Doctor Who: Turn Left...

[fajrdrako]

I think I am stunned by this episode. I don't think I was able to breathe for the last forty minutes of it.

1. I liked the way there was a symmetry with "Midnight", where Donna only appeared at the beginning and the end of the episode. In this, the Doctor only appeared at the beginning and the end.
   
   
2. I liked the title, "Turn Left", on several counts. There was the notion of "the road not taken" as in Robert Frost. There was the idea that it's a mysterious command to Donna, to do the right thing or the wrong thing, and the mundanity of its starting her mother's attempts to control her life by making her take the other job.
   
   
3. Could anyone look at Shan Shen, and not think of Firefly?
   
   
4. The fortune teller was interesting, and I thought I saw a sort of parallel between her and the much more benign (but eery) child in Torchwood's "Dead Man Walking" and "Fragments". But what was her agenda? Was she an agent of ... whoever is bringing the Darkness? Presumably she wanted the Doctor out of the way so the universe could be destroyed. But why? Is she someone like Bilis, whose motivation will be left for speculation?
   
   
5. So now we know what was on Donna's back, the thing she couldn't see. From the Tricksters' brigade. Great concept, from my favourite episode of Sarah Jane Adventures.
   
   
6. I liked the bit where the sonic screwdriver fell out of the Doctor's lifeless hand. Also liked the bit in the Confidential in which Tennant was worrying over whoever supplied the hand, and whether they did a good enough job playing it.
   
   
7. Coincidences? Hmm.
   
   
8. Hearing the Doctor say "she never existed, now", in reference to Rose (even if he didn't know it was her) - that was chilling.
   
   
9. And what Rose said - Bad Wolf - eeee! I thought what Rose had whispered to the dying Donna was "Rose Tyler", her own name, in a parallel to River Song's whispering the Doctor's own name to him in "Forest of the Dead". But it wasn't that, it was even better.
   
   I like Bad Wolf.
   
   I loved the way suddenly all the banners and posters said "Bad Wolf" as soon as Donna had spoken the words. Like... a dream or nightmare where you can't turn away from something because it is everywhere.
   
   I love the way this must all be heart-wrenching or heartbreaking for the Doctor.
   
   
10. And in the trailer... Daleks. This makes me very happy.
    
    
11. Loved the moment where Donna went inside the (dark) TARDIS for the first time.
    
    
12. Loved it that we saw Corporal Harris again. Just... that touch of recognition. Fun. But I wish we'd seen Ross.
    
    
13. Jack, prisoner of the Sontarans. Are we to infer that Jack did what Luke Rattigan did in "The Poison Sky", and went to the Sonataran ship to sacrifice himself to save Earth?
    
    
14. The scenes in Leeds made me think of Children of Men, with the distopian militaristic control, and Life is Beautiful, where a brave Italian (Rocco Colasanto in this case) pretends everything is fine even though he's being taken to a prison camp. Are we to believe that they were actually being taken away to be executed?
    
    
15. I found the scene with Donna and the mirrors very frightening. I liked Captain Marissa Magambo.
    
    
16. And what a treat to see Chipo Chung again! - Not that I'd have recognized her without the credits!
    
    
17. I see the write-up on Wikipedia mentions the cloister bell. I missed it again. Huh.
    
    
18. I know I have a lot to say about the episode that I'm too sleepy to think of now. commodorified, auriaephiala and raynedaze and I discussed it at some length, which was fun in itself: getting into the differences between the Ninth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor and how they felt about Rose and about themselves.
    
    I'll probably have more to say when I watch it again, which I will probably do again soon.
    

Comments

[raissad.livejournal.com]

The cloister bell was ringing as the Doctor and Donna entered the Bad Wolf altered glowing red Tardis. You probably keep missing it, because you expect a bell that sounds like a human bell. But, the cloister bell is a deeper, synthier sound. The bell is the Tardis equivalent of a scream, and she's screaming, "Fix this, or we're fubar!"

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That was a very dramatic scene - I'm not sure I even took in all the details. I was panicking a little because of the redness inside the TARDIS. So very scary!

[raissad.livejournal.com]

It was scary! The cloister bell also rang most recently during Time Crash and Ten notes it, "That's my cue." Watch TC again before rewatching Turn Left and you'll train yourself to hear it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, watching Time Crash again would be fun - ! I'm going to go and do that now.

Classic Series Info You'll Need For Finale

[raissad.livejournal.com]

Watch this trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6wSahFIOSg

Read this Wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davros

Re: Classic Series Info You'll Need For Finale

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What a great trailer! eeek! And what a scary voice.

Thanks for the Davros link - as it happens, the only full story I've seen of the classic Doctor Who is 'The Genesis of the Daleks'. It doesn't mean I could answer a pop quiz, but it does mean I've seen Davros.

I'm getting very excited here.

