I tend to agree with you there, Juliebird, but the Rose stuff had, apparently, been planned since Billie Tyler left the first time. I had a definite sense of RTD trying to cram all his leftovers into this series as it's the last chance he's got. Roll on Moffat!

This season has been good, and I enjoyed Catherine Tate miles more than I expected to, but for me nothing has matched that run of episodes 8-11 in Season 3: Human Nature, Family of Blood, Blink, and Utopia.

episodes 8-11 in Season 3: Human Nature, Family of Blood, Blink, and Utopia.

I loved all those episodes, too, but for an entire season I'll take season 4. I liked that Donna had a very distinct arc of her own. Martha's just didn't seem to jump out at me (she came across as just a companion and a bit of a space filler at times) and my dislike of Rose kind of blinds me to any movement she made in seasons 1 and 2. Yeah, you could see her maturing somewhat, but she always came across to me as foot-stompy. It could be, too, that Catherine Tate can act circles around both Billie Piper and Freema Angyeman, so I really believed in her so much more.

episodes 8-11 in Season 3: Human Nature, Family of Blood, Blink, and Utopia.

I don't dispute those were the finest run of the New Who to date (THN/FoB two-parter still has the top spot for my favourite eps of DW) but they are sort of retroactively tainted for me now by the huge pile of donkey poo that was the Tinkerbell-Jesus-Dobby!Doctor in the "Last of the Time-Lord". Seriously, I hated that episode so much, I still can't think about it without grinding my teeth. The worst thing about it was the squandering of the spectacular potential we saw in "Utopia".

OMG, want Season 4. Want want want want.

the huge pile of donkey poo that was the Tinkerbell-Jesus-Dobby!Doctor in the "Last of the Time-Lord".

Yeah. Yeah, I was so sad about that, because I'd been looking forward to the surely-inevitable return of The Master since Season 1 (and squeed about it to SA, leaving her thinking for a while that I meant I wanted to see Season 1 BtVS version of The Master crossing swords* with The Doctor, until I realised she hadn't grown up on the show and had no idea what I was talking about). And I loved The Master in both the new incarnations we saw (Derek Jacobi - man, that was such an OMG YOU MUST BE THE MASTER moment as soon as we saw him, because - SUCH appropriate casting!)

...but, yeah. Tinkerbell-Jesus-Dobby!Doctor. There was no need for that to happen. None. Just - none. Such needless badness.

Anyway, on a total tangent - after watching Supernatural 3.1 on dvd, I found myself struck by the thought that Happy!Dean bears no small resemblance to Joey Tribiani.

'Course, much of the time we see DamagedWoobie!Dean instead.

Oh, I do love me some Winchesters. Although I do a bit miss John (for shallow and obvious reasons - on the whole I think the boys are a little healthier with him off the scene). And I adored the episode Bad Day At Black Rock, and was delighted to see it was Ben Edlund's work. Laughed my arse off a number of times in the course of that episode.

I miss Ellen and Jo, though.

* by which I mean porn.

DW 4x13

I don't know that wiping Donna's mind was a wrong thing. It was more like brain surgery -- she had a "tumor" killing her and he had to get it out. Its not like he was using retcon to cover something up. And, of course, by doing it that quickly the build and break of the dramatic tension was In. Cred. I. Ble. It left the audience writhing fantastically. It was very much not supposed to sit easy.

DW 4.13:

Oh God, I want to cry for Donna Noble. I just realized why she's elicited such a strong reaction in me: she doesn't think she's special. Who can't identify with that? Rose, well, Rose was a normal girl, but she kind of thought she was awesome. And Martha was extremely competent and knew it. But Donna, Donna could never accept how awesome she really was. Even when the Doctor gave her his old, "You were brilliant," she didn't believe it.

DW 4x13:

Donna: I found the mindwipe emotionally effective and solid storytelling. I bought that it was an urgent response to save her life. And wept. I also believe that she will find her greatness again, this time with more family support.

Rose: Personally I like the past to stay there for the most part. Didn't like Buffy on Angel. It always seems awkward and forced somehow. I wept for the departure of Rose, but moved on. The whole mixed cast of characters was fabulous in many ways, but the sending off of the couple into the sunset hurt my eyes for the rolling.

Martha: Loves me some Martha Jones. May she find her way to my screen often.

I know I'm spoiler Nazi Laura, but could you remove one of those names from that list? It implies a character presence.

Sorry, I get mixed up on what has aired where. I thought they all were on earlier this season.

I haven't seen the ep, so I'm not reading your white font. ;)