Doctor Who: favorite things
Apr. 29th, 2007 07:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyIf 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.
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.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-30 01:58 pm (UTC)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.
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>
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-01 02:39 am (UTC)It's something that's really been occuring to me this season. Because pretty much everyone falls in love with the Doctor -- his charisma is overwhelming. He gives people hope moments after they meet him. He's completely Epic.
And Rose was epic, too (so much so that it takes an entire separate universe to contain her, if she isn't sharing her story with the Doctor). More than that, she was epic to the Doctor. In the same way that other people often look to the Doctor for some kind of direction, he looked at Rose (and he looked at her so often, and so frequently took his own reactions from what he saw in her face).
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).
Oh, yes. I love seeing just how much he loves her and just how deeply her loss has marked him. It validates everything that I was feeling throughout their story -- that Rose Tyler was an epic character in her own right and that Rose and the Doctor were equal partners that, while strong on their own, found completion in each other.
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.
Oh, I like that idea. The Doctor doing something utterly impossible because Rose showed him a better way to live -- a more joyful, more loving life -- and he wants it back, because nothing else can quite compare to what she gave him.