Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii

[butterfly]

If you speak Latin while using the TARDIS translator circuits, you sound Welsh.

I love this show. I love Donna for noticing that the sign was in English and then asking what would happen if she spoke Latin. I just... absolutely adore Donna to pieces.

"Doctor... she is returning."

Three guesses as to who that's about.

*squees despite how freaked out the Doctor is*

Also -- freaking wow. That was an incredibly powerful scene between the two soothsayers. Wow.

Oh, poor Donna. They're there to make sure that Pompeii gets blown up, aren't they?

"You fought her off with a water pistol. I bloody love you."

Hee! Have I mentioned that I love Donna?

Oh, yes. The Doctor explaining the way he sees the universe. So cool. "Every waking minute, I see. What is, what was, what could be, what must not."

Pyrovilia is lost. Like the breeding planet of the Adipose.

Like Rose? Did it slip through the Void?

Once again, it's all about the breeding. Twice now, it's about creating a new species because the old one is lost (like Gallifrey? As Donna would say "How do you mean lost?").

"Nothing can survive it. Certainly not us."
"Never mind us."

Echoes of Aliens in London and "What are you waiting for?" Right to our heroes surviving in something small. But all those people -- this time, he had to choose to kill twenty-thousand in order to save the world and history. Oh, Doctor.

It's Pompeii. And there isn't a happy ending in that story.

Like Rose, Donna gets to see and understand the agony of the Doctor losing his people and planet right from the start.

But this time... unlike with Gallifrey, this time he does save someone. Because of Donna. Only one family but... not everyone dies. Not this time.

Sometimes, out of destruction and pain, there can be a new start. A happy beginning (I love this show).

"You were right. Sometimes I need someone. Welcome aboard."

Very satisfying!

Comments

[cerisaye.livejournal.com]

I am no fan of Catherine Tate (for her comedy stuff) yet was moved by her influence on the Doctor. Gosh.

I liked it too, not least because we got Peter Capaldi. :)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Catherine Tate was really fantastic. Something else that watching Joss Whedon's shows has taught me is that comedians are often fantastic with drama as well.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Like Rose, Donna gets to see and understand the agony of the Doctor losing his people and planet right from the start.
That's one thing that hit me right away. We didn't get that with Martha. I can get why, but I love this season with the same squee I did in season one, because it hits so many of the same buttons in new ways.

Sometimes, out of destruction and pain, there can be a new start. A happy beginning (I love this show).
YES YES YES. RTD looked up hope in the dictionary last season.

But mostly I adore Donna. For the "Never mind us" and her snipping at the Doctor when he was like I'M IN CHARGE and for pushing him to save one family and for the hug in the beginning.

[pluckyyounggirl.livejournal.com]

But mostly I adore Donna. For the "Never mind us" and her snipping at the Doctor when he was like I'M IN CHARGE and for pushing him to save one family and for the hug in the beginning.

Yesyesyesyesyes. Particularly that last part. That hug was made of so much genuine squee.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I was also thinking of the two siblings - the Doctor and Donna seemed to mirror them some. Which made me squee. I love pseudo sibling relationships like that. And it seems to be growing to really mean something big too. ♥

[pluckyyounggirl.livejournal.com]

Yep, me too! Also, did you see - the Doctor did take Donna's hand when they were running. Which made me giggle. I just love them together, so much. And what I love most about her, and only realised as I was writing up my review: she's his hand to hold. It's what Rose always wanted, for someone to be there for him, and Donna is. Moreover, he lets her be. I am so grateful for that.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

He's healing. I just really love that so much. And that's what he needs the most, not to be alone. To grab him and support him during those tough times and to hug him during the happy times.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

That's one thing that hit me right away. We didn't get that with Martha. I can get why, but I love this season with the same squee I did in season one, because it hits so many of the same buttons in new ways.

I may have to write up a compare-contrast, because I really do get the sense that Donna is getting to serve a purpose with the Doctor that Rose served but Martha didn't -- moral voice. Martha never really speaks against the Doctor's actions the way that both Rose and Donna have shown themselves able to do. Martha never had the 'What are you turning into?' moment that Rose had in Dalek (instead, that moment was given to Joan in HN/FoB) and she didn't face up against the Doctor for reasons of ethics in her early historical, as Rose did in The Unquiet Dead (regarding giving the Gelth corpses to live in) or Donna did here.

YES YES YES. RTD looked up hope in the dictionary last season.

And the Adipose babies got reunited with their parents at the end of the last episode, as well. There's a 'family' subtheme going on.

But mostly I adore Donna. For the "Never mind us" and her snipping at the Doctor when he was like I'M IN CHARGE and for pushing him to save one family and for the hug in the beginning.

It's kinda fascinating, how her friendship with the Doctor reminds me a lot of S1 Doctor/Rose, only without the simmering UST. All of those things are things that I can picture Rose doing fairly easily.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I wonder why Martha didn't. I guess they needed to divorce the two of them utterly to take such a dark path. But it wasn't as fun to watch.

There's a 'family' subtheme going on.
It's totally the running theme of reconnection in this series. AND THE COMPANIONPOLUZA THAT EQUALS THE DOCTOR'S FAMILY.

how her friendship with the Doctor reminds me a lot of S1 Doctor/Rose, only without the simmering UST
Yeah, exactly. There are some differences, Donna brought Donna into it like Rose brought Rose into it. But it still has some of the same outlines. And it's still fresh because Donna is different from Rose and the Doctor has changed in the past several years.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I wonder why Martha didn't. I guess they needed to divorce the two of them utterly to take such a dark path. But it wasn't as fun to watch.

