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Doctor Who: Finale reaction post
There was neither the great love or hate of last season's ending, because I was far less invested, both because of Martha and the Master. I like Donna, but I was neither in love nor did I identify with her, as I was/did with Martha. And the build up of the Master (and John Simm being awesome) fueled my interest (and allowed the colossal stupid of JesusFairy!Doctor to affect me more than it should have).
That said, it was enjoyable, though there were a few rather upsetting developments.
The Rose/human!Ten thing smacked of fan service and something else I've noticed about this series: an inability (or unwillingness) to admit to the darker side of the solutions the writers come up with. (See: Owen the date-rapist.) Now, perhaps that is a fault of perception on my part, as they are finally addressing the Doctor's genocidal tendencies and a few times this season dared ask the question "Why should we listen to him?" But I'm never certain who's side we're supposed to be on: are the writers actually addressing those issues, or are we supposed to scoff at those raising them? That's a simplistic formulation, and I know it's more complicated than that. But I'm often not sure.
Anyway, the Rose ending seems like dessert for the Doctor/Rose shippers, which I'm against not in favor of another ship (I don't really have many OTPs in general) but because it seems so blatant. At the same time, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tkp pointed out, it's okay that he thinks she's more important than any other companion ever. I was just always bothered by the feeling I had that the writers thought so, too. And while I don't dislike Rose, I often felt that the writers were biased. But then, so am I, obviously.
Combining everyone at the end, here, did mitigate some of that concern, in the sense that Rose and Martha had some mutual admiration (I so long for them to actually meet and talk) and Sarah Jane was there and thank goodness, Jackie and Mickey got some action. I missed them, and I was tickled to see them back. (Another longed-for meeting: the Doctor and Luke.)
But back to human!Doctor. Yes, they address the fact that this is Time War shellshock!Doctor, which is lovely. But it also, as I thought it would, absolves real!Doctor from having to deal with killing the Dalek race, while I don't know what his solution would have been. What alternative are we given? It seems to me that human!Doctor was created in order to pawn the guilt off on someone else, while still having the dirty work done. Yes, the Doctor creates killers, and it was invigorating to have that voiced. But how many of his plans depend on his companions and their oh-so-human impulses? What would he have done? Did he have a plan? What would he do next him the Dalek's invaded, which looked to be scheduled for the next day?
Rose will have to deal with him, and while at the time I was groaning inwardly at the fanservice element, I now feel like something fairly awesome could be done in fic. But that's just it--this feels like fanfic. And I am guessing that the majority of it is going to ignore the problems inherent in this aberrant creation, ignore the fact that no one asked Rose (or human!Doctor) what she wanted (though he seems willing enough, I suppose), ignore the way that "real life" is going to alter things for both of them and their relationship.
The other issue I had was with Donna's fate. Which, yes, I can excuse canonically if everything the Doctor says is true. But oh my god, it seems like the worst fate! Not materially, and not if I was her mum or grandfather or daughter or girlfriend. Obviously, I don't want people dead if the choice is amnesia. But in another sense, it seems crueler than death. Donna has had this amazing adventure, this life-changing experience that made her so much more than she was. That is to say, made her realize the gifts that she had. Which isn't to say I think they exploited her arc as well as they could have, but still. I get what they were going for. And she, of all of the (new) companions, needed that. The Donna on the phone at the end was... well, she was uninteresting. Maybe she'll make something of herself--maybe some residual adventure will be left that doesn't require chasing after an alien benefactor. And I'm still having trouble coming to terms with the Doctor doing that to her. It's horrifying, the power he has, and while the show has recently addressed some of that anxiety I have about him, there's still that element of him knowing best and doing best (unless, of course, doing requires killing, in which case he allows it to be done for him. He deposed Harriet Jones. He could stop UNIT, or Torchwood, if he really wanted.) that even when it's true should make one wonder.
This got more passionate than I intended, but I just got to thinking. Overall, none of the highs and lows last season put me through, despite the fact that Martha's fate is the "best" of all of them. That just goes to show what identification can do for your experience. I'm very much looking forward to Sarah Jane Adventures starting up again, so I'll have something consistently decent in the DW universe to watch.
That said, it was enjoyable, though there were a few rather upsetting developments.
The Rose/human!Ten thing smacked of fan service and something else I've noticed about this series: an inability (or unwillingness) to admit to the darker side of the solutions the writers come up with. (See: Owen the date-rapist.) Now, perhaps that is a fault of perception on my part, as they are finally addressing the Doctor's genocidal tendencies and a few times this season dared ask the question "Why should we listen to him?" But I'm never certain who's side we're supposed to be on: are the writers actually addressing those issues, or are we supposed to scoff at those raising them? That's a simplistic formulation, and I know it's more complicated than that. But I'm often not sure.
Anyway, the Rose ending seems like dessert for the Doctor/Rose shippers, which I'm against not in favor of another ship (I don't really have many OTPs in general) but because it seems so blatant. At the same time, as
tkp pointed out, it's okay that he thinks she's more important than any other companion ever. I was just always bothered by the feeling I had that the writers thought so, too. And while I don't dislike Rose, I often felt that the writers were biased. But then, so am I, obviously.Combining everyone at the end, here, did mitigate some of that concern, in the sense that Rose and Martha had some mutual admiration (I so long for them to actually meet and talk) and Sarah Jane was there and thank goodness, Jackie and Mickey got some action. I missed them, and I was tickled to see them back. (Another longed-for meeting: the Doctor and Luke.)
