Doctor Who 4.11: Turn Left
Jun. 22nd, 2008 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenaySpoilers beneath the cut:
Before I get any further, I have to confess that I thought this episode was absolute genius. After a Donna-lite episode last week, I had sort of assumed that this week's would be a Doctor-lite one and I wasn't entirely sure of how well it would work. I adore Donna to itty bitty pieces, but you never know whether a companion can carry an entire episode.
I needn't have worried :-)
Things to love:
- Donna!
- The way that the entire episode was built from one 'what if?' that seemed tiny yet built an entirely different reality.
- The mention of the characters from the other spin-offs. That just made me grin.
- Donna's brilliance and bravery recognised.
- Although Rose is back, it wasn't what I expected and I was really happy with the way they did it. Don't get me wrong, I loved Rose, but I had a feeling that they'd turn Rose into some goddess/saint-like woman that absolutely isn't what the character was.
- Rose has learned from her time with the Doctor and her time with the Torchwood on her world. The intelligence that the Doctor saw has been put to use and she's obviously been studying.
- The follow-through on what would have changed with the Doctor dead actually made sense. And it was also terrifying.
- We now know that the first episodes of SJA must have happened before the first episode of Doctor Who season 3. And that the finale of Torchwood must have happened before the Sontaran episodes. It's more time-line than we had yesterday morning.
- The SJA team dying actually made me sadder than the Torchwood team dying.
- Donna! Donna!
- Even without the Doctor, Donna does eventually discover how brave and brilliant can be. It's the circumstances she needed, not just the man.
- Wilf. Because he is Wilf.
- The AU Earth was seriously nasty.
- The final five minutes. Just wow.
I had a feeling that the lost planets that have been mentioned all season would be important so I'm really pleased to have that assumption confirmed. Now I just have to see what happens with the Medusa Cascade. And the disappearing bees.
This was one of those episodes that had me open-mouthed at various points. The ripples of change as the impact of the Doctor being dead spread were horrific and it was a terrifying vision of the future. The Year That Wasn't may not have happened (with no Doctor, there was nobody to go to the end of time and resurrect the Master - cool), but what happened instead was no better. If anything it was worse because humanity did a lot of it to itself.
It was an episode that needed familiarity with all four seasons of Doctor Who to fully appreciate the changes, but hopefully it wasn't entirely confusing to those who have only watched from this season. I suspect that those who have no idea of Torchwood or SJA may not have picked up on the mentions, but I doubt that unfamiliarity with them would have ruined the episode.
It was kind of a pay-off episode for fans who have watched everything. Hopefully the episode worked for those who haven't, but there were so many layers for those of us who have watched everything.
That final revelation of Bad Wolf had me completely transfixed. I was expecting those "two words" to be Rose Tyler. It was much cooler with Bad Wolf. Now I want to know how Rose sent the words through time again. Part of me argues that Rose couldn't have known in Parting of the Ways that she would need to send that message twice. Yet she was the Time Vortex at the time so perhaps she did know? She says that she knows everything that was, everything that is, everything that will be. It's possible.
Or perhaps next week we'll be told how she managed it.
I am so pleased that RTD and co. remembered the Cloister Bell. For some reason it's always been a part of canon that I love so to see the Doctor and Donna return to the TARDIS with the Bell ringing was just perfect.
Now that the Doctor has mentioned it, I'm realising that Donna has got rather a large amount of coincidence around her. It's like a lot of her life is tangled with the Doctor's in a way that none of the other companions have been. What is she? And am I about to be Joss-ed on my Donna the Time Lord fic?
I was watching with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
paranoidangel42, which was great fun, and we spent an interesting morning debating how much of an impact the other companions had on the Doctor's life and whether they had the same level of influence. I think that our conclusion was that all the new companions have had an element of extreme importance to them in a way that most of the classic companions didn't. For the most part, the absence of the classic companions wouldn't have made quite so much of a difference. Barbara and Ian are the exceptions - they were the ones who forced the Doctor to re-examine his moral compass - but the rest (even Ace, sadly) didn't become quite so intrinsic to the Doctor's actions. It's interesting and I think it has a lot to do with the change in the role of the companion between classic and new series. Something that needs more thought, I feel.
With only two episodes remaining - two that I feel are going to be rather tense and exciting - I am now entering spoiler-avoidance time. I haven't watched the next week trailer and I plan not to. I'm not quite at hiding from the Internet stage (yet!), but I am hiding for anything that might even hint at anything. As the Internet and spoilers become easier to access, I'm finding that I enjoy reaching an episode or film without any clue of what will happen more and more. I suspect that it's because I'm so often spoiled for at least a bit of the plot for most things so it's that bit more special if I can watch a show that I care for spoiler-free.
