butterfly: (After You -- Doctor)
butterfly ([personal profile] butterfly) wrote2007-04-29 07:38 am
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Doctor Who: favorite things

If I were going to pick a favorite two-parter of the New Who, it would definitely be The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. If I could only pick one episode as my favorite, it would be Dalek (though Father's Day is close).

I'm not a big fan of believing that the author's always right, but I do love the DW Confidentials. The actors and crew members say such lovely things. As early as the Confidential for Aliens in London, we have Christopher Eccleston saying, "Rose is the Doctor's equal in every way apart from, possibly, his scientific knowledge."

This is a case where I really do feel that the creators' intentions flowed from the screen. The character things they mention in the Confidential are all things that I got from the show, but it's kinda neat that I do, for the most part, feel so in sync with the creators. They say something, and I say, "Yeah, exactly."

So, I love the way the makers of the show love the show.

I love the Doctor/Rose storyline. Bits of it absolutely kill me and break my heart, but I love that in a good bit of fiction. They had passion and respect and friendship and love. Equality. The Doctor looked at Rose Tyler and was astonished at how much like him she was -- her grins in the face of danger, her way of easing tensions, her compassion and her courage. I love seeing them fall in love in season one and love seeing them be in love in season two. And now the Doctor understands what everyone feels after meeting him. He's now the one who's experienced splendor and lost it. The Doctor is my emotional anchor in season three, when all through the first two seasons, it was Rose.

The Doctor found something, someone, that he believed in. He found a greater truth, in his love for Rose Tyler. He found that person worth breaking his hearts over, a million times over. And he lost her, and it did break his hearts and we're seeing the aftermath. The Doctor is vulnerable this season, vulnerable in a different way than he was when he had Rose.

If the places the TARDIS goes (in this New Who) are reflective of the Doctor's mindset (and from the evidence, I think that's a strong argument), then the Doctor is in bad shape. There's still hope, which gives me comfort, but he's downright suicidal at times, reminiscent of, "I could very well die in the process... but don't worry about me, go on, have your lovely beans on toast," and "Maybe it's about time," but so much angrier. He had his moments of coldness and anger in S2, but it's more than moments in this new season.

I love that he has such a depth of emotion, but I hate to see him in pain. It's a near impossible balance to walk, but David Tennant is more than pulling it off for me. He's breaking my heart and I'm loving him for it.

[identity profile] mrv3000.livejournal.com 2007-04-29 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
And now the Doctor understands what everyone feels after meeting him. He's now the one who's experienced splendor and lost it.

Oh, that's an interesting point. I rather like that.

The Doctor found something, someone, that he believed in. He found a greater truth, in his love for Rose Tyler. He found that person worth breaking his hearts over, a million times over. And he lost her, and it did break his hearts and we're seeing the aftermath.

And I'm just "oooh"ing again. Heh. Like how this ties to Sarah Jane's "some things are worth getting your heart broken over."

I love that he has such a depth of emotion, but I hate to see him in pain. It's a near impossible balance to walk, but David Tennant is more than pulling it off for me. He's breaking my heart and I'm loving him for it.

Here's where I'm starting to get tired. And I'm not arguing against *you* since this is just preference of the way we like to see things. For me I loved in new Who that while you had horrors, death and destruction going on, the main characters held onto each other in a way that got them through it. Like in TEotW - death, destruction and uncovering the pain of losing a planet. But Rose grabs his arm and while things aren't necessarily "okay," you know they'll be better. Or in Father's Day - what happened was horrible. But the Doctor takes Rose's hand in comfort. Again, not okay, but better.

But now during these moments, I'm seeing the Doctor alone (he's just not letting Martha get that close) and really despairing. Yeah, RTD said that the theme of Gridlock (or was it the whole series) is hope, but I haven't seen *the Doctor* being shown hope yet. The Doctor just doesn't believe the Face of Boe. And there was Tallulah's speech, but she said it to Martha. He's in this very dark place, which only seems to make the horrors of the show even darker for me.

[identity profile] beck-liz.livejournal.com 2007-04-29 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
As I was just telling [livejournal.com profile] mrv3000, in some ways this series is easier for me to watch than I thought it would be, because it's very different from the previous two series. In others... like mrv3000, I'm not seeing the hope. I'm seeing a Doctor who seems very much like Jack was for awhile over in Torchwood: plodding on because he doesn't feel like he has a choice, not because he really wants to or has hope. It's worrisome. I think Jack came out of it near the end of TW's first series, and I hope that the Doctor will too, and soon. I love that he's missing Rose so much, but I think she'd whack him upside the head if she knew how he's acting.

