Doctor Who 4 X 12- Pfft, the last ep was MUCH better.

[amanuensis1]

Honestly? You want to engage me and make me believe you've ramped up the story? Stop effing shoving "ultimate," "supreme," and "maximum" into every other sentence. Oh, and "destiny." SURPRISE ME. ENGAGE ME. STOP TELLING ME HOW MUCH I SHOULD BE ENGAGED.

*looks at all the squee on flist* I guess I'm the only one who thought it was 45 minutes of "hey Mom, watch me watch me watch me watch me" tell-not-show, huh.

Comments

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Loved the ep, but it was all about moving the characters in the places they needed to be for the finale. not the best story to watch.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Everything in it has been done in previous end-of-seasons. And I'm not even counting Classic Who. How many "it's the end of everything!"s do they expect me to believe in? The Library ep was more profound, too.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

That's part of the deal with Who - the over the top the world is ending thing. It's either something you can swallow or you can't.

[ixchelmala.livejournal.com]

The change in writers should make things go back to that level... As fr the story arc, I'm very interested in the "Donna is a Time Lord" speculation that's been going round... and all her mentions of being "Just a Temp" makes me wonder even more.

[inamac.livejournal.com]

No, you are not alone. You are absolutely right. I am expecting the kitchen sink to appear in the next episode - Ghu knows the damn fanboy has chucked in everything else.

I want my Doctor Who back. (Also my Sarah Jane Adventures and UNIT, though he can keep Torchwood...)

lil_shepherd and Ithough we were alone. Hugs you.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I've been enjoying the season, myself! It's just that I can't be asked to believe in "it's the end of everything!" all over again if you just tell me and don't spend time showing me. The previous ep did a much much much better job making me believe it.

[aunty_marion]

The kitchen sink will be brought out to wash off the Hand in the Jar in order to regenerate that back into DT. Recursion? Quest, Endless: See Endless Quest.

[bronze-ribbons.livejournal.com]

The kitchen sink will be brought out to wash off the Hand in the Jar

*goes into gigglefit*

[proserpina-kore.livejournal.com]

Yep, I loved the last ep much better too. I think this was the set up for us finding out who the Bad Wolf is, the darkness, and all about the thing on Donna's back. And who Donna 'the temp' is...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I suspect Bad Wolf may not turn out to be anything bigger than "this was Rose's way of communicating with the Doctor." I'd love it if it were something more, though, absolutely love it!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Well, do you remember the end of the 1st season of the new series? The last episode with the 9th Doctor? When Rose was tapped into the heart of the TARDIS and she was being all Uber-Rose, she SAID that "Bad Wolf" was her doing. They were HER words that she'd taken and scattered across time and space to bring herself THERE, to Satellite 5. Considering that for that moment, she could probably see all of time and space with its infinite possibilities, she probably used those words to communicate other things, too. She knew the Doctor would remember the significance of those words, and that he'd remember them being from her, and she used that again. In the very least, she took them from something significant, relating to the "darkness", and used them as a trail.

I'm far more curious about the nature of the "darkness" than the origin of "Bad Wolf". There are the constant references to how important Donna is - I don't think she's a Time Lord - but how many people have said, "So YOU'RE Donna Noble." I think the presence of the Daleks are coincidental to other things, and that Dalek Caan's penetration of space-time to the Time Wars was key, more than the actual battle.

As for the episode, yes, I agree that it was more "tell-and-show", and a lot of throwing things together. I think the Library episode was better, and has more depth, but I keep wondering about what the woman in the library said, about the Doctor's future, and the "so YOU'RE Donna Noble", and I wonder if that's directly connected to what's going to happen in the next part of the season finale.

Meh, my head is spinning, and I can't really type it out coherently. I think that regardless of what I thought about this episode as a stand-alone, the second half of the season finale will be what makes or breaks the first half.

As for the "end of the world... again" thing... that's part of this being Doctor Who.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

They've made me feel the end-of-the-world thing, consistently. I felt it with the Master, I felt it as recently as the Sontaran Stratagem. Just not feeling this one.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I'm easy; all the OTT fanservice distracts me from the gaping plot holes :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

For me it isn't even plotholes so much as "there's nothing here we haven't seen before." I'm not even seeing new fanservice, sigh.

