Doctor Who: School Reunion (Tenth Doctor)

[butterfly]

So, I'm completely a new school-type fan of Doctor Who. Heard of the show through Russell Davies' Queer as Folk, never saw an episode until the ninth doctor series started over here in the States. And I fell completely in love and went ahead and got myself caught up with the UKers with regards to the new series.

But I'm just as much in love with Rose as I am the Doctor (maybe a little more).

I was intensely worried for Rose before I'd watched this episode. I was worried that she'd get her heart broken (and she still might). Because I'd read so many posts about how she needed to be 'put in her place' (god, that expression makes me shudder, always has), how she needed to see that she wasn't special at all.

She's not entirely unique, maybe, but she is special. The Doctor wouldn't have asked her along (twice!) if he didn't think that. Clearly, I agree with him. She's very brave and incredibly loyal. She's the companion who got sent home and refused to stay. She's curious and kind and eager to see new horizons. What the hell about that is so useless? What the hell about that deserves a smacking-down?

Clearly, I've gotten my emotions mixed-up in Rose. Inevitable. She reminds me of Buffy and Xander, my two best humans from Buffy. She's got insecuries and she was worried that her life was going nowhere. And now she has a chance to make her life matter. She can save the world, save the universe. She's quite right in Parting of the Ways -- it is a better life.

In a move characteristic of Buffy (oh, it explained so many things when I heard that RTD was a big fan), her great flaws are tied to her great strengths, and her flaws are visible, in micro form, from the moment we meet her.

Her loyalty and bravery can lead her into doing dangerously stupid things -- and because she isn't the Doctor, she doesn't know what kind of changes are safe to make (Prime example -- Father's Day). Her choice to want to live a better life leads her to have (in Jackie's opinion in Rose) the tendency to adopt 'airs and graces'. She's only twenty, so she's prone to acting young and thinking that she's being mature.

But she's learning. Got another lesson in this episode. She wasn't the first pretty woman that the Doctor traveled with, and she's not the first person who fell in love with him.

And yes, of course it's a shock for her. How could it be otherwise, given how the Doctor has acted over her? I could save the world but lose you. She's so young and intensity of feeling means forever to her. If he loves her so much now, how could he have loved anyone like that before? It's a false dilemma, because love doesn't have those kinds of barriers attached, but it's a very common way to think. Especially since she's a romantic twenty-year old girl, one who has wrapped up so much of her life in this older man that there's nothing left for her in her old life.

And her unfinished conversation with the Doctor made me so happy. He was so very intense about her and his feelings. Lovely. He looked on the edge of tears, near the end. Yes, he loves her.

I liked Sarah Jane quite a bit more here than I did in the snippets of old school Doctor Who that I've watched. Amusingly enough, I didn't like her because she felt immature. Sounds funny, considering that I don't hold this against Rose, but there are types of immaturity, and I hated her 'bluff' about going home. Because she was doing it on purpose, I suppose, whereas Rose just does silly things like that subconsciously -- Rose doesn't try to manipulate the Doctor, she's just young and confused. Intention matters quite a bit to me.

Loved that Mickey's along for now -- after the burst of emotion between Rose and the Doctor on that street, they need a buffer.

I can already foresee many, many tears on my part when Rose leaves (hopefully far in the future!). I'm very attached to her.

Comments

[castalie.livejournal.com]

We already mentioned it but yes, we truly do have the same DW background, don't we - or lack thereof :-)

I'm a bit surprised at how in love I'm falling with Ten. I liked Nine, I really did but I love Ten, and apparently love him more with each new episode.

As for Rose, the love is still growing but it was already firmly in place with the previous series. Though, funnily - is that a word? - enough, my first contact with her was sorta negative, but thankfully I didn't give up on her and she grew on me so much that she turned out to be a favored character.

I'm not sure who I like best now, her or the Doctor. Maybe Rose, yes, there's just something with her, I don't know, I adore her.

She's not entirely unique, maybe, but she is special.

Yes, exactly! Just because she's not unique as such, she is special. We've seen it throughout both incarnations of the Doctor. And maybe she needed to put things in perspective a little, but smacking her down? Why, for what? I don't see it either.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

We already mentioned it but yes, we truly do have the same DW background, don't we - or lack thereof :-)

Hee, completely, yes.

I'm a bit surprised at how in love I'm falling with Ten. I liked Nine, I really did but I love Ten, and apparently love him more with each new episode.

Ten is fantastic. I adored Nine, but Ten is knocking my socks off.

