My Thoughts on Doctor Who’s “Journey’s End”… Because it was asked for…
So,
My Thoughts on the end…
I’ve finally finished watching the whole thing. Some of my ideas turned out to be spot on, others worse than I imagined… and some far far better.
Rose killed me. Wait… No, I’m wrong. I take that back. The look on The Doctor’s face… almost literally killed me (to which my lugubrious phone call to Elizabeth can testify.) As soon as the other was created, I thought, “HA! A Doctor for Rose… How marvelous!” But the actual fulfillment of it left me very troubled. I mean, as a person who is getting used to this whole committed relationship thing, I completely understand the need to hear those deceptively simple little words every once in a while. But, The Doctor is very right; did those words really need to be said? Couldn’t she hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes… tell it from just about every action he’s ever taken. (I still hold to my “he was using Pompadour to attempt to ignore his deepening love for Rose.) And did those little words change so much as to cause her instant reaction. The absolute ache… the abject wretchedness on his face… of longing, of regret…of pseudo-betrayal sent me beyond… and it seemed Rose realized betrayal too as he took off out of her life forever… leaving her to look at a stranger with the same face (as opposed to a friend with a different face during the Christmas Invasion).
So… it took what should have been absolute bliss for me… and made it a bit hollow. I’m sure they will be happy… but such a price.
I find it amusing that the first time I saw Rose in the previous episode… walking down the street, toting that massive blaster… I thought, “Sheesh… the Doctor wouldn’t be very happy to see her lugging that thing.” I also recall thinking in the back of my head just as they were running towards each other as the lump of joy was rising in my throat, “Rose, put down the gun… he’s not going to want to see you with it.” But he seemed too overjoyed to see her- and a bit too “EXTERMINATE” to notice.
Whilst I’m on the topic… Daleks in German… what a hoot!
Yes, the companions are bound to turn to violence… but aside from Sara Jane, none of them have sonic screwdrivers (lipsticks, whatever) and NONE of them have a working knowledge of time/space/mechanics/sub-mechanics/quantum-mechanics and experience that he has… and so, misguidedly, their resort to the dangerous world is violence. It’s almost a negative view of human nature, considering that the human Doctor resulted to violence as well… and not just violence, genocide… which is, ironically, the same sin the Doctor committed with his own people, though we are to assume the situation was different. I, myself, don’t think I would have resorted to violence, but that’s me.
Donna…. Donna, Donna, Donna. In some ways, I feel justified because I had felt that they were in many ways more intimate than Rose and he. They were; they were destined to essentially be each other. Donna means so much to the Doctor. They are like two halves of the same whole. Not only does she appear to be the perfect partner who is willing to just let him be- no strings, no demands, no romantic entanglements to reciprocate or not but she also gives him time to heal that Martha refused to give him, she is his conscious in difficult situations, she is an ear to listen about Rose, and ultimately, she creates a way for him to have the life with Rose that he wanted… even though, as discussed before, it’s incredibly painful to watch (for him and for me.) And now, in a sense, both of them are on their own… isolated and lonely.
And after she’s given so much of herself, saved the Earth multiple times, some of those even single-handedly, and the whole EFFIN’ UNIVERSE (Eat that, Martha Jones) for her to have those things taken from her… the validation of her, “usefulness,” ripped from her is cruel… just down-right cruel. I almost think that Donna would have rather died, but her life… breathing and beating, is more important to him… and me… all of us, really. At least there is an attempt on the Doctor’s part to get her mother to realize the negative impact she’s had on her daughter albeit the warning will fall on deaf ears. Thank God for Granddad. I have to admit that I was too worn out from sobbing to have much left for Donna. I was just too sad to cry I think. But I did cry at the conversation between the Doctor and Granddad at the end of the episode. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at the night sky without feeling a little sad and wistful as well.
Note Bene… molto bene: I’m happy and sad to say, that I gave Donna the tears she so justly deserved on the second airing.
