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. ;)

DWx13

I also believe that she will find her greatness again, this time with more family support.

Yes! This! The Doctor may have given her the thing she shouldn't have had to save the world to have. He loves the humans so much, you know? And its such a human thing for her to need.

Who:

Yes, I'm fairly sure that if we ever meet Donna again (and I certainly wouldn't rule that out), she'll be CEO of a temping company, or she'll have found her parallel universe Lee and her happy, normal life, or both.

Actually, I agree with both SailAweigh and Vonnie, Catherine Tate is the best actress of the three, and Martha probably my least favourite of the companions; and Last of the Time Lords was physically painful, and everything. And yet, those four Season 3 episodes.... Oh heck, perhaps I just need to rewatch the second half of Season 4 to make up my mind. What a chore.

I have no idea where to put this, or, really, what, exactly, to whitefont of it, but I watched Casanova this morning (the one with David Tennant and RTD), and I kept on being struck by how much much of it looks like bits of Who, especially things like The Girl in the Fireplace and...I feel like there's another one with a court or party. I don't know, but large swaths of it could, visually and dialogue-wise have been lifted directly from it.

It also struck me (and it took me too damn long to realize it) that (very mild characterization spoilers) Jack Harkness is so RTD's version of Casanova it's not even funny. Because for both of them, it really isn't just a matter of fucking anything that moves, but there's a sense of real affection and a lack of sleeze that the character type could easily fall into that they don't have.

I mean, late in the miniseries (slightly bigger spoilers) Casanova (oh, and they call him Giac [pronounced "Jack"]) is horrified at the way his lifestyle has been twisted by his son, that for him it is just a fuck, and with very nihilistic overtones to that whole section.

Really, actually, there's (Who 4x13 spoilers. Seriously, this is just unduly complicated) a nice parallel there with The Doctor's reaction to Davros's point with the Children of Time. They've taken what he taught them and used it in a way that is fundamentally different, but you can see how they got there.

The whole thing makes me wonder if (very general spoilers, back to the level of the first chunk of wf) David Tennant ever made a "You know, I remember playing that character for you, only with worse hair" comment to RTD. That would be a funny conversation.

Next up, QAF-UK.

ever meet Donna again (and I certainly wouldn't rule that out), she'll be CEO of a temping company, or she'll have found her parallel universe Lee and her happy, normal life, or both.

The last episode I was able to rewatch before 4.13 was Planet of the Ood. In it, an Ood refered to Donna as "miss" and Donna got way upset. "Do I look like a miss? What makes you say "miss?" It pinged me because I, for one, knew I'd gotten fricking old when people started refering to me as ma'am. I feel all young and attractive when someone says "miss." Donna never did get married in "Runaway Bride" and she was only fake married in the library episode, which comes long after PotO. With all the timey-wimey stuff that kept happening to her, it made me wonder if some part of her knew she had been/would be married to Lee and it popped up here in her agitation. I'm way overanalyzing because I really want Fiona's scenario to come true.