[sciencegeek.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I wasn't too impressed with it. I was quite surprised that my flist was so full of squee, but....to each their own, I suppose. I've never been a fan of RTD's finale's so I'm not terribly surprised I'm 'meh' about it.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Season 3's quite a bit--they did a lot with the return of the Master that seemed to speak for itself.

[garillama.livejournal.com]

Me too! They were doing so well until we got to "I do believe in Timelords, I do I do!" and all the children of the world clapping their hands...

[exbentley]

idk I felt like this "nothing new" feeling is part of what makes the episode great; it takes bits and pieces of NewWho that have been mentioned or hinted at right back in S1, and combines them with OldWho homages and cute pieces of crossover. But in the end the whole thing is more than the sum of it's parts; it's a setup, yes, and not really good as a single episode so much as a big teaser, but I definitely don't watch Doctor Who for the plot.

There were some bits which made me go "..." and some which were far too melodramatic, and the last episode definitely made me cry more, but I think in the end this one invoked a lot more frenzied, fangirling excitement which is why all the squee; it was the cliffhanger, the reunion of characters and new meetings, hoping for certain reactions between characters. It's Sarah Jane going "ooh," at Harkness and old friends (and enemies) reappearing.

I can understand how you feel, because I think to a large degree I felt the same way about the final HP book. But in the end my squee is character-based and all about the huge amount of POTENTIAL which has been put into play... and the huge amount of clever little throwaway lines and plot devices which were used to get it there.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I wish I could see the joy in the teaser, but for the most part I'm so full of "Get on with it, I GET IT!" that I couldn't share the squee. I mean, we'd seen everyone was going to be there in the darned trailer for last week, so, no real surprises on that score.

[kellyfaboo.livejournal.com]

Last week I was all, meh. This week I'm convinced that Drama is apparently shouting and running around waving our arms. At least that's what Rusty seems to think. Double meh.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

O YES TEH DRAMA. SUCCUMB TO EEEEET.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

I agree.

I left the criticisms out of my review because it was getting late, but yeah. My favorite bits - the only bits I really liked, actually - were the scenes involving the subwave, sans Doctor. I loved the meeting of the companions (esp. Jack flirting with Sarah Jane!) and Rose confused and cut off. (Not because I don't like Rose but because it was rather poignant after everything she's done and been through.)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I liked Jack kissing both Ianto and Gwen and pulling them close. Except haven't we been shown time and time again that there's always something that can be done against any enemy? Jack caving like that is only because it's what the script demanded he do.

[glorafin.livejournal.com]

I think that, feeling like his time as producer is going to an end, RTD wanted to indulge a bit, so he made a great melting pot (a crucible) of everything he created or supervised in the last 4 years. So it's a bit overwhelming at times. Besides, I must say that I'm fed up with overwhelming armies of Daleks in the season finales. Midnight and Turn Left was both far superior episodes. Still, let's see what'll happen next week.

[aunty_marion]

If I never see another Dalek invasion of Earth, it will be TOO SOON!!!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It was perfect in Season One. Now it's the sort of thing that should merit a "Bloody hell, not AGAIN, I hate these guys!" from all the characters.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*nodnods* Yup, pretty much what I'm feeling.

[becky-h.livejournal.com]

STOP TELLING ME HOW MUCH I SHOULD BE ENGAGED.

Doctor Who is good at telling us how awesome the doctor is, how awesome the companions are, how awesome the story is, how scary the monsters are, and in general what we're supposed to think and feel. They rarely SHOW any damn thing. I would blame it on being programming intended for children, but I know better.

And Torchwood does it too.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yes, Torchwood does too. Sometimes both of the shows are spot-on, but sometimes they fall quite short. I think the shows manage certain moments so well even in weak episodes, and that's one of the strengths.

