Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: The End of Time (Part Two)

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Mark Oshiro

In the second half of the final 2010 special of Doctor Who, I WILL NEVER HEAL. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.

“I don’t want to go.”

I came into Mark Watches Doctor Who with some very basic and naive preconceived notions about what this show was. I knew there was The Doctor. And companions. And a big blue box called a TARDIS. And the Daleks did a thing that was bad and I should be afraid of them for being things that did evil stuff.  I knew David Tennant and some dude with fabulous hair was on the show. I knew Catherine Tate spent some time ’round some of the Doctors. And I knew that millions of people, especially people on Tumblr or in my comments on Mark Reads Harry Potter, were UNBELIEVABLY OBSESSED WITH DOCTOR WHO.

It was pretty easy to pick this show as my next project after Firefly. I wanted to do something that was not a single season and wouldn’t be easy to conquer. I will admit that I was afraid of disliking the show, that it wouldn’t be SRS BSNS enough for me or that it wasn’t my style of comedy. I knew, additionally, that there would be a lot of people watching me as I journeyed through this show. What if I hated it? What if it bored me? What if I simply didn’t get it? WHAT IF THE WHOLE INTERNET HATED ME BECAUSE I DIDN’T LIKE DOCTOR WHO?

Thankfully, after all this time, that’s simply not the case. Doctor Who isn’t a perfect show, and I am perfectly ok with that. Sometimes the tone can wildly oscillate from episode-to-episode. It doesn’t have a perfect track record with people of color or women. There have been a few stinkers (I WILL NEVER BE OK WITH “FEAR HER” EVER), but there have also been a lot of brilliant, shining gems. I’m introducing this review in this manner because I’d really like to make a point. And that point is that, unless Matt Smith seriously blows me out of the water in just one season, David Tennant will always be my Doctor.

I don’t mean to say that he is the best Doctor. I haven’t seen Matt Smith, and I’ve only seen pieces of the classic Doctors. (I’ve still got a lot of Who to watch!) But I have spent the most time with David Tennant. All of the Doctors have varying personalities, but Tennant has come to be the gateway to the silly, goofy, at times serious, and always caring Doctor. I know that I’ll continue watching older episodes long after Mark Watches moves on to other shows, and I’ll continue blogging the show when it airs in real time. But my real, honest introduction to this show will always make my brain think of Tennant. I don’t mean to suggest that Eccleston isn’t important, because he is. He’s very important. I’m just saying that my experience with this show will probably always gravitate towards the man I’ve spent the most time with.

I know that there are people who don’t like Ten in general. It’s not like you need my permission, but I don’t feel any particular need to defend him to anyone. But he’s gone through three companions and a whole lot of drama, and I can honestly say that I feel that his character has actually changed and grown since I first met him. Which is nice! I like character growth! And that’s actually a challenge to me. How do you “change” a character that is over nine-hundred years old? Or, for that matter, a character that has existed in the public consciousness for almost fifty years most certainly must be difficult to give character growth.

I don’t really think that all of “The End of Time” is perfect and, after reading through a lot of comments on yesterday’s review, I did realize there is a lot of WTF-ery abounding in how this story came to be. But the execution of it all is what works for me. And the last twenty minutes. Which I will get to. While choking back tears. AGAIN.

Knowing that this was the last episode before series five began, I knew that the time for David Tennant to bow out had come. Yet I found myself more occupied with a different question than how the Doctor came to regenerate.

HOW THE FUCK ARE THERE TIME LORDS

NO, SERIOUSLY, HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE. Is it someone’s imagination? Is it a narrative trick? How can there be Time Lords if the Doctor ended them all during the Time War? Russell T Davies, though, completely delivers on this one. If there was any lingering question I had about this show, it was always regarding the Time War. Why was it always such a mystery? Why was the Doctor so reluctant to reveal what actually happened? While Davies provides us with the answer to this, he also gives us the reason for the Sound of the Drums, the method that brought the Master to this very point in space and time.

How many times have I said that I love time travel? Because I fucking love time travel. The revelation that the Time Lords placed the sound of the drums inside the master’s head ON PURPOSE to act as a signal made me grin out of delight. It’s so…DEVIOUS. And EVIL. SO EVIL. But why is it so evil?

A Time Lock. The Doctor placed a Time Lock on the Time War, preventing the Time Lords from ever escaping. But why? As Wilfred said, why wasn’t the Doctor happy that his people had returned?

Simultaneous to this, I worried about another development: Donna was remembering. She was remembering her past and her mind was going to burn up. The Master, foolishly so, thought that he still had control of the situation as he sent out his clones to find Donna after he discovered she wasn’t converted. Even though Donna leaks out her defense mechanism and destroyed the copies of the Master (WHO, BY THE WAY, ARE ACTUALLY HER NEIGHBORS), I worried that this would be the way that Davies would dispose of Donna. HER STORY IS ALREADY SAD ENOUGH, DAVIES, LEAVE HER ALONE.

However, I was momentarily distracted from this when we learned what was returning, what had been warned about before. (For the record, narratively, I’m going to skip the Vinvocci ship sequences. I like them, but they sort of felt a bit distracting by the end of the story.) In yet another moment where the Doctor was late to arrive, the Time Lord Council manages to locate the Master in Naismith’s mansion and beats the Doctor there. Again, I was totally on the same page as Wilfred during this scene where the Time Lords return. SHOULDN’T THIS BE A JOYOUS MOMENT??? The Doctor is no longer alone in the universe! He’s not the last of his kind anymore!

And that’s when we find out why the Doctor had ending the Time War in the way that he had: At the end of the Time War, both sides, including the Time Lords, created “horrors” to battle one another, horrors that no Time Lord, let alone the humans, could survive. The master plan of the Time Lords was to end time, to ascend to a state of higher consciousness. The Doctor exterminated his own people TO SAVE THE ENTIRE FUCKING UNIVERSE.

oh my fucking god. the fucking time war. fuck capitalization. i can’t even. i cannot even.

Now, ok…I like the next scene, as the Master realizes he was used and the Lord President is about to kill him when the Doctor pulls out the gun Wilf had convinced him to use earlier. I just think that the back and forth of WILL HE SHOOT THE LORD PRESIDENT to WILL HE SHOOT THE MASTER is a little much for me. Yes, this show has a penchant for the ridiculous drama, but I have to draw the line somewhere. A MAN HAS TO HAVE STANDARDS.

What the Master did to the Earth on this series is awful, and I don’t want to every insinuate that what happens during this final battle is completely vindicating for him. But I do think it was brave of him to tell the Doctor to step aside and die for him. If the Master was going to die, this was the most satisfying way for me. (Also, who the hell was that woman???? Don’t answer that if it’s a spoiler revealed later, but WTF.)

Gallifrey disappears, the Time Lords are sent back to the Time War forever, and the Doctor smiles, completely flabbergasted that he has survived what he thought was his death.

And then the knock. Four times in a row.

I clamped my hand over my mouth when it happened. No. NO WAY. WHAT THE FUCK. As the camera panned around to reveal the force of the knock, the sight of Wilf in the radiation containment device brought a flood of tears to my eyes. “He will knock four times,” I remembered. The Master never knocked. His drum sound was four beats. He hit those bins in the landfill four times. But he never knocked.

Unbeknownst to us all, it was the innocent actions of Wilf that would kill the Doctor. The Doctor wails with frustration at the absurdity of it all, that he just faced the Master and the Time Lords and survived, yet a lone man on Earth will kill him entirely by accident. But, in truth, the Doctor has lived too long. And it is an honor to save Wilf’s life, after the man has done so much to help him, to believe in him. So the Doctor steps into the containment area, saving Wilf’s life and taking in all the radiation. Despite that he doesn’t die, his regeneration process is triggered and he knows it’s time for him to begin a new life.

Look, it’s cheesy. It’s melodramatic. And sappy. And purposely made to create an aura of sadness. AND I DO NOT CARE. Watching the Doctor visit all of his companions was a WATERWORKS FACTORY. Saving Martha and Mickey from a Sontaran. HOLY FUCK THEY ARE MARRIED, MAKING THEM THE MOST ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN THE HISTORY OF FUCKING TELEVISION. GOOD GOD. Saving Luke Smith and giving Sarah Jane a final, quiet goodbye. Bidding Captain Jack Harness so long, while connecting him with Alonso Frame from “The Voyage of the Dead.” Visiting Joan Redfern’s great-granddaughter. (!!!!!!!) Attending Donna’s wedding after traveling back in time to borrow a quid from her late father and buying a winning lottery ticket. (Full on sobs at this point.)

But man, visiting Rose on New Years’ in 2005, before she would meet him? I wondered how the Doctor could talk to her from the shadows without him recognizing her. There’s something so goddamn depressing about him telling her she’ll have a good year, knowing that he’ll never see her again. (I really don’t think Rose will come back again.)

“I don’t want to go.”

The truth is…I don’t want you to go either, David Tennant. You have helped introduce me to this character, this show, and all of these wonderful people in the Doctor Who community. We have so much more to share together, but we’ll never get to see you say, “Welllllllllllll……” again. I will miss you.

On that note:

FUCK YEAH I HAVE MADE IT TO MATT SMITH!!!!! Oh my god, look at that fabulous hair. I AM SO GODDAMN EXCITED!

THOUGHTS

  • “This song is ending, but the story never ends.” OH MY GOD MY CREYS
  • “Worst. Rescue. Ever.”
  • MATT. SMITH. !@#$%%$^DFGA AS;DFJ ASKLDJF SD

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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615 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: The End of Time (Part Two)

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  1. flamingpie says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    Oh, this episode.

    First things first Mark, I'm going to link you to the best fanvids ever which you can finally watch spoiler free. I'm sure everyone will be linking to them but hey, the more people who do, the more pressure you'll feel to watch them! 😉

    Tenth Doctor: The Musical

    The Doctor and I

    Now, onto my feelings…

    I love this episode. A lot. People have a lot of mixed feelings about Ten's send off, but honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way. It breaks my heart to see him go out so broken, but at the same time, we've been watching him reach that point throughout his entire run. It would have seemed wrong to me for him to go out with too much happiness or dignity.

    It may be a bit overdone, and it may not be really necessary but I love the Whirlwind Companion Tour. We've come to know and love all of these characters over the course of RTD's run, and I love that he was indulgent enough to give us a proper goodbye to them all.

    Martha and Mickey=Totally out of left field but on a purely shallow note:

    <img src="http://iamatvjunkie.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c17f69e2012876aafec8970c-450wi"&gt;

    Prettiest couple in Who or prettiest couple in Who?

    The waterworks start for me every time I watch when we get to Donna. Back in the Runaway Bride, we met her on her wedding day, and here we are, saying goodbye to her on her wedding day. It's a wonderful example of book ends, and I fucking love it.

    Donna's end may not have been ideal, but I think this scene is more than enough evidence that, yeah, she may not have her memories and she may be, in that sense, settling, but you know what? She'll be just fine.

    I love that the Doctor got her the lotto ticket. (On that note: the bit where he tells Sylvia where he got the money to buy it? Really gets to me for some reason. Sylvia may not have been the best mother to Donna, but it's clear from this and the last episode that she has improved, and I really don't think she's a bad person.)

    He can't give her back her memories, but he can at least make her life easier. She already has what she needs to be happy, a loving husband and a wonderful family, but financial comfort? That certainly doesn't hurt.

    By this point I'm sobbing every time, and Rose's bit certainly doesn't help. RTD apparently spent quite a long time agonizing on how to handle her goodbye scene, and I think what he went with here is the perfect solution. It's so, so wonderfully circular. For Ten, it's coming to his end, but it's just about to begin for her.

    Doctor: What year is this?

    Rose: Blimey! How much have you had?

    Doctor: Well.

    Rose: 2005, January the first.

    Doctor: 2005. Tell you what, I bet you’re going to have a really great year.

    This scene never fails to make me want to go back and start all over with series one.

    The Tenth Doctor was really one of the least stable incarnations we've had. He was rude, and incredibly vain and he could be an unbelievable douchebag. He was constantly making decisions for people and assuming he knew what was best, the arrogant thing that he was. But you know what? Those were the things I loved about him and I wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

    Now, mourning for the old is all well and good, but It's time we moved on to newer and brighter things:

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/fwr2hi.gif"&gt;

    Hello, Eleven. <3 <3 <3

  2. arctic_hare says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    Before this blog, I'd only seen this two-parter once, and had no real desire to revisit it. But, in the interest of doing a proper review, I watched it again and wrote down my thoughts in semi-real time (making judicious use of the pause button), much like I did for Stolen Earth/Journey's End.

    Never watching it again. Never ever ever. Not without something to dull the pain, and/or being paid (I accept cash and Lego).

    I feel for Timothy Dalton here, I really do. He does his best with the material he's given, though, and is a damn fine actor. I just kinda feel that this is a disservice to his talent. This scene is so clumsy and clunky, and the rest isn't much better.

    OH GOD THIS IS STILL SO STUPID I FEEL EMBARRASSED JUST WATCHING THIS BIT WITH THE MULTIPLE MASTERS. Only saving grace in this mess is Bernard Cribbins, who won't be brought down by this nonsense, no sir. Keep on being amazing.

    And all right, I admit I LOLed at the Master's line about how the Doctor "loves playing with Earth girls". Because it's true, and Simm's delivery is gold.

    I do also laugh when they're taking him down the stairs, but I've a feeling it's not quite for the reasons intended.

    Watching the first part of this was roughly akin to watching an MST3k movie unriffed, but this one is a bit easier to take, mainly because of MOAR WILF. I love his wonder at being out in space. He is just too adorable. <3

    "Think I'm lost." "And yet you are found." SIRIUSLY. I SIRIUSLY CANNOT BELIEVE I HEARD THAT DIALOGUE. That's… like… Last Airbender movie tier dialogue. And before anyone says anything, I've seen the Rifftrax, that is not a movie I invoke lightly. I cannot get over how awful a lot of the dialogue in this two-parter is.

    Okay, stepping off the bitchy cross-town express for a minute, I actually do love the scene with Wilf and Ten just talking alone on the ship. Again, Bernard Cribbins owns the shit out of every scene he's in. Wilf, you're wrong, I could listen to your tales all day and be happy. This episode needs more of you, seriously. But you're still not allowed to cry, because it still breaks me. I see Ten's point about how the Master was created, I really do – it's a point that needs to be made. But at the same time, Wilf is right too, don't choose the Master over billions of innocents just because he's the only other Time Lord and you have a long, slashy history together.

    The scene with them fighting off the missiles is such a Star Wars ripoff, but I choose to overlook/enjoy that because it gives Wilf another chance to shine. I'm biased, news at eleven (wherein we reveal that water is wet, the Pope is Catholic, and bears shit in the woods).

    Weeping Angels? Yeah, okay, I'm going to refer to the inestimable wit and wisdom of my good pal Tom Servo, who in the experiment known as Overdrawn at the Memory Bank dispensed the sage advice that you should never show a good movie in the middle of your crappy movie. We simply have to change a couple words to make it apply here: "you should never reference a good episode in the middle of your crappy episode".

    (Interestingly enough, Crow makes a Doctor Who reference later during that same movie.)

    (cont)

    • arctic_hare says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm

      Trigger discipline, Doctor, please. I've never even fired a freaking gun in my life and I know this. Also the swan dive is just ridiculous and implausible, should've done a lot worse than just scrape up his face and leave him a little sore.

      And just like that, his magic glove undoes it? How very convenient.

      This whole scene is ridiculous in various ways, but I nevertheless love "The Clouds Pass" and, later, "Vale Decem". Murray Gold really is amazing, I hope he never leaves the show.

      I hate how Ten talks to Wilf here, it was the very very last straw for me with him. Not only because it's Wilf, but because it just doesn't jive with the Doctor's affection for humans and belief that everyone's important. It's jarring after their earlier chat that I liked so much, and when he says "It's my honor", to me it rings false after all that petulant ranting. I like it all even less after seeing Caves of Androzani, to be honest. I'm not fond of his last line later on, either.

      Please tell me I don't have to do something that extreme just to get a hug from Wilf. 🙁

      OH YAY ten billion endings like Return of the King. 😐 I'll tackle each one separately.

      Martha/Mickey: What the fuck is this? No, really, what the fuck is this? I can understand needing to stick them in the same scene to save time, but why have them be suddenly married? It makes no sense – last time we saw either of them, they barely spoke to each other, and she was engaged to Tom Milligan. There was no need to play Pair the Spare with them out of nowhere, especially when it could've simply been written as them being partners in UNIT/Torchwood and shown them as having become friends. See? It's not that hard.

      Sarah Jane: No strong feelings either way, as I don't watch SJA and don't really know this kid. It's a nice moment for Sarah Jane, though.

      Jack: So, uh… we're in a ripoff of the Mos Eisley cantina, with that song from my other least favorite two-parter playing, and Ten is… helping Jack get laid. And I've been spoiled on what makes Jack look like he's feeling just a bit down here. Which gives it an extra scoop of WTF. All in all, ick.

      Verity Newman: This one is actually really lovely, I've no complaints here.

      Donna: Yay, a winning lottery ticket and marriage. Great substitute for what she lost. Everything's A-OK as long as she's rich and married right? Blergh. Wilf, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT CRYING? Come on now. 🙁 If this is to be the last time I see you on the show, I don't want it to be a sad memory.

      Rose: I have no objections to this one either, honestly. Sure, it's a bit weird that she didn't recognize him later, but I can hand-wave that well enough for it not to bother me, and it's a nice callback to Nine (whom I love), making it go full-circle. I can appreciate that. Plus, Jackie! I think it would've worked even better if Rose hadn't already reappeared in series four, giving this more of an element of surprise, but it's still effective, so whatever. Especially since RTD's original idea was checking in with Rose and Handy, I hear.

      I'd be lying if I said "Vale Decem" didn't move me. I was more than ready for Ten to go, to move on, but the song got me anyway. I think it says a lot about Gold's talent, it's really such a beautiful song.

      <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/ane8ug.png&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

      HELLO SWEETIE 😀 😀 😀 <3 <3 <3 [/bad River Song impression] It's a bit mood whiplashy, sure, but I love it anyway. I'm so happy to see Eleven! I already love him here, he's so funny. "Still not ginger", LOL. Really like the music here too, fits the mood perfectly. Bye-bye, old TARDIS interior, how will you change it up for series five?

      GERONIMO! 😀

      • kilodalton says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:11 pm

        Especially since RTD's original idea was checking in with Rose and Handy, I hear.

        Yup. He wrote in The Writer's Tale that he was considering a shot of them:
        1) growing a TARDIS (harkening back to the missing coral scene which I guess must be RTD's head canon if he was going to stick this in there regardless)
        2) with a baby
        3) travelling the earth

        and that it was getting complicated, so he decided to just do the 2005 shot.

        • Baz says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:52 pm

          This makes me want to vomit. Actually, Rose getting stuck with Handy made me want to vomit a little, so this just adds insult to injury.

        • flamingpie says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm

          Much as I do love Rose and Handy, I'm SO glad none of that happened. Sooooo glad.

          Well, traveling the earth wouldn't have been too bad I guess. Still prefer what he went with though.

      • Stephen_M says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:15 pm

        I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter…

        Actually, can I just add one more to your list of bad? Donna. Tragic Donna who can never remember the Doctor not even for a moment or she'll burn up. Sadest ending of RTD's era by a mile. Everyone remember that? Good, now throw it away because she won't burn up, she'll just get a bit of a headache and has won the lottery (which, while we're on the subject, the Doctor didn't do the FIRST time he left her at home because…. why exactly?) so all of that emotional reaction you had to Season 4 is pretty much wasted. Same exact results as bringing back Rose for a glorified cameo, a significant weakening of her main story arc. Grrrrrrrrrr.

        • kilodalton says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm

          Same exact results as bringing back Rose for a glorified cameo, a significant weakening of her main story arc. Grrrrrrrrrr.

          I think there are 2 ways you can take her "main story arc":

          1) goal of her arc is to be tragic, and it's too often revisited and thus it is cheapened. (This I believe is your opinion, no?)
          2) goal of her arc is to tell a story of love and devotion. This comes full circle in terms of Rose working through her grief to build the dimension cannon, "becoming the Doctor" in a sense in Turn Left, and being "rewarded" with a more emotionally-in-touch (part human) Doctor who is the one who brings up spending the rest of their lives together

          #1 is clearly more dramatic, #2 is more of a story with a real conclusion. I think RTD was clearly going for #2, and as a Rose fan, I approve of this. I can see however if you don't like Rose, and don't have an interest in her love life (lol), that #2 wouldn't resonate very well.

          • Stephen_M says:
            March 15, 2011 at 2:07 pm

            Problem with 2) is it falls apart at the end of Journey's End. If she's working out of love and devotion (which, by word of god, she isn't. Rose has always been motivated by selfishness plain and simple and that's straight from RTD) then there is no WAY she'd have gotten out of the TARDIS on Bad Wolf Bay and accepted Handy. Not a chance.