Re: Classic Series Info You'll Need For Finale

[raissad.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Btw, you won't recognize him, but Davros will be played by Julian Bleach, the Ghostmaker Ringmaster from TW's From Out Of The Rain.

Re: Classic Series Info You'll Need For Finale

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, I certainly liked him as the Ringmaster. He was excellent - just the right touches of fey, creepy and conniving.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

13. Yes. And he knows it, and so does Donna's grandfather. G and I had watched it separately Sat night and again while having dinner together Sun night and we were both in tears at that point, struck by how beautifully understated it was, and Donna's horror when the penny drops.

The Italian was a wonderful character, established brilliantly in minimum time. I loved the bit where Donna went to shout at him for the singing and found her grandfather there too - singing a song that would have got them fined in the Anchor Middle Bar at the Sidmouth Folk Week!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

And he knows it, and so does Donna's grandfather

Yeah. That was all so beautifully acted. I was in tears then too, a little.

The Italian was a wonderful character, established brilliantly in minimum time.

So *complete* a character, you really had the sense of a full character and a full life. And then, when he's taken away, the sense of helplessness.

I love too the way his relentless cheerfulness shifted in our perspective - at first it seemed overwhelming and artificial, and then you realize it was a form of heroism, and how much he was doing for all these people. And then... tragic that it would be lost.

[cupati.livejournal.com]

General comments on the ep from my area:

Who picked up the sonic?

No mention of Saxon - because the Doctor didn't have chance to cause that timeline?

Leeds?!? (Everyone in the room - we're not too far here)

Isn't that the same terrace from the end of last series?

Bullets can't stop it! (Shooting at the Atmos)

Rose now knows about Jack, because she knows the true script and what was happening.

Rose is now the enigmatic no-name person...

Third time reset, second tidied by throwing self in front of vehicle.

You are trying too hard, Rose! (There's bad wolfing, then there's that!)

You can tell rusty's ending, he's not half tieing things in from his entire reign by the looks.

I watched Ruby in the Smoke that was on straight after - it is only to be expected that when the narrator states that Billie Piper's charecter "rose early", the response around the land will be "no, Rose Tyler!"

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Who picked up the sonic?

Harris, maybe? I thought Donna would - and then would do something clever or accidental with it later - but she didn't. It seems Rose didn't even see it.

No mention of Saxon - because the Doctor didn't have chance to cause that timeline?

Exactly. If he was dead, he didn't go to the end of the universe with Jack and Martha, and Professor Yana never learned he was the Master, and couldn't steal the TARDIS to go back and become Saxon and take over the Earth.

Isn't that the same terrace from the end of last series?

Yes.

Bullets can't stop it! (Shooting at the Atmos)

Doesn't stop them from trying. (Waste of bullets.)

Rose now knows about Jack, because she knows the true script and what was happening.

Which is... really cool.

Rose is now the enigmatic no-name person...

I love the games they are playing with names. Like when Donna was shouting at Rose to tell her her name... But why wouldn't Rose just tell her her name right off? Donna would recognize the name, of course, but what would be bad about that?

You are trying too hard, Rose!

Panic.

he's not half tieing things in from his entire reign by the looks.

Yes. I was wondering what would be left undone for inclusion in the specials next year.

it is only to be expected that when the narrator states that Billie Piper's charecter "rose early", the response around the land will be "no, Rose Tyler!"

LOL. Jubal Early (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_characters_in_Firefly#Jubal_Early), Rose Tyler.

[maisedoat.livejournal.com]

13. Oh for heaven's sake, does no one study history any more? "Work camps" is where the European Jews were told they were going in WWII.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

does no one study history any more? "Work camps" is where the European Jews were told they were going in WWII.

Well, yes, and that was the implication - the most likely and most horrific scenario. But there are other lesser historical precedents - the Canadian Japanese being put in camps in the early 1940s, for example. And probably other things happening today.

raynedaze suggested that perhaps the government was sending them to live and work in the areas affected by nuclear radiation - they'd die quickly, but it wouldn't be gas chambers or firing squads.

That's a ghastly thought, too!

[fruitbat813.livejournal.com]

Maybe it´s because I´m German but I didn´t believe the labour camp story for even a nanosecond. Like maisedoat said, that´s the exact same thing the Nazis told the Jews. The family is not sent to an internment camp, Britain is not at war, they were not attacked by another country and these people are not a security threat.

However, they need places to live and most of all, food to eat. Half the country is an irradiated wasteland, lots of farmland lost, the borders are closed, no aid coming in and no one can leave. The Adipose decide to relocate to the United States which basically tells you everything you need to know. No more fat people in the UK. Not enough food for everyone. So you pick a group of people that no one will make a fuss about, spread a comforting lie that no one believes but will allow people to sleep at night and reduce the number of mouths to feed, either by firing squad, gas chamber or by simply taking them somewhere remote and out of sight where they can quietly starve to death.