[jamoche]

Haven't seen it yet (nor read comments here in case of spoilers) but the previews do not have me feeling confident; why is it RTD thinks that every season ender has to include a massive threat to the Earth? We know the Earth isn't going to be destroyed, thanks, and it is possible to have dramatic tension with a threat on a smaller scale (even dustmote scale, hello Vashta Nerada).

Besides, the Earth isn't going to be destroyed, we know that - it would make things difficult for the spinoff - so there's no dramatic tension anyway.

I am so looking forward to Moffet taking over. I have a very long list of Things RTD Is Not Allowed To Do Ever, and "try to destroy the Earth in the season ender" is high up on the list, right below "explore his mommy issues" and "the whole Dorothy 'there's no place like home' bit". (I want Donna to find the nice man from the library and go live in the 51st century, far far away from her mom.)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'm still utterly convinced Donna and that nice guy are getting together. I don't see any reason for the teaser at the end of that episode if they weren't.

[aiji-yuywell.livejournal.com]

I was a bit put off by the way they were working themselves up to this big reveal that they let slip already in the episode's preview. My friends were all sitting on edge after last week's episode and when we saw Daleks in the preview we all thought "Oh, Daleks again? Well, it might be exciting". Apparently we weren't supposed to recognize it was them because for half an episode we're being dragged along on a "who done it" mystery.

My favourite part? The missing planets from all the other episodes coming back and being part of the scheme. Clever.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Harriet Jones was a lovely surprise. Liked that.

[pyewackets-paws.livejournal.com]

Now, I bought the first Season of Torchwood, because I had heard so many good things about it, and so far I've enjoyed it.

So, am I to understand that Dr. Who is like the Holy Grail, and if I don't buy and watch it immediately then I can consider myself an uneducated plebe?

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Am too distracted by your icon to answer. ^_^

If you like Torchwood, and not just because of the omnisexuality, you'll likely enjoy Doctor Who. Doctor Who is...more solid than Torchwood.

[pyewackets-paws.livejournal.com]

Well I'm not gonna lie to you, the omnisexuality does help. ^^ I think I will check out DW. I seem to hear nothing but good things about it.

Y'know it seems like I always start out with a nice simple idea for an icon, and by the time I'm finished it, it's 28 frames and read like a short novel. lol

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

But those are the funniest kinds of icons, yayy!

[pyewackets-paws.livejournal.com]

That is so true. I can't tell you how many times I've been going through a thread, and all I'm doing is just reading people's icons.

Also, OH GOD NO! Someone just pointed out that I spelled 'whisk' wrong! FRICK! Shouldn't I know how to spell by now? *pouts* Now I have to go re-do that whole frame. *cries* This is why I try to limit my icon making to 1 every couple of months...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

ARGH! Typos make me so unhappy!

Hey, look, you fixed it already! See, you adapt. ^_^

[pyewackets-paws.livejournal.com]

LOL I try to keep the frames saved for at least two weeks after I make it, cause I just knew I've screwed up somewhere and someone's gonna point it out!^^

A contingency plan with every icon, I say.

[garillama.livejournal.com]

This is SPOILERS...


***


I liked the fanservice, but the end of Turn Left and the promo for 4-12 had me jumping around and squeeing a whole lot more than Stolen Earth ended up doing... Plus, the shiny gold special effects for regeneration annoy me SO much. When 9 did it, it was because he SNOGGED THE BLOODY TIME VORTEX. BRAIN GO ASPLODE. It made sense. But then they said "Hey, that's a cool effect, let's run with it!" Do not want! Every time I see it I cringe and any angst or dramatic tension they were building is gone for me.

Plus, don't they have David signed for more seasons of DW? And a new season of Torchwood coming up? Basically the only cliffhanger they can kill off at this point is Sarah Jane (unless her show is scheduled to to keep on as well). So that cliffhanger is not as cliff-hangy as it could be.

I'm really excited to find out what the deal with Donna Noble is, though. I'm quite curious at this point :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'm very curious about Donna! Though I can't imagine she's not going to get together with Library Husband. There was no reason for that teaser if she doesn't.

And, yes, I see no way they could have hid a new Doctor casting from the media. So I'm not falling for it.