Doctor Who: Surely it can't be true...

[fajrdrako]

raissad sent me this link to a Doctor Who season 4 spoiler that knocked my socks off and stunned me. I don't know whether to chortle at their chutzpah, groan at the absurdity, grin in anticipation, or hide behind the sofa.

Rose is coming back.

Yup, there it is, in black and white and whatever colour my monitor comes up with. (BBC red.)

They wrote her out with total definitiveness and the Doctor spent a season mourning her and tormenting Martha because of her, and she's coming back.

They said they'd never do it. Just like they said they'd never bring back the Master, or the Daleks, or cross Martha over into Torchwood, or any number of things they said they wouldn't, ever, do till they changed their mind.

I can't even imagine the complications this brings to continuity. Yup, dimensions are colliding. (Will the Fifth Doctor turn up, too?)

Of course, it might be a flashback situation. Or Ten might meet Rose before Nine met her. Rose had a hitherto-unrevealed identical twin, or a clone, or a dream, or a hoax, or an imaginary story. (Heh. Wrong universe for a minute there.)¹ Or... any number of explanations that leave Rose's future after "Doomsday" untouched.

Worst case scenario: Rose saves the day, decides that she doesn't particularly want to hang out with the Doctor forever any more, thanks all the same, and goes back to live happily ever after with Mickey.

Best case:

...?

I don't know. I just don't know. This news has me so astounded that I can't even imagine scenarios.

No, wait, I know the best case scenario. The best case scenario is that Steven Moffat will write the story.

Yeah. I like that.

If fate is kind....


Now I'll wander away and ponder the implications.

¹ For readers who are not, or never were, DC comics fans, let me explain. Back in the wild and wonderful days of early 1960s DC comics, when my formative comic-reading years occurred, there was a tradition of putting something utterly outrageous and improbable on the cover of a comic, and there or on the splash page they would say, "Not a dream, not a hoax, not an imaginary story!" And believe me, those guys in the Mort Weisinger era knew all about improbability and outrageousness.

The phrase fills fans like me with nostalgic delight.

Comments

[kikibug13.livejournal.com]

Much as I loved Rose...

I'm putting my money on hiding behind the sofa.

ETA: Even, or especially, in the best case scenario...

[jhava.livejournal.com]

Worst case scenario: Rose saves the day, decides that she doesn't particularly want to hang out with the Doctor forever any more, thanks all the same, and goes back to live happily ever after with Mickey.

If it was one episode, this might work, but according to the press release she's back for *three* episodes!

This is going to be pure madness; their will be three female companions in Series 4 at various times and JB has said Jack will make a return appearance as well. So, I take it Series 4 is going to be subitled "The Soap Opera Eps" -- as I can't see them being able to write plot while juggling that many relationships. ::shakes head::

[raissad.livejournal.com]

The initial implication is that I had to relabel my post-Doomsday Rose fic AU, as there will undoubtedly be something to contradict it, now. C'est la vie.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yup, we're being jossed all over the place.

It's incredible. Is there nothing they will not do? After saying they won't?

Nope. Not a thing.

I don't think anything could top this.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Much as I loved Rose...

Me too.

And she was gone, and they convinced me she was gone.

I'm putting my money on hiding behind the sofa.

That covers "first instinct" and "voice of experience".

What are they thinking?

Well, we know what they're thinking. "Rose is popular. Rose brings in viewers. Billie Piper's willing to give it another go."

But... creatively?

Yeesh!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

she's back for *three* episodes!

Like Jack and Martha, and there's Donna hanging around. That's going to be one crowded TARDIS.

pure madness

Yup.

Depending on how they handle this, it's either inspired insanity - seomthing they've occasionally managed to pull of well - or absolute disaster.

[creativeelf.livejournal.com]

I like Rose, but I am not sure I want her back

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well- exactly. I liked her. The show made me love her, because she had a great storyline. And it finished, and we were on to other things, life goes on, the future beckons, and so on....

And then she's back???

What are they going to do with that?

[creativeelf.livejournal.com]

It means we will have to say goodbye to her...again. So we get another sad ending.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Maybe. Or maybe we don't get a sad ending, which would be even worse.

I don't know what to think or expect.

This is one of the resons I'm voting for a flashback story: Ten meets Rose before Nine met her in "Rose". Or in some other ay that we don't get another encounter, and another departure.

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

I have no idea where they're going with this thing, but I'm hoping like hell they manage to pull it off. Meanwhile, I'll be avoiding the major communities for quite a while. I Do Not Trust Fandom. I can wait and see how the canon comes out. The fandom can just. Stay way the hell over there for a bit.

And. Billie is filming now. John isn't yet. I don't know what that says, though probably not much given that it's just about a week off.

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

You forgot to add that it all culminates in a miraculous scene in which Nine comes back.

If I'm gonna shoot for the stars... :D

[tavella.livejournal.com]

Thing is -- I would have liked to have seen the Rose Tyler, Earth Defense TV movie that Russell was talking about. Because we see the Doctor getting over it, but our last and enduring image of Rose is of her weeping heartbroken on the beach. So seeing Rose moving on, getting over her mourning and building a new life would have balanced that out better.

