Birthdays and Doctor Who

[meganlynn09]

It's ten days till my birthday!  YAY!  And this past Saturday was my dad's birthday and I made him homemade pizza, which will someday be my downfall, and it was good.

IT'S TEN DAYS TILL MY BIRTHDAY.  I'm excited because maybe I'll get to see my sister and I think my mom will take me shopping.  I love birthdays.  Only problem?  My sister asks me everyday online what I want, and I've honestly put no thought into it.

Looking at my mood theme puts me in a better mood.  Oh my beautiful Doctor, how I miss thee.

'Cause seriously, I have a small rant about season 2 of Doctor Who, involves "School Reunion", "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "The Impossible Planet", continued under the cut.

"The Girl in the Fireplace", to cap it, and I just realized why season 2's characterization of the Doctor annoyed me, why I didn't really care for TGitF, and why some of season 2 annoyed me.

THE FUCKING WRITERS NEVER GOT TOGETHER TO CORRELATE THEIR SCRIPTS.  (Is correlate the word I'm looking for?)  Seriously.  We have two different attitudes shown from Rose towards Mickey between SR and TGitF, and that's really annoying.  The Doctor was grating in TGitF, and that's what took away from my enjoyment.  That's what I noticed today, I would have loved TGitF if David Tennant...did something different with his Doctor.

Also, does someone in the writing staff think the Doctor doesn't even like Rose?  We have the Doctor at the end of TGitF, calmly talking about having to take the slow path, knowing at that time there is no way out.  But when faced with the possibility in TIP with Rose, he completely freaks out?

The Doctor's character in season 2 kind of sucked, and I'm sorry if you disagree, but I seriously think it did.  I get that when he regenerates, he's a different man, but come on, the core should still be the same or at least similar.  How can he be considered a traditional Doctor when he was different every week?

And to round out my rant/bitchfest, no, I didn't really like "Doomsday" and no, it doesn't make me want to cry on repeated viewings.  Heartless much Megan?

Comments

[bluekiwibubble.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, pretty much (I think =S ). 10 just annoys me, really. I was recording a re-run of New Earth earlier and watched the first 10 minutes of it, and him and Rose are so nauseating. And I'm not sure if that's what you were on about concerning TGitF & TIP, 'cos I can't remember GitF much as I didn't like it much[and I normally love anything to do with 1700s France...]. But re-watching (part of) New Earth I realised I liked 9 much better, and 5 much better than all the new ones, which are the only old ones I've seen, but I have so much love for how they have more story and less special effects and slush.

Doomsday did make me cry though =D lol. But still, whilst I did like Rose as a companion, YAY, NO MORE CLINGY!ROSE *calms*

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

I need to edit my post because I cried to first time and that was it. I see everyone posting how just talking about the episode makes them tear up, I just sort of roll my eyes.

[bluekiwibubble.livejournal.com]

I've only watched it once, b'cos they really should have just left it at the wall bit

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

Yes. I mean I loved that they got a goodbye, but after seeing what actually played out, I could have done without.

[seekingwords.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. I haven't seen every episodes of season two, but what I've seen left me highly frustrated. As cute as he can be sometimes, I think Ten is too... I don't know, cold. Nine was a cold sometimes too, but not in an frustrating way, IMO. When Nine acted like a 'selfish jerk', I (mostly) felt bad for him, 'cause he seemed to regret it afterwards. With Ten... I just want to shake him and scream in frustration (and his almost constant smug attitude probably doesn't help, either). And his characterization was confusing (at least to me), so I never really connected with Ten the way I connected with Nine.

But Ten had his moments. I think I'll enjoy him a lot more in the third season though, 'cause I liked him better when he was appart from Rose in the second season *shrugs*

And I have to admit I cried during Doomsday, but I think it was mostly because of Billie's acting (and the music!), not the actual story. Billie always breaks me heart when she cries, I always thought she was really good at it, and I can't help but cry with her everytime *sniff*

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to see Ten in season 3, I can't wait to meet Martha.

I cried the first time I watched "Doomsday", because of Billie/Rose, but that was it. I sort of roll my eyes everything someone posts another DD wallpaper or yet more wall scene and beach scene icons. That's just me being heartless.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you'll be shocked - shocked! I say - to know I agree with you. No matter what the tapdancing we get from TPTB, the script editing was sloppier in S2. And Rose regressed into "normal teenager" - which may be "realistic" but is backwards. She became, in large part, the Mary Sue she was accused of being in S1. But God, at least Billie Piper came to play, bless her. She seemed to be the only one "on" almost the entire season (thought she was only so-so in the Cybermen two-parter, but maybe she was really ready to go at that point).

About the Doctor's characterization, I wouldn't mind if he were supposed to be a selfish, vain, smug bastard; it's that he's supposed to be so damned charming that bothers me. I, too, find him remarkably cold. And having now watched David Tennant in more stuff (to add to the things I've seen before), I have to come to the conclusion that he's just not that good! I think he was probably at his best in Blackpool, and even that's a pretty standard TV-level performance. He seems to be either a dead fish or an overacting panto juvenile, there's not a lot of nuance. When it does happen, it almost seems like an accident, because it's only a flash here or there.

I think the reason GitF divides the fans so badly is that Moffat can write (even though he "borrowed" the central idea from someone else), so there's quite a bit of potential in the story. But the key central romance didn't work. Sophia Myles was far more wooden than Jabe ever was, and there was no chemistry between them. The end sequence was badly executed, because Tennant can't cry. (God help me, I have tried to imagine this with Nine... and having chemistry with his costars and crying are two of CE's strengths as an actor - to go along with a keen eye for script editing. You have to wonder.)