[identity profile] katesutton.livejournal.com 2007-04-29 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
then the Doctor is in bad shape. There's still hope, which gives me comfort, but he's downright suicidal at times,

He really is in a dark place at the moment. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Part of me is hopping about, going 'see, see, see!'-a la Daniel Jackson-look how important Rose is to him! But then...how is he going to get out of this, though? So far, I'm not sure Martha is going to help him with that, given how he's resisting caring about her and she's still got her eye somewhat fixed on having him for a boyfriend.

I'm not a big fan of believing that the author's always right, but I do love the DW Confidentials. The actors and crew members say such lovely things.

I love it! Me, I'm more of a sucker for authorial intent, so it makes me veeery happy when RTD busts out with 'the love of his life' and 'he thought she was the most wonderful woman in the universe.' YAY.

[identity profile] goldy-dollar.livejournal.com 2007-04-29 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi! Remember me? Stalking your journal again because you say pretty things and I've got this strange Doctor Who addiction.

The Doctor is my emotional anchor in season three, when all through the first two seasons, it was Rose.

I so agree. Martha's really not doing anything for me. But you know what? That's okay. I don't think I need her to. I'd like to sympathize a little more with her than I do, but I'm so enthralled with the Doctor's story this season that I don't mind.

Maybe it's all my years of watching the Jossverse, but I really like the darker, almost bleak sense to this season. Oh, it *hurts* because I adore the Doctor, but it feels very right at the same time. And I appreciate RTD for actually following through on those emotions. But he's lost the Time War, and then he lost Rose, whose importance to him hasn't been diminished at all. No wonder he's in a dark place. If he was bouncing from the walls and impossibly happy, it wouldn't be true to his character.

It's a near impossible balance to walk, but David Tennant is more than pulling it off for me. He's breaking my heart and I'm loving him for it.

Yeah. What you said.

[identity profile] madame-parker.livejournal.com 2007-04-30 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
Um *waves* been stalking your journal on/off since Star Wars RotS, and now I find you love the Doctor.
Having just watched all the episodes in this season, I have to say I'm shocked by how much I'm enjoying it. This season really is David's show, he's doing an amazing job with the Doctor. And I agree, this is the Doctor falling deeply in a dark place, he's lost Rose and I think the level of pain he's feeling is the same as when the Time War killed everything he cared for leaving him alone. And I will follow him every step of the way this season, just so I can see the moment he and Rose meet again, I think you and I will cry like babies.

[personal profile] shaela 2007-04-30 01:58 pm (UTC)(link)
And now the Doctor understands what everyone feels after meeting him.

That’s an interesting point. I’d gotten as far as “Rose is to the Doctor what the Doctor is to Rose.” (And honestly, that was enough for me. I’m a sucker for symmetry.) But I think you’re right—Rose is to the Doctor what the Doctor is to everyone.

I love that he has such a depth of emotion, but I hate to see him in pain.

It’s been painful to watch, no question. But in a weird way, I find it reassuring. I was so afraid that the Doctor (and the story) would carry on as if nothing had happened. This way, I can believe that his journey’s not over yet (so there’s still a chance that it’ll have a happy ending).

<rabbit-hole>Plus, like I said, I’m a sucker for parallels. And right now, the Doctor’s going through the same thing Rose went through in “The Parting of the Ways.” He’s been sent back to his old life—the life he had before he met her. She had her moments of despair in that episode, but in the end, she did what it took to get back to the life he’d shown her. So I’m hoping the Doctor will do the same.</rabbit-hole>

[identity profile] parhelion-spark.livejournal.com 2007-05-03 09:40 am (UTC)(link)
Right, so, inexplicably shy as I am at the moment, I had to comment, because you've worded everything precisely as I could never manage to. Damn. Well done.

Particularly the appreciation for the darker elements the shows now found itself awash with, as so many really seem to hate on that. Myself, I find the honesty of it wonderful, if thoroughly agonizing.

Anyway, mind if I friend you? Given this lovely post, and the fact you're a fan of both the Doctor and Drizzt, I must ask. ^^;