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salienneNow, first off, I'd just like to say that if this were the only piece of Doctor Who I'd ever seen, I'd love it. Honestly, I would adore every moment. Cuddle it, squee over it, analyze it to iddy bitty bits and gape at the brilliance. Because while you knew what was coming in the second part, there was enough in it to surprise you (every part with Donna was brilliant, and CAL's origins were awesome, just to name two parts). Also, River as a character was someone I really liked, and the whole "You meet me on the day I 'die'" thing works in-episode. It's just a great circular tale, that's set up and concludes very tightly.
Except, you know, until you think about the psychology of that, but I'll get to that in a bit.
My other big issue, though, is that this episode is still part of a larger show. And this takes danger out of the Doctor's life in the near future to some extent. And it dictates what happens with the whole Rose thing. And Donna.
And you know, yes, I am a Doctor/Rose shipper, and while I accept and know and hope that the Doctor will find other people to love, I don't like knowing for a fact that Rose isn't sticking around after this season. Because clearly, she's not if the Doctor finds himself a different wife in the same regeneration.
But, I figure that annoyance will fade as we move on with the show. So, my other issues:
1. Whisper=his name=too predictable. I mean, yes, it's nice, but I would've liked to have seen something a bit more funky there.
2. The "Snap of Rasillon," as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
orange_crushed put it. Just... no, okay? No. WTF is up with keys then? Why couldn't the Doctor have figured this out, say, 900 years ago? Just... no.
3. Larger story arc wise, why introduce her in the midst of/right before Rose returns? It just... cheapens it. Whether or not you like the whole Doctor/Rose thing, sticking a second love-interest in the middle of another love-focused story (and knowing this is the love-interest that's going to "win", meaning that Rose HAS to leave) pretty much removes doubt about the future. To a large extent, really. And thanks, but some of us like surprise. And story-arcs that aren't sort of twisted/contradicted in the middle. That whole emotional continuity thing.
4. As I mentioned earlier, so the Doctor's going to survive through S4 and a while after, then? And unless he starts snapping his fingers all through the Specials, he's in S5 then? And when is River gonna come back? Or is there gonna be some chunk of time that we don't actually see even hinted to on-screen where we just assume he was travelling and seeing River?
Unless she comes back and is a companion, and you know, I might like that. Seeing fandom explode would make me a bit happy. :P
But the bit that really bugs me:
5. So the day he meets her, he knows how she's going to die. Real healthy relationship, that. Also, way too much other psychological yick ("Well I did like her and must end up telling her my name [i.e. marrying], so I'm going to look for things I'll fall in love with, but I'm also going to be super-sensitive to anything that stands out as BAD because that's how people work, but I'll also look for the good things especially because confirmation bias and all that, and she's going to die at some point, how old is she now, and I might as well just marry her because I'm going to anyway, but she's going to die, but they all die, but I'll save her sort-of, but I do like her and hey, look, I'm in love with her and she really is wonderful but this is only temporary happiness but what isn't and I know when she's going to die, must ignore that, let's ignore something else that's going to screw with me in the back of my head," and so on).
The psychologist-to-be in me cringes. The writer in me is only half-impressed, possiby less so because it's so expected. No matter how well it was written.
Phew... I feel better about that. Ranting is good for me, I think.
But, still, I gave this episode an initial 5/5 because, by itself, it does work. Except for the whole weird psychology thing, but except for Gallifrey angst, the show has always rather failed at that.
So, now to give myself some distance and let it grow on me...
Though the snapping bit? No. Just... never ever ever ever. No.
Except, you know, until you think about the psychology of that, but I'll get to that in a bit.
My other big issue, though, is that this episode is still part of a larger show. And this takes danger out of the Doctor's life in the near future to some extent. And it dictates what happens with the whole Rose thing. And Donna.
And you know, yes, I am a Doctor/Rose shipper, and while I accept and know and hope that the Doctor will find other people to love, I don't like knowing for a fact that Rose isn't sticking around after this season. Because clearly, she's not if the Doctor finds himself a different wife in the same regeneration.
But, I figure that annoyance will fade as we move on with the show. So, my other issues:
1. Whisper=his name=too predictable. I mean, yes, it's nice, but I would've liked to have seen something a bit more funky there.
2. The "Snap of Rasillon," as
orange_crushed put it. Just... no, okay? No. WTF is up with keys then? Why couldn't the Doctor have figured this out, say, 900 years ago? Just... no.3. Larger story arc wise, why introduce her in the midst of/right before Rose returns? It just... cheapens it. Whether or not you like the whole Doctor/Rose thing, sticking a second love-interest in the middle of another love-focused story (and knowing this is the love-interest that's going to "win", meaning that Rose HAS to leave) pretty much removes doubt about the future. To a large extent, really. And thanks, but some of us like surprise. And story-arcs that aren't sort of twisted/contradicted in the middle. That whole emotional continuity thing.
4. As I mentioned earlier, so the Doctor's going to survive through S4 and a while after, then? And unless he starts snapping his fingers all through the Specials, he's in S5 then? And when is River gonna come back? Or is there gonna be some chunk of time that we don't actually see even hinted to on-screen where we just assume he was travelling and seeing River?
Unless she comes back and is a companion, and you know, I might like that. Seeing fandom explode would make me a bit happy. :P
But the bit that really bugs me:
5. So the day he meets her, he knows how she's going to die. Real healthy relationship, that. Also, way too much other psychological yick ("Well I did like her and must end up telling her my name [i.e. marrying], so I'm going to look for things I'll fall in love with, but I'm also going to be super-sensitive to anything that stands out as BAD because that's how people work, but I'll also look for the good things especially because confirmation bias and all that, and she's going to die at some point, how old is she now, and I might as well just marry her because I'm going to anyway, but she's going to die, but they all die, but I'll save her sort-of, but I do like her and hey, look, I'm in love with her and she really is wonderful but this is only temporary happiness but what isn't and I know when she's going to die, must ignore that, let's ignore something else that's going to screw with me in the back of my head," and so on).
The psychologist-to-be in me cringes. The writer in me is only half-impressed, possiby less so because it's so expected. No matter how well it was written.
Phew... I feel better about that. Ranting is good for me, I think.
But, still, I gave this episode an initial 5/5 because, by itself, it does work. Except for the whole weird psychology thing, but except for Gallifrey angst, the show has always rather failed at that.
So, now to give myself some distance and let it grow on me...
Though the snapping bit? No. Just... never ever ever ever. No.
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Date: 2008-06-08 07:05 pm (UTC)The bit that really bugged me, though, was the "I'm always all right." I loved how he said it, and Donna's reaction, but it sort of felt like a purposeful contrast between Donna and Rose and how Donna is better. So while I love the scene by itself, I have issues with the comparison, especially since in my view, Rose does know he's not all right and she comes back and talks to him later.
It's just... can we have less companion comparison please? It sucked for Martha, and it sucks from an out-of-verse perspective for all the companions.