            And THAT'S my problem. I liked Rose, a lot, during Series 1. Went off her a bit during Series 2 for various reasons but her ending was tragic and properly sad. No issue there at all but she got a better ending than she could have realistically hoped for, a life with a purpose and a family she thought she'd lost. Series 4 adds nothing to that story, it exists purely as a sop to the Rose / Ten shippers. If it actually progressed her story and made it stronger I'd have loved it but it utterly ruined it for me by destroying all that made Doomsday so sad.

            Anyway, I'll stop there as I've learned the hard way that trying to say you don't like Rose, even if talking in story terms and explaining why, is a recipe for abuse and down votes (not saying from you kilodalton, more of a general thing).

            • always amy says:
              March 15, 2011 at 9:57 pm

              I personally would have approved of Rose's ending so much more if they'd just showed her and handy chatting off to the side and then Rose pulling handy off with her to go on adventures. I would have loved Rose showing Handy how to live as a human and having adventures together in the other universe, they can make their own happy endings.

              oh well.

            • Psi Baka Onna says:
              March 16, 2011 at 2:31 am

              I think that even if Rose did accept Handy and started up a romantic relationship with him, it would end badly simply because she's well aware that he isn't The Doctor. Sure he looks like the Doctor and is just as smart but he's got a big dollop of Donna's personality. Maybe Rose could learn to love him but I reckon she'd be bitter that the real Doctor dumped her and left her with a "cheap knock-off" where as Handy would be left knowing what Martha felt like all through series 3.

              Past that, I'm still a little annoyed that the only "happy" ending RTD is capable of writing is to marry everyone off anyway, and they're all kinda terrible if you think too much about them.

              What happened to Martha's last fiancee? Does anyone else find it weird that Martha's constantly seems to wind up with Rose's exs? And Donna… oh Donna. Ignore the fact that her last attempted marriage was a disaster (how much of that would she even remember anyway?), I don't really see the new one lasting either. When Wilf described her life in the cafe, he said that she was making do and that she was so sad and couldn't remember why. For some reason, I interpret that as "she doesn't really love the man but he's sweet and here for her now so she's making do". If she feels so sad now then a lottery win isn't going to fix it and I can imagine Donna unintentionally taking her feelings out on this poor guy to the point where he leaves and takes a large portion of that money for himself. It's just a terrible ending.

              Personally, I would have preferred a bitter sweet ending where Donna had earned her mother's respect face to face before having her mind wiped. Have her watch Donna save the world instead of hearing it second hand. I find it hard to believe that she'll change the way she sees/treats her daughter just because the Doctor told her to. : /

        • radiantbaby1 says:
          March 15, 2011 at 9:05 pm

          SO MUCH THIS.

      • psycicflower says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

        Yes to everything you've said about this episode and Wilf hug for you!
        <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2u61pwn.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

      • Jerssica says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

        WORD TO ALL OF THIS!! Especially poor Timothy Dalton who is SO talented and given nothing to work with. What a waste of Mister Pricklepants!
        Also, I rewatched this after I watched all of Torchwood and became infuriated with Ten's goodbye to Jack. JUST NO. Not cool!
        However, I still weep like a baby and then get super excited about Matt Smith. Hello sweetie indeed!

      • Pseudonymph says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm

        I just want to comment on what you said about "trigger discipline". I think this must be the same thing that my boyfriend and I were complaining about when we rewatched this episode. He re-cocks the gun like three times! It makes that cocking sound every time he points to a different place. That scene was overly dramatic on its own but that stupid *click* sound happening over and over just made me roll my eyes.

        But then of course I was holding back tears during parts of this episode. The whole thing is mood whiplash for me. From incredibly touching to absurd and kind of embarrassing and back again.

        • shyfully says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:34 pm

          I was half expecting it to be revealed to a fake gun because real guns just do not work that way! But TV producers seem to think they do.

        • RocketDarkness says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:48 pm

          Trigger discipline is not putting your finger on the trigger until you're ready to pull it. You're supposed to have it behind/on the trigger guard thingy and move it onto the trigger right before shooting.

      • bibliotrek says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:25 pm

        This, YES. All of this.

        I don't know whether to be sad that RTD kind of ruined Ten for me (although that had been a long time coming) or glad that I was more prepared to accept Eleven (whom I ADORE even though I have an enormous crush on David Tennant).

        • Baz says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:54 pm

          Most of my friends were really skeptical of Eleven because of how much they loved Ten, but this finale made me so ready for a new Doctor and a new head writer. Eleven pretty quickly surpassed Ten as my Doctor.

          • bibliotrek says:
            March 15, 2011 at 9:40 pm

            I was really close to giving up on DW altogether after Tennant left. By the specials, I was only watching because I like him as an actor, not because I liked the show. I am so, SO glad I gave S5 a chance; by the end of the first episode I had fallen in love with the show again, and Eleven has absolutely become my Doctor.

        • radiantbaby1 says:
          March 15, 2011 at 9:07 pm

          My thoughts exactly.

      • echinodermata says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:25 pm

        "and when he says "It's my honor", to me it rings false after all that petulant ranting"

        YES YES YES, I mean, I pretty much agree with everything, but this line especially.

      • Baz says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:30 pm

        I love that you are willing to be paid in Lego. Siriusly amazing.

      • NB2000 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:58 pm

        "I love his wonder at being out in space. He is just too adorable. <3"

        I love that bit too, I'd totally react the in a similar "OMGSPACE! LOOKIT!" way. Love you Wilf!

        "HELLO SWEETIE"

        Heeeee.

      • Starsea28 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:45 pm

        t makes no sense – last time we saw either of them, they barely spoke to each other, and she was engaged to Tom Milligan.

        There's a line in "Children of Earth" when Gwen says that Martha is on her honeymoon but she doesn't say who with. THIS was meant to be a clue that Mickey and Martha had got married. *HEADDESK*

      • Starsea28 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:48 pm

        I love everything you've written here. I ranted about Ten's speech and goodbye scenes in my own comment. *HUG*

      • hassibah says:
        March 15, 2011 at 3:14 pm

        "Martha/Mickey: What the fuck is this? No, really, what the fuck is this? I can understand needing to stick them in the same scene to save time, but why have them be suddenly married? It makes no sense – last time we saw either of them, they barely spoke to each other, and she was engaged to Tom Milligan. There was no need to play Pair the Spare with them out of nowhere, especially when it could've simply been written as them being partners in UNIT/Torchwood and shown them as having become friends. See? It's not that hard. "

        Yep! Having them working together would have been all kinds of awesome but RTD just loves pairing people off 🙁

        • trash_addict says:
          March 15, 2011 at 5:10 pm

          Yep! Having them working together would have been all kinds of awesome but RTD just loves pairing people off 🙁

          She already had a perfectly lovely partner! Man, am I going to have to break out the Tom Ellis gifs again?

          • hassibah says:
            March 15, 2011 at 6:37 pm

            I KNOW. Also, how awesome would the three of them been in their own spinoff that is actually good. The spinoff that I am writing in my mind.

      • Angie says:
        March 15, 2011 at 5:36 pm

        "I hate how Ten talks to Wilf here, it was the very very last straw for me with him. Not only because it's Wilf, but because it just doesn't jive with the Doctor's affection for humans and belief that everyone's important. It's jarring after their earlier chat that I liked so much, and when he says "It's my honor", to me it rings false after all that petulant ranting. I like it all even less after seeing Caves of Androzani, to be honest. I'm not fond of his last line later on, either."

        I agree so much with this. SO MUCH.

      • nanceoir says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:19 pm

        In regards to the mood whiplash of switching from Ten to Eleven, well… it is kind of whiplashy, but I never felt it was out of place? No, not out of place, exactly, but… something. Gah. (Why can't I word tonight?)

        Basically, when I first watched the episode (and in subsequent rewatches — I've never hated this two-parter, so I'll always watch it in sequence), I was totally crying with the regeneration and the music and stuff. And, while I was sad to see Tennant's Doctor go, those moments we got with Matt Smith's Doctor left me feeling pretty happy and hopeful for the new series. Like, I was crying, but I ended up with a smile on my face anyway.

        It's like it reinforced Ood Sigma's "This song is ending, but the story never ends" for me… or something.

        Um… yeah. *awkward pause*

        <img src="http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9097/awkward.gif"&gt;

        • arctic_hare says:
          March 15, 2011 at 9:37 pm

          No, I think I understand what you're getting at, and I feel the same. This particular cycle of the Doctor's life has ended, but he himself goes on, as always… a bit like a phoenix. He's changed, but he hasn't really lost anything, he's still himself, we've still got the Doctor, we haven't lost him. Nothing is truly lost, just… he's being reborn, as it were.

      • electric ashera says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:24 pm

        With the exception that Eleven is NOT my doctor (he's great, mind you, just not MY doctor), ALL OF THIS. Particularly because I loved Ten, I wanted him to have a better send-off.

        My head canon is that the only special is The Waters of Mars.

  3. Blabbla says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    I think most people read the Obama stuff from last episode very differently than I did. I didn’t see it as a criticism of Obama’s supporters, just a set-up for the “I forgot the way to save the economy, LOL”
    Anyway. Even though I kind of like the last episode, I hated this one. It’s anti-climactic, the ending is too drawn out, it makes no sense, there is no explanation for why ANYTHING happens, and the ending with the gun is not set up at all. And how the hell did the Doctor fall that far without more than a few scratches? This whole episode is just one long wallbanger.
    And WHY are Mickey and Martha married? What do they have in common apart from both being black? Or maybe that’s all that’s needed for them to be paired up. *grumble*

    • Blabbla says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:03 pm

      Also, anecdote: When this episode aired, it didn’t come up online until late at night here, and I had an early day to go for a trip with my party. Instead of watching it and sleeping a little bit, I just stayed up all night marathoning DW. The next day I was so tired I was hallucinating. First, I thought another party member was a Cyberman. Seriously. I almost freaked out before I remembered that they aren’t actually real. Then I spent the next few days (couldn’t get enough sleep while I was there) watching the various lecturers morph into the Doctor or The Master. It was really weird.

      • Blabbla says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:07 pm

        And I will always be pretty pissed that they made me go "JUST DIE ALREADY" to the Doctor. Come on, it can't be that hard to have it be dramatic while not taking up half the episode, and including that much whining.

    • Stephen_M says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:16 pm

      Oh it must be done… all credit to the Radio Free Skaro guys for this one but:

      Obam-Ha! Obam-Ha! Obam-Ha!

    • Helena says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:42 pm

      I quite like them together, it's nice to see Mickey move on from Rose, but WHAT HAPPENED TO TOM?????? That will never ever cease to annoy me.

      • aleja23t says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

        THANK YOU for this!! That has always bothered me to no end!! He's was a doctor and he was gorgeous!!!

        But of course, Davies had to have his happy ending. Everyone knows Martha Jones is RTD's favorite companion. WIth this, Smith & Jones lives on (:

    • NB2000 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:00 pm

      "And WHY are Mickey and Martha married?"

      So she can be Martha Smith-Jones!!1 Because that's TOTALLY a reason to pair characters up. </sarcasm>

  4. @TheKimler says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    "I don't want to go" Last words of the 10th Doctor.

    Eff you, RTD, for simultaneously ripping out my heart and punching me in the stomach. May return for more coherent thoughts later but I just watched this for the first time last night myself and I feel just gutted. Will never be right again.

    • @TheKimler says:
      March 15, 2011 at 9:53 pm

      Huzzah! Coherent thoughts time!

      I am feeling just about as generally devastated as I did the first time after completing Mockingjay. It took me probably about a week to stop feeling haunted by that so I'll estimate around the same time for EoT2. (It is most likely not okay to be this affected by fictional characters? True?)

      I have to agree with Mark here. While I loved Nine, Ten will always be my Doctor (and yes I have seen S5 but not commenting on that any further for obvs reasons) (Also, yes I saw S5 before EoT2 because I knew what was coming and I put off having to deal with it so I just skipped right on ahead to 11!). I mean, maybe I'm speaking prematurely. I'm sure I will be a Doctor Who fan for many years to come and maybe a current or future doctor will come to absolutely knock my socks off. But I'm a nostalgic creature by nature and I think with Ten it will be. Hats off to RTD for crafting a great story for him

      I can't believe so many people hate this. Part 1, I could understand, Part 2, no. Even with all of the crazy that happened in Waters of Mars and Part 1 being admittedly ridiculous, Ten has just been through so, so much. And he goes off the deep end because..because….you only hurt over things as much as you originally took joy in them. Ten loved his companions so much that their departures gutted him. Karen put it best:

      '"Ten loved his friends so much. They broke his heart because he loved them. So he goes to see them one last time. His friends are his reward."'

      Let the poor man have what little consolation he can knowing full well that he's going to die. Was it a bit cheesy? Yes. Do I care? no. It was a well deserved reward.

      What hurts most of all is that Ten had no peace with his death. With Nine, we could see he accepted it. Ten holds on to himself to the last. Absolutely heartbreaking. This is the worst thing you could hope for in the death of someone you care about. That they die alone, full of regret and wishing they had more time. And now I just managed to make myself all the sads all over again. wtf.

      My only consolation in this is that Ten lives on as Handy in another world exploring that Universe with Rose. I don't think it'd be really feasible plot-wise, or in a way that didn't feel forced, to bring back Handy and Rose through the parallel universe *again* but maybe…it'd be a great challenge for the writer's to pull it off in time for, say…the 50th anniversary in 2013? 😉 Grand reunion of the Doctors??!?

      I feel like there were all sorts of odd bits and ends about this episode I would like to comment on but I would be happy if I never watch it again ever so I'll just need to leave those things unsaid. Everything else in this comment is really the main things I wanted to say and I do feel a bit better writing it down and putting it out there.

      Thanks, Mark, for taking us along on the journey and providing this outlet and community!

      • @TheKimler says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:54 pm

        And just realized I didn't finish the 2nd full paragraph. I'll keep it brief:

        Hats off to RTD for crafting a great story for him and to David Tennant for bringing so much sheer joy and talent to the character!

        Was going to go on more in this vein but you get the picture :p

  5. Fusionman29 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    That woman has never been explained in an episode. In a commentary however RTD said that it is the Doctor’s mum.

  6. leighzzz31 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    So, the episode begins with the Time Lords returning. So many questions. Are they still locked in the Time War? And I’m not finding myself particularly fond of their style.

    Back to Earth with billions of John Simms. Excuse my fangirling again. I love that he slips into his northern accent occasionally, too. Also, he must have gone through an immense amount of costumes throughout this episode.

    DONNA! For a moment there, I was hoping she’d get her memories back. Again I was feeling a waste of potential. There was no real point to her appearance in the episode. But at least the Doctor had made sure his best friend was safe.

    Now for some more UNRESOLVED SEXUAL TENSION for the Doctor/Master shippers. The Master tying him up. And being quite indignant about the Doctor ‘playing with Earth girls’. The Doctor basically confessing his love AGAIN: “You could be so wonderful…You're a genius. You're stone cold brilliant; you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honour. Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. Have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space…” I swear, I was expecting them to snog, there and then. FOR REAL, RTD?

    I’ll admit I was impressed by the Vinvocci rescue. “God bless the cactuses.” “That’s cacti!” That’s racist!” Wheeling the Doctor around. “WORST. RESCUE. EVER!” That scene is very quotable. And the Doctor needed to be humbled a bit.

    The Time Lords are abusive bastards, TBH. Traumatising the Master like that. So basically, everything he has ever done is down to them. And the white-point star diamond? I rolled my eyes at that. What are these random things you keep adding, RTD? Don’t you think there’s enough going on? Why are you so determined to throw as much stuff as possible to us?

    WILF is freaking adorable in space. And still concerned about what might have happened to his wife, just aw. His conversations seem to bring out the best in the Doctor. And him saying he’d be proud if Wilfred was his dad, aw again-I think we all would, Doctor. David Tennant was wonderful in this scene, regretting everything he’s done but still refusing to kill.

    The chase scene in the spaceship was quite cool. But I wish the Doctor hadn’t ignored everyone before he almost crash landed.

    The final showdown was…strange. The Master’s master plan was stupid; he hadn’t thought that out too well, obviously (well, either him or RTD, that is). The Time Lords returning Gallifrey was…again, was there a POINT to that? Why did they want the End of Time? So many questions about the Time War. So few, useless answers. This could have been much more effective if you’d focused on one main plot, RTD!

    Finally, the Doctor with the gun. Well, I knew from the get-go he wouldn’t fire to kill but the fact that he kept changing his mind (The Master or The President, The President or The Master) it frustrated me to no end. And then the creepy lady that kept talking to Wilf shows up. I know there’s still a lot of speculation in the fandom but I think I’ll stick with my first impression that she was the Doctor’s mother. (Again though, just a little POINTLESS. I think the Doctor would have decided not to fire, even without her.) I’ll enjoy the fact that the Master’s last act was to save the Doctor. Must keep them shippers happy.

    Even knowing that he would die soon, I was actually glad the Doctor was still alive. But then I remembered Wilf, stuck in that chamber. And then he knocked. Four times.
    No. NOOOOOO. The prophecy. This is when I started crying. The Doctor’s face as he realizes what it means. His speech about Wilf ‘being not remotely important’ might have seemed callous. But he doesn’t hesitate one bit. He knows what he has to do. I prepared myself to see him die then. But he still had things to do. He still had to get his reward. And this is where I admit RTD shines. His plots may be horribly inconsistent at times (this episode being one of those times) but he nailed the final minutes with Ten.

    *continueeeeeeed*

    • leighzzz31 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:06 pm

      -First, Mickey and Martha. I love that she senses him being there before she actually sees him. Not much more to say about that except-YOU TWO ARE MARRIED? WHAT?

      -Sarah Jane. Just a wave between them. Bring in the tissues. This is too much.

      -Captain Jack. This may have had more of an impact to me because I’d just finished Children of The Earth. But it was really fitting. And the scene with Alonso (yay, Russell Tovey!) made me smile amongst all the tears.

      -Joan’s great-granddaughter. I couldn’t take much more of this by now. I bawled when he didn’t answer whether he was happy too. I’m getting weepy just thinking about it.

      -Donna. Still not satisfied with end of her story. I wish she’d have at least seen the Doctor one last time. Maybe not remembered him, just, you know, a glance. Too much sad.

      -And, now, my favourite part of the episode. I was afraid he was going to miss Rose altogether. But, no. Of course he wouldn’t. He goes right to the beginning, just before their first meeting. He stays in the dark, not planning on talking to her but he does anyway. And he promises her the most wonderful year of her life. This is the perfect ending for Rose’s story and I’m really grateful RTD took the time to tell it.

      Then the Doctor walks away in pain, listening to the Ood’s parting song. He puts the TARDIS in orbit and the regeneration starts. His last words: “I don’t want to go.” And I know some people don’t like them but they’re just so fitting for Ten. He’s the most human Doctor we’ve seen and that part of his life is ending. Of course he doesn’t want to die, just like no other human does. And I didn’t want to see him go either because I enjoyed almost every minute of the ride.

      Then, BOOM. Back to reality. The TARDIS explodes and Matt Smith appears. And he makes me laugh, which is always a great start. GERONIMO, IT IS THEN, ELEVEN!

      • Hypatia_ says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

        -Captain Jack. This may have had more of an impact to me because I’d just finished Children of The Earth. But it was really fitting. And the scene with Alonso (yay, Russell Tovey!) made me smile amongst all the tears.

        I agree with this. I know some people get really mad about it (I don't completely get why, but that's okay, we don't all have to agree) but I think it works, particularly if you've seen Children of Earth. Then you know what Jack's recently been through and how he was the last time we saw him on Torchwood. Seeing the Doctor give him Alonso's name and Jack responding to it, seeing that flash of his old roguish self is really great in that context. You get the idea that Jack will, eventually, learn to live with what happened (not like he's got a lot of choice, but you get my meaning. Live with it emotionally).

        • leighzzz31 says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:31 pm

          …seeing that flash of his old roguish self is really great in that context. You get the idea that Jack will, eventually, learn to live with what happened…
          Yeah, exactly. It's so much more light-hearted than any of the other visits to the companions and it gives you a glimpse of the Jack we knew in the beginning. Given the drama of CoE, I think Jack was entitled to a little fun (courtesy of the Doctor :))

    • electric ashera says:
      March 15, 2011 at 9:26 pm

      I watched some of the Confidential for this one and MAN it seems like shooting this was rough on John Simm. SO MANY COSTUME CHANGES and reshoots just for one scene. Also they made a totally disturbing John Simm face thing for extras to maybe wear, except it didn't work out.

  7. psycicflower says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    I really, really want to like The End of Time part 1 and 2 but for me it just feels it has too much going on and was trying too hard to be epic and top everything RTD had done before for his exit and it just didn’t really work. I don’t think the year of specials helped at all so it’s probably very different being able to watch them straight through.

    Things I liked first:
    “You weren’t there in the final days of the war. You never saw what was born. But if the Time Lock’s broken then everything’s coming through, not just the Daleks, but the Star of Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare child, Could-Have-Been-King with his Army of Meanwhiles and Never Weres”
    <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2vl8aiu.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"> Tell me more! Please, please, please tell me more. What is ‘the moment’ and how would the Doctor use it to destroy the Time Lords and Daleks and end the Time War. I love every single reference to the Time War and want so much more. I think it’s fascinating to think of not only the Time War in general but also what it did to the Time Lords and how it apparently twisted them. I’m also really interested in the two people who disagreed being ceremonially positioned like ‘the Weeping Angels of old.’

