characters which we have also enjoyed.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

She is apparently the Doctor's mother

Yes, I gather that was stated outright in the Confidential (parts of which I had to watch on mute, as my Mum rang!). I'm very glad it wasn't stated in the script, though, as I think I prefer the idea that the Doctor's family (apart from Susan) had long ago either died out or completely disowned him. As it is, we can go with that idea if we want to, but are equally at liberty to imagine that she was Susan or Romana (or a number of other possibilities) if we prefer.

[rosaguestlist.livejournal.com]

Bear in mind that the story had two women who voted against Rassilon and had to stand with him - so it would still be entirely possible that the other was Romana.

- K