In other words, no spoilers for 4.12, 4.13 or beyond in comments, please :-) Unless it is uneducated speculation on things mentioned in this review.
Before I get any further, I have to confess that I thought this episode was absolute genius. After a Donna-lite episode last week, I had sort of assumed that this week's would be a Doctor-lite one and I wasn't entirely sure of how well it would work. I adore Donna to itty bitty pieces, but you never know whether a companion can carry an entire episode.
I needn't have worried :-)
Things to love:
- Donna!
- The way that the entire episode was built from one 'what if?' that seemed tiny yet built an entirely different reality.
- The mention of the characters from the other spin-offs. That just made me grin.
- Donna's brilliance and bravery recognised.
- Although Rose is back, it wasn't what I expected and I was really happy with the way they did it. Don't get me wrong, I loved Rose, but I had a feeling that they'd turn Rose into some goddess/saint-like woman that absolutely isn't what the character was.
- Rose has learned from her time with the Doctor and her time with the Torchwood on her world. The intelligence that the Doctor saw has been put to use and she's obviously been studying.
- The follow-through on what would have changed with the Doctor dead actually made sense. And it was also terrifying.
- We now know that the first episodes of SJA must have happened before the first episode of Doctor Who season 3. And that the finale of Torchwood must have happened before the Sontaran episodes. It's more time-line than we had yesterday morning.
- The SJA team dying actually made me sadder than the Torchwood team dying.
- Donna! Donna!
- Even without the Doctor, Donna does eventually discover how brave and brilliant can be. It's the circumstances she needed, not just the man.
- Wilf. Because he is Wilf.
- The AU Earth was seriously nasty.
- The final five minutes. Just wow.
I had a feeling that the lost planets that have been mentioned all season would be important so I'm really pleased to have that assumption confirmed. Now I just have to see what happens with the Medusa Cascade. And the disappearing bees.
This was one of those episodes that had me open-mouthed at various points. The ripples of change as the impact of the Doctor being dead spread were horrific and it was a terrifying vision of the future. The Year That Wasn't may not have happened (with no Doctor, there was nobody to go to the end of time and resurrect the Master - cool), but what happened instead was no better. If anything it was worse because humanity did a lot of it to itself.
It was an episode that needed familiarity with all four seasons of Doctor Who to fully appreciate the changes, but hopefully it wasn't entirely confusing to those who have only watched from this season. I suspect that those who have no idea of Torchwood or SJA may not have picked up on the mentions, but I doubt that unfamiliarity with them would have ruined the episode.
It was kind of a pay-off episode for fans who have watched everything. Hopefully the episode worked for those who haven't, but there were so many layers for those of us who have watched everything.
That final revelation of Bad Wolf had me completely transfixed. I was expecting those "two words" to be Rose Tyler. It was much cooler with Bad Wolf. Now I want to know how Rose sent the words through time again. Part of me argues that Rose couldn't have known in Parting of the Ways that she would need to send that message twice. Yet she was the Time Vortex at the time so perhaps she did know? She says that she knows everything that was, everything that is, everything that will be. It's possible.
Or perhaps next week we'll be told how she managed it.
I am so pleased that RTD and co. remembered the Cloister Bell. For some reason it's always been a part of canon that I love so to see the Doctor and Donna return to the TARDIS with the Bell ringing was just perfect.
Now that the Doctor has mentioned it, I'm realising that Donna has got rather a large amount of coincidence around her. It's like a lot of her life is tangled with the Doctor's in a way that none of the other companions have been. What is she? And am I about to be Joss-ed on my Donna the Time Lord fic?
I was watching with
paranoidangel42, which was great fun, and we spent an interesting morning debating how much of an impact the other companions had on the Doctor's life and whether they had the same level of influence. I think that our conclusion was that all the new companions have had an element of extreme importance to them in a way that most of the classic companions didn't. For the most part, the absence of the classic companions wouldn't have made quite so much of a difference. Barbara and Ian are the exceptions - they were the ones who forced the Doctor to re-examine his moral compass - but the rest (even Ace, sadly) didn't become quite so intrinsic to the Doctor's actions. It's interesting and I think it has a lot to do with the change in the role of the companion between classic and new series. Something that needs more thought, I feel.With only two episodes remaining - two that I feel are going to be rather tense and exciting - I am now entering spoiler-avoidance time. I haven't watched the next week trailer and I plan not to. I'm not quite at hiding from the Internet stage (yet!), but I am hiding for anything that might even hint at anything. As the Internet and spoilers become easier to access, I'm finding that I enjoy reaching an episode or film without any clue of what will happen more and more. I suspect that it's because I'm so often spoiled for at least a bit of the plot for most things so it's that bit more special if I can watch a show that I care for spoiler-free.