    ‘We must look like insects to you.’ ‘I think you look like giants’

    WILF! Forever and always Wilf! ‘I’d be proud.’ ‘What?’ ‘If you were my dad.’ I love how excited he is to be in space and how he wanted to be an astronaut. His concern over never being able to visit his wife’s grave again is touching. I really like the fact that he calls out the Doctor on potentially choosing the Master over humanity. I loved that without thinking he just swaps into the chamber with the scientist despite the panic and chaos going on around them.

    I never expected Wilf of being the one to knock four times.
    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/mtqscx.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    (cont.)

  8. Stephen_M says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    I really could go on for several pages about just how bad this episode is but rather than do that let me focus on three things:

    1) Wilf. I love the character (and actor actually, Cribbins is just awesome personified) and for most of the time here he's fantastic. And then there's one moment, just one moment, where the drama and demands of the story insist that he be someone else. That moment, of course, is when he's in the booth and after having been told that the slightest touch of a control will kill him… he stands and watches and begs the Doctor not to save him. Come on, this is WILF! He took on a Dalek with a paintball gun, he's an old soldier and a man who values the Doctor higher than his own life. He'd hit every button in there in a heartbeat to keep the Doctor alive yet can't for the sake of drama. It's a complete betrayal of his character and I hate it more every time I see it.

    2) The regeneration is TERRIBLE. Just awful. It's sad, yes, but not because we're saying goodbye to Ten. It's saying goodbye to Tennant that hurts and that's just flat out wrong. The Doctor is the hero, he can have doubts but he should go out in a blaze of glory. Why burden Wilf with the knowledge of what's about to happen when you could just smile, step inside and let him out. Instead poor Wilf is going to have to live with the knowledge of what his actions caused to happen AND the fact he could have done something about it. And as for the Doctor's 'reward'… gag me with a shovel. The biggest pile of fan wa, uh, service I've ever seen and it might, MIGHT have been alright except… we just got this in Journey's End, did we REALLY need to see all these people one more time?

    Frankly Ten had stopped being enjoyable at this point and I was wishing him gone. I've never been able to say that about any other Doctor and never want to again. He'd lost his way as a character and I was actively wanting him to hurry up when we got to the ridiculous pity party that was 'I don't want to go'. Oh, and can someone explain to me when the Doctor had time to get his bones coated in Adamantium? A fall from that height, through a skylight, onto a very, very hard floor would have resulted in the world's worst entrance AND the world's flattest Doctor. Pathetic storytelling and a real sour note to finish RTD's era (which, let's be clear, had its problems, especially in later series, but was really really good for the most part). Tennant deserved a better send off than this!

    3) Thank $DEITY for Moffat and Smith! My overwhelming memory of the last minute or so of End of Time was "The fun is back!". Smith, frankly, had me at Geronimo and the next four months was just a wait to see if he'd be really really good or a legend in the making. Mark, the lucky sod, only has to wait till Thursday (if I remember the schedule right anyway). That said… can you imagine if this was a Moffat episode? DAMN would I want to see that!

    Oh, and just to finish on a positive, from the film 1939:

    Down from Heaven comes ELEVEN
    and there's HELL to pay below
    shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO".

    • Baz says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

      Your whole second point = agreed.

      The first time I watched this episode, I was really just too excited to care and too caught up and sobbing that I loved all of the companion visits, but his rant to Wilf pissed me off straight from the get-go and just makes me angrier every time I watch this episode (which isn't often…maybe…thrice?). But on those few repeat watchings, the whole ending just seemed like RTD and Tennant getting to weep about how sad they were that they were leaving, which isn't right. The Doctor has regenerated so many times that he really should do it with grace and good humor, especially as he's giving his life for someone else's. And yeah, POOR WILF. He'll always remember that he killed the guy who, not only saved the earth again and again, but also gave Donna such a great year (even though he's also the guy who removed that memory, so…it's a toss). That's not something that I would want anybody to live with, but especially not Wilf.

    • kaleidoscoptics says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:11 pm

      Gotta agree with you here about Ten. He is still my Doctor, and I love him throughout season 4 even more than in previous seasons. But EoT is just unwatchable. I wanted to be sad for Ten to leave! He was a lot of fun, and what really got me into DW in the first place! But after a while I was just like GET ON WITH IT.

      "I don't want to go" is perfect for Ten's character. But by the time we got around to that wonderful bit of characterization I was so bored that it just annoyed me. Journey's End has a wonderful "The Gang's All Here" feel to it that masks how terrible the plot was. That ending made me bawl. This had none of that feeling of love and nostalgia. There are moments that work–the Rose and Sarah Jane scenes aren't too bad. But for the most part it feels mechanical, like RTD felt the need to shove these characters in at the last minute. RTD, you have some amazing moments, and you are usually a master of playing with characterization and emotion. What went wrong here?

      But now it's Eleven's turn! I can't wait.

      (Wow, this comment sort of got away from me. Sorry!)

    • Starsea28 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 5:44 pm

      Frankly Ten had stopped being enjoyable at this point and I was wishing him gone. I've never been able to say that about any other Doctor and never want to again. He'd lost his way as a character and I was actively wanting him to hurry up when we got to the ridiculous pity party that was 'I don't want to go'.

      Oh yay, I'm not alone. <33 I actually said to my mum (who was watching it with me) "I'll be dead before he regenerates".

      Oh, and can someone explain to me when the Doctor had time to get his bones coated in Adamantium?

      I bet the Fourth Doctor would love to know, too.

      Thank $DEITY for Moffat and Smith! My overwhelming memory of the last minute or so of End of Time was "The fun is back!". Smith, frankly, had me at Geronimo and the next four months was just a wait to see if he'd be really really good or a legend in the making.

      Ditto ditto ditto.

      • radiantbaby1 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:18 pm

        I bet the Fourth Doctor would love to know, too.

        I was thinking the same thing! That totally threw me out of the story. O_o

    • electric ashera says:
      March 15, 2011 at 9:33 pm

      Point 2, more or less agreed. Perhaps RTD has as big a crush on Tennant <s>as I do</s> as all the fangirls do and thus couldn't resist angsting over it for as long as possible…

    • Openattheclose says:
      March 15, 2011 at 10:13 pm

      Frankly Ten had stopped being enjoyable at this point and I was wishing him gone. I've never been able to say that about any other Doctor and never want to again.
      I am a huge Ten fan, but I wish he had regenerated in Journey's End

  9. shyfully says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    Hi everyone, I’m new! *waves* I’ve been reading along since Firefly/The Hunger Games, but as my username shows, I am quite shy. The discussions all are so interesting that I decided to try to get over myself, but if I disappear, well, that’s where I went.

    Goodbye, Ten. He wasn’t my favorite doctor, possibly because I went the first half of his run feeling like I was cheating on Nine. I have this problem where I love every main character, though, so he is still in my good books. I’ll miss him a lot, even though it’s fun to have new blood. Bye, Ten.

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/JORPP.gif"&gt;

    It’s interesting. I felt like the “visiting old companions” thing was overdrawn and a bit rude to his past incarnations, who never got that chance, but at the same time… aw hell, I cried! Just… a lot of them could have been done better. The only one I think I’m 100% happy with was Rose, though I think it would have been slightly more effective without the Journey’s End plot (sorry, sorry! I did like that plot a lot, I just loooooove tragedy and so the idea of Ten never, ever seeing Rose again and only being able to visit her past self, unsure if her present self was happy or even alive just would have hit ALL my buttons). Still, I loved her kindness toward him, despite not knowing who he was, and her cheerfulness. It was a nice end to the first companion of the new series- all her adventures are ahead of her, life filled with promise. You go, Rose!

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/Gqzir.gif"&gt;

    I did not like Martha’s ending at all. I think it was only for that Smith-Jones joke. And seeing as that joke was initially about the Doctor’s fake human name and Martha… ugh. I get that it was a one off thing but it felt like a step backward in her journey. I’d much rather seeing her just kicking ass and taking names by herself, independent of a goddamn Smith. The best I can say is that she looked gorgeous with the braids.

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/pbFXt.gif"&gt;

    On the topic of Smiths… hi Luke! I know you won’t watch SJA, but I love Luke 🙁 I want to ruffle his hair. Do you know any of his story, Mark? One of my favorites in the Doctor Who universe.

    Anyway, saying goodbye to Ten is sad. There were a lot of moments in this episode that I just hated (Bye Naismiths! Don’t let the set door hit ya!) and things that I felt would be more powerful if they were just slightly more subtle (Tennant is a VERY good actor, RTD! He could have shown a moment of being conflicted after Wilf knocks without making him give a rant that cheapened the character for me and therefore I pretend never happened!) and things that just made me go Bwuh? (Who is that lady?! If she is a Time Lady whyyyy was she faffing about outside the time lock on her own?) but there were also a lot of moments I really adored. Overall, I think I like it and it’s a nice sendoff to the Ten era.

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/Hswhe.gif"&gt;

    The Suddenly New Doctor Emotional Shift thing is always so weird. Everything is all emotional and depressing…

    <img src="http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3854/tstandit.gif"&gt;

    But then suddenly there’s a new Doctor! Being excited!

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/qsnTR.gif"&gt;

    And I’m left being a little bit…

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/EtLid.gif"&gt;

    (But yay, Eleven! Despite what my friends say, I don't think your face looks too much like a foot!)

    • flamingpie says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:16 pm

      Excellent uses of gifs are excellent.

      I have the problem where I love every main character as well. a fair few of us do.

      that's why This Comm exists. Note that the name and discussions that take place there are spoilery for series five so anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK.

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

        Hee, I've actually been in that comm since the beginning, just under a different name! I'm waay to shy, especially on livejournal where I also write about my life and stuff, to comment regularly, though. I do like to check in after each new episode, though, because honestly some of my Who friends are so negative that it feels like every episode is The Worst Ever and I need a dose of people actually enjoying the show they watch every week!

        • flamingpie says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:25 pm

          haha, I've lurked there for a while but I'm a bit shy myself so I never really comment or anything. Reading some of the posts never fails to cheer me up after too much exposure to negativity. XD

        • masakochan says:
          March 16, 2011 at 7:56 am

          Who friends are so negative that it feels like every episode is The Worst Ever and I need a dose of people actually enjoying the show they watch every week!

          That's why I only stick to doctoreleven on LJ, but I might check out the other one too. ^^

    • __Jen__ says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

      Awesome comment is awesome!

      (Kahlan/Cara hugs FTW!)

    • arctic_hare says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:25 pm

      (But yay, Eleven! Despite what my friends say, I don't think your face looks too much like a foot!)

      Who the hell are they looking at? Certainly not the same gorgeous man I'm looking at…

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:32 pm

        I don't know! But the second Matt Smith was announced, half of my friends started calling him Foot-Face and the other half complained that the recent doctors are too pretty. Yeah.

        I think it was mainly that one really bad promo picture… And well, I do think he tends to photograph a bit odd, though in action I find him actually quite interesting to look at it, in a good way.

        • barnswallowkate says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm

          That explains it! I thought he was really creepy in the promo pic but not creepy on the show and you figured out why (photograph vs action). Thanks!

        • ldwy says:
          March 15, 2011 at 2:14 pm

          From what I've seen (which may be a lot since I got ahead of Mark and mayyyyyy just have marathoned through most of series 5, therefore I will be sticking strictly to appearance, which I know Mark has seen) Matt Smith is definitely good looking, but also definitely odd looking.
          I feel like he has the very at-the-surface bone structure to play Frankenstein? Although they'd have to ugly him up a lot with good makeup, because despite this opinion, I find him very pretty. I also feel like in motion he's better/more normal looking than in stills.
          Also, I have not made up my mind yet about that hair. It's certainly distinctive. What a weird hairline. Or possibly the way they style it is just strange. I'm on the fence. It's not bad. But I'm not sure I love it.

        • NB2000 says:
          March 15, 2011 at 2:18 pm

          I've come to the conclusion that Matt just doesn't always photograph well. Some pictures he looks okay but then some, like that really bad promo pic or the one they've got on his TvTropes page (which is rather scary actually) look awful. He's much MUCH better looking in motion.

          • shyfully says:
            March 15, 2011 at 2:30 pm

            It actually makes me like him more, since I'm kind of the same way. I think I look pretty good in person, but I guess I'm just very expression-y and so when I'm captured in one moment I look like some weird Uncanny Valley version of myself… I think he has that going + a very distinct facial structure which can be hard to light.

          • Fuchsia says:
            March 15, 2011 at 3:47 pm

            I just looked at the TVTropes picture… I don't know if I can stop laughing! It looks like he's in his pajamas, just got out of bed and was surprised by the paparazzi in his bedroom! What?

    • ldwy says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:11 pm

      I have this problem where I love every main character, though, so he is still in my good books.
      I have this problem too. And while it sometimes removes my critical eye, mostly I don't think it's a problem, it simply makes me so so happy to be watching/reading all my loves.

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:27 pm

        Exactly! I mean, I still have things I really don't like, such as in this episode, but at the same time… I just love everyone in it, even if I don't like them. But all my friends are super opinionated about everything which makes it a bit hard, sometimes. Moffat vs RTD, Rose vs Everyone Else, Martha vs Rose's Memory, Ten vs Eleven vs Nine vs Five and more that are spoilers. And, unfortunately, they are not all like the people on this site and will get into some pretty vicious fights about it.

        • ldwy says:
          March 15, 2011 at 7:54 pm

          Ugh, that's rough. I definitely have some friends like that about other things, but sadly, I don't have any friends that are into Doctor Who! That's why I'm loving these sites so much. Even if I don't agree with everyone all the time, or don't have a strong opinion where others do, it's just so fun to get to be a fan with a whole group of people.

    • Baz says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:12 pm

      the idea of Ten never, ever seeing Rose again and only being able to visit her past self, unsure if her present self was happy or even alive just would have hit ALL my buttons).

      This would have made me SO MUCH HAPPIER!!!!! I loved Rose up until she came back, and then I just felt like it was cheating (I mean, I was glad to see her, but….come on).

    • MowerOfLorn says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:27 pm

      I agree; the Mickey/Martha romance seems forced, partly because of the Smith-Jones thing, and I can't help but feel its partly because of race. What happened to Tom Milligan? It just came completely out of left field, and bothered me a bit.

      In all, I agree with your assessment. It wasn't perfect, and I would have preferred Ten to be a little more accepting of his fate, but all-in-all, a nice goodbye to Ten's era.

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 4:33 pm

        Definitely. Even if it wasn't ~because~ of race, the societal context of racism still has to be examined. Great, the only two black companions ever, who just so happened to be treated badly by the Doctor (and were treated harshly by the fandom for getting in the way of the two white leads romance) are suddenly paired up without ever having an onscreen conversation, despite it being shown that Martha was engaged to someone else? WTF. I don't think RTD was sitting there being all "Hahaha, I shall pair the black people! Excellent!" or anything but I think he mainly wanted to cut down time/do the Smith-Jones thing and just failed to notice the race stuff at all. Apparently they were supposed to be in Torchwood together, which would have provided context, but the fact is they weren't and so it just looks really bad. Just putting them as partners would have been enough and people would have probably shipped them anyway. It was such a sour note for me.

    • Katie says:
      March 15, 2011 at 6:33 pm

      Um, where is the excited redhead with blood on her mouth from please? This is relevant to my interests.

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 6:43 pm

        She's from True Blood! She is one of my favorite characters ever, no lie 🙂

        <img src=http://i.imgur.com/xwWMN.gif>

  10. illusclaire says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    Beard-Mickey and braids-Martha look GREAT.

    (..Yaaay the end of Ten!)

  11. scholastika says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    I liked this episode far more than the last. There are a lot of flaws, but I'll leave them for others to point them out. Ten, David Tennant, I adored you, despite your emo-ness and God complex. I had no idea how the next Doctor could possibly measure up. Love the goodbye sequence, even though it was ridiculously long.

    THE DOCTOR IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE DOCTOR.

    • TimeCat says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:22 pm

      Ya. When I watched this episode in real-time with a group of friends, the goodbye scene was the best thing ever. Yeah, it's completely self-indulgent fanwank, but it's still on an emotional level with most of the fans at the time. Oh my god TEN IS LEAVING WE DON'T WANT YOU TO GO! Rewatching it, it feels a bit more ridiculous, but… I'm okay with ridiculous in my Who.

  12. flamingpie says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    IT IS. I FEEL KIND OF BAD LINKING TO THE DOCTOR AND I AT THE SAME TIME AS IT BECAUSE GOOD AS THAT ONE IS IT HAS NO CHANCE OF COMPARING AND IT'S LIKE I DOOMED IT TO MEDIOCRITY.

    • aleja23t says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:28 pm

      I think you did! I was very confused half-way through the second one.

      • flamingpie says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:30 pm

        i think the funny thing about the second video is that according to my friend, john barrowman used one almost EXACTLY like it for his tour. XD

        • Hanah says:
          March 15, 2011 at 2:47 pm

          As someone who went on that tour I can confirm that this is pretty much entirely true! (That concert, incidentally, may have been the SINGLE GREATEST THING NIGHT OF MY LIFE. God that man knows how to please an audience!)

          • Bonnie says:
            March 15, 2011 at 10:59 pm

            I'm sorry but ""God that man knows how to please an audience!"because its Barrowman, that will never be not dirty for me 🙂

  13. t09yavorski says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    The Donna bit in the alley upset me a bit cause he left her unconscious in an alley with crazy Masters all over the place.

    Though I did love that he called her his best friend. 🙂 (As opposed to the mother of his MetaCrisis lovechild. 😛 )

    Also Matt Smith proved himself right away for me.

    "Hair…I'm a woman!!!"

    • plaidpants says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm

      Oh yes, the "best friend" line made me squee. Because of course they're best friends.

    • Hypatia_ says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:27 pm

      Because I have a deeply wrong mind, every time I see the bit where Eleven shrieks "I'm a GIRL!" and kind of grabs at his throat and feels his adam's apple, I always think "Y'know, that's not the most efficient place to look to determine your sex." I know, FAMILY SHOW. But that's what always pops into my head.

      • Helena says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

        I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY ME!
        I rewatched that today and I couldn't remember what happened after that line and I went 'ooh, how are they going to get away with that?' and then was so disappointed!

      • The Beellsor says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:53 pm

        WELL THE WAY I VIEW THAT SCENE HAS PERMANENTLY CHANGED.

        i like it.

      • sabra_n says:
        March 15, 2011 at 4:27 pm

        Hey, maybe it is the most efficient way for a Time Lord. We don't know what they've got going on in their pants. 😛

      • ThreeBooks says:
        March 15, 2011 at 4:47 pm

        Yeah, but it's Eleven.

      • echinodermata says:
        March 15, 2011 at 5:07 pm

        I think there's room for fanwank about alien biology so him feeling his throat gets a pass from me.

    • flamingpie says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:03 pm

      you have to admit, it would have been HILARIOUS if he'd referred to her as the mother of his metacrisis lovechild.

  14. Caroline says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    As soon as Wilf knocked, I broke down. And cried. So hard I had to pause the damn show and take half an hour to compose myself. Resumed watching AND CRIED HARDER.

    Cheesy as the two-parter was, the end was a sucker punch in the gut for me.

    I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO EITHER, TEN!

  15. TropeGirl says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    I think my favorite part of this episode was Joan Redfern's great-granddaughter. It always makes me sad when I watch it with someone who doesn't recognize who she is supposed to be.

    (paraphrase)
    "Was she happy, in the end?"
    "Yes. Were you?"
    (brave broken face of ultimate sadness)

    SO BEAUTIFUL.

    By the way, the mysterious Time Lord Lady is not a spoiler. At least one of the higher ups on the show has said she is the Doctor's mother.

    I just rewatched the Eleventh Doctor's first episode, by the way, and I just want to say that though like you, I started with Nine and the Tenth Doctor is MY Doctor, Matt Smith is pretty damned awesome. You're in for a good ride.

  16. toneDef77 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Goodbye David Ten-inch…you will be missed!!

  17. Wookie_Monster says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    The Doctor changed his Profile Picture
    http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/003/4/9/Th…

  18. echinodermata says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    "we’ll never get to see you say, “Welllllllllllll……” again."

    <img src="http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4346/tumblrlh5nbpc7iz1qafmk8.gif"&gt;
    (Source)

    Negativity about this ep in my self-reply; skip if you don't want to read it.

    • echinodermata says:
      March 15, 2011 at 12:17 pm

      So one thing I do find fun about this two-parter is the bondage visuals with the Master and then Ten. Um, and I like that we get more of the green aliens. And more adipose and Judoon and Oods. So that’s about all I really enjoyed.

      Ready for negativity? Here we go!

