The End of Time Part One

[meddow]

Well that was ummmmm.....that was ummmm.....

Batshit is the word. RTD has is own special brand of batshit and has been infusing Who with it since he started the show back up. But now it appears that with only four episodes to write this year, the batshit has become super concentrated, resulting in the episode we've all just experienced.

RTD's batshit however, is not a good or bad thing. It just is. Sometimes the results are amusing, like, for example, when it results in Daleks and Cybermen smack-talking each other. Sometimes its not – like when it results in what ever the hell The Next Doctor was (no, you will never convince me that episode was good).

I started out disliking The End of Time's super concentrated batshit but then as it got insaner and insaner, I found myself really getting into it. By the time the cliffhanger came rolling around, and we had John Simm in a dress, and Obama-Master, I'd fallen in love with this episode.

I do not think it will ever be held up as an example of brilliant television, but it was certainly entertaining.

Although, I could have done without the bloody Saxon-cultist. Could they have at least thrown a few men in there? Really, RTD, did we need the gender-fail?

Other stuff:

Couldn't help but love the geriatric Doctor fanclub.

DOOOOONNNNNNAAAAAA!!!!!

Oh, Hi there Nina from Being Human. Does George know you're a cactus? Mitchell is really going to have to show up on Doctor Who some day.

This episode was very Star Wars.

The DoctorDonna's still fighting. You fight away DoctorDonna! (Was anyone else's first thought when they found out the machine was a healing machine think that it could be used to stabilise Donna's brain?)

I wonder what's going on with Wilf. My first thought was that he's special due to his connection with Donna. I wonder if this is right, or whether Wilf has his own special thing going on.

Speaking of Wilf, I got all weepy at that scene with him and the Doctor in the cafe. When David Tennant began in the role, I didn't really buy him as a old dude stuck in a younger bloke's body, but he was amazing being just that in that scene – and it was made all the more powerful by Wilf being the one he's talking about dying with, something Wilf probably at his age feels himself.

Anyone else think mysterious older woman is Romana?

So, the Doctor's no longer the last Time Lord. Looks like Wilf is the last human for a bit, though. (Donna being unique in being both and apparently counting as neither since the Master's machine didn't work on her).

Donna's got her memories back! Hopefully we get a lot more Donna in the next episode. Yay, Donna!

As for the next episode: Well, I predict that Ten's going to die, but not permanently, he'll regenerate into younger, but still skinny bloke. As for everything else that going to happen, I've got nothing.

Comments

[erinpuff]

RTD's batshit however, is not a good or bad thing. It just is.

This is a true statement!

This episode was very Star Wars.

Very. The Master slinging lightning around like Palpatine, the Time Lords at the end looking like the Galactic Senate, etc. etc.

And yes, that scene with Wilf and the Doctor in the cafe made me go all weepy too. :'(

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I'm half expecting the Doctor to pull out a lightsaber next episode, or the Ood to tell him to use the force, or for Timothy Dalton to turn to be the Doctor's father. Given RTD's apparent loss of sanity, the episode turning into a full-on homage to Star Wars would not surprise me in the least.

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

I absolutely loved it in all its batshit glory. Master as super hero (look, he's Tony Stark!), Master in bondage, Master in a dress (pink is so not his colour, but look at those black patent heels!)... if I didn't already love John Simm beyond all reason, I would be head over heels now.

The Doctor and Wilf stuff was lovely. Bernard Cribbins was the heart and soul of this episode. I also loved seeing Sylvia and then Donna, oh....Donna.

I don't think the woman is Romana. I am sure she's a Time Lord and possibly working in opposition to Dalton, Timothy Dalton's group, but not Romana.

I just hope part 2 can live up to this week. I'd rather see batshit, insane and over the top than boring and utterly miserable like Waters of Mars (which I personally dislike more than The Next Doctor. At least that had David Morrissey and some whimsy). I just hope that Russell's crap about there not being a resurrection isn't true. I dont want any of the damn 10 fangurls to have even one iota of wiggle room for why Eleven is not the next incarnation of the Doctor.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

The Master certainly shone in this episode. John Simm must have had so much fun filming it. And I think with six billion Simm!Masters running about, the next episode could not possibly be anywhere near as depressing as Waters of Mars :)

I hadn't heard those rumour about their possibly not being a regeneration, but I've heard that set photos of Eleven in Ten's costume exist so I don't think there will be room to argue that Eleven didn't follow Ten.

