Doctor Who: The End of Time, part 2...

[fajrdrako]

What to say? Too much to say, with a sore back and exercises still to do before bedtime. Cut to the chase: I loved it.

I had five friends over to see Doctor Who "The End of Time, part 2", and we all enjoyed ourselves, even the budgies. Piles of food - some of the potluck stuff went back uneaten. Pork ribs, rice, several salads, a shrimp ring, bread pudding (yes, I made it yet again) and cookies and chocolates and macaroons... No, I didn't eat all of that. One must draw the line somewhere.

First, we watched part 1, because some of us hadn't seen it. Then the Confidential, "Lords and Masters", which is worth it for the helicopter scenes. Then "The End of Time, part 2", which had us - well, most of us - well, me, in particular - riveted. And tissues had to be passed around before the end.

Comments:

1. The best thing, the brilliant thing, the thing for which I love and adore Russell T Davies despite all: we learn what happened to the Time Lords. We learn that the Doctor shut them in a Time Bubble because they were corrupted. I love that more than words can say. Especially after his talk about how wonderful Gallifrey was - his pretense to Martha that it still existed is all the more poignant.
   
   
2. It was nice regeneration. A dramatic regeneration. Better than I expected or hoped for. Loved Ten's moment: "I don't want to go." But... he had to. I loved the way it was set up, for Wilf to be the one who knocked four times, and essentially brought about the Doctor's inevitable death.
   
   
3. Best moments: the Doctor going back to see his companions. You know, when I saw The Sarah Jane Adventures "The Wedding of Sarah Jane", I was looking for the scene (which I'd seen photos of online, from the day it was filmed) where the Doctor saved Luke. It wasn't there. So it came as something of a surprise here. I loved it, of course, especially Sarah Jane's smile.
   
   
4. Loved the high-action scenes with Martha, action-hero girl. I cheered! And it seems she married Mickey, not Tom. Interesting bit of misdirection there, but I loved it. I think she's way too good for Mickey (she's way too good for anyone except the Doctor or Captain Jack), but that's okay.
   
   
5. I likewise loved the scene with Captain Jack. As soon as we saw the space bar, it had to be him. Jack, drinking alone... And then his smile for the Doctor. And the Doctor fixes him up with Alonso. Implying that Jack's lonely depression will diminish, that he and the Doctor are still friends with warm feelings towards each other. Seems to me the Doctor wasn't just doing a favour for Jack, since Alonso probably needs a lover, too.
   
   
6. And in that scene, I loved seeing all the various alien species revisited. I'll have to go back and pick them out. What fun.
   
   
7. As for the Doctor's meeting with Rose in January, 2005... I got all teary. Loved it. Totally loved it. The only thing that would have made me love it more would be a hint of Bad Wolf somewhere. This was a far better ending to Rose's story than pawning her off on the alternate Ten, coming back to her beginning.
   
   
8. Who was the White Woman? Consensus seems to be that she is probably the Doctor's mother, and that works for me, at least until we learn otherwise. I think it was left ambiguous enough that if they want to make her someone else, they can.
   
   
9. So Timothy Dalton was probably Rassilon? I love that.
   
   
10. In fact, I loved everything about the Time Lords. So much more interesting than the the rather pointless plot about the Master being everyone and Naismith Father and Daughter who turned out to be more of a whimper than a bang. Still, I found that the Master being everyone wasn't annoying (as it was at the end of part 1) and was handled rather well, with the Prime Master treating all his other selves as minions. That was fun. Though I did wonder why none of the other Masters tried to battle the Prime Master for supremacy. Guess they were incomplete copies.
    
    
11. The Master seemed less crazy here, less food-addicted, less irrational. Which is all to the better.
    
    
12. Have I mentioned how much I loved the scene where the Doctor told the Master he was brilliant and he was beautiful? Woo. Wonderful.
    
    
13. In fact, after pretty much hating John Simm as the master through all of "The Last of the Time Lords" and most of "The End of Time, part 1", I liked him very much in "The End of Time, part 2". Particularly his scenes with the Time Lords: he so wanted to be a player, and they made him a pawn.
    
    
14. Loved the Doctor's scenes with Wilf. Loved the way Wilf was such a loyal and steadfast Companion, and brave, too. And yet it was he who led the way to the Doctor's death.
    
    
15. I loved the overt discussion of weapons between Wilf and the Doctor, and the Doctor's refusal to kill. Made me love him all the more, or made me remember why I loved him so much in the first place.
    
    
16. Too bad Donna didn't have more of a role, though I liked her happy ending. That being said... I am not sure that "getting married and winning a lottery" is the happy ending I'd have wished for her. I'd have wished for her also to find work where she was valued and her talents were put to use.
    
    
17. Minnie the Menace is back, and hooking up with Wilf! So wonderful.
    
    
18. Have I mentioned how action-Martha rocked? As if I could love that woman more...!
    
    
19. I'm looking forward to Eleven. Matt Smith looks great in the role. Geronimo. It isn't Allons-y or Fantastic but it will do.