      So first off, there’s just so much wasted potential with the Time Lords being brought back. We’ve never really been told about the Time War and what happened, and I was originally pretty excited thinking we would finally learn more about it. Turns out, we still don’t get much resolution to it. And also, honestly, I don’t even get why Donna was in this two-parter (outside the companion tour) – I love Donna, but I thought it was entirely unnecessary and not the way I wanted to say goodbye to her character. I had thought she’d remember given how the last ep finished, but again, nope: the things I expected to happen didn’t. Frankly, if they’re not gonna fix her, then I would have rathered they left her out of the ep.

      So I have issues with the plot of this two-parter, and I think this is again RTD trying to fit in too much all at once, and so it’s kind of a jumble and not particularly rewarding given how thinly addressed some parts were.

      Before I get into Ten’s ending, I do want to say I am pretty sure I did cry at least once the first time I watched this, during the moments when Ten realizes he has to sacrifice himself up to his regeneration. I mean, it is basically the end of an era, I get that. But I don’t think it really stands up to rewatch for me, especially when I’ve seen Eleven in action.

      Ten being all whiny about dying for Wilf makes me want to punch him in the face. I don’t care if he has reason to self-pity, I hate watching it and it’s not like the Doctor hasn’t regenerated before, especially when his last regeneration was kind of a crowning moment for Nine. The contrast in regenerations for Nine and Ten is actually a perfect summary for what I felt was wrong about Ten’s character as he progressed. Dignity, where’d it go?

      I didn’t have a problem with the companion tour in theory, and I like some moments of it, but I hated Donna’s bit. Really, her gift is money? Really? Just ugh, DNW. And then I don’t care for how entirely out of left-field the Mickey/Martha thing is. Totally fits the “pair the spares” trope, plus they’re both basically the Doctor’s “rejects.” So I wasn’t happy about them being randomly together, but I do appreciate that our goodbye to them is with them still fighting and being BAMFs (and Martha’s hair looks pretty awesome like that).

      And then “I don’t want to go” – even if I did find it sad, I was entirely ready to see Ten leave at this point, even the first time I watched it, and I was completely excited for a new Doctor.

      Ultimately, I wish Ten hadn’t had such a pitiful ending – I thought Tennant deserved better, to be honest. I wished he could have gone out with dignity, especially since I think Tennant is now pretty iconic as the Doctor. And for all the negativity I may direct towards Ten, it’s never been Tennant that I had a problem with.

      • arctic_hare says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:20 pm

        THIS to everything you've said.

      • Wookie_Monster says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:37 pm

        Well, the money is a chance for Donna to start a new life. Plus it's actually a gift from her father from beyond the grave, which made this a huge tear jerker for me.

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:42 pm

        I agree with everything you said.

        It's weird, this two parter seems to both have too much and too little plot. If they had taken out the Donna stuff, the Master Race stuff, the Skeletor/Cult of Saxon stuff and the Naismith stuff, then reworked the plot around the Time Lords coming back being the main thrust of episode 1 and maybe had the Doctor & Wilf in hiding for some of part 2, more along the lines of when the Master first showed up, then it could have been a lot stronger of a plot, for me.

      • barnswallowkate says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:57 pm

        I think I agree with 100% of this comment. And also right click-saved your one above it.

      • psycicflower says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm

        THIS! Especially your whole last paragraph.

      • Chaneen says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:09 pm

        WORD x 1000000000 to everything in this comment.

      • lastyearswishes says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:13 pm

        "And then I don't care for how entirely out of left-field the Mickey/Martha thing is. Totally fits the "pair the spares" trope, plus they're both basically the Doctor's "rejects." So I wasn't happy about them being randomly together"

        Pretty sure I've read somewhere that Davies put them together basically as a call-back to "Smith and Jones."

      • NB2000 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:27 pm

        "Dignity, where'd it go?"

        THIS! Seriously, this!

    • You Are Not Alone says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:41 pm

      The first scene of this episode, SET ON ACTUAL GALLIFREY, was so pant-wettingly exciting the first time I watched this episode. After the bits of information we’d gained about the Time War over the past four series, it was thrilling to learn more about it. There’s some more evocative names for some of the terrors it featured: “the Skaro degradations, “the Horde of Travesties”, “the Would-Have-Bee-King and his army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres”. WOW.

      Another crucial thing we learn about the Time War is that the Doctor had to kill the Time Lords because they had turned corrupt and desperate and were planning to destroy creation itself in order to live on in some way. Survival at all cost, drawing a parallel with the Master and the Doctor in this story.

      It’s a decision that has haunted the Doctor since, but here we see him confront the fact that his decision was justified and right, and given the chance, he did it again. Ever since the Time War, the Doctor has been waiting for the day where he could live his life free from guilt and this story is a huge step towards that.

      The Doctor’s aversion to guns, to try and find the non-violent solution is put to the test. Once he learnt Time Lords were involved, he found himself back to being the soldier he was in the Time War, who had fought and killed, a man hoped he’d never have to be again. But now he’d have to kill. It’s not the time and place for his optimism that there must always be another way. Unless…

      The Woman. I’m going to refer you who RTD had in mind when he conceived of her (from The Writer’s Tale:

      “It could only be his mother, really. If I can’t imagine a world in which our mothers
      are there, at the end of our lives, in our time of need, to help us, then what’s the point?
      It’ll never really happen, so I want to imagine it. “

      “Actually, it goes right back to the Master in The Sound of Drums, saying that he was
      ‘resurrected’. That’s always preyed on my mind. I think an awful lot about the Time
      War, actually, more than I’d ever quite realised – that it was so dark, so obscene, that
      the dead were walking, called back into life to fight the terrible fight.”

      This reminds me so much of Harry Potter:
      “You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You
      think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of
      great trouble?”
      And, of course, “The Forest Again” and “stay close to me.”

      Wilf knocking four times is an unbelievable moment. The Doctor rages at the cruel joke the Universe has played on him, snatching it all away just when it seemed things might be on the upturn for him, but he was always going to walk into that booth. He’s a man in love with life and will always fiercely defend it.

      So when the Doctor is going to have a slow, painful death, he sees it as an opportunity to make sure his loved ones are safe and happy. His reward.

      “Allons-y” is the best long-running gag ever. “A phrase of great power and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need” <3

      From Harry Potter to Hamlet. Good night, sweet Doctor and may flights of Ood sing thee to thy rest. The song they're singing is called "Vale Decem". Farewell, Ten.
      The Doctor is about to regenearate, freed from the guilt of the Time War, and having just said goodbye to his companions. He should be satisfied and ready. And yet… death is death. ONE IS NEVER PREPARED. In a moment of raw honesty, all alone in the TARDIS he can't help but admit it.

      But then Matt Smith pops into existence and it turns out there was nothing to be afraid of after all. The Doctor is the Doctor again.

      • You Are Not Alone says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:49 pm

        Whoops, this was not meant as a reply, sorry!.

      • nanceoir says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:37 pm

        Another crucial thing we learn about the Time War is that the Doctor had to kill the Time Lords because they had turned corrupt and desperate and were planning to destroy creation itself in order to live on in some way. … It's a decision that has haunted the Doctor since, but here we see him confront the fact that his decision was justified and right, and given the chance, he did it again. Ever since the Time War, the Doctor has been waiting for the day where he could live his life free from guilt and this story is a huge step towards that.

        I've never put a lot of thought into how the Doctor reacts to the Time Lords' return and how it affects the guilt he feels for what he had to do. Thank you for putting all of that into words.

  19. ScarecrowCeno says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    One misconception I think people have si that the Time Lords are soemhow trapped and not dead. But note they say in the opening that The Doctor has stolen "the Moment" and he'll use it… THIS is the weapon that will actually destroy the Time Lords and Daleks., What we're seeing is basically a Time War flashback. On Tuesday the TLs realised the Doctor was gonna wipe them all out, and so tried to escape the Time Lock they were already trapped in. Then at the end of EotTP2 they are sent back.. to their fate where the Doctor uses the Moment and destrosy them on Wednesday. This is implied in the episode, btu sitll, manhy seem to think its a retcon. it's not. 🙂

    • virtual_monster says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:06 pm

      He sends them back to Tuesday…

      …where the dome over the Citadel of the Time lords is broken and Dalek saucers are liberally scattered all over the floor like abnormally deadly confetti. Or like dead leaves from the Forest from Hell.

      I love that fleeting scene-setting image with all the broken Dalek ships. It's just beautiful.

      • ScarecrowCeno says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:33 pm

        Indeed. And as they delight in telling us THIS is only the very outer most edge of the Time War. I'd doubt anyone could even comprehend what's occuring at its heart!

  20. jennywildcat says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    This was something going around during New Years and I think it's appropriate here:

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/tumblr_leavovuPKd1qzkif6o1_500.gif&quot; border="0" alt="New Year 2010/2011">

    Okay, so I didn't realize how much people didn't like "The End of Time." The comments yesterday – holy crap. But I loved it and most of the reasons lie in the second part. So, this will be a gushing, happy, slightly incoherent, fangirl ramble.

    In all honesty, this story can be summed up by something someone said about the Classic Series – "I don't know what happened, but damn was it fun!" (I'm an emotional and sentimental person, so this stuff is right up my alley). There is so much going on in this episode, I have to put it in all in list form:

    – The Doctor called Donna his best friend! YAY!
    – Okay, the whole drumming in the Master's head = the heartbeat of a Time Lord thing is actually pretty damn brilliant.
    – Even in the middle of the battle of his life, the Doctor still has time to indulge Wilf on his first moment in space
    – WORST. RESCUE. EVER!
    – It took me a while, but I get the Time Lords' plan with the drumming and the White Point Star – the drumming was sent back in time to the Master when he was a kid as a link to the Time Lords in the time-locked Time War. The Time Lords used the White Point Star to follow the link and bring Gallifrey and the Time War back into existence and we end up with this:

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Macros/000p1w69.png&quot; border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">

    (funnily enough, the whole bit about going back in time to fiddle with current events was played with in "The Curse of Fatal Death" – the DW spoof that Steven Moffat wrote for Comic Relief in 1999. There are other places in Doctor Who where this has been done of course, but I kept thinking of that spoof during the Time Lord sequences in this story.)

    – I sobbed – hear me, SOBBED – when the Doctor wouldn't take Wilf's gun. WHY DO ALL THE SCENES WITH THE DOCTOR AND WILF MAKE ME BAWL LIKE A BABY?
    – There is an old Earth saying… a phrase of great power and wisdom and consolation to the soul in times of need – Allons-y!

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/i5vO2.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">

    – After all that showdown and all that tension and all that HOLY CRAP … the Doctor is ALIIIIVE!!

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Doctor%20Who/0055da3e.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">

    – *knock, knock, knock, knock* WAAAAAIT…

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/8vzv6hjpg-1.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">

    ALL THE SADS!! (But Mark – big props to you for pointing out that the Master never actually "knocked" – I had never thought of that).

    – The ending – oh dear heaven, this ending. It catches a lot of flack (which, I had no idea how much people didn't like the finale as a whole – holy cow, all the comments yesterday… IDEK) But I like it. It starts out kind of okay – the Doctor saves Mickey and Martha (which, what happened to Tom Milligan?), sees Joan Redfern's great-granddaughter, introduces Captain Jack and Alonso Frame in the Whoniverse's answer to the Mos Eisley Cantina. Keep everything light and fluffy, RTD – yes, that's good… And then – Donna's wedding. It's still pretty happy – until the lottery ticket. Compliments of Geoff Noble. The Doctor lets Donna's deceased father give her a wedding present.

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Sad%20Gifs/fffuuu.png&quot; border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">

    • mkjcaylor says:
      March 15, 2011 at 8:16 pm

      I know, holy cow, there's lots of negativity here about many episodes of DW that I LOVE but at least there is about a 50/50 thing, I think, on Love/Hate and I almost think this has to do with what we want out of the show. I'm getting exactly what I want so it's AMAZING. I love this 2-parter.

  21. kaybee42 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    I wont comment properly and I'll stay out of most of the comments. I only just finished this episode and the sadness is still too strong for me!
    I love this episode quite a lot. I love ten so much, in spite of (because of?) his MANY faults. I love all his companions, especially Wilf and Donna. I love love love love the Doctor in all his incarnations, and the programme no matter what.
    Sad, so sad, somany tears, to see Ten go (again! It will still so hard!). Bring on 11, though!

  22. arctic_hare says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    No gifs of him till Mark's seen the actual episodes they come from. Deleting this.

    • TripLLLe says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:20 pm

      Oh, cool. My bad. I've seen him use Eleven gifs before, like on the spoiler explanation page, so I thought it was okay. No problem, we'll get there soon enough!

  23. jennywildcat says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    – The one thing that could have made the encounter with Rose any better was if the Doctor had said "You're going to have a fantastic year."

    – "This song is ending… but the story never ends." DAMN YOU, OOD! (I just wanted to yell at someone here)

    – Anyone remember back in "The Christmas Invasion" when the Doctor got his hand cut off and grew a new one? And he called his new hand his "Fightin' Hand?" Well, guess which hand started regenerating first? (And guess who started screaming at the computer screen?) I don't know if that was deliberate or not, but it's something I noticed.

    – So I'm sitting here – the Doctor pulls out the "I don't want to go" line – the yellow-regeneration energy blows up the TARDIS interior – I'm weeping and sobbing my eyes out – and here's Matt Smith! (and Steven Moffat, writing the Eleventh Doctor's very first scene) – blabbering on about eyes, ears, nose, legs, chin – no, he's not a girl – still not ginger – and CRASHING!
    And I admit, through my tear-stained face and hiccupping sobs – I actually laughed.

    – Really, it was a brilliant send-off for David Tennant. He'd pretty much owned that part for the last four years and he helped solidify "Doctor Who" in the TV world. However long this new series lasts (and I really hope it rivals the Classic Series in longevity), everyone who works on this show or is a fan of it owes David Tennant and Russell T Davies BIG TIME. There's probably a whole list of people who also contributed, but as far as the public goes with accepting and loving this franchise that's been around for nearly fifty years, whoever is cast in the title role is a big deal and DT nailed it. Every. Damn. Time. Say what you will about this finale or even the RTD era in general – this was a celebration of a fantastic show, a fantastic story and a fantastic actor who deserves all the heaping praise critics and fans can give him (haters, you will find an exit to your left. Kindly use it).

    That being said – WELCOME MATT SMITH!!! (omg – excite!)

    <img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/n5m1vs.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Matt Smith Finger Gun">

  24. masakochan says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    First, an image:
    <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/zvddgo.jpg"&gt;

    I'm just excited that you'll get to start on Series 5. 😀 And, oh yeah- Matt Smith can definitely impress.

    <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2nk2djb.jpg"&gt;

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/s13jic.jpg"&gt;

  25. goldensage says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    Long-time reader, first time commenter, I've been a fan of Doctor Who for almost a year now.

    The End of Time left me cold – the plot often made no sense. But I was laughing hysterically at fake Obama and the Master everywhere in Part 1.

    Oh, the End of Time, pt 2. You were huge and over-dramatic and didn't make much sense, but I felt sad at the end. (The closest I was to tears was the descendant of Joan Redfern).

    Honestly, my favorite part of the episode was the ending. We get Eleven! MATT SMITH!

    (You see, I was watching Series 5 on TV and going back to watch older series.) I had a giant grin on my face when Eleven popped up on screen. Because he is my Doctor.

    You are not prepared for the awesome that is Series 5. That was my proper introduction to Doctor Who, and I fell in love five minutes in. <3. I just loved the idea of The Doctor so, so much.

  26. Fusionman29 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    Now trivia from the man of Fusion!

    A. The scene where Luke is saved is part of a subtle in-joke, according to Davies, where in the first series The Sarah Jane Adventures none of the children characters looked where they are going while crossing the road.

    B. The name of Jessica Hynes’ character, Verity Newman, is a reference to Verity Lambert and Sydney Newman. This is the second time the revived series has honoured the two people who are considered among the primary creators of Doctor Who; a similar reference occurred in DW: Human Nature when the Doctor, under his human guise, says his parents were named Verity and Sydney. In this episode, Hynes plays a descendant of Joan Redfern, a character featured in Human Nature.

    C. During his resurrection, the Master tells Lucy “You will obey me!” This was a frequent catch phrase used during his previous incarnations, particularly during the UNIT years.

    D. The original title for Part 1 was The Final Days of Planet Earth, and was in fact the title when Davies teased readers of Doctor Who Magazine with the statement that the title was six words long. Later, however, he decided to give the title The End of Time to both specials.

    E. Russell T Davies has said in an interview that The Tenth Doctor’s death had been planned out since David Tennant was signed on for the role. Davies also heavily implied had Tennant not been cast, the Tenth Doctor would have died a different way.

    F. The ship is called The Hesperus.

    G. The End of Time was not the only finale considered. In another, the Tenth Doctor was going to bow out in a one-parter, saving a family of four aliens from a radiation leak.

    H. Before the Doctor regenerates and the TARDIS flies away from Earth, the words “God save the TARDIS” and “God save our saviour” can be heard in the chior that sing in the background. UGH. RTD… UGH.

    Did I miss any non-spoilery things?

    • Hypatia_ says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:44 pm

      H. Before the Doctor regenerates and the TARDIS flies away from Earth, the words "God save the TARDIS" and "God save our saviour" can be heard in the chior that sing in the background. UGH. RTD… UGH.

      Really? I've only got the Latin version of the lyrics of the piece that accompanies the Doctor's regeneration, and my Latin kind of sucks as it has been lo these many years since I studied it, but there's nothing like that in the lyrics.

      • Fusionman29 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

        I’m quoting the Tardis wiki here. Maybe they want to make RTD look bad?

        -Shrugs-

        • Imo says:
          March 16, 2011 at 2:37 am

          Having sung it myself I can definitley state that we didn't sing anything like that. I'm looking at the score right now … and it's mostly just Vale to be honest! Heh. The lyrics I can see are:

          Vale decem
          Ad aeternam
          Di meliora
          Ad aeternam
          Vale decem
          Di meliora
          Bati Pacifici
          Vale decem
          Alis grave
          Ad perpertuam Memoriam

          Vale decem gratibi
          Ago ad aeternam
          Nunquam singularis Nunquam
          Dum spiro fido
          Vale vale vala vale vale vale vale vale vale vale!

          As you can see – lots of Vale! (this means 'farewell', is that right?)

          I never studied Latin, so if someone else wants to translate that it'd be grand. There's no punctuation in the score, so I've just written it down as is. I may well have broken up sentences onto different lines incorrctly.
          The bit that always got me was nunquam singularis (which I believe is 'never alone'?), sung while he was regenerating very much alone.

          The only other lyrics I can find are the song sung in the church at the start of Part 1 (looks like choirboys, sounds like ladies from North London!) which are in english but vague. No mention of God, The Doctor, or the TARDIS.

          Plus this bit of latin – from somewhere in Part 2, not sure where:

          Oriundes Divum

          Hope this helps!

    • You Are Not Alone says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:58 pm

      When the TARDIS flies away from Earth, the lyrics are: "Nunquam Singularis". Never Alone.
      Full Vale Decem lyrics:

      Vale Decem
      Ad aeternam
      Di meliora
      Ad aeternam
      Vale Decem
      Di meliora
      Beati
      Pacifici
      Vale Decem
      Alis grave
      Ad perpetuam memoriam
      Vale Decem
      Gratis tibi ago
      Ad aeternam
      Nunquam singularis
      Nunquam
      Dum spiro fido
      Vale…

      Translation:

      Farewell, Ten
      On to eternity
      (May the) gods (grant you) better times
      On to eternity
      Farewell, Ten
      (May the) gods (grant you) better, blessed, peaceful times
      Farewell, Ten
      Heavy with wings
      Forever in our memory
      Farewell, Ten
      I give you thanks
      On to eternity
      Never alone
      Never
      While you breathe, trust
      Farewell…

      • xpanasonicyouthx says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:58 pm

        Oh god that is BEAUTIFUL.

      • mkjcaylor says:
        March 15, 2011 at 8:26 pm

        Thank you for posting this, I always wanted to see the actual lyrics translated!

      • drippingmercury says:
        March 16, 2011 at 9:48 am

        "dum spiro fido" is "while I breathe, I trust" – first person rather than second.
        (Not trying to be snarky, just thought it was worth mentioning because it alters the interpretation slightly and I'm a grammar dalek or something… a latin grammar dalek, even. egad.)

    • who_cares86 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm

      "F. The ship is called The Hesperus."

      Not Starbug? Because it sure looks like Starbug

    • Matt says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:02 pm

      The story Wilf tells of seeing "bullets like a blizzard" is actually one of Bernard Cribbens' own wartime stories. RTD tried to write some but realised he couldn't match the memories of someone who was actually there.

    • Mauve_Avenger says:
      March 15, 2011 at 8:09 pm

      A bit of casting weirdness:

      Matt Smith originally auditioned for the role of John Watson in Steven Moffat's Sherlock, but was told he was more suited to the role of Sherlock himself (but that Benedict Cumberbatch had been guaranteed the role at that point); instead, he was told to go audition for Doctor Who.

