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fajrdrakoI was musing over the notion of thematic progressions in Doctor Who and Torchwood. In series one, I see an ongoing theme of the Doctor coming to terms with life after the Time War - coming to terms with it (and himself) only after making the decision to die rather than kill in "Parting of the Ways". In series two, the theme is that of his love of Rose, and his pain when she was lost. Series three - it's too early to tell exactly what the theme is yet, but it may well be his coming to terms with the loss of Rose through his relationship with Martha, in a life-goes-on and happiness-returns sort of way. We shall see.
Love and death have been major themes in all seasons - okay, yes, in Doctor Who as well as most of what's out there in television, movies, comics, literature, opera, songs, and your average neighbourhood gossip. Hardly unique. But interesting, which is why it's such a strong common theme.
It was interesting that the Doctor, after being uncommonly suicidal in "Evolution of the Daleks", embracing and inviting death on three or four occasions, seems more grounded in "The Lazarus Experiment". Just as in "The Parting of the Ways", he seemed to have pulled himself together after his decision to die rather than to kill the Daleks and the humans. Then after "Evolution of the Daleks" and its death-wish scenes, the Doctor seems more willing and able to accept Martha (in his life, and as a companion) in "The Lazarus Experiment".
The psychological factor and the regeneration in "The Parting of the Ways" - to what extent did they come together?
It was an interesting conversation in "The Lazarus Experiment", when the Doctor talked about death as being part of what makes us human, and Lazarus argued that it's fear of death that makes us human.1 Taken as a whole in Doctor Who and Torchwood, overcoming the fear of death is a major step - not just acceptance of risk and danger, but active self-sacrifice. Our Jack sees 1941 Jack as a hero because he is about to die; Jack redeemed himself with the Doctor by being willing to die with the bomb to save others in "The Doctor Dances" - which he was prepared to do on the Doctor's command. Jack deliberately sacrifices his life in both "The Parting of the Ways" and "End of Days". The Doctor and Jack both are well aware of the difficulties of long life, referred to as a curse. But I think both would agree, if pushed to it, that it is not so much a curse as burden which it is their duty to take up, carrying on for the sake of others. Even when that's not really their choice.
In these shows, there is no alternative to life and death: no afterlife and no third alternative. Being 'alive' is a value judgement as well as a condition: some characters are more 'alive' than others, as if life is an energy-substance filling them up. This life-energy can be shared (as Jack did with Carys), or used, as the Doctor did in regeneration, or taken as Rose (presumably) did by taking it from the Time Vortex in such quantity that she briefly became a god, almost burning out by the force of her light.
This has nothing to do with time - the Doctor says "some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty". I was reminded of the famous quote from Neil Gaiman's Death2, when the dead baby asked "Is that all I get?" and Death replied, "You got what anybody gets - a lifetime."
So it's quality of life that counts, not quantity.
Many of the villains want to prolong their lives at the expense of others - the Daleks in "Evolution of the Daleks" and Lazarus in "The Lazarus Experiment" have essentially same goals: self-preservation at any cost.
Conversely, Rose's act in "The Parting of the Ways" was another version of sacrificing herself to save the Doctor, Jack, and humanity - and I would speculate that, thematically speaking, if her intent had been to save herself, it would not have worked, and she would have died. The willingness to take risk for others becomes a self-preserving act because it strengthens the life force.
Similarly, if Jack had expected to, or wanted to, survive his fight with Abaddon, he would not have been able to defeat him. In the end it was Gwen's life force that revived him, an example of energy-sharing through a simple affectionate kiss - if any kiss can be said to be simple.3
1 Just as the Diagoras Dalek argued that it was hatred and aggression that made us human. The Doctor didn't exactly agree there, either.
2 In sandman #8, "The Sound of Her Wings".
3 I would speculate that the affection is an important a part of the process as the physical kiss. Of course this plays too with the interesting emotional bond between Jack and Gwen, though personally I'd have found the reviving kiss much more dramatic if it had been from Ianto.
