TV: Doctor Who Season 4 Finale
Yesterday, I wrote about how much I enjoyed Donna Noble’s run as the Doctor’s latest companion. I, however, did have some quibbles with how the season played out, but it really saddens me to report that I am not fully happy with the season finale.
I should have been happy with it. It features the entire Doctor Who universe! And I was happy with it—right up to the reveal of the Daleks’ end game. Nonexistence? Really? That’s it?
Nonexistence is not scary for me. Ok, the Dalek’s are still the scariest foes to fight, but the end game of the Cybermen and that alternative reality of the Master are so much worse than what the Daleks wanted.
Perhaps the annihilation of Earth by itself is bad, but when everything is going to cease to be, I didn’t consider that much of a threat. Is that weird?
From that point on, the story fell apart a bit for me. There were too many conveniently made-up fantasy elements to serve the plot—a warp star, subwave network, the meta crisis, etc.
I really don’t understand the Human-Time Lord meta crisis. Why does Doctor No. 2 only have one heart if he is genetically of the Doctor’s hand? If his body is human, how come he can hold a Time Lord’s brain while Donna can’t? How does he have the Doctor’s memories when he grew from the severed hand and Donna?
And making Doctor No. 2 Rose’s resolution really stinks. She has to settle again? Now Doctor No. 2 is essentially Mickey. If Mickey stayed on real earth, why does Rose have to go back? I don’t like nor understand Rose’s conclusion.
The Doctor was willing to save the Master, to bind himself to the Master. He, however, is not willing to do the same for his other self. Yes, I know that’s part of the point, but it treats Rose like a castoff as well.
Donna’s resolution is devastating. I’m disappointed that her conclusion had to share the spotlight because it is truly unbelievably sad.
Traveling with the Doctor can be a metaphor for walking with God. One of the questions asked by this new series is “What happens to you after you’ve touched the divine?”
Can you imagine that the answer is ever “You’ll forget it all”?
Devastating.
[...] is one of my favorite themes in sci-fi fare. And with Doctor Who, I really get all-I-care-to-handle on that metaphoric front. It’s always a bone-chilling moment when those with power actually realize that they have [...]