As for Rose, the love is still growing but it was already firmly in place with the previous series. Though, funnily - is that a word? - enough, my first contact with her was sorta negative, but thankfully I didn't give up on her and she grew on me so much that she turned out to be a favored character.

I'm not sure who I like best now, her or the Doctor. Maybe Rose, yes, there's just something with her, I don't know, I adore her.

She's got something, definitely. I really can see just why the Doctor got so attached to her so quickly. She's so alive, very vibrant and enthusiastic.

She's not entirely unique, maybe, but she is special.

Yes, exactly! Just because she's not unique as such, she is special. We've seen it throughout both incarnations of the Doctor. And maybe she needed to put things in perspective a little, but smacking her down? Why, for what? I don't see it either.

Doesn't make any sense to me.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

I was intensely worried for Rose before I'd watched this episode. I was worried that she'd get her heart broken (and she still might). Because I'd read so many posts about how she needed to be 'put in her place' (god, that expression makes me shudder, always has), how she needed to see that she wasn't special at all.

Thank goodness I wasn't the only one. In fact, I wasn't entirely looking forward to this episode, for fear that Rose would come off very badly indeed in comparison to Sarah Jane. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as I feared, and they became friends and got to laugh over the Doctor's quirks, which I greatly appreciated. And then Rose was the one who prompted the Doctor to ask Sarah Jane along, which I thought was fabulous!

And her unfinished conversation with the Doctor made me so happy. He was so very intense about her and his feelings. Lovely. He looked on the edge of tears, near the end. Yes, he loves her.

Wasn't it beautiful? *sigh* Loved that.

I can already foresee many, many tears on my part when Rose leaves (hopefully far in the future!). I'm very attached to her.

Like you, Rose and Nine were my first introduction to the Doctor Who phenomenon, although of course I'd been hearing about it for years via fandom (and my uncle, who is a major major Old School fan). So if and when Rose leaves, I hope I'll be able to keep watching, but ... yeah, I'm not looking forward to that at all.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness I wasn't the only one. In fact, I wasn't entirely looking forward to this episode, for fear that Rose would come off very badly indeed in comparison to Sarah Jane. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as I feared, and they became friends and got to laugh over the Doctor's quirks, which I greatly appreciated. And then Rose was the one who prompted the Doctor to ask Sarah Jane along, which I thought was fabulous!

Yes, I loved that scene. That Rose comes to feel that kinship with Sarah Jane.

I can already foresee many, many tears on my part when Rose leaves (hopefully far in the future!). I'm very attached to her.

Like you, Rose and Nine were my first introduction to the Doctor Who phenomenon, although of course I'd been hearing about it for years via fandom (and my uncle, who is a major major Old School fan). So if and when Rose leaves, I hope I'll be able to keep watching, but ... yeah, I'm not looking forward to that at all.

I hope that I'll still want to watch, too. I suppose that it'll depend on how well they do it.

[larakailyn.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that you're loving the show! And getting to see your take on things is wonderful because I always love reading your analyses of the show.

If you ever end up wanting to turn any of these into actually essays or anything like that (or even if you want to leave them the way they are), I would love to archive them on my Abandon-Innocence site.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's a terrific series.

And thank you for the offer! I'm always up for having my stuff archived or linked or anything of that nature. It's a great compliment. I haven't felt properly analytical for a while, so it's nice to see that part of me coming to the surface again.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I was intensely worried for Rose before I'd watched this episode. I was worried that she'd get her heart broken (and she still might). Because I'd read so many posts about how she needed to be 'put in her place' (god, that expression makes me shudder, always has), how she needed to see that she wasn't special at all.

Grr. I *loathe* that expression (and more often than not in fandom, it seems applied to *female* characters).

I adore Rose. Really didn't expect to, since one of the things that kept me from watching the show so long was that *Billie* was in it, she with the naff pop songs and marriage to Chris Evans. To say I was pleasantly surprised is a major understatement.

See, I was very glad for Rose to learn about Sarah Jane and previous companions, not because I don't think she's worthy or special, but because it bothered me that the Doctor has kept such important information from her, and it will be in her best interest if she can use this to somehow...be more prepared? Guard her heart? I don't know.