But this sort of temporary return... it almost seems like it would have to be the "this was fun, but I'm over it now, going to stay in my new universe" thing you mentioned. Because otherwise it just rips the wounds open again.

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

but still rather Rose (with whatever complications - I would just opt for change in laws of nature concerning alternative dimensions) than Donna. Nothing I have seen from her has endeared me even the slightest bit.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

On the face of it, it looks impossible. How could it be anything but anticlimax? I see two likelihoods: that it's meaningless because there is no feeling left between the Doctor and Rose, or it's meaningless because there is feeling and yet we go back to the status quo - making it all a replay and reprise of what we've already seen.

So. These people (I mean Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, their cohorts, and even Billie Piper herself) have pulled a few miracles over the past few years. Reviving Doctor Who in 2005 was a miracle in itself. Making it good was another miracle. So - ?

Can they manage another miracle? Can they write the unwritable?

I wouldn't bank on it, but I'm intrigued. Train wreck or supernova?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Billie is filming now. John isn't yet. I don't know what that says, though probably not much given that it's just about a week off.

It probably means that she has scenes he's not in. But if he's starting next week... it probably means they're in scenes together, too.

When I first considered that, Rose and Jack and the TARDIS, I thought, "I wonder if they've lured back Christopher Eccleston, too? What is he doing this week and next?"

But that era is over, dammit.

I don't know what to think.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You forgot to add that it all culminates in a miraculous scene in which Nine comes back.

Are they filming the final climactic three episodes of series 4 Doctor Who yet?

David Tennant might be leaving. That would call for a regeneration.

I hesitate to continue the paragraph I was going to write there.

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

But that era is over, dammit.


This is what, I think, hangs me up (besides the fear of fandom imploding). I've seen some people asking why Jack's back, and confused by his presence as much as Rose's, but really? Jack's meant to be a multi-era character, or he wouldn't be immortal, and he was never written out of the universe.

I loved Chris, and I liked Rose, and while S2 Rose wasn't quite my favorite companion ever, it was okay. AND IT"S FUCKING OVER. I feel like, with this, we've just flushed a season's worth of character growth for the Doctor down the toilet. I'm waiting and seeing, but. *head tilt* I'm CONFUSED.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes. I can almost feel sorry for Catherine Tate - she's a Companion, but even if she lasts out series 4 - and I haven't heard that the will - she'll be crowded out of the storyline by Martha, Rose, Jack and goodness knows who and what else. With all these returnees, there's no room for her.

It's as if she was a stop-gap measure while the other actresses (and actors) were busy.

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

There's always the Bad Wolf thing to abuse, too. I have no idea how, mind you, b ut it's a built in duex ex mechania - only spelled right.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've seen some people asking why Jack's back, and confused by his presence as much as Rose's, but really? Jack's meant to be a multi-era character, or he wouldn't be immortal, and he was never written out of the universe.

Yes. However unsatisfactory I found the ending of "The Last of the Time Lords", the door was open for more: Jack has his TARDIS key, his parting with the Doctor was on a 'see you later, alligator' sort of basis, and though I didn't expect him back in series 4, learning about his return was neither entirely suprising nor unlikely.

But Rose? The ending of "Doomsday" was so powerfully definitive. The heart of a supernova was used up to say good-bye. Rose cried. The Doctor cried. I cried. It was over.

we've just flushed a season's worth of character growth for the Doctor down the toilet.

My better judgement agrees. My fanish optimism says: but! but! It's Rose! And Jack! It's like my favourite era all over again! It might be good - which just goes to show how badly they've brainwashed conditioned me.

And you know what? It doesn't really matter how embarrassingly awful it all is, I'll forgive them anything practically, if anyone kisses anyone. Or hugs. Or acts as if they matter to each other. Especially if one of the people kissing or being kissed is Jack. I'm so easy that way.

The above does not apply if one of the people involved is K-9.

*head tilt* I'm CONFUSED.

The perfect summation.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I heard it on the news tonight on Radio 4. I'm not happy. Grrrrr.

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

Or acts as if they matter to each other

YES! That pretty much sums me up all over, too. I don't care about the plot, just give me some good character moments and I'll go away happy.

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

I've never watched Doctor Who but I am a real stickler (usually? I can't think of many examples of this honestly) from the writer perspective of when you get rid of a character, you stick with it! Otherwise it makes every other move you make in the story open to doubt.

But that's just me. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You are so right.

It's there, built in. Rose was master-mistress of space and time. We would say she was briefly master-mistress of space and time, but we're talking about Eternity here, and the Time Vortex, and paradoxes beyond imagining.

I was wondering just the other day, while watching "Captain Jack Harkness", why they chose to remind us of Bad Wolf more than a year after "The Parting of the Ways". It isn't as if it had anything obvious to do with the story.

Whoo. What a thought.