Waters of Mars
Nov. 16th, 2009 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thornyrose42So I loved this episode. It was one of the ones where I had to sit quietly for a while afterwards while I processed it. I cried twice.
I would say however that, silly robots aside, this wasn't really an episode of a children's TV show. Now I know that kids can handle a hell of a lot more than adults think they can and that the quite young children won't fully understand but still. I mean they had sort of the same thing happen in season 3 of Torchwood and it was traumatic and horrible enough then and I know that there are various degrees and that Frobisher, for all sorts of reasons, was worse but at the same time my reaction when she took out her gun was still "They can't!".
But they did and it was powerful and right and sort of beautiful and only Doctor Who would be able to get away with doing it.
Possibly a 12A rating would be apropriate here. For non Brits that it a film rating that means that under 12s need to be acompanied by an adult and it is up to the parent whether they think that their child can handle it.
But as I say I did really enjoy the episode and I was thus slightly miffed when I came online to read reviews and revel in the updated canon only to discover complaints about the Doctor's angst fest.
Now maybe this is just me but I will eat Angsty!Doctor up with a spoon. I loved the fact that because of the impending regeneration they can put the Doctor in situations like that and he can react in that way. When the Ninth Doctor regenerated it was much more abrupt where as with Ten he knows that it is coming and while at the moment he is still running I imagine that the next two episodes will show him stopping and turning to face it eyes wide open. He would almost welcome a regeneration. For him it is the chance to wipe the slate clean. To start afresh. I could see him beginning that journey at the end of this episode.
He might still be looking for fun but it is becoming harder and harder to find.
I would say however that, silly robots aside, this wasn't really an episode of a children's TV show. Now I know that kids can handle a hell of a lot more than adults think they can and that the quite young children won't fully understand but still. I mean they had sort of the same thing happen in season 3 of Torchwood and it was traumatic and horrible enough then and I know that there are various degrees and that Frobisher, for all sorts of reasons, was worse but at the same time my reaction when she took out her gun was still "They can't!".
But they did and it was powerful and right and sort of beautiful and only Doctor Who would be able to get away with doing it.
Possibly a 12A rating would be apropriate here. For non Brits that it a film rating that means that under 12s need to be acompanied by an adult and it is up to the parent whether they think that their child can handle it.
But as I say I did really enjoy the episode and I was thus slightly miffed when I came online to read reviews and revel in the updated canon only to discover complaints about the Doctor's angst fest.
Now maybe this is just me but I will eat Angsty!Doctor up with a spoon. I loved the fact that because of the impending regeneration they can put the Doctor in situations like that and he can react in that way. When the Ninth Doctor regenerated it was much more abrupt where as with Ten he knows that it is coming and while at the moment he is still running I imagine that the next two episodes will show him stopping and turning to face it eyes wide open. He would almost welcome a regeneration. For him it is the chance to wipe the slate clean. To start afresh. I could see him beginning that journey at the end of this episode.
He might still be looking for fun but it is becoming harder and harder to find.
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Date: 2009-11-16 05:17 am (UTC)People are complaining? Angsty!Doctor is my favorite kind (with Gleeful!Doctor running a close second). That's why I'd always had trouble totally committing to the tenth doctor - the ninth doctor was just so much more grumpy. The only complaint I have is that I wish we had an entire season for the Doctor-Is-Going-Off-The-Deep-End plot. This is the sort of thing that could have been fleshed out and shown through 13 episodes. Of course, I understand that we don't have 13 episodes, so there isn't anyone to blame.
Still, it is a perfect character development and it feels rather inevitable. While Nine once bitterly commented that he 'won' the Time War, he did everything in his power to run from the reality of that fact, the responsibility and power that went along with it. To watch Ten take control and declare himself the winner and master of all time, it was eerily reminiscent of the Master, which I suppose is perfect because a big confrontation is coming. (You must be excited. Loads more slashy subtext.)
This episode was particularly painful because all I could think was that what the doctor needed was for Rose to call him out or Martha to slap him across the face or Donna to take charge and tell him what to do (I always thought that helped him most because then he didn't have to take all the responsibility and guilt). But, he has no one and it's awful because he needs someone. The longer he goes without, the more obvious it becomes.
Anyway, totally brilliant episode, miles better than the last two.