Doctor Who 30.11: "Turn Left"
Jun. 22nd, 2008 08:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annathepiperDear gods, what a fabulous episode to get my wind back for review posts. Clearly, Russell T. Davies went in for his Awesome Shots for his last hurrah on the show--because I mean, DAMN! Russell T. Davies, sir, I salute you!
It is rather delightfully symmetrical that last week's episode, "Midnight"--also an RTD episode, it must be noted--almost exclusively focused on the Doctor while this one almost exclusively focused on Donna. Really neat contrast there, not to mention an opportunity to really delve into Donna as a character. We've gotten glimpses of her strength in prior episodes. This time, though, she digs in deep and makes it blaze forth.
Not only does this episode underscore Donna's awesomeness, it also underscores the impact that the Doctor has on his Companions--and vice versa. In Donna's case in particular, it's gripping to see that she literally saved his life during the showdown with the Racnoss. We already knew she'd kicked some sense and sanity into him--but seeing his hand fall out from under the sheet and the sonic screwdriver drop from his fingers... brr. It makes sense, though. Had Donna not been there, had she not urged him to back off, I totally buy that he would have stayed there watching the Racnoss drown until he went down with them.
Which, of course, in turn underscores the impact that the loss of Rose had on him.
Plus, we have it brought home with brutal clarity exactly how vital the Doctor has been to the history of Earth in general. That sequence of scenes wherein we see how critical storylines went without the Doctor--wow. One punch to the gut after another, starting with everybody in the hospital dying (including Martha! Sniff!) and running right up to the starship Titanic slamming into London and flooding the English countryside with radiation after the crash. With added snork material for sixty million Americans dissolving into fat. ;) And WAUGH, the entire Torchwood team sacrificing themselves to stop the Sontarans!
Through it all, we have Donna, seemingly an everyday, ordinary woman trying to look after her mother and grandfather in a world going mad. She certainly is convinced she's ordinary, anyway, until Rose shows up.
Because it must be said: ZOMG ROSE! <3
Check out the newer, grimmer Rose. Wow. I noticed pretty quickly that her speech has changed; it's gotten a bit more refined. I wonder if this is because she's been working with her current universe's Torchwood and has had to learn how to make herself sound like someone with authority. It's still unclear as to what exactly she's doing to jump universes, though I noted that line of hers about being "pulled" into the alternate Donna universe. But it's clear she's been honed and tempered, enough that she was perfectly capable of leading a UNIT experiment to try to harness the technology of the TARDIS (and WAUGH the poor almost dead TARDIS).
And go, alt-universe Donna, sacrificing yourself to restore the proper Doctor-is-alive universe. Sniff. I am in awe of Catherine Tate, standing there with tears in her eyes just before the time jump, as it sinks in to alt-universe Donna that no, she's not going to survive this. And equally in awe of Billie Piper, standing there without saying a word, and that honed, grim, compassionate look on her face saying everything that needed to be said for her.
And OH. MY. GOD. The ending.
The look on the Doctor's face the instant Donna said "she was blonde". Comprehension beginning to dawn--and in that instant, all of us at the Murk were on the edges of our seats, waiting for it. I was totally expecting the two words to be "Rose Tyler".
But no. "Bad Wolf" was infinitely better. Comprehension ignites in the Doctor's face, and as he dashes back out into the street to see those two words everywhere, even on the TARDIS...
And I am now fairly certain that Rose will not technically "come back". She'll be over there in her current universe doing her thing--and at most, we may see one brief glimpse between the universes, between her and the Doctor. Maybe he'll get to at least tell her he loves her. <3
It is rather delightfully symmetrical that last week's episode, "Midnight"--also an RTD episode, it must be noted--almost exclusively focused on the Doctor while this one almost exclusively focused on Donna. Really neat contrast there, not to mention an opportunity to really delve into Donna as a character. We've gotten glimpses of her strength in prior episodes. This time, though, she digs in deep and makes it blaze forth.