      There are also rumors that Benedict Cumberbatch had been in discussions about taking over the role of the Doctor after David Tennant stepped down, but ended up turning it down. He had said in an interview that if he did go on Doctor Who he wouldn't want his role to be too small, stating that it'd be strange to go from being the main character in Sherlock to being a one-off character in Who.
      <img src="http://thevelvetdemon.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/sherlockandthedoctor.jpg?w=300&h=300"&gt;

      • trash_addict says:
        March 15, 2011 at 8:52 pm

        Oh man, the idea of Matt playing John Watson to Benedict's Sherlock is just *too much*,

      • maript says:
        March 16, 2011 at 11:25 am

        The obvious solution is having Benedict be the Master to Matt's Doctor, maybe in Series 7 (there is no way he won't ever be back. I refuse to believe it).
        It'd be even better if he kept his natural hair, because then the Doctor would be incredibly jealous that the Master gets to be ginger and he doesn't.

  27. SusanBones says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    I really liked the final episode once they got to the part where Wilf knocks four times. Like Mark said, it is corny and meant to be somewhat melodramatic, but I really loved it.

    My favorite goodbye is when the Doctor sees Joan Redfern's great-granddaugther. I loved that episode and I love that he cared enough about her to go to the effort of seeing how she lived after he left her.

    I really didn't care that Martha ended up a soldier instead of a Doctor. Her marriage to Mickey seemed unbelievable to me. Why did she get an old Rose castoff?

    David Tennant did a great job of it.

    A lot of people say that Tennant will always be their Doctor. I suppose that is logical.

    I can't wait until you review Matt. i don't call him Eleven. I call him Matt. 🙂

  28. Hypatia_ says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    Ah, “End of Time”. I know you have your detractors, but you still make me cry all the tears.

    The way Ten has to go out is just utterly unfair to him. This was a guy who was, initially, genuinely happy, thought the best of everyone, and tried so hard to do good, even if it was sometimes misguided and there were some questionable decisions. He deserved to, if not live longer, at least have some happiness before he went out. Instead, the universe decided to see just how much more he could take even after he’d already snapped. After all he’s done for it! SCREW YOU, UNIVERSE.

    Oh, and the mysterious woman. No, it’s not a spoiler, it’s never been revealed in-universe who she is. RTD said who she’s meant to be (we can tell you if you want to know), but I don’t think it’s necessarily canon. In my head, she’s either the Doctor’s mother, his wife (or lover/partner, whatever he had back on Gallifrey, Susan’s grandmother anyway) or Susan. It doesn’t really matter to me which one, but in my head it’s definitely one of those three.

    As I’ve said before, Ten is not my Doctor. I love him, but he’s entirely too human for my taste. But I’d definitely gotten attached to him after three series, and although I was ready to see him go, the way they did it was completely heartbreaking. The part that gets me most is when he goes to find Rose last. I don’t think he was keeping the shadows so she wouldn’t recognize him, he’d gone back to before she knew him. She wouldn’t have recognized him anyway. Anyway, it’s at that point I start getting teary. Then the music kicks in (brilliant piece, BTW, it’s called “Vale Decem”) and it’s all over. Cue the waterworks. And the fact that he regenerated alone. This was an incarnation who craved company so much, and here he is, utterly broken and about to die, and he’s alone.

    I must say I’m not fond of the way Eleven was introduced. After all this darkness and anguish and tears, the way the episode ended was just too damn cheery. It felt like Ten’s exit had been cheapened (as some of us were saying last night on the spoiler blog). I wish they’d kept it on a slightly more sombre note, because I certainly feel sad after watching it. Goodbye, Ten, you were brilliant.

    • plummy says:
      March 15, 2011 at 7:16 pm

      I agree! I was DESTROYED with Ten leaving (Tennant, you are MY doctor!) and I was immediately biased against Eleven because I felt that it wasn't showing respect to my trauma and to what had just happened, lol.

    • drippingmercury says:
      March 16, 2011 at 10:23 am

      I do think he was keeping to the shadows so she wouldn't recognize him – in the future. Imagine if she recognized the Doctor when he regenerated into Ten- "You're not THE Doctor, not MY Doctor! Hang on, you're that drunk, rrrrreeeallly miserable guy I saw at New Years!" And then the Doctor would wonder why future-Ten was so sad and past-stalking Rose.
      Oh and timelines and whatnot. *waves hands*

  29. cdnstar says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    I must comment before leaving work (hah, I just spent how long at the end of my day reading THIS?!!!) to just say that the scene where Wilf is locked in the radiation chamber and the Doctor is having his crisis … is, while fucking devestating, one of my favourites of the entire Fourth season. It has me in tears just THINKING ABOUT IT. UGH. *wipes cheek* And then to follow THAT up with the wonderful cheesiness that made me so emotional (the scene with Donna! Her wedding! Her father lent the money for the ticket! OMG!). Yeah. This just does me in.

  30. Kaci says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Oh, Mark. I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU, because as much as I agree with you that when I think of The Doctor, my mind still immediately snaps to David Tennant (and series 4 was the first one that I watched as it aired, so even though I started with Eccleston, Ten was still my "first" Doctor), Eleven is MY Doctor. He had me not even ten minutes into his first episode. So I am really excited for you to meet Eleven.

    That said, this episode. Ugh, man. I hadn't seen it since it aired, but I decided to watch it again last night so I could remember it for your reviews, and my heart has been bleeding all damn day. That monologue where Ten realizes that it's for Wilf kills me. David Tennant, way to be a STAR.

    Am I the only one who can't watch this episode without shouting at the TV, "TIMOTHY DALTON SHOULD WIN AN OSCAR AND BEAT SEAN CONNERY OVER THE HEAD WITH IT!" I am? Damn.

    (cont'd)

    • Kaci says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:21 pm

      I'm still not exactly sure what happened with the Master. Did he die? Did he get sucked back to Gallifrey with the other Time Lords? (If he did, can I please have a spin off mini-series with Lord Master and Lord President snarking at each other for eternity? DO WANT.)

      Mickey/Martha bothers me so much. Last I remember, she had a fiance and then…what? How did that happen? You can't just shove them together with absolutely no explanation. Sorry. I can't buy it. It bothers me SO MUCH. (Note: I am not against Mickey/Martha, not at ALL! I just…don't like the way it's just hastily thrown together that way with no explanation.)

      Donna's ending still saddens me. I just. Can't. I can't I can't I can't.

      And, of course, Rose. The thing I don't understand is…she sees his face. They talk. She's obviously a little freaked out by him. If some guy you didn't know came up to you and had that conversation, wouldn't you maybe remember it?

      (cont'd)

  31. Openattheclose says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/tumblr_lg3ubpxr1y1qahmy6o1_500.png>
    "Do you think I'd leave my best friend alone without a defense mechanism?"
    Best Friend. This is my favorite part.
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/tumblr_lag0tkph1o1qagmrlo1_500.png>
    Okay, and the whole conversation on the ship with Wilf. I love that Ten refuses the gun, but as soon as it's clear it's the Time Lords, he grabs it. For four series we heard good things about the Time Lords, because "That's how I choose to remember them," but their return isn't a happy possibility.
    "The could have been king and his army of meanwhiles and neverweres." What the heck is that? I want to know.
    "You never would, you coward." I love the callback to Nine here.
    "Get out of the way."
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/tumblr_lhcytjQQtg1qfl9mro1_500.gif>
    Okay, something happened when I was rewatching this episode, because I remember not being very fond of it the first time I saw it. But as I was watching last night, I changed my mind. Mostly for that last half hour alone. It got to me. I think Martha and Mickey are one smoking hot couple, and I wish RTD had had time to actually show us them getting together, but I don't mind filling in the blanks myself. I was just so happy to see everyone again. The tears start, for me, when we see Sarah Jane, and you can tell by the look on her face that she knows exactly what is going on, and that she's grateful the Doctor is saying goodbye this time. It was a nice little surprise to have Joan Redfern's granddaughter there, and the look on Ten's face when she asks if he was happy too is heartbreaking. David Tennant kills me this episode. I think Jack got a bit shafted here, as he really could have used a good talk with the Doctor concerning events he has recently gone through, but it was a nice surprise to see Alonso again. The Doctor buying a lottery ticket from Donna's dad, to make sure his best friend has money to live on, is a really sweet gesture, and she's HIS BEST FRIEND, and I am so happy about it and sad at the same time. And then Rose. I am not a big shipper, but I am glad for the Doctor that he gets to see her one last time." You're going to have a great year."

    And then the Ood are singing him to his sleep and I just can't take it. Oh Doctor, I will miss you!

    There were so many good Tennant tributes done in the year of the specials, here is just one:
    The Tenth Doctor- From Start to Finish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h7rhX-MyKA
    Mark, I still really think you should watch the SJA episode called, "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith."
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/tumblr_lb12urceSi1qcwhkeo1_400.gif>
    Goodbye Ten and Tennant. I will miss you!

    • Hypatia_ says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

      And then the Ood are singing him to his sleep and I just can't take it.

      That line Ood Sigma says reminds me very much of what Horatio says to Hamlet ("And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"). Which hurts my brain because I always get teary at the end of Hamlet too, and the end of this episode makes me teary and David Tennant did a brilliant Hamlet and STOP COMBINING THINGS THAT MAKE ME CRY.

  33. Bilbo-sama says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    First off:

    <img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/gipsy_dreamer/pic/000p1w69&quot; />

    Anyway, the fact that not!James Bond!Time Lord was called Rassilon is VERY IMPORTANT because he is a) one of the founders of Time Lord society and b) Batshit Insane. The Time Lords must've been very desperate to win the Time War that they decided to bring him back to life. :O

    Its also a running gag among the fandom that everything is called The (X) of Rassilon because there is a lot of things called that in The Five Doctors. Like, the Seal of Rassilon or the Coronet of Rassilon or the Hoover Vacuum of Rassilon and whatnot. In fact I might as well call this the Comment of Rassilon. 😛

  34. Kaci says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    But then I guess consistency has never been RTD's strong suit so WHATEVER I'M LETTING IT GO to focus on Tennant again because he's brilliant and that moment where he's so relieved because he survived and then that knock. Perfect. Everything about Tennant in this episode is gorgeous and glorious and as much as I love Matt Smith and as much as Eleven is My Doctor, I miss Ten so much that I can't stand it sometimes.

  35. plaidpants says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    Yay! I saw on Twitter that you posted this. I really don't have strong feelings about this episode. I know a lot of people who've come in with New!Who feel a strong connection with Ten and DT (both of my sisters are included in this) but I always felt more connected with Nine. It was a sad ending to Ten's run but I was ready to move on to 11.

  36. Christidaae says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    TO BRING EXTRA HEARTBREAK.
    BECAUSE EVERYONE NEEDS IT RN. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSgUv6uvYwg – Vale Decem, the song that plays as the Doctor regenerates..
    and translation, from Latin to English:
    Farewell, Ten
    On to eternity
    The fates be with you
    On to eternity.
    Farewell, Ten
    The fates be with you.
    Oh, blessed he
    Who brought us peace.
    Farewell, Ten
    Lay down your burden
    We will remember you forever more.
    Farewell, Ten
    We give you thanks.
    On to eternity
    You are not alone
    Never
    Trust to the last
    Farewell…

    'I dont want to go'

    • herdivineshadow says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:12 pm

      In that 2nd to last line, it has spiro which I guess the accepted translation is "trust" but I reckon "hope" would be way more appropriate.

      • Christidaae says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:19 pm

        I wouldnt know, I didnt translate it myself! I just took this of the internet, but I have seen different versions floating around, but they're all pretty much the same, apart from slight discrepencies, like you've just pointed out

  37. atalantapendrag says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    When this originally aired I was SO SICK of Ten I didn't watch it for months. I like Ten a lot better in retrospect. Sort of like the whole regeneration was a severe bipolar mixed-state episode, which makes some of his douchebaggery easier to contextualize.

    One thing I didn't pick up on before: he had that line in The Doctor's Daughter about being "a man who never would", and then when he points the gun at the Master? "You never would, you coward."

    I really like that, even if it was coincidental.

    Loved the Doctor/Master HoYay, of course. I ship that to DEATH AND BEYOND.

    Mark, I think you are gonna love what's coming up.

  38. Treasure Cat says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    Im going to go on record and say I officially love this episode with all of my being. When it aired I started crying when the theme tune played and didnt stop until about half an hour after the episode finished. I literally generated a pile of tissues the size of my head. My heart broke at least 10 times, but holy shit when Wilf knocks on the glass and you see the realisation in the Doctor's face…I was sobbing so loud my Dad threatened to turn the TV off. And when the Doctor says 'I dont want to go. I replied out loud with 'I DONT WANT YOU TO EITHER.' Im glad David is your Doctor Mark, he's mine too. Just watching him makes me feel…safe? Thats probably not the right word, but watching back one of his eps always puts a smile on my face and comforts me when Ive been having a crappy day. Im so excited for you to start Matt Smith as well though, ahhh <3

    • plummy says:
      March 15, 2011 at 7:19 pm

      I YELLED THE SAME THING AT MY TV WHEN I WAS WATCHING IT! i was also crying hysterically…at least i wasn't the only one!

  39. monkeybutter says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    HOLY FUCK THEY ARE MARRIED, MAKING THEM THE MOST ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN THE HISTORY OF FUCKING TELEVISION. GOOD GOD.

    SERIOUSLY. That alone made up for all of the sappy and cheesy moments. They're kicking ass together! I was totally hoping something would happen after Mickey walked off with Martha and Jack. <3 And I love Wilf and Millie, too.

    This episode was pretty fun, even though there was an extra dose of ANGST. I could understand if fans don't like the extended goodbye tour at the end, but David Tennant was the Doctor I saw most of, and I was glad to see him have a chance to say goodbye and fix things one last time.

    Oh, Matt Smith. I love your hair and your demeanor, and I am sure I will be charmed enough to forget your lack of eyebrows within 10 minutes of your first episode. Excited!

  40. Aimee says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    I'm so sad you're done with David Tennant, but so happy you've made it to Matt Smith. S5 will be fun fun fun.

  41. carma_bee says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    About the woman, the script for this episode only calls her The Female Weeping Time Lord and The Woman, and it just says that the Doctor recognizes her after all this time. They just leave it up to the viewer to think about who she could be. Which is both annoying and interesting for me.

    God, finding out it was Wilf who knocks four times was just the craziest thing ever. Of course the first person I thought of was the Master, and then for it to not be, I’d never have guessed. I’m pretty sure I let out one of the biggest gasps ever, probably on par when the one I had when I watched Misfits last year (anyone who’s seen it might know what I’m talking about).

    I cried the first time I saw it, from around the four knocks to the regeneration, I couldn’t help it. I knew that he was going to regenerate, David had announced that he was leaving when he was doing Hamlet, but it was still one of the most heart wrenching things. Ten was my first Doctor, so it was just really weird seeing one live for the first time.

    I do like the visiting the companions bit, it’s a nice way to say goodbye, even though I did think it was a little long at first. I am super glad that Rose was only in that scene, I saw a set picture of when they filmed that part and was almost dreading it, so I’m glad she was only in that part.

    Now that we are all sad about Ten leaving, we can watch this (no spoilers): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHHhrpL8HHg

    I love both Matt and David, but it’s so weird to see them together, especially in the same outfit. I love his hair too.
    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/7YFi3.png&quot; alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" />
    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/LDokI.jpg&quot; alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" />

    Lots of Confidential snippets in caps and gifs in the reply, to save space.

  42. Karen says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    This episode isn’t the BEST thing that RTD has ever written, but whatever. I still enjoy it. It’s a cool concept and the characters make it work.

    For example, there is so much FoeYay between the Doctor and the Master.

    The Master: Tell me, where's your Tardis?
    The Doctor: You could be so wonderful.
    The Master: Where is it?
    The Doctor: You're a genius. You're stone cold brilliant, you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honour. Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. Have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space. That's ownership enough.
    The Master: Would it stop then? The noise in my head.
    The Doctor: I can help.
    The Master: I don't know what I'd be without that noise.
    The Doctor: I wonder what I'd be without you.
    The Master: Yeah.

    I like that this episode doesn’t just leave the Master at the level of being a crazy, evil nutjob. Rather, RTD lets the Master become a bit more complicated, and I think we can better understand why the Doctor believes or wants to believe that the Master is capable of more than just being evil. The Time Lords basically made him crazypants, and when the Master realizes this, he’s angry. And in the end, he’s the one who kills the Lord Preseident.

    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/13zcx9x.jpg"&gt;
    So the Time Lords are back. And they are crazy assholes, manipulating the Master and his crazy in order to bring about their return. I was always of the opinion that the Time Lords in Classic Who were jerks, but that the Doctor remembered them fondly now because they were gone, and it’s nice to be proven right.

    Doctor: A white point star is found on only one planet. Gallifrey. Which means it’s the Time Lords. The Time Lords are returning.
    Wilf: That’s good, isn’t it? The Time Lords are your people.
    [the Doctor finally takes the gun from Wilf]

    <img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2dha3pu.jpg"&gt;
    LOL. Master being nuts? No problem. The Time Lords are coming back? HOLY FUCK GIVE ME THAT GUN. So clearly the Doctor is not having an overjoyed response to the information that the Time Lords aren’t gone forever.

    Wilf: But I’ve heard you talk about your people like they’re wonderful!
    Doctor: That’s how I choose to remember them. Time Lords of old. But then they went to war. Endless war. And it changed them to the core. You’ve seen my enemies. The Time Lords are more dangerous than any of them.

    I mean the Time Lords were never exactly peaches to begin with, but I can imagine that endless war could push them even further and turn them into what they’ve become in this episode.

    So who IS the lady in white? My pet theory is that she is Romana. But idk. Some people think that she’s his mother based on the look he gives her. Maybe she’s Susan. At any rate, she means something to him, and when the Doctor sends the Time Lords back into the Time War I think she’s a reminder that he has to lose everything all over again. It’s someone he recognizes and cares about and it makes the choice to destroy Gallifrey again all the more personal.

    I do like that moment where the Doctor has the apparent choice between killing the Master (who really is more of a tool here than the main villain) or the Lord President, but choosing instead to destroy the machine.

    In general there is a lot of the bombast that comes with an RTD finale. The Time Lords are returning! But not just the Time Lords, Gallifrey itself! Knocking the Earth out of orbit! And not just Gallifrey, but all the bad things about the Time War! But whatever. For me, the real point of this episode is everything that happens between Wilf and the Doctor. RTD is so good with character moments, and all the scenes between Wilf and the Doctor are amazing building to the scene at the end where the Doctor will die for Wilf.

    • Karen says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:26 pm

      <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/1zywlqg.jpg"&gt;
      The Doctor looks so hopeless on the alien spaceship, and Wilf tries to encourage him.

      Wilf: I know you. I bet you’ve got a plan, haven’t you? Come on… You’ve always got a trick up your sleeve, nice little bit of the old Doctor flim flam kind of thing.
      [the Doctor stares blankly ahead]
      Wilf: Oh blimey.

      The Doctor: I’m sorry.
      Wilf: Not your fault.
      The Doctor: Isn’t it?

      Poor Doctor. He feels so much guilt. But maybe rightly so. As the Doctor says, he’s done some questionable things too. I love that Wilf challenges the Doctor, telling him not to spare the Earth for the sake of the Master. But even more, I love how much Wilf loves the Doctor. The Doctor needs someone who loves him like that.

      <img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/vhaihd.jpg"&gt;
      <img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2rm2u4n.jpg"&gt;
      The Doctor: I'd be proud.
      Wilfred Mott: Of what?
      The Doctor: If you were my dad.
      Wilfred Mott: Come on, don't start. You were told that he would knock four times, and then you die. Well, that's him, isn't it? The Master, that noise in his head. The Master is going to kill you.
      The Doctor: Yeah.
      Wilfred Mott: Then kill him first.
      The Doctor: That's how the Master started. It's not like I'm an innocent. I've taken lives. And I got worse, I got clever. Manipulated people into taking their own. Sometimes I think a Timelord lives too long. I can't. I just can't.
      Wilfred Mott: If The Master dies, what happens to all the people?
      The Doctor: I don't know.
      Wilfred Mott: Doctor, what happens?
      The Doctor: The template snaps.
      Wilfred Mott: Will they go back to being human, they're alive and human? Then don't you dare, sir, don't you dare put him before them. Now you take this, that's an order, Doctor. You take the gun, you take the gun and save your life. And please don't die, you're the most wonderful man on earth! I don't want you to die!

      TEARS. TEARS FOREVER.

      I love that Wilf refuses to leave the Doctor on his own. I think he knows all too well that the Doctor needs friends and he’s not about to abandon the Doctor now.

      I remember watching this for the first time and the realization that the “he will knock four times” prophecy actually referred to Wilf made my stomach plummet. The Doctor is so happy to be alive. He thinks that he’s beaten death, only to come to the terrible realization that no, he hasn’t. But I do absolutely adore that the Doctor’s death then doesn’t become something that is forced upon him. He makes a choice. He chooses to die for Wilf. And I love that both of RTD’s Doctors died not in some grandiose way- saving the universe or doing something especially heroic. Instead they die to save a single person. Nine died to save Rose, a nineteen year old girl from a council estate who wasn’t especially important, by the look of things. Ten dies to save Wilfred Mott, an old man who has really had his time to live, but Wilf is the best of men and the Doctor is happy to die for him..