Any doubters thinking it´s something more benign or rather slightly less evil should listen to the podcast commentary where the director talks about how he filmed Donna´s arrival in Leeds like "a WWII evacuation with Auschwitz just around the corner".

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, then - that proves it! As I thought, but nice to see it confirmed.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I breathed for any of it - I was too busy going "OMG, OMG, OMG" and flailing.

One of the things I really liked is the alternate versions of what happened to Martha and Sarah Jane - courageous and brilliant to the last, of course.

Are we to infer that Jack did what Luke Rattigan did in "The Poison Sky", and went to the Sonataran ship to sacrifice himself to save Earth?

I think we are meant to infer that all of TW3 went and died. Don't ask me how Jack got to the Sontaran homeworld after that though.

I thought what Rose had whispered to the dying Donna was "Rose Tyler", her own name

I was really glad it wasn't her name she whispered. It would have been a bit cheesy.

Hearing the Doctor say "she never existed, now", in reference to Rose

I don't remember that - when was it?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I breathed for any of it -

Yes. It was just that kind of episode. From the moment Donna went into the fortune teller's booth....

One of the things I really liked is the alternate versions of what happened to Martha and Sarah Jane

Definitely. But - so tragic, too.

Don't ask me how Jack got to the Sontaran homeworld after that though.

I would guess they overpowered him and imprisoned him. Or do Sontarans, like Daleks, not take prisoners? I'd like to think Jack has found a way to infiltrate the Sontaran High Command!

More likely he's in chains somewhere.

I don't remember that - when was it?

I don't remember now, either. Maybe I misquoted? I'll try to catch what I meant when I watch again.

[cupati.livejournal.com]

Jack's always in chains somewhere...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Jack's always in chains somewhere...

Uh-huh. And I can't help (at least sometimes) liking it that way.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen it yet! Meant to today, but life intervened in the form of having a Stern Talk with my Dad about how he can't afford to lose his mobility and become bedbound, which went surprisingly well and ended with us both doing his exercises - him on the sofa and me on the floor. And then therre was a couple of hours spent trying to catch a stray cat who is in a really bad way so that I could take her to the vet. Unsuccessful, but I haven't given up. So no DW today. DW tomorrow. That sounds rather ominously like the White Queen's promise to Alice concerning jam...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen it yet!

When you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Funny thing: though I do love the Doctor, and would, on the whole, say that his character was the reason I like and watch Doctor Who, I have enjoyed the episodes in which he hardly appears as much as the ones in which he does appear.

Which I suppose means that I like the writing and characterization in general.

(We can take it as said that I still miss Nine!)

Good for your father, doing his exercises! I can really, really relate to sofa exercises these days. In fact I should be doing some right now. I've got a set of tai chi exercises, and yoga, and weights - not to mention the exercises that just use The Foot.

I'll do them as soon as I've written this note to you. Yes, really.

Good luck with the cat.

[myfavouriteplum.livejournal.com]

Could anyone look at Shan Shen, and not think of Firefly?

Three other Chinese Doctor Who/Torchwood fangirls and I watched "Turn Left" together. This is our conversation after the pre-credit Chinatown scene:

A: Have I really seen what I've seen? Seriously?
B: RTD must have gone crazy...I don't know what else to say...
C: I miss Firefly.
D: RTD has absolutely no taste at all.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What a great conversation!

I miss Firefly too.

[myfavouriteplum.livejournal.com]

Firefly's designer did a far superior job with a Chinese theme than whoever did this in "Turn Left". The costumes and pigtails are especially embarrassing to look at.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The only good thing I can think of about it is that it was (relatively) brief.

But I liked the banners, in the end.

[myfavouriteplum.livejournal.com]

But I liked the banners, in the end.

Yes. I was a bit disappointed that there's no "bad wolf" in Chinese language though:-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I was a bit disappointed that there's no "bad wolf" in Chinese

Aww - I was hoping there would be.

[maisedoat.livejournal.com]

Anyone know who the woman in black with the white hair was?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't. Very curious, too. Any ideas?

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Seen it - finally! Whew. I'm all flaily. And I'm commenting here rather than posting a new comment because my completely unspoiled and totally irrational answer to your question is that it's Rose. I just have a feeling that it's her.

I've really warmed to Donna over the course of the series - and she was brilliant in this episode.

And now I shall prove to myself that I do, in fact, possess a modicum of self-control, by going to bed with the next episode unwatched. ::grits teeth and goes::

Turn Left

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Seen it - finally! Whew. I'm all flaily.

Amazing, wasn't it?

"Rose" is a very cool answer to the question. We shall see!

Hope you slept well. I've been getting intermittant insomnia lately - ! Too much happening, I think, as I become mobile again.