Doctor Who: A Journal of Impossible Things

[butterfly]

So, because I am an enormous geek, I went ahead and did screencaps from John Smith's Journal of Impossible Things (link goes to images from the episode 3x08 -- Human Nature).

Because I'm also rather analytical and like to know things, I went through and transcribed them, as best I could. I will share my transcription and thoughts, and, as always, I welcome discussion or correction.

So, Page One features a big drawing of the inside of the TARDIS on the right-hand side of the page, and some text on the left. All transcribed text shall be centered and in italics, with notes from me in [brackets].

There is a big center piece in some kind of ship. It has wires all around it, bright lights. Wires connect the light piece with the whole room. I feel safe there. It seems to be some kind of control panel or consol.

All of the rest of the writing on this page is illegible to me. Anyway, the very first thing that he writes down in his book is about the TARDIS (but note that he never names it -- in fact, the only proper name I could locate in the entire journal was 'Rose' -- he just describes it). Of note: "I feel safe there."

Page Two continues on the theme of the TARDIS.

 on the light source, levers and sockets, wires that connect it to the room... There is a scream inside. bigger inside than outside... my magic box
There is also some notes and images that I don't understand, although I do in my dreams.

From this, I think we can take it to understand that he does not understand the Gallifreyan that we are about to see written on one of the following pages -- I wonder what it is that the Doctor's subconscious mind couldn't handle... given what we see, I have my own theories. Also, the 'scream inside' could be a reference to the Master getting trapped in the TARDIS in the DW movie. This is also the first place that he calls the TARDIS his 'magic box', which will be his term for it later in the journal.

The other side of Page Two focuses on the sonic screwdriver (not that he calls it that -- though he manages the 'sonic' part of it.

I have this magical, almost pen-like instrument, that opens anything. It lights up with a bright white light when I use it. I think it was called sonic although I am sure the name was alot longer yet I cannot [unknown].

Pen of magic... magic pen... a light of magic

Here, as we can see, he has a whole lot of trouble trying to recall the name of his magical pen-like instrument that opens anything. He crosses off several possibilties and never gets the 'screwdriver' bit of it.

Now, Page Three.

 

That symbol there looks, well... *cough*

There's something vaguely familiar about the way the shapes are put together. Can't quite put my finger on it. Hexagons in rows... where have I seen hexagons in rows?

Anyway, on this page, he writes...

why? why?

symbols I have to draw

Then, we have some ripped out pages. It looks like two full pages have been ripped out of the journal. What was written on them? Hard to say, but there's something compelling in the symbols that he 'had to draw' occurring right before the damaged part of the journal. So, the second half of Page Three is gone, plus all of Page Four and the first half of Page Five, which leads us to...

with their faces... in masks... the little...it's light... came... sks... came of... gas

people-masks-gas-old-young

gas masks... because of gas masks

Directly after this page, we have a different kind of page -- a half-glimpsed page of solely text.

Page Six.

...you or what... in power can... death that's... people or whatever... at [crossed-out] you all... difference between... one thing which... is somehow also... illumination. She... a light hites throat [?]... steadily from... have seen this behemoth... a shape to fly. It... or a blaze, except... -red aloft slowly. Slowly like... to see what was... shape, its metal, all conf-... saw it.

Looking down at me in a very... As if we has always known. [next line crossed out entirely]... scorned [?] relative or child.

There's a whole lot of really interesting stuff in there. No clue what most of it means, but it's damn interesting.

Then we have Page Seven, page of the Daleks (not that he calls them that).

rolled... they everything. It stood only for... self, for the side it was on... the other side has nothing on... It looked like it was... although it was a machine.. in not... on the color. I think it was.. dark color.. black or a silver, it is unclear... circles at its [unknown]... again I am unsure.

it was some kind of weapon.

some kind of metal hide and dome and on a [same as unknown above]. it was definitely metal.

what.. is it a mo-... I see h-... so he-... -an only... thing... desola [desolation?]... ticms [victims?]... explode... monster

So, Daleks. Amazingly enough, this is actually a very rational and non-repetitive page. Maybe he worked out some of his Dalek angst in the recent two-parter. It certainly doesn't seem to fill him with kind of need to obsessively repeat himself that some things appear to.