      <img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/28w2ubs.gif"&gt;
      Wilfred Mott: [stuck in the chamber] I'm sorry. Look, just leave me.
      The Doctor: [smiles] Okay, right then, I will.
      [bitter]
      The Doctor: 'Cause you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go in there and get stuck, oh yes. 'Cause that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this, waiting for me, all this time.
      Wilfred Mott: No, really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time.
      The Doctor: Well, exactly, look at you, not remotely important. But me… I could do so much more.
      [raging]
      The Doctor: So much more!
      [quietly]
      The Doctor: But this is what I get. My reward.
      [angrily sweeping desk clear]
      The Doctor: But it's not fair!
      [finally looks at Wilf, to himself]
      The Doctor: Ohhh… I've lived too long.
      [starts walking towards the chamber]
      Wilfred Mott: No. No, no, please, please don't. No, don't, don't, please don't… please!
      The Doctor: [gently] Wilfred, it's my honor.
      [briskly]
      The Doctor: Better be quick… three… two… one.

      I love Ten raging of the dying of the light. He doesn’t want to die. IT’s SO human. I love it. Yes, there is no question that Ten will die for Wilf, but that doesn’t mean he has to skip and sing to his death. He rages against the unfairness of the situation for a minute before he does the right thing, and I think he should be allowed that.

      • Karen says:
        March 15, 2011 at 1:27 pm

        And then we have the Companion Tour of Dying 2010. HATERS TO THE LEFT. I DON’T CARE IF THIS IS THE LONGEST DEATH SCENE KNOWN TO MANKIND. I NEEDED THE TIME TO COME TO TERMS WITH TEN’S DEATH, OK?

        Ten loved his friends so much. They broke his heart because he loved them. So he goes to see them one last time. His friends are his reward.

        <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/11bkqv7.jpg"&gt;
        First up we have Mickey and Martha being badasses together! And suddenly they’re married. Tom Milligan who? LOL. In RTD’s defense, I read somewhere the he originally wanted Mickey and Martha to be in Torchwood: CoE and he would have set up a relationship then, but Noel and/or Freema couldn’t commit. So yeah. Whatever. Also, it kills two birds with one stone by having them be together. One less Companion Visiting scene. Then he goes to save Sarah Jane’s son! And I think that maybe she knows what is going to happen.

        <img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/vyldno.jpg"&gt;
        And then while Jack is drinking and feeling sorry for himself at a bar where all the aliens from Doctor Who are chilling (INCLUDING AN ADIPOSE BABY!), the Doctor goes to see Jack and set him up on a date with Alonso. YES. For Mickey and Martha he saves their lives and for Sarah he saves her son, but for Jack? He gets him laid. ILU, DOCTOR. And he even stops by to make sure that Joan Redfern had a good life. I think he needed to know that he doesn’t completely destroy everyone that he meets because I think that what Joan said stuck with him.

        <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2mc6id2.jpg"&gt;
        <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/mcvi54.jpg"&gt;
        Donna is so sweet and happy with Shawn and the Doctor does what he can for her, making sure that she’ll at least have money. And she does seem to be less brash and angry than she used to. But the fact that the Doctor borrowed a quid off of Donna’s dad before he died in order to buy a lottery ticket as a wedding present is so touching because it’s not just Ten’s last gift to Donna, it’s also her dad’s last gift to her.

        <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/23vykon.jpg"&gt;
        <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/30k4x1i.jpg"&gt;
        And then Rose! ROSE! I love how the RTD era comes full circle, Rose meeting the Doctor before she officially meets him in “Rose”. It’s a nice bookend. And I like to think that the Doctor saved Rose for last because he wanted her to be the last person he saw before he died.

        <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/mvgn47.jpg"&gt;
        Doctor: I don’t want to go.

        I don’t want you to go either, Ten. You were my Doctor.

        • Karen says:
          March 15, 2011 at 1:29 pm

          Now the rest of this comment is going to be a love letter to Russel T Davies and David Tennant. Deal with it. I have lots of ~feelings.

          RTD did so much for this series. He took this fun sci-fi show from the 20th century and dragged it into the 21st century. Sure not everything that RTD wrote was pure gold, but he did write some amazing pieces of television (Doomsday, Parting of the Ways, Midnight, Waters of Mars). In addition to writing some wonderful episodes, RTD was a fantastic showrunner to reboot the show. RTD didn’t let the show remain a show that was primarily about adventures in traveling in time and space. Instead he made this a show about characters. By making the Doctor the last of the Time Lords, RTD was able to explore bigger themes about loss, pain and loneliness. He actually explored what makes the Doctor tick and why he is the way that he is. The other thing that RTD did for Doctor Who was that he turned companions into significant characters in their own right. He gave them their own stories and struggles. It’s not that all of the Classic Who companions were cardboard cutouts, but they really didn’t have the depth that RTD gave Rose, Martha and Donna. Each of them had their own story and journey and personality that was uniquely them, and I love them all. So thank you, Mr. Davies. Thank you for loving the show so much that you would create these characters and tell their stories.

          For me Ten will always be my Doctor. The first episodes I saw were some random ones with Nine, but it wasn’t until I happened upon The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit that I fell in love with the show. David Tennant brought such a love for the show to his work. He clearly loved his job. And I think that David Tennant turned in some fantastic performances. He really makes you feel his loss and pain in Doomsday, he plays crazy so well in Waters of Mars, and the quiet sadness that he exudes in this episode is palpable. I love Ten because he was just so human. He feels things so intensely and has such human reactions and responses to the things he faces. I love it. I know some people prefer a more alien Doctor, but not me. I much prefer seeing Ten do things like rage at the universe, angry for how unfair situations can be. I think that Ten’s humanity also gives him a great capacity for love, and I love that about him. Pain and love go hand in hand for Ten because in order to truly appreciate one, you have to have felt the other. In conclusion, I love Ten. I loved seeing his story unfold, and I was heartbroken to see him go.

          • nyssaoftraken74 says:
            March 15, 2011 at 2:45 pm

            Wonderful commenting as always, and I add an extra bucketful of love to your love letter.

          • MowerOfLorn says:
            March 15, 2011 at 3:50 pm

            Thank you so much for this beautiful comment. Tennant isn't my Doctor (unlike everyone else, I don't have one; I love them all equally) but both he and Russel T. Davies did an amazing job. Without D.T.'s acting, I don't think this show could have sustained its popularity- Chris was wonderful, and I feel that if we'd had a weaker follow up, the show might not have suceeded.

            And a good deal of its success must go to Davies. He wasn't perfect, but he did bring this show back to air, and in a wonderful way. Bravo to him.

          • flamingpie says:
            March 15, 2011 at 3:59 pm

            So much love for this love letter. <3 <3 <3

          • jennywildcat says:
            March 15, 2011 at 4:07 pm

            This comment hits it right on the head (you do that a lot and I love you for it! ^_^)

          • Loz says:
            March 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm

            All of this.

          • @TheKimler says:
            March 15, 2011 at 9:19 pm

            This is spot on, Karen. Haters, you stay straight over to that left! Just, everything here, especially about Ten and his humanness=yes

          • Openattheclose says:
            March 15, 2011 at 10:24 pm

            I love Ten raging of the dying of the light. He doesn’t want to die.
            This exactly. And I love your love letter.

        • jennywildcat says:
          March 15, 2011 at 4:13 pm

          I love the Companion Good-bye Tour so much! What I loved about Ten saying goodbye to Rose at the very end was that Rose was the first person Ten spoke to after he'd regenerated from Nine, so it's fitting that she's the last person he speaks to before he regenerates into Eleven.

          I love your picspams – they're so wonderful!

  43. NB2000 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Okay completely disorganised thoughts ahead, I may go on for a while (and come back to add more in ten minutes when I inevitably remember something I'd forgotten).

    "Do you really think I'd leave my best friend without a defense mechanism?" AWWW. Look, I make no secret of the fact that Ten does irritate me at times (I'll get back to this) but he does have moments, like this one, where I do like him. I know I mentioned it on the spoiler blog but I don't know if I've said it over here, I knew going into watching (with The Next Doctor) that Tennant was on his way out so I didn't really get attatched. Rewatching along with this blog has made me more fond of him though.

    Wilf, PLEASE DON'T CRY EVER! When he's begging the Doctor to take the gun it makes me SO SAD FOREVER, I just want to give him a massive hug. That said, Wilf you KNOW what knocking four times means to the Doctor, STOPPIT! I'm sure some people will complain but Donna's lottery ticket gift is so heartwarming to me. It's Geoffrey Noble helping to make sure his daughter has the security and ability to do whatever she wants with that money without either of them knowing (I choose to believe that Wilf and Sylvia might nudge her towards doing something useful with some of it like Mr Copper and Subwave). That they worked in a nod to Howard Attfield is just…sorry *cries*

    Being Human nerd moment: Nina AND George in the same episode (but not together)? YAY! Although, I have to ask, why is there a BABY Adipose wandering around a bar?

    Martha and Mickey *sigh* I've gone on about this on the spoiler blog several times now but, once more to get it over with. I love Martha (especially her hair in that scene, oooh). I love Mickey. I DON'T like that they're together. I dislike that Martha, who spent almost her entire companionship in Rose's shadow is now with Rose's ex-boyfriend (again, I love Mickey, but there is that connection). MAYBE if they'd both joined Torchwood and we'd seen them interacting on that show I could have grown to like it but as it stands it's just way too out of the blue with no build up. I love seeing them both again though.

    I'm not going to get into my Rose issues again so I'll just say JACKIE! I LOVE YOU! Are you seriously wearing shorts in the middle of a British winter? Even with tights under them, rather you than me love.

    It was mentioned back in Stolen Earth/Journey's End and again here and I still want to know: WHAT THE HELL IS THE NIGHTMARE CHILD OMG?! *will never know*

    The regeneration itself…okay I got into this a little bit earlier today in the spoiler blog, I can't stand Ten's attitude. I didn't like it back in Journey's End and I didn't like it here either. I've only seen Seven and Nine regenerate first hand (I've seen clips of others but that's not much to go on) and they didn't kick up nearly as much of a fuss as Ten did. Look I get that it's a big deal for Tennant, I do, and I get that RTD probably wanted to mark their departure somehow but this was NOT the way to do it. This way just made me really frustrated with the character and left me wishing he'd just GET ON WITH IT! He's been through this process before, he's seen other Time Lords and Ladies go through it and yet all of a sudden he's making a big deal out if it? It just feels like an obvious effort to wring drama out of the moment. Oh god I'm really not making myself clear about this at all. I dislike. Basically.

    Ten puts up such a fight that it's no wonder Eleven's screaming as he emerges.

    "Oh my god, look at that fabulous hair."
    Matt's hair is amazing. It's ever so slightly out of control, especially here.

    Oh and:
    <img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/NB2000/LOLCats/eleven2.jpg"&gt;

    • arctic_hare says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:47 pm

      I love that picture. And yes, he has truly beautiful hair. Rose may have thought Ten's was really great, but that's only cause she never met Eleven.

    • Stephen_M says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      I chose to believe the nightmare child was so named after the reaction of the cgi team at the mill when they were asked to price the rendering time…

    • aleja23t says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:04 pm

      "Ten puts up such a fight that it's no wonder Eleven's screaming as he emerges."

      I've never thought of it that way. omg.

  44. Liz says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    I know exactly what you mean at the beginning of this review, Mark. I love Nine, I love Eleven, but TEN will always be my doctor <3

    This is the only Doctor Who episode that ever made me cry. I've gotten teary (Doomsday OBVIOUSLY) but somehow seeing Wilf in the containment thing made me full on SOB. Wilf and Donna are my absolute favorite characters. I got little happy chills when The Doctor calls Donna his best friend 🙂 Their friendship is the best best best.

    YAY DAVID TENNANT!

    and YAY MATT SMITH!

  45. sneezythesquid says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    I've been waiting since you started watching Ten to post "Tenth Doctor: The Musical", and someone else already posted it! So I'm going to post the link again anyway:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dHkbdMYpSA

    The part that makes me tear up is when he asks Joan Redfern’s great-granddaughter "Was she happy?" Just the tone of his voice, and the looks on their faces…it grabs my heart and squeezes and then all the tears come.

    Also, the guy wearing glasses getting the book signed just before Ten was RTD, FYI. And in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, it was revealed that Ten didn't just visit his companions, but ALL of his previous incarnation's companions or their decedents.

    • pica_scribit says:
      March 15, 2011 at 10:54 pm

      Also, the guy wearing glasses getting the book signed just before Ten was RTD, FYI.

      I paused it and looked at that guy for such a long time because I actually thought it was Simon Pegg. Mostly because he and Jessica Stevenson are in everything together.

  46. sarasingsout says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    Thank you for not hating on Mickey and Martha, because I LOVE THEM TOGETHER SO MUCH and I remember there being all this drama about it being racist to have Martha marry a black guy instead of whats-his-name-the-doctor-with-a-small-d. So, I am glad you agree with me that when you put a hot bamf with another hot bamf, you get the ULTIMATE BAMF COUPLE OF HOTNESS.

    *ahem*

    That was probably my favorite part of this episode, other than Ten finally stopping with the whining and getting on with the regenerating. I'm more of a Nine girl, so I have to admit I got a bit sick of Ten, especially after he lost Donna and went all "TIME LORD VICTORIOUS" on us. I've only just recently gotten over my irritation with him.

    • herdivineshadow says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:27 pm

      As much as I loved (and as much as you can love a character that only gets mentioned in passing one or twice now and again), Dr Tom and the history there, I'm kind of glad Martha doesn't end up actually marrying him. He's a regular doctor. Which is great. Doctors are fab. Only Martha's a doctor and she kicks arse and saves people and probably works worse hours than a doctor and can't really talk about it or share the experience with Tom.

      There's always going to be something between them. Look at Sarah Jane. After travelling with the Doctor, seeing all those amazing things, doing all those amazing things… and then coming back and continuing to be amazing? I don't think it's so easy to connect with anyone who hasn't really experience even a small part of that.

      • sarasingsout says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:36 pm

        Pretty much exactly my feelings on the subject. I mean, marrying someone and never being able to tell them about all the amazing things you saw traveling with the Doctor… it just doesn't work for me, so I like the idea of former companions getting together.

      • nyssaoftraken74 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:47 pm

        Thank you for saying all that. Now I don't have to. 🙂

      • trash_addict says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:26 pm

        Why wouldn't she be able to talk to Tom about that, though? I know the guy she got engaged to is an earlier version of the Tom she was with in Last of the Time Lords, but he seemed to take most of it all in his stride then.

        • herdivineshadow says:
          March 16, 2011 at 6:29 am

          SHHH. I AM TRYING TO EXPLAIN AWAY SURPRISE MARRIAGE 😀

          Plus, thinking about it some more – some of the UNIT stuff could well be classified and she's just not allowed to talk about it.

    • flamingpie says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:57 pm

      I agree with those thoughts on Mickey and Martha wholeheartedly. I do think it came out of left field, but I think their characters are still perfectly right for each other. A bit of lead up might have been nice, but whatever, I'm not gonna complain about the Smith-Jones: Sexy Freelancers

  47. Minish says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    Even surrounded by a lot of FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU, I thought the way Davies brought the Time Lords back and the way Ten's regeneration was brought on were absolutely excellent.

    AND MATT SMITH WOOOOOOOOOT!

    <img src=http://cdn2.knowyourmeme.com/i/000/105/670/original/rb10.gif?1300054226>

    • Hotaru-hime says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:43 pm

      What is wrong with these poor girls?

      • shyfully says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:01 pm

        They gotta have their bowls, they gotta have their cereal.

        (It's from this music video a, um, 15 year old? I think? Maybe 13 year old won a contest to produce or something. It is so painfully bad. It's called Friday by Rebecca Black.)

        • MowerOfLorn says:
          March 15, 2011 at 3:51 pm

          Oh, Lord, I watched that last night. My sister said "its so terrible, you have to watch it." She did not lie.

          ….their eyes, they're lifeless.

        • Openattheclose says:
          March 15, 2011 at 10:33 pm

          <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/tumblr_li0rp8V1fe1qa8ir9o1_500.gif>
          She is part of an evil plan to bring down the muggles!

          • Minish says:
            March 16, 2011 at 7:36 am

            These are relevant.

            <img src=http://cdn0.knowyourmeme.com/i/000/106/400/original/tumblr_li2hwmkAf21qfppfso1_500.jpg?1300282544>

            <img src=http://cdn.guyism.com/wp-content/uploads/mean-girls.gif>

            <img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/2guh25w.jpg>

      • Minish says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:01 pm

        They're kickin' in the back seat and looking forward to the weekend, weekend.

    • leighzzz31 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      FUN FUN FUN FUN!
      *I'm so ashamed I recognised this gif immediately LOL*

  48. masakochan says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Here's a link to the interview with Matt Smith did about being cast as the new Doctor with Doctor Who Confidential:

    Here.

  49. RocketDarkness says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Farewell, Ten! We had some good times, we had some (very) bad times. I remember being incredibly sad that Tennant was gone as well, Mark. But we'll get through this.

    Frankly, I still think Ten went out like a bitch. I think the ending would have resounded with me significantly better if Ten finally accepted that it was time. I mean, even for humans, how often do you get to go help out all your friends one last time, to say goodbye before moving on? Ten got all of that, and yet still he seemed to feel his last words should be "I don't want to go." Feels like he didn't realize what he was supposed to learn through all that.

    MARK! Here are some critically important Ten videos that YOU MUST WATCH RIGHT THIS MINUTE HOLY CRAP.

    First off is Tenth Doctor: The Musical. It pokes fun at some of the things I never liked about Ten, but it still gives him his dues, which I can appreciate. It's even got a plot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dHkbdMYpSA

    Second is "I'm the Doctor. Look me up." This one is a bit more somber, showing off the power that the Time Lord Victorious wields. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly-Vhw1fevM

    Oh man, I can't wait for Thursday. That's when everything changes. =D

    • ThreeBooks says:
      March 15, 2011 at 5:55 pm

      Haha, wow, we can't stop spamming that second one… but why should we? THAT SECOND ONE IS AWESOME. (For the original on Livejournal, here.)

  50. Karen says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    And now to quote large sections of your review back at you because there is so much that I agree with.

    "David Tennant will always be my Doctor.

    I don’t mean to say that he is the best Doctor. I haven’t seen Matt Smith, and I’ve only seen pieces of the classic Doctors. (I’ve still got a lot of Who to watch!) But I have spent the most time with David Tennant. All of the Doctors have varying personalities, but Tennant has come to be the gateway to the silly, goofy, at times serious, and always caring Doctor. I know that I’ll continue watching older episodes long after Mark Watches moves on to other shows, and I’ll continue blogging the show when it airs in real time. But my real, honest introduction to this show will always make my brain think of Tennant. I don’t mean to suggest that Eccleston isn’t important, because he is. He’s very important. I’m just saying that my experience with this show will probably always gravitate towards the man I’ve spent the most time with.

    I know that there are people who don’t like Ten in general. It’s not like you need my permission, but I don’t feel any particular need to defend him to anyone. But he’s gone through three companions and a whole lot of drama, and I can honestly say that I feel that his character has actually changed and grown since I first met him. Which is nice! I like character growth! And that’s actually a challenge to me. How do you “change” a character that is over nine-hundred years old? Or, for that matter, a character that has existed in the public consciousness for almost fifty years most certainly must be difficult to give character growth."

    I like Matt Smith, to be sure. But it was through David Tennant that I fell in love with the show and he will always be my Doctor. And part of the reason that I adore him so much is because RTD and David Tennant managed to make this character who is so old a dynamic character. He does grow and change throughout his series and it's what made his era so compelling to watch.

    Also, "Saving Martha and Mickey from a Sontaran. HOLY FUCK THEY ARE MARRIED, MAKING THEM THE MOST ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN THE HISTORY OF FUCKING TELEVISION. GOOD GOD."

    SERIOUSLY. NOEL AND FREEMA ARE BOTH SO SMOKING HOT. IT HAS TO BE DANGEROUS FOR THAT MUCH SEXY TO BE IN ONE PLACE AT THE SAME TIME.

  51. Hypatia_ says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    I didn't really like how evil the Time Lords were portrayed, like the Doctor chose to lock them away because they were evil too.

    Well, the Time Lords were always portrayed as kind of bastards. Not all of them, but the Time Lord establishment in general. They were always high-handed, spent a lot of time wrecking the Doctor's game, and did some pretty terrible things to the Doctor himself (all of which would be spoilers for classic Who, unfortunately). It makes sense, given how they were in peacetime, that they'd go completely meglomaniac during an all-out war.

    Many slash fics were born out of bondage!Doctor and Master. Really, it's like RTD knew there would be an outpouring of slash and made it so it would be easier.
    <img src=http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6f_w2VJAC-PVS7JK5SwU-5l-FKUK_toeFpVHplZqakU03lKEY&t=1>
    That is all.

