New Who Review for Journey’s End
Posted By Kathleen David on August 2, 2008
End of the season so the entire season is now open for discussion in the comments.
Yes, RTD did make me cry. It was brilliant conclusion to the season. More on what made me cry behind the cut.
Even though this was loaded with companions, or the children of time as Dalek Caan called them (why do I hear Kirk screaming Caaaaaan?), I thought everyone got their moment last night. It was nice to see all these people interacting as a group and everyone played nice.
I know a lot of people didn’t like the ending but honestly I didn’t see anyway to really finish things out. And they did leave the door open just a crack.
Lots of stuff for David Tennant to do too even though most of it had to do with reacting rather than acting. Emo Doctor can be fun.
Daleks were menacing again. Davros was played very well.
The more I see this episode, the more I like it.
I am grateful for this entire season of Doctor Who
The more I watch the season and knowing that Catherine Tate had signed on for one season only, this was the best way for it to end for Donna. The alternative was to kill her. We have already had the Doctor suck the energy out of another companion so that was not the way. And I think on some level Donna knew this was the only way but like Charlie in Flowers for Algernon, she didn’t want to go back to what she was. If you haven’t read Flowers for Algernon I strongly encourage you to get a copy and read it.
The Children of Time was an interesting concept. That the Doctor, according to Davros, may not carry a weapon but he wields one just the same. He creates them. It is of course through the lens of Davros but I think he has something there. The Doctor encourages people to be the best they can be and helps them find their strengths.
I loved Sarah Jane and Davros meeting up again.
All though in terms of Dialogue it was Captain Jack for the win, “I can’t tell you what I’m thinking right now.” Him and a bunch of fanfic writers were probably going to the same place in fact I think some wrote it.
Then there was the three-fold man the Doctor, The DoctorDonna and the DonnaDoctor. Everything Dalek Kaan said came true in one form or another. It was interesting to see David play Donna and Catherine play the Doctor. They had me smiling a lot. And considering the set up of how important Donna was, this was a good way to go with it. Dalek Caan knew what had to happen for everything to get this point. It also showed the amount of story pipework they are willing to put down to get to the end with all the loose ends tied up so there will be no fan complaints about dangling storylines. (Not that the fans didn’t complain.)
It was nice to have the K-9 cameo as the deus ex machina of the piece to get Earth back where it belongs. Everyone got to say their good-byes and set up where they might go.
The end did make me cry. I felt so sorry for Donna and all the actors played the moments so well. I love Wilf at the end asking the Doctor who has he got and promising to look up in the sky for what Donna can never know about. I also hope that her mother treats her better now or at least sees how her behavior affects her daughter.
Good episode and a fine season.
The more I watch the season and knowing that Catherine Tate had signed on for one season only, this was the best way for it to end for Donna. The alternative was to kill her. We have already had the Doctor suck the energy out of another companion so that was not the way. And I think on some level Donna knew this was the only way but like Charlie in Flowers for Algernon, she didn’t want to go back to what she was. If you haven’t read Flowers for Algernon I strongly encourage you to get a copy and read it.
The Children of Time was an interesting concept. That the Doctor, according to Davros, may not carry a weapon but he wields one just the same. He creates them. It is of course through the lens of Davros but I think he has something there. The Doctor encourages people to be the best they can be and helps them find their strengths.
I loved Sarah Jane and Davros meeting up again.
All though in terms of Dialogue it was Captain Jack for the win, “I can’t tell you what I’m thinking right now.” Him and a bunch of fanfic writers were probably going to the same place in fact I think some wrote it.
Then there was the three-fold man the Doctor, The DoctorDonna and the DonnaDoctor. Everything Dalek Kaan said came true in one form or another. It was interesting to see David play Donna and Catherine play the Doctor. They had me smiling a lot. And considering the set up of how important Donna was, this was a good way to go with it. Dalek Caan knew what had to happen for everything to get this point. It also showed the amount of story pipework they are willing to put down to get to the end with all the loose ends tied up so there will be no fan complaints about dangling storylines. (Not that the fans didn’t complain.)
It was nice to have the K-9 cameo as the deus ex machina of the piece to get Earth back where it belongs. Everyone got to say their good-byes and set up where they might go.
