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meddow ([personal profile] meddow) wrote2008-06-08 11:58 am
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Forest of the Dead



EVERYBODY LIVES! Even Donna’s nonexistent kids.

(Crap, if season one is any indicator this means someone really is going to die in the season finale).

I loved loved loved the ending. So hopeful and yet so very bittersweet. I came to really care for River’s team. Moffat did such a good job of bringing them to life I was sad for every single death. They were all good people, even whathisname the library owner. And they lived!

I did find myself eying the bookcase I was sitting next too while watching the episode a few times. Although I still found this episode not as scary as previous Moffat episodes. I think it was because I’ve gotten over my fear of the dark, whereas I never had a fear of statutes, clock or little boys crying for their mummy. And books being evil – I spent half my life in a library the past few years. Still, I’m not complaining. It’s quite nice I don’t have a new thing to fear and the episode was brilliant.

The library special effects, I didn’t mention last week were beautiful.

River gets 25,000 awesome points for punching the Doctor in the face when he’s on a suicide mission and then cuffing him. I was unsure about her last week, I do very much like her this week. Alex Kingston was fantabulous.

Although I was a bit bothered by the fact she knew his name. Mainly because it messes with a much loved piece of fanon of mine. I decided a few weeks ago that the Doctor gave up his name when he lost his original family, and then later used it to stitch up the Medusa Cascade, and if it is ever uttered, the Cascade will collapse.

I also did not particularly like the very domestic ending for River. But I’m just going to fanwank it and say the lot of them are having cool adventures in the computer and the whole village are raising the kids at CAL’s request (it was just River’s turn to tuck them in).

I really like Doctor Moon. And Colin Salmon has such a brilliant voice. He can tell me my world is a lie all day. The little girl was also very good.

David Tennant was amazing. That scene with the shock of hearing his name (he looked like he was going to faint). Just the bit where he was sitting there after River’s sacrifice, cuffed and defeated.

I would have really loved to see the bit just after, where Donna in morning for the family she lost/will never have quietly finds the devastated Doctor and uncuffs him.

And Donna. Oh, Donna. And Catherine Tate brought it (then, she always does). I was put off a bit initially of the choppiness of Donna’s storyline, then I realised it’s supposed to be that way. Lee was so very sweet. And her dressed to the nines to go fishing – Donna is the least subtle flirter ever.

I take back everything I said last week about sidelining Donna because again this season (well, since TRB it’s been happening) we had the mirroring of the Doctor and Donna. This was her Human Nature/Family of Blood. One of the things I love about those two so much is that both the Doctor and Donna seem to both long for the same thing, each wants someone to love and grow old with, and neither seems capable of attaining it. The Doctor’s got the whole ‘being the Doctor’ thing stopping him. Donna’s just got bad luck.

(I do believe that if the Ten were a single thirty-something human, he would be very much dragging the first decent and remotely interested woman he finds down the aisle).

And then this episode they pretty much had the same thing happen. She lost her husband and he lost his lover/girlfriend/partner/wife (really, I don’t think we can classify River). But she lost Lee because of cruel chance, whereas the Doctor lost River as some sort of grand design.

Oh, and the ‘alright’ talk.

And the final bit, the Doctor, Donna and the TARDIS – all together. OMG I love them so much. But that for me was bittersweet as well because really, this is the last time we’ll see them like that. Next week’s the Donna-lite, followed by the Doctor-lite followed by Companionpalloza 08.

Besides my silly little fanon thing, I adored it completely. Bring on Series Five

[identity profile] jadeddiva.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
Stephen Moffet really does write the best, most compelling episodes doesn't he? I'm so glad he got a two-parter.

River Song broke my heart - she was so fantastic. I read something somewhere that she could be the last companion, and I sort of love that idea. I wonder if there's something important about the number of children growing from two to three in the CAL virtual world. And I do love how everyone got a decent ending.

