HMOG, I just watched the last three (UK) episodes of Doctor Who. Spoilers up through 4.13:

First thoughts:

Um, mostly a lot of "No, don't do that to Donna!!" and "Oh Rose, I want to be so happy for you, but instead I'm really sad!" and "Emo Doctor is emo!"

So, so, so, so, SO over the Daleks.

OMG HARRIET FUCKING JONES YOU ARE MY FUCKING HERO. Have we ever heard of her mysterious "Mr. Copper" before?

More coherent thoughts:

It made me so very happy to see all the companions and their families, all banding together to save the world. But I was really chilled by the scene in which the Doctor had to face the kind of companions he had created, who were willing not just to die, but to kill to save their people or their world. Very well done. I know this show isn't known for its subtlety in handling these issues, but I find that I really like how the characters all swing around these questions of if or when, for example, genocide is ever acceptable. There's really no easy answer to be found, and I appreciate that.

Loved all the former-and-current companions interacting, and Rose's sadness at being left out of the reunion over the sub-wave thingy, and then the Doctor saying wistfully, "Everyone's here but Rose." And the Doctor's huge grin as he ran toward her in the street. And Martha's awed "Oh, you *found* her." Yes, yes, my squishy shipper heart, let me show you it.

Ha, and I also loved Torchwood and Mr. Smith and everyone working together to call the Doctor with SCIENCE and little electrical fires! That's exactly the kind of exuberantly cheesy hand-waviness this show does so well.

Surely I wasn't the only one to catch the Doctor giving Jack a quick once-over when he told him "You were brilliant"?

Oh, and all the stuff about Donna having something on her back -- how does that fit in with her part-Time Lord destiny? It made sense when it was just related to the fortune-teller and her giant beetle-thing, but now that Donna's broken out of that parallel universe, why is it still on her back? What does it mean?

I agree that Donna will have a better time of it on her second go-round. I think she'll be more confident and she'll be able to get a good job and be happy. I liked her mum finally stepping up and defending her, and I hope that'll continue. But it was awful to watch her lose all those wonderful memories, and to realize what was happening to her.

Also, very much agreed with Vonnie and others that the Doctor v2 is missing an essential part of himself, not being able to travel in time any more, and it's going to be hard for both himself and Rose to accept and understand the man he'll become. The review that called that last scene with them both sad and creepy was right on, and the idea of the Doctor asking Rose to save him with her love -- a second time, even! -- kind of made me gag.

There was a lot to love about this three-parter, but also a lot that didn't quite sit right with me. Little moments felt out-of-character and too rushed, and the whole "oh noes it's the Daleks! again!" mostly just makes me roll my eyes at this point, however valiantly John Barrowman and Elisabeth Sladen tried to convince me that they were super scary. Rose felt off, and the ending was super sad for most of our main characters, and... I don't know.

On the other hand, I don't know how they could have brought Rose back and made it really satisfying. As much as it broke me, the end of "Doomsday" brought her story to a natural and fitting end, so I think for me the end of this season was always going to pale in comparison. So maybe I need to give this a story a few days to settle in my mind, and then rewatch.

...Wow, I didn't mean to babble on quite so much! Thanks to anyone who actually waded through all that.

Kate, a friend of mine stumbled upon the answer to your question. In "Voyage of the Damned," one of the travelers from the ship decides to stay on Earth, and the Doctor gives him a card with a million bucks on it. That man...is Mr. Copper.

Yes, he was the inventor-chappie from "Voyage of the Dammed". Glad to see he's still inventing.

I read somewhere - or was it on the Confidential? - that the original version of the script for 4.13 had Original!Doctor giving New!Doctor a piece of "coral" from the Tardis with which to build his own. Perhaps we can just assume that happened, even if we didn't see it. (Well, I'm gonna anyway....).

Fiona, in light of that, I think Daniel's idea that the Doctor 10.5 is still a very clever man, and could conceivably tinker around until he'd made something to gad about the alternate!galaxy in, just a wee bit more do-able. I wonder how long it takes for a TARDIS to grow - had been more or less assuming, a long time. Also if the Doctor has a heck of a time doing the job of six Timelords in piloting one alone, whyfore would it be reasonable to think that a semi-human Doctor would be better off cobbling something together that would be more manageable.

DW 4x13

whyfore would it be reasonable to think that a semi-human Doctor would be better off cobbling something together that would be more manageable.

because he'd be building it from scracth to be flown by two? (awwwwww)

and maybe Tardises (Tardi?) grow faster in the parallel universe.

Hey, Rose managed quite a bit of hopping about even without one... I doubt the two of them will remain stuck for long.

DW 4.13

Trudy, this is what I'm thinking "because he'd be building it from scratch to be flown by two? (awwwwww)" is reasonable. Or maybe because he's the Doctor he might build it to be piloted by three or four, so it is still craxy-flyin' but more manageable for his reduced capacity. And also, to make it generally more intuitive for a human user, if not a human/Timelord hybrid.

I just wonder whether he'd make it look like a 1950s police box. You know, for sentimental reasons.

Didn't somebody in episode 4.13 say something about the chameleon circuit, or am I imagining that? Oh well, another reason to rewatch... .

Fiona, DoctorDonna did.

say something about

Yes. Donna did. She started saying something about the binary whatever (talking about the chameleon arch) and that's when she started spazzing.

DW 4x13

Maybe when he originally builds it the chamelion circuit works, but then it breaks and gets stuck as a police box.

When Doctor Who first aired were police boxes still in use or were they already antiquated?