But back to human!Doctor. Yes, they address the fact that this is Time War shellshock!Doctor, which is lovely. But it also, as I thought it would, absolves real!Doctor from having to deal with killing the Dalek race, while I don't know what his solution would have been. What alternative are we given? It seems to me that human!Doctor was created in order to pawn the guilt off on someone else, while still having the dirty work done. Yes, the Doctor creates killers, and it was invigorating to have that voiced. But how many of his plans depend on his companions and their oh-so-human impulses? What would he have done? Did he have a plan? What would he do next him the Dalek's invaded, which looked to be scheduled for the next day?
Rose will have to deal with him, and while at the time I was groaning inwardly at the fanservice element, I now feel like something fairly awesome could be done in fic. But that's just it--this feels like fanfic. And I am guessing that the majority of it is going to ignore the problems inherent in this aberrant creation, ignore the fact that no one asked Rose (or human!Doctor) what she wanted (though he seems willing enough, I suppose), ignore the way that "real life" is going to alter things for both of them and their relationship.
The other issue I had was with Donna's fate. Which, yes, I can excuse canonically if everything the Doctor says is true. But oh my god, it seems like the worst fate! Not materially, and not if I was her mum or grandfather or daughter or girlfriend. Obviously, I don't want people dead if the choice is amnesia. But in another sense, it seems crueler than death. Donna has had this amazing adventure, this life-changing experience that made her so much more than she was. That is to say, made her realize the gifts that she had. Which isn't to say I think they exploited her arc as well as they could have, but still. I get what they were going for. And she, of all of the (new) companions, needed that. The Donna on the phone at the end was... well, she was uninteresting. Maybe she'll make something of herself--maybe some residual adventure will be left that doesn't require chasing after an alien benefactor. And I'm still having trouble coming to terms with the Doctor doing that to her. It's horrifying, the power he has, and while the show has recently addressed some of that anxiety I have about him, there's still that element of him knowing best and doing best (unless, of course, doing requires killing, in which case he allows it to be done for him. He deposed Harriet Jones. He could stop UNIT, or Torchwood, if he really wanted.) that even when it's true should make one wonder.
This got more passionate than I intended, but I just got to thinking. Overall, none of the highs and lows last season put me through, despite the fact that Martha's fate is the "best" of all of them. That just goes to show what identification can do for your experience. I'm very much looking forward to Sarah Jane Adventures starting up again, so I'll have something consistently decent in the DW universe to watch.
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That sounds really dramatic.
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And yeah, the Doctor being against violence is all very laudable, but unless he can provide a viable alternative to violence, it's not much use when the Daleks are about to eliminate life as we know it throughout the cosmos.
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Personally I'm fine with what he did to Donna, in a way (which alas wont be commented on in the media) doing that to Donna is a reflection in some small part of what her 'comedy' helps to do to our kids. We've got a whole generation of kids that could have adventures but instead end up sitting around being intentionally stupid "yeah but no but... bovvered!" I know there are other factors than Catherine Tate but she just makes me so mad. Donna always had the potential to have adventures but she chose not to until the CAAAAAAN made it that way. No she goes back to not being bovvered.
Question- if the DoctorDonna can't survive with all that knowledge in her head, how can v2.0 of the Doctor, in a more or less human body, survive? Also how is someone with the Doctor's personality gonna cope with sitting on one tiny planet, living one day at a time, including sundays? Plus I bet the whole human metabolism/needing to sleep/not eating tons of sugar and chips and still being thin thing is going to be a real shock to his system. In the guise of a gift the Doctor has really handed Rose a living nightmare, the face of one doctor, the mind of another stuck in a body/life that neither would ever want to live. Whilst it seems to be handing the fans what they want it is also kind of saying "really, you'll get second best, cos we get to do what we like with OUR character, thank you very much, go play with your damaged reject."
More than anything I'm glad RTD is gone. I'm sick of the gay jokes, I'm sick of the intentional fucking with characters and stories, I'm just sick and tired of his writing. Moffat wrote the best episodes (though he stopped them killing Jenny and that kinda annoyed me) and frankly he probably can't make a worse mess of this than RTD has so far. I bet Moffat could have thought of a solution to the Daleks. The King is dead, long live The Grand Moff!
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Good point. And he points out that v2.0 is him, in his genocidal phase. So it's interesting he can be all high and mighty now, considering what he himself has done.
Catherine Tate didn't create the cultural climate. And while, no, I don't like her comedy, I thought she did a fine job as Donna, especially because she wasn't the character I've seen in her other work (not that I've seen much). She was acting, as far as I can see. And anyway, we have several generations of kids who could have had adventures when they were instead watching Doctor Who. Who's to say who's to blame?
Your points re: Rose and v2.0 are all very good. It is going to be a nightmare for her, because she'll be constantly reminded of what she was looking for.
Whilst it seems to be handing the fans what they want it is also kind of saying "really, you'll get second best, cos we get to do what we like with OUR character, thank you very much, go play with your damaged reject."
This is going to be read any way the fans want to for their own purposes, I think.
Moffat's not perfect. But it'll be interesting to see what happens next.
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Ricky Gervais at least admits to playing the same character. And to not acting.
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UGH! I'M FREAKIN' SICK OF THE GAY JOKES AND SUBTEXT TOO! I thought I was the only one.
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Also its not a subtext with Who, its more hammering the point home with the TARDIS mallet every single week (though it is less so than with Torchwood). By no means do I have a problem with gay issues in the media, but seriously Star Trek managed to cover a whole range of social issues with out referring to the same one so heavily every week.
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Rose and Human!Doctor -- well, this whole episode just made me think that the writers came up with all these great ideas then bagged off early leaving the intern to wrap up the episode. There just seemed to be too many cop-outs and lame resolutions for me.
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And the Rose thing is so fanfic redux.