Then, Page Eight is another barely-glimpsed text-only page.

liked... was... confronted... very... knows... [crossed-out]... child... lands of... before... back a... but those.. fainted... bound [?] together... I feel like I have... seen the visible [?]... in both peace and...

The bottom bit is too blurry for me to make out the words.

There were a lot of monsters in this dream, more than usual. Different and I watched it from above, above the world I watched it above the Earth.

different bird.

Then he writes several variations on 'blue monster, big head, sat on throne'. The Moxx made a big impression on John Smith. Reminds me of Rose -- "He's blue." "The aliens. Are so alien. You look at them and... they're alien."

Then, page Ten is about the Autons (not that he calls them that).

 strange clothes... and the glass brakes [oh, the sadness of John's spelling] and... they are amongst ourselves... in those clothes, too, only they are... falling now, falling in waves, cut down with gunfire. They looked... their faces is all the same. I think their faces were plastic. They had eyes that were empty. Plastic men. No expression.
And then we have another very quickly seen page -- I completely missed it on my first go-round, which is a shame, because Page Eleven is gold.
 it's a wolf although... a wolf although different looking... powerful... what I can understand of what the wolf looks after I know that I owned a dog, but I kept giving them or losing them. So I decided to protect it by making a kennel on wheels that covered it. metal dog... metal dog that is missing... my companion it is my dog although it is protected. its protected because I kept losing it. 

See? Isn't this a fascinating little page? I find John's deconstruction of why his (unnamed!) dog is metal to be the cutest thing ever, by the way. He kept losing them (or giving them away!) so he built a metal kennel on wheels! For protection!

 

I'm trying to decide if I'm willing to go to the Bad Wolf place with the first half of this page or if I think it's about Tooth and Claw.

 

Page Twelve is about the clockworks from the ship, with an interesting little aside to Reinette (unnamed, of course) in there.

 

 Beautiful monsters. Clockwork! They have clocks for faces. And have left something behind, have left someone behind again and I can never get her back. have set something on fire and its away up the chimney and I'll never see it again. broken glass... clockworks... masks covered faces... permanent smiles... beautiful monsters, always smiling... empty eyes. black eyes... same connection 

And then Page Thirteen... the only page I found where the Doctor manages to successfully name something/someone.

 

 Girl my dream... I know her well... I know... I know her... she is my s- In my dreams I keep walking. A girl where to find [smudged] and she is dressed in a most immodest way. She will not answer me and she keeps walking away... my dreams I keep... a girl where its... in my dream she keeps walking away see her in my dreams perfect Rose 

Back in The Shakespeare Code, Lillith told us that there was still one word, one name, that had the 'power of the day'. A word that she could pluck from his mind and attempt to use against him. That word was, of course, Rose (and, tellingly enough, hearing it only gave him strength). We see here that 'Rose' is still the name in his mind, and she's the one person, the one thing that he can name. "I call her Rose," John Smith says. When he can't recall the word "TARDIS" or finish the phrase "sonic screwdriver" or know what the "Autons" are, he still remembers the name "Rose".

 

Then, directly after Rose, we have Page Fourteen, with the Cybermen.

 

 

He just repeats "metal men" and "marching metal" and variations on that theme, over and over. Obsessively, almost hysterically. And then, directly after that, we have another page about the TARDIS -- Rose, Cybermen, TARDIS... and he returns to something he said in the beginning, but with a chilling variation.

 

 It is my home I know it well, but it is huge, bigger on the inside than the outside magic box... Maius Intra Qua Extra!... box of magic... It's my magic box. Nothing can harm me here. Unless I get left [or 'lost', possibly] inside it. And there is something to do with the law, with the police, although when I am inside it, I do not think as my Self as representing the authorities, I feel almost as a fugative [not my spelling!]. It looks like a... with a... window... inside...  

Page Seventeen is more ably represented by the actual Doctor Who opening flash animation. It's pretty adorable and there's a transcript around already. Somewhere. This picture of it is pretty far away and blurry, sadly. But, look! All ten doctors!



Page Eighteen appears to all be plot-related, with the mentions of the "family" and the importance of the watch (that he thinks is broken).

 

Wow, that was kinda exhausting. Anyway, like I said inside the cut-tag, I welcome discussion and corrections.

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