23 replies on “Doctor Who Discussion: Turn Left, The Missing Earth, and Journey’s End”

  1. Doctor Who
    I enjoyed it. I have been discussing it with lots of folks, and the reacts have generally been ‘good, but not amazing’. My biggest thought was that the Doctor-Lite was intended to be played by Christopher Eccleston. If you rewatch that and mentally undo the re-write when he turned them down, it works better, I think.

    (All my own conspiracy theories, no clue if RTD, the BBC, or any other TLAs thought of using Chris.)

    • Re: Doctor Who

      I enjoyed it. I have been discussing it with lots of folks, and the reacts have generally been ‘good, but not amazing’. My biggest thought was that the Doctor-Lite was intended to be played by Christopher Eccleston. If you rewatch that and mentally undo the re-write when he turned them down, it works better, I think.

      That would have been excellent.

      I liked the 3 episodes quite a lot. I’m a bit annoyed, though, by Donna’s continued inferiority complex up until she got timelordified and mind-wiped. It seemed entirely incongruous with the first episode of the season, which established her as being quite capable if given a good reason to be so.

      Of course, the fact that I absolutely loved Donna as a companion and the way things ended up could be coloring my view.

      • Mom put her down he whole life

        I’m a bit annoyed, though, by Donna’s continued inferiority complex up until she got timelordified and mind-wiped. It seemed entirely incongruous with the first episode of the season, which established her as being quite capable if given a good reason to be so.

        It’s called a complex precisely because it’s not simple to solve. Just demonstrating that the feeling of inferiority is unjustified is not enough to unravel the mental knot.

        • Re: Mom put her down he whole life

          It’s called a complex precisely because it’s not simple to solve. Just demonstrating that the feeling of inferiority is unjustified is not enough to unravel the mental knot.

          I grok. I just hope her story’s not over because that ending was beyond depressing.

  2. I’ll admit it
    I (almost) cried when the Doctor had to zap Donna and take away all her memories of him.

    • Re: I’ll admit it

      I (almost) cried when the Doctor had to zap Donna and take away all her memories of him.

      probably been easier to believe it had she died instead of wiping her memories him going back and telling her family the things she did when she died instead of the path they took might have made it more emotional.

      The wiping of her memories is more of a torture for her family than if she actually died. All the things her friends will talk about and they’ll have to dismiss it, instead of letting their world know the good she did was an extreme disservice.

  3. Random thoughts….
    Pretty much all spoilers….

    Davros was perfect, in looks, sound, character, everything.

    The payoff for the Donna subplot was a tad underwhelming, too much deus aux machina but that is what RTD always seems to rely on. And we still don’t really have an answer for the hints that there was STILL something on her back. Perhaps she will be back. I hated her in the Christmas special, but she was great in this season.

    I would have like Rose or someone stick up for the Dr when Davros was painting him as being just like him (or worse). Sure the Doctor has lots of things to feel sorrowful about in his past, but he is not guilty of wrongdoing. It is such an overused plot device it would have been nice to see it shot down.

    A bit too much ‘Star Wars’ stuff. Death Star like central base able to create galactic levels of destruction, finger lightning etc.

    Kind a glad to be rid of the hand, and that was a good creative move plus a way to have the ‘Doctor’ wipe out the Daleks (except one temporal shift and Davros could well be at it again later on…). The scene at Bad Wolf Bay with the ‘Doctor’ saying to Rose what the Doctor couldn’t was well done. Nice giving the Doctor the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ title too.

    Reality Bomb, great concept and very much in keeping with Davros’s character. Cool that he remembered SJS too. Wonder what the Daleks would spend their time doing if they were the only living beings left. Probably break into groups and fight each other until there was only one left.

    Gramps is a great character, they should keep him around, make him a companion even.

    My daughters were VERY happy to keep ‘their Doctor’ around

    Unit seem more like TW than TW.

    Anyway, the quibbles are minor, it was a much better season ending than the last three. Why do they have to go back to using Cybermen again so soon though?

    • Re: Donna

      Donna deserved so much better than she got. She was an excellent assistant, and actually a lot of fun as the DoctorDonna. I was thinking for a bit she might be like another Romana.

      The Doctor warned Donna’s folks, but what about Sara Jane, Captain Jack, Mickey, and Martha?

      Donna is not gone. Damnit, she *deserves* to not be gone. She begged the Doctor to spare her memories. The bastard. He would have been kinder to let her die as what she had become than to sentence her to live the rest of her life in the tender care of her parents as a psychically-crippled chav.

      I am in denial.

      And I agree with the above comments, this was a better ending than the previous season endings. Even if I do want to punch the Doctor (or RTD) in the face.

      -Joe

      • Re: Donna


        Donna deserved so much better than she got. She was an excellent assistant, and actually a lot of fun as the DoctorDonna. I was thinking for a bit she might be like another Romana.

        The Doctor warned Donna’s folks, but what about Sara Jane, Captain Jack, Mickey, and Martha?

        Donna is not gone. Damnit, she *deserves* to not be gone. She begged the Doctor to spare her memories. The bastard. He would have been kinder to let her die as what she had become than to sentence her to live the rest of her life in the tender care of her parents as a psychically-crippled chav.

        I am in denial.

        And I agree with the above comments, this was a better ending than the previous season endings. Even if I do want to punch the Doctor (or RTD) in the face.

        -Joe


        I feel the same as you, however, I have a hope that Moffet will use the thread he created with the Library and have the Doctor meet Donna’s perfect man in a future episode and bring him back to Donna so she can have a happy life. It would make a great two part episode. I have my fingers crossed that this will happen in Moffet’s first season at the helm.

    • Re: Random thoughts….

      Pretty much all spoilers….