Not only does this episode underscore Donna's awesomeness, it also underscores the impact that the Doctor has on his Companions--and vice versa. In Donna's case in particular, it's gripping to see that she literally saved his life during the showdown with the Racnoss. We already knew she'd kicked some sense and sanity into him--but seeing his hand fall out from under the sheet and the sonic screwdriver drop from his fingers... brr. It makes sense, though. Had Donna not been there, had she not urged him to back off, I totally buy that he would have stayed there watching the Racnoss drown until he went down with them.
Which, of course, in turn underscores the impact that the loss of Rose had on him.
Plus, we have it brought home with brutal clarity exactly how vital the Doctor has been to the history of Earth in general. That sequence of scenes wherein we see how critical storylines went without the Doctor--wow. One punch to the gut after another, starting with everybody in the hospital dying (including Martha! Sniff!) and running right up to the starship Titanic slamming into London and flooding the English countryside with radiation after the crash. With added snork material for sixty million Americans dissolving into fat. ;) And WAUGH, the entire Torchwood team sacrificing themselves to stop the Sontarans!
Through it all, we have Donna, seemingly an everyday, ordinary woman trying to look after her mother and grandfather in a world going mad. She certainly is convinced she's ordinary, anyway, until Rose shows up.
Because it must be said: ZOMG ROSE! <3
Check out the newer, grimmer Rose. Wow. I noticed pretty quickly that her speech has changed; it's gotten a bit more refined. I wonder if this is because she's been working with her current universe's Torchwood and has had to learn how to make herself sound like someone with authority. It's still unclear as to what exactly she's doing to jump universes, though I noted that line of hers about being "pulled" into the alternate Donna universe. But it's clear she's been honed and tempered, enough that she was perfectly capable of leading a UNIT experiment to try to harness the technology of the TARDIS (and WAUGH the poor almost dead TARDIS).
And go, alt-universe Donna, sacrificing yourself to restore the proper Doctor-is-alive universe. Sniff. I am in awe of Catherine Tate, standing there with tears in her eyes just before the time jump, as it sinks in to alt-universe Donna that no, she's not going to survive this. And equally in awe of Billie Piper, standing there without saying a word, and that honed, grim, compassionate look on her face saying everything that needed to be said for her.
And OH. MY. GOD. The ending.
The look on the Doctor's face the instant Donna said "she was blonde". Comprehension beginning to dawn--and in that instant, all of us at the Murk were on the edges of our seats, waiting for it. I was totally expecting the two words to be "Rose Tyler".
But no. "Bad Wolf" was infinitely better. Comprehension ignites in the Doctor's face, and as he dashes back out into the street to see those two words everywhere, even on the TARDIS...
And I am now fairly certain that Rose will not technically "come back". She'll be over there in her current universe doing her thing--and at most, we may see one brief glimpse between the universes, between her and the Doctor. Maybe he'll get to at least tell her he loves her. <3
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 03:59 pm (UTC)I did however, realize right before it was said that the two words would not be 'rose tyler' but instead would be 'bad wolf'. She made too much of a stink about not saying her name for it to be that. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:59 am (UTC)I love, love, loved Catherine Tate's performance in this. Donna is up there in 'All-time favorite companion' land in my book.
All the 'Bad Wolf's were lovely. But the cloister bell is what truly turned me into a pile of squee. It generally does, though.
I do rather wish RTD wasn't tarring everything so heavily with his stereotypes brush, but oh, well, what can you do.
/So/ looking forward to next week!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 08:40 am (UTC)My thought on the Bad Wolf thing is that it's an indicator to the Doctor of a couple of things:
1) The universes are once again mingling which is bad bad bad
2) Rose is actually _somehow capable of time travel and altering time to have the words Bad Wolf appear_.
Evidently the glowy stuff he sucked out of her by french kissing her did not completely leave, methinks.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-24 01:59 am (UTC)And, icon love. <3
no subject
Date: 2008-06-24 02:22 am (UTC)That look on Donna's face when she realized she was going to die, and the tears in her eyes... man. That slew me.
And oh my yes, the CLOISTER BELL!
Very much looking forward to the next episode. :D