Doctor Who, 4x11 - "Turn Left"
Jun. 23rd, 2008 12:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
demeter918I haven't been this excited about a new episode of anything in a long, long time. I actually had the episode for a few hours before I settled in to watch it.
And was it worth it?
Oh my. Yes. So yes.
First of all. Wow. Wow. They replayed so many significant things from The Runaway Bride to S3 to Voyage of the Damned and parts of S4. Every time something new came up, I jumped out of my seat.
Rose Tyler - Oh. Gosh. When she first came running onto the screen, I paused the episode, shrieked a bit, and then got a bit teary-eyed. Everything about this parallel world was so frightening, but the one hope it had was Rose Tyler. Because she could get destroy it, get rid of it, make things right again. That... was an interesting take on her first reappearance. I'm not sure what to make of it at first, but the calmness that Rose treated it really gave me the shivers. What horrors has she seen in her own world that the Rose Tyler we knew and loved in S1 and S2 could be so changed?
But at the same time, Rose also has this eerie serenity to her. RTD has irrevocably changed the character of Rose, but at the same time, I can't say I dislike it. There's a patience to her, a compassion that only, well, experience and years can give.
However. She also knew of Torchwood. She knew Captain Jack Harkness.
Martha Jones - Only a brief mention, but it was all Martha. Giving the last tank of oxygen to a colleague rather than using it herself. This entire episode was based off of events from S3 and onwards; it was rather appropriate that the first significant alien event after the Doctor's death would have something to do with Martha.
Torchwood Team - In this world (Donna's World? The Mirror World? Turn Right World?), the ATMOS continues and there's no Doctor to inspire another to destroy the Sontaran ship. Thus, the Torchwood team comes in. In the Turn Right World, Gwen and Ianto give their lives to destroy the Sontaran ship... this is interesting in that Owen and Tosh are dead and also... Rose knows Jack. This is something of particular interest for me; how did she meet him again in the Turn Right World? At one point, Donna makes the comment that Rose is always wearing the same outfit; how does that fit into the narrative? Does this mean that in between finding Donna, Rose finds Jack and warns them to go destroy the Sontaran ship?
Sarah Jane Smith - Okay, I just about banged my head in shock when I saw this. This episode didn't pull any punches. The Turn Right World killed off Sarah, Luke, and Maria in one fell swoop. This is the point when I first started thinking that our finale is going to be one of the most epic finales New Who has seen. (And, this episode served as one of the best ways I've ever seen of reintroducing old characters, characters Who viewers might not have met (non-Torchwood viewers, non-Sarah Jane Smith viewers), and reminding us of previous plot points.
The Stars - When the stars start going out, I had literal goosebumps. And when Donna turned around to look at Rose without hesitation and even surprise? I just about died. That was a superb moment.
somethings on your back - Okay, is RTD getting more and more into horror? "Something's on your back." played out brilliantly. I had thought that the prophecy from Fires of Pompeii would end up as a one-off thing, but to have an whole episode devoted to it? Way more than I expected. It reminded me, a bit, of the Weeping Angels from Blink. The Angels lived off energy that came from the lives that people would have lived. This Trickster-thing lives off of energy that comes from changing small decisions in a life. Interesting.
Rose from the Doctor Who Trailer - one of the things that got me. Remember that first trailer? That trailer where we got the smallest taste of Rose? The moment she finds out the Doctor is dead is the moment in that trailer. I just about wet myself when I saw that.
UNIT - Interesting that they defer to Rose in this episode, even when she refused to tell them her name. Though... why? What did Rose show them to convince the lot that she knew what she was doing? And that brings us to...
Rose's language - holy shit. Rose talks like the Doctor. That's... that's... well, I'd figured that would be what would happen in her world, but seeing it in action actually made me a bit sad. She kept tossing out things, even though she knew Donna wouldn't be able to accept it. But she saw Donna and she saw her strength. Kind of like...
Kind of like how Nine was.
The TARDIS - Did anyone else feel the same sense of wistfulness and pain when Rose stroked the TARDIS console and it feebly responded? When Rose said that 'it's probably dying', my heart twisted a bit. I wonder... I wonder how the TARDIS plays into this whole thing, what with changing its outside slightly to reflect Bad Wolf.
I kind of think the TARDIS might have missed Rose too.
Doctor/Rose - This was alluded to, really, only once. When Donna asks whether Rose and the Doctor were... Rose didn't answer and she almost kind of side-steps the question. I wonder why?
Most Ordinary Day in the World - The moment Rose uttered this line, I was immediately reminded of Father's Day. The smallest change in the world of a woman that many would think the most ordinary woman, and look what happened. The whole universe changes. I wonder if that was deliberate or just a coincidence.
Ha. With Doctor Who and RTD, nothing is 'just a coincidence'. Dude. I am going to miss you so much as head writer and producer.
Donna and Dying - here's something intriguing. This is exactly the kind of thing I was expecting at the END of the finale, not at the beginning of the eleventh episode. I keep wondering whether Donna is going to die and what's
Rudimentary Time Travel - with Rose's assistance, they manage to replicate a very crude version of time travel. The joy on Donna's face and Rose's face? Wow. They could have traveled very well together, I'd think.