The thing with Rose is that she's just so trusting of the Doctor, and that's part of what I love about her, how she immediately dove head-first into the adventure and intensity of it all, but I like it when something gives her reason to pause and reflect, whether it's the events of Father's Day, or the whole mess with POTW (including Jack getting left behind), or Sarah Jane and the spectres of Companions Past. Not because I want it to make her less trusting or exuberrant, but because anything that might make her a little bit wiser and more aware is a good thing.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Grr. I *loathe* that expression (and more often than not in fandom, it seems applied to *female* characters).

Ick, yes. It does have a bit of the stench of sexism about it, intentional or un.

I adore Rose. Really didn't expect to, since one of the things that kept me from watching the show so long was that *Billie* was in it, she with the naff pop songs and marriage to Chris Evans. To say I was pleasantly surprised is a major understatement.

She's quite a good actor. I was very surprised when I found out about her past career.

See, I was very glad for Rose to learn about Sarah Jane and previous companions, not because I don't think she's worthy or special, but because it bothered me that the Doctor has kept such important information from her, and it will be in her best interest if she can use this to somehow...be more prepared? Guard her heart? I don't know.

*nods* I'm really glad with how they actually dealt with the subject. It was something that Rose did need to hear, because it's something that the Doctor has done quite a bit and she never knew.

The thing with Rose is that she's just so trusting of the Doctor, and that's part of what I love about her, how she immediately dove head-first into the adventure and intensity of it all, but I like it when something gives her reason to pause and reflect, whether it's the events of Father's Day, or the whole mess with POTW (including Jack getting left behind), or Sarah Jane and the spectres of Companions Past. Not because I want it to make her less trusting or exuberrant, but because anything that might make her a little bit wiser and more aware is a good thing.

Agreed. She's growing up. It's good and I'm glad that they're doing it. But I'm still probably going to worry for her.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

When Old School fans like me expressed hostility to Rose and felt she was being over-rated, it wasn't suggesting that she isn't a good person. More, we were upset about implications in the series that Rose was the Greatest Companion Ever who meant more to the Doctor than anyone ever had.

Sort of - imagine that Angel got brought back with Nina as Angel's regular girlfriend, and their relationship was uttely Mills And Boon perfect, and he never mentioned Buffy or Cordelia ever, and could shag her constantly without the curse ever being a problem.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I can understand that, especially when I've been rewatching old episodes and found myself wondering what was so special about Sarah Jane. I still don't quite get it -- I liked her a lot more in School Reunion than in either Hand of Fear or The Five Doctors, though I don't know if those stories are the best representation of the SJS that everyone seems to love.

I don't know about most new viewers, but for me, it's clear that what makes this relationship so different isn't Rose so much as it's the Doctor. When I heard that his planet had been destroyed in The End of the World, it really made me think that that was a huge part of why he's connected so hard and so closely with Rose. He's much more alone now that he's ever been in the past and the many of the things that would cause him to create distance from his companions just aren't there any more. Whenever he mentions being alone, Rose makes a point of saying that she's there for him, and this is possibly the first time that he's needed that so much (conjecture based on what I've read and the few episodes that I've seen of the classic episodes).

I know Rose the best so, naturally, I like her the best. I've really only seen snippets of the others. I like Jo Grant from what I've seen of her in the Confidentials. I adored Romana in City of Death. Quite liked Susan, Turlough, and Tegan in The Five Doctors (and I just saw An Unearthly Child and found the two teachers interesting -- and the Doctor really does pretty much kidnap them!).

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

School Reunion is, effectively, what other companions would be like if they were written now. I like that. It was nifty.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I find that a really interesting idea. I've been watching the old school Doctor Who and finding it all Very Intriguing (I've been comparing and went 'ooo' when the Fourth Doctor held Romana's hand in CoD and the Eighth held Grace's (yes?) in the movie.). My most profound thought thus far is that the Fifth Doctor is hot.

Oh, question! Who is it that's in your icon?

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

I find that a really interesting idea. I've been watching the old school Doctor Who and finding it all Very Intriguing (I've been comparing and went 'ooo' when the Fourth Doctor held Romana's hand in CoD and the Eighth held Grace's (yes?) in the movie.).

Doctor/Romana is totally my DW OTP. And Grace got kissed like eleventy times and it was all very confusing for fandom. We were a bit taken aback. (Dude, was that really ten years ago? omgwtfetc.)


Oh, question! Who is it that's in your icon?

It are Joanna Lumley as the thirteenth Doctor, who since her brief appearance in a comedy sketch for charity is usually claimed as apocryphal when in fact she is the only canonical bit of Doctor Who. The rest of the "canon" just some sort of fanfic about her backstory. *handwaves it all*