In other words, no spoilers for 4.12, 4.13 or beyond in comments, please :-) Unless it is uneducated speculation on things mentioned in this review.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 05:04 pm (UTC)It was one of the best episodes of tv I've ever watched I think and had me open mouthed for most of it. You and paranoidangel both know how important the words 'what if' are to a writer and it's such fun exploring the possibilities!
Donna is completely awesome. I've grown to love her to bits as time has passed and I'll miss her terribly. I haven't seen the SJA shows, although the girls have seen some, but last night wasn't in the least bit spoiled for the lack.
Taking it all to its logical conclusion was indeed horrific. *shudder*
Rose was awesome too, and ITA about them not making her a superhero. She's obviously grown a lot and become quite sombre as a result of what she's obviously experienced and learned. This too made sense. I was quite pleased I'd guessed what the two words would be, and I can't wait to find out what they actually mean. And it was so creepy when they both walked out of the tent and they were *everywhere*!
ITA as well about the new companions. The old ones were much more in a supporting role, I feel, and although the new ones are obviously that, the Doctor seems to value their input in a way he never did with the old ones. I can't remember the old episodes too well and haven't rewatched, but my Doctor was Jon Pertwee and I can remember thinking Jo was a bit weak sometimes and from my memory she couldn't compare to Martha, Rose and Donna.
You guys have rewatched the old shows so feel free to put me right if that's a poor assessment.
I kinda can't wait for the finale and I kinda don't want it to end :o( I still don't know if TW is coming back, and without Tosh (and I can't believe I'm saying this) and Owen, I'm not sure if I want it back or not.
That'll be it til Christmas at any rate.
WAH!!
And blimey Sel, you'll be watching the next series from Nova Scotia!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 07:28 pm (UTC)It's one of those brilliant ideas that sounds so simple (because at heart it is) but can produce some stunning TV. As demonstrated.
Donna is completely awesome.
*gggg*
last night wasn't in the least bit spoiled for the lack.
Good. I think that as long as you know who the characters are (just their names even) it's fine :-)
Taking it all to its logical conclusion was indeed horrific
Oh, good grief, yes. I think that's what's frightening: so much of it was done by humans to other humans. Yes, terrified and without hope, massive unemployment and similar conditions to pre-Nazi Germany, but it was still humans forgetting that the people next to them are also human.
And it was so creepy when they both walked out of the tent and they were *everywhere*!
It actually was. If someone had told me about it then I wouldn't have believed them, but it really was creepy to see Bad Wolf bad and everywhere this time.
The old ones were much more in a supporting role
For the most part they were. There was the odd companion who seemed to have a deeper impact on the Doctor, but not to the level we've seen in the new series. I think that's got a lot to do with what we expect from TV now: the companion always used to be the cipher for the audience but it was the Doctor that was the big hero. We still need our representative in the show but that lack of involvement (both in the resolution to plots and emotionally) doesn't work for modern audiences. We demand human emotions and consequences, we want our representative to take more than a passive role and therefore the role of the companion has changed.
That'll be it til Christmas at any rate.
NOOOOO!!!!!
And blimey Sel, you'll be watching the next series from Nova Scotia!
It is so weird to think of that! But so cool too :-)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 05:15 pm (UTC)And the Brig, if for different reasons.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:07 pm (UTC)I'm just going to assume that in the Parting of the Ways when she saw the whole of time and space she saw that in the future she would need to do that. She did forget what she saw basically shortly after so it would fit, i guess?
P.S. Wilf is bomb.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 07:30 pm (UTC)Unless there is some other explanation next week, that's what I'm assuming. And she forgot what she saw so she wouldn't know that she'd sent the warning in that way.
I've always vaguely assumed that Rose knew she had sent the message to herself in Parting of the Ways even though she couldn't remember. She certainly seemed to figure it out before she absorbed the Vortex. So using Bad Wolf as her trigger phrase works :-)
P.S. Wilf is bomb.
Totally :-)