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

John Simm is just an international treasure. He needs to be given every bloody acting award there is in every bloody country in the world just for being John Simm. He's amazing. I think he had fun too, although if you watch the DWC, he was really really not happy about having to do 32 costume changes in 4 hours. Or wearing tights. (Funnily enough, he didn't complain about wearing high heels, which was always Scott Bakula's complaint about playing women on Quantum Leap).

Six Billion Simm!Masters can't be wrong....whee! I am sure next week will be depressing in its own way. I am just praying that Wilf and Donna aren't sacrificed in the story along with 10. I am fine with him going. I just don't want poor Donna or Wilf being dragged along with him. (Esp when we're going to have suffer through yet another emo!Doctor's Twue Wuv scene. Feh.)

Russell keeps babbling about the regeneration in interviews. How maybe there wont be one, or it won't be what people expect blah blah blah. Unfortunately, that's given rise to a lot of speculation and/or belief that a) Eleven isn't actually Eleven, but One in his younger form and that the entire show is being reset to the beginning b) Eleven is an entirely different renegade Timelord (who just happens to call himself The Doctor and use a type 40 TARDIS stuck in the guise of an old school police phone box, even though its slightly different...oddly, there is definitely photographic evidence of a regeneration of sorts for the TARDIS!) c) Ten will not die, but survive in some form while Eleven branches off like 10.5 so that he can go ahead and have happy romantic adventures in a series of feature films with Rose.

And so on.

If there isn't a definitive regeneration scene where there's categorically no way of arguing that Ten does not become Eleven and it's the same damn Time Lord, then a lot of stupid fans (esp the squealing I-only-watch-the-show-for-David-Tennant-and-Billie-Piper types) will continue their delusions that Ten isn't dead and that Eleven doesn't count. *sigh*

I've seen the set photos of Eleven in Ten's costume (at least the brown pinstriped trousers, the white shirt and the swirly tie -- the jacket was apparently nicked on the last day of shooting for David), so yeah, something happens and I don't think some other Time Lord comes along and steals Ten's beat up clothes. LOL

I dunno. I just want to have definitive proof to stop that line of thinking. It's bad enough everyone thinks every character besides the Doctor is a) a fobwatched Time Lord, b) the Rani, c) Romana, d) Omega

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I'm fine with Wilf having an unhappy ending, since I kind of expect that to happen, but I'm desperate for Donna to have an awesome ending - I want her to retain her memories, and be the DoctorDonna and have her own adventures in time and space and anything less than that will make me ragey.

I really wish RTD would stop feeding those Ten&Rose4eva!1!! fangirls. I fine with everyone having their favourite Doctor/Companion team, but when it comes to denying the existence of other Doctors, that's taking it way to far.

But really, with some people, definitive proof is not enough. They'll exist no matter what.

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

super concentrated batshit

I think you've found the perfect phrase for this episode. It was just SO MUCH in ONE episode. We all know RTD goes all out for finales, but sometimes there are lines he shouldn't cross. That said, the last few minutes were HILARIOUS and SHOCKING at the same time.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

That line that should not be crossed is a dot to RTD in the distance. Really, there is no better argument for RTD handing over the reigns of the show than that episode.

[hibernate.livejournal.com]

RTD's batshit however, is not a good or bad thing. It just is.

Best description of RTD's writing style ever. :D I really liked the episode, but it was INSANE. I can't even say if it was good or bad, but I was totally captivated and yes, definitely entertained.

And I am so freaking happy (and slightly terrified) that Donna remembered! ♥

[meddow.livejournal.com]

It was so very nuts it defies placement in the categories of 'good' and 'bad'. RTD's excess has become a category in itself.

Me too about Donna. I hope she's in the next episode a lot more than the promo has led on. I wanna see the DoctorDonna kick some Time Lord ass with her little bit of human.

[snorkackcatcher]

Anyone else think mysterious older woman is Romana?

That was my thought too.

If the regeneration isn't going to be as normal, what I suspect might happen is that the whole Master Resurrection thing and ten talking about not being able to regenerate are Teh Clues -- Ten is actually going to die but in such a way that the Time Lords can use the DoctorDonna personality implant or whatever it is as a template to rebuild him as Eleven, thus saving Donna's brain from frying as well.

But yeah, the episode was major WTF, especially the ending!

[meddow.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea. Plus, if they use the DoctorDonna as an imprint or template on a brand new Time Lord body, it may mean that the Doctor starts from scratch in terms of his regeneration limit, neatly avoiding the only twelve regenerations problem.

Although, I'm really hoping Donna gets fixed without losing the DoctorDonna.