What Will You Be - I think this was the line we're supposed to consider when theorizing about the two-episode finale. What will Donna be that Catherine Tate is only doing one season?
Donna: The Most Important Person in all of Creation - 'nuff said about this line. If it doesn't relate to the ending, I'll eat my hat. Or something like that. Admittedly, I see something that might be like Father's Day in this. A perfectly ordinary thing that becomes extraordinary. At least, I hope so. If Donna has to go, I hope she goes out with a bang. I sometimes felt that Martha was cheated out of that since people have argued she was merely doing what the Doctor told her to do, which completely negates the fact that she chose to do it and gave it her own power. =/
Donna Noble - Wow. What are you going to be in relation to the last two episodes? PLEASE BE YOU. That's all I want.
Overall:
I loved this episode.
Everything about it was mental flashback city, I know, and it used an old time-travel trick of one small decision changing everything, but it worked. One of the main things I love about RTD's writing is his ability to infuse the characters with growth that doesn't seem forced or unduly fake.
Whether it was Donna or Sylvia or Rose, everyone was awesome in this episode. The hopelessness that was on Sylvia's face? The pain on Wilf's? The hope and sadness of Rose? The on-the-knife's-edge worry and stress of Donna? PROPS TO EVERYONE'S ACTOR/ACTRESS. I kept getting goosebumps this whole episode and I felt like giving Donna a huge hug.
And now the ending of the episode.
HOLY SHIT.
The moment Donna mentions the 'girl' and the Doctor looks up in curiosity, I held my breath. And as the moment continued on and the Doctor got this look on his face, one of growing horror and anticipation. When he asked Donna to describe her and Donna says, "Blonde..." and EFFING HELL, and the way he shook in horror and shock as she said, "Bad Wolf"...
At this point, as the Doctor shakes in the oncoming realization, I pause the episode and jump around my apartment screaming.
That entire scene is absolutely brilliant. Completely. Utterly. It's fantastic, and I got a little teary-eyed (seriously, I need to stop crying over this show, it's getting ridiculous) over the way the Doctor looked at everything and EVERYTHING screamed Bad Wolf at him. Even the TARDIS.
And his last line?
"It's the end of the universe."
0_0
Not exactly what I was expecting when confronted with the fact that Rose Tyler just might be back... but DEFINITELY NICE. More goosebumps. This whole episode was like a gigantic goosebump. My goosebumps had goosebumps.
I am so happy with this episode.
LOVE IT TO PIECES.
Love "Turn Left"!
And was it worth it?
Oh my. Yes. So yes.
First of all. Wow. Wow. They replayed so many significant things from The Runaway Bride to S3 to Voyage of the Damned and parts of S4. Every time something new came up, I jumped out of my seat.
Rose Tyler - Oh. Gosh. When she first came running onto the screen, I paused the episode, shrieked a bit, and then got a bit teary-eyed. Everything about this parallel world was so frightening, but the one hope it had was Rose Tyler. Because she could get destroy it, get rid of it, make things right again. That... was an interesting take on her first reappearance. I'm not sure what to make of it at first, but the calmness that Rose treated it really gave me the shivers. What horrors has she seen in her own world that the Rose Tyler we knew and loved in S1 and S2 could be so changed?
But at the same time, Rose also has this eerie serenity to her. RTD has irrevocably changed the character of Rose, but at the same time, I can't say I dislike it. There's a patience to her, a compassion that only, well, experience and years can give.
However. She also knew of Torchwood. She knew Captain Jack Harkness.
Martha Jones - Only a brief mention, but it was all Martha. Giving the last tank of oxygen to a colleague rather than using it herself. This entire episode was based off of events from S3 and onwards; it was rather appropriate that the first significant alien event after the Doctor's death would have something to do with Martha.
Torchwood Team - In this world (Donna's World? The Mirror World? Turn Right World?), the ATMOS continues and there's no Doctor to inspire another to destroy the Sontaran ship. Thus, the Torchwood team comes in. In the Turn Right World, Gwen and Ianto give their lives to destroy the Sontaran ship... this is interesting in that Owen and Tosh are dead and also... Rose knows Jack. This is something of particular interest for me; how did she meet him again in the Turn Right World? At one point, Donna makes the comment that Rose is always wearing the same outfit; how does that fit into the narrative? Does this mean that in between finding Donna, Rose finds Jack and warns them to go destroy the Sontaran ship?
Sarah Jane Smith - Okay, I just about banged my head in shock when I saw this. This episode didn't pull any punches. The Turn Right World killed off Sarah, Luke, and Maria in one fell swoop. This is the point when I first started thinking that our finale is going to be one of the most epic finales New Who has seen. (And, this episode served as one of the best ways I've ever seen of reintroducing old characters, characters Who viewers might not have met (non-Torchwood viewers, non-Sarah Jane Smith viewers), and reminding us of previous plot points.