    • mkjcaylor says:
      March 15, 2011 at 8:19 pm

      I love the Doctor/Master slashfic and I never ever love that kind of thing. I actually am finding myself a Doctor/Master shipper. Again, never do that. But that image there is so amazing and I love it.

  52. Albion19 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    OK so things I liked:

    The goodbye sequence is fantastic. The one with Joan's great granddaughter gets to me the most. I think it was Ten's holding back tears when she asked if he was happy. That whole story is so tragic.

    Seeing Rose. I wish this had been the only time we had seen her since Doomsday, it would have had a great impact but even so it was nice.

    Wilf! When he knocked four times I about died. Ten raving and ranting like a child was very him and I think showcases even more that he had to go.

    Didn't like:

    Martha/Mickey: WUT? Out of nowhere.

    I swear I really like Ten, even more so because he's rather fucked up but I remember watching this for the first time and just thinking "get on with it." Which leads to:

    The Doctor's last words. I feel so, so bad for David Tennant, having to say that. Does anyone know if he liked it or not?

    MATT SMITH!!!!! 😀

  54. The Beellsor says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    I JUST CAN'T TALK ABOUT THIS EPISODE too much sad. 🙁

    I'll just link to my favourite ten tribute of all time (no spoilers.. well, if you've seen these episodes, obviously): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ3xf1QiVcM

    Also, I'll ask if SOMEONE could please explain why the Rose scene isn't the biggest continuity fail of all time? (LIKE IT'S AMAZING, I ADORE IT, I'M SO HAPPY IT'S IN THERE) but surely Rose met Nine in 2004? Because I seem to remember a certain episode in series 1 where Rose comes back hom and Nine tells her she's been gone for 12 hrs, when it's actually been 12 months. I mean, all the Christmas Specials are tied to the year they're shown, aren't they? The 2005 christmas special takes place in 2005, doesn't it? I DO NOT GET IT. D:

    Also Eleven, I love you. So hard. AND I'M SO EXCITE FOR YOU TO KNOW HIM, MARK. SO EXCITE.

    • maccyAkaMatthew says:
      March 16, 2011 at 1:43 am

      The 2005 Christmas special takes place in 2006. From Aliens of London onwards the "present day" in the Whoniverse is a year later than transmission (and it's a place where a lot of different things happen).

      The Next Doctor is an opportunity for things to be back in sync but Planet of the Dead references Journey's End and is set at Easter so Partners in Crime, The Sontaran Strategem, The Poison Sky, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End have to happen between Christmas 2008 (Voyage of the Damned) and Easter 2009 (Planet of the Dead) if we're back in sync for them – which is just about plausible.

      Anyway, it's not really giving anything away about series five to say that the present in the show is back in sync with transmission and that the first episode makes this possible, even if The End of Time is set at Christmas 2010.

  55. Hotaru-hime says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    I think it's 'cause it was New Year's Eve and he was kind of in the shadows. Also, I can understand why Rose would be all "the Doctor is gone" after Nine regenerated because really, what the hell? She didn't know about regeneration and even when you find out it's weird as hell.

  56. Wookie_Monster says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    I know a lot of people complained about Ten's rant before rescuing Wilf, and it seemed a little jarring to me as well when I first watched it. However, I have since talked about it with a person who had to face the possibility of a very premature death a few years ago, and she found that scene very hard to watch – because it was so realistic.

    • Starsea28 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:40 pm

      But this wasn't a 'premature' death. He's known. He's known for a long time. He has even admitted that he's 'lived too long'.

  57. @nessalh says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    Oh. ALSO. I don't think anyone has ever discussed the world of Doctor Who fanfiction. A world that, for the most part, is is unknown to me. I just … I cannot bring myself to ever EVER read DW fanfic.

    Except this one. It is completely lovely and I want to share it with the world. IDK. http://earlgreytea68.livejournal.com/82528.html

    • Treasure Cat says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:10 pm

      On the subject of fanfic, I read a Tennant!Doctor/Gerard Way fic once that was fantastic. It was never finished but what was written of it was brilliant, and I know that seems totally counter intuitive to think about but the author had such a great grip on both Doctor Who and band fics. Wish I still had the link to it, it was awesome.

  58. You Are Not Alone says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    <img src ="http://i54.tinypic.com/2zoderr.png"&gt;
    The first scene of this episode, SET ON ACTUAL GALLIFREY, was so pant-wettingly exciting the first time I watched this episode. After the bits of information we'd gained about the Time War over the past four series, it was thrilling to learn more about it. There's some more evocative names for some of the terrors it featured: "the Skaro degradations, "the Horde of Travesties", "the Would-Have-Bee-King and his army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres". WOW.

    Another crucial thing we learn about the Time War is that the Doctor had to kill the Time Lords because they had turned corrupt and desperate and were planning to destroy creation itself in order to live on in some way. Survival at all cost, drawing a parallel with the Master and the Doctor in this story.

    It's a decision that has haunted the Doctor since, but here we see him confront the fact that his decision was justified and right, and given the chance, he did it again. Ever since the Time War, the Doctor has been waiting for the day where he could live his life free from guilt and this story is a huge step towards that.

    The Doctor's aversion to guns, to try and find the non-violent solution is put to the test. Once he learnt Time Lords were involved, he found himself back to being the soldier he was in the Time War, who had fought and killed, a man hoped he'd never have to be again. But now he'd have to kill. It's not the time and place for his optimism that there must always be another way. Unless…

    The Woman. I'm going to refer you who RTD had in mind when he conceived of her (from The Writer's Tale:

    "It could only be his mother, really. If I can't imagine a world in which our mothers
    are there, at the end of our lives, in our time of need, to help us, then what's the point?
    It'll never really happen, so I want to imagine it. "

    "Actually, it goes right back to the Master in The Sound of Drums, saying that he was
    'resurrected'. That's always preyed on my mind. I think an awful lot about the Time
    War, actually, more than I'd ever quite realised – that it was so dark, so obscene, that
    the dead were walking, called back into life to fight the terrible fight."

    This reminds me so much of Harry Potter:
    "You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You
    think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of
    great trouble?"
    And, of course, "The Forest Again" and "stay close to me."

    Wilf knocking four times is an unbelievable moment. The Doctor rages at the cruel joke the Universe has played on him, snatching it all away just when it seemed things might be on the upturn for him, but he was always going to walk into that booth. He's a man in love with life and will always fiercely defend it.

    So when the Doctor is going to have a slow, painful death, he sees it as an opportunity to make sure his loved ones are safe and happy. His reward.

    "Allons-y" is the best long-running gag ever. "A phrase of great power and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need" <3

    From Harry Potter to Hamlet. Good night, sweet Doctor and may flights of Ood sing thee to thy rest. The song they're singing is called "Vale Decem". Farewell, Ten.
    The Doctor is about to regenearate, freed from the guilt of the Time War, and having just said goodbye to his companions. He should be satisfied and ready. And yet… death is death. ONE IS NEVER PREPARED. In a moment of raw honesty, all alone in the TARDIS he can't help but admit it.

    But then Matt Smith pops into existence and it turns out there was nothing to be afraid of after all. The Doctor is the Doctor again.

  59. Anon says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I never cry at anything. Ever. I didn't cry at any of this but when Ten said " I don't want to go" i was welling up.

  60. spectralbovine says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I completely understand about David Tennant. I felt the same way. I mainlined Eccleston's run, so I spent even less actual time with him than people who watched in real-time. And, sure, because I spent so much time with Tennant, he essentially became "my" Doctor for so many reasons. All the things he did, all his little mannerisms and catchphrases, and, of course, his wonderful Companions.

    Matt Smith may take some warming up to, but after a couple episodes, I expect you to be all HOW ARE YOU SO AWESOME MATT SMITH. Because he is kind of fucking amazing.

  61. stellaaaaakris says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    I had rushed through all of DT's episodes to find the one of him dripping in the rain, which meant I rushed through seasons 2-4. Since I love IMDb and can't make myself not click on an actor's name to see what episodes they were in, I knew DT's last episode was this one and I knew that Billie Piper would be reappearing. But I couldn't make myself watch The End of Time because I love Ten and wasn't ready for Eleven, so I stopped watching for about a month. Instead I youtubed all DW stuff, such as the Weakest Link, DW style (check it out!) and, on the side, there was a related video called something like "Billie Piper's Surprise Reappearance For The End…" and its screen shot was a picture of Billie in a white top and DT in what looked like a red velvet suit. Apparently I wear shipping goggles that I didn't know about because I was convinced that this meant we were going to see Handy and Rose get married in The End of Time Part 2. Convinced. I didn't click on the video because I wanted it to be a surprise as to what the scene actually was. Obviously I was wrong. We only see Billie in a very terrible wig not long before she meets Nine. I went back to find the video and it was just a clip letting us know that Billie would be back for the end of series 4. Fail, Stella, fail. (Made me think of that epi with Martha where Ten told her she watched too much TV; clearly he was talking to me.)

    But I really enjoyed this episode and I sobbed for approximately 20 minutes after it ended, because, as good as Matt Smith is, he's not DT.

    DAVID TENNANT/TEN, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY DOCTOR.

  62. herdivineshadow says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    I only worry about Smith's apparent lack of eyebrows. 😀

  63. arctic_hare says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    This is kinda spoilery. Deleting.

  64. Hypatia_ says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    OMG, me too. He's actually my age, but I was still like "WTF? How is the Doctor the same age as me? This is bad for my psyche."

  65. Danielle says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    As soon as the Doctor started his "Why Should I Have To Die For You" rant, I was fucking done. Just hurry up and die. I don't even know who you are any more, but you sure as hell aren't the Doctor.
    TWENTY MINUTES. TWENTY FUCKING MINUTES OF VISITING PAST COMPANIONS.
    "I don't want to go" is the least-dignified, most self-indulgent, un-heroic regeneration the Doctor has ever had. And that INCLUDES getting a bump on the head.

  66. who_cares86 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    About the whole who's the Woman thing. Is she his mother, wife, daughter, Susan, Romana or his old never seen before neighbour? Frankly my dear I don't give a damn because it doesn't matter. All that matters is that it's someone from his past who obviously means a lot to him. That's the only thing we need to know. The exact identity of the Woman is completely besides the point.

  67. Baz says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    Woman Time Lord = Future Donna is my new head canon. Thank you.

  68. @nessalh says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    One of the two dissident Time Lords, described as "The Woman" in the credits, visits Wilfred on several occasions, appearing and disappearing in unexplained ways. When she lowers her arms to stare at the Tenth Doctor he appears to recognise her, but when later asked by Wilfred about her identity, the Doctor evades the question. British newspapers The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail identified the character as the Doctor's mother as early as April 2009.[8][9] Russell T. Davies wrote in an email to the author of The Writers Tale, "I like leaving it open, because then you can imagine what you want. I think the fans will say it's Romana. Or even the Rani. Some might say that it's Susan's mother, I suppose. But of course it’s meant to be the Doctor’s mother."

    Taken from Wikipedia. Of course you can gather your own conclusion, but it was always meant to be his mother. Although, I rather like the idea of it being Romana.

  69. nextboy1 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    much much better than part 1, this one.

    I really like the TIme Lord stuff, unlike a lot of people, and think they're handled pretty well, even if once they make it to Earth they stand in white light and talk a lot. Most of this is all pretty forgettable, because those last twenty minutes are utterly fantastic. The moment of the four knocks just punched me in the gut, I couldn't believe it, it all seemed so obvious but it's genius, it's heartbreaking, and I wish I'd watched this as part of fandom, because I'd love to have seen the initial reaction.

    As it is, my Doctor Who journey began with the episode that Mark will be watching on Thursday, so as sad as this was (still tears) David Tennant has never been MY Doctor as such, even though I completely see why he was so popular. When watching these through, I was kind of over him by the time these specials came about, but he's still brilliant, and his acting here is superb.

    Mark, welcome to a new era. I'd love to hear any predictions you may have for this coming series! YANP

  70. shyfully says:
    March 15, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Man, I run into people I saw every day for years and years and don't recognize them. Some people are just bad at faces, you know?

  71. flamingpie says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:00 pm

    hahaha I'm not a fan of the coral myself but it wouldn't have made me NEARLY as angry as the baby would have.

    WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DOCTOR'S FEELINGS ABOUT FATHERHOOD. There are absolutely NO babies in my head canon.

    • kilodalton says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:04 pm

      J/w why you don't like the coral. Personally, I like it XD

      (Although … considering that the redshirts @ UNIT were able to construct Project Indigo on their own, and that 51st century humans could make vortex manipulators, I don't think TenToo and Rose would have needed the coral to travel. If humans could do it, TenToo absolutely would have figured some travel alternative out XD XD)

      • flamingpie says:
        March 15, 2011 at 2:09 pm

        I don't hate the coral, and I used to include it in my personal canon, but lately I just prefer the idea that they don't have it. It's just… too good. I like the idea that Ten has to give up Rose but gets the TARDIS and Handy gets Rose and gets to have that ~adventure Ten can't have, but has to give up the TARDIS for it. I don't imagine they'll ever stop traveling, but I like the idea that they're both stuck a bit more on the slow path.

        • Hypatia_ says:
          March 15, 2011 at 2:44 pm

          I kind of agree. Plus, unless Handy has slightly more self-preservation instinct than Ten, he's likely to get into enough trouble on Earth, and he can't regenerate. If he had a TARDIS he'd be dead in six months. And then Rose would only have drugs left to love.

  72. ldwy says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    Everyone has said it better, so I will just say. I love this episode. I love the tenth doctor. I think he will be my Doctor too. When I was first introduced, along with you, to the Doctor as Nine by Eccleston, I thought, he is amazing I will love him forever, and when he changed I said, oh no, it's not Chris Eccleston, Nine was my Doctor, I will probably not like Ten because he's not Nine. And I was wrong. Like you say, Nine was super important. But we had so much more time to get to know Ten, to see him develop, and have more relationships. I think he's my Doctor too.

    Now, this series finale. It's way cheesy. Really it is. But I don't care. I'm okay with that from this show. And the emotion is all there (oh my god, so good, I love all these actors) (has anyone noticed that I LOVE EVERYONE I JUST WANT US ALL TO GET ALONG) to counterbalance the cheese.

    It was so so so sad that Wilf, whom the Doctor admired so much, and who admired the Doctor so much, killed him. Or brought about his death. And as much as the Doctor takes a minute to feel the injustice of surviving so much only to die this way, to feel terror and fear, to not want to die…as much as he rages for a minute…as soon as we heard those knocks, remembered Wilf was in there, saw him asking the Doctor to save him, we knew what the Doctor would do. Because he loves people. There wasn't even a question if he would let himself die/regenerate to save Wilf.

    It was very big cheese to go see all the companions, but I loved it. It was good cheese. But some questions arose from that for me.
    -I thought Martha married that guy that she met when she was going around the world telling people about the Doctor in the Series 3 finale? She was at least engaged to him during Series 4. What happened there? I mean, she and Mickey are gorgeous, so whatever, but I do wonder.
    -Why does he have so much time? When Nine regenerated, it was pretty fast and he was wiped out after. Is it slower because compared to absorbing the Time Vortex, absorbing a lot of radiation is nothing? Far less damaging? So the process can afford to be slower? I am going to assume this is the case and will accept it as fact.
    -I also wondered how Rose could not remember him. But whatevs. He hadddd to go see her.

    Basically I am full of love love love. Can't help it. I am also excited for Matt Smith and Eleven. And his bowties 😉

    Oh, and "I don't want to go"
    I'm so glad this line was there. Ten doesn't want to go. We don't want him to go. And I'm pretty sure, from what I've heard, that however necessary it was, I'm sure Tennant was sad to go.
    Perfect all encompassing line. Bye Ten.

  73. jackiep says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    Farewell Ten. And the Master finally does something to redeem himself, having discovered the reason why he spent his life bonkers in the first place!

    I did suggest that Ten might have been better off leaving Wilf in the car… however his petulant rant before shouldering his responsibility was utterly in character.

    Martha and Mickey. It makes sense. Martha had already noticed that she'd found herself another Doctor who was away all of the time (and initially seemed to hook up with him out of a bit of feeling for what he'd done in the year which never happened). Mickey was no longer Mickey the idiot, but Mickey the freedom fighter who'd already liberated Alt-Earth from Cybermen (and sorted himself out as far as his Alt-Gran went). They'd also both suffered a bit from the Doctor's thoughtlessness. Mickey saw this truly impressive woman, she saw a truly impressive bloke.

    Looking at the lighting, would Rose really remember some bloke in the darkness of New Year?

    And Hi to Eleven. Loved his first work "legs". (Legs Eleven of course being the bingo call).

    • ScarecrowCeno says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:59 pm

      RE: Martha Mickey. Veyr true. Hell, in terms of character, he might have changed HUGELY across that year. The REAL Tom and Martha never even SHARED dialogue on screen! Martha and Mickey were at least last seen heading off together.

  74. electric ashera says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    OK. I love RTD but these two episodes combined are just so much WTF WTF WTF that I feel like…

    well I feel like this:

    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/34eurg2.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    Ten, oh Ten, you magnificent bastard. I loved you and hated you but mostly I just felt along with you. You were MY Doctor, Ten.

    And you deserved a better send-off than this batshit insane two-parter, you really did. There's just so much that is out of left field here, I don't even have time to start.

    The only saving grace is that Ten seems—however much he pisses and moans about it—to have learnt the lesson that Adelaide tried to teach him in the Waters of Mars: there's no such thing as "little people."

    Well then. ONWARDS!

    • NB2000 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:04 pm

      NGL for a second I thought Matt Smith was going to sit up after the moment in that gif. The logical part of me was saying they wouldn't do it without the big CGI moment but I did wonder.

  75. doesntsparkle says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    I forgot, I absolutely love Ten. "The Girl in the Fireplace" was the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw. I wouldn't be a Who fan if it weren't for him. He will be missed.

  76. sukiyakiya says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    well done 😀 I stalking your review but this one i need to make a comment.

    Amazing adventure, i think the reason why RTD giving his doctor (Ten) too much God-like because RTD just want to throw this character from up to down into a piece. Melodramatic, chessy but i think it worked for common people who love simple drama 🙂
    I just realize Ten suffered from "God syndrome", and now this is the one i like about RTD era because i never seen any Doctor that have suffered from such a thing.
    Ten is sick doctor, and no one can heal him anymore. I love Ten, he always be my Doctor, but really hard to see him suffered from sickness like that, its almost like destroying himself and every episode i saw in special, i always think this doctor should die, he is already broken too much and its hard to see him like that.

    As for four knocks, its really suprised me too.
    Amazing twist.

    Now welcome to new series XD

  77. kytten says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    "I don't want to go"
    Then stay! Stay for us, Tennant!

  78. Scott says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    Don't think anyone's mentioned that this episode features both Nina AND George from Being Human.

    Oh and consider this. In the opening scene on Gallifrey while the Time Lords are discussing plans to escape the time lock, somewhere out there 8 is running around with "The Moment". A LOT of people were hoping for a surprise Paul McGann cameo.

    • livingbreathingme says:
      March 16, 2011 at 7:05 pm

      I did not see Nina, but I did nearly have the biggest fangirl attack when I saw George 😀 And the fact it was with Jack just FFFFF YESSS!

  79. NeonProdigy says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    Yeeeeeeeeah, not the biggest fan of this episode.

    I honestly hated the direction Ten had been going in, and the whiny rant about Wilf (who deserves ALL the hugs, all of them) just made me kinda pissed off.

    And then the regeneration scene.

    Remember when Nine regenerated into Ten? Remember how he went out with dignity, endearing us all to him forever? Yeah, thank goodness RTD spared us that this time 😐

    If I had to give a reaction to this two-parter… it'd be:

    <img src="http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=820005904480&id=f7a252ba6d58d76313a8e7e0d9fe627a&url=http%3a%2f%2femotibot.net%2fpix%2f678.gif"&gt;

    • NeonProdigy says:
      March 15, 2011 at 4:25 pm

      And now that I've gotten that out of the way:

      IT'S TIME FOR ELEVEN! HELL YES MATT SMITH!

      GERONIMOOOOOOOO!

      *curses Homestuck, as he is now fighting the urge to make a "Fly Pupa, Fly!" joke*

    • ThreeBooks says:
      March 15, 2011 at 6:00 pm

      YEAH HOMESTUCK YEAH.

      *resists the urge to write a fanfic where Dave dies and regenerates as Eleven*

      …

      *fails to resist the urge*

      • NeonProdigy says:
        March 15, 2011 at 6:53 pm

        Give in to that urge! Heck, I'd read it!

        *imagines John and Rose as Rory and Amy*

        Also, K-9 = Becquerel?

        • ThreeBooks says:
          March 15, 2011 at 6:57 pm

          …What in the world would that make Jackquerel? A mix of the Master, K-9, that thing from School Reunions, a princess and also Seppucrow?

          OKAY, THIS IS GOING TO BE HILARIOUS.