Martha's kinda an object lesson in why companions need to see the Doctor screw up early on. Because, often, the one-off guest stars are left with the impression that the Doctor is somewhat godly (like the family here) and that doesn't tend to affect his view of himself much. But if his companion views him that way, then the breaks that Rose and Donna have shown themselves able to put on his behavior are missing (and the Time Lords are no longer there, in the back of his mind, influencing his choices). And Martha doesn't really understand that until the very last episodes.

For all his power and knowledge, the Doctor is fallible. He'll do things like promise to take care of and protect one of the most dangerous men in the universe because he's lonely.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Ah I never thought of it that way. I like that.

[pluckyyounggirl.livejournal.com]

Pyrovilia is lost. Like the breeding planet of the Adipose.

Ooh, good point. Very, very good point. Who knows what else will seem lost this series - and what might be found again. I keep thinking, somehow, though, that maybe those worlds were lost because of the Time War, too. To guilt trip the Doctor just that little bit more?

Sometimes, out of destruction and pain, there can be a new start. A happy beginning (I love this show).

I do, too. And it's because of Donna. God, I love that woman.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good point. Very, very good point. Who knows what else will seem lost this series - and what might be found again. I keep thinking, somehow, though, that maybe those worlds were lost because of the Time War, too. To guilt trip the Doctor just that little bit more?

I'm very curious about it, as well. I wonder when the Doctor will actually ask and get an answer as to what 'lost' means in this context. Did it disappear? Was it blown up? What happened?

Donna's totally fab. She's tough and has her own system of ethics and refuses to back down... but is capable of seeing what the Doctor is going through as well and of understanding that. I love her.

[chase820.livejournal.com]

"Every waking minute, I see. What is, what was, what could be, what must not."

Poor baby. No wonder he never gets laid.

I enjoyed this one, too!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Poor baby. No wonder he never gets laid.

Hee!

It was a great episode!

[teskafuture.livejournal.com]

I loved Donna is this episode. I was getting flashback to series 1 all over the place. How I love this show!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It was very Series 1-eske. The Doctor and Donna have a tension very similar to Rose and the Doctor, without the UST. She's willing to challenge him on the same kinds of issues with the same kind of power behind her ethical choices.

[teskafuture.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly! Series 1 without the UST. *grin*

[ceresi.livejournal.com]

I just started watching DW last episode, and I'm going to admit, it's mostly your fault. :D But I'm really enjoying your recaps! And I'm really glad for the meta, because on my own I have about no idea of what's going on. :D

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Should I apologize or just welcome you into the craziness?

*grins*

[shaela]

Oh, poor Donna. They’re there to make sure that Pompeii gets blown up, aren’t they?

I’m not sure which was worse—the moment when I realized that, or the moment when the Doctor did. I could see it coming, but I didn’t want to be right. I didn’t want to see his face when it hit him what they were there for.

But Donna was brilliant. “Never mind us.” And then taking his hand and pushing the button with him.

I haven’t cried yet, but the night is young.

Like Rose, Donna gets to see and understand the agony of the Doctor losing his people and planet right from the start.

But this time, it was an accident. He didn’t mean to take her there. I’m not sure he would’ve shown her that, if it had been up to him.

I’m kind of glad it wasn’t. He needs someone, yeah, but he needs someone who knows him. And whoever was doing the driving… well, I’ll just point out that Rose saw what the Doctor was going through on a cosmic scale. She watched her planet blow up. This… this was very personal. When Donna picked up that little boy and had him snatched out of her arms by his mother…

Only one family but… not everyone dies. Not this time.

I wish someone could do that for Gallifrey. Somehow. “Some things are fixed”—I get that. I’m not talking about the entire planet. Just…

I love this show.

Me, too.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I’m not sure which was worse—the moment when I realized that, or the moment when the Doctor did. I could see it coming, but I didn’t want to be right. I didn’t want to see his face when it hit him what they were there for.

I was so sad for him.

*pets the Doctor*

I wish someone could do that for Gallifrey. Somehow. “Some things are fixed”—I get that. I’m not talking about the entire planet. Just…

Well, I'm kinda hoping that the Doctor can get to a place where he realizes that he is that someone that the universe saved. A good thing that survived the Time War, that made it less painful of a loss for the universe.

[katesutton.livejournal.com]

I loved this SO much. I love Donna, that she's so ready to hold his feet to the fire and demand an answer and yet..she'll put her hands on his and be responsible for the death of twenty thousand, so he won't have to do it alone. Love.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Donna was so great there. And that's something that he could let her do that in a way that he could've with Martha because he never let Martha in that deeply. Rose would have been there with him and would have helped with with the lever, but I can't see Martha ever being in that same place. They just didn't have that kind of relationship, where they worked in tandem that way. They each tended to be solo operators in their time together.

[amalthia]

I had a blast with this episode. :)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It was stellar!

[china-white.livejournal.com]

Until last night I only liked Donna rather a lot. Now, I love her and want her babies. She is awesome. She's exactly what the Doctor needs. She asks the types of questions that most would be scared to ask, she challenges him, she makes him think. She's tough but sensitive and compassionate as well. After having two young girls who both fancied him around, someone a bit older and harder will, I think, do him the world of good. Hopefully Donna will remain strong and won't start simpering around or feeding his ego, anytime soon.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Donna's fabulous. Like Rose, she sees the Doctor clearly enough to ask him the tough ethical questions. It's good to have that again.