Doctor Who 29/3.13 - Last of the Timelords
Jul. 1st, 2007 02:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
weewarriorSpoilers for same abound behind the cut, so proceed with caution.
So... correct me if I'm wrong, but the Master basically did all of this - becoming PM, releasing the Toclafane, taking over the world, preparing for universal war - just to see what the Doctor would do? Because that is as fucked up as it is inspired, and strangely befitting a string of episodes that was all about the two of them trying to out-trick each other, only that the Doctor at least somewhat cares about those who are his chess pieces, while the Master doesn't - not even when it comes down to his own body, apparently. Getting himself killed instead of regenerating not out of spite, but as a means to escape was quite clever- and given that he tried to convince Francine to kill him, that it then was Lucy who actually did it, and evidently Lucy who picked upthe One Ring his signet ring in the end, I suppose that it actually was his backup plan, however perfunctory.
Of course, it also makes him look ever more like the psychotic boyfriend who simply doesn't want a steady relationship, while the Doctor would even give up travelling for him. Their love, it is so epically bizarre. (In that vein I was greatly amused that their interactions in the second half of the episode largely consisted of David Tennant hugging the stuffing out of John Simm. Aww.)Too bad that we very likely won't get John Simm back to continue their fucked up dynamic - he was truly a delight, and made the character great fun to watch.
Speaking of great fun to watch, I can hardly say that about the rest of the episode, which I largely spend admiring John Simm's and Freema Agyeman's respective prettiness, groaning at the "love reverses bad magic" way of returning the Doctor to his old self, and otherwise being very deadly bored. I was pretty sure that there would be some kind of reset button involved, given just how thoroughly the Master had uprooted Earth, and so the plight of the characters didn't faze me that much.
I liked the reveal of the Toclafane as the Humans who had reached Utopia (and kudos to everyone who guessed that correctly last week), and most of all I liked that this wasn't something done to them by the Master, but that they de facto turned themselves into Daleks and that he basically just collected them to show the Doctor how horrible his preferred species was. (And, presumably, to have them wreak havoc on themselves, as this kind of paradox is never not fun.)
The Joneses held themselves all very well, especially of course Martha. I am glad that her parents and Tish remember what happened - although I would have loved to see how they explain it to Leo and his girlfriend.
Lucy Saxon I don't really get - is she really some kind of Drusilla-like figure, who was with the Master all the way, or did he simply hypnotize the hell out of her, to the point where she still helps him even though she apparently despises him? I would prefer the former for several reasons, not least because the implication that even their strained interaction and the bruises she had might have been faked to let her "defection to the good side" look convincing fits the idea that she is essentially a dark mirror to the Doctor's companions. (Not to mention that it would make the ending smack much less of "woman hopelessly devoted to her abusive husband" ickiness)
Jack is the Face of Boe? Huh. Can't say I care much one way or the other, but I can see why people would feel bothered, given that it means he will spend billions of years as a head in a jar (even though either The Long Game or Bad Wolf implied that the Boe Face still had a somewhat active sex life, seeing that he had just given birth.). It's certainly amusing, considering that he dragged the Doctor's hand in a jar around for so long.
Something I really could have lived without was Martha leaving - I mean, granted, her reasoning makes sense, and given that he still has her phone, she likely won't be off the show for good, but still, meh.
Even for the short while she travelled with the Doc, I liked her quite a lot, and I enjoyed the chemistry she had with Ten. I was glad that she was ready to move on romantically, since I heartily approve of the idea that pining after someone who doesn't like you that way isn't the healthiest place to be in.
I wonder if her quick departure at least from being a steady passenger in the TARDIS signifies that the show is going back to Old School dynamics, where the companions changed more frequently. Would it be too much to hope at least for one tiny adventure with Sarah Jane before the new companion, even though she now has her own series? Especially seeing that Ten's next travelling partner likely won't be a psychotically evil Timelord looking like John Simm. (I might be hung up here. Slightly. It'll pass eventually, I'm sure.)
I don't have much to say about the ending teaser, but what I'd really like to know is: how are Jack's colleagues faring in Tibet?