    • mkjcaylor says:
      March 15, 2011 at 9:14 pm

      You just reminded me I need to check the page again! Haven't for a bit and I'm sure there's 50 pages of updates and a new game to play at this point.

  80. Inseriousity. says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    I mentioned in the journey's end view that I didn't like the donna's memory wipe for 2 reasons. One reason was that she said no but the other was in this episode. I love Donna, she's my favourite companion but she should have died. It just ruins it now if every time there's an alien presence (which there are a lot of!!) Donna goes 'what did i do' and collapses to the ground. Felt like a get-out clause.

    Originally the whole 'reward' thing just felt too long for me and the whole "well you shouldn't have married me" line is like 'wtf, that makes no sense' in the context of the conversation so that felt like lazy writing just to get new information across. Afterwards though I appreciated how this was just RTD's way of saying bye to a show he regenerated for the dead so I'll let him that moment (although I can't forgive the dodgy line).

    • Inseriousity. says:
      March 15, 2011 at 2:39 pm

      oops typo, the dead can't watch TV i think. I'll hop over to mark reads and ask Death if we can watch tv

      *regenerated from the dead

  81. Starsea28 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    I'm going to state the things I like about this episode first:

    1. The scene between the Doctor and the Master, slashy as it is

    2. Worst. Rescue. Ever.

    3. Wilf being the one who knocked four times.

    Sadly, those are the only things I liked about this episode. I'm envious of you for being moved Mark, because in the end, I wasn't.

    The Doctor managed to ruin it for me.

    WARNING. RANTING AHEAD.

    …

    OH DEAR GOD, I COULD NOT STAND THE META ANY MORE. When I discovered Wilf was the one who knocked four times, this was my face:

    <img src="http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/Starsea/OMGSoSad.gif"&gt;

    Wow, RTD, this is brilliant, this is unexpected, this is amazing-!

    Then Ten started to rant. And my expression turned into this:

    <img src="http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/Starsea/WoodyIsUnimpressed.jpg"&gt;

    You know something has gone wrong when you actually start willing the protagonist of a programme to die.

    Yes, it would be nice to have an episode exploring what regeneration means to the Doctor. THIS WASN' T IT. It's not that any of this is out of character for the Tenth Doctor, it's that I cannot stand the meta. This whole thing reeks of meta: "I'm leaving, David is leaving, we're all leaving!" When the Ninth Doctor regenerated into the Tenth Doctor, the programme dismissed Rose's shock and mistrust as unneccessary: "What's the problem, Rose, I'm still the same guy, stop freaking out." But suddenly now the Tenth Doctor's regenerating, it's different. "A whole new man goes walking away"? Eurgh, why? Why was any of that necessary?

    SUCK IT UP. You have died over ten times before. You have sacrificed yourself for companions before and I didn't hear you whining about it then *cough*Peri*cough*ROSE*cough*. You have indeed lived for too long. You dumped your clone with Rose, you wiped Donna's memory, you decided to change history, you messed around with Elizabeth I (a woman who already had enough issues with marriage). I do not want to know what 'more' you could do, because you've done enough. Please just shut up and die.

    Except he didn't. It was like Journey's End all over again, only worse. Mickey and Martha, RTD? Just because you wanted her married name to be "Doctor Smith-Jones"? It doesn't work like that, it would be "Jones-Smith" and that sounds stupid. And hooking up Jack with Alonso? Sorry, I really don't see how that's going to make him feel better after what happened. I liked the goodbyes to Verity and Sarah Jane, and even though the goodbye to Donna is painful to watch, I do like that we finally see Sylvia's sensitive side.

    But making Ten's last words "I don't want to go"? I wanted to throw something against the wall. I wanted to be sad about David Tennant's last episode. I wanted to be moved. But I wasn't. I just wanted him to die and take his angst with him. And it's not his fault, he acted his heart out but this episode is a total mess. Despite everything, despite all the money and all the extra hours, Christopher Eccleston's regeneration was better.

    BUT! NEVER MIND THAT!

    "Down from heaven comes Eleven,
    And there's hell to pay below,
    Shout 'Geronimo', 'Geronimo'!"

    <img src="http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/Starsea/Doctor%20Who/Who%20Macros/eclecticmuse-CelebrationDance.gif"&gt;

    • arctic_hare says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:02 pm

      MTE, Woody.

      I agree with your whole rant, basically.

    • NB2000 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:13 pm

      THIS, ALL OF THIS! This is basically everything I couldn't work out how to say about the regeneration.

    • __Jen__ says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:22 pm

      THIS to everything. A++

    • psycicflower says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:33 pm

      I'm just echoing those above me but it bares repeating
      THIS! to your whole comment.

    • MowerOfLorn says:
      March 15, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      I'm so….conflicted by Ten's regeneration.

      On one hand, I like it. Its wonderfully sad and emotional, and I do think its highlighted how much suffering and sadness Ten's gone through, and it is in character. Plus, I like that RTD brought up these questions of regeneration….is it a kind of death? This philosophical aspect appeals to me, and was one of the main reasons I got into the show.

      But on the other hand; the Doctor has risked life and death hundreds of times before, often sure he was going to die. It is incredibly annoying to see him be so pissed at the concept this time. Plus, I would have liked a stronger ending to our hero, something more accepting- one last 'Alons-y', perhaps. Not to mention, I feel it put off other fans even more- because if Ten didn't want to go, why should we accept Eleven?

      • Starsea28 says:
        March 15, 2011 at 4:29 pm

        I'm actually a little jealous of people who were moved by the regeneration. I wanted to be and I wasn't, I just wanted him to be gone. I do get what you're saying. I think in a different episode, which wasn't so messy and didn't have the weight of tying up RTD's whole era, I would have enjoyed the philosophical musings. I do understand now what he was trying to do.

        Plus, I would have liked a stronger ending to our hero, something more accepting- one last 'Alons-y', perhaps.

        Yes! I would have loved "Allons-y" as his final word! Nine's last words – "You were fantastic! And do you know what? So was I!" – are so brilliant, so life-affirming that Ten's words look pathetic in comparison and that is not what I wanted for him.

        Not to mention, I feel it put off other fans even more- because if Ten didn't want to go, why should we accept Eleven?

        Urgh, yes. Matt Smith was already at a disadvantage among a lot of fans (though not me personally) without that.

      • Openattheclose says:
        March 15, 2011 at 10:49 pm

        I share your feelings exactly. Even though it moves me emotionally, I hate Ten's ending. And I hate his last words. Way too meta. It seems like they were designed to make Ten fans unhappy about the changes, instead of helping them to move on. I look at Nine's regeneration and I am sad that Ten couldn't have that.

        • Starsea28 says:
          March 16, 2011 at 1:34 pm

          It seems like they were designed to make Ten fans unhappy about the changes, instead of helping them to move on. I look at Nine's regeneration and I am sad that Ten couldn't have that.

          Yes, it honestly does feel like that. I hated it then and I hate it now.

    • radiantbaby1 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 10:40 pm

      THIS. SO MUCH. I could have written this review myself, as I'm right there with you on ALL of it.

  82. xpanasonicyouthx says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    Ok, so where can I watch all of Tennant's and Tate's television appearances? Like on Nevermind the Buzzcocks and such. I've been waiting this whole time!!

  83. nyssaoftraken74 says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    One more serious point I want to add into the mix, because in amongst all the praise and love for David Tennant and all the cast, and of course, Russell T Davies, there is one person we are in danger of forgetting: Julie Gardner.

    Her role in creating the show was never as high profile or seemingly glamarous, but she was absolutely crucial to its success. While the Doctor was fighting monsters and Russell was wrestling with scripts, Jule was battling the most formidable creatures of all – TV executives! She constantly found ways to squeeze that extra bit of money, air time, and above all respect for the show at the highest levels of the BBC and that respect is priceless. She was the BBC producer that you do not cross.
    Just ask Old "Sixie":

    <img src="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff199/elf_maid/Doctor%20Who%20Comic/CB1-1.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">

  84. xpanasonicyouthx says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    OMG!!!! I just posted a comment asking where to watch this. THANK YOU.

    • kaybee42 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 4:12 pm

      I re-watched the doctor who NMTB special YESTERDAY and I'm re watching it again now. It is exactly as hilarious today as it was yesterday, if not more so. I am so happy you finally get to watch it! 😀
      Have you seen Never Mind the Buzzcocks before? Does it even play in America? It probably doesn't, doesit…

  85. Matt says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Isn't that trailer in the usual place just before the credits? In which case I think Mark has been skipping them anyway so its carry on as usual.

    • Anseflans says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:13 pm

      Ah, that's good news. Just wanted to make sure he doesn't get spoiled by THE ACTUAL SHOW. Y'know? 😛

  86. Marissa says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    I second this! Watching those two minutes ruins EVERYTHING.

  87. PeterRabid says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    I woke up an hour ago with a splitting migraine, and today's like the most inopportune day on Mark Watches to feel like crap. Sorry guys, this will be short and sweet.

    While I was pretty negative yesterday, I have a lot more mixed feelings about The End of Time: Part Two. I'd be a filthy liar if I said I hadn't bawled like a baby through the last twenty minutes. There's still a lot of WTFery in this special, but I could ignore most of it (except the Vinvocci glass bullshit, I clearly saw the windshield of the Vinvocci spaceship shatter and that must have been much thicker than the walls of that chamber!) and I appreciate the whole episode a lot more.

    Still, I think there is an inherent problem in RTD's portrayal of regeneration. I'm not saying most David Tennant fans are like this or even a lot of them, but I've talked to a few who were absolutely, completely biased against Matt Smith from the get go because Ten "didn't want to go." I've even met some who refused to even give Eleven a try. Sure, there would have been a few stubborn fans who would've done this anyway, but it's my belief that RTD heightened it by changing regeneration to mean death, with another man walking away with the Doctor's memories. I think that's a real shame, as Doctor Who is all about accepting change. When the Tenth Doctor can't even do that, how can we expect his fans to?

    Ten was and still is my Doctor, even though he's not my favorite (cgjkhgmx, MATT SMITH SOON!!!!). David Tennant is a brilliant actor and I miss his portrayal as much as I do any other Doctor's, which is to say, please please please come back for the 50th anniversary special!

    Fanvids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CraBIydn4u0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8g9XBbK2Vs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8g9XBbK2Vs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS8NiM5pBMA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYJIiueWfXE
    And a little something to cheer you up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLT_Dmlimxw

    • Starsea28 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:48 pm

      Still, I think there is an inherent problem in RTD's portrayal of regeneration. I'm not saying most David Tennant fans are like this or even a lot of them, but I've talked to a few who were absolutely, completely biased against Matt Smith from the get go because Ten "didn't want to go." I've even met some who refused to even give Eleven a try. Sure, there would have been a few stubborn fans who would've done this anyway, but it's my belief that RTD heightened it by changing regeneration to mean death, with another man walking away with the Doctor's memories. I think that's a real shame, as Doctor Who is all about accepting change. When the Tenth Doctor can't even do that, how can we expect his fans to?

      Yes. This. All of it. Thank you.

    • radiantbaby1 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 10:48 pm

      When the Tenth Doctor can't even do that, how can we expect his fans to?

      AMEN TO THIS. It makes me sad how many fans will not even give Eleven a chance because of this. Maybe it's because I'm an old-school fan, but I *love* that Doctor who is an ever-changing show. It keeps things interesting and not stagnant, IMO.

  88. yodalicious says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    I don't have a lot of experience with the earlier Doctors, but I seriously cannot fathom how anyone could dislike Ten. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that is my single favorite television character of all time. I love Buffy, I love John Locke, I love Malcolm Reynolds, I love Sokka of the Water Tribe (you'll understand soon), and I love Walter Bishop. But none of those loves compare to the love I have for the Tenth Doctor. He is so much more complex then I ever would have guessed going into the show. He blew me away with his dramatic roles and all his tragedy and then made me laugh consistently with his humor and his playfulness. I think Matt Smith is pretty foxy but I know in my heart that David Tennant is MY Doctor, forever and for all time.

  89. Matt says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    Welcome to the Moffat era of Doctor Who. RTD wrote as far as the regeneration and let Moffat write 11's first lines. The changeover was almost brutal. After Tennant had finished shooting RTD popped back to the set to see Moffat and Piers Wenger (new BBC exec) sitting in exactly the same chairs that he and Julie Gardener had been in just moments before.

    A cautionary tale on over-planning. Anticipating that there would be a lot of interest in Matt's first scene, RTD ordered that the set be cleared so as not to create an intimidating atmosphere for the new lad. Everyone duly obeyed and went outside, crowding out the area between Matt's dressing room and the studio. He had to get through over a hundred people all wishing him luck and wanting to say hello before he even set foot in the TARDIS! RTD was duly mortified and tried to hide round the back of a van, when Matt spotted and ran over to shake his hand!

    Now I'm not a gif expert, but would be VERY grateful if some kind soul could post the "OOH!" face that Matt pulls immediately post regeneration. I absolutely love the fact that the Eleventh Doctor is almost surprised that he even exists…

  90. naive_wanderer says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    However ridiculous this episode gets, the fact that there are all these BIG EPIC COMPLICATED fake-outs, but it all comes down to a simple and personal moment — saving one man's life — is brilliance. The moment that Wilf knocks off-camera stops my heart every time.

  91. peacockdawson says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    OKAY. What happened to Martha's old fiance? That always pissed me off. DUDES. SHE WAS ALREADY, LIKE, MARRIED.

    • flamingpie says:
      March 15, 2011 at 3:52 pm

      according to Rusty, he was a rebound.

    • Starsea28 says:
      March 15, 2011 at 5:09 pm

      Well, she was only engaged. And apparently, he was "just a rebound". Because we always get engaged to our rebounds, right? *sigh* I wouldn't have minded her splitting up with Milligan, I just don't see why she had to be married to Mickey instead. She could be SINGLE and happy, RTD. It does happen!

      (I totally understand your reaction, though. The first time I saw this, I screamed out loud "She was ENGAGED to TOM!" and spent the next five minutes fuming.)

      • peacockdawson says:
        March 15, 2011 at 5:28 pm

        I mean, her and Mickey is cute. But they never talk about it in the show, which I thought was LAME.
        And I guess I get where you're coming from with the 'single and happy' angle, but I really don't think that's the deal here. They just thought people would like Micky/Martha, so they did it. And people do like it.
        But that wasn't my point. My point is that people can also be in relationships and be happy, and it's human nature to crave these sort of relationships. The majority of people out there are lookin' for love. Yeah, people can be happy without it, but most people want it.

        Maybe I'm wrong, because I am one of those 'happier single' people, but even I sometimes wish that I had this. Which is ridiculous of me, but it's true.

        BUT OKAY. My REAL point is that being upset about this Martha thing is sort of ridiculous, because YES, some people are happy single, but some people are also happily married.

  93. Claire says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    All I could think during the WORST. RESCUE. EVER. scene was that Tennant had had pretty serious back surgery not long before they filmed this, and they're practically throwing him down a flight of stairs! I hope they gave him physiotherapy for the rest of the day and a day off after to make up for it 🙂

    On the other hand, MATT SMITH!! 😀

    • Selthia says:
      March 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm

      The long shots should be a dummy, so it probably wasn't nearly that bad.

      And yes! Matt Smith is here!

  94. fakehepburn says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Couple of things.

    This episode made me oscillate wildly between this:

    <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2q39qap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    and this:

    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2q9lz4z.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    The part when the Time Lords come through was FUCKING RIDICULOUS.

    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/16jneow.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    I greatly enjoyed the rescue sequence, and the bit on the CactusAlien ship when Ten was like "FUCK THIS SAVING THE DAY NOW."

    ALLONS-Y!

    <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/29msnt5.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    (Although, tiny plot hole:

    <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/aub8cj.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    )

    But anyway, on the whole, this episode was FUCKING HEARTBREAKING AND SAD, on account of TEN DIED.
    Yeah, I know, he regenerated, but Davies clearly wrote it like a majorly depressing death scene, and he went the extra mile for dramarama. (I mean, Rose? Seriously? WAS THAT NECESSARY? My creys…)

    HE DIDN'T WANT TO GO.

    <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/birpqe.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    (Weirdly enough, the tinypic captcha for this one was "The tenth." THE INTERNET KNOWS THINGS.)

    On a side note, I LOVE THE MICKEY AND MARTHA ARE MARRIED. BEST BADASS COUPLE EVER. I WANT THAT TO BE A SPINOFF RIGHT FREAKING NOW.

    Anyway, the regeneration is depressing as hell, but on a final bright note:

    ELEVEN.

    MY DOCTOR.

    IT BEGINS.

    • fakehepburn says:
      March 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm

      Also, this is one of two episodes of Who my mom has ever seen (the other being from Series 5.)
      She saw the last twenty minutes, and her only comment was "I have no idea what's happening, but this is like some Shakespeare-level drama or something."

      Yeah, mom. Yes it is.

      • Hypatia_ says:
        March 15, 2011 at 4:49 pm

        I think I like your mom. If I ever tried to expose my mom to Doctor Who, she'd be like, "What is this crap? You like this? Okay, change the channel, Dancing with the Stars is on now."

        I love my mom, but we have little in common, books/movies/TV-wise. We've basically made a pact that she will not try to make me watch romantic comedies, and I will not try to get her to like sci-fi.

        • fantasylover12001 says:
          March 15, 2011 at 5:57 pm

          I keep trying to talk my Mom into giving the New Who a chance. She's only seen really early eps of Doctor Who (she can't remember who though) and was mildly embarressed about being into it back then. I keep trying to tell her it's vastly improved (mostly) and that it's cool to like Doctor Who now. Thing is, I'm pretty sure she'd like it if she sat down and watched it with me. I've already gotten her hooked on Castle and Harry Potter, I'm sure I can get her hooked on this too.

          • Tenalto says:
            March 16, 2011 at 9:57 am

            Heh. My mother has said that she's afraid to watch too much NewWho because she doesn't want to lose her love for her Doctors (Four and Seven — she made the Four scarf and everything back in the day). She watched all of Series 2 and 3 this summer when I got my wisdom teeth out, but she's suddenly got cold feet. Such a pity, though — I know she'd love Donna. I'll have to see what I can do. 🙂

        • jennywildcat says:
          March 16, 2011 at 9:07 am

          That's me and my mom too. I haven't even tried to get my mom into Doctor Who – she hates shows that deal with time-travel anyway.

    • ThreeBooks says:
      March 15, 2011 at 6:06 pm

      YES, ELEVEN. THE FIRST DOCTOR I WATCHED LIVE. <3<3<3

      • mkjcaylor says:
        March 15, 2011 at 9:37 pm

        I only started watching him live on Christmas! And even then it's a DL from amazon.com video on demand because I don't have access to BBC America. Which is what it's going to have to be come April.

  95. trash_addict says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Tears, tears everywhere! I was completely un-spoilered but knew Tennant was leaving, obviously. So from the second he stepped into the containment area, it was waterworks that just didn't stop. You know this. Even though this whole two-parter was ridiculous, I'm glad RTD gave everyone a nice send-off…..until 'I don't want to go'. DON'T DO THAT. THAT'S MEAN. *astral plane hugs to everyone but RTD*

    Anyway, Matt Smith! I'm currently re-watching season 5 for a) Mark Watches and b) the lead up to season six. Woo-hoo!

  96. rewritten says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    I just lost my entire comment that I spent half an hour typing out. EURGH! Why is the logout button so closely positioned to the comment box/my mouse so sensitive?! 🙁 Anyway, REWRITE.

    I FEEL FOR YOU MARK!

    My favourite bits:
    • Verity Newman's book signing "Was she happy, in the end?" "Yes, yes she was… were you?"
    • "I don't want to go."
    • Wilf's lines as The Doctor head's towards the radiation containment device "No, no don't. Please don't, PLEASE!" (gets me every time).

    But how good was Matt's introduction?! Can't wait to revisit Series 5 alongside Mark. It's going to be the perfect refresh before Series 6 starts airing. Kudos on the timing!

    I really do believe the soundtrack made the key scenes in 'The End of Time' so effective. I know I say this often, but Murray Gold and co deserve as much respect as the actors, writers, and directors.

    What I'm most looking forward to is how Mark thinks Smith's Doctor shapes up to Tennant's.

    I was desperate to post the series 5 teaser trailer here but it contains some of the monsters so I thought it best not to :'(

    THURSDAY!

    <img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhrl4jUAJw1qa5eu4o1_500.gif"&gt;

  97. psycicflower says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    MARK Don't watch that. Some bits and bobs from series 5 are in there.

  98. Jaxx_zombie says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    Ahhh, this the one episode that I cried in…
    When I saw that it was Wilf who knocked four times I just basically reacted like this:
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/orig-10266331jpg.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/orig-9691841jpg.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    By the regeneration I was basically like this:
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/sad2.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/29c13m.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    When Matt Smith appeared:
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/tumblr_l5s9xuHZ441qafu1v.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/spidey_dance.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    <img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/Jaxx_zombie/2ni3aqu.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">
    David you will always be my Doctor.

  99. arctic_hare says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    Spoilery, so I be deleting.

  100. Loz says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    Goodbye Ten, you will always be my Doctor.

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