The Stars - When the stars start going out, I had literal goosebumps. And when Donna turned around to look at Rose without hesitation and even surprise? I just about died. That was a superb moment.
somethings on your back - Okay, is RTD getting more and more into horror? "Something's on your back." played out brilliantly. I had thought that the prophecy from Fires of Pompeii would end up as a one-off thing, but to have an whole episode devoted to it? Way more than I expected. It reminded me, a bit, of the Weeping Angels from Blink. The Angels lived off energy that came from the lives that people would have lived. This Trickster-thing lives off of energy that comes from changing small decisions in a life. Interesting.
Rose from the Doctor Who Trailer - one of the things that got me. Remember that first trailer? That trailer where we got the smallest taste of Rose? The moment she finds out the Doctor is dead is the moment in that trailer. I just about wet myself when I saw that.
UNIT - Interesting that they defer to Rose in this episode, even when she refused to tell them her name. Though... why? What did Rose show them to convince the lot that she knew what she was doing? And that brings us to...
Rose's language - holy shit. Rose talks like the Doctor. That's... that's... well, I'd figured that would be what would happen in her world, but seeing it in action actually made me a bit sad. She kept tossing out things, even though she knew Donna wouldn't be able to accept it. But she saw Donna and she saw her strength. Kind of like...
Kind of like how Nine was.
The TARDIS - Did anyone else feel the same sense of wistfulness and pain when Rose stroked the TARDIS console and it feebly responded? When Rose said that 'it's probably dying', my heart twisted a bit. I wonder... I wonder how the TARDIS plays into this whole thing, what with changing its outside slightly to reflect Bad Wolf.
I kind of think the TARDIS might have missed Rose too.
Doctor/Rose - This was alluded to, really, only once. When Donna asks whether Rose and the Doctor were... Rose didn't answer and she almost kind of side-steps the question. I wonder why?
Most Ordinary Day in the World - The moment Rose uttered this line, I was immediately reminded of Father's Day. The smallest change in the world of a woman that many would think the most ordinary woman, and look what happened. The whole universe changes. I wonder if that was deliberate or just a coincidence.
Ha. With Doctor Who and RTD, nothing is 'just a coincidence'. Dude. I am going to miss you so much as head writer and producer.
Donna and Dying - here's something intriguing. This is exactly the kind of thing I was expecting at the END of the finale, not at the beginning of the eleventh episode. I keep wondering whether Donna is going to die and what's
Rudimentary Time Travel - with Rose's assistance, they manage to replicate a very crude version of time travel. The joy on Donna's face and Rose's face? Wow. They could have traveled very well together, I'd think.
What Will You Be - I think this was the line we're supposed to consider when theorizing about the two-episode finale. What will Donna be that Catherine Tate is only doing one season?
Donna: The Most Important Person in all of Creation - 'nuff said about this line. If it doesn't relate to the ending, I'll eat my hat. Or something like that. Admittedly, I see something that might be like Father's Day in this. A perfectly ordinary thing that becomes extraordinary. At least, I hope so. If Donna has to go, I hope she goes out with a bang. I sometimes felt that Martha was cheated out of that since people have argued she was merely doing what the Doctor told her to do, which completely negates the fact that she chose to do it and gave it her own power. =/
Donna Noble - Wow. What are you going to be in relation to the last two episodes? PLEASE BE YOU. That's all I want.
Overall:
I loved this episode.
Everything about it was mental flashback city, I know, and it used an old time-travel trick of one small decision changing everything, but it worked. One of the main things I love about RTD's writing is his ability to infuse the characters with growth that doesn't seem forced or unduly fake.
Whether it was Donna or Sylvia or Rose, everyone was awesome in this episode. The hopelessness that was on Sylvia's face? The pain on Wilf's? The hope and sadness of Rose? The on-the-knife's-edge worry and stress of Donna? PROPS TO EVERYONE'S ACTOR/ACTRESS. I kept getting goosebumps this whole episode and I felt like giving Donna a huge hug.
And now the ending of the episode.
HOLY SHIT.
The moment Donna mentions the 'girl' and the Doctor looks up in curiosity, I held my breath. And as the moment continued on and the Doctor got this look on his face, one of growing horror and anticipation. When he asked Donna to describe her and Donna says, "Blonde..." and EFFING HELL, and the way he shook in horror and shock as she said, "Bad Wolf"...
At this point, as the Doctor shakes in the oncoming realization, I pause the episode and jump around my apartment screaming.
That entire scene is absolutely brilliant. Completely. Utterly. It's fantastic, and I got a little teary-eyed (seriously, I need to stop crying over this show, it's getting ridiculous) over the way the Doctor looked at everything and EVERYTHING screamed Bad Wolf at him. Even the TARDIS.
And his last line?
"It's the end of the universe."
0_0
Not exactly what I was expecting when confronted with the fact that Rose Tyler just might be back... but DEFINITELY NICE. More goosebumps. This whole episode was like a gigantic goosebump. My goosebumps had goosebumps.
I am so happy with this episode.
LOVE IT TO PIECES.