I just wish they'd stop dressing Donna in dresses and jeans together. Yes, Catherine Tate has an ass. So did Billie and Freema. Deal with it, kids.

[identity profile] meddow.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
The fact he's always going to know how she died, that is so very heartbreaking. And then how she's rather die than have her run with him erased. I'm not a big fan of the last Companion theory though, because there never should be a last Companion, just like there never should be a last Doctor.

I think the increase to three was because CAL had joined the other two kids.

They really should be more creative with Donna's wardrobe. There are other ways of dressing women with real bodies and I really miss the pantsuits. Although, I think she with this episode alone holds the record for the most costumes of any Companion of the new series. Freema had like, what, three costumes through the whole of series three?

[identity profile] airie-fairy.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
David's FACE in both those scenes you mentioned. OH GOD.

I wish this episode had dealt more with scary stuff in the dark. It just totally went elsewhere and I was like "...what? No, but I liked what you were already doing."

The alright talk was awesome. And the "everything...I mean nothing. *cough*" It was just a great little friendship closeness thing. And it does say a lot. She's just...dealt with so many annoying, hurtful people in her life, she just wants a damn break. Someone sweet and silent.

Ten as a human would do just that. XD

[identity profile] meddow.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
As soon as the shadows began to talk, it did move away from the creepy and become something else, and also particularly with the mind-games and every day setting in Donna's plot. But I did feel the emotional stuff was more on to it this week, so I don't mind.

In one of the confidentials I remember someone saying that Donna has fought her whole life, and now she wants a rest and something better. And it does say so much about Donna, he wasn't so gorgeous millionaire. He was just an ordinary guy who loved her whole-heartedly, and that, for her, was perfect. Reason #5268 why I love Donna.

[identity profile] airie-fairy.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
Yep, pretty much the sense I got from Donna's choices. Though does it even really count as it turns out he was real? Or was the life they led still a matter of her desires? ...or maybe the fact that she was attracted to him at all already says that. Duh. *dazed*

I found it more emotionally captivating last week as a whole. But then, I've already written my thing and read everybody else's and I know I'm the only one who wasn't blown away by this episode, so hey. XD

[identity profile] artic-fox.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
Next week is the Donna-lite? THERE IS A DONNA-LITE? WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT? *sulks*

[identity profile] ragdoll.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
It's Donna-lite because they needed Catherine to start shooting "Turn Left" which is amusingly the Doctor-lite episode. "Midnight" (next week) was their cheap episode of the season: one set, limited f/x etc. I believe it only took 8 days to shoot whereas "Turn Left" (the following episode) is very very complicated and will be extremely Donna-centric.

If it makes you feel any better, DT said he thought "Midnight" was his fave episode of the series because it was shot more like a one set play than anything else. Apparently the takes are very long and it's more people interaction than anything else.

[identity profile] artic-fox.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm, curious! I didn't know any of that so thanks for the info :)

[identity profile] ragdoll.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
I'm trying really hard not to be spoilery too! But yeah, that's the reason for the not-much-Donna in next week's episode. We will see her, but only for about 2 minutes at the beginning and 2 minutes at the end. She and the Doctor decide to go their seperate ways for the day (nothing nefarious) and all hell breaks look for the Doctor. :-)

[identity profile] artic-fox.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I'm not too worried about spoilers, but you never can tell if people want to know, or don't. But thanks for the information. Makes a lot more sense now :)

[identity profile] ragdoll.livejournal.com 2008-06-08 06:52 am (UTC)(link)
I try to be polite! I am chockablock full of spoilers and/or potential stuff what might happen. I just dont want to say anything that might ruin it for someone else, esp when it's not my own LJ. :)

[identity profile] prettyannamoon.livejournal.com 2008-06-09 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
David Tennant was amazing.

YES. Sorry I don't have more to say, but yes. This.

[identity profile] meddow.livejournal.com 2008-06-09 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
He really was.