The end did make me cry. I felt so sorry for Donna and all the actors played the moments so well. I love Wilf at the end asking the Doctor who has he got and promising to look up in the sky for what Donna can never know about. I also hope that her mother treats her better now or at least sees how her behavior affects her daughter.
Good episode and a fine season.
An absolute stonker of a final episode. I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said Kathleen.
Favourite bits beyond counting, one being the moment when two Daleks exchange a meaningful glance while Caan is chewing on the furniture and you just know they’re thinking “Oh bûggër, he’s away with the fairies.. he’s gone totally Bodmin!”
Nitpicks and quibbles, yes a few…
Davros’ accusation to the Doctor could have used a rebuttal speech, pointing out that these are not “Children”, they are companions who have decided to sacrifice themselves for what they believe in, and that if the Doctor changes them then they also change him, which would nicely counterpoint the whole arc of the angry, wounded Ecclestone Doctor of season one changing into the Doctor we saw in this episode, the riff about the second Doctor being back there and needing Rose to heal him was nice but could have been brought a little more centre stage perhaps.
Rose should have had more scenes with that Doctor instead of just being awarded him almost as a consolation prize. (My daughter ominously muttered “Yeah, like that’s going to last!” at that point)
Personally I’d be inclined to say that the Doctor who left in the TARDIS had completed his own healing process to a point where he loves Rose but is not in love with her, which is kind of appropriate.
I loved Sarah-Jane pretty much telling him he’s only lonely if he chooses to be, given how many people love him.
Donna’s fate – yes, I thought of ‘Flowers for Algernon’ too – so wonderfully bitter sweet,and so beautifully played by the whole cast. I stifled a manly sniffle at that point.
Was the abortive regeneration a cop out? No more so than any escape from a cliff hanger ending is. What gets bonus points from me is that we did actually think that maybe David Tennant was really a goner this time. Which is part of Who magic. (The only other shows I can think of off-hand where the lead has been visibly swapped out are ‘Robin of Sherwood’ and ‘Taggart’. It’s a brilliant piece of the show’s structure and it’s seldom been used so strategically!)
Was it overegged in parts? Was there an element of fanwank in there? Yes, but so what? There was an outbreak of the eternal debate in one of the forums on Warren Ellis’ Whitechapel site a few months back, arguing if Doctor Who is an adult show or a kids show, which misses the whole point that it is a family show.. something everyone can sit down and enjoy, so objecting to some more juvenile elements – to me – means you’re missing the point of what the show is. It had fireworks, and a seventy-six trombone marching band, and elephants, and a tap-dancing rhino and it was magnificent! (Though the ‘six pilots for a six sided console’ is something that first appeared in the Virgin books, dammit!)
So, where next?
Personally, Cybermen don’t do a lot for me, so I’m fairly ambivalent about the Christmas show. (I’d love to see the Doctor turn up and spend Christmas with Sarah-Jane and her kids, being that slightly scary uncle figure, the one who likes to demonstrate principles of chemistry with the live hand grenade he has in his pocket.. the one that Sarah-Jane is not going to let the kids go off and spend a week with just yet…)
I’m grateful that after four seasons, new Who still doesn’t suck as badly as we all feared it might!
Cheers!
I saw the BBC trailer for this episode online and I just can’t believe that SciFi used their spoiler filled one instead of that one.
Speaking of spoilers – I have to know why in the “spoiler” part of the Doctor Who/Sarah Jane/Torchwood panel at Shore Leave you said (or let it be said unchallenged) that Rose died in this episode?
I am glad that the speculation that someone did a few episodes back was wrong that Donna would get killed and would deserve it from doing something terrible. Her mindwipe was amazingly cruel, but she didn’t do something that would make us think she deserved such a fate. [I’ll also recommend Flowers for Algernon – if anyone here hasn’t read it, they really owe it to themselves to read it.]
Captain Jack’s line was indeed a highlight of dialogue for the episode. What a laugh. I’ll probably have more comments later in the week.
Now, I just wonder when the bees are going to return…
Sign! It is going to be a long wait for the Xmas special.
One wonders how the Sci Fi channel are going to handle the five Doctor Who specials. Will they wait until all five have aired in Britain before airing them on five consecutive weeks? I hope not for my friends who do not get the episodes from Britain.