The Star Beast
Nov. 26th, 2023 07:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daibhidc*tap tap* Hello? Does this thing still work?
Yep, I am finally excited enough about Doctor Who to start blithering about it again!
Fantastic (to borrow a word from the wrong Mid Aughts Doctor) to see Ten and Donna again. Tennant drops into the role like he's never been away, while making it very clear that he has, and he doesn't know why he's back, and Catherine Tate did an incredible job in balancing "she's back to who she was before the Doctor" with "only she's really not".
Other characters were great as well. Sylvie, obviously. Shaun, the guy who doesn't know what's going on, but accepts it anyway. Rose, mostly in the Sharon Davies role but with a twist, and Shirley Ann as the latest UNIT scientist, respecting the Doctor as someone else who had her position, but in no way as awestruck as Malcom or Osgood when they first met him.
And the Meep! The Wrarth Warriors! A character named Fudge! The only thing missing was Davies finding an excuse to have had the Nobles move to Blackcastle. Although, in a way, it's a shame I already knew the story, since it would have been fun to actually figure out the deal with the Meep during the story, rather than waiting for them to catch up with something I was aware of before we even started. (Although I'd probably have suspected something the moment the casting was announced, because you don't get Miriam Margoloyes to voice a character who's cute and sappy if there isn't a twist.)
The Donna subplot was nicely done, especially her flashes of knowing who the Doctor is, and the visual referencing of Ten's regeneration. And then the drama gets brilliantly undercut with the restored Doctor-Donna absolutely furious that the Doctor's subconcious influence led to her giving away millions of pounds.
I'm not entirely sure about the implication Rose is trans because of the metacrisis, but I'll leave unpacking that to someone whose lane it is. And honestly, the "or we could just voluntarily release the power" ending seemed a bit pat, but mostly worked (and we can assume that the Doctor-Donna would have thought of that originally if she'd had enough time -- and for the purposes of not making Ten much more terrible, that she wouldn't have had enough time.)
Speaking of "a bit pat": the sonic continues getting increasingly ridiculous - from now on, every time the Doctor's caught in crossfire and doesn't trace out a couple of freestanding forcefields, the question is "Why not?" And the idea that stopping the Dagger Drive meant all the damage was reversed, right down to the roads resealing themselves is ... very Russell T. Davies. But while I may have shouted "Oh, come on!" during those scenes, it was with amusement. There's nothing wrong with Doctor Who being completely ridiculous sometimes.
And the new TARDIS interior is incredible, although now I'm wondering if it's actually going to survive into next week's episode. There's a twist for you; the first episode of the new Doctor is supposed to trash the console room and then introduce a new one. Guess I'll find out on Saturday. (Ah, Doctor Who on Saturdays. Nature is healing...)
Yep, I am finally excited enough about Doctor Who to start blithering about it again!
Fantastic (to borrow a word from the wrong Mid Aughts Doctor) to see Ten and Donna again. Tennant drops into the role like he's never been away, while making it very clear that he has, and he doesn't know why he's back, and Catherine Tate did an incredible job in balancing "she's back to who she was before the Doctor" with "only she's really not".
Other characters were great as well. Sylvie, obviously. Shaun, the guy who doesn't know what's going on, but accepts it anyway. Rose, mostly in the Sharon Davies role but with a twist, and Shirley Ann as the latest UNIT scientist, respecting the Doctor as someone else who had her position, but in no way as awestruck as Malcom or Osgood when they first met him.
And the Meep! The Wrarth Warriors! A character named Fudge! The only thing missing was Davies finding an excuse to have had the Nobles move to Blackcastle. Although, in a way, it's a shame I already knew the story, since it would have been fun to actually figure out the deal with the Meep during the story, rather than waiting for them to catch up with something I was aware of before we even started. (Although I'd probably have suspected something the moment the casting was announced, because you don't get Miriam Margoloyes to voice a character who's cute and sappy if there isn't a twist.)
The Donna subplot was nicely done, especially her flashes of knowing who the Doctor is, and the visual referencing of Ten's regeneration. And then the drama gets brilliantly undercut with the restored Doctor-Donna absolutely furious that the Doctor's subconcious influence led to her giving away millions of pounds.
I'm not entirely sure about the implication Rose is trans because of the metacrisis, but I'll leave unpacking that to someone whose lane it is. And honestly, the "or we could just voluntarily release the power" ending seemed a bit pat, but mostly worked (and we can assume that the Doctor-Donna would have thought of that originally if she'd had enough time -- and for the purposes of not making Ten much more terrible, that she wouldn't have had enough time.)
Speaking of "a bit pat": the sonic continues getting increasingly ridiculous - from now on, every time the Doctor's caught in crossfire and doesn't trace out a couple of freestanding forcefields, the question is "Why not?" And the idea that stopping the Dagger Drive meant all the damage was reversed, right down to the roads resealing themselves is ... very Russell T. Davies. But while I may have shouted "Oh, come on!" during those scenes, it was with amusement. There's nothing wrong with Doctor Who being completely ridiculous sometimes.
And the new TARDIS interior is incredible, although now I'm wondering if it's actually going to survive into next week's episode. There's a twist for you; the first episode of the new Doctor is supposed to trash the console room and then introduce a new one. Guess I'll find out on Saturday. (Ah, Doctor Who on Saturdays. Nature is healing...)