I think you're also absolutely right that the Doctor's characterization was inconsistent this year. Some of that is writing; some of it is directing; but DT should have been the constant and pulled it all together. But maybe he simply doesn't have it in him to do it, or he was overconfident. (I'm thinking of an interview with Billie, comparing on set preparation by her co-stars - CE would spend time alone with the script if they had a long break; DT would hang out and joke around with the crew...)

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

She seemed to be the only one "on" almost the entire season

Maybe it was Rose then that seemed to completely inconsistent through the series.

Sophia Myles was far more wooden than Jabe ever was, and there was no chemistry between them.

Oh Jabe.

It's funny that I rewatched the episode today, what broke the episode for me, what held back the "romance" was DT/Ten. I actually found I quite liked Sophia in the episode.

Don't start me thinking about if Nine was in TGitF, I'll start bawling about the possibilities.

I think pretty soon in this fandom "chemistry" is going to become as bad a word as "fangirl".

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

Maybe it was Rose then that seemed to completely inconsistent through the series.

They both are, really, but Billie Piper seemed to be a little better at holding it together, and she did have some really great moments - the Cassandra!Rose sequence (she was much, much better than DT, who didn't do Cassandra, he just did "camp"), the scene with Reinette, and as eye-rolling as it may have been, she did do what they asked of her in the last scene of Doomsday and made us all cry. It's not her fault it was an unnecessary scene. :-)

It's funny that I rewatched the episode today, what broke the episode for me, what held back the "romance" was DT/Ten. I actually found I quite liked Sophia in the episode.

I remember thinking that the little girl was quite good; SM didn't irritate me, I have to say that, she just didn't hold my attention. But yes, DT didn't sell me at all. I loved Rose's sarcastic, "Oh, look, the Oncoming Storm", but (1) the drunk act wasn't funny, and (2) he's more the Oncoming Hissy Fit. Let me stop for a moment and just admire the way CE can stand there and focus, do nothing else and scare you silly.

I think we need expand the idea of chemistry. I think there are at least two kinds of connection that people talk about - there are the overt actions and verbal statements; and the subtler body language and eye-contact. I think Ten/Rose and Nine/Rose fall into entirely different categories. I do think Billie Piper was better with CE, just as Rose was better with Nine. To some extent, that's my opinion; OTOH, I can make arguments and point to examples that bear out the differences.

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

You know, for all the things I complain about for TGitF, it's a gorgeous episode. I capped it to do icons, because it's fun and I want to get back to DW, and it's just beautiful. And it's where Rose is pretty mature, but not really herself. She just didn't question the Doctor at all at points, where if it were Nine, she probably would have.

And it's like at the end, when the Doctor jumps through the window, for love or not, I know he had to do it, and as much as people say it was wrong or that maybe it was Rose's idea, how about they listen to Mickey, he's completely bewildered and makes it sound as if Ten just ran and got the horse and jumped. Emergency program on the TARDIS or not, he should have said something.

But anyway, the scene with Reinette and Rose was probably the best scene in the episode. I just really loved it. I also like how she tries to explain things as best she can and as fast she can, but she really makes it seem like if she had the time, she really would take her time to explain it. Her behavior here makes me go WTF?! over her behavior in the next two eps.

(1) the drunk act wasn't funny

See, I was hoping that it would get funnier on repeated viewings, and it really doesn't.

I do think Billie Piper was better with CE, just as Rose was better with Nine.

Yes.

[boji.livejournal.com]

. And having now watched David Tennant in more stuff (to add to the things I've seen before), I have to come to the conclusion that he's just not that good!

I could kiss you. Really, which of course means that I agree and then some. I mean why did the entire country go bonkers over Casanova? I don't get it.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

I could kiss you. Really, which of course means that I agree and then some.

::curtseys:: Thank you kindly.

I feel like I have given DT all the chances in the world. I'd seen him in things before and he'd never been particularly memorable. I will say I think he's better in Casanova than in DW, but it's still not a great performance. He seems the weak link. And he seems badly miscast - Peter O'Toole in his 70s has far more grace, charisma, and even sex appeal, IMO. DT does pull off "gauche" well, but when he does "confident" it all goes smug. I can't even find him sexy (this coming from someone who has had unclean thoughts about Jarvis Cocker). He's just too...immature, both in terms of behaviour and even physically. I can't believe that he got a BAFTA nomination for that and Secret Smile, which is one of the worst pieces of tripe I've ever seen, even considering the genre. In a world where CE still doesn't have a BAFTA (which he may never get, as he's too antiestablishment - and Northern) and Anthony Howell doesn't get leading roles, I'm a bit baffled.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I cried in Doomsday because Billie's crying made me cry

But honestly it kind of depresses me how long DT will inevitably hang around the part for, being that he's a big fan of the program, and really enjoying himself. It wouldn't be so bad if we could look forward to a different Doctor in a few years

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

Yes, I need to edit, because I don't cry on second viewing.

I just hope his character improves without Rose around. We can only blame it on their relationship so much.

[velvet-midnight.livejournal.com]

Happy almost birthday... Haven't read the rant yet. Not usually so much of a spoilerphobe, but they'll be airing in a couple weeks. :) (But even I think I'll sob at Doomsday, lol. But then again, I wept at POTW, too.)

[meganlynn09.livejournal.com]

Thanks. So, you haven't seen season 2 yet? Get to watch it unfold on SciFi? Here's hoping they don't cut out too much to make for time.

[velvet-midnight.livejournal.com]

I've seen New Earth and Tooth and Claw, but not the rest. And yeah, I hope so.