      Wonder what the Daleks would spend their time doing if they were the only living beings left. Probably break into groups and fight each other until there was only one left.

      Historic note from old Doctor Who:

      The Daleks already had several schisms, the biggest of which was best seen in Remembrance of the Daleks. There were the Daleks who had their own hierarchy and followed the Supreme Dalek, and the Imperial Daleks who followed Davros (the Emperor Dalek). They fought each other over the Hand of Omega.

      That’s a big reason why I think in balance I enjoyed these episodes more than not. The plot resolution kind of sucked, but there were some very interesting bread crumbs thrown around for Dr. Who writers that I like better to pick up.

      • Re: Random thoughts….

        Pretty much all spoilers….

        Wonder what the Daleks would spend their time doing if they were the only living beings left. Probably break into groups and fight each other until there was only one left.

        Historic note from old Doctor Who:

        The Daleks already had several schisms, the biggest of which was best seen in Remembrance of the Daleks. There were the Daleks who had their own hierarchy and followed the Supreme Dalek, and the Imperial Daleks who followed Davros (the Emperor Dalek). They fought each other over the Hand of Omega.

        That’s a big reason why I think in balance I enjoyed these episodes more than not. The plot resolution kind of sucked, but there were some very interesting bread crumbs thrown around for Dr. Who writers that I like better to pick up.

        What’s the only thing that can stop an army of Daleks?

        A different army of Daleks.

        Also, I liked the fact that in Unit’s world:

        Code Red -> OMG We lost the Sun and there’s strange planets in the sky!

        Ultime Code Red -> Daleks. Well, we’re fucked, prepare to blow up the earth.

        • ;-)

          What’s the only thing that can stop an army of Daleks?

          The Coming Storm…

  4. Overall…
    To me this season was very "meh", it had its good points which funny enough was the episode written by Steven Moffat (who thankfully is taking over from Russell-T-Fanboy) and they few time Catherine Tate actually managed to act (which were few and far between in my view).

    As for this (and the last two), I thought they were in general well done and it was nice to see Davros again. However, for me, Donna was, as she has been virtually every time she is on screen, dreadful. There have only been a few moments where she is anything above annoying and frankly I think they dropped the ball with the ending.

    The Doctor was talking to Rose that they had saved the universe at a cost, but then Donna gets to live? She should have died it would added a "tragic" fulfilment of the prophecy and a true cost and not some lame cop-out.

    Anyway all I can say is roll on 2010 when Moffat takes over, I can only hope he can do as good a job in charge as his stand out episodes have shown promise, and that they get a better assistant this time.

    • Re: Overall…

      To me this season was very "meh", it had its good points which funny enough was the episode written by Steven Moffat (who thankfully is taking over from Russell-T-Fanboy) and they few time Catherine Tate actually managed to act (which were few and far between in my view).

      As for this (and the last two), I thought they were in general well done and it was nice to see Davros again. However, for me, Donna was, as she has been virtually every time she is on screen, dreadful. There have only been a few moments where she is anything above annoying and frankly I think they dropped the ball with the ending.

      The Doctor was talking to Rose that they had saved the universe at a cost, but then Donna gets to live? She should have died it would added a "tragic" fulfilment of the prophecy and a true cost and not some lame cop-out.

      Anyway all I can say is roll on 2010 when Moffat takes over, I can only hope he can do as good a job in charge as his stand out episodes have shown promise, and that they get a better assistant this time.

      I can’t wait for Moffat’s run (ooops spelled his name wrong above didn’t I? ;-)

      He’s consistentantly written the best episodes that we’ve seen for the new Who. He doesn’t seem to go for as many gimmicks as RTD and he can actually close out a two part episode without violently yanking the viewers chain.

      It is interesting to think of the new staffing for Torchwood. I think Mickey will be great as Tashiko’s replacement, but would be happier with someone other than Martha as the new doc….

    • Re: Overall…

      Anyway all I can say is roll on 2010 when Moffat takes over, I can only hope he can do as good a job in charge as his stand out episodes have shown promise, and that they get a better assistant this time.

      I think he may be the one who kills it, he’ll probably deliver good science fiction – which the big unwashed masses don’t want – and very little of the emotional twaddle which is why they tuned in, in the first place. So the ‘normals’ will slowly stop watching the series and the ratings will fall – and when its just the scifi nerds left – well BBC will do what BBC does: Exterminate!

      • Re: Overall…

        Anyway all I can say is roll on 2010 when Moffat takes over, I can only hope he can do as good a job in charge as his stand out episodes have shown promise, and that they get a better assistant this time.

        I think he may be the one who kills it, he’ll probably deliver good science fiction – which the big unwashed masses don’t want – and very little of the emotional twaddle which is why they tuned in, in the first place. So the ‘normals’ will slowly stop watching the series and the ratings will fall – and when its just the scifi nerds left – well BBC will do what BBC does: Exterminate!

        His episodes have generally been well received all around and have gotten really good ratings. He knows how to play to the viewer’s emotions. He’ll do great.

      • Re: Big question

        Is he number 10 or 11 now?


        10.5!!

        Just wait for 12.5 (aka: The Valyard)

    • Re: Big question

      Is he number 10 or 11 now?

      He is 10 because he didn’t regenerate

      • Re: Big question

        Is he number 10 or 11 now?

        He is 10 because he didn’t regenerate

        he is 10.1 but you forgot about 10.1m and 10.1f .

  5. One dangling thread…
    I kept expecting the Doctor’s Daughter to pop up. Why create her and toss her out into the universe if they didn’t have a role planned out for her?

    • Re: One dangling thread…

      I kept expecting the Doctor’s Daughter to pop up. Why create her and toss her out into the universe if they didn’t have a role planned out for her?

      The answer, to over skip oceans and through several universes is … "She’ll be back."

      :)

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