So... correct me if I'm wrong, but the Master basically did all of this - becoming PM, releasing the Toclafane, taking over the world, preparing for universal war - just to see what the Doctor would do? Because that is as fucked up as it is inspired, and strangely befitting a string of episodes that was all about the two of them trying to out-trick each other, only that the Doctor at least somewhat cares about those who are his chess pieces, while the Master doesn't - not even when it comes down to his own body, apparently. Getting himself killed instead of regenerating not out of spite, but as a means to escape was quite clever- and given that he tried to convince Francine to kill him, that it then was Lucy who actually did it, and evidently Lucy who picked up
Of course, it also makes him look ever more like the psychotic boyfriend who simply doesn't want a steady relationship, while the Doctor would even give up travelling for him. Their love, it is so epically bizarre. (In that vein I was greatly amused that their interactions in the second half of the episode largely consisted of David Tennant hugging the stuffing out of John Simm. Aww.)Too bad that we very likely won't get John Simm back to continue their fucked up dynamic - he was truly a delight, and made the character great fun to watch.
Speaking of great fun to watch, I can hardly say that about the rest of the episode, which I largely spend admiring John Simm's and Freema Agyeman's respective prettiness, groaning at the "love reverses bad magic" way of returning the Doctor to his old self, and otherwise being very deadly bored. I was pretty sure that there would be some kind of reset button involved, given just how thoroughly the Master had uprooted Earth, and so the plight of the characters didn't faze me that much.
I liked the reveal of the Toclafane as the Humans who had reached Utopia (and kudos to everyone who guessed that correctly last week), and most of all I liked that this wasn't something done to them by the Master, but that they de facto turned themselves into Daleks and that he basically just collected them to show the Doctor how horrible his preferred species was. (And, presumably, to have them wreak havoc on themselves, as this kind of paradox is never not fun.)
The Joneses held themselves all very well, especially of course Martha. I am glad that her parents and Tish remember what happened - although I would have loved to see how they explain it to Leo and his girlfriend.
Lucy Saxon I don't really get - is she really some kind of Drusilla-like figure, who was with the Master all the way, or did he simply hypnotize the hell out of her, to the point where she still helps him even though she apparently despises him? I would prefer the former for several reasons, not least because the implication that even their strained interaction and the bruises she had might have been faked to let her "defection to the good side" look convincing fits the idea that she is essentially a dark mirror to the Doctor's companions. (Not to mention that it would make the ending smack much less of "woman hopelessly devoted to her abusive husband" ickiness)
Jack is the Face of Boe? Huh. Can't say I care much one way or the other, but I can see why people would feel bothered, given that it means he will spend billions of years as a head in a jar (even though either The Long Game or Bad Wolf implied that the Boe Face still had a somewhat active sex life, seeing that he had just given birth.). It's certainly amusing, considering that he dragged the Doctor's hand in a jar around for so long.
Something I really could have lived without was Martha leaving - I mean, granted, her reasoning makes sense, and given that he still has her phone, she likely won't be off the show for good, but still, meh.
Even for the short while she travelled with the Doc, I liked her quite a lot, and I enjoyed the chemistry she had with Ten. I was glad that she was ready to move on romantically, since I heartily approve of the idea that pining after someone who doesn't like you that way isn't the healthiest place to be in.
I wonder if her quick departure at least from being a steady passenger in the TARDIS signifies that the show is going back to Old School dynamics, where the companions changed more frequently. Would it be too much to hope at least for one tiny adventure with Sarah Jane before the new companion, even though she now has her own series? Especially seeing that Ten's next travelling partner likely won't be a psychotically evil Timelord looking like John Simm. (I might be hung up here. Slightly. It'll pass eventually, I'm sure.)
I don't have much to say about the ending teaser, but what I'd really like to know is: how are Jack's colleagues faring in Tibet?
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Re: P.S., because I'm a little slow and apparently slightly rude today...
Date: 2007-07-05 01:19 pm (UTC)You happen to watch Heroes as well?
Re: P.S., because I'm a little slow and apparently slightly rude today...
Date: 2007-07-05 03:51 pm (UTC)